Jade War

Wow! This book was such a treat to read.

This follow up to “Jade City” sure did deliver. These books are so complex and have such rich world building. The city of Janloon feels so familiar, while still being this magical place where jade warriors live. Espenia, the Uwiwa Islands, and a few other countries are explored in more depth in this installment. The broadening of the world past Kekon was daunting at first, and I found myself confused a few times, but Lee does a great job of expanding the world without info dumping.

Following the Kaul family gets even more intense than the last book. I loved Anden's side story and always got excited for this chapters. Because of Wen's determination and ferocity, reading her chapters was also always a delight. All of the complex relationships between characters created so much interest and desire to see these characters' stories through.

The only downside I have with this book is all of the dense political plots. I completely understand that this is a political fantasy, and know that this is just a personal preference, so not an attack on Lee or this novel. There were points throughout that would be whole chapters of characters discussing politics or planning out their next political maneuvers. While important to the story, I was left confused and ready for some more action during these chapters.

Overall, this series is the future of the fantasy genre. Fonda Lee has created such a unique, savage world with morally grey characters and so much political intrigue that is completely new. I would recommend this to any fantasy reader.