Beautiful photo by @nats.bookcorner
Hello, hello and welcome to day 4 of our Jade Fire Gold readalong!
I’m emotional, we’re nearing the end, I really don’t know if Altan’s views on Ahn have changed and I don’t know where this is going to go.
Are you all enjoying it so far? I hope you are!
Have you had any favourite moments? Make sure you let me know in the comments below!
Today we’re reading from chapter 28 to the end of chapter 40, so without further ado, let’s get stuck in!
Please be warned, the following will include spoilers for Jade Fire Gold by June CL Tan from chapters 28-40. Read only if you’ve finished those chapters!
-!SPOILERS!-
AMAAAAAAAAA! Ama is back, reunited with Ahn. What a wonderful way to start today’s section!
Altan and Ahn, an unparalleled pair returning children to their mother’s across the nation! I knew they wouldn’t drop it and walk away. I have faith in these two, I really do.
Hold on… the head priest. Ahn’s father. The man with the melting face. Anyone else having palpitations?
Not only is Ahn’s father, who is currently trying to hunt her down to make her find a sword to presumably destroy the world so he can build it anew and pretend to be a hero, HERE… he’s the man who murdered Altan’s mother. You know, the guy with the melting face that Altan vowed he would destroy? THAT ONE.
Ahn as steered Altan away from his impulse decision of killing her father. AHN! Why is she protecting him? Much anger, much upset!
Things have gone from bad, to worse. The priests have Ama. The evil priests have taken the most wholesome, caring woman.
I definitely spoke too soon when I said this would be a wonderful section. Master Sun, Altan’s Shīfù, curer of Ama’s, drinker of tea. Oh, fairies, this is so sad, like Altan hasn’t lost enough.
And his last words ‘I’m… sorry, my boy […] You must find a way to live… Find your peace’
Poor Altan. Just as he started to trust Ahn, his grief has altered his perception and now he’s regretting saving Ahn, the Life Stealer over his Shīfù.
Throwback to Altan’s meeting with the Phoenix, and he’s finally starting to see that there are more important things than magic. Hopefully it’s not too late for the others around him!
Tang Wei seems to be seeing something between Ahn and Altan that they don’t see. Do you see it? We’ve definitely had snippets here and there that lean towards some major feelings, but Tang Wei’s right, they’re fools if they can’t see there’s more between them!
Leiye is back, and with him, he brings the news that Altan was only meant to get Ahn out of the prison cell and keep her hidden. What is Altan up to? Was his plan to go against Leiye’s all along?
Oh damn, Leiye’s dropped the bomb that Altan isn’t actually called Altan. How will Ahn feel when she finds out he’s lied to her this entire time about his identity?
There was never a good time to tell you. Oh, Altan. You expect trust from Ahn, but you couldn’t tell her who you really were?
Another attack! Damn. Will these two ever get to work out their differences without SOMEONE trying to murder them?!
Wait, no!!! Not Tang Wei! This book is taking us on a real emotional rollercoaster right now and I’m not sure I can cope with it. Ahn is trying desperately to use her power for good, but she’s had such little training, something was bound to go wrong! Tang Wei got hurt in the crossfire.
Our only salvation at this point is that Altan isn’t making the same mistake twice. He won’t sacrifice Tang Wei when he can help her, he won’t leave her behind. Maybe he’s good after all. Do we trust him after he lied to Ahn for so long? I DON’T KNOW.
We’re officially on board the ship and heading to The Dragon’s Triangle.
Altan is brooding, Ahn is having horrific nightmares, and Tang Wei, despite still not being recovered, is knocking some sense into Altan. That’s our girl.
“How do you think it feels to be the Life Stealer? To know the person you love thinks that you’re a monster?”
*whispers* Tang Wei dropped the “L” bomb, oh snap!
Will he listen to Tang Wei? To her lessons on trusting and being trusted? I think he should cause, she’s pretty wise. Nickname alert: Tang WISE
He has listened! REJOICE! Altan has opened up and told Ahn he’s not worried about his crown or the throne, but about her.
He’s reaching out a hand, Ahn, please take it! And she has. She asked him to stay. They’re growing!
Not only did she take his olive branch, but in turn she asked about Jin, asked about Altan’s past, and for the first time we’ve seen, he’s opened up and been entirely truthful. No bitterness, no talks of revenge, just honesty!
And within the blink of an eye, we’re here, The Dragon’s Triangle. A scary place indeed. A mess of dreams and nightmares and hallucinations! Your biggest fears in front of your eyes? What would you see? I think I’d see myself reaching for another biscuit and finding the packet empty. That’s a real tragedy. I’ve got chills just thinking about it.
Let’s be serious though, this Soul Beast does not sound like a fun creature to be meeting in the middle of the ocean.
This vision the Soul Beast is showing Ahn must be Altan’s grandfather! The one who did something so treacherous that it left Altan with pure hatred for all Life Stealer’s.
Ahn has the sword! But, it’s not the sword we think. Plot twist!
“In the end, she is both my salvation and my damnation.” WHAT A LINE. Tattoo it on my heart!
Oh no, this doesn’t seem like the Ahn we know does it? The sword has done something to her! The Obsidian Sword has obviously made some kind of connection to her. She desires it. I don’t feel good about this!
What a way to end today’s section! I can’t believe it.
Any theories on what will happen? Let me know.
I’m not ready for this to end! See you tomorrow for our final section ?
Love,
Shannon
This section was INTENSE. From Tang Wei’s injury to Altsn’s shifu dying to Ama being taken again to the white sword turning out to be the obsidian sword – this stressed me out. I love that A & J are getting closer though. Finally. Especially after Leiye revealed who Altan really is. I was afraid that would be the end for them. I can’t believe Ahn protects her father. It makes no sense to me. She has no connection to him and knows the evil he’s done and will do. She needs to let him go for the greater good.
A & J forever.
SO intense! ?
Loved this comment: “Will these two every get to work out their differences without SOMEONE trying to murder them?!” … it seems like the answer is always going to be no! lol
There is so much yet to see/learn in what’s left of the book – I’m excited to see how it all winds up and how our characters are impacted by that sword!
Right?! Why can’t they have PEACE! ??
Ama is back, Ama gets kidnapped, Master Sun dies protecting the two. And then Tang Wei takes a knife near the heart. The emotional hits just keep coming in this section.
I liked the foreshadowing of Ahn getting weaker the closer they got to the supposed “white sword”. The plot twist surrounding this sword and what the soul beast had to say before Ahn pulled it from the rock makes sense now.
It seems like Ahn is going to have a big struggle ahead in order to keep her feelings, whether hers or the obsidian swords, in check to defeat the mastermind behind the Shi plan.
I feel that. The intensity of this section was something else! ?
This was A LOT! But I’m diggin’ it. I like how it’s picking up. This storyline flows so nicely!
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! ?
I can’t wait to see how this plays out! I almost feel like there’s too much to wrap up in the remainder of the book. Ahn and Altan definitely gave me some whiplash! From Ahn saying she had to pretend to care about him to stop him from killing her father to Altan regretting saving her to Ahn asking him to stay and Altan telling her about himself – wow. Also, love Tang Wei. I had to stop myself from reading the rest of this book.
I love Tang Wei too! ?
Can Leiye turn into a red bear creature?
That’s my first question.
So, this was a solid section although I felt it was a bit telling rather than showing for a lot of it.
I am not sure what is going to happen next but I don’t think this is going to be finished at the end of the book… Is it a duology?
They were so close to just cuddling happily forever. She should’ve left that sword alone. I think they need some more historical/mythological sources to explain what Ahn needs to do to bring the good back to the world.
Looking forward to the last section tomorrow.
Before I start, I want to apologize for one more giant comment! I think that writing what I think as I read is (for now) the best way for me to comment on the story that I’m telling again, it’s excellent!! ?
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Finally, Ahn finds Ama again!! And how happy I am to know that her health is much better!
— — —
WTF!? Ok the idea is altruistic, but is it the best time to get into bigger problems? And the main mission, which is to find the White Jade Sword?
— — —
What do you mean the hostages are no longer in this field!? Missed trip I guess….or not! Since the altan found the person responsible for the mother’s death!
Luckily Ahn doesn’t listen to anyone ? a few more minutes and Altan was throwing himself at her father! (The disappearance of Ahn and the death of Altan’s family had to happen very close to each other and only now have I realized it… (maybe it’s because English is not my mother tongue… ?))
— — —
Like this!? Since when is there this connection between the two???? Did something escape me?
— — —
I saw that ”I need you” was not right!! But will Altan react well when he finds out she did it too to protect her father?
— — —
NO! Even now they’ve found each other and have kidnapped Ama! Poor lady… is Ahn going to follow in Altan’s ”footsteps” and think about revenge for her father abducting her grandmother?
— — —
OMG why did he have to die? Altan’s head was what it was and now with the death of Master Sun it will get even worse…
But Ahn will be with him! And I want to believe that together they will be fine!
— — —
”… I have nothing more to lose.” – I think soon he will think the opposite…
— — —
Tang Wei is such a great wingman! Love it! ??
— — —
Why? Just why? Forgive him Ahn! ?
— — —
Omg a dragon! So cool!
Finally the white sword! Let’s see how things go…
— — —
What!? It isn’t the sword of light?? In the ‘dream’ it was the white sword… how did the dark sword appear?
OMG this is driving me crazy!
But I’m loving it! xD
We love a giant comment! ? Loved reading your thoughts about this section ?
That sums it up quite nicely ?
Eyyyy only missed finishing on schedule by ten minutes ?
A whole lot happened in this section, and I was excited for the return of Tang Wei and Leiye because honestly I prefer them both to the leads whoops. Speaking of the leads… I was enjoying the gently simmering friendship between Altan and Ahn but it went from cheeky bants, bit of light flirting, to being told “Oh you’re completely in love with each other” very suddenly. Not sure how Tang Wei got that considering I’ve been with them the whole time and did not get that vibe at all, but hey ho. ?
The kind of bizarre transition from the chapter where Master Sun was killed (???) and Altan was absolutely broken about it, to the immediately laughing with Tang Wei in the next chapter did make me think – especially given the aforementioned quickness of tentative friendship becoming true love – that maybe this book was originally longer and that things were cut? But then after the cuts there wasn’t much consideration as to how that would change the flow between plot points. Does that make sense?
It’s kind of annoying because the actual writing is really great and I totally love the world and the questy element of the plot, as well as the way both leads are fighting their inner demons throughout… it just feels like parts are being left out sometimes. Its like having a beautiful jigsaw but a few pieces are missing, and at a glance they don’t even seem like all that important pieces – fluff more than anything central to the picture – but when you try to look at the whole thing it isn’t quite right without them.
Well, that’s just my thoughts! I might be completely wrong and nothing was cut and it’s all as intended. Point is, I want more fluff from the book lol. I know this is a debut and because June’s writing is so strong otherwise I’d be up for reading later books by her, but the bits this one feels like it’s lacking are throwing me I won’t lie
I know whatq you mean with the cut sceens. Sometimes there is something missing and it’s to fast for us readers to go with it.
WOW… This section blew my mind and the plot twist was killer. I am so glad that Ahn knows that Altan is actually Jin. I hate secrets. I am going to hate when Altan finds out that Ahn’s father killed his mother. I think that it will destroy him. Especially since he is falling in love with Ahn. I am curious as to why the obsidian sword popped up instead of the jade sword and WHYYY did Leiye know something about being on that ship?! He specifically told her not to go and he is supposed to be protecting her. I really hope that Ama is still safe and that Ahn reaches her in time and does not succumb to the darkness of the sword!
That plot twist!!!! Intense ?
Sooo I guess I absolutely 100% have to give up on wanting Ahn to be Altan’s sister. That would be aaaalll kinds of weird and wrong at this point hahaha! Otherwise I like that Altan is indeed doing some thinking about his vengeance quest. I don’t want him to be the villain when there are so many other villainous people he and Ahn could fight together.
Love this ? I agree, I don’t want him to be the villain. I feel like he’s nice underneath his need for revenge ?
This was certainly a nail-biting section I did think maybe the L word was tossed too easily but there’s no denying their intense connection! I was so excited to get to the Dragon’s triangle, but that sword!!! NOT EXPECTED. I’m a little terrified to finish this lol
Sooo intense! ?
There was definitely a whole lot going on in this section! Altans Shifu dying was so sad. But I’m glad to see altar and Ahn finally trusting each other! Love that Tang Wei also forced her way onto the ship and then dropped the L word lol.
I was surprised the sword ended up being the Obsidian sword! It’s definietly messing with Ahn and I am wondering what is going to happen here ?
I’m not ashamed to say I cried! Poor Altan, poor Shifu ?
This section was a lot! (As in, a lot of things happened) I loved the scene with the dragon, it felt so magical (and a tiny bit creepy).
I still think the twin sis is alive and, from Altan’s flashbacks, I’m going to guess she’s not a nice person
That would be an INTENSE plot twist! ?
So… The onside sword and the white Jade sword are the same thing right? That’s my speculation right now
Obsidian* even. Whoops autocorrect
SO MUCH HAPPENED IN THIS SECTION!
I don’t even know where to begin! I’m not surprised at the death of Master Sun [I believe I got that name right – I’m terrible with names!] nor am I surprised at the kidnapping of Ama. I love that Altan’s friend has sort of claimed Ahn as her own friend, almost siding more with her than Altan, who she’s known most of her life. I’m loving the dynamics, and how the dynamic between Altan and Ahn is complicated in its unfolding!
But I’m a day behind, so I’m off to try to finish this book!
Again a loooooot is happening! So glad Ama is here, but not for long. What happened to her? Where is she? And Master Shin ? poor Altan.
And here is the drama i was waiting for. But they soon get along and are in love??? How did that happen so fast? I have to say I don’t t really feel it. There was something missing. I need more. Maybe if some sceenes wouldnt be cut so short. Sometimes it only says 2 weeks are gone and now they are in love…
Lets see what komes next? I see the next drama waiting with the wrong sword and such
I really liked Master Sun, I was thinking how calming he was for Altan. I hope Altan will remember his last words and all his advice. I’m glad Tang Wei survived. She’s another great character.
At least we have a nice scene with Ahn and Altan reaching out to each other.
The wrong sword is there, um, somehow this seems appropriate for the location, Dragon’s Triangle does not sound like a good place. It seems like her father knew this, and let them get on that boat. I’m guessing he’ll be waiting for them when they return. And Leiye was suspicious and tried to convince her to not go. Maybe he can figure out where the Jade sword is.
This section was packed with angsty feelings and some seriously chilling scenes. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it will end
I got a little behind in my reading but I am catching up! This section was so great and so intense! Tang Wei getting caught in the crossfire was sad. but I’m glad Altan didn’t leave her! he is redeemable!
Ahn getting the sword was both satisfying and horrifying once we find out it’s not the word we expected!
“This is the girl who will help me get my throne back. This is the girl who will either be my salvation or the damnation of the entire world.” WOAH right to the heart.
This section was very action packed and a lot happened. Also it felt like Ahn and Altan had about 50 disagreements and falling outs over each and every twist. Glad to have a few things confirmed like that Ahn’s dad is definitely melty face guy who killed Altan’s mother. Definitely expecting Altan’s sister to turn up before the end.