#scheming plotting and impending disaster on every page

[tbookblurbs]

Jade War - Fonda Lee

5/5 - More ambitious than the first, expands on international geopolitics, characters really start coming into their own

SPOILERS!

We jump back into the Green Bone saga to find time passing as it should. It jumps around a little bit more in this book, skipping months at a time instead of weeks, as in the first, but this makes sense for the type of conflict developing. The two clans, realizing they can't continue their battle in the streets without losing their civilian base, start fighting in other ways (propaganda, influence on national politics, (il)legal operations to increase their funding). This fundamentally changes how the book operates. I struggled with the change a bit at first because it's so much more cerebral and it plays out kind of like a chess game (I have never been good at chess). Thankfully though, the other characters also struggle to change their ways of thinking and prepare for all eventualities. All actions have consequences, including actions the characters took years in the past. Every detail still matters.

Meanwhile, we see Anden get sent to Espenia because he refuses to become a Green Bone. As he is one of my two favorite characters, the fact that he's depressed for a lot of this book made me quite sad. But the way he handles himself, developing relationships with the Port Massey Green Bones and fostering a relationship with the Pillar's son, are critical to his character development. From the beginning, there's this underlying current asking if Anden can really step out/away from clan life. Will he be independent? Does he want to be outside of the family in that way? And when he finally answers no, it's like the natural conclusion of what happens and all the more satisfying because he's really thought about it and considered all his options.

Shae's plotlines made me really proud of her and also really sad for her. She struggles with finding love and connection as the Weatherman of the clan and, on some level, as a woman who is more accomplished and smarter than most of the men that she interacts with. Her past with Espenia comes back to bite her, but you have to be proud of how she handles herself. She lost the duel (barely) but retains her dignity.

Hilo, on the other hand, has never been my favorite character and his actions in this book cemented that status for me. All of his actions are in character, but they're also infuriating. The ending of the story, with Wen near death and Anden putting on jade again, was thrilling in the extreme. Again, Hilo's response is completely in character, but again, infuriating. More on that in the next book because that's where this one ends.

The international geopolitics that Lee writes in here are just fabulous. the fact that it's a world undergoing globalization is integral to the plot, and the national politics of Kekon are of direct interest and have power over the main characters and antagonists. I strongly disliked Espenia for a lot of the book, but it's a former colonial power so what did I expect, really. I know that technically the Mountain is an antagonist because they are in opposition to our protagonists' goals, but its hard to dislike an entity when you know they're also trying to do what's right for their people. I might not agree with their methods but I can respect and understand their motivations.

An ideal sequel that might surpass the first book in my eyes. It's got everything the first delivers and more.