Jade City (Green Bone Saga, #1)

by Fonda Lee

WINNER OF THE WORLD FANTASY AWARD 2018

'An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book' 
KEN LIU, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards

'Gripping!' ANN LECKIE, author of Ancillary Justice and The Raven Tower

'Lee's astute worldbuilding raises the stakes for her vivid and tautly-described action scenes' SCOTT LYNCH, author of The Lies of Locke Lamora

*****Shortlisted for the Nebula Awards, the Locus Awards, the Aurora Awards, the Sunburst Awards and an Amazon.com Best Book of the Month*****

TWO CRIME FAMILIES, ONE SOURCE OF POWER: JADE.

Jade is the lifeblood of the city of Janloon - a stone that enhances a warrior's natural strength and speed. Jade is mined, traded, stolen and killed for, controlled by the ruthless No Peak and Mountain families.
When a modern drug emerges that allows anyone - even foreigners - to wield jade, simmering tension between the two families erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all in the families, from their grandest patriarch to even the lowliest runner on the streets.

Jade City is an epic tale of blood, family, honour, and of those who live and die by ancient laws in a changing world.

• ISBN10: 0356510506
• ISBN13: 9780356510507
• Publish Date: 9 November 2017 (first published 7 November 2017)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

Really disappointed I didn't enjoy this more. I thought it was going to be a slam dunk for me.

There wasn't a lot (if anything?) I found objectively wrong with this book, I think it just wasn't a great stylistic fit or something. I liked many of the characters on paper, but wasn't as invested in any of them as I could have been. I liked the story on paper, but it didn't draw me in as much as it should have. 

The book occasionally had long, detailed descriptions going into backstory or religion or things like that, which didn't interest me all that much. I found myself skimming those bits.

For whatever reason, this was just missing some X-factor that would have made me love the characters and story more than I did.

[mayavswords]

Yeah anyways I’m so happy I read this book I can’t wait till read the next one and continue talking my family’s ears off about this (extensive review later probably)

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!

I really wanted to like this book. The premise got me really excited but I had a hard time getting into the story.
I don't even know why! The idea is quite unique and due to the Asian vibes, it is really different from any other book I've read so far.
The worldbuilding is interesting enough and I liked the whole Jade thing. I took me some time, however, to fully understand how the system is supposed to work and to tell all the people apart.
About 2/3 into the novel I really started to get sucked into the plot and appreciated the story more. As the story follows different members of the Kaul family I had, naturally, some favorites. That also means there are some characters I liked less and I had to try hard to not just skip those chapters.

[Beth C.]

Review to come on vampirebookclub.net