Fonda Lee

In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals. Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon. Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade. The Green Bone SagaJade CityJade War

Jade War

praline

He gave Eyni's bottom an affectionate pat. "I’ve traveled to my fair share of exotic places, and I dare say she's the best souvenir I've brought back from any of them. Isn't that right, flower?"

Ayt Mada at it again. the guts this lady has, dang.

“Pledge to end the blood feud and join our clans, and you'll return to your rightful place, ruling the streets, keeping jade out of the hands of criminals and smugglers, being the Green Bone you're good at being, the sort that leaves a trail of blood in his wake, like you did on Tialuhiya."

“I know we haven’t known each other all that long, but…I think you’re wonderful.” Color rose in Maro’s face and he briefly turned his attention to straightening his napkin. Youre beautiful and intelligent, forward-thinking, and open-minded. think it's a great thing that you've become the Weather Man of No Peak. Anyone like me can talk about change, but you can actually make it happen." 

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals. Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon. Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honour and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.

Natalie Sypeck 

In between some faults and some strengths, this book falls squarely in the great category.

To be commended is its writing pace, and character work. At its heart this is a family drama, and it executes exceptionally on that front, building rapport between character and reader in ways that I’ve never really had the chance to experience this well before - it reminds me of how much I loved the gentlemen bastards. All the events that buffet the Kauls are tightly written and expertly paced, scrubbing longer spans of time while drawing out slower portions of discussion and planning so that the entire book felt like a constantly burbling brook, never breaking or faltering.

I also want to laud the books matter of fact rendition of many of its events. Due to the pace and the general tone and structure of Lees writing, we don’t get the ebbs and flows that a less experienced author might play at to raise and lower tension. Instead, everything is handled with a straightforward and direct approach. Death, life, second chances, and dramatic reconciliations or splits are all doled out mostly evenly. While I disliked that on occasion, I appreciate it holistically. It means that any sense of anxiety or drama was produced solely by the readers connection to the characters, which is no easy feat. It also grounds the story in an air of rare realism for this kind of story.

Of course, the world-building here complements that realism and accentuates it. The world of Janloon and the expanded world we get to see open up around it are all realised in the most concrete and realistic of details. Rather than an expansive magic system, or a tonally new and fresh world, or a great expansive universe of stories, Lee instead directs her imaginative and creative efforts at rendering a world distinct from our own yet incredibly believable and immersive. By expending her efforts in understanding and realising the most worldly parts of her fictional places, she grounds us in them quite grittily, splitting us off just enough so that this doesn’t feel like an alternate earth, but close enough that we can envision ourselves as random citizens of Janloon or Espenia.

The second instalment opens that stage for us, the Experian theatre, and expands the world and the story to be told. I appreciated her work with Espenians, and Kespenians, and so forth - and appreciated the subtle tensions and the less than subtle intersectionalities.

Criticisms become more valid when we approach and consider the plot. While on one hand, Jade War dishes out truly electrifying scenes on a regular basis, there are also times where a plot decision feels a little unjustified in the context of the story. An extension of this problem is the slight case of “and then” that’s going on here to some degree, where because we’ve decided to focus on a constantly flowing story, we occasionally have to resort to just moving through it as if we were spinning a zoetrope. Not always, but occasionally.

I did not like Ayt Madas somewhat random appearance toward the end, coming in to throw out a fun little explanation for everything that she had planned so far. It most certainly feels unrealistic - but then again, I also really appreciated that we didn’t get any Mountain chapters. A different author could have just woven in their perspectives to make this into a whole different story and a whole different theme, but instead it remains Fonda Lees family drama flick, and in some ways a little bit of awkward plotting and exposition may very well be the price of admission.

Omar 

In between some faults and some strengths, this book falls squarely in the great category.

To be commended is its writing pace, and character work. At its heart this is a family drama, and it executes exceptionally on that front, building rapport between character and reader in ways that I’ve never really had the chance to experience this well before - it reminds me of how much I loved the gentlemen bastards. All the events that buffet the Kauls are tightly written and expertly paced, scrubbing longer spans of time while drawing out slower portions of discussion and planning so that the entire book felt like a constantly burbling brook, never breaking or faltering.

I also want to laud the books matter of fact rendition of many of its events. Due to the pace and the general tone and structure of Lees writing, we don’t get the ebbs and flows that a less experienced author might play at to raise and lower tension. Instead, everything is handled with a straightforward and direct approach. Death, life, second chances, and dramatic reconciliations or splits are all doled out mostly evenly. While I disliked that on occasion, I appreciate it holistically. It means that any sense of anxiety or drama was produced solely by the readers connection to the characters, which is no easy feat. It also grounds the story in an air of rare realism for this kind of story.

Of course, the world-building here complements that realism and accentuates it. The world of Janloon and the expanded world we get to see open up around it are all realised in the most concrete and realistic of details. Rather than an expansive magic system, or a tonally new and fresh world, or a great expansive universe of stories, Lee instead directs her imaginative and creative efforts at rendering a world distinct from our own yet incredibly believable and immersive. By expending her efforts in understanding and realising the most worldly parts of her fictional places, she grounds us in them quite grittily, splitting us off just enough so that this doesn’t feel like an alternate earth, but close enough that we can envision ourselves as random citizens of Janloon or Espenia.

The second instalment opens that stage for us, the Experian theatre, and expands the world and the story to be told. I appreciated her work with Espenians, and Kespenians, and so forth - and appreciated the subtle tensions and the less than subtle intersectionalities.

Criticisms become more valid when we approach and consider the plot. While on one hand, Jade War dishes out truly electrifying scenes on a regular basis, there are also times where a plot decision feels a little unjustified in the context of the story. An extension of this problem is the slight case of “and then” that’s going on here to some degree, where because we’ve decided to focus on a constantly flowing story, we occasionally have to resort to just moving through it as if we were spinning a zoetrope. Not always, but occasionally.

I did not like Ayt Madas somewhat random appearance toward the end, coming in to throw out a fun little explanation for everything that she had planned so far. It most certainly feels unrealistic - but then again, I also really appreciated that we didn’t get any Mountain chapters. A different author could have just woven in their perspectives to make this into a whole different story and a whole different theme, but instead it remains Fonda Lees family drama flick, and in some ways a little bit of awkward plotting and exposition may very well be the price of admission.

I had to take a very long break from reading this book because I came into it right after jade city and that fully wrecked me. I read it slowly on flights and whenever I remembered the story but finally wrapped up 70% of it in one sitting today. As always, impeccable writing, and deeply compelling characters. Bro I’ve never ridden so hard for a family drama in my whole life, everytime something happens it feels like my own life is on the line and I DID NOT like that anxiety. There are many political plot lines here so it can be a bit difficult to track with the shifting pov’s and they are moments where it 

 slow (it isn’t really), but when you get into it you REALLY get into it. Every single character has a distinct sound, feel and 

which makes their conflicts so real and authentic. At the core of it, it’s a family coming together to defend itself against internal and external threats, while struggling not to implode under typical dysfunctional family dynamics. So when every character is going through their individual challenges and navigating the way they know how, you feel for them and you understand their motivations. It builds so nicely from the first book that even the villains are complex and layered - which makes them even more scary in my opinion. The pacing is lightening fast, the world building is comprehensive, and the author never loses sight of the core story. As always, people die and relationships are tested but it’s a fantastic sequel for an even more fantastic book and I cant wait the read the next one in the series. 

Ayo Ajayi

I had to take a very long break from reading this book because I came into it right after jade city and that fully wrecked me. I read it slowly on flights and whenever I remembered the story but finally wrapped up 70% of it in one sitting today. As always, impeccable writing, and deeply compelling characters. Bro I’ve never ridden so hard for a family drama in my whole life, everytime something happens it feels like my own life is on the line and I DID NOT like that anxiety. There are many political plot lines here so it can be a bit difficult to track with the shifting pov’s and they are moments where it feels slow (it isn’t really), but when you get into it you REALLY get into it. Every single character has a distinct sound, feel and texture which makes their conflicts so real and authentic. At the core of it, it’s a family coming together to defend itself against internal and external threats, while struggling not to implode under typical dysfunctional family dynamics. So when every character is going through their individual challenges and navigating the way they know how, you feel for them and you understand their motivations. It builds so nicely from the first book that even the villains are complex and layered - which makes them even more scary in my opinion. The pacing is lightening fast, the world building is comprehensive, and the author never loses sight of the core story. As always, people die and relationships are tested but it’s a fantastic sequel for an even more fantastic book and I cant wait the read the next one in the series. 

sani

started this for enjoyment, ended up with piles of emotional trauma. 

exactly WHAT was it? somehow, it got even better than the first book. everything that I had expected, actually better than all of my expectations. i was on a rollercoaster ride the entire almost 600 pages because Fonda Lee is that unpredictable. 

my favourite character is still Hilo. we got to see so much of his soft sides here with his children, with Wen, and the eventual forgiveness of Anden. also, Shae is suffering way too much. also why the heck does Bero keeps on springing. like die, man. no one wants you around. 

can't wait to hop into the next book! easily my favourite series now.

I really am enjoying this series so much. Jade War is the perfect follow-up to jade city the plot is complex yet engaging. I could not predict many of the twists and turns of this book, it was so much fun to read. In terms of the characters I really loved the development of anden and Wen's characters but you got to see all the characters evolve in this fast-paced world. Hilo as the pillar is something else, he is crazy but he is real. I also enjoyed the new characters introduced, and learning more about the Espenia and the world the Greenbone saga is set in. Honestly, the best thing about this series is how immersive the writing is, everything is so well throughout. Honestly, this is a masterclass in fantasy writing I love you Jade War. I'm still holding onto my perfect five-star rating but I want to reserve it in case I like jade legacy the next book even more. 

Marz 

Luke Harkness

Another brilliant book featuring politics, gangs, family tribulations and so much more. Fonda Lee has properly created a world here that you can easily understand dn get immersed in.

Vicky  Nuñez 

I know the likelihood of anyone coming across this review is slim and even more unlikely for someone that has been debating whether they should read this trilogy or not, to come across this, but if you do please do yourself a favor and read the Green Bone Saga immediately.
This book takes everything Jade City built and tripled it. It's just an insane read that keeps you on the edge from start to finish.

nina 

let me decide the actual rating after —> 1/2/22 edit: decided on 3.5 stars since it was my least favourite of the series (which is surprising since this seems to be a lot of people’s favourite) but i still really loved these characters and the intense scenes that saved this book from a lower rating 

i really loved both hilo and shae’s character arc this book as they both got older. wen was also an unexpected new favourite.

You know, putting your characters in tricky situations should be - in my opinion - more about the consequences of their actions than wanting to beat them down. It just does not make for a very interesting reading experience, especially when the book is overly long to begin with.

Teeeeeesha

Set a couple years after Jade city, we see the continued war between No peak clan and The mountain clan. Will leave you with a lot of emotions and feelings

This book fantastically mixes both action scenes and emotional moments, I sympathised with the characters, rooted for them. Sometimes you don’t feel the need to continue reading, sometimes you can’t stop but still require small breaks. You cry and laugh and sit tense for a period of time, but this is how this novel consumes you

Alina

Fatima Kadri 

I honestly think this book started out great. With Bero causing up that problem at the very beginning, I thought it would stir Hilo to go batshit crazy again. But, boy, was I wrong. Aside from how I found some of the plot interesting, I still find the heavy amount of politics in this book VERY boring. My short attention span couldn’t keep up with the political problems and the addition of lots of characters, so I didn’t know 80% of what was going on throughout the book. The pregnancy happening around this book was not something that I looked forward to, but, well. It’s just me being a hater of that trope, I guess, even though it’s relevant and crucial to the plot.

Overall, this wasn’t an enjoyable read for me. I’m genuinely hoping the third book would do me better, though.

nindy

[ Actual rating: 3.25 ]

I honestly think this book started out great. With Bero causing up that problem at the very beginning, I thought it would stir Hilo to go batshit crazy again. But, boy, was I wrong. Aside from how I found some of the plot interesting, I still find the heavy amount of politics in this book VERY boring. My short attention span couldn’t keep up with the political problems and the addition of lots of characters, so I didn’t know 80% of what was going on throughout the book. The pregnancy happening around this book was not something that I looked forward to, but, well. It’s just me being a hater of that trope, I guess, even though it’s relevant and crucial to the plot.

Overall, this wasn’t an enjoyable read for me. I’m genuinely hoping the third book would do me better, though.

tina

andrea

you know... i Really wanted to like this, especially because i read jade city and it was a 4-star read; to me this series had a lot of potential and i had fun reading the first book, i was excited for part 2. that's why this book not living up to my expectations Sucks. i have many thoughts so i will try to write them in a sort of coherent way.

the plot.
so. there isn't a plot, not really. i wouldn't know how to summarise it in one sentence. to me, this book is a recopillation of conversations about political conflicts. the constant exposition was exhausting, all was told and not shown. in many occasions, you had a character summing up for you important events that happened off-page, and i don't understand WHY couldn't we just have a small scene in which readers can receive the new input in a more natural or entertaining way. i wouldn't mind if one of the main characters went over an event that we have already seen, but WHY is new information given in that way? i didn't like it, even in that sense there was 0 action or movement. important events were replaced by internal monologues.

the writing.
the first thing i want to say is that fonda lee is not a bad writer. actually, i admire how detailed her work is, and you can feel she has put a lot of effort into this story and she didn't come up with all of it in just one afternoon. but this time i can say that this author is not for me if this is the style she uses in the third book and in other future releases. 

sometimes jade war felt like a history or political book i had to read for class. yes, i admire the intricacy and detail; and no, it wasn't delivered in a way i find entertaining or interesting. there is a lot of info-dump and exposition even in the dialogues, the characters have lengthy conversations about war and politics and conflicts. each decision was justified to the EXTREME. i felt i was being spoon-fed since page 1. the author has thought about everything and every little point in her story, but instead of letting you THINK about something you're being told, she proceeds to expose every viewpoint, every event that has led the characters to one point or to consider a certain decision, and every consequence that might come because of it. 

fonda lee steps up the conflict between clans (that we saw in book 1) to a worldwide scale, and the way it was done left me utterly unsatisfied. it was a lot of information given in long paragraphs, one info-dump after the other, and i couldn't get used to it or care about it before she was already onto something else and giving me Another dose of kekon politics. the writing wasn't attractive at all, it was very boring and i really struggled to finish this book when it's not even THAT long compared to the books i usually read. but it was so tedious that it felt it would never end, and it sucks.

the time jumps.
related to the writing still but deserving of one category of its own, another element that made me feel extremely disconnected to the story were the constant time jumps. i'm sure that in almost every single chapter there is a time jump, a gap of days, weeks or even months. because of it the story feels very fragmented and it comes across as being composed by random events that take place in the period of 1-2 years in-world. i don't feel these are necessary. at some points yes, well, i get them because the author wants to move the story forwards and it wouldn't make sense if changes happened in one day, especially when talking about war and political conflicts. but most of the time the jumps are just... meh. it didn't add anything to the book. moreover, i think it is bad for it. 

(view spoiler)[something that bothered me, mainly because wen is one of my favourite characters, is that she keeps getting pregnant and having children and, because of the timeline being like this, we don't spend enough time with her to care about it. my fave in these books is having kids and the writing is not making me care about it??? it was so weird. in one chapter the author says 'wen is pregnant!', in the next one 'she is 6 months pregnant!' and in the next after that 'wen gave birth, months has passed and she's pregnant again!' ?????? i did NOT like that. at all. it didn't feel special, it didn't feel like anything actually. (hide spoiler)]

the characters.
all the characters felt flat to me, basically because there was no evolution At All. the exceptions are wen (she gets special treatment in this review because she is my fave) and anden, and for anden we had to wait until the final 10% of the book to see it. shae is the same as in book 1, the only difference is that i started to like her less and less. ayt mada's presence wasn't felt at all. and hilo... i liked hilo because he gave movement to the story, but the ending left me wondering if i actually like hilo as a character because i have doubts. (view spoiler)[i'm talking about hilo hitting shae when he finds out that she 'put' wen in danger. hilo knows it was wen's decision, but still he vents his anger on his little sister. he beats the shit out of her. i'm sorry i'm not the biggest shae fan but that was terrible. hilo has always been presented as a loving family man, but now he is suddenly beating his sister? we know he is aggresive since there very beginning, fonda lee is not subtle at all and writes how hilo is a violent but caring man in every single intervention he has in the narrative /eye roll/, but this... it was like the cherry on top for this book lmfao (hide spoiler)].

apart from experiencing 0 development i feel like i don't know the characters at all, and i should after 2 books. i can't connect with them, i can't predict their reaction towards something that is happening because they all feel so wishy-washy and don't feel like they have a fixed personality, way of thinking or moral values. i didn't feel stimulated enough by the writing to make me think about the way they act and why, because the author spoon-feeds me everything so! what's the point! she just Tells me what i have to see in a character, because it is what it is. i don't have any thoughts about them anymore.

the emotional impact
and finally because i don't want to be typing all afternoon: the emotions. there were 0 emotions awakened in me, in part because of the monotonous and almost hollow writing, and because i didn't connect with the characters. there are certain points in the book that are supposed to make me feel something and i Know i should care about it, but i don't. the book just didn't do a great job in that sense (view spoiler)[obviously, one of the moments i'm making reference to is the death of maik kehn. the maik brother was a secondary character and was flat as hell, yes, but wen almost gets killed! and her kids too!!! her brother gets killed in a terrorist attack right in front of her and i don't feel anything!!! and wen almost doesn't feel anything as well!!!! a mess (hide spoiler)]. 

(view spoiler)[when shae decides to kill maro, her ex boyfriend, it was so... dull. boring. meh. the author tried to convey the grief shae felt, but i couldn't care because maro was a flat and shallow character and i never felt how much shae loved him because i didn't get to SEE IT. i didn't see their love, so i don't see her pain. that's the sad part for me (hide spoiler)].


overall... i'm giving up on the green bone saga. i'm disappointed because it was one of my most anticipated trilogies for this year, but i won't force myself to read the next one. i don't care enough to do so, i can live without knowing what happens, or maybe i will look for spoilers. 

i don't think it's a bad written book at all, or that it's terrible and no one should read it. no, i think this time the problem was that i didn't like the way in which the story was being fleshed out. so i'm just dropping it.

With this book, I understand the obsession. I liked the first book. I thought this book was 

 Lee has truly built a fantastic world, her characters are strong, the magic is incredibly unique, and the political intrigue! 

I absolutely loved the character development, especially Anden and Shea. They were two of my favorites (aside from Lan of course 💔) from Jade City and I was happy to see them displayed so prominently in this book.  And Wen quickly became one of my favorites - she’s as brilliant as she is strong, in her own way, and definitely a green bone at heart.

There were SO MANY times when I gasped out loud in this book, completely taken aback. Especially when Hilo killed Amy?! Oh my gosh, I was just shocked. And yet Lee has created personalities for her characters that are so strong and focused, that every time something unimaginable happens I can absolutely see how it could. 

If you enjoyed the first one but felt somewhat torn on continuing, let this be the review that tells you you absolutely should. This was a five star read for me and I can’t wait to see how it ends. 

Tace

With this book, I understand the obsession. I liked the first book. I thought this book was phenomenal. Lee has truly built a fantastic world, her characters are strong, the magic is incredibly unique, and the political intrigue! 

I absolutely loved the character development, especially Anden and Shea. They were two of my favorites (aside from Lan of course 💔) from Jade City and I was happy to see them displayed so prominently in this book.  And Wen quickly became one of my favorites - she’s as brilliant as she is strong, in her own way, and definitely a green bone at heart.

There were SO MANY times when I gasped out loud in this book, completely taken aback. Especially when Hilo killed Amy?! Oh my gosh, I was just shocked. And yet Lee has created personalities for her characters that are so strong and focused, that every time something unimaginable happens I can absolutely see how it could. 

If you enjoyed the first one but felt somewhat torn on continuing, let this be the review that tells you you absolutely should. This was a five star read for me and I can’t wait to see how it ends. 

Stefanie  Uwah

James Eaton

I am really enjoying this series. The world-building is incredible and magic / family dynamics / history elements create a unique story that keeps getting better. 

I’ll finish the 3rd book soon.

Zoey Mikalatos

An excellent sequel to the first book. I loved watching the characters move through the challenges that they faced, and I always love Fonda Lee's writing. This is the sort of book that kept me up until 2:3o in the morning the day that it came out, because I wanted to finish it so badly. 

"The possibility of death was like the weather - you could make attempts to predict it, but you would likely be wrong, and no one would change their most important plans due to threat of rain."

Anastasia 

The kind of anxiety the last 200 pages put me through 😭😭😭😭

This was exhilarating and a bit depressing at the same time ...thinking about hilo post (redacted) death was so painful, anden's journey coming full circle was worth it and I'm glad he exercised patience and waited till it was right to return and make the best decision 

SHAE ...MY DARLING SHAE 😭😩😔....my sister is going through it, I'm so angry with how much she's had to carry in this book ...I better see some sunshine in jade legacy 

Long story short ...this was a really good follow up to jade City, as usual the second book doesn't always elevate my interest in a series even but this was different , pacing was GREAT as always , cast still charismatic as ever , the character development for hilo especially was lovely , I look forward to jade legacy ...please no more deaths for my sake 😩😭🙏🏽

I've been so busy I forgot I didn't write this yet haha 

I'm honestly really regretting making this trilogy the first thing I read this year because I feel like I've been spoiled. The book after a 5 star read like this feels a little underwhelming a lot of the time. I'm seriously obsessed with this trilogy so far. 

There were so many times in this book that just made me make audible reactions, and I am NOT a loud reader usually. The plot points felt so well placed. I couldn't predict what was gonna happen, but the shocking parts weren't so shocking that they felt out of place or unrealistic. The perfect balance. 

And I can't even express how much I care about the characters. Good writing can only go so far if I don't have any feeling towards them. Almost every time a character is in a situation where they could possibly die genuinely made me nervous in the best way possible. I say "almost" because if I'm telling the truth, one of the protagonists is a little boring to me. The chapters that were from their POV felt very dull in comparison to the other chapters. But that's honestly the only fault I had. 

Seriously can't wait to get my hands on Jade Legacy.

Lia Yuliana

Update 28/04/2021

Find me review on :  An Ode to Fiction
Official Release Date : 23rd July 2019
Buy the book :
 Amazon |  Book Depository

---

🌟 5/5 🌟



  
    “Out of small resentments, spring great wars.”
  


Trigger Warning : substance abuse, decapitation, gore, death, violence, sex, live burial

Jade War is the sequel in which characters and the world developed together in a race where modernity and traditions clash. “I swear on my honor, my life, and my jade.”

Starting the month of April I was dreading whether I could read Jade War with all of the stress I’m experiencing from many facets of my life. Alas I did manage to pick it up! The Green Bone Saga is one of my top favorite series. The first book, Jade City, left such a big impression on me that I was so excited when I finally got my hands on the audiobook on Libby. Jumping back into the world of Green Bones with it’s variety of customs, cultures, politics, and world dynamics is a comforting feeling. Though that comforting feeling quickly turned into terror the deeper I got into the book. When I thought Fonda Lee already pushed the envelope far enough in Jade City, she pushed it way further in this sequel. Because of this I can declare early on in my review that Jade War will make it into my list of second book syndrome destroyers. Dare I say that Lee sets the bar even higher than its predecessor.

Jade War is the explosive sequel to an already amazing first book of The Green Bone Saga series, Jade City, by Fonda Lee. A story that revolves around the Kaul family, the core of the No Peak clan, one of the most influential clans on the island of Kekon. As the growing tensions between the two rivaling clans of Kekon, No Peak and the Mountain, threatens the peaceful life of the innocent citizens another war brews in outside of the island. And this time the two clans have to out maneuver each other to gain political influence and expand their clan business outside of their small island. While in Jade City the story focused more on the internal clan relations and the clan war, in this sequel Lee sheds light on the broader side of things. The groundbreaking foundations that is built in the first book is sky rocketed to it’s highest point in stakes and emotional scarring. Let’s say I experienced all the emotions that a human can feel in a lifetime while reading this book.


  
    “Janloon wore its savagery on its sleeve; it was a proud Fist among nations, it did not hide what it was. Janloon was honest.”
  


The main focus in Jade War is the many facets of the war that is threatening the peace in Kekon and its people. From the war that is happening near the borders of Kekon between two countries resulting in the growing tension and pressure for the Kekonese government to maintain a neutral stance. To the violent clan war on the streets of Janloon between No Peak and the Mountain creating more opportunities for foreign or underground threats to establish illegal business’ under the noses of the two clans. Jade is a hot commodity in these times of war resulting for the focus to shift to international relations and territorial expansion. Since the demand in jade is more prominent than ever it creates a slow burning chaotic environment that is organically realized. These chaotic environment can be identified in the emerging foreign underground parties that tries to get their piece in the jade trade. The Kaul family takes center stage in this complex debacle revolving around jade all the while trying to defend their existence and fight off the external threats that want to see their clan destroyed. When you think the Mountain is the only enemy threatening their existence, the No Peak clan is on the hit list of a lot more people now.

Lee doesn’t hold back at all in this sequel, with each flip of the page it is anxiety inducing and will surely keep you at the edge of your seat the whole time. Though the action sequences in this sequel isn’t as prominent as Jade City, Lee will treat you to an onslaught war machinations that is offensive in ways that doesn’t dirty ones hands with blood and gore. These machinations takes the form of shady alliances and business deals, manipulation, smear campaigns, bribery, proxy wars, and many more. That is not all, this natural struggle in the politic and economic landscape also leaves an impact on the people in war torn countries or poor countries with corrupt governments or just people searching for a better future, as seen in the refugees. With the ever growing and advancing world the Kekonese must adapt to the change. There is an ever growing interest and ever evolving culture regarding jade in foreign countries. The knowledge of the existence of green bones are highly stereotypical outside of Kekon. These views of the green bone culture and the romanticization of jade adds fuel to the jade black market impacting the distribution of jade that was once highly regulated and exclusive to military or governmental affairs. The drug SN1 also makes it easier for non Kekonese people to hone powers of jade. And of course like the war on drugs in real life smugglers will do everything to get the drugs or jade into the market. All of this is present in the world that Fonda Lee has created, it is a sophisticated ecosystem of jade in which any decisions or any move made is like a continuous ripple effect. Solidifying Jade War as one of the books that I would like to label as a book with not just superb character development but also mind boggling world development.


  
    “Change is inevitable, Kaul-jen; the only question is whether if we control its direction or become victims of a landslide.”
  


The main event of the Green Bone Saga is it’s characters, centered around one green bone family and head of the No Peak clan, the Kaul family. There is a plethora of character raging from the dominating green bone clans, lantern men, politicians from all sides of the world, the smuggles and dealers, street thugs and so on. The Kauls spearheads the story as it shows how the No Peak adapts to the evolving world with all its machinations. The story is mostly told from the perspective of the three main members of the Kaul family : Hilo, Shae, and Anden. Though occasionally Lee would gives us a glimpse from other members of No Peak such as : Wen, Tar, Ken, and so on, though their appearances are like bite sized cameos. But! One character gave one of the best inner monologues and showed the most impactful growth, Kaul Maik Wenruxian. Wen is a mother, wife to the pillar of No Peak, an entrepreneur, a sister, and so many things. Lee hinted about her ambitions and drive in Jade City, in this book she is a force to be reckoned with. Behind every powerful man there is a powerful woman and that woman is Wen!


  
    “… She could never be a Green Bone herself, as much as she felt she was one at heart, but she could think like a Green Bone. She was an enabler, an aide, a hidden weapon, and that was worth something. Perhaps a great deal.“
  


Hilo is finally embracing his role as Pillar of the clan, warming up to his new responsibilities and duty to maintain a good relationship with everyone as the Pillar. Even though Hilo is somewhat reluctant at most, he acknowledges that he is the only choice and he will see through all the clan affairs. As a character Hilo is a loose cannon, a sleeping tiger, and down right unpredictable. Lee’s talent as a writer in keeping readers guessing lies with Kaul Hiloshudon. Hilo’s intimidating presence and menacing aura bleeds out of the page. When I first met Hilo in Jade City that aura resonated from his position as Horn but now it has matured, to a more reserved and calculating character like a snake recoiling preparing to strike. There are some actions done by Hilo that is still reminiscent of the Horn-Hilo, when his rage and unbending personality comes to surface from his Pillar exterior. Some of the highlights from Hilo is seeing him become a dad. As a character that is brutal and violent at times Hilo showed his soft side towards his family. It is refreshing seeing these happy interactions between the pillar and the future of No Peak.


  
    “You have to go where your enemies are,” Hilo said. “And then further.”
  


A character that has shown their strengths and vulnerability in the Green Bone Saga since day one is Kaul Shaelinsan. The weatherman and voice of reason of No Peak. Shae is one of those characters that goes through the revolving door of tragedy multiple times. This time it is no different. Shae’s struggle as a woman in a male dominated world after she took on the role of Weatherman is inspiring. The expectations and stakes for a woman to assume an important role in a clan is higher compared to a man. For a woman many will expect them to be weak and complacent, Shae proved all of the people that doubted her wrong. As a woman I resonated with her more compared to Hilo and Anden. Shae’s development as character in Jade War is heart achingly important to her character. She went through grief, betrayal, death, and public shaming by standing her ground as Weatherman putting the clan as priority before herself. It surprised me that Shae has the guts to assert her position and take a more violent approach to turn the tides of a dire situation. There is an uplifting moment shared between Shae and Wen. I will not go into detail because spoilers, of course. I can only hope for her happiness in the third book because oh boy! She deserves it.


  
    “The clan is my blood and the Pillar is its master,” she whispered. “I have a lot of regrets in life, but those oaths aren’t one of them.”
  


Emery Anden the true main character of Jade City and future of the No Peak clan. Anden’s development since the events of the previous book takes the angsty route. He is clearly traumatized and scared of the violent side of being a green bone. These traumas only became more prominent after the ending of Jade City that Anden decides to eliminate jade from his life. For a young adult that has trained and dedicated his life to the jade arts, growing up in a green bone family with a future in the clan that is ready to welcome him and closing the door to this life doesn’t make sense to a green bone. And to this I say, Anden is young and he has lots of opportunities to figure out his life. Anden’s overarching coming of age story and his self discovery journey is vital to his development as a whole.

I will not go into detail about his development because it is littered with spoilers left and right. All I can say is that Anden’s perspective gives insight to the world outside of Kekon from the eyes of a Kekonese born boy hinting at the future of green bones and the evolution of the world. It is also a perspective that will open your eyes to refresh readers mindset about green bones as a whole. This made me realize while reading Jade City I have romanticized the green bone lifestyle because the story is mostly told from the Kaul’s perspective, a green bone’s perspective. Fonda Lee gave us insight to other green bones in different parts of the world through Anden. It is entertaining seeing this contrast in lifestyle and how these differences in views while maintaining the same culture from Kekon is parallel for immigrants that grew up far away from their ancestral lands. This made me think about the debate with myself about being a Chinese-Indonesian or any readers that come from immigrant families.


  
    “Green isn’t easily rubbed away.”
  


Final thoughts, this is a very long review for one of the best sequels I’ve read in 2021. Jade War contained all that is great from Jade City and built upon it a continuation of a story that easily blast the expectations from it’s predecessor to dust. It is very rare for a sequel to be more intimidating than the first book, the world building is organically savage and unforgiving, the absolutely perfect ecosystem for a set of equally amazing characters. Not only that the characters themselves maintained a powerful presence in propelling the story forward, the world itself also played a part in displaying the growth of the Kekonese society and the world surrounding it. I think this review is already long enough and expressed all of my feelings about Jade War. If you stumbled upon this review and is interested in reading The Green Bone Saga, please check my review for Jade City (click here).

I highly recommend for everyone to read this amazing series, it is the best book to segway that can peak your interest to adult fantasy. It is the right amount of world building and a simple magic system to follow. To top it all of is the amazing characterization (if my long essay isn’t convincing enough). Please do yourself justice and read this series.


  
    “The clan was not just people and jade and money. It was an idea, a legacy that connected the past with the present and the future. The family’s strength was a promise.”

Livia

Never have I ever experienced this much emotional whiplash from a book (maybe except from tpw series) but oh my god the absolute roller-coaster experience while reading this was unlike any other and I am genuinely scared for jade legacy because I suspect fonda lee will not pull back any punches

Michelle García

This was slower than it's predecessor but still great. Lord my heart almost gave out closer to the end. The third one might kill me 🤣

Fraser Simons

Unequivocally better than the first book in every respect, yet the major thing that grates on me when reading these, is just how’s potentially evocative the fiction could be, yet the prose lack specificity when it comes to description. 

I get the feeling that Lee has a very strong grip on what every scene looks like, but what she is interested in conveying to the reader has nothing to do with how things look, and I am a very visual thinker. If you are the type of reader who wants the writer to write what they can’t imagine, and you’re not sure what 70s Hong Kong with fantastic elements would look like, you may have the same problem as me. 

Every other aspect is top notch. Especially the characterization and character arcs in this one are just incredibly on point and perfect. Same with the plot. I really love how realistic everything is and just how much is driven by the plot pushing on the characters and the characters pushing back. You would think it would be almost nihilistic, yet you can see and feel the cause and effect so vividly, you find yourself feeling just as the characters do; wherever they may be on the moral spectrum you might internalize and externalize.

Honestly just cannot wait for the TV show of this. Sure hope it goes through and doesn’t get stuck in production hell. This in a visual form, if true to the books, would be incredible; essentially fixing my only issue!

Jade War

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