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.