Jade City (The Green Bone Saga, 1)

- One of TIME's 100 best fantasy books of all time
- One of the best fantasy books of 2017 according to NPR, B&N, Locus, The Verge, and more!
- World Fantasy Award winner
- Aurora Award winner

FAMILY IS DUTY. MAGIC IS POWER. HONOR IS EVERYTHING.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for--and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone--even foreigners--wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones--and of Kekon itself.

A modern classic and word-of-mouth sensation, Jade City is the World Fantasy Award-winning story of magic and kungfu, where four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asian-inspired fantasy metropolis.

Praise for Jade City:
"An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book." --Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author

"A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" --Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author

"An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats." --NPR

The Green Bone Saga
Jade City
Jade War
Jade Legacy

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jun 26, 2018

528 pages

Average rating: 7.38

163 RATINGS

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Charlotte Fantasy Book Club

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Community Reviews

Text
Mar 04, 2026
7/10 stars
I found it to be rather compelling, the setting and characters were very interesting. The magic system is simple yet complex enough and interwoven very well.
KarlaVO
Feb 03, 2026
8/10 stars
Interesting magic system and world
QuanaRAGE
Apr 09, 2025
10/10 stars
This book had me in a choke hold!
misha belden
Apr 02, 2025
6/10 stars
it was giving absolutely nothing until the last like 50 pages of the book. it just droned on about background and gave no plot so i was wondering what the hype was. but i’ll keep reading the rest eventually just not now
4bbabymomreads
Feb 14, 2025
7/10 stars
Jade City is a truly interesting world building and character building book. I guess I need to read the 2nd and 3rd in this series since this one is HEAVY on the world building

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