Jade War

I think I might like this sequel even better than the first in the series. As hinted at by the end of Jade City, Lee expands the world in book 2, bringing outside events to bear on Kekon and entangling the Kauls in things beyond its shores which they might prefer to ignore. But she has the good sense to do so mostly as a couple of tightly focussed subplots.

My favourite of them is Anden's time in Espenia. In Jade City I found it very entertaining how that place was clearly a stand in for the US, but it was totally flat seen through xenophobic Kekonese eyes. This was a fun inversion of the usual trope, but also would have been a bit much to continue, so instead we get to experience Espenia through Anden first being banished there and gradually making a bit of home in it. Port Massy feels very true to the NYC of the big wave of Jewish immigration in the early 20th Century, and his host family alternately remind me of the host family that put up my uncle when he first moved to Peoria, or of that uncle & aunt themselves in their early days in NYC living at the end of a subway line. All of it, the place, the community, the distance, and the pressures felt very real and well observed, and it provided a great chance to turn Anden into a fully realised character; one of my favourites now.

Wen also became much more of a whole character, and I enjoyed her arc in itself and for the ways her relationships with Shae and Anden developed. Shae remains the person I'm really cheering on through the book, and I found Hilo to be the one weakness: so much of the drama is driven by his actions, aptitudes, and mistakes, but he still feels more like an idea than a person.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Jade Legacy.

“Magic Divides. Power Corrupts. Family Endures.” So reads the tagline for Jade War, Fonda Lee’s sequel to 2017’s Jade City. Everything that made the first book a wonderful read is back and done even better in this second book. Lee doesn’t pull any punches and readers are in for a fabulous ride as they head back to the city of Janloon and see even more of the world Lee has so painstakingly crafted.

Once again, Lee’s characters steal the show. Their relationships and internal struggles feel real and authentic. The issues that the Kaul family faces are issues that all of us could see ourselves facing, if we were magically enhanced martial arts masters and part of powerful gangster families who controlled multinational corporations. Much like the first novel, Jade War, is a mash up of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with the Godfather. But what makes it work isn’t the amazing fight scenes, the wonderfully imagined magic, or the stellar world building. What makes the whole thing work is the characters and their small problems that end up writ large. Most family issues don’t end up part of the sociopolitical landscape, but if you’re part of the No Peak or Mountain clans, they just might. Lee’s propensity for writing small problems that are entirely relatable but end up driving the plot in epic ways is what makes her novel stand out. In addition to this, the world building here is second to none. Not only do we get to see more of the capital city of Kekon, Janloon, we also get to see and hear more about the larger world. One character perspective gives us regular glances into life in the Republic of Espenia, and we’re also treated to brief looks at other parts of the world. Lee hasn’t crafted a single kingdom or nation that feels real, she has crafted an entire world, with a worldwide economy and various factions that all make sense, hang together, and feel like you really are simply watching the news while living on an entirely different planet. In addition to the general world building, Lee does an incredibly job crafting the feel and emotions of the Kekonese immigrant community in Espenia. The characters that we meet are achingly authentic. This aspect of the novel is wonderful and I truly can’t say enough good things about it. We rarely see such depth given to immigrant characters in fantasy, and I’d love to see more authors do so. The world building is careful even down to details of who speaks during negotiations depending on the culture they’re from—but in all of these, it never feels like Lee is dumping information on the reader. Instead, it’s all part of the story and flows naturally. Wonderful characters, deep world building, amazing magic, fantastic fight scenes, this book has everything I love packaged in a truly unique setting.

There isn’t much that didn’t work for me here. Two things deserve mentioning. First, the pacing felt a little uneven at times. While the narrative flows well and there wasn’t much down time, per se, I did find that some chapters felt like they slowed the pacing down a little too much, or, conversely, sped it up a little too much. I was always invested enough in the characters that this didn’t affect me too much, but I felt it needed mentioned. The other issue for me is that, several times throughout the novel, Lee will tell us the way something is in the world by jumping to the present tense, before switching back to her normal narrative past. I found this odd. Every time it happened I was jarred out of the story. It’s not common, however.

Fonda Lee is a rising star, and Jade War only confirms that assessment. This book is worth moving to the top of your list. Make it your next read or, if you haven’t read Jade City yet, make that one your next read. I’m already waiting for the third book with baited breath. After all, family endures.

9/10

4.5/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing