Jade Fire Gold is Young Adult fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology as well as xianxia and wuxia elements. It is the debut book by June C.L. Tan.
In this article, you will find answers to some frequently asked questions about this book.
Also, this article contains spoilers. Therefore, if you haven’t read Jade Fire Gold yet proceed with caution.
I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some of the questions you may have about this book!
Jade Fire Gold book Summary
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.
Can you read Jade Fire Gold as a standalone?
As it stands now Jade Fire Gold is a standalone.
However, given the ending of Jade Fire Gold, there is a big chance there will be a sequel.
Regardless, you can read Jade Fire Gold as a standalone even if the book gets a sequel.
Trigger and Content Warnings
Watch out for the trigger warnings below in this book.
- 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
How does Jade Fire Gold end?
Zhao Yang has Ahn, and he’s torturing Leiye to get the truth from her. He wants to know if Ahn was working with Leiye, who Zhao Yang now knows betrayed him.
Zhao Yang is using Ama as leverage to get Ahn to raise an army of the undead. Ama brought her up, raised her as her own.
Tai Shun never wanted to be Emperor. His whole life is planned out for him by the people around him. But he’s finally standing up to his mother and telling her the truth. He knows he’s not Gao Long’s birth son, and that his mother killed Altan’s father. Ahn must have made quite the impression on Tai Shun because he’s willing to forgive his mother for all that she’s done. He warns her that if anything happens to Ahn, he won’t forgive her.
The Fight
Ahn’s father hands her the sword and tells her to raise the army.
Meanwhile, Tang Wei and The Lotus Sect arrive.
As a fight breaks out, Ama is caught in the crossfire and an arrow surges toward her.
It’s intercepted by an arrow that Altan fired.
But he’s too late. With a sword to her throat, Zhao Yang knows he’s lost his leverage and can’t make Ahn his puppet. Altan launches arrows at Zhao Yang, but he yanks Ahn over the wall with him. And yet Zhao Yang is the only one falling, Ahn is safe.
The magic of the sword shows Ahn Yuan Long, Altan’s grandfather, the man responsible for the blight on their land, and it turns out that he wasn’t as evil as Altan thought.
Ahn sees Yuan Long beg the sword to free him. He’s trying to make things better. But in doing so he binds his dark magic to the sword and destroys the land.
There she makes the decision that the sacrifice of another Life Stealer will balance everything out. Ahn tells Altan this is the only way, and Altan can do nothing but watch as Ahn stabs herself with the sword.
Obsidian and White Jade sword
It worked!
When she died the obsidian sword turns white jade once more.
Ahn’s death has led her to the Phoenix. Her sacrifice has earned her a wish.
She doesn’t wish to be brought back to life, only that everyone she cares about is safe, and yet the Life Stealer Ahn is alive.
One month later, everything is how it should be.
Altan, Jin, is Emperor, Ahn is alive, and Ama is safe.
Ahn is heading to Xinzhu to try and learn about her mother.
Ahn and Altan kiss in a flurry of conjured up snow, with the knowledge that somewhere down the line, they’ll be ok.
That is until the queen sends a note to a mysterious woman, telling her to return to Beishou because that mysterious woman’s brother is now Emperor…
How spicy is Jade Fire Gold?
There is no spice in Jade Fire Gold. You see the two protagonists grow towards each other as they start having feelings towards the other. At the end of the book they kiss.
Is Jade Fire Gold worth reading?
It depends if this book is something you like to read about. For example, Jade Fire Gold is inspired by Chinese mythology with Xianxia and Wuxia elements. If you don’t like this in a book then Jade Fire Gold book might not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, I would say give Jade Fire Gold a go. It is fast-paced and action-packed. I think it is worth your time.
Jade Fire Gold Book Review
Jade Fire Gold is an xianxia inspired fantasy. I haven’t read a Chinese-inspired fantasy book before, but the book kept me wanting to read more. There were many things to love about the book.
First, I really liked that this story plays with familiar tropes from Western fantasy and Chinese Xianxia. The Chinese-inspired setting was new for me, mainly the names and how to pronounce them. June brings this world to life with poetically drawn descriptions of events. With that, it was also easy to understand for someone that hadn’t read anything about Chinese mythology before.
What really kept me invested in the story was the characters. The two main protagonists, Ahn and Altan each have their own traumas and desires, and a cruel twist of fate brings them together for a life-or-death mission.
At first, the romance between Ahn and Altan felt a little too Insta love, or should I say Insta attraction. However, it progressed more slowly than I thought and I did like that more. They grow closer to each other as the book progresses. I can’t really say this is your typical enemies-to-lovers story. In some way they are enemies but they both don’t know this. For example, Altan knows Ahn is the life stealer, but Ahn does not know that Altan is actually the real heir.
I also really liked the supporting characters, particularly the four who are explicitly queer. They were all really sweet and had some fun dialogues. The story really built up their personalities and backgrounds, with some interesting twists thrown in.
Although the plot of this book is resolved enough that it can be read as a stand-alone, the epilogue of the story shows a clear option for a sequel.
Characters
Ahn
In a far-flung desert outpost of the turbulent Shi Empire, Ahn ekes out a living as a dishwasher and petty thief. She longs for a better life for herself and her adoptive grandmother, but when a theft goes awry, her latent powers manifest transforming her into the most powerful weapon in the world.
Altan
With His family murdered and his birthright hijacked, Altan has three things on his to-do list: take back the Dragon Throne, free the empire from the clutches of a dangerous cult of priests, and undo the ravages of dark magic lying deep within the land. For the exiled prince to get what he wants, he must put his faith in a girl, but will she be a tool for his vengeance or the downfall of his nation?
ima Leiye
As the illegitimate son of a Marquis, he has had to fight for everything in life. Favored by the powerful, his path seems clear. But who knows where his real loyalties lie?
Tai Shun
Fearing that he is not up to the task, this guilt-ridden and grief-stricken Crown Prince of the Shi Empire is reluctant to take up the reign of his kingdom, opting instead to pass his idle time drinking.
Tang Wei
After running away from home at a young age, she joins the Lotus Sect and trains as an assassin to seek revenge for her deceased sister.
Chen Linxi
A spy passing off as a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Dowager at the Imperial Palace, she is the daughter of a former high-ranking court official who was loyal to the previous Emperor.
Jade Fire Gold Epilogue
The epilogue of Jade Fire Gold is short but it makes you crave more. As said above, the book is a stand-alone. However, with the epilogue, we get to see that apparently, Altan’s sister is very much alive, which could lead to a sequel. That said, as of the date of publishing this article, there is no information that there will necessarily be a sequel to this story.
Conclusion
I hope this article has answered some of your questions about this book.
And I hope that, if you have a question I didn’t answer in this post, you will let me know in the comments below!
