JADE CITY

If you like fantasy books, gangs and gansters, badass characters, and a compelling story, this is for you. It is essentially a gang war story based in Hong Kong with fantasy elements. I typically read more regular fantasy books like The Wheel of Time, Stormlight Archives, Malice, etc. This being an urban fantasy was a very different reading experience, but I assure you that Fonda Lee leaves no stone unturned. The story is phenomenal, the characters are great, this book is just a heartwrenching rollercoaster ride. I have also read the sequel Jade War, and it was my favourite book I read in 2020. Jade Legacy, the finale to this trilogy is now my most anticipated book for 2021. Highly recommended. Hilo Stan forever.

If you're looking for a fast-paced adventure, Jade City might start slow. Lee meticulously crafts her world and characters, drawing you into the complex web of relationships that bind the Kauls together. But be patient, because the payoff is more than worth it. Once the story picks up steam, it becomes a thrilling exploration of gang warfare, political intrigue, and the price of familial duty.

Product: Received in good condition, did not expect to get this as it was not available in India yet. Got it at around 500. Review: 1st book in the epic fantasy trilogy TheGreenBoneSaga. Followed by Jade War and the final book, Jade Legacy, comes out in 2021. This is pretty much the Godfather of Fantasy. Mafia/Clan wars setting with a martial art mixed magical system. What’s there not to like?! Set in a world where jade is extremely powerful, and the Green Bone clans are the only ones that have the ability to wield its power. The two largest and most powerful of them, are the No Peak and Mountain clans and we follow the Kaul family, head of the No Peak clan. Tension erupts between the clans which soon turns to open violence on the streets and above all, there is a new dangerous drug in town that can give anyone the ability to wield the power of jade. This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, so let me just tell you what you will get. ✨Asian inspired urban setting ✨Hard magic system (reminded me a lot of Mistborn) where the powers are derived from jade and with dangerous consequences. ✨Very deep world building. The culture, lore, the history of the clan, all were done so sharply, that I felt completely immersed and invested in this world. ✨A family drama. We see the story through 4 siblings. (we need more of these) ✨Characters are strongly developed, fleshed out and layered. The women are independent, intelligent and absolutely fearless and badass. ✨Great action sequence. ✨A lot of politics. It is quite understandable how a powerful and rare element like jade can affect the economy. But these details, might, get a little boring at times. ✨Chapters keep getting more intense. I was chanting ‘Don’t do something stupid, don’t die’ almost throughout the second half. Keeps you on the edge. ✨Beautifully written prose. So ya, pick this up, if you are looking for your next politically driven epic fantasy series.

Fire

Perfect edition except for some minor discoloration at the edges.Probably from storage. Anyway the edition is perfect but mine came a bit discolored. Other than that highly recommend!

Godfather meets oriental philosophy and Japanese tradition. Highly recommended for fantasy fans or otherwise. Well crafted characters. Riveting story and most of all the world building is top notch. Janloon comes alive.

Came damaged

Most bland fantasy series ever. This feels like a CW tv show

Hooks you right from the start! Fonda Lee is amazing writer and this is one of the best trilogies I’ve ever read.

I’ve had my eye on Jade City for some time now and picked it up one day while browsing Twitter. There, I saw that Shealea from That Bookshelf Bitch has added it to a thread of books less than $2.99 on Kindle. With a deal like that, how can I resist? Well, as it turns out, it’s a good thing I didn’t because Jade City is one of the best books I’ve read all year. Jade City is one of the best books I’ve read this year. That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve never watched The Godfather or any mafia film really, but the book still managed to convey that feeling. I haven’t watched any Hong Kong action films either but this must be how it’s like with some magic added. How would I describe Jade City? Think of a mafia-style family drama and set in a fantasy version of Hong Kong. Now add magic Jade. You get Jade City. Jade City is set in the island of Kekon, specifically in its capital city of Janloon. Here, two clans fight for power and dominance after working together in a war to overthrow colonial rule. In this new, free Kekon, the Kekonese- the race of persons granted with the ability to use Jade- are organized into clans and are soon roped in into all-out clan war. As always, I’d like to start with the world and world-building. Jade City is set in a secondary world, in a world where colonial rule has left its mark on the island of Kekon, leaving the island and its people to distrust foreigners. Here, Jade rules the island. The island’s economy is basically controlled by the two clans, the Mountain clan and the No Peak clan, two clans whose relations have been tense for some time. In a sense, Jade rules the island. Jade enhances a person’s physical capabilities- strength, speed, even perception. Only the Kekonese could use it to that end, until the invention of a drug called Shine. The way the world presented was so vivid it felt like I was watching a movie in my mind. I could imagine every detail of the world and the events happening and I absolutely loved how Fonda Lee described everything. The world felt so lush and I was totally immersed while reading. I really enjoyed the magic system presented here. There’s something almost scientific about it- there’s only one race who could utilize jade naturally, the jade doesn’t exactly make one superhuman, and instead, it mostly enhances one’s existing capabilites. Furthermore, there can actually be a point wherein additional jade stops having any effect. It’s an interesting take on the old magic items giving special powers thing. Jade City is a very fast-paced book. There are no slow moments, no fluff, no padding. Each scene felt vital to the plot and there aren’t any scenes which felt out of place. I’ve seen the pacing described as “YA-style pacing” and it’s very accurate. It doesn’t take very long to read and once you get really into it, it can be hard to put down. I myself finished it at about two or three in the morning. At its heart however, Jade City is a family drama. It’s a story about the different generations of Kauls and how they impact their clan and the island they call home. It’s the story of Lan, Hilo, Shae, and Anden, siblings who are at the center of everything happening on the island. All of them had their parts to play in the story and it became clear that they would play their parts, whether they want to or not. I loved all of their arcs but Lan and Hilo’s arcs are major spoilers so I won’t talk about them here. However, theirs are the more mature and dark ones here. If I’m to be biased though, I’d say Shae had the best arc out of the siblings, with Anden a close second. At first, Shae is just the sister who comes back from another country and refuses to wear jade. She basically fights against the patriarchal structures in their society (somewhat like the antagonist even) and decided that she wants to be independent. Essentially, it’s like she fights against the ‘destiny’ they try to push onto her and prove that she can make it on her own. What I like best about her arc is how it’s basically “the one who left and returned”. She really did have a lot to prove because of her youth and gender, but she did. She pulled through and basically made it clear that she does know what she’s doing. I loved her character as a strong, independent woman with strong familial ties. Anden also had an incredibly strong arc. Anden is the adoptive cousin/brother of the Kauls and he also happened to come from a family with strong jade sensitivities. This made a lot of people- especially Hilo- place a lot of expectations on him. While reading from his point of view, I could really see how all of these expectations were starting to affect him, along with his sordid family history. Towards the end, I really understood why he did what he did and why he felt like it was necessary. Truly one of the best parts of Jade City is the family relationships. I don’t think one could really call it Asian-inspired without the complex family relationships. The filial piety you see here and the way the characters interact somehow reminds me of my own (without all the power plays and other messed up stuff, of course). The way their family unit always has to stick together despite their differences speaks to me. I think that in a way, Jade City fulfilled a need I didn’t know I had for more complex family relationships. I guess I’m just tired of absentee parents/siblings or protagonists with a shallow relationship with their family. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the next book. When I finished Jade City, I regretted it immediately because I felt this need for the next one on my hands. Once a release date has been announced, you better believe I’ll be eagerly counting down the days to the next one. And who knows, maybe I’ll stay up until the wee hours of the morning again- not that I’ll be complaining.

Chyba najlepiej wygląda ze wszystkich książek, które kupiłam na Amazon. Rogi lekko pozaginane. Paczka źle spakowana.

Webs of intrigue and power cast over a city that feels real, but where you expected a seedy underbelly, you find a stone hard magical warriors.

Book was delivered in good condition