Publication Date: April 30, 2022
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Pages: 112
Genre: Fantasy; Novella
Rating: 5/5
The Jade Setter of Janloon is a novella set before Jade City, the first book in the Green Bone Saga. We follow Pulo, the apprentice to a well respected jade setter, Isin, around as he is trying to track down a precious heirloom of one of the clans that was stolen from the jade shop. The mystery of who was behind the theft and the political backdrop of the different clans made this book hard to put down. I was so immersed in the world Lee created and I was pleasantly surprised by the many turns the mystery took. A fellow apprentice at the jade shop, Mallo, is an Abukei woman, which is an indigenous group of people that are highly discriminated on. I appreciated how Lee confronted this issue in different ways throughout the novella and how it played a major part in the story. I have only read the first book in the Green Bone Saga and it may have been mentioned in that book but it didn’t have anything to do with the plot. So it was nice to see a broader look at the world of of Janaloon and how different people live and are treated. Of course, I really loved the cameos by some of the characters in the first book. I was reminded all over again why I loved that book so much and why I still think about the characters and the world over a year later.
If you have never picked up a book in the the Green Bone Saga I think this is a great starting point to dip your toes into the incredible world that Lee has created. The books in this series are a lot more detailed and political than this novella but if you have been wanting to know what the hype is about this a great starting point.This small story packs so much into it that I was glued to the pages and Lee has cemented herself has one of the best fantasy authors I have ever read.
Books With Cassie 