#Kaul Lan

[fionacreates]

Day whatever of drawing through my obsession with Jade City/Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

Kaul Lan, oldest idiot of the Kaul siblings.

[ramblingsofalunatic]

underrated jade city moment

[austenwazright]

Niko deciding he needs to do his own thing for a while, Hilo reacting as bad as anyone would expect, in the exact same way he did with Anden when he was 20 and scared and decided he wanted to take another route, come on it's literally the same reaction, he called Anden a mongrel, he said Niko wasn't his kid, and then Anden standing up for his nephew, saying to Hilo everything he wasn't able to when he was 20 and confused and being cast out of the only family he ever knew, defending Niko when no one really bothered to defend him and bringing Lan up, Lan who's been hunting this whole fucking narrative, telling Hilo that Lan would never leave any of them behind, the last conversation he had with Lan was that he did not need to be clan or a greenbone to be family and he never once mentioned it for himself but he did it for Niko, art, this is art

[the-guild-codex-and-other-things]

The Entire Green Bone Saga Summarized in 1 Line:

“What the fuck have you done, Kaul?”

- Jade Legacy

[kbookblurbs]

Jade City - Fonda Lee

5/5 - Irresistible world-building, politics (national and gang), intrigue, family tension, everything you could want out of an urban fantasy. MAJOR spoilers below!

Jade City is the first novel in the Green Bone saga and it is deliciously well-written. Character voices are distinct, the mistakes they make are realistic, and even when I didn't like some of the main characters or the actions they were taking, I wanted them to succeed. I was emotionally invested in the outcome of every character's fate, from the secondary characters to the Pillar of the clan, Kaul Lan. Sometimes this did mean I was invested in watching them fail (Bero) but I was invested nevertheless!

The world-building within the novel was incredibly rich. The "magic" system of jade is a very hard magic system but I really enjoyed how effortlessly it was woven into everyday life. Lee takes the time to mention, in an offhand fashion, details about Kekon and the greater world that make it that much easier to fully sink into the world she's built. I read this entire book in one long sitting.

Kekon itself really reminded me of the Philippines. The Kekonese war for independence was with Espenia (Spain) and overall the positioning of Kekon on the global stage is really reminiscent of how formerly colonized nations have to act in our global geopolitics. That said, my interpretation did mean that I don't really jive with a lot of the fanart of Lan, Hilo, and Shae. In my mind, they all have darker skin and a lot of the fanart has them pretty pale (like k-pop idol pale).

I also loved that this book took place over a realistic timeline. Weeks would go by in a few sentences before we'd get a fleshed out scene because Lee understands we don't need to see the minutia of day-to-day life. It also means that the characters were aging, falling in love, graduating school, etc. at a normal rate. There was no instantaneous love, no "I'm better than everyone else and do this without schooling" and this was, for me, really refreshing (especially after reading the All Souls Trilogy, which suffers from this).

The twist with the death of Lan was truly something I never saw coming. Up until, and even after, the point where he falls into the harbor, I was convinced that he would make it. He was so confident, so level-headed, and everyone relied on him so much that, in my head, his death never entered the realm of possibility. And thus I fell into the same trap as the other characters. Scrumptious writing here.

By far my favorite characters are Shae and Anden. They both have internal struggles with their heritage that are realistic and heartbreaking at times. Even when they make mistakes and are rightfully called out for it in other perspectives, I still have such a soft spot for the position they're both put in. It makes sense that they're also close in the book. Plus, seeing Anden struggle with wanting to come out as gay but being nervous about it and ultimately being accepted without conditions, hesitations, or reservations was really heartwarming.

Overall, this book is the combination of urban fantasy, the Godfather, and the Shanghai/Hong Kong gangster movies from the 80s. I would recommend those who love fantasy and thrillers alike, it's a amazing entry into the trilogy.

[cikebabbler]

I only had like half a book with lan but I miss him all the same :(

[greyscalemoon]

rip kaul lan u ate ur 31 chapters

[4amethyst]

Me I'm the horn's kitten 🙏🏽

[indie-luna]

How will I ever emotionally recover from reading jade legacy

[ma1dmer]

Fonda Lee the woman that you are!!!!

[fionacreates]

Day 4 of this book won’t leave my brainspace. Hilo and Lan from Jade City by Fonda Lee.

Did I give Lan long, well groomed hair just so i can draw him with it all mussed up later? 1000% yes.

[ramblingsofalunatic]

fonda lee i'll never forgive you

[austenwazright]

How fitting for the story to start and to end at the Twice Lucky, this was one of the best book series I've ever read in my life and will forever hold place among my favorites, I'm sure I'll still find a lot of things to say about it but for now it's enough to say it will be remembered

[insignificantly-notorious]

I created a Green Bone Saga playlist because I was bored:

LINK: Green Bone Saga | Jade City

[shesaidfcukyou]

THE GREEN BONE SAGA: Current depression sources 😭

[owlbeers]

I forgot to promo the fic I wrote for holiday exchanges.

I wrote for the Malec Secret Santa Exchange.

Hellish rebuke (Shadowhunters, Magnus/Alec, 4K, Teen)

Magnus threw out his hand with some force, created a portal and appeared right in the middle of the Institute. The wards and whoever happened to watching be fucking damned.

Alec almost gets kidnapped, Magnus is upset about it and (with some help) tracks down those responsible.

And for Yuletide:

Revenge is a dish best served incorporeal (Green Bone Saga, gen, 3K)

All I will say to avoid getting too spoilery for the series is Kaul Lan and Revenge Ghsot.