Jade War

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Apart from the occasional fight or interesting plot point, Jade War consists in the characters jumping between a meeting with Tom, a tea with Dick, and another meeting with Harry. If your selling point to read a book is “You will be destroyed”… this series is the epitome of that. Bero’s arc is supposed to show how jade inevitably corrupts people, but all his character development is off page! There were so much growth and development in each one of these characters that it was so satisfying to read.

Outside of Kekon, war is waged between Shotar and Ygutan over the disputed Oortoko region of Shotar. If that's the case, Fonda Lee has then achieved the seemingly impossible as the second novel in The Green Bone Saga excelled over the first in every possible way.In my opinion, he also has the most compelling character arc in the trilogy to date, followed very closely by Anden, Wen and Shae. There were so many things a Pillar could not accomplish solely with his own will and strength, that relied instead on other people, even in matters as personal as vengeance. They were not alone in their thinking; the other minor Green Bone Clans, the Janloon city police, and even the Mountain clan assisted or got out of the way – there was nothing to be gained from opposing Kaul Hilo’s rampage.

I was honestly waiting for the full blow-up of the tension between clans but it was more "war by proxy" between smaller factions and yes, through foreigners!

Growing up and losing that selfishness—that’s what civilization is, that’s what sets us above beasts. All that mortals could do was accept the lot they were given, and yet still fight to better their own fate and that of their loved ones.

It was either I couldn't put the book down (which occurred more often the latter) or I needed whatever motivation to continue reading. As the characters clash with foreign governments and thus different perspectives of how the world works, Lee powerfully and profoundly reveals how insular Kekon and the clans are through the outsiders' prejudiced yet astute perspectives of Green Bones and their ethnocentric isolationist values. I'm saddened that my journey with these characters is nearing an end, and that's always a sign of a highly enjoyable series. I think since I was used to lots of action, those stagnant chapters didn't last long and something interesting always came up. Knowing that Shae might lose this battle, Hilo had a plan to take out everybody involved by dirtying his blade, something that is deeply forbidden within this duels but Shae does not agree with this.

He bitterly reveals information about the smuggling operation to No Peak, allowing them to cut off supplies of jade illegally leaving the country.

Why the fuck should I care about all these informations when I already know what’s happening, because you, author, have already told me two chapters prior? It’s not often you read a book where the second book, the middle book of a trilogy no less, is undoubtedly better than the first book, and yet, Fonda Lee did it. Jade, Kekon’s most prized resource, could make them rich – or give them the edge they’d need to topple their rivals. Sheehan noted the continued The Godfather references, saying that "If The Godfather never was, Jade War (and Jade City) would be how we define generational organized crime stories today" to acclaim Lee's work.I liked the characters in Jade City, but Jade War made me love them – the characters’ stories are incredible, well-paced, and true to their developments. While this is most evident in the characterisations, it applies equally to the world-building and plot. The last quarter of the book ratchets up the intensity even further as the subplots unravelled into the proverbial shit hits the fan. The novel is a mixture of the finest elements seen in crime cinema such as the family loyalty and honour from Copolla’s The Godfather and the political unrest and uncomfortable moments of To’s Election series. However, it never feels like they’re being swept away by the plot no matter how complicated it gets.