Jade Legacy

Whereas Jade War delivered a great even experience across the board, this instalment instead delivered excessively stalwart highs and a few surprising lows. Therefore, its rating is a bit of a function of median between its highest highs and its lowest lows - although I will say Jade War is probably the better instalment.

The key concern or criticism here would be the span of the book, and the episodic nature in which it was written. As it seems to span almost twenty years of No Peak events, it loses the important sense of flow I lauded Jade War for. Sometimes, there is a sense of cohesion and flow, but other times, it just feels that we don’t spend particularly enough time hanging onto some positions, and on occasion we rivet ourselves in a particular part of the story only to surprisingly skip four or five or seven years forward. It’s a little disorienting and it has me feeling that perhaps this book deserved to be two.

That’s not to say that Lee made this decision out of some odd purpose. It’s clear that this marked an important transition carried through the series, as each book expanded its scope and went from being a story about Hilo and Lan, to the Kaul family, and in this book, a tale of the clans of Kekon, of No Peak as a whole. It allows Lee to paint her ending in broad and bold strokes, the expansion in time and space a necessity to ensure that she can conclusively put a lid on all of Kekon, the two clans, the Kauls, the blood feud, Bero, Hilo’s children, Jim Sunto, Espenian involvement in Kekonese affairs, and so on and so forth. Faced with a choice between a large expansive book that stumbled a little and a compacted, personal book that nailed the character moments and nothing else, I can see why Lee as an author would want to seal up the world she’s made on her own terms, and as a reader appreciate her for it.

And of course, I don’t imply that Lee missed in any significant way. Character arcs make it out intact, generally drawn out from the beginning of the trilogy to the end. Her grasp over the realism of her world and her people remains just as strong, and accentuates this books highs. All the compassion and connection we built for these characters is deployed in this book, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it pays off in peaks that are unmatched across the series. I particularly was impressed by Lees return to Maik Tar, and the momentary visit to Shotar and the scenes there. It’s fascinating to see that Lee had such a tight grasp over her characters and world even until the end, never really letting a thread fall away from her hands.

The plot also delivers, in a very different way to the usual due to the drawn out scope, but the events remain as believable as they are unexpected, and bring satisfying conclusions where needed, and realistic and reasonable developments wherever there is space for them.

Truly I feel like the most powerful tool in this books arsenal is the ability to impart to the reader the phantom of a lived experience alongside the complex Kaul Hiloshudon, his stone-eye wife and shrewd sister, Anden Emery, and the children of the Kauls. You leave the book with as vivid of a memory of these people and what they have done as if you were there, perhaps a Green Bone Fist under Lott Jin or a Lantern Man of No Peak or just a simple citizen in Kekon. The constance of events and their ups and downs mirrors the nature of life in a way that few books master - the way friends become enemies and then grudging allies, people betray and are betrayed for silly ideals or meaningful ones, and who lives and who dies. This is the highest praise I can award Lee, for mastering the imitation of life, and through it absorbing you as a reader into this world that is as fantastical as it is real and true and present. I have no doubt that I will think oft of some of these events, and of Hilo, and of Anden, for a while to come.

Jade Legacy is the thrilling conclusion to the treasure that is the Green Bone saga. I enjoyed every second of my time reading this book and have thought about it continuously upon finishing.  My review will be for the series as a whole as well as for Jade Legacy as a stand-alone

Firstly, the worldbuilding in this series is the best I have ever read, while it at times slowed the overall pace of the book, the payoff you receive in terms of plot is so worth it. Every single element of the setting is so well defined and distinct, that the cars the characters drive even have realistic names. By the time you read Jade Legacy, as a reader you have built a real connection to the world of the Green Bone saga and hence the changes that occur have an impact. In reading Jade Legacy I found I have built a real attachment to the island of Kekon and the people that exist there. 

The changes that come over time to the world of the Green Bone saga make logical sense, the issues faced by Kekon mirror the reality faced by many modern Asian nations. In her writing, Fonda Lee highlights her understanding of politics whether it be within a family or between nations. Jade Legacy showcases in particular how with technology, modernisation and the passage of time politics and ideals must also evolve. I appreciated how comprehensive the plot is, everything connects so well together, and even details which feel mundane end up playing their part in the overall picture being painted. The plot was in no way predictable, I honestly had no idea what to expect when I started, and the surprises kept coming up until the end. Not one dull moment. 

The Green Bone Saga also has some of the best characters I have read, each is complex with their own unique motivations, viewpoints and strengths. While there has been some criticism of Fonda Lee's writing of more male characters than female, I don't think the concern holds much stock since the female characters of the Green Bone Saga are so well-written and diverse. Kaul Shae, Maik Wen and Ayt Mada are all powerful in their positions and capabilities but they are nothing alike in personality and even in motivation. In Jade Legacy we see the main characters we are well acquainted with evolve, however, their evolution makes complete sense with their changing world scape. I really can't compliment it enough, as time passes so do the characters. This once again makes the book so immersive and allows the reader to feel like they are in a way growing with each character. I adored the Kaul family and their evolution was so fun to read. Kaul Hilo is such a wonderful main character he is so multi-faceted and while not all of these facets are great, he is so well developed that once it makes sense of him. Do I stand by all of his actions? Absolutely not! but I most definitely understand why he took them. His connection to his family is something I adore some of his lines about them brought tears to my eyes. Similarly, his rival Ayt Mada, is equally strong, ruthless, cunning and unrelenting she is exactly what you would want in an antagonist. She is exactly who you think she is and she will remind you if you forget. I could continue talking about every single character in detail in honesty but for the sake of time, I will stop. 

Overall, Jade Legacy gave me everything and more as a finale to what is now one of my favourite fantasy series ever. It's thrilling, its emotional, its breath-taking, its a masterclass in fantasy. I can't recommend it enough. 

i fear im never moving on. kaul hiloshudon, you're the only man ever.

This book is such an epic tale of crime, magic and family. It reminded me of a Hundred Years of Solitude, the story of a family dynasty through so many ups and downs until the end of an era. It was insane and just overall a masterful way to end the series.

the greenbone saga ripped some guttural and ugly sobs from my chest, it had me smiling, screaming, and sometimes having a whole argument with the the words on the page. definitely deserving of every literary award.

"The clan is my blood, and the Pillar is its master.
On my honor, my life, and my jade."

I'm dazed. What a story of dizzying scope and yet familial intimacy. Gonna be holding onto this one

3.75 stars i can’t believe this is done….i’m going to carry these characters for a long time

On my honor.

On my life.

On my jade.

i am not okay ;--;

Fonda Lee has done it once again. This book made me cry and the ending was so realistic. The political world was well built and I watched the characters and their children grow. It's epic, that's it.

This book made me cry, laugh and sit in tense spirits for a long time. I think that it masterfully combined highly important action scenes and conspiracies with emotional scenes and quiet moments. It’s an incredible finale to a series

im on my way to the psych ward 🤕

The final, biggest, longest, most epic volume of the Green Bone Saga. Many have compared the GBS to The Godfather. I've done it myself, more than once. But in this final volume, Lee shows her vision is bigger, grander, and smarter than that of that most famous trilogy of gangster movies (the Godfather books, muddled and written by multiple authors, were never in the running). This is a series about family, yes. But it thinks more deeply about that, and more broadly. It's also a series about politics and friendship and racial divides and gender lines. It's a series about living a life and making choices. It's very good. You should read it.

read it in a single night. incredible finale to an equally incredible series

I was ready to start the first book over again as soon as I finished the last page of Jade Legacy. I loved this trilogy of books. They are so rewarding and the character work is incredible. I’m not sure I was ready for the emotion weight I would feel as the story came to a close. If you are looking for a trilogy to read this year, I highly suggest the Green Bones saga.

Fonda Lee, I want to start by saying I look forward to your next project . GBS was a fantastic ride Moving on, coming into this book I expected the deaths of important characters , I thought I was okay with it but it still hurt A LOT in the end ...I've been thinking about it non stop for two days now. I can't help but think about how Fonda managed to wrap up everyone's story extremes well...which is very difficult to do in a series with so many characters I was impressed with Ayt Madashi's story in this book compared to the previous two, I enjoyed every bit of her ferocious nature and iron grip on her faction. In general this was a fantastic conclusion , the only thing I didn't like about the way this saga ended was Ru's death...I felt she could've done it better it felt humiliating to say the least considering who is father is ...anyway this is a trilogy I will not stop recommending ....I absolutely adored every book in this series 🙏🏽

read most of this book in an eight hour marathon reading session on 4 hours sleep and i feel like i’ve been beaten into a wall by fonda lee

This trilogy was well worth going through the first book. I usually give up if the first book doesn't leave a great impression on me, in this case it was decent but I couldn't strongly relate to the characters who were not very interesting and kinda shallow to me. The plot was good although I really didn't care much about anyone in particular. But at the end of book 1 everything changed and the characters ended up filled with more individuality, strength, purpose and loveable features. The story takes an amazing turn and I got hooked until the last page.

Parts of this book we’re excellent and overall I loved it and it’s characters, particularly in the second half of the book I struggled with my feelings towards this book. But every time I discussed the book while reading I could only think of the issues I was having reading it, particularly with the pacing. To be completely honest, too much happens in this book and so many events with huge time jumps in between made a large portion of this book hard to read and frustrating as moments clearly written to elicit an emotional impact fell short because they weren’t given time and their effects were skipped through as if they were worthless to move on to the next big event. The characters are so much of the heart of this story but given that this was a 700 page novel I feel as if I barely spent any time with them and it’s disappointing to feel so disconnected with these characters that I care about. But the parts of this book that were great were fantastic, and made me contemplate a 5 star rating but ultimately I don’t feel I can do that when for a lot of my time reading the issues were overwhelming my connection to the plot and characters. This story has still impacted me and I love it as a whole but this book felt rushed and crammed with too much for its page count and left no time for the characters to simply exist during its first half.

EPIC. Just absolutely epic and on a other level.

Update 09/10/2021 You can find the rest of my reviews at An Ode to Fiction. | Subscribe to my Booktube channel Find my reviews on : An Ode to Fiction Official Release Date : 30th November 2021 Buy the book : Amazon | Book Depository 5/5 ⭐️ "The clan is our blood, and the Pillar is its master." ARC provided by the publisher Orbit US through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Fonda Lee stands to be the most renown modern fantasy voice that is worthy of legendary status. Jade Legacy is the satisfying conclusion to an epic fantasy saga that I will continue to sing about to the world. A story about honor, life, jade, and the legacy that lives on. For a whole month I mulled over the thoughts that I will need to pour into this review that can fully convey the greatness that is contained within the pages of this third instalment to a series that has back to back proven to be one of the best series in modern fantasy to date. I was gracious enough (out of sheer luck and endless attempts of emailing) to receive the opportunity to read an ARC (Advance Readers Copy) of Jade Legacy. Henceforth before I start my review I would like to thank the publishers, Orbit Books, for giving me this amazing opportunity to read and review my most anticipated book of the year. It is only fitting for me to reminisce on the experience of reading The Green Bone Saga as I write this review to give my final salute to a monumental series in my life. In 2020, I was relatively new to reading adult fantasy so I actively looked for books to read in the genre. Jade City is one of those books that I know I will love even before I read it. But luck wasn’t on my side as it took me over 8 months to get my hands on a copy of Jade City and Jade War. When 2021 rolled around I made it my mission to read all three books of The Green Bone Saga. In January I read Jade City for the first time and I immediately fell in love with everything about the book. Two months later, in April, I read the sequel Jade War. The sequel stunned me and left chills that I could feel to the bone. Vibrating with excitement to read the conclusion of the story I knew that Jade Legacy will surpass Jade War and Jade City which it accomplished tremendously. I had high expectations, fears for my favorite characters, and anxiety mixed feelings knowing a series that I’ve fallen in love with this year will come to an end. Separation anxiety already kicked in even before I read the book. With the strength of my friends (Sasha and Michelle) behind my back I mustered up the courage to read Jade Legacy as we share our pain and love together reading the conclusion to this epic saga. “Good men are remembered with love by their friends,” “Great warriors are remembered with awe by their enemies.” Jade Legacy is the third book to of The Green Bone Saga that spans 20 years since the end of Jade War. When I first read Fonda Lee’s tweet I was ecstatic because we will get to see a lot of growth in all aspects of the story—from the Kaul family and the future of No Peak clan, the modernization and globalization of the world, advancements correlating to jade, the political strives and turbulences, the geopolitical landscape of the world, the evolution of the green bone culture throughout the years, and so on. There is so many things that Fonda Lee could do in Jade Legacy, it is only fitting that the story will span two decades to cover all the basis to show the accelerating growth of this phenomenal expansive world and characters that I’ve grown to love. In Jade War, the two biggest green bone clans in Kekon, No Peak and The Mountain, waged war against each other that has dragged on for years creating a stand still that affected many facets of the country. The clans has opted to overseas expansion to gain more power and expand their roots through many investments and dealings. The expansion will continue to grow and evolve with time and effort in Jade Legacy as it covers a wider range and with it the implications of the clans endeavors. Readers will see how the expansion affects many aspects of the world from the evolving societal norms, to economical fluctuation, and the cultural evolution coinciding with globalization and technology. There are a staggering amount of machinations relating to these aspects that are fascinating and engrossing. The way Fonda Lee presented these machinations exceeds it’s predecessor Jade War by a landslide. Violence is no longer the only weapon the clans will utilize but patience, careful strategizing, planning, and influence will play a big part in turning the tides to favor them. The maneuvers are back to back that will leave you at the edge of your seat, heart pounding, and sleep deprived dying to know what will happen after each move is made. By now fans of The Green Bone Saga understands from reading Jade City and Jade War that danger lurks at every corner, Jade Legacy is no different. The stakes are higher and much more intense compared to the first two books. Even when we win, we suffer. As it says in the title ‘legacy’ is the main part of the story from the legacy of green bone predecessors, the current living green bones paving the way, and the future of how the legacy will live on in a world that has advanced and evolved throughout the years. Jade Legacy brings forth all the experiences and exploration that was endured in Jade City and Jade War to perspective by emphasizing the very part that makes this series a phenomenal force in modern fantasy by honoring and elevating the characters to new heights that is worthy of recognition by the gods. The themes about life and death are heavily weaved in and explored within the story tying close to the legacy they leave behind. The mortality of green bones is repeatedly reminded by Fonda Lee that no matter how good of a fighter you are or how jaded a green bone can be death will come when you least expect it. It is also a story about resilience, love and family having the Kauls at the fore front of this epic saga. Fans of the series have followed their story witnessing them shed blood, sweat, and tears to honor and build their clan to be a force that could weather any storm. They have experienced loss, betrayals, and disappointments but they always have family and endless amounts of love. In this conclusion we will get to see the characters grow and see their development come full circle. Emery Anden’s position in the clan is solidified and strengthened by showing his worth and proving to everyone that doubted his decisions to walk away from clan life, forging his own path and becoming his own person but still loyal to the clan and embracing fully his identity as a Kaul. Kaul Shae grows to be a seasoned weather man reading the clouds as calculating, keen, and sharp as her enemy, Ayt Mada. Shae built the business side of the clan with the help of Woon and Hami expanding No Peak’s influence in other countries that we will see come to fruition in Jade Legacy. Kaul Maik Wen the so called ‘cursed’ woman being a stone eye grows to be a powerful and influential member of the clan carving a position for herself to be the Pillar’s most trusted ally. Wen is a wife, mother, and sister that broke the stigma of society paving way for a future of endless opportunities offered to everyone to have equal standing in the world of green bones. Consider Kaul Hilo beyond lucky to have Wen by his side. Speaking of the man, Kaul Hilo grows to be a leader of his own right as he learns from his mistakes and experiences taking everything in then using it to go above and beyond blowing expectations that was put upon him by everyone else including himself. Hilo’s strong values and undoubted sense of honor as a green bone to his family and his country adding to his experience as Horn established him to become a much stronger Pillar exceeding his predecessors : Kaul Lan, Kaul Du, and Kaul Sen. His ability to bring out others potential and fuel confidence in the most dire times, to always listen and evolve, to never be afraid of change and challenges facing them with tenacity and stubborn resilience, and to keep an open mind embracing the world with new eyes but never losing yourself shaped him to be a strong Pillar. Hilo’s development in Jade Legacy is stark compared to the Hilo in Jade City and Jade War. He has matured so much becoming the man that has risen to his full potential as a father, uncle, brother, and Pillar of No Peak. Even the biggest tigers grow old. But even the oldest tiger was still a tiger. Besides the Kauls we also get to see the ambitious and cunning Pillar of the Mountain, Ayt Mada. Her ability as a Pillar leading The Mountain with an iron fist and the brains of a weatherman made her to be ruthless foe with unstoppable force. When we thought in Jade War we’ve seen everything, Ayt Mada is pulling all the stops in Jade Legacy. We’ll get to see more sides of Ayt Mada’s complex characterization as she is brought into vulnerable situations having to face the consequences of her decisions. The character development also extends to a persistent character that has involved himself in many dark dealings and business’ throughout the series. Bero is character that has avoided death far too many times. Some might say he’s lucky or maybe he’s the one truly cursed to a life of repenting for his sins. By the end of this third book I can see Bero in a new light and understand him fully as a character. I loathed him for his deeds but if I were to be put in his position seeing how the hierarchy in Kekon works, I would want to fight my way up the food chain too no matter the cost. In Jade Legacy, we will be introduced to many new players in the story that will get intertwined with clans and the world. These new characters include the next generation of green bones that will continue the legacy of the clans and Kekonese culture. Seeing everyone in this series become aunts, uncles, and parents to the future generation is moving and touching. The Kaul family and their children especially brought me so much joy and tears. We’ve seen them grow up now they are growing old, raising their own children and seeing them guide the next generation to become future leaders of the clan. By showering their children with love, giving opportunities to choose what they want to do, and defining for themselves their own identities whether they choose to be a green bone or not. What I love seeing is the child-parent dynamics and sibling dynamics as it eases the tension of the story in between the intense serious moments. In this series we have joined them in celebration of their victories and during their most monumental moments, but there are two sides to a coin, we also joined them at their most fragile and vulnerable state as they grief and mourn their loses. Reflecting back after finishing this book I understood that Jade Legacy is a story about legacies. I’ll emphasize it again it is a story about the legacies of our ancestors that have shaped the characters, the legacies in making that will shape the future, and the future legacies that will continue to bring inevitable change to the world. Final thoughts, Jade Legacy is the most stunning, heart pounding, gut wrenching, and satisfying conclusion to a series that I have read of all time. It is a story filled with hard hitting action sequences, mind blowing political and economical machinations, expansive world building that depicted the growth of world through time coinciding with globalization and modernization, a magic system that is versatile, fundamental, and deeply rooted within the world itself, and brilliant characterization that bleeds through the pages. The Green Bone Saga as a whole is a series that is masterfully written covering all the aspects of epic fantasy that is entirely unique and distinct from any other series I’ve read. This series has cemented Fonda Lee as a fantasy power house writer through her displays in master class world building, outstanding characterization and development, gripping exhilarating pacing, and explosive action sequences. Jade Legacy is the ending that gives fans of the series what they deserve and Fonda Lee combined all the aspects that is loved in the series into this book to conclude this epic saga. Now I want to take this opportunity to share my personal feelings about this series. The Green Bone Saga has become a series that holds a lot of meaning for me this year. Though I didn’t know about it when it was first published the deep connection and love I have for it will persist for a long time. Jade Legacy further amplified my love for this series and made me form an emotional attachment to the characters that has engrained themselves to be a family I care about just like my own. I highly recommend for everyone that has never read this series or read the first book but never continued this series to please read and continue on. For fans of The Green Bone Saga that has read the first two books, Jade Legacy will truly blow your expectations in an earth shattering manner that will leave you incapacitated for months such as myself. Lastly, I would like to say good bye to this series and saluting my farewells to Lan, Hilo, Shae, Anden, Wen, Tar, Kehn, Lott, Ayt Mada, Bero, Jaya, Ru, Niko, and all the green bones that I have met on this journey. For the last time, the clan is my blood and the pillar is it’s master. On my honor, my life, and my jade. For Fonda Lee, thank you for writing this series and I can guarantee I will continue to support your other works in the future. You truly deserve all the awards and recognition for what you have done through this series. And I’m glad I am given this opportunity to add my voice in promoting this amazing series through my blog. Far do your enemies flee, Lee jen! The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it. all jokes aside though, this has got to be one of the most climactic and truly remarkable endings to a trilogy packed with action, politics, war, heartbreak, and grief—so much grief. anything i would write feels too juvenile to describe what fonda lee was able to create not just in this book, but also with its predecessors. so many things have happened in this trilogy that i was worried nothing could possibly give this a satisfactory ending, but lo and behold, the great fonda lee tied all loose ends and every single plot point she was building from the first book to the last was brilliantly executed and given justifiable resolutions. what i'd give to have that brilliant but also ruthless mind of hers !! i am deeply attached to the kaul family, so everything that they suffered from was like someone knifed me in the guts and then twisted it. no joke. my heart physically hurts from that ending. i am a husk, a numb, empty shell. still, i think reading this is worth the pain because although i still have a pile of used tissues in front of me (TMI i know but i cried CRIED like gasping crying cry), i would do everything to experience the journey of reading this trilogy all over again. as of this writing, i'm already missing the kauls. i could only imagine how insufferable im going to be in the next few weeks about this

RTC. 🥲🥲🥲