Jade War (The Green Bone Saga, 2)

“Magic Divides. Power Corrupts. Family Endures.” So reads the tagline for Jade War, Fonda Lee’s sequel to 2017’s Jade City. Everything that made the first book a wonderful read is back and done even better in this second book. Lee doesn’t pull any punches and readers are in for a fabulous ride as they head back to the city of Janloon and see even more of the world Lee has so painstakingly crafted. Once again, Lee’s characters steal the show. Their relationships and internal struggles feel real and authentic. The issues that the Kaul family faces are issues that all of us could see ourselves facing, if we were magically enhanced martial arts masters and part of powerful gangster families who controlled multinational corporations. Much like the first novel, Jade War, is a mash up of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the Godfather. But what makes it work isn’t the amazing fight scenes, the wonderfully imagined magic, or the stellar world building. What makes the whole thing work is the characters and their small problems that end up writ large. Most family issues don’t end up part of the sociopolitical landscape, but if you’re part of the No Peak or Mountain clans, they just might. Lee’s propensity for writing small problems that are entirely relatable but end up driving the plot in epic ways is what makes her novel stand out. In addition to this, the world building here is second to none. Not only do we get to see more of the capital city of Kekon, Janloon, we also get to see and hear more about the larger world. One character perspective gives us regular glances into life in the Republic of Espenia, and we’re also treated to brief looks at other parts of the world. Lee hasn’t crafted a single kingdom or nation that feels real, she has crafted an entire world, with a worldwide economy and various factions that all make sense, hang together, and feel like you really are simply watching the news while living on an entirely different planet. In addition to the general world building, Lee does an incredibly job crafting the feel and emotions of the Kekonese immigrant community in Espenia. The characters that we meet are achingly authentic. This aspect of the novel is wonderful and I truly can’t say enough good things about it. We rarely see such depth given to immigrant characters in fantasy, and I’d love to see more authors do so. The world building is careful even down to details of who speaks during negotiations depending on the culture they’re from—but in all of these, it never feels like Lee is dumping information on the reader. Instead, it’s all part of the story and flows naturally. Wonderful characters, deep world building, amazing magic, fantastic fight scenes, this book has everything I love packaged in a truly unique setting. There isn’t much that didn’t work for me here. Two things deserve mentioning. First, the pacing felt a little uneven at times. While the narrative flows well and there wasn’t much down time, per se, I did find that some chapters felt like they slowed the pacing down a little too much, or, conversely, sped it up a little too much. I was always invested enough in the characters that this didn’t affect me too much, but I felt it needed mentioned. The other issue for me is that, several times throughout the novel, Lee will tell us the way something is in the world by jumping to the present tense, before switching back to her normal narrative past. I found this odd. Every time it happened I was jarred out of the story. It’s not common, however. Fonda Lee is a rising star, and Jade War only confirms that assessment. This book is worth moving to the top of your list. Make it your next read or, if you haven’t read Jade City yet, make that one your next read. I’m already waiting for the third book with baited breath. After all, family endures. 9/10 4.5/5 stars. 5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile 4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile 3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time 2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it 1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

I have such a love/hate relationship with this series. On one hand I love it, the writing is smooth and flawless. I can sit and read the book for hours and not realize how much time has passed. The story is engaging and I love the political/clan drama that is constantly happening. On the other hand, there are a lot of scenes that cause me to want to DNF the book. There are characters I cannot stand and the graphic sex scenes need to chill out. (also there is a scene involving an abortion that had me putting the book down for a while) The problem is every time I think about putting the book down or stopping, I find myself constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. I am invested into these people’s lives and I must know the outcome. So will I continue to the last book? Yes, yes I will. This book has reinforced Hilo as my favorite character, whereas I cannot stand Anden, and Shae is okay (she has good and bad moments). I also really grew to enjoy the addition to Wen and getting to know the Maik brothers better. This book involves more communication with foreign countries and dealing with criminals/smugglers rather than direct clan/clan conflict. There is a great dueling scene though that is tense and will have you on the edge of your seat. This book is filled with subtle nudges from each clan to influence politics in their favor and it is intriguing to see how each clan is still trying to undermine the other without direct contact. This book is able to capture the rawness of relationships so well and provides realistic consequences for actions that are taken. The author is not afraid to face the death of her characters, or to have them suffer for their actions and I respect the author for following through on the consequences (even if it does cause added anxiety when reading😊). So far, I would recommend this series if you have not given it a try, but I do think there needs to be some warnings involved for those who may not feel comfortable with certain scenes or topics. The author holds nothing back and I personally would not mind more fade to black scenes when it comes to sex scenes, but skipping pages is an option as well. I personally am not interested in the magic of Jade so much as I am enjoying the book for the relationships, political/clan drama and fights/assassinations.

I quite enjoyed the sequel to Jade City. Like the first book it is a great blend of a crime thriller, urban fantasy, and personal drama. Jade war continues the saga of the Kaul clan, as they attempt to take revenge on their enemies, expand their influence abroad, and for individual members of the clan to figure out their place within both the traditional and new communities. In particular I really enjoyed the plot following Andy in his exile abroad as well as the way the larger global setting of the series had expanded even more. The prose really flows effortlessly , the pacing is very good, and the action is visceral and impactful. The twists and surprises in the plot continually had me guessing. While I do not think it is the best new fantasy series out there it is certainly among the best fantasy series around right now. I hope that Lee will one day come back and write more novels set in the same setting.

包装が丁寧で思ったより早く届いだ。

It's been a long time since I've found myself immersed in such a relatable world of fantasy. I'm growing greener by the day. Both the initial book and the sequel have been fantastic with great characters inside an unusual setting, I'm eager to read the third.

Thrilling, and well written. It took me a while to get used to the name format (Surname Name), but that is the only bump I experienced: I was hooked from start to finish.

As good as the first one (maybe better) Well balanced between possible fiction and fantasy, great job Fonda Lee! All characters are so attaching..