I love this series. The author does such a great job of inventing a whole new world built on intricate laws, and compelling characters. I loved dipping back into this world and found it satisfying.

This blew me away. This trilogy really finished up with a bang.

The writing is enthralling. The settings feel so vivid and fleshed out. The characters are wonderfully complicated and morally gray. The dynamics between characters feel realistic and difficult.

I love that Fonda Lee gave me characters that I can love and hate.

The plot in this was insane. So many things were happening but they all felt developed and the way things intertwined was wonderful. I was genuinely shocked and upset at multiple points in the book. I audibly gasped and/or had to put the book down at more than one moment because it was so intense.

I cried at multiple points - and I’m not a big crier. The ending was satisfying, but man I was not ready to let go of this world yet.

The fantasy and gangster setting of Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga will never cease to amaze me - it's such a perfect and clever urban fantasy setting that yields a high action which keeps you engaged and never makes the book feel it's full 700+ page length. The scheming and maneuvering imbedded in the story lets the slow burn feel impactful and keeps the stakes - and tension- high. This series is all about the long game - and it keeps you along for the entire ride.

i received a digital arc from the publisher, orbit, in exchange for an honest review.

jade legacy is the epic finale to the epic urban fantasy trilogy of the green bone saga. i gave the former 2 books full 5-star ratings and with this 3rd one another 5, i think it's safe to say this is one of my—if not my one ultimate—favorite sff series of all-time. the series as a whole is a brilliant, pulsating read, but maybe jade legacy is my favorite out of the three because it hit harder having known the characters for longer.

this final book spans about 20 years with these characters that started in their teens and mid-twenties in book 1, jade city, and end up in their forties and older—it is frightening and exciting all at the same time! however, fonda lee excels at making it all work. it doesn't feel like a blank leap in time because the author fills us in and makes us feel part of this story, feeling deeply for this incredibly well-written characters, weaving us through an evocative story of intrigue and magic and family.

jade city was already a masterclass, jade war elevated the scene, but jade legacy upped the scale and took it splendidly further.

we follow the social and political implications of the continuing blood feud between the no peak clan and mountain clan, along with the expansion of the world in the green bone saga and the exploration of the cost and seemingly never-ending consequences of war. this book delves even deeper than ever into the difficult, pivotal decisions that change the characters' lives and takes the reader unexpected places that prove to be very impactful. even if you aren't into political intrigue (which, i am, so i soaked in every bit of enjoyment from this aspect of the story) — you will still be on the edge of your seat and intrigued to know what happens next, because in the green bone saga, we learn that every decision has consequences no matter how right or wrong it is. in this case, i was a bundle of nerves, fearing for the character i feel so passionately about, and excited to see where fonda lee takes the reign of the story. it was never, never boring, and always had me feeling either excited and adrenaline-pumped, or sad and devastated.

the green bone saga is a fantasy saga that married modern asian history and culture with epic gangster intrigue, martial arts, and magic, and was ultimately, at its core, about family and choices. this is what fonda lee set out to do as her passion project, and in my humble opinion, it paid off incredibly. these characters are miles-apart different, but they all grapple with who they are and what is important to them and how to do the best thing at a given time, whether their decisions are driven by duty or desire. they are constantly torn and conflicted and weighed down by their own expectations and those of others, and it keeps the reader intrigued, wanting to know more, and eventually growing attached to them. these characters learn, along with the readers, to to find the strength to make their own decisions while also making peace with the fact that much of fate is driven by circumstance. the family dynamics in this series are exceptionally compelling. in a culture-infused setting, "family and personal identity can’t be disentangled."

it was especially astounding and appreciative how women were written in this crime and gang story. it's undeniable that throughout history it’s typically men who are held up as heroes, in real life and in fiction, while women are presented in supporting roles or as villains. across the history of literature and storytelling, "strong female characters" are outnumbered by the famous villainesses who stand in the way of the man or the supporting, loving wife who does nothing substantial except provide the soft side narrative to the (man) partner. in the green bone saga, fonda writes women in different roles on a whole other spectrum than i've ever read before. from the "willfully ignorant and passive mob wife" shae’s mother kaul wan ria, to the "supportive partner and soft power behind the throne" maik wen, to the "exceptional strongwoman who succeeds by outcompeting the men" ayt mada... they all present a variety of strong women with real levels of complexity and a stunning amount of depth about them.

wen is my absolute favorite character across all three books (her role escalates and becomes more significant as we get deeper in the story—jade legacy really shined with the raw and real beauty that was maik wen's character) and she's one of my top fictional female characters ever. shae also ranks high as part of the kaul siblings and her dynamics with everyone, such a strong and resilient character with faith in her self and her family. ayt madashi is a compelling "villain" in the story because she’s a tenacious rival to the protagonist narrative of the kauls and no peak clan, but when you consider her rationale, i wouldn't mind reading from her perspective as the protagonist either. she is tough and ruthless and determined to climb to power in a highly male-dominated culture. she's made immoral decision, but we can say the same for many of the highly-held men here, too. i love her character so much because she can be a hero or a villain in the eyes of some people—and had she been a man, maybe the opposite would be seen.

this is not to say that the narrative pretends that there is no systemic prejudice against women and to make them every bit as prevalent and accepted as the men; that's as unrealistic as it being complete marginalization of women. one of the things fonda lee wanted to depict in the green bone saga is "a society and a culture being altered, sometimes painfully, by the march of modernity, and the changing role of women is part of that," and i'd say that as a reader, this translated through the writing and storytelling so powerfully.

and as much as i praise the women to no end here, the men characters are absolutely not dealt any less-than-richly-nuanced card either! from emery anden, to the maik brothers, to the young generation of the kaul siblings (which, by the way, i adore to infinity!), they all have interesting, compelling and conflicting character arcs. especially the man of the show, kaul hilo, who has my feelings in a war. lia from an ode to fiction has an in-depth appreciation blog post breaking down hilo's character as part of the jade legacy pre-order campaign, and i could not have worded it better if i tried. (also check out her amazing review on the blog and gr!)

seeing how everything else falls into place, i have to say that the world-building is incredible. fonda based kekon and janloon on a mix of historical, cultural, and geographic influences that included taiwan, hong kong, singapore, and okinawa in the latter half of the twentieth century. there was heavy research involved on the history and culture of organized crime groups including the chinese triads, japanese yakuza, and the italian-american mafia. and more, including chicago during the time of al capone and the gangs of new york in the 19th century, jade mining in burma, the blood diamond trade in africa and drug trafficking in mexico. there are so many rich aspects woven through the nitty-gritty parts of the green bone saga and it shines through as a vivid, pulsating and intricate world. i feel engaged enough that i could step into the world of kekon and janloon any minute as i read.

if i could ramble on about this book (and trilogy), we really would be here forever. this book broke me, healed me, shattered me to pieces and spilled tears on my grave and made me reach extreme levels of vulnerability.

gut-wrenching, evocative and painfully delightful, jade legacy packs a punch to the end of an era; it is truly an epic, satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable and undeniably impactful story, with characters that will live in my heart forever.

Jade Legacy is out November 30th. You can pre-order it now!

The Green Bone Saga is now one of, if not the, best trilogies that I have ever read.

For those of you who may not know, The Green Bone Saga is an Asian-inspired urban fantasy series set in a world very similar to our own. It follows the rising generation of the Kaul family, as they seek to become the strongest Green Bone clan on the island of Kekon. The Green Bone clans are defined by their possession and use of jade, which allows those that are sensitive to it to have enhanced abilities like strength, lightness, endurance, and others. This series is heavily inspired by The Godfather, as the clans act almost as rival gangs: dealing in jade, using their power and influence to manipulate situations to their advantage, and behaving in morally and legally questionable ways, if necessary.

The trilogy as a whole is masterfully executed, dealing with themes of family, tradition, legacy, morality, power, greed, sacrifice, and so much more. The characters in these series are so well fleshed out, that you understand them on a very deep level, and learn to love and hate them for their strengths and flaws.

I was very eager to see how Lee would wrap up this trilogy in the final book, and while my expectations were high, I can honestly say that the author went above and beyond what I had hoped for. Jade Legacy beautifully and ruthlessly tells the story of this family, and does it in a way that is realistic while also being utterly shocking. I am beyond impressed by this trilogy, and believe the conclusion to be one of the best I have ever read.

Please, please, please give this trilogy a try. It has everything I wanted in a series, and I cannot recommend it enough.

5/5 stars! OMG I got this advanced copy back in early October and I was rushing to finish reading books 1 and 2, before even opening this one. I ended up binge-reading this 600 page book yesterday night.

I’m so tired and I probably look like a raccoon, but it was so worth it! Let me tell you something, you won’t be disappointed. I cried at least twice while reading it. It was epic and emotional. Broke my heart but mended it as well.

Jade Legacy continues to build on the characters and has amazing worldbuilding. It’s a mix of action and politics. The Green Bone Saga is one of my top series I’ve ever read (of all time). I know I’m kinda repetitive, can’t help it. Anyways, there are time jumps in this book and we get to see the main characters evolve and change. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions and a well paced novel.

I don’t want to say too much since it's the last book in the series. I’m so sad to see it end, I’ll be looking forward to what Fonda Lee writes next!

I’ll post again when it gets to release day (Nov 30th) for a non-spoiler review! Please check out this series, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Jade Legacy is a masterpiece. The entire Green Bone saga is a masterpiece. Not only that, but there is a level in which it sets a new standard for epic fantasy. Jade Legacy concludes a series that is both simple and complex. It's about jade, only jade, but also about its place in the world and about the people who control it, the people who strive to control it and the people it affects. I'm currently starting the series over again now that I've just finished it in it's entirety. Beyond excellent.

Oh.My.God. I simply do not have enough praise for Fonda Lee and the world she created with this series. Truly one of the BEST fantasy series I have ever read. Fonda Lee has a way with the words and I have to say, she is simply one of the best when it comes to world building. And the characters? Oh my god. One minute I would be pissed off (Hilo, I’m thinking of you) and the next I’d be loving the character (again Hilo). The characters in this book are all flawed but the development of these characters throughout this boom is amazing. With that being said, this book is very slow building. She takes us through 20+ years of a “slow war” and other issues in this book, but when the action hits, it HITS. I cried many times throughout this book. Fonda Lee did something truly incredible with this series and I will be thinking about this final book for a while.

CONTENT WARNING: violence, murder, blood, mention of miscarriage, gun violence, gore, prejudice, mention of rape, suicide, death of a child, torture

I read this book (and actually the entire series) as a buddy read and I’m so glad that I did this as a buddy read, because I might have internally combusted while reading this book — my emotions were all over the place with this rollercoaster of a book. Pardon me while I try to collect myself enough to write a coherent review here.

While Fonda Lee has many strengths as an author, one of the biggest ones, and my personal favorite, is the way she has managed to create such a realistic series in a fantasy setting. The characters are so realistic that after reading nearly 30 years of their ups and downs, they feel like family, so everything that happened felt incredibly personal. I loved getting to see the characters grow so much, especially some of my favorites! Both Becky and I spent so much time talking about the way that both Hilo and Anden showed immense growth over the course of the books, with Hilo really growing into his role as father and Pillar of the clan, and Anden learning how to reconcile all the different parts of himself that caused a lot of issues when he was younger — being biracial, being queer, and his choice not to become a Green Bone warrior as he was always expected to. I was most blown away by his character arc, and seeing how the path he chose still ended up contributing immensely to the clan anyway, even though he went a completely different route.

Don’t think that Lee forgot to show strong women in her story, either. There’s no shortage of feminism throughout the story — females break the glass ceiling regularly in her books, and this one is no exception. While I have some strong feelings about Ayt Madashi, there’s no question that she is a strong women who has held the most powerful role in the Mountain clan for an extremely long time. She’s the Pillar and maintains that position with an iron grip and by not shying away from whatever she has to do to keep it. On the other side, we’ve got Shae, who is the Weather Man of the No Peak clan, and keeps her position in a completely different way. She’s a bit more modern and works cooperatively with her family for the benefit of the clan, always thinking of how her actions can better serve the clan, both now and far into the future. She’s further supported by Wen, Hilo’s wife who happens to be nonreactive to jade, also known as a stone-eye. But that doesn’t stop Wen from devoting her life to the clan as well, and doing everything she can to help No Peak and the Kaul family. I love these two women, and I think they demonstrate that women can be just as green as men, even if they don’t wear jade. There’s a term that’s thrown around in the series — green in the soul, and both Shae and Wen are the epitome of this phrase.

We get to see the future generation of the Green Bone clans, although our perspective is heavily biased towards the inner workings of the No Peak clan. I loved seeing how the newer generation is so different from the older ones, and how differently the kids turned out from their parents, no matter how they were raised. Every single character in the story is well-developed and realistic.

The world-building is incredible. It’s fantastic and well-created and feels so real that I want to book a vacation to Kekon. We get to see so much more of the world, even beyond what we’ve seen in other books. Since the political climate shifts dramatically throughout the story, the setting expands beyond the borders of Kekon and even Espenia. The story shifts into more of Espenia and even into other parts of the world that we haven’t seen much of. I’m consistently amazed at how beautifully the world works, often imitating how things work in our world, with politics, corruption, imperialism, greed, and religion influencing world politics and war.

As always, the story is fast paced. I didn’t even realize how long the story was, flying through chapters yet still wishing it wasn’t over as soon as it was. I’m honestly hoping for more of this world. There were so many twists and turns that I never saw coming, and as you can tell from the gasp factor, I was always on the edge of my seat. At one point, I gasped so loud it startled my dog awake and caused her to bark furiously. The fight scenes are written so well, and it’s exciting and clearly written by someone who has a strong background in martial arts. It was a really emotional read, since I was so invested in the story, the world, and the characters, and I cried more than a few times while reading the book. But overall, I loved how it wrapped up in the end. This series has earned a special place in my heart, and is one of my favorite series ever, not just in fantasy. I’m absolutely going to be recommending this to everyone I know.

Sometimes I wish I were a better writer. I wish I could spin eloquent phrases and pluck the perfect words out from my tiny goldfish brain to express myself better. Because I'm sitting here struggling to figure out how best to convey the fact that this book was absolutely, jaw-droppingly amazing.

But alas, I suck with describing things I like in a way that makes any coherent sense. So just know that Jade Legacy is a brilliant ending to the fantastic Green Bone Saga trilogy. Every fight and conflict and alliance and betrayal from the past 2 books comes to a rearing head in this grand finale. Fonda Lee masterfully balances a huge world with shifting politics and power-plays with the more intimate, emotional struggles of the main cast, who are all so complex and nuanced and interesting and - well, great. This book is just great all around.

Please read this book. You won't regret it.

Epic finale to a fantastic series. I adored this book and love the whole series a lot as it blends things that I enjoy mainly politics , family and fantasy. I will now read whatever Fonda Lee writes. I am a fan because she cannot write a bad book. All 3 books have been phenomenal.

I was completely blown away by the scope and intensity of this book. I loved both of the previous books in the trilogy, but this was by far the best. This follows many of the same characters we have grown to care about previously, as well as some characters that seemed extremely minor in other books. There is all the action and intrigue you would expect based on the first two books, but the stakes feel higher and the plots are more intricate.
This book covers multiple decades and each time jump feels natural and graceful. The longer timeline allows the events to feel more authentic rather than pushed together to fit within one novel. This meant that we get to see the babies born in previous books grow up to be adults, which adds dimension to the story and I loved seeing where each child ended up.
While so many violent and sad things happen to characters in this book, I felt like no one person was ignored. It was a very satisfying conclusion to an already amazing series and resonated more emotionally than expected.

Fonda Lee's entire Green Bone Saga was incredible and a true masterpiece within the fantasy genre. This last book in the series was satisfying yet bittersweet. I did struggle with the timeline being sped up, but in the end it worked to wrap up the series nicely. This series and these characters will stay with me for a long, long time. I can't wait to see what Lee has in store next!

It was like watching the scenes from Kill Bill of O-Ren Ishii when she takes peoples heads off at the business meeting.

This fantasy/sci-fi seems to take place in a world with warring Asian clans. In this story, Jade stones give supernatural powers to those who can afford to wear them.

Beautifully written, and not my usual kind of read. I was looking for something more along the lines of Jeff Wheeler’s Grave Kingdom series, but this was very different and still very enjoyable.

The World building isn’t complicated, which is always a plus. The author touches on world building just a bit in the beginning, but focuses on the characters and their stories and backstories. I believe that it a wise way of introducing such strong characters in a fantasy setting. You can build the most wonderful and intricate of worlds, but if you fail to develop characters, you’ll lose your audience.

I didn't realize this is the 3rd book in a series.

What a way to stick the landing. Jade Legacy is a big book about big ideas, but the best part of it is how Fonda Lee masterfully leads us on a journey with these characters from start to finish, so that by the time it's over, you feel as if you've known them for life, and care about them as friends.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I will avoid spoilers and keep this simple: this book is everything a reader could hope for in the finale of the dramatic, violent, intricate Green Bone Saga. These books are epics that will remain classics going into future decades. I'm in awe of what Lee has created. I love the Kauls, I am appalled by the Kauls, I actually cried at the end of this book because of the Kauls. I will likely only get a subscription to Peacock so that I can watch how these books play out interpreted for the screen.

If you haven't read these books yet, DO NOT START HERE. Go to book one, <i>Jade City.</i> Let yourself be swept away. Experience the full sweep of the saga so you'll cry at the end here, as I did.

Fonda Lee’s Jade Legacy is the powerful conclusion to a great epic crime fantasy series, The Green Bone Saga. While opposing crime clans fight by increasingly sophisticated means over dominating trade in the bio-energizing jade, the deeper focus is on key characters of the Kaul family. They sacrifice a lot of their personal lives to maintain themselves as leaders of the No Peak Clan, and the story carefully dramatizes the personal impacts of power, the moral compromises they make, the shattering of relationships and lives, and the devious strategies, deceptions and betrayals they are forced into to hold and increase their leadership power.

As always in this series, there is a lot of blood spilled, sometimes in maybe too familiar gangland style scenes, but the human cost and moral shading of each decision are richly portrayed. Even the late scenes where we meet Ayt Mada, head, or Pillar, of the arch-rival Mountain Clan, avoid simplistic conflict. She becomes a nuanced character as she confronts No Peak’s Shae. For me Shae and Anden are the most heartfelt characters in this saga, but everyone in this long story is a fully rounded person who matures over the twenty years of Jade Legacy.

There is, for me, a slight falling off in the dramatic immediacy of the writing, as the narrator often describes inner conflicts and changes, histories and strategies, at length rather than letting each scene relate the information through the actions and reactions of the characters. But the story remains engrossing at every level in this fine concluding volume of a real classic of fantasy.

This book is a stellar conclusion to a phenomenal trilogy. Fonda Lee takes everything great about the first two books and continues those themes into Jade Legacy, while also accounting for the characters aging, world events shifting how people react to jade, and so on. The scope of the book is much bigger than Jade City and Jade War, but it still holds the same heartfelt connection. While I could have used more interludes of flashbacks to happier times, I believe that this book is overall a solid conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies I've ever read. Some content notes to be aware of: blood, torture, kidnapping, death, murder, Thank you Orbit for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A more detailed review will be on armedwithabook.com closer to publishing date!

4.5, rounded up.

Wow. Fonda Lee is an expert storyteller. This volume concludes the Green Bone Saga in an incredibly satisfying way, while taking me through the full spectrum of human emotion.

I've been outspoken in my love of these books, but I get that they're not everyone's cup of tea. However, if you've been enjoying the series so far, definitely pick up this one. It continues to expand the world in a nuanced, excellent way. While "Jade City" focused on Kekon and "Jade War"] expanded the world to include other locations and countries, Jade Legacy has a full geopolitical climate to contend with, along with the rise of jade outside of Kekon and its use in militaries, "jadesports," medicine, and beyond. I loved how Lee managed to take a fantasy element, which had an insular setting in the first book, and explore how it impacts the world at large and changes in the hands of others. I can't think of another book or author to do this, and I adored it.

This had the same sudden moments of vicious violence, twists, emotional impact, and political scheming as the other books, but on a heightened level. "Jade Legacy" takes place over the course of 20 years (and it was handled incredibly well), and you get to know the younger members of the Kaul family and see the older ones as they age. However, this had the added benefit of seeing pieces that were placed, be it intentionally or inadvertently, a decade before come in to play. It was just so well thought out, and nuanced, and GAH! The one area where it felt lagging was that sometimes the emotional moments seemed to get lost in the shuffle of the chess game that Lee played with this book, but that was rare. For the most part, I was living alongside these (flawed, strange, incredible) characters that I'd gotten to know so well over the course of this series.

I am going to miss these books, but I think "Jade Legacy" ended the saga on a perfect note. I will pick up anything she writes in the future.

the previous two books in the series were really well done and I was excited to read this book. I'm glad I was able to read this as it was both entertaining and well-written.