I received an ARC of Jade Fire Gold from HarperCollins Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not often you find a book so cleanly bifurcated in quality. The first half of Jade Fire Gold is almost uniformly excellent, a rich and textured tale of poverty, oppression, political intrigue, and familial and national legacy set in a vividly-realized world; the second half of Jade Fire Gold is a fantasy adventure which eschews immersion and character development in favor of getting to the end of the story, leaving behind almost everything that made the first half so exceptional.

June CL Tan’s debut takes place in an Asian-inspired fantasy world where some people can control elements (water, earth, fire, air, and metal). It alternates between the perspectives of Ahn, a young woman with the dangerous magical abilities of a fabled figure known as the Life Stealer, and Altan, an exiled price looking to redeem the legacy of his family by slaying the Life Stealer.

If that sounds like it has some similarities to Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’re right! I am a longtime fan of The Last Airbender, and there are plot points in Jade Fire Gold I probably wouldn’t have been able to predict—or at least wouldn’t have predicted as quickly—if I hadn’t seen the show. This didn’t bother me in the least, but I can imagine it being a double-edged sword for some fans. Jade Fire Gold scratches the Avatar itch; it also has difficulty escaping the shadow of The Last Airbender’s superior storytelling, particularly in regard to the magic. I frequently forgot characters could control elements because it is so tangential to the novel.

Jade Fire Gold has two problems—one is a minor annoyance, and the other nearly brings the book crashing down. The first problem is that Ahn and Altan suffer from similar narrative voices; although the writing is strong for each, they are borderline indistinguishable, and I often found myself re-reading (especially when the chapters became shorter and the POVs began to alternate more rapidly, and not always consistently, in the second half of the novel) just to remind myself whose perspective I was in. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it is frustrating.

The second problem is, well, the whole second half of the book. The pacing suddenly switches to Ludicrous Speed, and anything resembling realistic character development goes flying away like Dark Helmet in Spaceballs. People fall in love for no apparent reason, plot twists breeze by weightlessly, and side characters—who are almost universally more interesting than Ahn and Altan (I’d like a novel about Tai Shun and Tang Wei, and I’d like it now)—are unceremoniously shoved to the sidelines. It’s almost shocking how quickly Jade Fire Gold drops in quality; the book as a whole is kept afloat only by its strong writing, which remains mostly undiminished even as the pacing careens out of control.

Jade Fire Gold is simply too short. If the second half had been two or three times longer, if it had given the story time to breathe and develop, this would be a powerhouse debut. But there is a great deal of promise and potential here, and I am looking forward to what June CL Tan brings us next.

Jade Fire Gold was such a pleasure to read! I was already sucked in before I knew anything about the synopsis because I had seen it marketed as similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA). Which is one of the best tv shows ever!! I think that comparison is accurate in a handful of ways – obviously no comparison will encompass a new thing completely! But in Jade Fire Gold we have elemental magic, martial artists, wise mentors, corrupt royals, and so much more. If you’re someone who loved ATLA, I really do think this book will be up your alley. And on the other hand if you haven’t watched the show, I think you’ll still love it!

I love when books have wonderful world-building. And boy does this book have it! You can tell that the author put a lot of thought into the physical world that our characters live in. She even talked about it on her Instagram! There were so many little details to differentiate the various cultures and lands, and I really appreciated that. I especially liked the linguistic variations between the characters from different places. I definitely recommend checking out her Instagram posts if you’d like to see more.

Another element I liked is the influences from real life that are reflected in the fictional world. There are references to a lot of Chinese cultural things (one being the legend of Chang’e), lots of tropes from wuxia and xianxia, and more. It was so cool to see how there are common tropes that span cultures. For example, the author mentions some general themes from wuxia and xianxia that she included were: chosen one, fate and destiny, balance of light and darkness, magical weapons, long hair and robes that flow in the wind, etc. A lot of these things are very common Western tropes, and it was cool see the similarities and differences.

One specific thing I liked was that there was a mentor who was kind of a tea sage?? LIKE UNCLE IROH!!!!! Okay sorry, had to get my ATLA fangirling in.

Again, I really recommend checking out the various posts that the author has made, there are so many little details that she included and it’s fascinating!

Also, there are liondogs and bearcats. I wish we had seen more of them!!!! They sound so cuuuute.

I would love a spinoff novel about the side characters, because they were SO much fun to read about. Also, four of them are queer, we love to see it. It was wonderful to see how they interacted with each other. Some of them had quite a bit of history between them, so I liked seeing how they dealt with that to move forward and work together. The group became a little family and you know I’m a sucker for found family.

Also there was a particular epilogue scene that had me itching for more soooo YEAH. That’s all I’m gonna say about THAT.

I wasn’t very invested in the romance between our two main characters. Each character on their own is great, but their interactions fell a bit flat for me. I think they worked really well together as partners, and maybe this would have been better without romance – we don’t always need it!

There was something that happens partway through the book that I don’t want to spoil, but at that point Ahn starts acting quite a bit differently. I’m going to keep it vague so that I don’t give away anything. But I just felt like it could have been executed better. Obviously when large changes happen in people’s lives, this can cause them to behave and think differently. But I think we didn’t get quite enough from Ahn’s point of view to really understand why she was behaving this way. If any of you have read it, and want more clarification on what I’m talking about, let me know haha.

Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan is officially my favorite Dark Horse pick of the year. This book was great and I am dumbfounded that it is a standalone. It’s such a strong debut, and I couldn’t convince myself it was only one book. I checked Goodreads multiple times to make sure I didn’t miss something, and I was so desperate for more that I even dreamed about Tan releasing a cover for the sequel. Sigh. I may only have one Jade Fire Gold but I’ll definitely be reading everything that Tan releases in the future.

Ahn is desperately trying to support her adoptive grandmother in their dying town. The encroaching desert has stripped their region of resources, and Diyeh priests are stalking the land in search of anyone with magic. Ahn tries to keep a low profile but one day she loses control of her rare and powerful Life Stealing ability. Meanwhile, Altan is in search of powerful magic that can help him take back his throne. As a young boy, Altan’s aunt and uncle killed his father, the Emperor, and Altan was the only one to survive after escaping into the desert. He’s had ten years to plot his revenge, and it’s time for him to finally make a move. As Altan sets his plan into motion, he’s unaware that his path leads straight to Ahn. Both will soon discover their destinies are tied together, and each one holds the future of the kingdom in their hands.

Tan sets a quick pace for Jade Fire Gold, covering as much ground as she can before her 400 pages run out. This story has all the bones of a great book but it did get a little lean in places. Tan made the space she had count though, and overall I really enjoyed Ahn and Altan’s adventure. Not every action scene got time to shine and some moments ended abruptly, but if anything, Jade proved to me that Tan could have expanded the world and built out her vision to a second or third book. It has all the makings of a series and while I’m greedy for more, I am incredibly impressed with what Tan was able to accomplish.

‘Here’s the thing. Jade has a great story and it will keep you entertained from cover to cover. However, quick pacing was needed to execute the lofty plot and it came at a cost. This is especially evident in the character development and their relationships. I found Ahn and Altan to be a little flat at times, but they have a solid foundation and are great for a one-book go. Altan is definitely the strongest of the two, but Ahn really started to shine towards the end of the book. That character development I crave so much was fast-tracked but I could see its potential if Tan had space for them to grow. The supporting cast was minimal but well-established. Their appearance often signaled a new sequence of events for Ahn or Altan, but I enjoyed their company nonetheless.

The only part I found extremely lacking was the romance element, but that might just come down to bad marketing. Jade is billed as this epic slow-burn romance - but do not be fooled - romance is not the first or even second focal point of this story. Tan devotes more time setting the scene and building up the action than creating connections between her characters. This isn’t a bad thing at all, I just think it’s important to set expectations. Space probably limited the possibilities here, but I recommend going into Jade knowing the “love story” is minimal at best.

Jade Fire Gold has a strong and interesting story at its core. It really gets me excited for whatever else June CL Tan may have in the works. For a standalone, Jade accomplished a lot with Tan’s rapid-fire worldbuilding and powerfully refreshing voice. Some of the interactions were stilted and the plot sometimes skimmed over key moments, but everything else was too good to ignore. The downfall is I selfishly wanted more, but only because I loved it that much.

Rating: Jade Fire Gold - 8.0/10
-Brandee

This book is something I have mixed feelings on. On the one hand, I absolutely love the setting and the characters. Altan and Ahn have such unique POVs that I never found myself being confused. The side characters were all fun, and I almost wish there was more of them. One downside to the side characters was there were a lot of them (and at times it felt overwhelming). On the other hand, the book was incredibly fast paced. I know this is a characteristic of the YA genre, but this felt even a bit much for that. I’ll definitely recommend this to customers, and will be purchasing it myself as well.

I absolutely loved this book and will continue to rant and recommend it for the rest of my life 🥰 It’s one of my top reads this year!!

If you love

🔸Enemies to Lovers (with A LOT of banter)

🔸Chinese Mythology

🔸LGBTQIA+ side characters

🔸Asian rep

🔸YA Fantasy

🔸Morally Grey MC

then this book is for you! and believe me you won’t regret picking this up<3

[Character Development] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved both the main characters (Ahn and Altan) whose POVs were highlighted throughout the book, they both had tragic pasts and they were complex and morally grey which made me love them even more. Also a special mention to some of my favorite side characters in this book – Tang Wei, Linxi Leiye, Li Guo who were given equal importance and were special in their own ways. Ah! the Asian rep and the chinese culture were greatly portrayed in every character as well. This book is full of diverse, memorable and amazingly developed characters!

[Writing Style] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The beautifully written quotes and realistic descriptions caught my eyes right away and it was easy to get lost in the authors writing style (the pronunciation of the names were challenging though, haha! ) but there was so much to learn! I was instantly hooked by the descriptions which were easy to imagine!

[Plot] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The characters intentions and thoughts were intriguing from the very start and I couldn’t put the book down as I was drowned in curiosity. It was unpredictable with a lot of suspense involved. There’s betrayal, royalty, magic and adventure! if you love books with intriguing plots and equally intriguing characters then this one’s for you !

[World Building] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The beautifully described landscapes made me want to visit the world and experience it all first hand (*sigh* if only fantasy wasn’t fantasy, if you know what I mean) I was secretly jealous of the characters who get to visit these gorgeous places.

[Overall] ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I would give this book 5 stars without any hesitation! It has my whole heart, I hope I’ve convinced you to read it , but of course I won’t stop my rants haha! GO AND ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR TBR!!

This might be a combination of school/reading slump + this book, but I just don't feel invested in the characters or the story. I found it really weird that Ahn went from never even mentioning a vague memory of her family to suddenly finding her father and everything is perfect and a nice big happy family. It just felt weird and did not make sense.

The plot was pretty predictable, but this book still reads really slow. Like a lot has happened but it also feels like nothing has happened. The romance was meh, though I'm always picky with romance and don't tend to like most romances in YA fantasy. Altan was okay, but some of the flirting just made me cringe lol

I think I went into this with really high expectations from what people had been saying and the cover. Today was the first day I actually heard people saying they weren't a fan of this book, so I finally felt like maybe this was why I wasn't enjoying it so much and didn't feel like picking it up. It's unfortunate, because I really did want to like this book, but I don't feel much for the characters and I'm not invested enough in the story to find out what happens. Apparently the last 50 pages are a mess...

First, you should probably not start reading this book if you are hungry. There's a lot of delicious food described throughout, so prepare to drool. Considering the author's out-of-book description of the characters including references to food (one of my favorite characters is described as "like xiao long bao: proceed with caution, the delicious soup inside can burn your tongue"), be prepared to crave dim sum.

Jade Fire Gold was a very fun read that was hard to put down each time I went through it! The worldbuilding is lush-- it's a wonderful addition to the xianxia (Chinese high fantasy) genre. It's a simple story with life lessons woven into the narrative but not in a preachy way, much like our beloved Avatar: the Last Airbender -- you can almost imagine the wisdom of Uncle Iroh whispering through the pages (as well as his penchant for tea!) It is written an alternating, two first-person POV narrative and for me that also highlights the duality between the big themes: forgiveness vs. revenge, duty vs. choice, history vs. "history", sacrifice vs. greed, trust vs. deceit. There are also a lot of details embedded into the story with hidden symbolism, one of which is the title of the book! From a pacing standpoint, I would really have loved to read a longer second half, a book II, or more set in this world!

On another note, the Chinese words in this book are not italicized and come with tone accents, so if you are a Chinese learner (or someone with limited fluency, such as myself) you can easily figure out how to say the words correctly. I never really realized how italicizing words makes them feel "othered", but for me, this choice made the language flow as a natural part of the story -- almost as if I could imagine that I'm reading a translation.

I was privileged enough to receive an ARC of this book, but I've preordered a hardcover copy and I suggest you do, too!

tw: orphan, violence, death

I'm conceptually quite interested in this book, but am not sure if I actually enjoyed it. From a technical level, I think it's really well made, it just comes down to me not being the target audience.

If you're someone who is really into something like Six of Crows (a book I also did not like) then I think you'll enjoy this as well. It has a lot of the same feelings as that book, but honestly I think it is better written by a country mile.

Like many a white queer in 2020 I was introduced to the concept of xianxia through the works of MXTX and I was absolutely thrilled to see a YA novel that was inspired by xianxia, which was most of the reason that I picked this book up. It delivers on that without a doubt.

I like the shifting perspectives between our male and female lead, both of whom are interesting and flawed. I just am not the target demographic for this book, which definitely felt like YA. I'm going to recommend it to my teenage cousin who reads, because I think she's going to love it.

I received this book as an ARC.

Disclaimer: I received this arc from Little Shop of Stories and an e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Jade Fire Gold

Author: June C.L. Tan

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Chinese MC and side characters. Ownvoice. Sapphic romance side characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, fantasy, ownvoice, Asian inspired

Publication Date: October 12, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 17+ (violence, gore, death, grief, child abuse, parental death, torture, alcohol use, self harm TW)

Explanation of CWs: Self harm, child abuse, and torture are shown and mentioned. Violence and gore and death are throughout the book.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 464

Synopsis: Ahn is no one, with no past and no family.

Altan is a lost heir, his future stolen away as a child.

When they meet, Altan sees in Ahn a path to reclaiming the throne. Ahn sees a way to finally unlock her past and understand her arcane magical abilities.

But they may have to pay a far deadlier price than either could have imagined.

Review: For the most part I liked this read. It was really well written and had some amazing world building. I liked the characters for the most part and they were well developed. I really enjoyed reading this for the most part and it’s your average YA book. I also really liked it because it gave me

However, I did feel like the pacing was completely off and that it threw off the entire book. The romance felt underdeveloped and rushed.

Verdict: It’s good, just needed a bit more.

DNF

That was a very slow start and after reading some other reviews (only to see if it gets better. I do not normally read reviews before I write my own) I found that there may be some potentially racists and offensive troupes in this book. I do not know that for a fact because as stated above, I could not get through the beginning and instead of allowing this book to throw me into another reading slump, I opted to hit pause for the time being.

Maybe if after this book officially releases, I will try it again, but for now, it’s a no from me.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A strong YA fantasy debut with a good balance of surprising twists and familiar themes.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this novel. The Last Airbender comparisons were a definite draw and I knew just enough about the Xianxia novel to be intrigued, but I’ve been finding YA fantasy to be less unique.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It definitely had many of the well-loved tropes of this genre, but there were also some very fresh aspects. I know some have noted the pacing as being a little jarring. I personally found it refreshing and unique—with tightly paced scenes within a more slowly paced overall narrative.

Overall, this was a strong debut. For me, it stood out because it didn’t have any particularly weak aspects (the worldbuilding, plot, and characters were all well written), which is impressive for a debut.

My only hangup, was that throughout the book this felt like the first book in a duology, but I knew it had been marketed as a stand-alone. Then I got to the end (no spoilers here) and once again I was convinced it was a duology. I would have liked more clarity on this because of how it impacts the overall resolution of the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Caffeine Book Tours and HarperTeen for this free copy.

FIRST IMPRESSION:

Despite being a debut novel that has not come out yet, I have been seeing this book all over Bookstagram. My best friend is Malaysian Chinese, so I got introduced and fell in love with the brief look I got into the Chinese culture whenever we got the chance to meet up (since we live in different countries!). But we still get the chance to connect over Asian TV dramas and movies on a regular basis even with thousands of miles between us. Reading a book with those influences by a Singaporean Chinese author sounded absolutely magical to me, so here I am to gush about my experience reading Jade Fire Gold!

THE STORY:

Jade Fire Gold starts with the story of how Atlan, the heir to the Shi Empire, ends up alone and orphaned in the deserts when his uncle seizes control of the throne under the guise of an attack from a neighbouring kingdom. Though Atlan survives he is lost in the desert and taken in by a friend of his father’s, Master Sun. Atlan bides his time, training his physical and magical affinities as he is a Tiensai, a people of his kingdom with magical properties who are shunned and hunted by the order of the Deiyeh priests on the orders of his uncle, who is Emperor.

When his uncle dies, Atlan plots with his friends, Tang Wei and Linxi, to find the Life Stealer, a being who can bring peace to the empire with their powers and a mythical sword during this tumultuous period of transition.

Meanwhile, we meet Ahn, an orphan girl who was raised by Ama in the outskirts of the empire in a village too poor to even garner any notice. Her biggest concern is earning enough money to keep her Ama’s health stable. But Ahn’s past starts catching up to her and she starts to realise that it might be time to figure out exactly what happened to her ten years ago when Ama found her.

Once Atlan and Ahn’s paths cross, they set in motion a grand scheme that challenges the empire’s history, their loved ones and their own feelings for each other.

THE CHARACTERS:

Jade Fire Gold had some excellent characters! I literally loved every protagonist and side character! Ahn was amazing because I loved how she grew into her full potential from a poor orphan girl. Atlan is scarred, untrusting at the beginning but he really opens up by the end of the story. Tang Wei and Linxi were just super adorable! I would love reading more about them! Leiye and Tai Shun, both significant characters from Atlan’s past, made such big impressions on me too, and I would just love love love more about them!

I was so enmeshed in the ‘good guys’ that the villains did not really make a huge impression on me. I felt like the real challenge for the protagonists was more towards finding out the realities of the past and pushing past their comfort zones, so I did not mind the villains making such huge impressions.

THE WRITING:

Simply put, the writing was excellent. It was so smooth and the chapters were really paced. Personally, I am not a fan of long chapters, so I loved the length of the chapters here, and I love that the author did not linger on every little moment of their quest.

Also, the absolutely gorgeous lines I came across in this book? God, I want more of those! I have shared a few of those below, but gosh, some of those lines destroyed me!

As a non-Chinese POC, I did not find any of the cultural references difficult to understand though I did have to Google a few of the words. But since I had a reviewer’s copy, I am not sure if the final copy would have a glossary.

Jade Fire Gold was written in dual POV with both Atlan and Ahn’s perspectives. I loved this because the two of them came from very different places, so it was wonderful to see how they ultimately bonded and got along. The dual POV is probably the perfect way to have written this story.

THE PLOT:

Squeezing in a quest trope into a standalone fantasy is a tremendous task. In addition to the world-building, the story progression has to stay on pace as well.

Jade Fire Gold has a very strong premise. I love the idea of Atlan’s quest and how Ahn factors into it. I was pleasantly taken by surprise a few times and I count that as a good thing. The story starts out really strong and I really loved the journey through the middle of the story too. However, I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed. I loved how the story ended but could it have happened at its own sweet time? I think it could have.

But the epilogue! Be warned that the epilogue is a bit of cliffhanger because it hints at the possibility of a continuation though Jade Fire Gold is a standalone. My fingers are itching to preorder whatever the author decides to write next honestly.

THE WORLD-BUILDING:

Jade Fire Gold is set mainly set within the Shi Empire. I loved the history and culture I got to glimpse in this book, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more. I get the feeling the author might explore the other kingdoms if she writes more based on this universe, so I am so ready for that!

My favourite thing about this book’s world-building was that the characters had to unlearn and relearn quite a bit of their history, and isn’t that something we should all learn to do in this day and age? The Life Stealer’s history itself was pretty elusive and mysterious, but once these incidents from the past were properly dug up, they were actually quite sad and pitiful in a sense. I couldn’t help sympathising with the characters throughout the story.

I liked how the mythology was weaved into the story too. The Soul Beasts, the Jade Sword, the red thread of fate… they were fantastic components of the story. I loved the magic system too. I can see why this book was pitched as similar to ATLA because the elemental magic really felt that way.

THE REPRESENTATION:

This is an #ownvoices debut fantasy since written by a Chinese author and the whole cast of characters are Chinese-coded. There are Achillean male side characters, both badass and gentle cinnamon rolls. There are sapphic female side characters who are in a relationship. Jade Fire Gold is set in a more-or-less queer normative world.

FINAL VERDICT:

Jade Fire Gold is a thrilling, fantastic debut #ownvoices young adult fantasy that explores Chinese mythology, finding one’s own destiny and a beautiful slow-burn romance. Read it for the beautiful world-building, the badass characters, the found family that will wreck you, and the enemies-to-lovers romance! A debut novel that had me enthralled from the first page!

the pitch is stunning, atla being one of my favourite shows, i was excited to see 'what if katara were the dark avatar & zuko was hunting her down in an empire on the brink of war?’ but the execution is done poorly.

—it starts off really well, i liked the character motivations introduced initially and the easy pacing in the first 1/3 or half of the book
—the writing is fairly simple to follow and the worldbuilding inspired by chinese myth/folklore is imbedded pretty well. the descriptions of the different settings and locations were spot on
—i love the side characters, tang wei, tai shun, leiye, and the relationships they have between themselves and the protagonists.

—then the pacing starts to stumble and i lose interest in both ahn and altan because their thoughts seem to feel repetitive and i couldn't care less. i wouldn't have minded if the book went on a little longer if it meant giving a satisfying climax to the buildup rather than finishing it all off in a couple chapters. is it a standalone? or a series? especially with the ending, i'm confused here.
—the so called romance felt very bland, no tension no angst of supposedly being "enemies" so yeah
—i also didn't feel the urgency of a country being at war with others?? the political intrigue was just dumped and not handled with depth

overall, jade fire gold can be an interesting and enjoyable debut ya fantasy, if you're looking for a simple one but its simply not for me.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did, but it just didn't feel fully fleshed out. It dips its toes into the world building, but then doesn't explain it well enough for how much it relies on it for the plot. I like the gist of it, some people have magic and are 'bad people' as labeled by the church sect who also has magic...and there's a magical sword...and someone has the power to work the sword, awesome. But it doesn't really get fleshed out. Why is this person the life stealer? How is magic given? etc. I know the epilogue sets it up to continue the story, but I don't think this one was fleshed out enough.

It also dragged at the beginning and then all of the sudden it's like CLIMAX, FIGHT, THE ENDING. I would have liked more exploration of the world and development of the characters and relationships. Especially since we get so many integral characters but they're also just kind of there...

Also, the slow burn isn't even a freaking slow burn. It's like a tortoise burn with barely any flame and then all of a sudden it's like "oh yeah we meant for this to be a relationship" - there wasn't a whole lot of tension that normally comes with a slow burn.

Good things: Altan is...yes. Awkward golden boy who is also an assassin. Ahn is an okay protagonist.I like the Chinese influence and history and ancestry and culture in it. And the magic is cool, I guess. The dual point of view worked well with this novel.

Overall, this just fell flat. I really think 3.5/5 is generous. There was so much potential for this...and it just didn't have it :/

This was a very good fantasy novel! I liked how it was set in Asia! It was very action packed! This, I recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Lim!

Initial Thoughts
I didn’t get an ARC of this book initially but then I was chosen for a tour and was thrilled to be able to read it early. This is one of my most anticipated reads of the fall!

Some Things I Liked
Alternating POVs. I loved Ahn and Altan. They were the perfect balance to each other and I loved the secrets between them and how those secrets impacted the story.
The romance. The romance was lite in this story and it was more about the profound understanding the main characters found in each other. I also loved the other side romances and would LOVE some spin off stories about them.
ATLA vibes. Altan was a fantasy version of Prince Zuko who was always my favorite character in that series. The parallels between this book and ATLA were phenomenal and nostalgic.

Series Value
Please, please, please let there be more books in this series. I need more. There’s so much more I want to know about this world!

Also, I can’t wait to read more from this author. This debut had everything I wanted and more.

Final Thoughts
I loved every page of this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. I loved getting Ahn’s and Altan’s POVs. Getting glimpses of their past and their reactions to everything that unfolds throughout the novel was great. The side characters were all well fleshed out and I ended up loving all of them too. The world building was very interesting and detailed. It was easy to lose myself in the story and I highly recommend this book.

"I see jade, I see fire.. and gold. The three are bound together. Jade does not melt in fire. And gold- gold follows you and the red thread of fate binds you together"
BE STILL MY HEART!
What an adventure! What a story! This was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I enjoyed it SO much.
In a world on a brink of war, Ahn is an orphan girl living in poverty with her adopted grandmother. Ahn harbors a dangerous secret that could get her and her loved one killed.
Ahn is a Tiensai- a magic wielder. Tiensai are hunted down and killed so Ahn is forced to suppress her abilities. However, her magic is deadlier than she ever knew and her choices could doom them all.
Altan is the exiled true heir of the throne. In hiding after the brutal murder of his family, Altan has been secretly trying to usurp the throne while making it his mission to find the dangerous Life Stealer and ending their life before any harm can be brought to his people.
When Altan and Ahn's paths collide- their secrets and growing feelings carry a heavier weight than either of them bargained for.
I really really enjoyed this story. I am a huge fan of elemental magic and rebellion and this did not disappoint.
We have a broody exiled prince and a clever and fiery girl with secrets. They are forced to travel on this journey together and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop from strangers to tentative friends to something more. Their banter was hilarious and entertaining to read.
The side charatcers were all so amazing- I found myself getting really attached to them all and their sweet little found family.
We have Tang Wei- Altan's best friend and the only one who constantly calls him out on his BS. She is flirty and loyal- honestly a best friend if there ever was one.
She is also very much taken by her sweet girlfriend Linxi. Linxi is gentle and kind and also a spy. I loved watching her bond with Ahn as their friendship bloomed.
Then we have our misunderstood prince Tai Shun- with sad eyes and an enormous heart (plus very much conflicted feelings for Leiye). Leiye is mysterious and he's that character where you don't know whether to trust him or not.
They all played a role in all the action but I do wish I had more content of all of them together.
The fight scenes were super cool and well done- I truly felt like I could see all the elements clashing together.
For those of you wondering if there is any romance- there is! Although it is not the main focus, it has a super sweet slow burn! However, I would have loved to see that develop a little more.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story- it wove Chinese culture with elemental magic and political intrigue. It highlighted issues between corruption and brought awareness
to a marginalized group of people who are cast aside for simply being different. It also explored colonization and how history can be thwarted and changed by the corrupt- I really like and appreciate fantasy stories that bring awareness to real life issues like this.
This was a sweet story about family, honor, love, and sacrifice and I highly recommend it.

When I first heard of this book, I became interested because the author said it had Zutara from ATLA vibes as well wuxia/xianxia themes along with Chinese mythology inspiration. That was enough to add it to my tbr and I was delighted when I got the chance to participate in this blog tour.

So, I can’t actually count myself among the fans of ATLA because I never did finish it. But I know enough about the story and the characters, so any book with those vibes was gonna attract me. And I may have realized that I’m not that fond of xianxia dramas in general, but I definitely wanted to read books in the genre. However, I personally found this to be a bit more different. Yes, the xianxia elements are present along with elemental magic, but what surprised me was that this book was mostly a Chinese palace drama in book form. It has quite a few of the staple tropes - Royals conspiring to kill each other for the throne, puppet emperor controlled by other powerful people in the court, children planning years long revenge for their parent’s deaths and long lost parents and children being reunited. I could probably find more tropes if I looked for them, but all this was enough to make me feel delighted that I was reading this book. It was the double familiarity of a YA fantasy with the chosen one trope alongwith all the palace drama elements that made me very comfortable as soon as I picked it up and enjoy it throughout. The writing is great, with lovely evocative prose, lots of yearning, steady but not fast pacing and some tense moments peppered all through the story.

Ahn and Altan both are not very unique YA protagonists but we still come to like them pretty quickly. Ahn is a sweet girl who just wants her Ama to be safe and maybe find some respite from the poverty they are stuck with in their village in the desert. She never expects that she has a past and a destiny, one that could make or break her country and people. I thought the author depicted well her conflicts about her monstrous power and whether she should use it, whether she can leave it all behind or does she have a responsibility due to her power. While finding answers to her questions, she grows from an innocent girl to someone who understands the big picture and what sacrifices might be required for the greater good.

Altan on the other hand knows what he wants - revenge. He may not say it out loud, but he also wants his place as the rightful heir to the throne. And he is ready to sacrifice anything for his endeavor. But as the story goes on, he comes to realize - rather dangerously - that there are many things and people he actually isn’t ready to sacrifice or hurt, and how getting his revenge will not reduce his grief over losing his parents.

In a way, both of them are a perfect complement to each other, considering themselves as monsters due to their decisions or actions, but slowly realizing that they understand and see each other perfectly, for the flawed people they are trying to do their best in critical circumstances. Their romance isn’t exactly a slow burn but I definitely think it could have been executed a bit differently, to make their feelings for each other more convincing. It was actually hard to understand why they fell in love despite me as a reader knowing that they would be good together.

The side characters in this book are also quite memorable, even if not everyone gets enough page time. Tai Shun is not the image he projects and I found him to be such a lovely boy. Linxi is a good friend and I loved her interactions with Ahn, but her squealing about her girlfriend was the best. Feiye was a mystery to me for the most part but he really shined at important moments. The villain probably was a slight disappointment because he is very stereotypically bad but I didn’t bother much about him. But the one who steals the show is Tang Wei, who is a badass assassin with a biting sense of humor and her banter with Altan was the most fun part of the story. And everytime she called him a stubborn water buffalo, I was immediately reminded of Lin Shu and Fei Liu calling Jingyan “shuǐniú” in Nirvana in Fire, and it just made me more happy.

In the end, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It has interesting characters, a cool history of the world as well as magic, and lots of fun dialogue. I was also extra glad that this was a standalone because I’m getting tired of waiting for sequels, but I had my eyes wide while reading the last scene because it’s the perfect segue for a sequel if the author ever wants to write one. And if you are a YA fantasy reader who also enjoys Chinese palace dramas like me, don’t miss this one - I have a feeling you’ll really find this worth the read.

Grand in scope, June C.L. Tan’s Jade Fire Gold will have readers racing across the magical landscape of this epic adventure to find themselves staggering at the very end, eagerly anticipating the second book.

Jade Fire Gold is another fantasy under my belt that I really enjoyed. I mentioned on IG that I’ve been craving more fantasy stories that delve into mythology and lore of Asian cultures. In Jade Fire Gold, June CL Tan features a mythology and magical lore soaked from traditional beliefs in Chinese culture and Confucian tenets. As the reader you are fully submerged into the lush and rich landscape, feeling the intensity of the sun in a desolate desert. Or feel the waves wiping at your skin, tasting the brine on your lips and being taken into a magical realm where dragons and phoenix dwell.

As for the story, Tan’s debut is about two young people whose fates are intertwined trying to find their place in a world. A world torn by war. Where it may be difficult to know who to trust. It’s a journey of the characters finding themselves and knowing the difference between a history tinged by regret and revenge. Where Ahn and Altan have a choice to ensure a better and more prosperous world.

With a few lulls throughout, and a confusing scene towards the end (when Ahn goes out to sea), Tan’s book left me feeling satisfied. Plus that epilogue! Friends, it has me wondering what will come next.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

Until the next installment.