It has been A WHILE since I have posted here but today is very exciting cause it’s my stop for the #JadeFireGoldTour! 🎉
I have been chosen as one of the tour host for this lovely debut book and I would like to thank Caffeine Book Tours for this opportunity. Don’t forget to check the other tour hosts’ schedule with their content and reviews here. 💛
SYNOPSIS
Girls of Paper and Fire meets The Tiger at Midnight in June CL Tan’s stunning debut, inspired by Chinese mythology, with rich magic and an epic slow-burn romance.
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.
Ferocious action, shadowy intrigue, and a captivating romance collide in June CL Tan’s debut, a stunning homage to the Xianxia novel with a tender, beating heart, perfect for fans of The Bone Witch and We Hunt the Flame.
| BOOK INFORMATION | TRIGGER & CONTENT WARNING |
| Title: Jade Fire Gold Author: June CL Tan US Cover: GUWEIZ UK Cover: Aaron Munday Publisher: HarperTeen Publication date: 12 October 2021 Age group: Young Adult Genres: Fantasy | ⭐ self-harm (gouging, eye horror; non-graphic) ⭐ child abuse (physical, verbal, emotional manipulation/gaslighting) ⭐ parent death (implied, off-page) ⭐ character deaths ⭐ mentions and descriptions of fantasy/magical violence (blood, war, political violence) ⭐ mentions and descriptions of physical symptoms that might be triggering to those with emetophobia ⭐ alcohol consumption |
| BOOK LINKS | ON-PAGE PRESENTATION |
| Amazon Goodreads | ⭐ POC (Chinese-coded characters) ⭐ LGBTQ+ (Sapphic, gay) |
THOUGHTS & RATING
“Forgiveness is not weakness. It requires more strength than you think, my boy. You may not be able to change the past, but with each action, you can change the future.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in their tour.”
I haven’t read a YA fantasy book in awhile and when I saw the tour sign up of this on Caffeine Book Tours I debated if I would go through and try it. YA fantasy nowadays are a hit and miss for me but THIS was very much up my alley.
I started this book on the 10th of October and with me not getting into YA fantasy fast enough thought I wouldn’t be able to finish this by the time of my tour stop. But lo and behold I finished it in 3 days. That was how hooked I was with this book.
Jade Fire Gold focused around two characters, Ahn and Altan. Characters with very different backgrounds and personality but ironically tied together by the red strings of fate.
Ahn was a peasant girl who dreamed of living her desert town to explore the world but is keeping a secret from everyone while Atlan, the heir of the throne who everyone thought was dead, has set his mind on taking his revenge on the people who took everything from him.
The main thing I would like to comment was the writing style. I am very particular when it comes to the pacing and how an author describes a particular plot and/or setting and I was very satisfied with how this all turned out in this book. It also made me feel like I was there and at times I didn’t want to stop and just keep on reading.
Another thing I want to point out was the characters. Having a set of characters you can feel connected and attached to for me is one thing every book has to have. Ahn, Altan, Tang Wei, Linxi, Leiye, Shifu, Ama were characters I would remember for a long time. Every emotion they felt I felt as well. Happiness, anger, sadness, disappointment, forgiveness, love and even betrayal. It was also very engaging with both of the main characters perspective. From the start of the book you’ll learn and discover things in their life on the same pace and I felt like even though we were back and forth on the 2 perspectives nothing was left out.
The magic system was very interesting for me aswell and I felt Avatar vibes while reading it since it does focus on elemental magic which… I am not complaining. I also loved how Chinese mythology and history was intertwined with everything and everyone all throughout the book.
One thing I felt a little down about was how fast everything was at the last battle. I felt like it needed more impact after everything the characters have been through but overall it was a satisfying finish but that EPILOGUE though! I mean at first I thought this was a stand alone but now gurl… I need a sequel.
For me this was a very successful debut. Everything from the characters, world building, magic system, history, Chinese mythology, writing style, pacing was very well thought of and I can see how much the author spent the time and effort to make the story come to life. I loved and enjoyed every bit of it and I highly recommend this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
June CL Tan grew up in Singapore where she was raised on a diet of classic books and wuxia movies, caffeine and congee. She holds various degrees in communication studies, education, and film. After teaching for a few years, she took a detour into the finance industry. To no one’s surprise, she soon realized her mistake and made her escape. Now, she resides in New York City, talking to imaginary people and creating fantastical worlds under the watchful eye of her crafty cat. She enjoys telling stories that draw on both the traditional and modern to create something fresh to the eye, but familiar to the heart. Jade Fire Gold is her debut novel.
⭐ Author Website ⭐ Goodreads ⭐ Instagram ⭐ Twitter ⭐ TikTok
The Bibliophile Thoughts 