I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan blog tour hosted by https://www.instagram.com/caffeinetours/
DESCRIPTION
Book: Jade Fire Gold
Author: June CL Tan
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Page Count: 464
Genre: Science fiction, fantasy
Publication date: 12 October 2021
My rating: 4.25⭐
BLURB
In an empire on the brink of war...
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.
Life is but a dream, and death is returning home.
PREMISE
In a world on the brink of war, two teens with entangled destinies must come together.
Ahn is an orphan who lives with her adopted grandmother in a deserted town. Her biggest concern is to earn enough and look after Ama but due to a sudden incident her past starts catching up to her and she decides to know who she exactly is and what can her magic do.
Altan is the exiled true heir of the throne who is presumed dead. His only motive in life is to take revenge on his family, get the dragon throne back, undo the ravages of dark magic lying deep within the land and kill the life stealer.
When both their paths collide, they must decide the fate of the empire and their loved ones.
CHARACTERS
The book has several characters, each impressive in their way.
AHN: The long-lost daughter of a prominent figure of the empire but who doesn't remember anything about her childhood, Ahn thinks of herself as an orphan and lives with her adopted grandmother. She hides the secret that she has magic because she doesn't want the priests to hurt her Ama.
Her character starts as a naive, fearful girl who cares about herself and Ama's safety to a girl who is strong and is willing to sacrifice herself for a greater cause. Ahn's character development throughout the book was noteworthy.
ALTAN: The exiled true heir to the throne, Altan swears revenge against his uncle's family as they killed his family under the pretense of an attack by a neighboring kingdom. Altan comes off as a cold and rude character but he isn't. He is just too suppressed by his pain and grief that he chooses to not let anything else distract him on his path to revenge. But for everything he wishes to have, he must trust the person he wishes to kill.
XIMA LEIYE: An illegitimate child, an enigmatic character, LEIYE had to fight for everything he wishes to have. He is sweet but bitter at the same time. The biggest question is who is he loyal to?
TAI SHUN: Burdened by the duties he doesn't wish for and in the grief of his cousin, Tai Shun is a cinnamon roll character. He is sweet, considerate, and in love with someone.
CHEN LINXI: A character who is like a warm cupcake. She is playful, pretty, and intelligent. She is a spy and is madly in love.
TANG WEI: A badass assassin with a sense of humor. She wishes to avenge her sister and is a member of the Lotus Sect.
And my absolute favorite character of the book.
- June C.L.Tan has a beautiful writing style. The words flowed freely in the book in a very lyrical way. The author was successful in writing an excellent book in a very beautiful way.
- The WORLD BUILDING was exquisite. Jade Fire Gold is set mainly in the Shi empire so other kingdoms weren't explained well but since the Shi empire was the focus, the history and culture of it were explained well.
The magic system of the book was unique where both the Priest and the Tiensai possess magic but one of them is seemingly correct whereas the other is seen as a threat.
The whole mythology and lore tales like the White Jade Sword, the Obsidian sword, the soul beasts, phoenix, thread of fate, the army of the dead were weaved into the story fantastically.
- The tropes used in the book like royal conspiracy, destined lovers, chosen ones, revenge, the reunion of separated parent and child were pretty basic YA fantasy formulas but they worked in the favor of the book.
- The book is an own voice debut fantasy and is set in Chinese background. It also has queer representation.
- The book didn't give much insight into the political intrigue and it didn't give the vibes of a country at the brink of war.
- The antagonists were undoubtedly lame and didn't contribute much to the plot and nothing about them stood out in the storyline.
- The romance part of the book could've been better and should have gotten extra time since the leads didn't get enough time and situations to bond over and the romance section was too short. I needed a combination of major tension and fluffy romance but alas!
-The reason I gave it a 4.25 star instead of a 5 is because the climax fell flat for me. The story started slow and hazy as most fantasy books do but when it got the required pace, it ended abruptly. The climax was supposed to be grand and powerful but it ended so quickly and suddenly that I didn't get any time to savor it.
- Since it's a debut fantasy, it isn't going to be perfect but there's so much to read and like about this book. For a debut novel, the book worked wonders.
- I always crave fantasy stories that delve into the mythology and lore of the Asian culture and that is why I liked this book a lot. I can see it turning into a successful Chinese drama.
- The cover is gorgeous and is a cherry on top. I wish to have a physical copy of this book soon.
- Also, I need answers for the epilogue. Is there a sequel?
MOOD BOARD
QUOTES FROM THE BOOK
Pages can be burnt; words, erased. Scribes can be persuaded to write new tales, new books. A ew past to suit the agenda of those in power. History is never written by its victims.
Just because you have the power to take a life, it doesn't mean you should.
Children are not born with the fear of falling. It is life that conditions them to be afraid.
Sometimes, doing nothing is the worst thing you can do.
AUTHOR'S BIO
Website
June CL Tan grew up in Singapore where she was raised on a diet of classic books and wuxia movies, caffeine, and congee. After obtaining three degrees, she decided she had enough of academia. Thankfully, those degrees were somewhat related to telling stories and now, she resides in New York City, writing under the watchful eye of her crafty cat. Jade Fire Gold is her debut novel.