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le_mur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, and Suicide
bookishwondergoth's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A highly satisfying and emotional end to what I think might be the most ambitious and unique fantasy trilogy I've ever read. Here is my spoiler-free review of the entire Green Bone Saga trilogy:
Well, 2022 was the year I finally read the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee, and—having now come out the other side of 'Jade Legacy' with my heart relatively in tact—I'm happy to report it was one of the most thrilling, satisfying, ambitious, epic and unique fantasy stories I've ever read in my entire life. It's not really a trilogy so much as one enormous book split into three parts, and I think that's worth bearing in mind if you find yourself slogging a bit through some of the info-dumps in 'Jade City'. A contemporary-feeling high urban fantasy that encompasses literally ✨decades✨ of time across multiple generations around an entire fictional globe, featuring a myriad of cultures, customs and creeds... Cor blimy, Fonda Lee doesn't like doing things by halves, does she?! From the gang-ridden streets of 'Jade City' all the way up to the geopolitical family melodrama of 'Jade Legacy', the Green Bone Saga had me by the throat even days after finishing. I fear it still does. Reader, I've left my heart in Janloon.
Well, 2022 was the year I finally read the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee, and—having now come out the other side of 'Jade Legacy' with my heart relatively in tact—I'm happy to report it was one of the most thrilling, satisfying, ambitious, epic and unique fantasy stories I've ever read in my entire life. It's not really a trilogy so much as one enormous book split into three parts, and I think that's worth bearing in mind if you find yourself slogging a bit through some of the info-dumps in 'Jade City'. A contemporary-feeling high urban fantasy that encompasses literally ✨decades✨ of time across multiple generations around an entire fictional globe, featuring a myriad of cultures, customs and creeds... Cor blimy, Fonda Lee doesn't like doing things by halves, does she?! From the gang-ridden streets of 'Jade City' all the way up to the geopolitical family melodrama of 'Jade Legacy', the Green Bone Saga had me by the throat even days after finishing. I fear it still does. Reader, I've left my heart in Janloon.
The Green Bone Saga tells the story of the Kaul family of the No Peak clan in the Asian-inspired city of Janloon on the isle of Kekon. The Kaul family and others like them are Green bones; people with the ability to carry and wield bioenergetic "jade"; a magical substance that enhances users abilities in the six disciplines of Strength, Steel, Perception, Lightness, Deflection and Channelling. Kaul Lanshinwan, the Pillar of No Peak, is trying to navigate the hostile advances of No Peak's greatest rival, the Mountain Clan, headed up by the ruthless Ayt Madashi. With tension brewing between the clans, and trouble stirring across the ocean between world superpowers, Ygutan and Espenia, Lan must also try and rein in his brother Hilo, the hot-headed Horn of No Peak, and keep him from lighting the spark that starts an all-out war.
It is impossible for me to name any one area where Green Bone shines, because truthfully, all of it does. Characters, plot, world-building and writing style,... all of it is hyper-focused, meticulously planned, and delivered to the reader in the most effective, and emotionally devastating way possible.
Let's start with the writing. Fonda Lee is not what I'd call a pretty writer, but there's an evocative bluntness to her prose that really works for the style of story she's trying to tell. Sentences are beautifully constructed, but with all the grit left in, such as this gem from 'Jade City''s opening paragraph: "Summer had barely begun and already the city of Janloon was like a spent lover—sticky and fragrant."
The plot primarily is driven by the characters and how they interact with one another. It is intriguing, thrilling, twisty and shocking, and moves along at a steadily building pace. Every now and then, even as early as 'Jade City', Fonda Lee will hit you with a massive unexpected and game-changing event that will change the course of everything you know, then start building up the pace all over again. As the end of all three books draws to a close, the downtime between each climactic event gets less and less and less, until you reach 'Jade Legacy' at which point everything starts moving at breakneck speed, and you can hardly catch your breath. SO good. I found 'Jade City' to be a bit on the slow side but I found myself losing sleep to finish 'Jade War' and 'Jade Legacy' was no different. Rest assured, these are books you will not want to put down.
Speaking of characters and how they drive the plot, I guarantee that by the end of this trilogy, you will have fallen in love with the entire Kaul family. Lan, Hilo, Shae, Anden, Wen and the Maik brothers all hold places within my heart, and I reckon I've shaved years off my life in becoming so ill-advisedly invested in their wellbeing. For much of the trilogy, the misunderstood Anden and fiercely resourceful Wen were my favourites, but it was Hilo who ultimately took the top spot around halfway through 'Jade War'. The man is a masterful creation; reckless, vindictive, fiercely loyal, vengeful and utterly brutal, Hilo is a veritable powder keg of unpredictability. Things are never dull when Hilo's around, and it was so much fun watching him grow and change over the years. I was always equal parts scared and excited about where the story was going, wondering what horrible, game-changing thing Hilo would do next.
As for the world-building, this is hands down the most ambitious, comprehensive and believable fantasy world I have ever read in my life. As someone who considers themselves reasonably well-versed in the fantasy genre, I do not say this lightly. Green Bone culture permeates every aspect of Kekonese lives including their socialisation with others (including people whose cultures are vastly different to theirs such as the westernised Espenians), their politians, their economy, their medicine, their military, their expats and accompanying disapora, their crime rates, their black market, racism, xenophobia, ordinary citizens... everything. Fonda Lee takes absolutely everything into account so you know exactly where jade comes from, what it means to the people of Kekon and the rest of the world, and how far people are willing to go to get it. Starting you off primarily on the isle of Kekon in 'Jade City', Fonda Lee throws the net wider in 'Jade War' by deepening the ties between Kekon and the rest of the world, then throws it even wider still in 'Jade Legacy' with the introduction of additional factions borne of a result of the events in books 1 and 2. The nuance and skill with which all of this is handled is absolutely stunning.
Overall, the Green Bone Saga was hands down the best thing I read in 2022 and has become a new favourite. It is slick, smart, thoroughly modern, and one of those torch bearing fantasies that pushes the genre in directions you didn't even know it could go. I thoroughly recommend this trilogy to absolutely all fantasy fans, and I am on my knees begging you all to add 'Jade City' to your TBR immediately. You won't regret it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Death of parent, and Colonisation
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexism, and Torture
jakepasseri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An amazing ending to an amazing trilogy of books. I highly, highly recommend it. Fixed the only issue I had with the previous book, and only improved
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm and Cultural appropriation
thereisnotry54's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I spread it out over a few days, but ended up finishing at 2 am. The time skips are managed well and Lee reminds us of what happened in earlier books without banging it over our heads. Character actions seem natural, even if I personally wouldn't do it. I cried. I also appreciated the sensitive way she treated disability.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
szuum's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Xenophobia
Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Rape
3arth2kaye's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Abortion
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
...bruh. this book makes me scream, cry, shout, and whoop - truly the whole human experience encapsulated - but that climax def makes me fall to my knees in target.
like its predecessors, jade legacy drips w/ swagger and filled w/ violence, strategem and emotional impact, feeling both intimate and epic w/ the focus on the kauls against the backdrop of greater outside forces. as always, lee pulls no-holds-barred in this book, cunningly plotting the story while also handling and balancing more story threads, characters, and settings than ever, where things can change dramatically w/ just a sentence (a masterful example of show-not-tell, rly). it's big in scope and ever more complex as many existing characters grow and new ones develop.
it's always an extreme experience being w/ the kauls; there are great triumphs but also terrible, heartbreaking losses (**** U WERE SO CLOSEEEE BARELY 30 PGS LEFT DAMMIT). we see them here w/ changing relationship dynamics, truth-searching, and growing into their own identities. reading this book, i feel aged right along them, filled w/ nostalgia, regret, and cautious optimism still.
the previously mentioned balancing act, however, is also my one main issue w/ the novel: the frequent timeskips can be confusing and sometimes seem unnecessary, and the existence of so many characters and story threads means many of them arent fully explored, w/ a few seemingly abandoned or forgotten halfway through. certain events/actions, for example, couldve happened in the same month or yr as the previous chapter, but somehow it just has to be like 2 or 4 yrs later, which i dont understand why.
the time gaps, while it might be necessary, also mean that there are - obviously - gaps in the story, but readers arent filled in on what happen during the interim yrs, and there def isnt enough time and space for lee to explain either even if she wanted to since it occurs so often; so now we're left w/ 2 chapters that happen like 5 yrs apart but it seems like not much has changed at all. moreover, some characters - like cam for example - initially expected to be more prominent over time are relegated to the background and their relations to the kauls arent mentioned much at all.
even so, it's undeniable that this is a tightly plotted gangster family saga brimming w/ tension, high stakes, violence, cunning, and emotional impact. it's been a rollercoaster of a (figuratively 25-yr) trip w/ the kauls, and the green bone saga is def one of the best series ive ever read.
like its predecessors, jade legacy drips w/ swagger and filled w/ violence, strategem and emotional impact, feeling both intimate and epic w/ the focus on the kauls against the backdrop of greater outside forces. as always, lee pulls no-holds-barred in this book, cunningly plotting the story while also handling and balancing more story threads, characters, and settings than ever, where things can change dramatically w/ just a sentence (a masterful example of show-not-tell, rly). it's big in scope and ever more complex as many existing characters grow and new ones develop.
it's always an extreme experience being w/ the kauls; there are great triumphs but also terrible, heartbreaking losses (**** U WERE SO CLOSEEEE BARELY 30 PGS LEFT DAMMIT). we see them here w/ changing relationship dynamics, truth-searching, and growing into their own identities. reading this book, i feel aged right along them, filled w/ nostalgia, regret, and cautious optimism still.
the previously mentioned balancing act, however, is also my one main issue w/ the novel: the frequent timeskips can be confusing and sometimes seem unnecessary, and the existence of so many characters and story threads means many of them arent fully explored, w/ a few seemingly abandoned or forgotten halfway through. certain events/actions, for example, couldve happened in the same month or yr as the previous chapter, but somehow it just has to be like 2 or 4 yrs later, which i dont understand why.
the time gaps, while it might be necessary, also mean that there are - obviously - gaps in the story, but readers arent filled in on what happen during the interim yrs, and there def isnt enough time and space for lee to explain either even if she wanted to since it occurs so often; so now we're left w/ 2 chapters that happen like 5 yrs apart but it seems like not much has changed at all. moreover, some characters - like cam for example - initially expected to be more prominent over time are relegated to the background and their relations to the kauls arent mentioned much at all.
even so, it's undeniable that this is a tightly plotted gangster family saga brimming w/ tension, high stakes, violence, cunning, and emotional impact. it's been a rollercoaster of a (figuratively 25-yr) trip w/ the kauls, and the green bone saga is def one of the best series ive ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicide
horizonous's review
Just plain boring with a lot of time jumps of various lengths (if you're lucky it's only months but sometimes it's years) and moments of "in the time since this and that happened" without showing how it happened. I don't care who lives or dies or which Clan will win in the end (if any, because for at least 500 pages of this series I've been rooting for Bero), so.. yeah..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Grief
laguerrelewis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Each installment in the Green Bone saga is longer than the last, swelling out of necessity to contain the growing scope of these stories. One should rightfully expect something truly epic when seeing that Jade Legacy boasts a 713 page count. Fonda Lee expertly weaves a finale that leaves you feeling as though you’ve weathered decades with the Kauls and the No Peak clan, injecting nostalgia and hope into this grand sendoff to the trilogy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
tiannakellyread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual assault