Jade City

Not a fan of Yakuza stories and it reminds me of [b:California Bones 18490594 California Bones (Daniel Blackland, #1) Greg Van Eekhout https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1393646834l/18490594.SY75.jpg 25312108] where everyone's consuming bones to gain magic.

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.

Another key difference between Jade City and the movies that inspired it lies in the depth and nuance of the themes explored. Though themes of duty, loyalty, and sacrifice are common to both Hong Kong action movies and this novel, Jade City expands those themes in a way that the movies do not. For instance, in exploring the concept of loyalty, the novel explores it from the usual angle of loyalty to one???s family and clan, but also includes questions about loyalty to tradition and to the nation as a whole. Intergenerational conflict is a key component of the plot, with the younger Kauls coming up against not just an older generation of family members and allies, but longer-standing ideals and customs that are integral to the culture and society of Kekon. The decision of whether or not to be loyal to those ideals and people is a question that plagues the characters throughout the novel, and influences their decisions throughout.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Fv

Turns out I have a yen for stories about crime families. This scratches the same itch as McDonald's Luna series for me. But instead of Ian McDonald's nightmare vision of a libertarian moon, Fonda Lee sets her story in a fantasy version of 70's Hong Kong, infused with kung fu and magical jade.

The story follows several members of one crime family as their personal goals clash with the demands of the clan and a looming clan war. It's impossible not to get caught up in the lives and (spectacularly written) fight scenes of these bigger than life yet still very relatable characters and that got me through some of the weaker parts of the book: Except for a few interesting religious ideas, the world building doesn't go much further than its initial premise. The moral difference between the clans is so clear-cut they might as well have been wearing black and white hats. And maybe worst of all for this kind of story, the plots and coups in the gang war feel rather simple and lacking in chutzpah.

But the characters are clearly the star of the story and I'm eager to find out what happens next, especially as it seems later books will expand the scope of the action.

Jade City features a richly drawn, detailed world which vividly comes to life. It's largely a family saga and the themes of kinship and legacy are well done, and the four main characters in the Kaul family (and some of the minor characters!) are interesting and act in ways that make sense given their situations and personalities. Though these are all strengths, I did find myself tempted to put down the book a few times since it could be rather slow, but I did finish it???and when I reached the end, I found myself unexpectedly attached to the protagonists and eager to continue their stories.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Full Review on My Website

Thanks to Orbit Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. My opinion of this book is not influenced by this opportunity.

Jade City combines elements of gangster families with martial arts, fantastical properties of jade, and the quest for power. The book spans multiple perspectives from the No Peak clan (and a couple outside perspectives too), and one of the central themes is the role of family obligation.

To be completely honest, I had a really hard time getting into the book. It took me until about 50 percent through the e-book to find a groove, which means that had I not been reading it as a galley, I would have abandoned it by that point. I never felt that sympathetic or even enraged by any of the main characters, instead feeling kind of annoyed at their decisions and lack of overall maturity. With so many characters introduced, I never felt like I had a sense of any one character's depth or complexity. Only towards the end of the book did I feel that one of the purported villains was multifaceted, and that would have made for a much more interesting subplot. Similarly, a side female character without jade-related abilities (stone-eye) ended up being one of the more fascinating cases and I would have loved to have experienced this plot from her eyes.

I also found Lee's choice to make men so prominent in her world and women - with two slight exceptions - fairly minor. In a world where we're supposed to imagine a different world, why are men still so prominent?

I think if this book continues on to become a series, I'd like to see a tighter plot with better editing and stronger character development.