Jade War (The Green Bone Saga, 2) Paperback – February 25, 2020

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It pulled me in from the first page, and I didn't want to put it down until I was finished. Then, when I was done, I didn't want it to be over. This was a fully immersive experience that produced a wide range of emotions. I truly got lost in the narrative and had some visceral reactions to things that happened in the book. I audibly gasped so many times while reading and had to calm myself several times by repeating 'please don't die' to the characters. The author does such a wonderful job of bringing this world to life that it feels like you are a part of the action the entire time.The plot was fascinating and even more intricate than the first book. The world-building was expanded considerably, and this story gave the reader a more in-depth look at the world outside of Janloon. There was tons of political intrigue, which I loved, but I was surprised that the clan disputes and international war did not get more attention than they did. Those conflicts were always looming in the background and, in large part, were the driving force of the narrative, but there was less open warfare and action here than in Jade City. I didn't really mind the lack of action, though, because the character moments and intrigue made for the perfect connective tissue to keep me engaged between the more action-filled scenes. This book is probably the best balance between plot and character driven elements I've read to date.All of the fantastic characters that survived the first book were back. The time frame of this book was much more spread out than the first, which I liked because it allowed for a natural progression of growth for the characters that didn't feel forced. All of the characters evolved pretty dramatically. Hilo and Shae both embraced their roles as leaders within the clan. They both faced very difficult decisions, and they did some pretty terrible things in the name of family, which shocked me (especially from Shae given her reluctance to get involved in family affairs throughout the first book). The new children introduced in this story completely stole my heart, and I couldn't help but worry about them the entire time I was reading. Anden's story, though, was probably my favorite. I loved getting to explore the wider world through his eyes, and his perspective was an interesting look at what it is like to immigrate to a new country and acclimate to a strange culture. I also really enjoyed his journey of finding his purpose after the events of the last book completely took away the trajectory he had planned for his life. Finally, Wen was also a star in this book. Rather than fight against her nature and place within the clan, she used her 'limitations' to achieve great things, even if they did come at a great cost.I'd be remiss to end this review without pointing out the ridiculous level of skill possessed by this author. For two books now, she has created characters that I've cared about in a relatively short amount of time and then destroyed me when she unexpectedly killed them. I'm truly in awe of her ability, and I'm a bit scared of what she will do to the characters in the final book.Overall, this book was fantastic. The world-building, characters, and plot were exquisite, and I'm a little disappointed there is only one book left. This has easily climbed its way into my top fantasy books of all time. If you haven't read this series yet, I cannot recommend it enough. Therefore, I rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.

I have such a love/hate relationship with this series. On one hand I love it, the writing is smooth and flawless. I can sit and read the book for hours and not realize how much time has passed. The story is engaging and I love the political/clan drama that is constantly happening. On the other hand, there are a lot of scenes that cause me to want to DNF the book. There are characters I cannot stand and the graphic sex scenes need to chill out. (also there is a scene involving an abortion that had me putting the book down for a while)The problem is every time I think about putting the book down or stopping, I find myself constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. I am invested into these people’s lives and I must know the outcome. So will I continue to the last book? Yes, yes I will.This book has reinforced Hilo as my favorite character, whereas I cannot stand Anden, and Shae is okay (she has good and bad moments). I also really grew to enjoy the addition to Wen and getting to know the Maik brothers better. This book involves more communication with foreign countries and dealing with criminals/smugglers rather than direct clan/clan conflict. There is a great dueling scene though that is tense and will have you on the edge of your seat.This book is filled with subtle nudges from each clan to influence politics in their favor and it is intriguing to see how each clan is still trying to undermine the other without direct contact.This book is able to capture the rawness of relationships so well and provides realistic consequences for actions that are taken. The author is not afraid to face the death of her characters, or to have them suffer for their actions and I respect the author for following through on the consequences (even if it does cause added anxiety when reading😊).So far, I would recommend this series if you have not given it a try, but I do think there needs to be some warnings involved for those who may not feel comfortable with certain scenes or topics. The author holds nothing back and I personally would not mind more fade to black scenes when it comes to sex scenes, but skipping pages is an option as well. I personally am not interested in the magic of Jade so much as I am enjoying the book for the relationships, political/clan drama and fights/assassinations.