Echo of the Blue Mountain: Tales of the Swordsman Vol. 4 Author JF Lee
Book Review
5 out of 5 stars!
First and foremost! This series goes in order and ends on cliffhangers! Major spoilers ahead if you haven't read the previous three volumes of this series!
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"Death is the way of the jianghu." - Tao Jun
The Swordsmen of Blue Mountain have returned! Only it isn't a joyous occasion as Li Ming remains in a coma and Tao Jun bears the weight of his failures from the temple. All is not lost since Shu Yan was able to steal the Nine Dragon manual back and away from the Black Tigers! But the odds are beginning to stack against them with the presence of a fierce general. . .
She Who Pacifies the North has arrived and is leaving burned villages in her wake. General Peng is here to set things straight and flush out the Black Tigers but at what cost? Our ragtag team will have to come together and hopefully be enough for what's approaching. Shu Yan continuing her training, but something seems to be missing. Maybe the surprise of a long-lost-friend of Blue Mountain will help!
"We invented horses, so we didn't have to walk anywhere." - Tao Jun
"I don't think anyone invented horses." - Shu Yan
Okay so we all know about the reluctant father trope, i.e. Ciri and Garelt from The Witcher. But what about the reluctant uncle?! Like Scar from the Lion King! That's the type of vibe I felt between Tao Jun and Shu Yan. Our over-the-top-drama-queen-magistrate and the sassy-doesn't-back-down-from-a-challenge-ex-runaway. I laughed so much with the banter between Shu Yan and Tao Jun. Tao Jun realizing pretty quickly that they are both liars and able to con people.
This book has a lot of information and mini arcs happening, but it was very much worth it! Yin and Yang energies were very prominent and displayed beautifully throughout the entire read. Obviously, the male energies vs female energies and the difference between having each as a mentor/teacher. But also, the old belief systems vs the new beliefs. Realizing that this new perspective requires a different approach. Seeing the conflicts of all of the above was very interesting and engaging.
"Revenge never heals." - Granny Chen
Everyone is trying to heal from what happened when they faced The King Saber. Especially Li Ming. . . His arc was hard, and it really pulls at your heart strings. Suicide is mentioned a lot revolving around Li Ming and the losses that keep accumulating for him. We feel his depression and anxiety, our MC has very fresh trauma and the PTSD is crippling at times.
This installment contains a lot of healing arcs and arcs that are the start of a journey to recovery. Again, this book is thick, and a lot of things take place! Fast paced and constantly feeding you more! I still really love watching Shu Yan's growth and the other cast of characters beginning to realize she's growing into a woman no longer that scrawny child. Some of them having really thick skulls so it takes them a little longer.
"You're building character!" - Tao Jun
"I don't need more character! I'm already the hero in the story." - Shu Yan (breaking that fourth wall)
Shu Yan is a favorite character of mine and just I really cannot wait to see her "final" form by the end of the series! I've also fallen in love with several other characters as we get to understand them, and they are fleshed out more. We get a lot of backstories and history lessons! History lessons about Blue Mountain and how it came to be! The author really balances everything and has a lot of fantastic female characters. Like Shu Yan I was blown away by some of the history lessons and figures within said lessons!
JF Lee has brought the world of Wuxia (almost supernatural martial arts skills) to life in the best way! The comedy is phenomenal and will have you laughing out loud. While also feeling tears well in your eyes with certain scenes. I felt a whole spectrum of emotions as I read! Was cheering so hard for two characters in particular at the end of the book. I really love this author's writing style and with each new installment his writing just gets so much better! Love all of his works and really cannot wait for more!
This is a YA genre series. There is blood and gore along with depictions of what happens when a village is burned. Nothing over the top and stomach rolling. Dark pasts mentioned and what some had to see when raids occurred. A character deals with very active thoughts of suicide, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Others seeing what that character is going through and not knowing how to approach or help. There's some language in the book but it's very mild. No real set POV since its third person POV and we kind of float from one person to another to help really grasp a scene.
The author spoils us with a list of main characters at the beginning of the book and brief descriptions. He also included a recap of the previous volumes at the start! We get a map at the beginning as well, so we know where we are! I really enjoyed and very much appreciated the author's little foot notes to help translate some of the phrases or words. He also included some commentary and thoughts that had me chuckling realizing I thought the exact same!
We do end with a cliffhanger and I'm so ready for more! Do enjoy this read with great fight scenes, training montages, and so much more! Don't forget to give the author some stars!
Vol 4:
Vol 3:
Vol 2:
Vol 1:
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Book Cover Artist:
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