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Review: Jade City by Fonda Lee

Book 9 of 2022

Start Reading Time: 18 March 2022

Finish reading Time: 7 April 2022

Page Count: 560

TRIGGER WARNINGS: GANG VIOLENCE, SEX, DEATH OF FAMILY MEMBER, DRUGS

This is the spoiler-free part of the review. I will put up a spoiler alert before going into the review that contains spoilers.

I'm not gonna lie; I'm disappointed. But, not at the book itself, more at myself for not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. But from reading this book, I learned that I don't like urban fantasy, i found that it's not as magical to me as traditional fantasy, so I'm glad that at least now I know better in terms of which books to read. So, most of my critics of this book are very personal to me and most likely very unpopular as this book is beloved by many people.

And it sucks because I was so ready to love it and have a new favorite trilogy I can obsess over, i have even added the other 2 books to my TBR already. Now I don't know if I'm even going to continue reading the other two books. The book did end with too many loose ends and I'm mildly curious to know what happens next, but at the same time, I also think that it would be better to read other books that I know I would enjoy.

Anyway, the book is not bad, the author did a good job with the worldbuilding and the characters. The prose is very simple but I think it's very fitting with the book since there are a lot of action scenes, but it doesn't diminish the emotional scenes. I don't really get the magical system though, which i think it's because of this being the first book in the series and it will be more explained in the later books, or at least i'm hoping it will. The pacing is dragging a little here and there, i got bored a few times, but at the good points of the book, I really enjoy the book. I also really like the political side of the story, even though I don't always agree with the political decisions of the main characters.

So overall, this is a good fantasy book that is well written with interesting plots and cool characters, in a magical world that's not so unlike ours today, that somehow just doesn't vibe with me. I did enjoy the book, but not as much as I thought I would.

To give you a brief non-spoilery synopsis, the story is about The Kaul Family. They are the ruling family of one of the ruling clans in Janloon, the capital city of a country called Kekon, which is the No Peak Clan. They are the enemies of another clan ruling in Janloon, the Mountain Clan. The former leaders of both clans used to be partners in leading their country to fight for freedom. They're Kaul Seningtun (of the No Peak Clan) and Ayt Yugontin (of the Mountain Clan).

But then, after they had won and the country had become an independent country, in peacetime, the two leaders' partnership ended and they established the two clans separately. These two clans each own their own territories, and they even have their own academies that produce graduating students who will later become clan members.

The two clans each have their leaders, which they called the Pillar of the clan, and while the No Peak's current Pillar is Kaul Lanshinwan, the first grandson of Kaul Sen, the Mountain's current Pillar is Ayt Madashi, the adoptive daughter of Ayt Yugontin who's inherited the role by murdering the other Pillar contenders after Ayt Yugontin died.

While Kaul Lan is a good peacetime Pillar, Ayt Mada is secretly selling Jade to foreign countries for financial gain of her clan, which is illegal. Jade is a magical stone that can give the human who holds it superpower such a heightened sense of perception of other humans and their auras, heightened speed and strength, deflection, etc. However, these Jades are naturally sourced in Kekon only and only Kekonese people have the ability to wear it, but those Kekonese need to train for years before they're able to adapt to all the powers that the Jade gives them, without having severe withdrawals that could kill them.

The No Peak Clan learns of Ayt Mada's secret illegal operation through the diligent work of Kaul Shaelinsan, Lan's youngest sibling and his only sister who has just returned from studying abroad. She was supposed to be Lan's Weather Man, the Pillar's no. 1 advisor and strategist, when Lan takes the Pillar office, but Shae chose to follow her at the time foreign boyfriend and study at a prominent university in his country. They then broke up and Shae came back to Janloon, but not wanting to be a part of the clan, she instead wanted to live as an ordinary citizen and live without Jade at all. Lan respected her wishes, but he asked her a favor to investigate the Jade mine inventory for him, since he had his suspicions of foul play from the rival clan with the Jades.

The tension between the two clans now heightened to the next level, and one day, Lan received the news that the Pillar of the Mountain had ordered for No Peak's Horn, Kaul Hiloshudon, who's Lan's younger brother and his no. 1 commander over his Fists and Fingers, to be killed. But by that point, the Mountain's fists and fingers have already moved to execute their plan to assassinate Hilo. What happens next will unfold the chain of events that will change the lives of the members of the two clans, and the people of Janloon.

🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨

From this point forward in the review, i will mention spoilers, plot twist and the ending, so if you don’t wish to be spoiled, you can skip the rest of the review and come back once you’ve finished reading this book

Here are my favorite things about the book:

Anden Emery. I love this kid. He comes from a tragic home life before getting adopted by the Kaul, and even then he always feels out of place with the Kauls. He wanted to make Lan, Hilo, Shae and their grandparents proud, but felt so insecure and unsure of his own capabilities, even though he was ranked first at his academy graduation. So on his last scene when he told Hilo that he doesn't want to be a weapon for the clan, because he was afraid he will lose control of himself, and he said it with such self-awareness and wisdom that is so beyond his age, and the fact that he's standing up against someone he has respected the most in his life thus far, is just so satisfying to read. I love that he's gay too, even though there's not much of his romantic life in this book, but i hope he'll get to be with whomever he loves because he deserves the world, and i hope we'll get to read about that in the next books in the series. He's one of those characters that you just want to hug and protect from all of the evil in the world, like a puppy. But at that scene when he took Hilo's Jades and killed Gont Asch and those Mountain's fists, he just took my breath away and he scared me a little bit with his power, definitely not the puppy anymore, he's giving major main character vibes. But at the same time, it's so satisfying and exhilarating to read, because it feels like he has been holding out in the entire book up 'till that point, and finally right then his time to shine and to hone in all his power and capability has come, and it did not disappoint. I think he'll get much more scenes and he'll play a bigger role in the plot in the next books, because to me, even though he's not the only main character in this book, he's the most important one, and the best written one.

The powerful and brilliant female characters in Shae and Mada. One of my favorite book tropes is strong female characters (bonus points if they're morally grey characters too, lol), and Shae and Mada can step on my throat and I will be so honored and grateful. They've joined in the badass bitches club with Azula, Toph (ATLA), Rin, Venka (TPW), Jasnah, Shallan and Lift (Stormlight Archive). And it is so interesting too, because they're such different characters, even though they're both really smart, principled, and independent. Mada even told Shae that she reminded Me of her younger self, but you can see how they clearly have hugely differing values and moral principles. And I love how they both hold on to their values and principles despite the challenges they face in the story. However, i have to admit that i was disappointed when Shae didn't say yes to Mada's proposal of them working together, because i was hoping that Shae would get a little bit of dark in her morals and betray Mada to save her own clan and get one step ahead of her in the game, because that would make her even more interesting. But i get why the author wanted to show Shae's loyalty to her clan and brothers, and her bravery in standing up to the powerful enemy Pillar in that scene, because that's when it really gets personal for Shae and she decided to keep it to herself and doing something even her brother the Pillar doesn't know; in using Wen as the new White Rat for No Peak. And i love that she did that, because then she's playing the game Mada's playing, without Mada nor Hilo knowing, and that's just the right spice i think the story needs. I always think that Shae's capable of so much more than just being a Weather Man to her brothers.

I somehow weirdly like morally grey characters, and i'm excited for Bero and the young Mudt. "Bero? The guy that killed Lan? I thought you liked Lan!" I hear you say. Well, first of all, Lan died of overdose, even though Bero did cause him to be at the place where he was not supposed to be and then drowned. And second of all, i feel like there's something more to Bero, like Mudt said, he somehow keeps getting lucky and survived all these situations where he was supposed to die in, and i can sympathize with him being Jadeless because of his circumstances, and who can fault a man who just wants to better his life? Even if I disagree with his ways, I can understand that in this magical world, there's not much a guy like him can do, especially in the Oligarchy system the country's in. If there's a reason for me to continue reading the next 2 books in this series it's because I want to know what will happen to Anden, Bero and Mudt Kal.

I like how the writing style is so simple and to the point, especially with the fight scenes, and it's no surprise since Fonda Lee is a black belt herself. She also did a great job writing almost all of the characters.

Okay, now i hope you're ready for some mild rants about the book, because here are the things that i don't really like in the book:

I don't really like Hilo and I like Mada much better than him. Here's my rant about why i root for Mada more than i root for Hilo and the No Peak clan: To be quite honest, i tend to agree to Mada for the most part, because she is just that awesome of a character and in terms of the story of this book, i personally think that cooperation is much more preferable than conflict (such an idealist and pacifist thing to say), since all this time No Peak and Mountain clans have been in some kind of a cold war with each other. Also, from the way Shae describes the way Espenians see Kekonese people, they are way more traditional than their neighboring countries, which is the result of their national ideology and isolation from foreign countries, and i think it could threaten their country's safety since it means that other countries may have far more advanced weaponry, while Kekonese rely heavily only on Jade, and maybe some guns and bombs, i'm not sure since the fight scenes int his book mostly use hand to hand combat and guns in some. However, i get it, it's more than understandable that the Kauls are against working together with the Mountain clan since that's how the things had been all their lives, the way they've been raised into, especially with the current Pillar of the Mountain, Mada, being someone who literally killed her way into the top, there's no questioning why the Kauls are against the very idea of cooperation with the Mountain. Add to that now, the attempted assassination on Hilo, and the death of their late Pillar, Lan, of which Mada has admitted her responsibility (but denied that it was ever her intention). But again, thinking as an idealist, i think cooperation is the best way to go, because not only that could cease the killing and loss of clan members for both clans, it could enrich them, the lives and business of the Lantern Men and the rest of ordinary people of Kekon will be more peaceful, and each clan can police the other better, put up new regulations that both parties can be transparent with each other, so that no one side is taking advantage of the other. However I know how hard it is to build that trust with everything that has happened in the story so far. But again, where does it end? Yes, in the end of the book, No Peak has "won" and took control of most of the territories in Janloon, but Mada will not just sit pretty and let them get away with it. And what about the other countries too? As Mada said, like it or not, those foreigners will get their hands on Jades and Shine someway, somehow, regardless of whether or not they're the ones selling those to them. So why not get ahead of the game and sell those to them so you can regulate and control and benefit from it all? It's like, come on No Peak; don't hate the player, hate the game. Because the game here is that everyone, regardless of their nationality (well, with an exception of Stone Eyes) wants Jade and the powers it possesses, and everyone is getting it one way or another. The Kauls' way of thinking that no foreigners and no other countries should ever possess Jade and their Xenophobia is honestly so tiresome and definitely not something that i can root for, even though i do like Anden, Lan and Shae, and even Hilo (sometimes).

I don't really understand the magical system with the Jade itself, what are its capabilities and limits, why it doesn't affect Stone Eyes and why some Kekonese can endure wearing it, but for some, they can't and die of the itch or go crazy like Anden's Mom. I hope the book explains this more clearly.

This is nitpicking, I know, but the setting being in a modern world, with airplanes, universities, guns, etc. just diminishes the magical feels of the book for me, personally. So, in other words, I found out I'm not into urban fantasy.

I like Lan and I was rooting for him but then of course he has to DIE by Shine overdose, the very thing that he hated the most, and it's all just because of one fight. I mean, it's unfair how Hilo is written to be this badass and strong Horn that is feared by almost everyone, and can fight his way out of his assassination with just some bruises and scratches (even though his fists did help him and got shot in the process), and Lan fight once and he was so badly wounded that he became addicted to Shine, then overdose and die. As a Lan stan, i just can NOT accept it. The man was left by his wife, did not get his revenge by killing her and the man she was cheating on him with, and he was a great peacetime Pillar, and that's how he died?! I was so triggered, it was Altan (TPW) and Elhokar (Stormlight Archive) dying all over again, and I am so traumatized by these deaths. And not only that, I hate how he became so toxic and gaslit Anden into being his enabler before he died, poor Anded was so scared for him and of him.

This is definitely an unpopular opinion, but I'm gonna say it anyway: I really do NOT care about Hilo. He's such a drama queen and I think he's the main villain, tbh. If it wasn't because of the Mountain clan trying to kill him because he's just doing the absolute most with his fists and fingers in the street, I think Lan and Shae would have agreed to work together with Mada in producing and selling shine abroad. However I have to admit, he did have his good moments, he was a good Pillar for his Fists and Fingers, he truly cares about them and their family, but most of the time he just annoys the hell out of me. And maybe this is partly why i don't really care about Wen either, because the very first scene she appears in the book, it was Hilo having sex with her, and the way he got on top of her while she was SLEEPING and she was OKAY WITH THAT, and the way the chapter was titled "The Horn's Kitten", referring to her. Just NO. And the ending where Hilo got really toxic with Anden. Arrghh, it still boils my blood just thinking about that scene. I think he'll go into a downward spiral in the next book from how he seems at the book's ending, but I don't want to get my hopes up. But who knows, maybe he'll get a redemption arc and i'll like him? Who knows.

Wow, that felt good getting all that out of my chest, but now I'm afraid I'll get cancelled by Hilo's stans. If I disappeared all of a sudden, you know where to look, guys.

BUT GUYS! I don't hate the book though, i enjoyed it just fine, and here's some proofs, here are my favourite moments from the book:

When Lan won the fight against Gam.

When Shae and Hilo first attacked Poor Man’s Road, which is in Mountain's territory, to avenge Lan's death.

When Shae secretly meets up with Mada at the temple.

When Anden first wear Hilo's Jades and kill Gont Asch and his Fists.

When Anden stood up for himself when he told Hilo he doesn't want to wear Jade.

When Shae came to comfort Anden at the cemetery, in front of Lan's headstone.

Here are my favourite quotes from the book:

" There were two types of jade thieves. Most wanted what they believed jade could give them—status, profit, power over others—but for some, the desire for jade itself was a rot in the brain, an obsession that would only grow. Hilo might be comfortable judging and executing for a first offense, but Lan was not ready to say there was no hope for the boy to find some other outlet for his ill-conceived ambition. “You taught them their lesson,” he said. “You have to give people a chance to learn. They’re just kids after all—stupid kids.”"

"It had almost turned out that way. Lan was Pillar now; Hilo was the Horn. She was the one who’d ruined the triumvirate. She was the broken piece. Hilo had been so furious when she’d left, not because he hated Espenians, or Jerald, or even the things she’d done and the secrets she’d kept. It was her refusal to fall into proper place in his vision of the world that had enraged him. In the hotel, he claimed he’d forgiven her, but she found that difficult to believe."

"Jerald was shipped back to Espenia, and Shae, burning with the indignity of Grandda swooping in to set her right, had followed him. She’d been a fool, but sadly, even fools were entitled to their pride."

"Was it possible, Lan wondered, to be both a strong leader and a compassionate person, or were those two things opposing forces, pushing each other away?"

"Lan being dead opened a chasm of desolation in Shae so vast she could not see the other side. Her eldest brother was the rock in the family, the one she felt she could always count on no matter what. He had never been unkind or judging toward her, had always given his attention to her and respected her even though she was much younger than he was. She wanted to be alone with the pain of her loss but also could not help reveling in the rediscovery of her jade senses. The sense of euphoria in her own reclaimed power was inescapable—and it suffused her with terrible remorse. And all the while, another part of her was thinking clearly, if feverishly, toward vengeance."

"You didn’t need to speak sweetly and offer patronage at every turn to these people. You had to be honest with them and show that they had more to gain from your friendship than your enmity. Did she think his Fists obeyed him because they were rewarded with favors or cowed by threats? No. Mutual survival was the basis of brotherhood and loyalty, even of love."

"The idea of dying for the clan was not rhetoric to Hilo. The clan was an extension of family, in some ways more family to Hilo than his own kin. He had never known his father. His mother had loved Lan; his grandfather had loved Shae. Hilo had found his place in the world among peers—that was where his expressiveness and daring were valued. Now the clan was relying on him in a very real and personal way: Kehn and Tar, his other Fists like Juen and Vuay, poor Eiten and Satto and Lott who deserved their vengeance, all the way down to the Fingers like Pano and that kid, Hejo, who’d unflinchingly risked his life by going into the Factory at Hilo’s command, and future clan members like Lott’s son and Anden. He asked them all to offer up their lives for the brotherhood; he would never ask less of himself."

"The Green Bones that remained backed away. Anden registered their fear of him and heard himself give an odd giggle. He was a demon—a pale teenage monster drunk on jade energy and killing. What happens when you cross a goat and a tiger? Kaul Sen had wondered. Something strange and terrifying.

With a shudder, Anden’s spine rippled. He flung his hands out sharply, fingers splayed, unleashing a Deflection that tore through the air and lifted three men off their feet, throwing them into the air before they tumbled and rolled to the ground. They scrambled up, staggering and limping, and staring back with wild alarm, they ran from him, the others following on their heels. Their footfalls thundered."

"Applause broke out, and other voices echoed the first. “Kaul-jen!”

Anden paused, thinking the crowd was shouting for Hilo. When he realized they were cheering him, heat flowed into his face. They’re saying I’m a Kaul. A mixed-blood orphan like him, and they were placing him alongside Lan and Hilo and Shae. It was the greatest flattery he could imagine, and he was mortified. Because it wasn’t true; he wasn’t like them. As Grandmaster Le lifted out the four jade stones on a silver chain, Anden stumbled back as if the box contained a venomous spider.

“No,” he blurted."

“I’m not like you, Hilo,” Anden burst out, anguished. Everything he’d feared about himself, every doubt he’d tamed with strict training and faith in the clan, every nightmare involving bloody bathtub water and his mother’s screams had seemed in one instant to rise out of that small box on the stage, overwhelming even the horrible knowledge that he was ruining all that he’d ever wanted. “I’m not someone who should have jade, who was ever meant to have jade. If I start wearing it today, I’ll only want more and more, as much as I had when I killed Gont. I’ll become worse than my ma, the crazy Mad Witch; I know I will. I can feel it in my blood now, no matter what you say.” He could barely breathe enough to speak. “You could dope me up on shine, on that poisonous Espenian stuff that killed Lan, but that’s not how I want to live. I don’t want to be what you’re making me: a-a—”

“A what?” Hilo demanded angrily. “A Green Bone? A part of this family?”

“A weapon,” Anden finished in a whisper."

Overall, it is a good book, i really don't hate this book, and i care a whole LOT about some of the characters, and even the ones i don't like i still care enough to write a long rant about it, which just goes to show you how good the book is, and i think it's a mark of a good author too. I did enjoy it, just not as much as i'd hoped, and i think it was because i was so hyped by the reviews, and that was my mistake. I should have never set such high expectations over a book or a series. Well, you learn and live.

And maybe I'll read the next two books sometime in the future, for some reason. And those reasons are Anden, Shae, Mada, Bero and Mudt Kal.

PLOT - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

WRITING STYLE - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

ENTERTAINMENT LEVEL- ❤️❤️❤️

BOOK COVER DESIGN - ⭐⭐⭐

OVERALL BOOK RATING - ⭐⭐⭐

#book review #jade city #the green bone saga

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