Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing

by Robert A. Caro
Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing cover
Good Books rating 4.0
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  • ID: 4411
  • Added: 2025-10-21
  • Updated: 2025-10-21
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 3
Reviews
goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
disappointing 2.00

The reviewer did not enjoy Jade City, finding the setting and characters unappealing. They disliked the violence, sex scenes, and lack of consequences for serious actions. The ending left them unsatisfied, and they have no interest in reading the sequel.

The reviewer found Jade City to be a disappointing read. They were not drawn to the mafia and martial arts setting, which they found uninteresting and violent. The characters were unrelatable, and the reviewer saw no reason to root for any of them. The sex scenes were particularly off-putting, and the lack of consequences for serious actions like statutory rape was troubling. The ending was a deal-breaker, leaving too many loose ends and no sense of closure. The reviewer appreciated only two scenes in the book and found the main antagonist to be the most interesting character. Overall, they were not impressed and have no intention of reading the sequel.

Quick quotes

    I didn’t like this book at all.

    I simply didn’t care about them.

    The ending was a real deal-breaker for me.

washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com · Unknown · 2019-04-29
brilliant 5.00

Jade City is a brilliantly imagined urban high fantasy that delivers a spectacular Asian-inspired urban fantasy debut. The book's themes of honor, loyalty, wealth, power, greed, and family are well-executed, with excellent characterizations and dialogues.

Jade City is a fantastic read that exceeded high expectations. The book's immersive world-building, engaging prose, and excellent characterizations make it a standout in the current fantasy market. The themes of honor, loyalty, wealth, power, greed, and family are well-executed, and the character interactions are glowing brilliantly. The book's pacing and momentum building are constantly wonderful, and the characterizations and dialogues are excellent. The book's magic system and social hierarchy are thoroughly explained and compellingly explored, making the world's scope even more expansive. The resulting narrative is as accessible an experience as going to the movies: vivid, immediate, and unforgettable.

Quick quotes

    Any old horse will run when it's whipped, but only fast enough to avoid the whipping, Hilo said. "Racehorses, though, they run because they look at the horse on their left, they look at the one on their right, and they think, No way am I second to these fuckers.

    Sometimes even the most loyal and devoted men make mistakes when they’re forced to make decisions under terrible circumstances.

    Sometimes, Andy, the people you think you can count on, they let you down in a bad way, and that’s hard to take. But for the most part, you give a man something to live up to, you tell him he can be more than he is now, more than other people think he’ll ever be, and he’ll try his godsdamned best to make it true.

standard.co.uk · Unknown · 2019-04-18
brilliant 5.00

The reviewer found Jade City to be a gripping and fast-paced story with well-developed characters and a unique magical element. They praised the book's ability to keep them hooked throughout and its potential as a TV series.

Jade City by Fonda Lee is a story that draws you in from the beginning and keeps you hooked with its constant fast-paced action, genuinely interesting and lovable characters, and your constant longing to know what's going to happen in the next chapter. The book is about the tale of many characters all connected to the one main family, with each character's story being told in a way that makes them very definable. The magical jade element adds a wonderful uniqueness to the tale. The reviewer absolutely adored this book and even tweeted the author telling them it needs to be made into a TV series. They would be shocked if this isn’t picked up by Amazon Prime, Netflix or HBO, especially after the success of the likes of The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, Game of Thrones etc.

Quick quotes

    It’s a story that, as I said, draws you in from the beginning and keeps you hooked with its constant fast-paced action, genuinely interesting and lovable characters, and your constant longing to know what’s going to happen in the next chapter.

    I absolutely adored this book and even tweeted the author telling them it needs to be made into a TV series — it would make a great episodic drama.

    I’d have to say this was one of my favourite books of 2020 without a doubt.

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