A very solid novella in the Green Bone Saga world. But unfortunately novellas aren't usually my favorite since you get so little time for development. But since it's already based in a well-developed world, I didn't mind the short length.

This is such a must read for fans of the Green Bone Saga. I'm absolutely in love with this. Returning to this world felt like coming back home. Wow.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars--

If you're a fan of the Green Bone Saga, then this little novella is a must read. It was a refreshing salve for my acute case of the itches after finishing Legacy and still wanting more. What I enjoyed most about The Jade Setter of Janloon was the chance to get a glimpse of some of the non-Jade-wearing citizens of Janloon, who are still at the mercy of the great Jade warrior clans. Fonda Lee is an incredibly skilled fantasy writer and this novella had the same un-put-down-able quality as the main trilogy.

Many thanks to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5

I read Jade City a couple of years ago and remember really enjoying it, but never continued with the series despite owning the whole trilogy. I requested this hoping that it would be the catalyst to bring me to finish the series, and I have to admit it was such a joy to be back in this world.

This is a prequel so you don’t necessarily have to have read the main trilogy first but I think having read at least the first book helped me understand the world and the magic better than if I had gone in blind, and I’m sure I would have gotten even more out of it if I had completed the whole trilogy first.

That being said, this is a self-contained story that follows characters living in the city but unrelated to the No Peak and Mountain clans, and I appreciated seeing how the everyday people were impacted by that rivalry.

Fonda Lee has been on my TBR for a long time now, but I've felt a little intimidated starting the Green Bone Saga. So I thought that this novella would be a great way to dip my toes into her world.

And boy was it worth it! An urban fantasy novella that sure packs a punch in its short space. We get introduced to some really interesting characters that are well fleshed out. There is an enormous world with major events going on that we get hints and teases of without being overwhelmed with info dumps. And an engaging mystery, that I found a little predictable, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment at all.

I absolutely cannot wait to really sink my teeth into Lee's other works now!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for this ARC!

I loved getting another piece of this world!! Honestly...I read this before the final installment of the trilogy. Which maybe I shouldn't have. But still enjoyed it thoroughly. Lee's writing and world building are impeccable.

Five stars, because what do you expect? Brilliant world and pacing and characters. It is RARE to find a fantasy world so cohesive and everything moving together in this very smooth pace. If you read the JADE CITY trilogy you owe it to yourself to read this one.

When you miss the amazing trilogy, you must pick up this short story that is packed with all the action and tension! For those who have read, or started reading, the series, this prequel can be read at any point. It is best though when you're familiar with the No Peak and Mountain clan as this outside POV puts the strength and terror into perspective. Plus there are appearance from deeply loved characters from the main series. I cannot get enough of this world and this is worth your time.

What an absolutely delightful “prequel” novella to the Green Bone Saga! I enjoyed this from start to finish, and I continue to admire Fonda Lee’s writing and world-building. I always feel like I’m “in good hands” when I pick up one of her books, and this was no exception.
It was fun to see some cameos from characters in the trilogy, but even if it’s been awhile since you’ve read the books or you only have basic familiarity with the world-building premise, you should still be able to enjoy this story as a stand-alone. Recommended!
I read this story as an ebook arc from NetGalley.

This novella is both an interesting way to revisit familiar people and places after finishing the Green Bone Saga and a great engaging story on its own! Although the story takes place before Jade City in chronological order, it feels like you are supposed to read it after the main trilogy. It’s essentially a little mystery story and the characters are really fascinating to read about. I was super happy with this one!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Jade Setter of Janloon is a prequel novella to Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga (Jade City, Jade War, and Jade Legacy), her fantasy trilogy that was self-described essentially as a mash-up of Hong Kong, Kung Fu and Wuxia with the Mafia Genre/The Godfather. It was a trilogy I had a lot of mixed feelings about, with me liking book 1, really disliking book 2, and then loving how Lee concluded the trilogy, as she dealt with not only gangster and kung fu tropes, but also ideas of legacies of old families moving into a more modernized and more globalized world. The trilogy also dealt with issues of empire, colonization, and racial discrimination (among indigenous peoples as well), even as it centered around a powerful mafia-esque (or Triad-esque) family who was trying to stay in power as one of the two great families in the old status quo after the island achieved its independence. It turned out really good in the end, even if I didn't always love every plot turn. So I was really interested in seeing this prequel when I heard it announced.

And the Jade Settlor of Janloon may not be a must read, but it's a very enjoyable prequel that will be a winner for anyone who enjoyed the Green Bone Saga and wanted more (although if you aren't familiar with this series, I would probably suggest starting elsewhere). The story follows Pulo, an apprentice Jade setter of a neutral Green Bone clan who works for one of the most trusted setters of Jade, the source of magical kung fu powers and prestige, on the island and wants to break out possibly on his own and to expand...only to get wrapped up in a mystery when a major client's sword gets stolen and the store's indigneous Abukei worker Malla gets blamed for the threat. It's a story in which parts of the main cast of the series do get cameos, but is really about our neutral heroes attempt to set things right, his discovery of how unjust this world really is to those without power, especially the indigenous Abukei community, and what he actually wants out of life for himself. It's very enjoyable if unessential.


Quick Plot Summary: Pulo never had enough Jade sensitivity to become a Green Bone as he once dreamed, even for his neutral green bone clan. But this paved the way for him to become an apprentice to Isin, a legendarily renowned Jade setter, trusted by even the Mountain and No Peak Clans to set their jade into weapons, jewelry and piercings. It even introduced him to Malla, the Abukei girl who uses her insensitivity to Jade to work there, a girl Pulo has feelings for, even as he's hesitant to admit those feelings due to the prejudice his family might show to him having a relationship with a Stone-Eye. It was a good life, and Pulo dreamed, despite Isin's resistance, of expanding, maybe into less neutral territory, so that he could make it on his own.

But when the head of the Mountain asks for Isin to re-set the Jade in her sword, and the sword is stolen after a break-in, Pulo finds himself thrown for a loop. Malla is blamed for the theft, but Pulo knows that Isins grandson Nuo must be responsible...and yet neither Malla nor Isin will admit as such to the local investigators. So Pulo takes it upon himself to find the sword before the Mountain comes calling and asks for blood in recompense for the lost sword, and to free Malla and put things right...but his quest to do so forces him to discover hard truths, ones that will make him reconsider what he knows about the world, and his own future....

Thoughts: In a way, nothing about the Jade Setter of Janloon should be a total surprise. Many of the themes we see here, like the prejudice against Abukei, the way they and others without power are abused and oppressed by those with power (here, our former heroes are really the colonizers whereas previously they were largely those fighting foreign powers in the trilogy), all of that was seen in the trilogy and was a theme touched on and dealt with by its characters. And Lee uses her characters in pretty predictable ways to some extent, so you'll see coming a few of the twists that occur here.

But even still, this is a really well crafted story, and Pulo and the others are excellent characters who can carry it successfully. Pulo's ignorance never feels unbelievable and his reactions to discovering why Nuo does what he does, or why Isin seems to never hold on to money that he earns in bulk is entirely reasonable, as is the reaction of those characters, and his good nature as he decides he needs to solve this matter and ensure justice is done is really easy to like and care for. He's not some major hero either, unlike some characters seemingly from the trilogy, without jade powers, so he can't simply take justice into his own hands, and seeing how he handles things, and how he handles OTHERS handling things works effectively...especially as he meets those from the trilogy we came to see and admire and instead sees them as scary and dangerous, because from his point of view their power IS dangerous to those like him without any. And the way he and others deal with the prejudice against Abukei and how it is seen here, makes the way the story goes and concludes immensely satisfying.

Again excellent themes, plotting and characters here make this a winner for anyone looking for more from this series, even if this won't quite satisfy someone coming in blind.

I've been putting off reading the last book in this series because I don't want it to end. I'm weird like that. So I was really happy to get my hands on this.
I loved it! It reminded me how much I adore the series and I have to finish it.

I haven't read the Green Bone Saga yet, but tried this hoping I would just be able to figure out what was going on. Luckily, Fonda Lee gave new readers enough to work with and I was not completely lost. This was an engaging and quick read and has convinced me to go back and pick up the trilogy since it's currently sitting on my shelf.

Honestly this story was a solid 4 star read but I'm just so happy to be returning to Janloon and the world of the Green Bones that I'm giving it that 5th star. This was a great little story to fit in a novella form and I really enjoyed following along with the mystery and enjoyed seeing a peak into Janloon and the clans from new, neutral characters having spent so much time in the world of the No Peak clan

I'm not the biggest fan of prequels or novellas, but I am a huge fan of Fonda Lee and the "Green Bone Saga," so getting to return to the world, albeit briefly, was such a treat.

This is a short little snippet of a story, following an apprentice jade setter. There's a mystery, there are cameos from members of the Kaul family, and there are moments of sharpness and violence. It has everything you'd expect from this world, but from a different perspective. If you're already a fan of this saga, I would recommend giving this a read.

This was everything I didn’t know I needed.

I love the Green Bone Saga. And I always need more of it. This very much delivered.

Despite being a novella, it is arguably just as good as the novels themselves and is a wonderful standalone prequel.

It also was wonderful to see the world outside of those involved in the main story for GBS.

This had everything. Mystery, action, makes you cry, adds so much depth to everyone seeing them younger yet you know what’s coming.

I’d give this a million stars if I could!

A wonderful short story in a world that I love dearly. This gave me that warm hug from the Green Bone Saga world that I needed.

Super enjoyable novella if you liked the Green Bone trilogy! The apprentice who’s the main character is an interesting and likeable protagonist. Fun book if you want a quick read.

I did not read the description closely enough and have not actually read the Green Bone Saga, but I figured since this was a novella, it wouldn't be a big commitment at least. Well, after reading this book, I definitely want to read the trilogy! The novella did a great job giving me about information to go on and get a sense of the world and characters without knowing any other lore, and it was a compelling story by itself. I enjoyed the writing style and the idea of this world a lot. I can't believe I have not heard of this trilogy before and can't wait to really dive deep!

I was excited for this novella ever since I heard about its existence. As a premise, I love this idea of novellas from existing worlds we love so much. Because there's so much to still discover, another angle to uncover, from our favorite worlds. And that's how I felt with The Jade Setter of Janloon. Being back in this world brought back such a supreme sense of joy and it was fascinating to be with those who actually set the jade. The spoils of duels all to be re-set for another day.