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Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee

55 reviews

steph_reads_it_all's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

What can I even say? This book was the perfect ending to this series. Fonda Lee managed to send me on a roller-coaster of emotions and never let me off. I feel emotionally wrecked.

Fonda created a world so rich that I felt like I was walking the streets of Kekon along with the Kaul's. The characters felt so real, and you shared in their triumphs and their pain. 

This installment really focuses on the families and spans years of their lives. There is so much character growth and development, and you get to see the kids become adults and grow into their true personalities. This series is bound to stay in my mind for quite a while, and I don't think I will forget the Kaul's any time soon.

I can't recommend this series enough, but be prepared to have your heartbroken and pieced back together.

On my Honour. On my Life. On my Jade. 

The clan is my blood, and the Pillar is its master. ⚔️

5/5 Stars 🌟

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bookiecharm's review against another edition

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5.0


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btrz7's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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


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miak2's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

 
"Jade for our Pillar...Far do your enemies flee, Kaul-jen."
"Not yet, they haven't," he said. "But they will."


An absolute masterpiece. Visionary. 10/10. 2022 can pack its bags and go home, nothing's topping this book for me. No specific spoilers for the series in here, just some general discussion of major themes. PLEASE go check out this fantastic trilogy if you're in the slightest bit interested. I know I'm hyping it up a lot, but it really was a phenomenal read.

I was pretty sure coming into this series that I would enjoy it, but I didn't expect it to take over my life in the way that it did. Everything from the characters to the worldbuilding to the plot were so expertly crafted, unsurprisingly, as Fonda Lee has already proven to be a master of her craft. Jade Legacy gave me everything I could have wanted out of a conclusion. It was fast paced, with incredible action scenes and ridiculously high stakes (I'm looking back at my January self who thought things couldn't be elevated after Jade City and again after Jade War. Little did I know). This book mixed the intense street violence of the first book with the cunning political maneuvering of the second to deliver a truly fantastic conclusion. We'd been following these characters for over 20 years, but somehow Fonda Lee wrapped up their arcs in satisfying ways.(Ok not always satisfying, but realistic and profound ways).

In case you missed it, yes this series, this book actually takes place across twenty years. While the time jumps could be a disorienting at times, they were well executed and incredibly necessary. These are two incredibly cunning and powerful clans facing off in a brutal fight for dominance, it wouldn't have done this series justice if it'd wrapped up within the span of a couple months.

I've talked extensively in my past reviews about the exquisite world building in The Green Bone Saga. This is the bar that to which I will hold any future fantasy book I read, because Lee made this world every bit as complex and messy and real as our own. This book specifically gets into extremism and terrorism, immigration reform, stealing land from indigenous peoples, changing stereotypes through film and media, and so much more. All done with tact and caution, but incredibly effective in holding up a mirror to our own society. Not to mention the ongoing discussion about tradition and culture versus the need for progressive changes in order to better not only the clans but the people in Kekon as a whole. I was consistently impressed and amazed at how much thought and depth Lee put into her worldbuilding - it wasn't just to tell a story, but to fully create a world with as much uniqueness and as many complications as ours.

Another thing I've discussed in depth are the characters and the way Lee so wonderful writes their struggles and their interactions. The same can absolutely be said here, and while I won't go into any depth in order to avoid spoilers, I just want to commend her for what she's done in this regard as well. Similar to the world she's created, these characters are complex and messy. They make mistakes, and choices too, that have hurt other people, and that hurt each other. And yeah I'm prone to crying over emotional books, but Jade Legacy had me full on bawling multiple times. That's how strongly I connected with her characters and was impacted by the things they were experiencing.

I'll leave my review at that, because this was already way longer than I needed it to be, although rest assured, I could say much, much more. Thank you, Fonda Lee, for bringing the people of No Peak and the rest of the Green Bone Saga to life.

The clan is my blood, and the pillar is its master. 

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freethefrican's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I could say that I am stunned speechless but I honestly have more words than I can type.

This trilogy was amazing. This finale with sensational. So much pain, so much loss, so much love over the course of these three books, and I’m just filled with joy to have been able to experience these characters and to have gone through decades with them. 

The Green Bone Saga has some of the best character work I’ve ever read and I can’t wait to see more of what Fonda Lee has for us.

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nicoleme1212's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

Honestly one of the best books I've ever read. The format and the passage of time made this book seem like a standalone epic, and I loved following the characters and their choices throughout.  

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maria2001's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Jade legacy & the Green bone Saga :


  When I first picked this series up I expected it to be good, but I did not expect it to become one of my favorites. .The "supernatural" concept was pretty simple. Jade gives people who wear it enhanced powers (strength , perception, etc. etc. ).And Kekon (the main country) is inspired by mid 20th century Asia. Capeesh!! - The first book was a foundation and a really good one at that. It laid out the basics about the world and gave the outlines of the main characters and the clans.


 .I gave the first book 4 stars just because of how good it was structured , but I have to admit I was underwhelmed.I wanted to be attached to the characters more, I wanted it to be more than just a clever book with well crafted political tactics and savvy characters. Enter Book 2 (Jade War) :) .


  this one was anxiety-inducing in the best way.I've never had my heart palpitate this much over a book before, but as soon as I started this one ( I was in a reading slump btw ) I could not put it down..Every thing that was planted in B1 blooms and unfolds in B2. from the world to the stakes, and of course the most beautiful of all the characters <3 .The Kaul family has cemented their place in my heart and I'll keep them there for a while (especially Shae and Anden uwu , I love the rest but yes I have favourites ) ..I already have a full review on B2 so I'll move on to B3(Jade Legacy )

.

Jade Legacy :


 "look at where you are , look at where you started . The fact that you're alive is miracle . Just stay alive, that would be enough "  this line from Hamilton kept playing in my head as I read this book  :') ..I haven't mentioned that all of the titles have been perfectly fitting so far , you get exactly what you're told on the cover. therefore, B3 is heavily inspired by the theme of what we want to leave behind for the next generation and how we will raise them based on our experiences and how will the next generation react and grow to the world we built for them, as well as the outside world..I'd say the first 40% of this book were basically dealing with all the consequences that B2 left us with and the other 60% is to wrap up everything because Fonda Lee wasn't going to leave ANY plot point loose . She really said "I'm going to create a perfect story" and DID IT !!..Now when I say the last 60% was tying loose ends I'm not by any means down playing it's intensity . Although it's not the anxiety roller-coaster that B2 was , B3 was a tear fiesta :') .The new generation comes bearing their own baggage and things to prove to the world and it was one of the most realistic depictions of how we try to make our parents proud while trying to be our own selves. I cannot fully describe the complicated and intense personal and familial dynamics in this book  in just a few sentences , I can only say *chef's kiss*..

This book also is the one where the politics-savvy shines through the most. we are dealing with things in Kekon (the main country) ,while trying to deflect foreign threats  and all that jazz. "I realized there are only two types of people in the world. It's not Green Bones and non-Green Bones . It's those who have power and those who don't […] If the clans stop defending the meaning of jade , then others will take that power from us. They'll amplify all the worst parts and leave non of the good."


 .With that quote I seal this review but I'm in no way done talking about this trilogy ,This deserves it's own podcast or long YouTube video . But for now let's leave it as it is  :).






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_forestofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

Hands down the best fantasy trilogy I have ever read. I laughed, I sobbed, I freaked out. Fonda Lee is incredible in every way and I could not find a single flaw. This was the best and most painful but beautiful ending to this trilogy I could have hoped for.

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adancewithbooks's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-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

 
Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group Uk, Orbit and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

TW/CW: Rape Mentioned | Suicide Mentioned | Blood | Gore | Torture

How do you review a book like Jade Legacy? When it is the conclusion to such an epic series? When it leaves behind the legacy of the Kauls? When it spans so much time? Honestly, you don't. You just gush. 

Fonda Lee has written an absolute gem of a fantasy series that will withstand the test of time for sure because it continues to bring the themes forward that we are drawn to. Family, Loyalty, Change, Faith, Collonialism. But also being able to be your own person in a family that stands so tall and proud for its values and history.

There were twists and turns. Characters that returned (could have done without Bero), characters that grew, characters that left, and characters that dies. I felt along their journey with each of them. Especially one death absolutely killed me. I am still crying on the inside over him. He deserved so much more than he got. 

I think the only downside about this book is that it spans so many years. I understand why. But it sometimes left me still standing in the mess of the previous year while we were already heading into the next arc a few years later. I think that does tell you what this book does to your emotions. 

All in all this review is just here to tell you to pick up the whole of the Green Bone Saga now. You don't have to wait between books. You can get your heart torn out all at once while reading these 3 books back to back. And you won't even want it back. 
 

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calicot's review against another edition

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5.0


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