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In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years. Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals. Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon. Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.The Green Bone SagaJade CityJade War
At this time of writing, The Mobi Jade War (The Green Bone Saga Book 2) has garnered 8 customer reviews with rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Not a bad score at all as if you round it off, it’s actually a perfect TEN already. From the looks of that rating, we can say the Mobi is Good TO READ!
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Note: This review contains major spoilers for Jade City and possible minor spoilers for Jade War.Since I started reviewing again, the one book I wish I already had a review for was Jade City. I obsessively flew through it in 2 days while on vacation and finished it in pure awe wondering when I would ever feel like that after finishing a book ever again. I love world building, and I love good characterization; and in Jade City, the world was its own character and the characters felt like people I actually know. Because I don’t want to make this review too long, I will be focusing mainly on the characters. However, Jade War expanded on everything done right in the first installment, and The Green Bone Saga is now easily one of my favorite series of all time.Jade War takes place 16 months after the events of Jade City. No Peak and the Mountain are at war but publicly announce a truce while there is another war going on overseas. The war affects Kekon because with SNI, Jade is no longer only used by trained Kekonese. It’s now become an even more valuable commodity to the local and international governments as well as to the black markets. In Jade War, each clan must decide where to put their Jade as smugglers and foreign governments become more desperate for it. Though a truce has been called between the clans, each plot to become more politically powerful while they simultaneously try to destroy each other from the inside.The times are changing in Jade War, and that goes for clan leadership as well. After his brother’s death in Jade City, Hilo has become the reluctant Pillar of No Peak. While still more military savvy, Hilo has put in a ton of effort to become a worthy leader. He still gets into more fights than a Pillar should, and while he isn’t used to the political aspects of both the clans and government, he insists on being present to learn how to maneuver his way through new territory. To me, Hilo feels like the guy who everyone thinks will do something to upset a lot people but, in the end, ends up being a pretty decent person.Shae’s position has changed as well. While she wanted nothing to do with her family’s clan and jade in the beginning of the first book, Shae begins Jade War as the Weatherman of No Peak. Because of the truce between the clans, Shae’s role seems more important in Jade War because the war is now behind the scenes. Shae is intelligent, forward-thinking, and open minded; and because of her time in Espenia, she is more aware of the happenings outside of Kekon. While this gives her a noticeable advantage when dealing with the leaders of Kekon, these leaders are more traditional. Because of this, Shae must decide what customs and traditions she must follow, but she must also determine what customs and traditions need to change for the sake of her clan. During the chaos, she meets and dates a professor named Maro who lives his life outside the clans and encourages Shae to see that there is life outside of No Peak as well. Through her relationship with Maro, we see how Shae struggles to figure out who she is and what she feels is or isn’t worth fighting for.As punishment for his behavior in the last book, Anden has been exhiled to another country. Anden’s storyline expands Fonda Lee’s world by introducing us to Espenia. The whole of Espenia is nothing like Kekon. The Kekonese Espenians have a Pillar but only loosely do they follow the Green Bone hierarchy. Contrary to what Anden previously thought, Jade is used outside of Kekon. However, Green Bones keep them hidden and train in secret since jade is illegal.One thing I noticed about the worldbuilding is it heavily draws from real world history. In fact, some histories are only different in name and length of time. With that being said, Anden migrates from the Eastern world in Kekon to the Western world in Espenia and needs to adjust as a Kekonese immigrant. His first days in Espenia, he experiences large amounts of culture shock which lead him to trouble. For example, Anden does not speak Espenian, so he has to learn to navigate around the language barrier. He also gets into a fight expecting his opponent to be honorable and is surprised and confused when his opponent isn’t.In Espenia, Anden also meets and casually sees an Espenian Pillar’s son named Cory. Their relationship presents the difference between immigrants and the children of immigrants. While Anden studied jade, knows its dangers, and respects its essence, Cory, like others born in Espenia, sees jade as more of a novelty used mostly in casual duals. Whereas Anden is greatly affected by the events back in Kekon because his family and everything he knows is still there, Cory remains detached because he has no ties to Kekon. While Anden lives Kekon in the present, Cory sees Kekon as part of his history, a place to visit and appreciate before he goes back home to Espenia. And finally, while Anden constantly worries about Espenia, Cory remains laid back because he doesn’t understand the Kekonese situation the way Anden, someone who was born and raised there, understands it.Aside from the main cast, Fonda Lee has written some amazing supporting characters, namely the women. Aside from Shae, there are some strong women fighting through adversity and eager to leave their mark in the world. Ayt Mada, the Pillar of the Mountain, must guide her clan through the war while facing scrutiny for not having an heir, and Wen, Hilo’s wife, must prove her worth while unable to harness the power of jade.We are also introduced to Zapunyo and the Uwiwan Islands. Even though I said I was mostly going to stick to the characters in this review, I wanted to mention how well Fonda Lee demonstrates colonization. In one scene, we see the Espenian military demanding more jade and attempting to convince Shae to be for the moving of Espenian soldiers into Kekon land in order to protect people and win the war. Not long after, we hear that a young Kekonese girl was raped by an Espenian soldier, and the Espenians have done nothing about it. The Espenians went into Kekon under the pretense of helping, but in reality, they used the land, resources, and indigenous people for their own gain. The long term after effects are illustrated through Zapunyo and the Uwiwas. Their islands were pillaged of their resources, and they were left with remnants of their colonizers and a debt to their “saviors.”Then there is Bero. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I can’t stand Bero, but Bero is the dregs, the lowest of the low, desperate for just a piece of power. And desperate times call for desperate measures. All the other point of views are from positions of power, and Bero is the lone man at the bottom. I still can’t stand him, but I’m eager to see the commentary on privilege and power in the next book.Like I said before, The Green Bone Saga is now one of my favorite series of all time. I usually read fantasy for the escapism, but every once in awhile there comes a fantasy that makes you confront and ponder the real world. That is this this series for me. I am sitting here finishing this review still thinking that I am nowhere near worthy to comment on something like this, but I am happy I tried in support of Fonda Lee and her works. Needless to say, I can’t wait for the next book, and it’s going to be a long 2 years until then!
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