#kaul Shae

[fionacreates]

Kaul Shae, Jade City/Jade War era. Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee.

Day 3 of “I can’t get this series out my head so might as well draw my way through the obsession.”

I get a very 80svibe from the early series, Shae walking into a high powered “man’s” role would definitely power shoulderpad it up…

[polartss]

Kaul Shaelinsan, the Weather Man of No Peak <3

loved these books so much fonda lee is insane

[shioriseryu]

— kaul shae

[starsstardust]

Daily reminder that the first thing Shae thought after realising that Hilo was now the Pillar was that that was going to be the end of No Peak clan.

Pretty middle and last child coded if you ask me. That was right before she pledged her loyalty but the thought was there. Sibling goals.

[indie-luna]

My annual reminder that the green bone saga is a masterpiece and I’m so sad that I can’t reread it for the first time again

[one-1-eye]

the fact that there are only 31 greenbone saga fics on ao3 and not ONE of them is ayt mada/kaul shae is a CRIME and i am taking it personally

[devotionconsumed]

im 80% thru jade legacy.....fonda lee U have made me SOB like 6 times throughout this book There is a special place in hell for you.....

[kauledin]

more gbs doodles

[the-guild-codex-and-other-things]

The Entire Green Bone Saga Summarized in 1 Line:

“What the fuck have you done, Kaul?”

- Jade Legacy

[feysandfeels]

Fonda Lee gave us one of the sexiest moments in modern literature when, in Jade City, she had Hilo go “Heaven help me Shae, I’m going to kill them all”. But oh at what cost, at what godammend cost.

[tradingmysorrows]

“Sometimes I think liars are almost as bad as thieves,” he said through a tight jaw. “They steal away trust, something that can’t be returned.”

Fonda Lee, Jade Legacy

[paper-ish]

“Since female students were still small percentage of the student body, the Pillar’s granddaughter would surely more at ease in a class with her older brother. Or so they thought.”

academy!shae & academy!hilo getting in trouble (again) for fighting (again)

[4amethyst]

Me I'm the horn's kitten 🙏🏽

[tbookblurbs]

Jade City - Fonda Lee

5/5 - Irresistible world-building, politics (national and gang), intrigue, family tension, everything you could want out of an urban fantasy. MAJOR spoilers below!

Jade City is the first novel in the Green Bone saga and it is deliciously well-written. Character voices are distinct, the mistakes they make are realistic, and even when I didn't like some of the main characters or the actions they were taking, I wanted them to succeed. I was emotionally invested in the outcome of every character's fate, from the secondary characters to the Pillar of the clan, Kaul Lan. Sometimes this did mean I was invested in watching them fail (Bero) but I was invested nevertheless!

The world-building within the novel was incredibly rich. The "magic" system of jade is a very hard magic system but I really enjoyed how effortlessly it was woven into everyday life. Lee takes the time to mention, in an offhand fashion, details about Kekon and the greater world that make it that much easier to fully sink into the world she's built. I read this entire book in one long sitting.

Kekon itself really reminded me of the Philippines. The Kekonese war for independence was with Espenia (Spain) and overall the positioning of Kekon on the global stage is really reminiscent of how formerly colonized nations have to act in our global geopolitics. That said, my interpretation did mean that I don't really jive with a lot of the fanart of Lan, Hilo, and Shae. In my mind, they all have darker skin and a lot of the fanart has them pretty pale (like k-pop idol pale).

I also loved that this book took place over a realistic timeline. Weeks would go by in a few sentences before we'd get a fleshed out scene because Lee understands we don't need to see the minutia of day-to-day life. It also means that the characters were aging, falling in love, graduating school, etc. at a normal rate. There was no instantaneous love, no "I'm better than everyone else and do this without schooling" and this was, for me, really refreshing (especially after reading the All Souls Trilogy, which suffers from this).

The twist with the death of Lan was truly something I never saw coming. Up until, and even after, the point where he falls into the harbor, I was convinced that he would make it. He was so confident, so level-headed, and everyone relied on him so much that, in my head, his death never entered the realm of possibility. And thus I fell into the same trap as the other characters. Scrumptious writing here.

By far my favorite characters are Shae and Anden. They both have internal struggles with their heritage that are realistic and heartbreaking at times. Even when they make mistakes and are rightfully called out for it in other perspectives, I still have such a soft spot for the position they're both put in. It makes sense that they're also close in the book. Plus, seeing Anden struggle with wanting to come out as gay but being nervous about it and ultimately being accepted without conditions, hesitations, or reservations was really heartwarming.

Overall, this book is the combination of urban fantasy, the Godfather, and the Shanghai/Hong Kong gangster movies from the 80s. I would recommend those who love fantasy and thrillers alike, it's a amazing entry into the trilogy.

[starsstardust]

Forever thinking about that one scene in Jade City where Shae asked Hilo about why he wasn’t worried about her betraying him and Hilo being Hilo just laughed it off saying that if Shae decided to betray him then he would have deserved it because he must have been a terrible brother for his sister to want to kill him.

I just…he’s such a complex character to love.

[hidiustd]

shae: you're going to talk to the chancellors. hilo: I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TO THEM! THEY CAN GO TO HELL. shae: you're going to talk to the chancellors, hilo. hilo: i'm going to talk to the chancellors.