Thank you to NetGalley and @subpress for providing the arc.
The Greenbone Saga is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies, definitely in the top five. So being able to read prequel short stories about the characters I grew to love is a pleasure. Each of the short stories are unique in the own their way and more importantly offered new insights into characters themselves. If you’re a person who like me enjoyed the Greenbone saga, I would very much recommend that you read these short stories.

Fonda Lee does a great job in this novel, it had everything that I hoped for from other books I’ve read of. I enjoyed the historical setting and the characters within this world. It had everything that I was hoping for and loved the feel of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love The Green Bone Saga and I love Fonda Lee's writing. If you do too, this is the short story collection for you.

While you can go in without having read the trilogy and understand and enjoy what's going on, I would highly recommend that this is something you read afterwards, once you know the characters and can fully appreciate and understand these little glimpses into their past. You get to see characters who have only been mentioned but never shown on page, the development and dissolution of pivotal relationships, and past events that have huge bearing on the world as we are introduced to it in Jade City.

This is not the first time I've read any of these stories (the first three were on Lee's Patreon, the last one she read an except of at an event). I think these encapsulate the rich character work throughout the series, and show how intentional the characters reactions, personalities, and development are. What drove Shae to leave Kekon? How did Wen and Hilo fall in love? And why was the Aun family intimately intertwined with both the Ayts and the Kauls? This collection isn't necessary to get a complete experience, but it is a nice cherry on top.

Glad this exists. Sad it marks the end of GBS.

The clan is my blood and the pillar is its master. I shrieked when I got an ARC because I was so excited to go back to Janloon and the No Peak Clan. Let me say - these did not disappoint. I loved every second of being back in this world. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Fonda Lee is the writer George RR Martin wishes he was.

I received an ARC of this book from Subterranean Press in exchange for an honest review. This review will not contain any spoilers for Jade Shards but will discuss characters and events from the Green Bone Saga.

After her previous follow-up novella, The Jade Setter of Janloon, Fonda Lee returns to the setting of her Green Bone Saga with four short stories about the pro- and an-tagonists: Ayt Mada, Kaul Lan, Kaul Hilo/Maik Wen, and Kaul Shae. Each adds some backstory to characters that we see grow and change through the main novels and largely succeeds at delivering the kind of intimate character moments I appreciated from Lee's writing.

In "The Witch and Her Friend," we get to see Ayt Mada's rise through the eyes of Anden's mother Aun Ure. The story does an excellent job of showing how the two girls' friendship, which began in school, gradually fades as they choose different paths in adulthood. Aun Ure's decision to step back from life as a Green Bone after developing an infamous reputation during the war parallels Anden's similar choice following the end of Jade City, and gives another glimpse into the life of non-clan-affiliated Green Bones in Kekon. Having seen several of my own friendships change, and some deteriorate, as I've moved on from high school and undergrad into (semi)-adulthood, the growing distance between Ayt Mada and Aun Ure rang true. Sometimes the people who are there for us at one particular time in life are the wrong people to lean on at other moments, and what began as genuine friendship can fade into a more transactional relationship. Of course, when one of the two parties is Ayt Mada, the specter of strategy is never too far away. This story was my favorite of the collection and made for a strong beginning.

"Not Only Blood" tells the story of the Kaul family's adoption of Anden from the perspective of Kaul Lan. Since Lan's time as a major character was abruptly cut short (tiptoeing around spoilers here), it was lovely to see the kind of leader he could have been. This story fills out the relationship between Lan and Kaul Sen and shows a time before Hilo was the dominant force he becomes in the Green Bone Saga, providing a different look at the highest levels of No Peak Clan. For me this was probably the weakest story in the collection, but it was still a good read and worth the time.

"Better than Jade" shows us the beginning of Hilo and Wen's relationship, pivoting again from friendship to family to romance. For me, Hilo and Wen were the emotional core of Jade Legacy especially. Early-stage relationships tend to be more common in fiction than late-stage ones, and getting to see them change and mature after the events of Jade War was one of the highlights of the long time frame Lee used in Jade Legacy. Their courtship here is more conventional, but enlivened by the alternating perspectives, which are well-used to show the early misinterpretations that so often happen when two people are just starting to learn each other's habits. Despite the potential for miscommunication, and the class differences that hang over a relationship between a Kaul and a stone-eye, Hilo and Wen's passion and love for each other come through from the very start. This relationship is one of my favorites in recent years, and despite being more interested in reading friendships than romances lately this story reminded me of the beauty of a romance done right.

With "Granddaughter Cormorant," Lee turns away slightly from the character-focused moments of the previous story and gives us a short spy vignette, describing Kaul Shae's early activities as a (only partially aware) Espenian agent. The story provides a nice balance to the collection, as it's the only one to feature the sharp, kinetic action scenes that the Green Bone Saga wove in so well. This angle doesn't mean it skimps on character, though--seeing Shae as a more naive and unsure person, rather than the smooth operator she returns as in Jade City, is the kind of backstory moment that this collection is meant to provide.

Four out of five stars. A welcome return to Janloon, even if it doesn't quite hit the heights of the Green Bone Saga.

For those that miss Kekon and The No Peak Clan (but recognize that the Green Bone Saga has come to its satisfying conclusion), Jade Shards is a perfect collection of short stories that shine a light on little figments of character's stories that were previously unexplored. From Ayt Madashi's early history with Aun Uremayada to Hilo's early relationship with Shae, Fonda Lee quickly immerses readers back into the world of Green Bones with stories, showing previously unexplored depths and connections.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, violence, suicide, self-harm, murder

Yeah, I’m that fan who will read whatever Fonda Lee writes. Especially if it has anything to do with the Green Bone Saga. Since the beginning of book 1, I have been completely pulled into this complex, beautifully created world, with the multifaceted characters and the political and interclan conflicts, as well as the exciting martial arts fight scenes. So when prequel short stories were offered? You better believe I was jumping on that.

Now that I’ve finished reading, I have absolutely no regrets. This was a fabulous bunch of short stories, and it allowed me to get a little more insight into the backstories of some of the major players in the series. I loved reading about the characters, before the series had taken place, but what I really loved most about this was the way Lee offered feedback as to her process—what led her to write these stories and how she feels about the characters and these short stories. Somehow, I always feel bereft when I finish my favorite series, but I’ve never thought about how authors devote years of their lives to writing these books and how it must feel like they’ve lost a family member when saying goodbye to these characters.

The book starts out with a short story centering on Ayt Madashi’s younger years, and it was really intriguing, mainly because we don’t really get any insight into Ayt Mada’s life outside of what other people say. We don’t know much about her early life, so this fills in some information about who she was and what has made her the way she was throughout the series.

Reading Kaul Lan’s story was unsurprising, because he was much the same way he was in the series. However, he was younger and less confident in his abilities, as well as not being pushed into a leadership role yet. Perhaps the coolest thing about this story was the way the clans overlapped more in the early days, and how Lan went out of his way for the sister of an old friend, leading to events that changed the outcome for the whole clan.

Hilo changed so much over the course of the series, but we’re reintroduced to Loose-Cannon Hilo, the way he was at the beginning of the series. His friendship with the Maik brothers was legendary, but the beginnings of his romance with Wen was never explored in the books … until now. It was beautiful to watch the seeds of their romance bloom.

And at the beginning of Jade City, we already know about Shae’s checkered past, but in this book we get a story exploring her work as an informer for the Espenians. It was really intriguing to see all the differences between how Shae was in this story and how she changed over the course of the series, because she had some massive character development.

This is a fantastic collection of short stories, and it’s the perfect fix for anyone who is missing the exciting world of Kekon and Green Bones. In addition, it’s just the right length for a one-sitting read. However, beware, because this is making me really want to reread the whole series.

It was lovely to be back in Kekon! I LOVED these characters in the Green Bone Saga so it was a real treat to be back with them, even for a little while. My favorite story was the one about Hilo and Wen because I adore their relationship so much and it was fun to see Hilo when he was younger. I also enjoyed Lan’s story very much.

Hilo and Shae are still my faves, their sibling rivalry was my favorite part of the series and it was nice to see it come out at times in these short stories, too!

I forgot how amazing Fonda Lee is at writing. And by forgot I mean it’s just been a while. I forgot how complete the conflict feels in the Greenbone universe. As if these people are part of real sociopolitical struggles full of nuance and complexity.

We get to see all of our favorites in this short story collection. There is a chapter for Lan, Hilo, and Shae- and a surprise chapter from Anden's mom.

The thing is - these are SHORT stories. Go in blind. Don’t look up anything about them. It’s really just best being surprised being dropped into this beautiful world visiting these amazing characters for a brief moment in their lives. Another beautiful collection full of moments both dark and bright from our favorite crime family.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I said goodbye to the green bone saga not long ago (I took too long to read the last one for this exact reason: didnt want to say goodbye) and I finished already missing the characters. So when I saw this was coming out I was so excited! And it was exactly what I wanted from an extra.
Every story told me something that I wondered about at some point in the trilogy and that was satisfying. But mostly, it was great to see more of these characters and relationships, learn more about them and like Fonda Lee said herself in the book, just spending time with them without worrying about plot (especially here where imo the characters and their relationships are the strongest part of the trilogy). For that reason sadly Shae's story was the one I enjoyed the least, but still enjoyable.
Overall i think anyone who is as attached to this story and the characters as I am will love this!

I received a courtesy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of prequel short stories in the renowned "Green Bone Saga". Fonda Lee's amazing writing style is well-known at this point, and the best way I can review this collection is to compare it to the first thing that came to mind: wedding cake tasting.

When you go wedding cake tasting, they give you a piece of each cake as a sample. It's a small piece, and it leaves you wanting more of the pieces that you like. Except here, each piece is INCREDIBLE.

Easy 5 stars. Go read it. Now!

The Witch and Her Friend: A short story on the formative years of Ayt Mada.

Not Only Blood: Insight into Kaul Lan's character and his family's relationship with Anden.

Better Than Jade: The vivid beginning of the love story of Kaul Hilo and Maik Wen.

Granddaughter Cormorant: Details about what Shae was doing when away from the family.

Each of these short stories was a peak into the lives of characters we've grown to love or hate over the greenbone saga, and seeing some of their past was really wonderful.

The story about Ayt was probably my favorite of the four, with the story about Hilo and Wen being my second favorite.

These stories could work really well in the context of a television show, as flashbacks, and the jade setter of Janloon being the pilot. It's all one, big cohesive story.

I know Fonda Lee has so many making story ideas in her head, and I can't wait for the duology she has coming out in couple years, but I could happily read more stories set in Janloon and beyond for years to come, I'd love to see the forming of the clans, or the war before our cast was alive, it seems like it could be a very interesting period to read about.

Either way, Fonda Lee does it again, and I will absolutely be reading anything she releases in the future.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and Fonda Lee for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book

This was a nice little return to the Green Bone Saga. I enjoyed getting to see some of the backstory of these characters and I was sad to see it end.

I'm currently in the middle of a yearly Green Bone Saga reread and I told myself at the start that I will read Jade Shards when I finish the reread of the whole series, just like I did last year with The Jade Setter of Janloon. But I just can't wait anymore.

This review might be a little bit biased because I don't think I've ever loved a series as much as Green Bone Saga and never loved characters as much as I love the Kauls. Last year when I read The Jade Setter of Janloon, despite me just finishing a reread, I felt so happy to be back into this world - it felt like coming home after a year long trip. That is how I felt as well when I opened up this ARC.

The Witch and her Friend was a delight to read, only because I was not expecting myself to be given the perspective of Anden's mom Aun Ure. It didn't really hit me that Ayt Mada and Anden's mom could be friends, since they were in the school together - and it even shocked me to realize that Anden's mom probably had such a great impact on Ayt Mada. It got me thinking - would Ayt Mada be the person she is without the friendship of Aun? Most likely, but reading this got me thinking of her behavior with Anden and how she became the Ayt Mada that we know of.

Not Only Blood might be my favorite out of this bunch, just because it's Lan's and of course I was deprived of it from the original series. What I loved about Lan's is that just like his scenes in Jade City, most of the plot and thoughts was family-focused, which was why I loved him in the first place. I love that we get to see Lan's selflessness in this story and how Anden came to be at the Kauls. I also love the references I can point out to Jade City, of how Anden called Lan and in this story we see Lan giving Anden his phone number if he is in need. Also I love Hilo and Shae bickering in this so much and seeing it from Lan's perspective was kind of funny.

Better than Jade had me screaming because I didn't think I was in need of Hilo's and Wen's start of their relationship but this made me think otherwise. What I loved about this one is seeing their younger personality parallels their older ones. Hilo as a young Fist with the Maiks, and how we get to see the childishness and casualness of him before GBS, and how he's so against the unfair treatment that the Maiks was given. It was just all very Hilo and I loved reading about him again. Seeing Wen becoming independent as well despite being a Stone Eye was also very on brand of her as well.

Granddaughter Cormorant is one that I was at first unsure about but turns out I loved it either way (see, maybe I'm biased). In Green Bone Saga, we did hear stories about Shae's past life and activities, but it was always told in a regretful or snarky way. In here, we really did get to see how she felt while she was becoming the asset, and even though yes I didn't really agree with her, it really shaped her as a character which I appreciated. Also seeing some familiar Green Bone names were always a delight.

Overall just a solid short stories collection. I know that I will get back and reread this anytime I'm missing the Kauls because even though they don't add a lot to the original series, being with these characters makes me happy and I would gladly read stories of them just sitting around at their house and them doing their chores if it means I could be with them again. I also loved Fonda's comments on each of the short stories and how they were written.

(Also the introduction of this book of Fonda saying she may not be quite done with the Kauls but perhaps they are done with her since they also deserve rest. Fonda I'm crying)

Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review!

Though I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes explanations Fonda Lee provided, I was hoping for something I liked as deeply as The Jade Setter of Janloon or Unteathered Sky. Unfortunately this was not the case with this anthology.

I enjoyed Deeper than Jade, the Lan POV, and while I’d liked Ayt’s story, I had expected more, somehow of both? Deeper or longer. Fonda Lee said Ayt Mada would have commanded the spotlight if she had her own POV, but I still felt as if any or all we got of her wasn’t enough.

I liked the histories between characters—- the Jade Witch and her part in Kekon, Lan recognizing the ties between No Peak and the Mountain, but the other two stories of Wen and Hilo’s first time, and Shae’s golden child era did not hit the same way.

Fonda Lee does it again. Your heart finally heals, you think you are done with Janloon, but she comes then she comes and tears your heart wide open all over again!! I absolutely adored reading about Lan, Hilo, Shae, Anden, and Ayt Mada from before Jade City. The worst thing about these short stories is now they're over!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

It’s been about a year and a half since I read this series over the course of a month, so I was a bit worried I wouldn’t remember enough for these short stories. Luckily, the way these short stories have been designed and written, they’re fantastic to read almost whenever, either right after finishing Jade City or the whole series, or even months or years after finishing. The stories remind you of what you need without getting bogged down by it, and it was honestly really nice to revisit these characters after so long.

These stories can be seen as prequel stories, all occurring before Jade City, but they showcase events we’ve heard about throughout the trilogy already. While in that way nothing truly ‘new’, is being revealed or shown here, it does give a different perspective on events we already thought we knew. We got to see Anden’s mother, before she succumbed to the itches, and we got to see Lan before the events of Jade City changed him. We also got to see Wen and Hilo falling in love, and see Shae before she was shaped by studying in a foreign country. In a way, it really felt like fanfiction about characters we’ve already come to know and love, and it made the stories so easy to read, even if the content was not very light.

I think my favorite thing, though, were the author’s notes added after each story. It explained Fonda’s motivation for writing each story, and gave more insight both on the events themselves and how she thought about certain aspects of this series, and why she made the choices she did. I feel like I got a look behind the curtain of this series, and I honestly loved it!

Overall, this is a perfect, brief addition to a series I already love with my whole heart, and while I wouldn’t say it’s a necessity, it is also a fantastic way to dive a bit deeper into the world of Janloon and the Green Bones.

i enjoyed these stories a lot! fonda lee is a consistently spectacular character writer, and the four short stories she chose to write all expand on the original series beautifully. really enjoyed her author notes explaining the background and motivation behind each one as well. my one (minor) disappointment was that four short stories, as well-written as they are, didn't feel quite substantial enough for a standalone collection, and i wished there had been just a few others to round out the series.

(received an arc from netgalley for this review.)

Everytime I think Janloon is done with me, Fonda Lee pulls me back in. In this collection of 4 short stories we get to see some of the personal histories of characters missed and those we never met.

"The Witch and Her friend" is a series of meetings between Ayt Mada and Aun Ure. One already powerful and wanting to be normal, the other is Ayt Mada growing into herself.

"Not Only Blood" Kaul Lan (LAAAN) before he took over No Peak. And we get to see him being a certain someone into No Peak.

"Better Than Jade" it's how Hilo and Wen got together. Holy crap don't get in her way.

"Granddaughter Cormorant" finally learn what Shae did as an asset.

And after the stories Fonda Lee gives us some of her thoughts on these stories. Like why Ayt Mada didn't get any POVs (it's a really good reason).

If you can't get the Green Bone Saga out of your head don't skip this.

Thank you Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC. Out July 31, 2023.

I wouldn't recommend this book if you haven't read the Green Bone saga, but if you have read it then I don't have to say much to convince you to pick it up. Fonda Lee returning to the world of Janloon- of course it's brilliant!
This collection of short stories features the main cast of the Green Bone saga in the years before Jade City. Readers of the series will know these characters well already, but Fonda Lee still expertly crafts the origins of the characters, showing the smaller moments that contribute to who they become later on.
Some of the stories give information and fill in the gaps about timelines and events preceding the series. but other stories just allow readers to spend more time with the characters they've grown to love.
I highly recommend this and can't wait for more people to read this. Thank you to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.