Jade Legacy spans over decades focusing on the Kaul family as they battle enemies across all angles. It’s up close and ugly and messy. The dynamics between the characters are a highlight, because they shift and change. The politics are layered as Kekon navigates its position against foreign interference and Ayt Mada. Its loss, death, retribution, family, love, and honor bound into one.

I didn’t realize how much this family and characters like Hilo grew on me until this book. The development and growth we see is staggering, but in the end they’re flawed in a way that’s feels tangible. These characters leap off the page. This book I really enjoyed Wen and Hilo

AND RUU!! my baby fought his duel and no one saw him win 😭😭 this part broke

The call backs and references, how it all ties the entire Green Bone Saga is a testament to how detailed Fonda Lee is as a writer. I appreciate how she wrote the war against the Mountain clan…long and dragged out but in the end one cannot truly finish the other.

By the end,

i was crying my eyes out because Hilo really did put his family first, unwaveringly. His last conversation with Shae had me 😭😭😭 also, Lan will always haunt the narrative, miss him bad, but the entire family will see each other again.

family trope done well 

The time jumps were a lot this book, but I felt like the plotting was really good, so I didn’t mind. 

bero still making it.. I could write essays about this*

Overall, the Green Bone Saga is one of those series that you just have to treat as one entity. Finishing it, makes me want to go back reread with a new perspective. I think it would be one of my favorite shows if it was adapted to that medium, across many seasons to cover the time jumps. I think the writing style and magic system would work really well there.