Genre: contemporary fantasy
San Francisco & Tokyo

Emiko Soong has recently become the Sentinel for San Francisco; the protector of the city. It’s not exactly the life away from her powers she hoped she’d have when she left her clan of magic wielders descended from dragons. Emiko has difficulty with her magic. She can tap into the power of San Francisco while she is there, but familial duty takes her to Tokyo where she’ll have to unravel the mystery of her powers and origin, while thwarting a deadly assassin.

The writing in this series is very cinematic. Told in first person from Emiko’s perspective, the action scenes are all vivid, the landscapes prettily expressed, and the magic system thoroughly explained as each new component is revealed. That said, as a non-visual reader, I actually struggled at the level of description. Readers who love to imagine a well-thought-out world will love this though. The writing is infused with Japanese folklore and legends. Thematically, it feels like The City We Became by NK Jemisin and Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews, though stylistically, it’s dissimilar to both.

I actually picked this series up because it’s narrated by Natalie Naudus. Her character work with the voices is excellent, and when I got tied up in the prose style, I was glad to have Naudus’s narration to fall back on.

This is book 2 in the Pheonix Hoard series. Emiko is now the Sentinel of San Francisco, but everything is OK. She learns that once she is out of San Francisco, she loses her connection and power. And one of Fiona's guards is murdered in an attempt on Fiona's life. Now Emiko must find the assassin and keep not only Fiona, but her brother, Tatsuya, safe while in Tokyo. Oh and she can't forget about keeping Crimson Cloud Splitter out of the museum and public eye.
In this book, many secrets are revealed and Emiko is really coming into herself and her power as Sentinel. She is helped by some unlikely sources along the way to really tap into her power and Talent. And I have to say - I did not see that coming! There are so many twists and surprises in this book, it makes for a very engaging read! Add in all the amazing lore and mythology and it was hard to put down! I love mythology and it has been so fun to learn about all the different creatures and I can't wait to see more of them!
Emiko has turned into a strong independent woman and in this book, her whole world turns upside.
Everything she thought she knew about her family is shed in a new light thanks to her Talent. But even with all that, she still sticks to her morals and her sense of self. She is such a wonderful and complex character. I love all her little idiosyncrasies as well. Her love of Kit Kats and all the different flavors they have in Japan has me so curious I even looked them all up!
I do wish there was a little more with Adam and Kamon. I can't figure out what will happen with either of them, but it makes me want to read the next book whenever that will come out!

4.5 stars rounded up.

When I first read Ebony Gate (the first book in this series), I really liked how it embodied the Asian American experience. I was really confused with the lore and history because it was a lot to handle in one book, so I ended up giving it 3 stars.

But I'm very happy to say that Blood Jade exceeded my expectations!

The second book really helped me understand Emiko's world, including her family history and family drama, which really played a lot into her character building. Jiārén lore was expanded upon in an in-depth way so that it was easy to imagine how their magic and history could be integrated in our world.

We also get to know Emiko's character on a personal level. I really liked how the authors focused on Emiko's fears and desires, and how we could see these play out through Emiko's interactions with her friends, family, and the Jiārén world at large.

Several times while reading, I actually wished that this either could've been the first book, or that some scenes from this book could've been integrated into the first book so that I would've understood what was going on and what was really at stake when I read the first arc.

I also loved how this book felt like I was watching a Netflix or Max series. The pacing might come off as slow to other readers, but I actually liked how it felt episodic instead of watching a movie. Every time I picked up the book and put it down after reading a couple of chapters, it felt like I was savoring a TV show instead of binge watching. Both the action scenes and dialogue heavy scenes were well paced and helped the story move along at a natural flow.

I do think the slower pace might be a turnoff for some readers, same with the extensive Jiārén family drama. I also did think a couple of problems were solved too easily (Emiko's blocked meridians and the Crimson Cloud Splitter). But maybe the authors have something in store for the third book that might explain those deus ex machinas.

Thank you to Julia Vee, Ken Bebelle, and NetGalley for the arc! I'm excited to read the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Keeping this short because I loved this book. It is such a strong sequel to "Ebony Gate" and it really builds on the world we saw in book one. I still love Emiko because she is such a badass and she is so freaking cool. But my dear love has got A LOT on her plate: she's San Francisco's new Sentinel, she's got a murder case on her hands, she doesn't have her full powers yet, oh and she needs to keep Adam alive. Also, there's a sword she needs to keep out of the museums. She's booked and busy!

No, but seriously, Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle have done such a fantastic job with this series so far. It's so exciting, the fighting is so cool, the magic system is so different and refreshing, and the characters are memorable and just so freaking fun to root for. I with SyFy was still a thing cause this would be such a fun and exciting show. I need a liveaction adaptation like immediately please.

GO READ THESE BOOKS. THEY ARE AMAZING.

Emiko Soong has a problem. Well actually, a lot of problems. The new Sentinel of San Francisco need to open the door to the Archive to gain her full powers. She also has a murder to solve and a sword to keep out of a exhibit while keeping Adam alive. Then she also need to return to Japan to help her brother pass his graduation tourney. But when she learns why her qi has been disrupted and what her magical gift really is, threat is when she need to decide what and who she is. No she just need to block a growing unknown threat know as The General, keep her herself, her brother and her friends alive while staying sane. Read this title and find out what and how she does it!

Thank you Netgalley and Tor for the chance to read this title!

Blood jade review


Ebony Gate was one of my top reads last year and I cannot tell the excitement I had when I got Blood Jade in the mail! Dare I say that Ken and Julia have out done themselves on this one. We got all the answers to the questions we had from Ebony Gate whilst also somehow having far more questions left at the close of Blood Jade. This is everything a reader wants from a second book as it is action packed and fast paced. Emiko finally journeys home to Japan after a self imposed 2 year exile and the readers get to meet her family and clan as well fully immersed into the Jiārén clan life in Japan.

Emiko is everything you want from a female main character. Emiko is obviously bad ass with a hard witty exterior but is vulnerable and broken like the rest of us. She is very relatable and easy to understand. Despite not wanting to be the lonely tortured person that she is, she still endures and tries to overcome her insecurities of feeling broken and useless to those who matter most to her. I really feel that she starts to hit her peak in the second book. She finally makes her own choices and does not allow her father’s opinions or wants cloud her judgement (which I think is exactly what he’d want). Emiko’s journey in Blood Jade is an emotional taxing one, she is confronted with her feelings toward her parents, the Jōkōryūkai, and herself. I found myself many times tearing up at the emotional revelation and healing that Emiko was experiencing. The ending tugged at my heart strings and made me more excited for book three.

This series is so phenomenal and unlike anything I’ve ever read. This is a one of a kind series that you wish you could go back and read it for the first time again. I’m so excited for what’s next in Tiger Eye, I am hoping since it has Tiger in it that maybe Kamon makes more appearances (please let them get back together!!!!! I’m dying for it).

I want to thank Ken Bebelle and Julia Lee for the eARC via NetGalley as well has the physical ARC and goodie box!

Thanks to NetGalley & Tor Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

I tried reading the first one and couldn't get into it. I hoped the second one would be better, but it just doesn't hook me. The slow-paced writing and the uninteresting protagonist just don't work for me.

I stayed up late to finish this follow-up to Ebony Gate. I feel like I connected even more with Emiko, from her love of flavored Kit-Kats to experiencing more of her connection with her family. The world that is created is one that I just want to experience more and more of.

Book review for blood jade

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, I couldn’t think of a word stupendous enough for this book. I just love this character. Emiko has to go through a lot of struggles about changing who she is even if she can’t change how she’s viewed. She’s forging her own path, despite generations of values that have been taught to her and has to learn to do what she feels is right versus the way she was taught. She strives to find a balance between who she is and who she wants to be. Emiko loves fiercely and always seeks to protect those loved ones at great cost to herself. I know this sounds strange if you haven’t read the book… so just do it! While this is a book that reels you in to its twisting plot, it also makes you highly invested in Emiko and the people in her life. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a clannish Chinese culture. If I had one con, it is only that I don’t know some of the Chinese words. And wish there was a translation provided at the back of the book .Read the book; you won’t be sorry!

Blood Jade is the compelling sequel to Ebony Gate. We return to Emiko, now with her new standing in San Francisco. There’s a murder, and she starts her hunt for the assassin. Her hunt takes her to Tokyo where she is also visiting to help her brother prepare for Lóng Yá, his graduation. She discovers so much about herself, her family, and the dynamics of the Clans. Blood Jade is an action packed yet mysterious tale that I couldn’t put down. Ken and Julia are amazing story tellers of our time.

Wow, Wow, WOW! ’m not sure I have enough words in my vocabulary to describe what a mind bending, amazing addition to the series this is! This series has my favorite feature, it KEEPS GETTING BETTER! In so many series, the first in the series is best, but just when you think Ken and Julia couldn’t top EBONY GATE, that it wasn’t possible, they go ahead and DO IT!

If you’re looking for a series with a strong Asian FMC, magical realism (dragon magic!), clan families with tons of intrigue, FEMALE JOHN WICK type character and story, delicious food descriptions, tons of action packed edge of your seat suspense, characters that feel well rounded and real- characters you root for, mourn with and for, a new series to make you GASP OUT LOUD and turn the pages Long into the night, this series is for you!

The first in this series is called Ebony Gate and it’s OUT NOW and available for purchase on Amazon.
The second is this one, Blood Jade, releasing July 2024! Available for preorder on Amazon now!

Cannot recommend this series or these highly talented and humble authors more! The ending has left me ON EDGE for the next in series & I absolutely can’t wait for its release. Lastly, let me tell you, no series I’ve read in a minute has begged for a tv series or movie series as much as this one. It DESERVES AN OPTION! RUN RUN RUN AND GRAB BOTH BOOKS IN THIS SERIES! You won’t regret it! 5 EASY STARS! I’D GIVE IT 10 IF I COULD!

I love this series so much. The characters, the story, the world, it's all so detailed and engaging. I like that it's not totally predictable. Even when I know who the bad guy is, it never works out quite the way I expect. Julia and Ken are playing chess with the pieces of story. I don't always know what the next move will be, but it's always elegant. The worst thing about getting an ARC is the long wait for the next installment.

Blood Jade is literally everything you want in a second book.

Emiko Soong is now the Sentinel of San Francisco in the second installment of the Phoenix Hoard series. Just after she accepts her role as guardian, a murderer strikes and Emiko is called by the city and the Tran Clan to investigate. The trail, and her brother, Tatusya, call her back home to Tokyo where the world as she knows it slowly unravels.

Blood Jade is a strong follow up to Ebony Gate, we meet Tatsuya, Emiko’s father, Soong Zhènmíng and finally, her mother, Sarah. The book answers the questions and makes revelations that Ebony Gate left behind while asking more that’ll hopefully be answered in a follow up (!). Blood Jade was action packed, emotionally brutal and tender in equal measures. It is full of amazing mythological creatures and the unique magic and setting I’ve come to expect in this series. I feel like Emiko really grew in this story, and I felt like her reactions to the things happening to herand that she caused, were realistic and relatable. There was a tenderness at the end that I didn’t expect but truly appreciated and Sarah was somehow exactly what I expected, but surprising none the less (as I assume she should be!).

I loved this installment, maybe even more than Blood Jade? But I felt like the stories were different and fascinating enough that I don’t want to compare them. Thank you so much to Ken Bebelle (and Julia!) for a digital ARC of Blood Jade! While it quenched my thirst after Ebony Gate, it’s left me positively anxious for what comes next!

So, I’m not a huge fan of long books, but since I adore this writing duo, I will suffer through it…and suffer is definitely the wrong word! I just finished this book, and it was a doozy! Emiko is such a lonely, tortured but pure soul who is trying to overcome the stigma of being “broken.” I don’t want to give too much away, but she really hits her stride in this second book but not without the expense of something dear to her, but also finding something dear. Vague enough? LOL! This is a totally engrossing, interesting, engaging, well-written urban fantasy where I was glued to the page the entire time, and even when I couldn’t read, I was yearning to do so. If Japanese myths, strong protagonists, interesting villains and allies, a tiny, tiny bit of romance, or really any of these, appeal to you, you must give this series a try. You definitely won’t be sorry. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.