Jade City (Green Bone Saga, #1)

by Fonda Lee

"Stylish and action-packed, full of ambitious families and guilt-ridden loves, Jade City is 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 and author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

FAMILY IS DUTY. MAGIC IS POWER. HONOR IS EVERYTHING.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion. Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone—even foreigners—wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones—from their grandest patriarch to the lowliest motorcycle runner on the streets—and of Kekon itself.

JADE CITY begins an epic tale of family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of jade and blood.

• ISBN10: 0316440868
• ISBN13: 9780316440868
• Publish Date: 7 November 2017
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Orbit
• Format: Hardcover
• 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)

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
The Mountain and No Peak clans control the use of jade magic in the island nation of Kekon. But tension between the clans is growing, and the leaders of the No Peak family clan may not be up to the challenge of keeping power.

Review
Ursula Le Guin famously criticized Katherine Kurtz’s Deryni books as being too political – not really fantasy at all. I disagree, partly because I did enjoy Kurtz’s books as fantasy, but also because they’re not primarily political but religious, with politics as a facilitator.

Fonda Lee’s Jade City is primarily a political book – about a struggle for power between two clans – that happens to have some fantasy elements. Those elements are interesting, but the book never really digs into them; they’re primarily a motive and power source. The story wouldn’t have been vastly different if instead of bio-energized jade, the rare item had been uranium, or gunpowder, or steel.

That’s not to say it’s a bad book. It’s well written, well structured, the characters are reasonably developed, the world thought through (it’s a modestly alternate Earth). I didn’t, though, find it a very interesting or engaging book; it’s 486 pages long, and it felt that long; it didn’t speed by without my noticing. I also have the sequel, Jade War, which is 100 pages longer, and I can’t say I’m thinking, “I’m really glad there’s so much more.”

I do think political books have a genuine place in fantasy, and there have been a lot of them. This one has a promising setting and premise, but I didn’t find the characters engaging enough, or the magic intriguing enough, to draw me into the story, and without that, the politics just wasn’t very interesting. It’s possible that the next one will work better for me, but I can’t say I’m really optimistic.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[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