Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of Blood Jade! Not only is it the sequel to a book I read earlier this year and loved, it is narrated by one of my favorite narrators. Natalie Naudus does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life.

In Blood Jade, Emiko has to travel back to Tokyo to support her brother in his tourney while also trying to find out who keeps trying to murder important clan members. Emiko is incredibly off kilter having to face all of the familial expectations she tried to escape and unlike her, I enjoyed every moment of it.

We learn a lot about Emiko’s past and her powers in this book and she is really starting to settle into her powers, new and old. While there is a murder mystery as the driving force of the story, at its heart it is about her finding her place in the world and what it means to truly set aside the expectations of everyone around her. Especially those she put on herself.

I am so excited to see where Emiko’s story takes her next.

In Ebony Gate we saw who Emiko is. Who she chose to be as she left behind her past as The Butcher. And in Blood Jade we are able to see how this new self comes head to head with her past. Back in Tokyo, Emiko is confronted with her family, their machinations for her, and the secrets which come rushing like an avalanche. She becomes roped back into family politics and a reminder that here her life wasn't her own. Blood Jade examines when the ones who have to take on the power are never looking for it. And when those who crave it can never have enough.

I loved this sequel! Partly is because I was listening to the audio book which is voiced by Natalie Naudus who is an auto-buy narrator for me. I love the way Natalie brings the voices, emotions, and tension to the forefront.

Even though this was the second book in the series, I really enjoyed it. The writing was great and the story flew by!

This was a sweeping adventure that continued from the first book. I'm so glad I was able to listen to this, makes me wanna get the audio for the first book now since I read the physical

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.

The follow-up to Ebony Gate takes us out of San Francisco with Emiko as she returns home to Japan to visit with her family and support her brother in a coming of age contest/ritual. Returning to the family dynamic she ran away from, dealing with a mysterious and powerful enemy, and learning to unlock her own secrets all while revisiting Tokyo keeps her busy as she takes readers of her tale along for the adventure. As with the first book, high-adrenaline action blends nicely with a slower narrative that explains magical objects, powers, fills in past histories and still manages to inspire a food craving or two. I enjoyed this book, maybe even more than the first, not only seeing Emiko interacting with her family, but also learning more about herself, and coming into more of her own power. It is refreshing to have a book with a female main character that prioritizes her strength, growth, and healing over a romance. Anyone who liked the first book of The Phoenix Hoard should appreciate Blood Jade and anyone who likes urban fantasy with an Asian flair or magical fantasy with a strong female character, but hasn't read the first book of the Phoenix Hoard yet should start at Ebony Gate.
I enjoyed this book as an audiobook and the emotion and intensity of the actor's voice really made it feel as if Emiko was telling her story.
I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.