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713 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2021
“Good men are remembered with love by their friends… Great warriors are remembered with awe by their enemies.”
“When something has to be done, there’s always a way to do it.”
“Everything is a battle now… Every business, every town, every newspaper article or press conference or godsdamned vote in the Royal Council… There used to be a way things were done, under the eyes of Old Uncle. We used to be able to count on certain things. Now there aren’t any lines. Everyone in the clan is a part of the fight.”
“No matter which part of the country you’re from, which clan you swear allegiance to, whether you wear jade or not, we are all Kekonese. We defend and avenge our own. You wrong any of us, you wrong us all. You seek to war with us, and we will return it a hundredfold.”
“We don’t handle this world. We make it handle us.”
“It was Kaul Hilo’s great talent. He could have a single ordinary conversation with a man and make him loyal for life.”
“We’ve both hurt each other because we were both too stubborn about what we expected, and we paid badly for that. But what’s the point of life if we give up on the people we love?”
“We all make mistakes. Sometimes terrible mistakes we can barely live with. But we learn from them. And maybe… Maybe we can forgive each other.”
“Perhaps that was the great tragedy of jade warriors and their families. Even when we win, we suffer.”
“At times, when faced with difficult decisions, he would think back to the duel that had dramatically earned him his jade and reputation, and he would remind himself that sometimes the most obvious solution required only the willingness to take the most unreasonable of actions.”
“The mind cannot adjust quickly to a fundamental change in reality without breaking. If the moon vanished from the sky, people would not believe it; they would think it was a trick of light or clouds.”
“And here we are. So many good things have happened since then, and also so many terrible things that it’s hard to be afraid of anything anymore. Whatever’s going to happen will happen, so the most important thing is that we appreciate what we have and the people we care about.”
“It was Kaul Hilo's great talent. He could have a single ordinary conversation with a man and make him loyal for life.”
“You'd think it would be easier to face death as you get older, but it doesn't work that way. You get more attached to life, to people you love and things that are worth living for.”
“Even goals that seem out of reach can be accomplished with the help of the right friends.”
“We don’t handle this world. We make it handle us.”
“After all these years, is there anything you believe I won’t do if I have to?”
“Jade had meaning because of the type of person one had to become to wear it.”
“Being green has greater significance than the abilities a person gains.”
“He was his father’s son; He would not back down from any fight or be used by anyone.”
…
“Ru was not a Green Bone or an heir to the clan’s leadership. He was not a threat or an obstacle to anyone. All he had been was Hilo’s son.”
“Only children and gods are arrogant enough to judge what they can’t understand.”
“It’s obvious you’re not a father, Or you wouldn’t feel so invincible.”
"She got me in the end. But she didn’t get us."
“Good men are remembered with love by their friends.
Great warriors are remembered with awe by their enemies.”
“The No Peak clan is powerful,
but it can't change the attitudes and laws of an entire
country of people who don't understand us.”
“The way to defeat a chess master was not with greater genius, but by forcing her to play a different game.”
“The clan is my blood,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion, but perfectly steady. “And the Pillar is its master.”
“How do we do it?” Hilo sighed deeply. “You of all people already know the answer to that, Shae. We don’t handle this world. We make it handle us.”
i am nothing but an empty shell of a human wondering when will i ever recover from this pain?
"I love you enough to see that you have the right to hate me."
From the moment I started, I couldn't stop reading—Jade Legacy is 736 pages long, yet despite its size I wouldn't be able to point to any useless page. Any useless sentence. It's wonderful through and through, and I already know I'll reread this trilogy sooner rather than later. When it comes to final books, we can never avoid the fear of being disappointed—will the author wrap their story in a way that satisfy us? Will we keep the story close to our heart until the very end? Will we feel? Yes, yes and oh my god, yes. I won't lie, Jade Legacy hurt me. Several times. But I'm so grateful I got to read it. Green Bone fans, fear not—it's everything you've dreamed it would be, trust me on this.
Kaul Hiloshudon, though. I feel like I've gone through every feeling imaginable when it comes to him. I've never made a secret that he was my favorite character, even though he's deeply flawed. Yet there was a moment in the beginning of this book when I felt hate so intense towards him—I couldn't breathe. It surprised me, and shocked me. It's a testament to Fonda Lee's skill that I can now confirm that he's still my favorite character. It does not mean that I condone his actions, of course. But his character arc, his growth are wondrous things, and handled with such care and talent. The Green Bone Saga—and this last installment even more—is about family, and so many characters make their important contribution but Kaul Hiloshudon? He's the heart of the trilogy. I'm so, so proud of him.
The Clan is our blood, and the Pillar is its master. Farewell, my beloved. I'll never forget you.
PS. That flashback with 22 years old Hilo?? IT GAVE ME LIFE.
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"Kaul Hiloshudon studied the six businessmen dining with him and hoped he would not have to kill any of them."
“Sometimes I think liars are almost as bad as thieves,” he said through a tight jaw. “They steal away trust, something that can’t be returned.”
“Perhaps that was the greatest tragedy of jade warriors and their families. Even when we win, we suffer.”
“There aren’t real second chances. Even when you live through the worst parts, life doesn’t go back to what it was before.”
“How do we do it?” Hilo sighed deeply. “You of all people already know the answer to that, Shae. We don’t handle this world. We make it handle us.”
Wen, will you be my Pillarman?”
“I’ll assume Shae put you up to it. The two of you are a bad influence on each other,”
“From the minute Lan brought me into this house, all I ever wanted was to be a Kaul,” Anden said roughly. “I hated my Espenian blood on one side, and I was afraid of being the Mad Witch’s boy on the other. But I’ve learned something over the years. I don’t have to be a Kaul if I don’t want to be. You and Shae will always be Kauls. Niko, Ru, and Jaya—they don’t have a choice either. But I do.”
I’m thankful you’re not a Fist, Andy. I need—” Hilo’s voice faltered. “I need one of my brothers to live.”
“The clan is my blood, and the Pillar is its master.”
“On my honor, my life, and my jade...”