I enjoyed this urban fantasy more than expected. It has been described as "Game of Thrones meets The Godfather meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which makes me shudder, but the novel almost lives up to such an impossible standard. The first few chapters, while fast-paced and engaging, suggested a predictable martial arts/gangster novel with a mild fantasy twist. However, as the book continued, Lee gave her characters depth and complexity, presenting them with no easy choices as their relationships were tested and strained. The main leaders of the rival clan were sketched quickly but skillfully, making them seem appropriate foils for the protagonists, a bit more than cartoon villains. I also found the post-colonial dynamics of the island of Kekon added an welcome socio-historical dimension to the tale, as well as opening the possibility for future intrigue in the series. I look forward to reading the next volume.

Lee has created an intriguing world in Jade City, where two clans of gangsters vie for control over said city. It's definitely an original sort of fantasy novel, set in an East Asian-style country that feels realistic and fantastical at the same time (the best type of fantastical).

The main fantasy element comes from jade, which allows those with the biological predisposition to wear it and attain superpowers. Naturally jade is a sought-after item and it's at the centre of the story as the No Peak clan fight with the Mountain clan--both on their jade warriors, and off.

The characters in this book run the gamut from nervous students to violent manboys who like beating things up, but my particular favourite was Shae, one of the few women in this book. She left her family and the jade city to get away from the gangster situation and to stop relying on jade, which takes a lot of strength, and then she comes back, which takes even more. I enjoyed her character arc a lot.

The plot itself was pretty decent, with some twists I didn't see coming, and some that I did. Lee knows what she's doing in a story, that's for sure.

Overall, this was a really great book and yet I feel lacklustre about it. There was quite a lot of 'telling' in the writing, which bothered me, but ultimately I think my apathy comes down to the fact I'm just not that interested in gangsters or superpowers. I think if you're into those things, you'd love this book and I would recommend giving it a try.

Jade City combines elements of gangster families with martial arts, fantastical properties of jade, and the quest for power. The book spans multiple perspectives from the No Peak clan (and a couple outside perspectives too), and one of the central themes is the role of family obligation.

To be completely honest, I had a really hard time getting into the book. It took me until about 50 percent through the e-book to find a groove, which means that had I not been reading it as a galley, I would have abandoned it by that point. I never felt that sympathetic or even enraged by any of the main characters, instead feeling kind of annoyed at their decisions and lack of overall maturity. With so many characters introduced, I never felt like I had a sense of any one character's depth or complexity. Only towards the end of the book did I feel that one of the purported villains was multifaceted, and that would have made for a much more interesting subplot. Similarly, a side female character without jade-related abilities (stone-eye) ended up being one of the more fascinating cases and I would have loved to have experienced this plot from her eyes.

I also found Lee's choice to make men so prominent in her world and women - with two slight exceptions - fairly minor. In a world where we're supposed to imagine a different world, why are men still so prominent?

I think if this book continues on to become a series, I'd like to see a tighter plot with better editing and stronger character development.

Jade City is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones and others who enjoy intense politically complex fantasy. Set in an area much like early 20th century Asia, Kekon is an island nation divided between families of power. Green Bone warriors wield jade in service of the patriarchs, the bioactive stones enhancing physical and psychic capabilities. The more jade you can wield, the higher your position. Kekon maintains an uneasy balance of power, but jade and the capacity to wield it is envied by other countries as well as by commoners who see it as a path to wealth and prestige. Shine, a drug designed by foreign powers, allows the untrained to wield jade upsetting the delicate balance and leading to war between the Kaul and the Ayt.

Part gangster drama, part action fantasy Jade City is a unique and unforgettable epic. The story starts slowly, and is incredibly complicated. It takes time to get to know the characters and the situation. In my view it's time well spent. Other novels may have more flash, but Jade City has what it takes to be remembered long after most are forgotten.

4 / 5

I received a copy of Jade City from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

I'm not sure what to call the subgenre this intense, brilliantly gripping fantasy falls under. Epic fantasy, at least to me, usually signifies world-changing events involving countries and cultures.

In Jade City, the history, cultural detail, and mythology are every bit as involving as those in big epic fantasies--everything centering around the mysterious properties of jade.

We do get brief and tantalizing glimpses of other cultures, but most of the focus is on the city of Janloon, main city of an island that a generation ago was occupied by enemies. Most of our POVs are descended from mountain warriors who fought a bitter resistance, and after the enemy departed, labored just as fiercely to bring the city into economic prosperity.

But the two main clans who had led the fight for freedom disagreed strongly over whether or not they ought to trade their mysterious jade out, or keep control of it. Jade gives certain people superpowers, but it has all kinds of dangerous side-effects. One must have a lifetime of training. And even then. . .

The bottom line is, Lee, a martial artist, constructed a world in which she could provide a reason for the aerial and super-strength and psychic powers of her favorite kung fu movies. Combined with her interest in mafia-style internal politics, and you get a very intense, often bloody, internal struggle between a variety of excellently developed characters. Jade City's world is vivid and complicated, with a strong overlay of Asian cultural attitudes, gestures, styles, and foods. The characters are all as complex as the world, even the spear carriers.
Here's the thing I realized while reading this book: when an author takes the time to bring those characters to life, in all their complexity, then it hurts more when their lives are threatened--and sometimes lost.

This is one of those books that you really should not start reading late at night, unless you are okay with pulling an all-nighter, because you cannot sleep until you know what happened, and then what happened, and then what happened . . .

I loved this book. It's a bit out of my comfort zone but it was so well crafted that I was able to really get into it and get deeply emotionally attached to these characters and to their fates. It's a great book for people who aren't really into fantasy or people who enjoy epic mafia or cartel family power stories. Highly recommended,

In awe of this masterpiece by Fonda Lee! Her ability to develop strong characters and complex plots is unsurpassed! Looking forward to reading more of her writing.

Jade City will pull you into its immersive world. It will lure you with its complex and compelling characters. It will astonish you with its combat scenes and rich magical history. All in all, Jade City is my most recent five star review for all the right reasons – it is captivating!

In the streets of Kekon, there are two things that rule your status: jade and clan membership. The country was built on the struggle of the Green Bone warriors who fought for their exclusive right to the jade that runs beneath the ground, lending its magical amplifying power to those who can wear it. Because of this, clans were established and the modern day of Kekon is organized by your loyalty, family, and duty to the clan. But a new war is brewing, one between those who would honor the past, and those who want to blaze into the future – whatever the cost. Before the world was organized by a simple rule, those who could wear jade and those who couldn’t. But now a new drug has been invented, one that would allow anyone to wear and wield jade. With this new invention, it seems that Kekon is in for another war, one that has global ramifications and will change the face of Kekon forever.

I do not know why it has taken me so long to read something by Fonda Lee. I only started recently hearing whispers of Lee on the Twitter universe via a friend’s blog, Read Think Ponder (and her review of Exo). But now that I have gotten on that band wagon, I am fully strapped in and ready for another ride. Apparently Jade City is Lee’s first departure into adult fantasy, but you would not be able to tell because it suffers from none of the flaws that a writer sometimes undergoes when switching audiences.

The world of Jade City is almost as addictive as the jade itself. There is a richness, a lushness, to the setting that is absolutely entrancing. We are given pieces of the culture, the history, and the magical properties of jade. There are even mini chapters in between with folklore and legends of the society that have subtle implications, and references, for the story. At the same time, we are taught about the way the past struggles against those who wished to steal the jade for themselves is compared to the conflict of today’s question: how much do we open ourselves up to globalization? This vividness in setting accurately demonstrates the tension within the book that runs underneath the entire foundations of the plot: progress versus tradition.

There is an intricate plot that runs through the storyline. Jade City is this magical fantasy world meets gang conflicts meets a story about greed. Through alternating point of views, we see all these threads of the story before everyone else. It’s like we have taken a step behind the magic curtain, to see all these people, these strangers that will come onto the stage, and we need to wait for them to enter. And when they come onto the stage, they capture our heart.

These characters are just pure art. There is a complexity, a vulnerability, and a likeability that I could have never predicted. At the heart of this story is a tale about family – and I could not easily pick my favorite one of the siblings: Hilo, Shae, Lan, or Anden. Something in each one of them is not only redeemable, but also endears them to you. Whether it’s Hilo’s big heart, or Shae’s feeling of being lost, Lan’s generous spirit, or Anden’s vulnerability there is something about each of them that just feels like you’ve known them for longer than the hours it takes to read this book. I would be friends with each and every one of them. At the end of the book, it really feels like you are part of their family. (But Shae, you’re my secret favorite, okay? It was love at first sight).

Even the side characters have this same disarming quality which feels like you’re meeting a person, only seeing a glimpse, but realizing there’s so much more to them. I think it is a result of Lee’s brilliant writing. There is a lot of telling – through the world and the way the jade works – but there is an equal amount of showing. We are shown characters whose mannerisms hint at something else, some complex history we have yet to glean. Lee writes characters with hidden depths.

Wrapped up in all of this fantastic world building is the magical nature of jade: how it amplifies only our natural abilities and can be used for great power and evil. I mean, with a tag line like that, is it no wonder I was hooked? This book just reels you in slowly. One second you think you’re in for an enjoyable book, and then five hours later and you’ve been sitting in the same chair utterly bewitched by the world you have been reading. To say I am excited for the sequel feels like a gross understatement. While I am overjoyed I got to read this early, it just means more time to wait until the next one. There’s more at stake than family unity or the life of the clan – the entire world hangs on this precipice that will either tip their society into ruin or riches. The question now is where do they stand? A hairs breadth away from the cliff, or with their toes dangling over the edge?

I am still forming my thoughts on this one because a lot happens and it is really different from what I normally pick up but I will come back and edit my review to come.