Jade City

Jade City--a digital cover for the book by Fonda Lee. It shows greenish, leafy embellishments on a dark background. Near the bottom, a button invites the reader to "continue."

I’ve been meaning to read Jade City for a while, and I don’t know what took me so long.

Once I finally got into it, I found this book totally lived up to its hype. It’s a brilliant story, with intricate plotting and rich world-building

The real stars, though, are the characters. My favorite is Kaul Shaelinsan, the prodigal daughter returned to her hometown to lick her wounds and try not to get caught up in the family business. But I also love her brothers, and her cousin. And the dozens of minor characters who fill out this magical city-state.

If you like young adult fantasy, or martial arts, or stories about crime syndicates, or just a wonderful story well-told, I’d recommend Jade City. (And if you don’t like any of those things, why are you reading book reviews?)