OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG… 5 STARS AUTOMATICALLY IDCCCCCCC. Yall Fonda Lee is the best writer of characters I have ever read. The way she is able to pull on your heart strings in such a little amount of time is insane. If you all enjoyed The Greenbone Saga please read this. Getting the backstory as to why these characters are the way they were in the trilogy is so amazing. She showed so much diversity in just this little collection of short stories and gave every story a different vibe/meaning.
Ps: All hail Emery Anden

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5

A lovely look into the Greenbone sagas most beloved characters. And a great bridge between books 2 and 3 for me I really enjoyed reading Lees commentary after each piece

Thank you to Subterranean Press for giving me an arc of Jade Shards in exchange for an honest review!

This was another great addition to the Green Bone Saga, with all of the short stories showcasing events from before the trilogy. I did end up liking a few of them more that others, especially the ones revolving around Shae, and Ure, because we get a peek at some of the characters that are not shown for most of the series, but there shadows loom over the entire series.

5ish stars.

This series is one of my all-time favorites and I'm so grateful to be able to live in Fonda Lee's world for as long as I can.

I was so glad to be brought back into the world of the Green Bone saga as Fonda lee enriches her already extraordinary world. This is a prequel to the series featuring 4 short stories which include: Anden’s mom's backstory and friendship with Ayt Mada, Lan’s early connection to Anden, Hilo and Wen’s budding relationship, and Shae before she goes to Espenia. These stories gave even more life to the already well-developed main characters from the series, as well as a newfound appreciation for characters outside the focus of the trilogy. While there is no cohesive plot connecting the four stories, they are told in the order of events and immerse you into each moment in time flawlessly.

Although it’s nice to see some characters again, these stories are just too short to get any enjoyment out of them in my opinion. I think Fonda should have written prequel novellas instead of this.

4.5/5


I missed these characters so much and I'm glad fonda lee gave us more content and added a backstory for some of them. "The witch and her friend" and "Better than jade" were definitely my favorites, I only wish this had more short stories.

Thank you to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories from on of my favorite series. My favorite is the one about Hilo and Wen.

It was just what I expected it would be!
I'm a huge fan of The Greenbone Saga trilogy and here in this book we get to come back and revisit some old characters we love and hate.
It's a book for the fans, but it has that thing that makes it special and even thought I can't put it into words, it has something to do with Fonda's storytelling. It's really amazing. As we get into the mind of these characters, it's tangible the author's love of this book and these characters!
I loved it with all of my heart

Have you ever watched The Godfather and found yourself thinking "This is great, but what it really needs is more kung fu"? If so, then you've either already read Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga, or you're going to.

Jade Shards is a collection of four standalone short stories taking place prior to the main trilogy, each following a different major character. This allows Lee space to explore who these characters were before we met them for the first time in Jade City.

The first of these stories, "The Witch and Her Friend," centers around the unlikely friendship between a young Ayt Mada, the future ruthless leader of the Mountain Clan, and Aun Ure, the tragic former assassin whose son, Emery Anden, will one day shape the future of the No Peak Clan.

We encounter Anden again as a young boy in the second story, "Not Only Blood," which is told from the perspective of Kaul Lan. This story showcases Lan's fundamental decency, which will characterize his eventual rule over No Peak.

The third story, "Better Than Jade," chronicles the early courtship of Maik Wen and Kaul Hilo, who are already an established couple by the time we meet them in Jade City. It's also very, very steamy.

The final short story, "Granddaughter Cormorant," follows a young Kaul Shae as she struggles to make a name for herself in the patriarchal Green Bone society. Her actions in this story sow the first seeds of the division that will eventually arise between her and the rest of her family, as well as show the origin of how she became an informant for a foreign power.

Each of these stories is followed by a short essay from Fonda Lee explaining the story's origin, and what each showcases about its central character. As someone who loves getting a peek behind the curtain into a writer's process, these insights were fascinating to me.

One caveat: despite the fact that these stories all occur prior to the main trilogy, I don't think that Jade Shards is a good entry point to the series. None will have the same emotional impact for someone who hasn't at least read the first book. I suggest reading Jade City first, and coming back to Jade Shards once you're emotionally committed to the series and these fascinating, flawed, dynamic characters.

Thanks to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

Any opportunity to return to the world of the Green Bone Saga.......sign me up!!! I will never tire of these characters and these four short stories that flesh out some past events just pull you right back in. Ayt, Anden, Lan, Hilo, Wen and Shae all feature here and I especially loved getting more details on Anden's childhood. I sure hope this is not the last time I get to return to Janloon.

4.5 stars

I devoured this book in like, two sittings and wow—when I tell you I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of nostalgia this brought back. It's hard to believe that I parted with Jade Legacy all the way back in 2021 and it's been almost two years. We get to see the lives of Ayt Mada, your favourite antagonist, delve deeper into the relationship between Hilo and Wen, learn more about Lan and Shae pre-Jade City.

I still think that the Greenbone Saga is one of the best series of all time and I can't even describe it in one genre because it's just so massive—and explores so many themes. Fonda slayed it with this novella especially the way she struck true to the characters and their motivations. Though most of it was not completely plot-driven, it was as exciting and just so satisfying. If you've finished the GBS and wanna relive the feeling of reading it, this is just that book.

— Thank you NetGalley and Publisher, for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jade Shards is just perfection for any Green Bone fan! In the introduction, Lee writes: "At times during the writing I felt as much as a family biographer as a novelist." And these short stories definitely feel like a personal look at some of our favorite characters and the events that shaped them. I think my favorite story was Not Only Blood, but Better than Jade was a close second for me, because they deal with such personal events and feelings. It's very bittersweet that this is likely the end of the Greenbone stories, but this was such a lovely read and I'm looking forward to my next reread of GBS having read Jade Shards.

Thanks to Subterranean Press and to Netgalley for an eARC of Jade Shards!

A great addition to the Green Bone Saga, expanding on characters we didn’t see as much throughout the original series. As well as an overall great expansion to the world

This book was such a treat!!!! I absolutely loved the green bone saga and it was so good to step back into this world. Loved reading about my favorite characters when they were young and when they were barely starting out in their life .I love Hilo and Wen and loved reading about the start or their relationship. If you read and loved the Green Bone saga, then you have to read this book. Will %100 absolutely recommend

For those who know Avatar the Last Airbender, this was basically the “tales of Ba Sing Se” episode but for the characters of the Green Bone Saga.

Soooo… obviously that’s 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC :)

4.5 stars

Ahhhhh I loved being back with these characters. The Green Bone saga holds such a special place in my heart so these little short stories were so great. I'd gladly read a million more stories and novels set in this world.

4.5 stars for my amazing family.

The Green Bone Saga will always have a special place in my heart. The characters that I’ve met here are embedded in me, most especially Emery Anden. My favorite chapter here was, of course, Not Only Blood because it showed me the touching and emotional relationship Lanshinwan had with Anden. I was actually quite disheartened that we didn’t get more Lan and Anden scenes on Jade City, but reading this made me so complete. Anden and Lan are one of the most amazing characters in this saga and seeing how their relationship developed fulfilled me.

I will be very honest, I cried while reading this because I already know what happens to them after. I already know what goes on in the three books and I wanna erase this knowledge from my brain. Better Than Jade was a very bittersweet chapter for me, I loved Wen and Hilo as a couple back in Jade City and Jade War (I cannot say the same for Jade Legacy), and reading about their courting days made me tear up like a baby. Fonda Lee’s note after Better Than Jade was also more sadder and I can’t believe this woman never fails to make me cry a bucket of tears because of TGBS.

The Green Bone Saga is masterpiece after a masterpiece.

Jade Shards is the perfect addition to the Green Bone Saga. Within a few sentences I found myself thinking (and missing) the Kaul family non-stop. I absolutely loved how these short stories complimented the main and I truly welcome any chance to visit Janloon again.

Thank you NetGalley and SubPress for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve been yearning to come back to this universe and to the Kaul family ever since I finished reading “Jade Legacy”. Fonda Lee has easily become one of my favourite authors and I’m always in awe at how flowy and easy-to-read her books are. She does such an amazing job at creating characters and making them feel real. “Jade shards” is a collection of 4 short stories involving characters from the Greenbone saga and I loved every second of reading it.

The first story was a pleasant surprise, as it followed Anden’s mom, Ure and her relationship with Mada. I loved Mada in the original trilogy, so it was nice to see more of her backstory and how she came to be the fearless leader we see featured in the books. Fonda Lee’s ability to add small details to each of her characters shines through here as well – Ure had such a distinct personality condensed in a few pages. This first story might actually be my favourite out of the bunch.

The next stories follow Lan, Hilo and the beginning of his relationship with Wen and Shae before she came back from Espenia. Granted, Wen holds a special place in my heart, as she’s such a badass, powerful woman and it was lovely to see how determined she was from the start. I just adore her character so much. The story following Lan broke my heart a little bit, not going to lie.

Overall, I think this is an amazing farewell to these characters, but I do wish Fonda will come back to the Kaul family at some point. Highly recommend this book to anyone that loved the Greenbone saga.