of the book is talking about things to come, setting up stakes and tension; the problem is the payoff is extremely poor in the majority of cases. Fonda Lee is a black belt martial artist, a former corporate strategist, and action movie aficionado. Though the perspectives come largely from the Kaul family, Jade War also explores the impact such proxy wars will have on the people, particularly refugees, people in countries rife with corruption, and the lower class people who will do what they can to make it.

The exposition would be okay if it was backed by a strong plot, but Jade War, despite the cool title, has no plot at all. The character development is seamless, the intrigue is INCREDIBLY tense, the female characters are powerful and flawed. It was either I couldn't put the book down (which occurred more often the latter) or I needed whatever motivation to continue reading.But if you’re not too interested in the political and economic machinations of war, don’t worry: Jade War still delivers a powerful and impressive story about the members of the Kaul family. Some people praise this author for how intimate her writing is, how she can give life to her fictitious world. Jade War continues the brilliantly addictive and engaging oriental urban fantasy gangster narrative that started with Jade City. Friends asked me how I found this book whilst reading it, and the best word I could use to describe it was… ‘bigger’ – and I don’t mean that in the physical-page-number sense. Yet his cunning is never without reason, and this book seems him work to develop his skills as a Pillar.

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.Jade City was one of the best books I have read in 2022, and while I felt relatively confident that I would think similar thoughts about Jade War, I also know that fantasy trilogies can very often suffer from "middle book syndrome" so I was cautiously optimistic going into this one. Outside of Kekon, war is waged between Shotar and Ygutan over the disputed Oortoko region of Shotar. I wish we didn't have that many chapters from his perspective (they weren't a lot compared to Hilo's or Shae's for example, but since I can't stand him, they became too many). 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? 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.

This is incredible world building and character development while maintaining high stakes and complex plotting. I'm saddened that my journey with these characters is nearing an end, and that's always a sign of a highly enjoyable series.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. Wen suffers permanent brain damage as a result of the attack, but Anden saves her life by putting on jade once more. 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! p>Sign up to the Little, Brown newsletter for news of upcoming publications, competitions and updates from our authors.