Since this is my blog, I think I have the luxury to skip an introduction because I don’t know what to write up here…other than the fact that I cannot wait for my best friend to read Ruin and Rising so that she can have her heart broken. She deserves it. Yes she does. That is my indirect revenge on her for daring to- let’s start with the review. 🔪
- Title: Jade, Fire, Gold
- Author: June C.L. Tan
- Genre: Fantasy, Chinese Mythology, Romance, LGBT
- Category: YA
- Publication Date/Publisher: October 12th 2021 by Harper Teen
Someone….please tell me WHAT SHOULD I DO SO THAT MY FUTURE NOVEL (which probably won’t turn very good because if I have got a few ideas, I probably don’t have enough writing skills for the moment) DESERVES A COVER LIKE THIS?
I don’t think I should reduce the size of this cover because- LOOK AT THIS ART😭 Bro like-
There was a time when war approached an empire like a looming shadow…
There was a boy, Altan who’s burdened by his past, because he remembers…and a girl, Ahn who has no past, only left with an object she can barely tie to a memory.
When Ahn discovers something about her that was far greater than she has ever imagined, her future is now not entirely in her hands. Thrown into something much more dangerous than she thought of, it’s too far-fetched for her to believe it more than a fairytale.
But when Ahn and Altan collide, possibilities bloom. They each find something to gain from each other. Altan sees the hope of reclaiming his throne and Ahn, recovering her long lost memories.
And all things have a price that needs to be paid.
About the Author: June C.L. Tan
June CL Tan is a Singaporean author who 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.
[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]
My Ratings: 3.5/5
My Thoughts:
For a debut novel, this book really did surprise me. It was easy to get into the atmosphere and absorb yourself into the book.
(Can we talk about the opening lines please????? Like they are worth sparkles ✨✨✨✨✨)
The characters were very well-written and they weren’t paper people if you get what I mean. I also like the way the author introduced them into the book and the way the story unfolds itself all along the way. The story is told in both Ahn’s and Altan’s point of views which is probably one of the best things because the feeeeels….
The plot was easy to understand but I guess it lacked a bit of more action (look at the cover? Doesn’t it just RADIATE action?) and ✨intense chemistry✨ between the two main characters. Sometimes, it felt like the book was too concentrated on Ahn and Altan. The atmosphere as always is one of the most important things I search for in a story and if the atmosphere was great in this book, it wasn’t mind-blowing. I wish the author had spent much more time in accurately describing their environment, the temperature in overall but otherwise, she did a great job.
I also loved the side characters a lot. Despite them not having a lot of ‘book-time’, the author made them come to life. I guess the best things in this book is the magic system (like the Elemental Magic system, where they can manipulate the four basic elements [air, fire, water, earth] but so as not to spoil, that is all you should know for now. The characters can also be something I would call one of the best things and the sweet relationship between them, friendly or romantic.
The book could have been longer because in my opinion the author could have spent a dozen more pages in world-building and atmosphere. I think it would have so much more potential if the world would have been much more developed and the scenes a lot more suspenseful and unpredictable.
I expected it to be action packed but it ended up to be mostly sweet and with a little action. It wasn’t what I expected but the unexpected turned out to be good.
I love the author’s writing style, It really brought the story to life and trust me, this book is definitely worth it. It may lack a little world-building and more backstory for the characters but just seeing the fanart on Google makes me want to pick up the book again. Like, I would read it again for the sweet romance and writing style and the side characters.
Can I also say that the names in this book are like insanely beautifully gorgeous? Ahn? Altan? Linxi? Leiye? Tang Wei? Tai Shun? Not only are the names beautiful, but the way they are spelled and written like-
Yeah…so beautiful I’ll eventually end up feeling emotional on the next level…
Like go read this book if you want. For a debut, this book is terrifyingly beautiful and I do recommend this. If this author is writing any other fantasy, I am just gonna pop out, download the book for free from somewhere on Google and plop myself in some hidey hole and read. She has literally so much potential and I know she will just get better and better. Like, go read this.
*the cover is breathtakingly amazing…*
My Favourite Quotes: (I think I kinda lost track and stopped taking notes of them…)
The boy who hated the desert with every fiber of his body yet was forced to remain in its protection. The boy so broken inside that they thought he might never smile again, that his eyes would never see the light. The boy who could not or would not speak. And when he finally did with a voice full of gravel, he uttered only one word. Again and again.
Jade Fire Gold – June C.L Tan
A name he would repeat in his sleep. Sometimes murmuring, often screaming.
Sarangerel.
It is said that the gods test a man for a purpose; that they would never place on him a burden he could not bear. But the boy held a different view. The gods were cruel, and men were merely puppets in a grand play staged for the amusement of bored immortals.
Jade Fire Gold – June C.L Tan
He vowed to snatch his fate from their hands.
So, he bided his time, waiting for a sign.
Did I ever say that quotes make me emotional?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I am suddenly feeling emotional for such minor reasons. I think my mind is running away.
And I think I was in some sort of hiatus but that was because online class started four weeks ago and I am so lucky they have ended.
And school has started and I am not sure if I have shrunk in size in three months or my friends have just grown taller…
But I am happy, normal school has resumed except for the fact that I am supposed to be in Grade 9 (I won’t be able to explain the whole Mauritian school system but January to December is the time we spend in a Grade) this year and the GOveRNMent decided to make all the students repeat the same class again.
So it is like I am repeating Grade 8 again. WE HAD ALREADY COVERED 2 TERMS WHY NOT JUST GIVE US ONLY A SINGLE ONE TO COMPLETE OUR GRADE 8 INSTEAD OF GETTING US STUCK IN THE SAME CLASS FOR ONE MORE EFFING YEAR? Or at least you could have given us like half a year to complete my Grade 8…we would have lost only the minimum then…
Like, I am lamenting at my miserable fate. What sorcery is? Kids aren’t stupid. They can all easily adapt to school life…it will just take them 3 weeks then we will all be on flow.
We have almost finished our Grade 8 books…then what? Like we don’t need 1 year to finish the last third of the book? Oh yes. Now I remember? We could always do the book over again and do revision till we are finally getting into the other class right?
Instead of annoying you with my problems, I have another thing to annoy you with…
MY BEST FRIEND JUST FINISHED SHADOW AND BONE A FEW DAYS AGO AND I SWEAR I COULD HAVE TIME-TRAVELLED TO THE ERA OF THE DINOSAURS.
Bye.
Portable Magic 