Jade City

Executive Summary: A bit of a slow start, but a really enjoyable book overall. This one is very different from most of the fantasy I've read.

Full Review
When I first started reading a lot of fantasy, it was almost exclusively Urban Fantasy. At some point I got burned out on it and almost stopped reading it entirely save for Dresden Files. It felt like every series was full of vampires, werewolves and crime-solving protagonists.

Jade city has none of that. That's a large part of what makes it so refreshing. This book seems to ask the question “What if the Yakuza ran a nation due to the natural born ability to channel power from rare Jade gemstones?”

Enter the Green Bones. Not everyone can use Jade to make themselves faster and stronger, but those who can are not to be trifled with. Of course along with power comes rivalry and those who want to get some of that power for themselves. This sets up several different conflicts that make this book so enjoyable.

The book focuses three siblings and their adoptive cousin who belong to the Kaul family which runs one of the two major clans that rule over the fictitious island nation of Kekon. Each sibling is compelling in their own way, but for me Shae was my favorite. It was her story I was most interested in as the book unfolded.

In addition to the main four however, there is a great supporting cast of characters, including Wen. She starts off looking like the typical supporting female character, but that changes as the book unfolds. Her subplot is probably one of those I'm most interested in. I hope Ms. Lee develops her character further in the next book.

I love me a good magic system, and tend to be put off by books with too much handy waving magic or stuff that is derivative. While we don't get a real good feel for how/what the jade does, it's enough to be interesting and not feel like it was simply a plot device.

I particularly like the genetic aspect of the magic. Only some people can use Jade. For nearly all others it makes them sick/kills them simply to handle it. That is except the Stone Eyes. And of course those who can't use Jade are determined to find a way around their genetics. This makes for some great fight scenes, a lot of intriguing drama and world building.

I did find the book took a little while for it to get going. I was never bored, but I took awhile to warm up to some of the characters and for the main plot to kick off.

Overall, I found this to be one of the most refreshing reads in a long time, and more willing to give new Urban Fantasy books a look in the future. I'll definitely be picking up the next book in this series.