Earlier this year, I buddyread Jade City by Fonda Lee and this was my final chance for this book since I had tried it twice and put it aside as often. I surprisingly enjoyed it. When I read Jade War however, i could only rate this book 5 stars. I wanted to read Jade Legacy soon, preferably this year. Since it’s another long book, I knew the best time for me to do this was in summer, because in fall and winter I always fall asleep after sunset. So, I just decided to take action immediately and finish this series. Did I enjoy this final installment as well? Please note that this review contains spoilers for the previous books.

About the book

Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee
Series: The Green Bone Saga #3
Published by Orbit on November 30, 2021
Pages: 713
ISBN: 9780356510590
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Jade, the mysterious and magical substance once exclusive to the Green Bone warriors of Kekon, is now known and coveted throughout the world. Everyone wants access to the supernatural abilities it provides, from traditional forces such as governments, mercenaries, and criminal kingpins, to modern players, including doctors, athletes, and movie studios. As the struggle over the control of jade grows ever larger and more deadly, the Kaul family, and the ancient ways of the Kekonese Green Bones, will never be the same.

The Kauls have been battered by war and tragedy. They are plagued by resentments and old wounds as their adversaries are on the ascent and their country is riven by dangerous factions and foreign interference that could destroy the Green Bone way of life altogether. As a new generation arises, the clan’s growing empire is in danger of coming apart.

The clan must discern allies from enemies, set aside bloody rivalries, and make terrible sacrifices… but even the unbreakable bonds of blood and loyalty may not be enough to ensure the survival of the Green Bone clans and the nation they are sworn to protect.

My review

After the ending of Jade War, I was really curious for what this final installment in this series would bring. I rated said book 5 stars, so the stakes were high. I didn’t want this book to get a lower rating and I admittedly didn’t expect this to happen. In the previous book, Lee explored the world more and I expected this to be continued in book three. This also applies to the time span since the previous book was set in a few-year-span. As I expected, Jade Legacy did both: extending the world and deliver a story set in a span of multiple years. Decades even.

Since this is the final book in a series, I was hoping for remaining questions to be answered. This definitely happened. The storyline picks up about one and a half year after the final events from the previous book. The characters are still healing from what happened and are plotting how to seek revenge. Throughout the story we see all characters evolve, especially our familiar faces. Besides, Lee introduces new characters who seem a bit strange at first, but happen to play a vital role in the progression of the story. As we’ve seen before, characters appear all of a sudden, but disappear as well. Some expectedly, some unexpectedly. The most important characters keep growing and growing, a lot of them have changed since Jade City. We see the younger generation grow up and that’s also interesting, because they want to do things differently regarding clan business. Somehow, I was a bit confused by plenty of characters having similar names, it was a bit tougher for me to tell them apart this time.

Whereas I was a bit confused by the writing style in Jade City, I finished this final book in this series rather quickly. I was intriuged from start to finish, I was eager to find out what would happen next. The multiple POV narration again added up to this eagerness, because it showcases the story from multiple sides as well as the character growth. Lee also managed to expand the world even more compared to Jade War. This is quite important since this series relies heavily on politics and it becomes heaver by each book. I’m not sure if there’s a map since I listened to the audiobooks.

The plot follows the same structure as the other books in this series. However, the timespan this book is set in is a bit longer. It’s taking around thirty years which might be confusing at some point. Not in this case however, its even necessary. This series is very heavy on politics and that takes time. There are multiple time jumps, but they are indicated and Lee catches the reader up within the storyline. This way, we clearly see the desire for change as well as the accompanying yet unavoidale shift in clan politics. The ending of this book was heart-wrenching, but somehow I expected something like this to happen.

Jade Legacy is a great finale to Fonda Lee’s “The Green Bone Saga”. All remaining questions are answered and everything gets expanded more in depth. I was wondering if the big issue in Jade City was solved in the end and if someone would win the clan war. Because of this question I was eager to continue listening. I managed to devour half of the book in about two days, that says a lot right? If you like marshall arts, gangsters and if you don’t mind heavy politics, this series is definitely for you.