Jade War

Green Bone Saga is heating up!!

I loved Jade War. It is a much more ambitious book than Jade City, but the things it pulls off are very impressive. The tension is kept at a high simmer throughout the entire thing and the key events had me very invested! One of my favorite aspects of Jade War is how it deals with cultural assimilation and cultural identity and opens the world up more than we'd gotten previously. It also delves so much more into all our of main characters and they all feel very well developed and like real people. The sibling relationships continue to be a huge standout of this series.

I also appreciate that Fonda Lee uses action sequences with purpose. Nothing wrong with lots of action in a book, but Lee chooses her moment, and you always feel the stakes of every single action sequence, and understand exactly why they're happening. Fonda Lee is becoming one of my favorite authors already!

I gave Jade War a slightly lower rating than Jade City, although I think with time I may like it a bit more. There was a plot thread I thought was finished up too easily and that detracted a tad from my overall feelings.

9.5/10

I cannot wait to get to Jade Legacy this month.

For more of my reviews, check out my blog.

Jade War has left me feeling the same way Jade City did. It's a good book, but not nearly as exciting or interesting as people led me to believe. Cue me shrugging right here. So far, this series has sadly not lived up to the hype. In fact, about a little under halfway through in Jade War, I found myself bored. BORED. While reading a gangster novel! This so-called “War” was so, so, so SLOW.

BUT pretty much right after that things picked up. I was most interested in Anden's storyline in Espenia. I desperately wanted to know what was going to happen to him, if he'd get to go home at all, if he'd keep his lover, or if things would turn inevitably south for him. Watching him figure out a new culture, and how things work in another country was fascinating. Jade is not as important as he thinks, but still somehow his life revolves around it.

I do not like Hilo. He did a few things in Jade War that were questionable, but one thing in particular he did just...No. Might be the new mom in me but after this I just did not trust Hilo's judgement at all. (Not that you should to begin with – he's a violent criminal.) Hilo went to find Lan's ex-wife to convince her to move back to Kekon so his nephew could be a part of their lives. When she ultimately says no, her son will never be a green bone, Hilo just kills her and kidnaps his nephew. THIS IS BASICALLY NEVER DISCUSSED AGAIN?! NO ONE CARES THAT HILO KILLED HIS NEPHEW'S MOM????

Hilo does not deserve his wife, Wen. She is an excellent character, who does whatever the clan needs her to even if it puts her own life at risk. Oh and she does all of that without her husband knowing, because he'd forbid her to do it. GO WEN. She and Shae put her to good use this entire novel. I AM SO WORRIED FOR HER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK.

Shae. Oh Shae. I want to both hug her and throttle her at the same time.

It was neat to see Fonda Lee expand upon the world she built in Jade City. We're introduced to many, many more cultures in Jade War, and see the effects of globalization on Kekon. There's more politics in this book, as the Clans try to figure out how to keep jade to themselves, but also give in to those outsiders who want the power that jade gives. I was less interested in the politics side of things, but it IS important to the story as a whole. The No Peak clan tries desperately to cling to jade, but they can't. Too many people have it, too many people want it, and The Mountain clan uses that to their advantage.

I'll read Jade Legacy, but I'm sadly not super psyched about it.

This book is fantastic! I didn't want to put it down. I am so invested in these characters that I'm almost afraid to read the last book. Almost.

The second installment of the Greenbone Saga didn't disappoint. I can't say that I love the series, but I am fully invested in the characters and manuverings and can't wait for my hold on Jade Legacy to come through.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4

With the characters, world, and magic system already established, this book hit the ground running and increased the complexity and reach of the ongoing clan war.

I rarely like a second book in a series better than the first, but Jade War is just excellent. It ups the ante and improves upon many of the elements that made Jade City so good. I can't wait to crack open the ARC of Jade Legacy currently sitting on my shelf.

See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.

Well Damn. The reviews weren't kidding about this one being even better. It's not perfect, there are one or 2 things I would have moved around to clarify who a side character was/ how much time has passed. But those were honestly * super minor* complaints. The pacing improved from the second book as did the action scenes. All around a very good middle book. I liked how distinct the different settings were. And how there wasn't one person who was magically smarter than everyone. There were smart people in different factions and none of them won every single time. I'm not sure if there will be a time jump or more books in the universe (aside from legacy.) but I would pay money for a short story entirely about Niko learning his real back story. I refuse to believe that ends well.

Oh boy do i have a lot of thoughts. I really tried to like this book as i was reading. but i didn't. i couldn't.

The magic system while cool is still wildly inconsistent. The characters have some good moments but never feel like they are consistently the same person. The Pacing is crazy. months/seasons go by, then we experience a few days. then months.

CAWPILE SCORE
C-4
A-4
W-7
P-5
I-5
L-4
E-2
TOTAL-4.43/10



Lets talk spoilers
CharactersAnden: Anden's character moving out to Espenia felt good, his "rushed" relationship with Cory felt out of nowhere that he was gay. His introduction into the Kekonese on Espenia was well written. i just couldn't connect as much with him and his plot. Taking up the Jade again at the end to Save Wen was great, but i almost feel like Fonda Lee should have let them all die. show some consequences. Anden choosing to wear jade but just be a healer definitly won't have any negative effects in the future.Beru: ******* is still alive somehow. Gets some jade, practices relentlessly with the jade. is betrayed by Mudt who helped him steal the jade. is left to die. both from overinjection of SN1 and Jade withdrawl plus sleeping drug, what do you know. all 3 combined cancel each other out enough for him to be saved. his Plot armor is as strong as ever. Stealing from Lan's grave was an interesting way to get him jade. However at the end, he is joining a resistance, and is firmly Anti-Jade. ..... that part makes sense, but he was working with no peak at the end, and they helped him get a job and stuff. so.....Wen: still my favorite character. i wish she could have done more. got pregnant and had a kid. continues her spy work.... kinda. Literally is just a jade carrier to certain places. super exciting... more on that in magical inconsistenciesHilo: probably the most flip/floppy character. sometimes he makes good decisions and sometimes he makes bad decisions. his decision to break all the rules if Shae loses a clean duel??? go against everything for that.... No. Killed his Sister in Law and steals his nephew .... crazy. horrible .... gets kicked out a country completly.... but some scenes have some great leadership abilities from himShae: starts out fine. ends ... Fine.. Wasn't a huge fan of the love "triangle" between woon and Maro, but i liked her relationship with him, until she accidently got pregnant and decided to abort it without talking about it with him, or anybody. Wen=Best; wish she had shown more spying stuff. her challenge to Ayt was nice. and then killed Mercy killed Maro when he accidently helped an assassination attempt.Notable Scenes: Burying Mudt--- Buried alive with 3 of Hilo's Jade with a tube for air. very cool, but why not use some jade that didn't require you to pull out of your skin.Shae's fight with Ayt: cool, thought she would win, she doesn'tAyt killing the traitor: nice scenes as wellMagic System inconsistencies : Perception while it seems is the coolest is the most inconsistent. When Kehn is searching the import ships for Jade they have to manually search for everything. but apparently Wen has to hold the jade always because they can't notice it if she touches it. but why does she need to touch it, if you can't perceive it. Also when raids of Jade dens are going on, nobody can perceive that people are coming in, in enough time. Seemed like Strength was used in this book to increase speed instead of Strength, and Channelling can be deflected by Steel?? i thought steel was just hardening your body? and that chanelling bypassed that....I'm still rooting for the Mountain clan because i feel like they are actually the good guys, whereas the No Peak clan has always been reactionary and doesn't feel like a functional Mafia Family

Wow! This book was such a treat to read.

This follow up to “Jade City” sure did deliver. These books are so complex and have such rich world building. The city of Janloon feels so familiar, while still being this magical place where jade warriors live. Espenia, the Uwiwa Islands, and a few other countries are explored in more depth in this installment. The broadening of the world past Kekon was daunting at first, and I found myself confused a few times, but Lee does a great job of expanding the world without info dumping.

Following the Kaul family gets even more intense than the last book. I loved Anden's side story and always got excited for this chapters. Because of Wen's determination and ferocity, reading her chapters was also always a delight. All of the complex relationships between characters created so much interest and desire to see these characters' stories through.

The only downside I have with this book is all of the dense political plots. I completely understand that this is a political fantasy, and know that this is just a personal preference, so not an attack on Lee or this novel. There were points throughout that would be whole chapters of characters discussing politics or planning out their next political maneuvers. While important to the story, I was left confused and ready for some more action during these chapters.

Overall, this series is the future of the fantasy genre. Fonda Lee has created such a unique, savage world with morally grey characters and so much political intrigue that is completely new. I would recommend this to any fantasy reader.

re-read 11DEC2021: i am in so much pain but also, green bone women can break my back.

Character development: chefs kiss

2.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Barely keeping their heads above water in a vicious war among the Green Bones that control the use of jade on Kekon, No Peak clan relies on family to survive. But with all the wrong people in all the wrong jobs, and circumstances bring in more and more foreign influence, things just keep getting worse.

Review
I've never been a fan of the Godfather movies (let alone the books). Maybe that explains my reaction to this series. While the first book, Jade City, was essentially political, this second volume focuses more on the smaller scale family relationships of the protagonists. But while it's more intimate, it's still just a mafia book with a fancy coating. I'm just not that interested in mobsters, and that's what these characters are – people who abuse others just to maintain the special status they think they deserve. (Though despite their status, the clan leaders seem to spend a lot of time on tasks better suited for lower-ranked clan members, and not because they're humble.)

The book is well written, and to her credit, Lee does at times acknowledge the protagonists' character flaws, but most of the time, we're asked to empathize with people who, to my view, were pretty reprehensible – brutal, violent, corrupt, self-centered. The fact that their rivals are slightly worse didn't make up for it. I just didn't find the combination very interesting. If you like gangster stories with a touch of fantasy, this might be right up your alley. For me, and despite the very competent prose, it was a struggle to finish – and at that, it took substantial willpower and a determination to power through to the end.

This sequel takes place soon after the events in Jade City, and it reads as a pretty seamless continuation. For me, hopeful for a change, that made things worse. I also still, two books in, didn't understand why opponents of Green Bones didn't just bring in guns and shoot them all.

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

Not at all what I expected, but extremely satisfying. I don't know for sure where I thought the story was going to go after Jade City, by this wasn't it. Just goes to show that Fonda Lee knows what she's doing because I loved this!

The rare “middle book” that stands on its own merits. Still excellent, tons of consequential action. Expands more on the geopolitical intrigue without losing the clan war aspect. Can't wait for the third book.