I haven't read for a few months because I've been busy and haven't really had time. I always find it a bit of a struggle to get into the swing of things when I've had a reading break. This time, however, that was not a problem. Let me tell you I have been ADDICTED to this book the last couple of days and I was able to race through it. Now I've sat on it for a couple of days, I've been able to gather my thoughts on it.

*warning: I am writing this ill, so if it's all over the place and doesn't make sense, then that's why*

I loved the general concept of the book. I'm a bit of a sucker for books that have fantasy elements but ultimately have a realistic environment and set-up. Jade City delivered that. The effects of jade are realistic enough that I can almost imagine it in real life while at the same time being "magic" enough that it feels unique.

The entirety of Janloon was very enjoyable to me too. I can feel that a lot of thought was put into how the region runs, with a focus on clans taking control rather than the government. In the first couple of chapters, I was preparing myself to feel quite confused over the dynamics of the clans. However, this never happened. I leant how everything worked fairly quickly and it was well explained.

Another reason I was ready to be confused was that the story is from multiple points of view. Sometimes this is done badly and just leaves me not able to follow the story too well. Jade City did it right in my opinion. The switching of POVs added depth to the story as I could understand the characters motives better. Even if I didn't agree with the actions of a character, I was able to see WHY they did it.

Speaking of the characters, I liked them all a lot. As I said above, the switching of POVs helps this for certain characters. You get to see what a character does from an outside perspective and then listen to their own internal thoughts about the event afterwards. Mainly I just thought that the characters were interesting and it was fun to let my opinions of them unravel as the story went on.

The only thing I really didn't care for was the ending. I can't put my finger on what made me feel "meh" about it, but it just didn't make me feel much. I can forgive this though as I know there are two more books so it doesn't need to "end" things properly haha.

Overall I can safely say that I am obsessed with this book and am super excited to pick up Jade War. I neeeed to know what's gonna happen next. ( )

[b:Jade City|43587154|Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)|Fonda Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547625704l/43587154._SY75_.jpg|55755047] is a fast-paced and plot-led mafia thriller set in a vivid fantasy world in which jade can, under certain circumstances, give people superpowers. The book is long enough to fit in a satisfying amount of world-building between dramatic fights, escapes, betrayals, fraud, and political machinations. The crime family rivalry is cleverly situated in the political and historical context of Kekon, where the action is set. The main characters are the Kaul family, whose No Peak clan ends up embroiled in a gang war. The characters are mostly developed via their actions. Characters outside the Kaul family aren't given as much development, but still provide insight into the tensions and frustrations of living in a city controlled by crime families. The intergenerational conflicts within the family are likewise interesting, although the highlights of the novel are kinetic action scenes and dramatic reversals. It would make a brilliant movie, as long as the jade-enhanced stunts were done with wires rather than CGI.

I found it fun to try and situate events in an equivalent decade based on technology. There are landline phones, luxury cars, black and white TVs, and typewriters, plus the 'Many Nations War' was a generation back, so I'd say 1960s. Lee introduces the structure and roles within the No Peak clan very smoothly in the initial scenes, then widens out the world as events progress. It's notable how normalised the mafia's role within the economy and society is, as a legacy of war. I look forward to reading the sequel, as [b:Jade City|43587154|Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, #1)|Fonda Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547625704l/43587154._SY75_.jpg|55755047] sets up some plot threads that are not resolved at all. The setting is evocative and original, the plot propulsive and thrilling. I also enjoyed the interview with Fonda Lee included at the end of the edition I read, in which she talks about the influences on the Green Bone saga. ( )

4.75/5

I try to wait a bit more before writing a review for a book, but i just finished this one and do want to talk about it while it's still fresh in my mind. For starters, I picked up this book without knowing anything about it besides that a lot of people loved it. I was expecting, as it is common for the fantasy genre, a medieval setting with any modern-like technology coming from magic. BUT THEN I GOT 20TH CENTURY SOUTH-EAST ASIAN GANG WAR AND IT WAS AMAZING.
The setting drew me in so easily I was astonished. It's such an interesting and fun place to set the story, pretty much every single chapter was great and made me want to keep reading. Even though the setting is clearly fantastic and depends a lot on the history of this world, it's amazing how easy it is to understand the rules and workings of this story.
When it comes to the magic in this fantasy world, it's a very subtle one. Sure, the power of Jade is omnipresent in the story and drives pretty much all relations between characters to some degree. But it is not the focus of the book, it's not a book about the amazing things that can be done with Jade, but a story about how the day-to-day uses of this superpower molds and affects the lives and relationships of it's characters. Which is, in my humble opinion, exactly what makes a fantasy book be a good story before being a good fantasy story.
The characters are amazing, you can clearly see how much their own personalities and personal faults work behind their actions. Lan and Shae were tied as my favorites, but even the ones I liked the least were fantastic as additions to this world and it's inner workings.
The point into which the characters ended this story felt very natural, even though they were quite unpredictable based on their initial positions. Lan dies with the, almost literal, weight of his function and Jade, dragging him down to a fate he could've easily avoided in better circumstances. Hilo, faced with the death of his brother and a brutal war, also suffers as a Pillar and does things that he would've rather avoided, hurting his family and friends by the weight of his position in the clan. Anden, who always fought against his mixed blood and above average sensitivity to Jade, falls victim to it, although not completely. He sees how sensitive and dangerous he can become with his powers and stops himself, desperately trying to avoid becoming like his mother or even Lan. With that decision, he also loses the support of most of his family. And Shae is in a position that, although very adequate for, she never wanted. She can't really escape the clan and it's weight. And now, with the war, she must keep herself on this path, sacrificing herself and her independence for her family. And Bero continues to be, in his own way, the biggest error Lan ever made. In the next book, I'm sure he will be more dangerous as a ticking time bomb fueled with Jade and Shine.
The only part of this book that stops it from being a 5/5 is the ending that, while good, does arrive a bit too suddenly and in a way I wasn't expecting. It makes me wonder if the author wanted to save certain things for the sequel.
All in all, this is an AMAZING book. Everything a modern fantasy should aspire to be and a read I would recommend to anyone even remotely interested in something like this. While I never read books from the same series back to back, it will not be long at all before I read the next one in the series. ( )

versione asiatica e legalizzata della mafia, con qualche superpotere ( )

I really want to give 4.5 stars but because of early struggles cannot bump it up to 5 stars.

It took me until about 1/3 into this book before I started to feel invested. I am very much a character-driven reader, but world building and atmosphere are also important. I am not going to dwell on why it took until around page 190 to become engrossed, but it wasn't that it was unenjoyable up to that point - just hadn't yet pulled me in.

From chapter 22 on, however, I was fully immersed. The characters are real and complicated. Their flaws play a role as much as their strengths but in a very relatable way. Sometimes books can make flaws a jolt to the senses when characters jump between flaws and strengths. This book's flow of that struggle was very realistic. In other words, Fonda Lee's characters were all marvelous.

I loved the end. Okay, I cried a bit in the final chapters. I can't wait to move on to book 2, Jade War. ( )