September 20, 2017
Pieces of Jade is a YA fantasy whose main character is Jade, a teenage girl protagonist with (of course) special magical powers and (of course) more than one guy who loves her. (The Dreaded Love Triangle hasn't quite appeared in this first volume, but it sure looks like it's coming.)
The setting is a magical fantasy world is an interesting one with some unique aspects that I haven't seen before. Jade, because of the magic that - literally - runs in her blood, has been co-opted by the royal family, and she's regularly required to do some bloodletting to bless the kingdom's otherwise cursed soil into fertility. She's also engaged, not terribly happily, to the royal heir.
But things go off the rails when pirates steal a valuable magical medallion entrusted to her. Jade is imprisoned and sentenced to death (by her fiance!), but she escapes from prison and takes off to try to steal the medallion back from the pirates. To add to the pressure on Jade, she finds out that the royal family will kill her sister instead unless Jade is able to bring back the medallion.
Jade joins the pirate crew, where she begins to hear stories about the royal family's secret cruelties. And there's a hot pirate first officer ...
The world-building was a little confusing: the story begins in medias res, or after some key events had already happened (Wait. What? She's engaged to one prince but in love with his brother? On the first page?). You kind of figure it out as you go along, but personally I found it a little frustrating. I'm big on context in my reading.
Still, it was an enjoyable read if you like this genre. Overall I found it well written, especially for a self-published book, though not perfect; there are occasional misspelling and grammar errors.
Other things you should know if you're considering reading Pieces of Jade:
1. It's the beginning of a series. It doesn't end on a cliff-hanger but the larger conflicts are not resolved. Although this first book was published back in 2012, as of 2017 the sequel(s) still haven't been published.
2. The romance is squeaky clean, there are several disturbing scenes that include blood-letting, detailed whippings, murder and torture. I wouldn't recommend this for younger or more sensitive readers. If you were okay with the The Hunger Games trilogy I think you'll be okay with this book.
The setting is a magical fantasy world is an interesting one with some unique aspects that I haven't seen before. Jade, because of the magic that - literally - runs in her blood, has been co-opted by the royal family, and she's regularly required to do some bloodletting to bless the kingdom's otherwise cursed soil into fertility. She's also engaged, not terribly happily, to the royal heir.
But things go off the rails when pirates steal a valuable magical medallion entrusted to her. Jade is imprisoned and sentenced to death (by her fiance!), but she escapes from prison and takes off to try to steal the medallion back from the pirates. To add to the pressure on Jade, she finds out that the royal family will kill her sister instead unless Jade is able to bring back the medallion.
Jade joins the pirate crew, where she begins to hear stories about the royal family's secret cruelties. And there's a hot pirate first officer ...
The world-building was a little confusing: the story begins in medias res, or after some key events had already happened (Wait. What? She's engaged to one prince but in love with his brother? On the first page?). You kind of figure it out as you go along, but personally I found it a little frustrating. I'm big on context in my reading.
Still, it was an enjoyable read if you like this genre. Overall I found it well written, especially for a self-published book, though not perfect; there are occasional misspelling and grammar errors.
Other things you should know if you're considering reading Pieces of Jade:
1. It's the beginning of a series. It doesn't end on a cliff-hanger but the larger conflicts are not resolved. Although this first book was published back in 2012, as of 2017 the sequel(s) still haven't been published.
2. The romance is squeaky clean, there are several disturbing scenes that include blood-letting, detailed whippings, murder and torture. I wouldn't recommend this for younger or more sensitive readers. If you were okay with the The Hunger Games trilogy I think you'll be okay with this book.
