Jade City by Fonda Lee

Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) by Fonda Lee, 560 p.

CW: General violence, gang scenarios

"The Kaul family is one of two crime syndicates that control the island of Kekon. It's the only place in the world that produces rare magical jade, which grants those with the right training and heritage superhuman abilities.

The Green Bone clans of honorable jade-wearing warriors once protected the island from foreign invasion--but nowadays, in a bustling post-war metropolis full of fast cars and foreign money, Green Bone families like the Kauls are primarily involved in commerce, construction, and the everyday upkeep of the districts under their protection.

When the simmering tension between the Kauls and their greatest rivals erupts into open violence in the streets, the outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones and the future of Kekon itself."--Goodreads blurb 

This is the first time reading Lee for me, and the writing was pretty good. It was a dialogue-heavy story, which appeals to me, but all-in-all, I didn't love this book. The characters weren't very likeable, and the lifestyle of the main characters was just out of my comfort zone. This is a series and for now, I won't be moving on the the next one, though I will keep it on my TBR. This won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel 2018.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

 The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - 337 pages

Abandoned by their mother and largely ignored by their father, Danny and Maeve are left to be raised by the household staff and one another in the Dutch House, a 1920s mansion their father bought, complete with antiques and art, in an estate sale as a surprise for his wife.

She despised the house and the excess it represented, eventually leaving it and her family behind to serve the poor in India. In time, a classic evil stepmother moves in to replace her. Meanwhile, Danny and Maeve's father's real estate company, and his preference for property over people, grows. A tragic turn leaves the siblings even more alone and puts an abrupt end to life as they knew it in the Dutch House.

All the characters, including the house that gives the book its title, are elaborately developed in this compelling story of family, found family, and -- finally -- of forgiveness. The Dutch House, winner of a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for historical fiction, examines the enormity of what we inherit from those who come before us.