Jade Legacy sets the standard for great urban fantasy trilogies. In the culmination of her Green Bone Saga, Lee achieves a novel that feels epic in a different way than other fantasy stories. The narrative doesn’t aspire to grandiose feats of magic, or world-shaking stakes of cosmic proportions, it paints the image of a family, and sets them down in the heart of a whirlwind.

After years at war with the super-powered jade warriors of the Mountain Clan, the Kaul family, leaders of the No Peak Clan, face an ever changing, modernizing world. Fast disappearing are the days when the Kauls’ problems can be solved by the violence of which they are so capable. Now, foreign powers contend for the precious jade that is the foundation of the Green Bone way of life. Old enemies must be set aside to fight emerging threats, and old wounds that have yet to heal must be salved with forgiveness. But in the end, only one clan can rule Kekon.

The characters are what make this series so moving. They are, without exception, portrayed with vivid realism. Each is comprised of rich history and powerful motivations. They are immediately captivating, conflicted, and painted with exquisite detail.

And yet the pace of this novel does not waiver, does not linger. The scope of this story spans decades and swings its spotlight from one generation to the next, ever charging toward the inevitable reckoning with the powers that seek to topple the Kaul family.

This is the most moving fantasy novel I have read in quite some time. It is full of schemes, of brutal fighting, of painful secrets. It is mesmerizing and beautiful. A five-star read and then some.

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