In the island of Kekon, bioenergetic jade confers extraordinary fighting powers on those who are trained and able to control it - and can destroy those who aren't. Two rivals, the No Peak and Mountain clans, whose founders were once close friends, now fight over the neighbourhoods and battle for control of the jade supply. As dangerous drug SN1 ("shine") allows even the non genetically gifted to use jade powers, foreign nations pay more and more attention to the small island nation and the battle between the clans turns to open warfare. The book centers on the Kaul family leading No Peak clan, and mainly follows Lan, Hilo, and Shae as they fight for the success of the clan their grandfather founded.

The setting is very much an urban fantasy in Asian gangster movie style; if you enjoy movies like Kung Fu Hustle and kung fu movies, you'll likely enjoy this book a lot. It's the first of a trilogy; the second book is also published but the third isn't due out till 2021.

I particularly appreciated the character building; all of them are interesting and have depth and nuances, and in particular the female characters manage to be strong and interesting while still navigating the clearly sexist framework of the society they find themselves in, and finding different ways to deal with it.