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Fantasy Review: Jade City and Jade War

My first exposure to Fonda Lee's city of Janloon came on my bus ride home from work. I got an e-book copy of Jade City from the library, and read it during my commute over the course of a couple weeks. It was so engaging that more than once I completely missed my bus stop, and had to stop reading long enough to trek backwards over several long city blocks. 

After finishing Jade City, I knew it was something I wanted on my shelf. When Jade War came out, I bought the pair, and I'm glad I did. Jade War was just as fun and engaging as Jade City. 

The thing that stands out the most about Lee's Jade series is the characters. Even though the chapters are relatively short, and we jump from character to character, sometimes oceans away, the reader always has a sense of how their stories tie together. Unlike works like Game of Thrones, there's never any question of how the narratives link together. 

What was even more clear in Jade War than in Jade City is that Lee is a master at writing distinct characters. Even when the characters completely shocked me with their decisions, it never felt like Lee was directing them from above--their decisions were perfectly logical for them, even when I didn't see them coming. 

The only break in continuity in these books are the interludes, that provide background on the myths and legends surrounding the characters. In each interlude I struggled to figure out which character we were reading from, and then once I realized it was none, to place the information into the story. So far, I haven't been able to connect the dots. I'm hoping that Jade Legacy will help to clarify the missing pieces--and if not, then I guess I'll just have to read the series again!

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