Jade War by Fonda Lee

Blurb:

The Kaul siblings' battle with rival clans reaches new heights in the heart-pounding continuation of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.

On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.

Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.

Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival—and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.

Review:

I’m planning on reading all of the Green Bone Saga (at least the main books in the trilogy) before the end of 2025. I read Jade City in January itself, but it took me a long time to get to Jade War. And honestly, the beginning of Jade War was quite slow. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the writing. Fonda Lee’s ability to fully immerse you in this fantasy culture of Kekon is one that I both covet and admire. Her prose is fluid, her world feels fully realized, and her characters feel as human as someone right out of your neighborhood. Despite that, I had trouble reading the first third of Jade War.

So, what did I finally think of the book as a whole? Let’s dive in.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

What I liked:

As much as I loved the characters in Jade City, I feel their treatment in Jade War was a significant upgrade. Despite holding certain trope-y positions carried forward from Jade City, Jade War does justice by its cast by really digging deep into who they are, which directly affects their actions and decision making. Also, almost everyone gets chewed, spit out, and then put through a meat grinder… emotionally speaking. 

Despite the slow start, the experience that Lee has created with book 2 of the Green Bone Saga is one that’s worthy of applause and admiration. Not only does the world feel a lot more real, but a lot more complex and a lot more daunting. The characters mirror this development in complexity and growth, further making this book a densely packed experience of urban fantasy that on its surface is a compelling thriller, but underneath is a carefully constructed character study, and a dissection of power conflicts that intertwine the interpersonal with the geopolitical. 

Where Jade City dealt with clan war in Kekon, with most of it focused within the city of Janloon, Jade War expands the scope to include international players. There’s a proxy war happening in Oortokon. Espenia is aggresively lobbying for Kekonese support, which in turn causes political turmoil for both the Kekonese government and the Green Bone clans. Jade smuggling, expatriates, politics, and so much more… no wonder people love this series. The No Peak Clan isn’t just facing the Mountain anymore; there’s the Espenian government, there’s the Port Massey crews and anti-Kekon sentiments that expatriates deal with there, there’s Zapunyo and the barukan smuggling Jade, and the Oortokon proxy-war whose mere existence affects policy decisions as well as clan interests.

This expansion of scale feels organic, now that we’ve become familiar to Janloon and Kekonese culture. The inclusion of international players and the subsequent rising of stakes makes up for a formidable playground where everyone is an enemy and no one is to be trusted. The maneuvers our characters are forced to undertake not only put their lives at risk—that’s a minimum in the clan—but failures of which could result in widespread political and social unrest. Mirroring the complexity of real-world conflicts, Jade War presents a convoluted world with a large cast of grey characters dealing with a flurry of simultaneous and relentless conflicts, emotional, personal, political, social, and economic, all of which pave the way for a story that’s sure to frustrate you as much as it will keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Speaking of story, Jade War is a lot more complex than what Jade City was. Every single conflict I mentioned above is intertwined in a way that makes life all the more insufferable for the No Peak Clan. Like a game of chess, when one-piece moves, the entire board’s set up is changed with a brand new puzzle up for solving. And every single one of these conflicts is (almost) equally high-stakes. But at the top of it all is Ayt Mada and the Mountain Clan. I have to applaud Fonda Lee’s treatment of this one powerful villain who—in many ways—is justified in doing everything she does, and at the same time remains a frustrating thorn on our protagonists’ sides. I can’t wait to see where this conflict heads in in the next book.

And lastly—but just as important as the previous sections—I have to talk about the characters. It’s Shae, Hilo, Anden, Wen, and every other secondary player who really makes Jade War the masterpiece it is. Shae’s reluctant spiral into finally embracing the cunning role of Weather Man was tragically compelling. Hilo is no longer the short-tempered street thug; he’s slowly shed his identity as the Horn to fully assume his role as the Pillar. In fact, I absolutely loved everything about Hilo’s restrained navigation of his role and its related politics despite him being more of a trained brute. Anden’s exploration of the expatriate society and his queer romance was a much-needed warm respite from the dark tensions of the other storylines. And Wen… for a stone-eye to be as green as any other clan member… simply awe-inspiring. 

For a book that I had a few issues with, my praise for it seems to have significantly outdone my complaints with it. And rightfully so. Jade City was one of the best books I’ve read this year, and Jade War somehow outdid it. And if reviews are to be believed, Jade Legacy is even better? Well, I guess I’ll find out soon. 

What I didn’t like:

I already mentioned the slow beginning. The pacing—despite being needed to set up everything that is to come—was a little too slow to the point of feeling like a drag. While a lot happens politically and emotionally, the first third of the book felt like the pieces aren’t really moving at all. Given that the slowness lasts almost the first third or more of the book, I would say that is a negative. However, it also depends on what you’re okay with. I didn’t find Jade City this slow or boring at any point (maybe except a few scenes). It might just be that you will enjoy the slow immersion more than I did. So, take this with a pinch of salt.

Another thing—which isn’t as big a complaint—was the ending. For all its praises, I felt it was a tad underwhelming. The whole thing with Zapunyo didn’t resonate with me as much as every other major conflict. So, having his arc be the finale wasn’t the best ending for me. Admittedly, everything that happened during and after… chef’s kiss. Not only did Fonda Lee absolutely destroy every character, she made them all face their mistakes with a heavy jade-studded heart. Things are looking bleak, but that’s to be expected from the middle book of a trilogy, no? 

In Conclusion:

A very different experience from Jade City, Jade War starts slow but ends with the world feeling a lot more realized and its characters somehow even more real.

TL;DR: 

What I liked: Fully realized world, complex and real interpersonal relationships, the way Lee has developed the story, expanding the setting and plot from Jade City to Jade War

What I didn’t like: Slow start, odd pacing at times, underwhelming finale