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grace_b_3's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I picked this up for 2 reasons: it fit the middle grade fiction with LGBTQ+ characters prompt for The Storygraph genre challenge for 2024 and because I liked Iron Widow. This worked a lot less for me than Iron Widow.
The exposition was very clunky—both for the world-building elements as well as the historical and cultural notes. This seems to be written for a non-Chinese audience, as the story stops a lot to explain things like there being different ethnic groups in China etc. The fact that the writing style was such an issue makes me afraid to reread Iron Widow.
I could appreciate some elements of the story being told—like dealing with racism and bullying and finding your place in the world when you don’t feel like you fit in. Those more thematic elements were the most compelling part of this book for me.
Lastly, to touch on the LGBTQ+ elements,it’s clear that Zachary is gay, but it’s not dealt with very directly. It’s a couple of lines throughout the book that clue the reader in. As this book is very much setting up a sequel, I could see this element becoming more prominent in later books, as first crushes become more important to the characters as they age.
The exposition was very clunky—both for the world-building elements as well as the historical and cultural notes. This seems to be written for a non-Chinese audience, as the story stops a lot to explain things like there being different ethnic groups in China etc. The fact that the writing style was such an issue makes me afraid to reread Iron Widow.
I could appreciate some elements of the story being told—like dealing with racism and bullying and finding your place in the world when you don’t feel like you fit in. Those more thematic elements were the most compelling part of this book for me.
Lastly, to touch on the LGBTQ+ elements,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Suicide
elfyn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Superb. I can't wait to read Iron Widow, and I hope there's a second book coming for this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Bullying
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was fun and educational, and I would recommend for anyone a fan of mythical middle grade books. The first half had a lot of info dumping via dialogue though, which made me lose a bit of interest at the time, and I would've liked to learn about these parts of the lore and Chinese history via other means, perhaps as flashback or memories or a dual timeline/POV situation. The second half of the book was really good though and the ending was excellent. I'll definitely be tuning in for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Bullying
Moderate: Islamophobia, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
reila's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Enjoyed this book so much that I couldn't put it down. Exquisite world-building, pulling from blood-drenched history and the myths/legends spun from such events (regardless if true or fabricated, who knows?)--how they lent themselves to the powers the hosts can evoke was fascinating. Zack confronting his mixed cultural identity hit emotional places I never had words for. Zhao's sense of humor, pop-culture references, and cutting wit felt more apparent here (if familiar with their social media presence). For the ordeal they described in writing the book too, they must have had some fun in doing so because I could swear I felt it (if not, I will choose to believe it).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Racism, Kidnapping, Murder, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Islamophobia
Patricidedandelionsteph's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Suicide, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, and War
Palace eunuchs are mentioned in one sentence in-narrative in a flashback of sorts of an emperor's life, but exactly what eunuchs are is not specified. The concubines of emperors are mentioned a few times, but not their actual role or function. It portrays (by flashback) the historical event of Fusu, the heir apparent of major character Qin Shi Huang, being forced to kill himself; I believe this is phrased as "forced to take his own life", which is mildly euphemistic. Of course, this is still deeply distressing to the characters. The emphasis is on Fusu being forced to commit the act, not the act itself. There are multiple mentions of drunkenness, mainly from a legendary subordinate poet who was often drunk, and acts drunk when summoned and says he wishes to never be sober. One enemy they fight magically inflicts a dazed state on them with a spell referencing drunkenness, which the protagonist quickly likens to drunkenness and dislikes, and absentmindedly wonders if the spell is haram (forbidden by Islamic tenets). I believe alcohol itself rarely if ever shows up in the book or is drank.bones_jackson's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Que livro incrível. É uma mistura de Percy Jackson e histórias e mitologia chinesa incrivelmente escrito, todos os fãs de Percy Jackson deveriam ler esse livro. O humor na história te faz ter umas risadas muito boas em horas muito inconvenientes na história, o que é incrível. E ainda tem um bode com olhos no sovaco o que é incrível
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Islamophobia
Minor: Deportation, Grief, Bullying, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Islamophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Minor: War, Genocide, and Suicide
fe_aye's review
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was an interesting read. Right away you can see the influences from Percy Jackson, but it doesn’t just copy everything from those stories it is a new take on the mythology is real genre. The way their powers are described is interesting, and learning about the different legends and myths of china and the varying cultures is especially fun throughout. It’s all woven together very organically and very well done. A pretty enjoyable read for fans of Percy Jackson.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Genocide, Body horror, Bullying, and Death
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: fantasy violence, religious persecution, anti-Asian sentiments, suicide mention, bullying
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is book one in the first middle grade series by Xiran Jay Zhao. I originally started this book as a before bed read with my youngest, but since she's not around much, I figured I would finish alone, because I was enjoying it so much!
We follow Zachary Ying, a Uyghur Muslim immigrant living in Maine with his mom. Zack is a shy kid who gets bullied a lot for being Chinese, when suddenly while wearing his Mythrealm glasses, a spirit tries to possess, fails and possesses his VR headset instead. Turns out Zach is related to one of the most notorious Chinese historical figures: Qin Shi Huang. Zack now has water powers and must find a way to save his mother's soul that was stolen by another spirit. He is accompanied by his teen idol who, is possessed by Emperor Tang Taizong; and a pop star possessed by Wu Zetian, the first and only female emperor of China.
This book was actually a hilarious wild ride! Zhao admits they just wrote their 12 year old self into anime they wished had ended better 😂. This book is great if you love video games, anime, pop culture references, and lots of Chinese history. As an American who never learned anything about China in school, it was fascinating learning about Chinese history and their influence on China's myths and legends. I also love that Zhao always makes the villain the main character, we get some lovely middle grade morally gray action.
The lessons my kid took away when we were reading together was to not point out when someone looks different than you, to believe in yourself and not give up before even trying, and to stand up to bullies. An additional lesson is that there is no such thing as Good VS. Evil in real life. Everyone has done wrong, but they can also do good. We also get the beginnings of Zack questioning his sexuality, and might be explored more in later books. This is a wonderful middle grade read, and I look forward to the rest of the series!
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is book one in the first middle grade series by Xiran Jay Zhao. I originally started this book as a before bed read with my youngest, but since she's not around much, I figured I would finish alone, because I was enjoying it so much!
We follow Zachary Ying, a Uyghur Muslim immigrant living in Maine with his mom. Zack is a shy kid who gets bullied a lot for being Chinese, when suddenly while wearing his Mythrealm glasses, a spirit tries to possess, fails and possesses his VR headset instead. Turns out Zach is related to one of the most notorious Chinese historical figures: Qin Shi Huang. Zack now has water powers and must find a way to save his mother's soul that was stolen by another spirit. He is accompanied by his teen idol who, is possessed by Emperor Tang Taizong; and a pop star possessed by Wu Zetian, the first and only female emperor of China.
This book was actually a hilarious wild ride! Zhao admits they just wrote their 12 year old self into anime they wished had ended better 😂. This book is great if you love video games, anime, pop culture references, and lots of Chinese history. As an American who never learned anything about China in school, it was fascinating learning about Chinese history and their influence on China's myths and legends. I also love that Zhao always makes the villain the main character, we get some lovely middle grade morally gray action.
The lessons my kid took away when we were reading together was to not point out when someone looks different than you, to believe in yourself and not give up before even trying, and to stand up to bullies. An additional lesson is that there is no such thing as Good VS. Evil in real life. Everyone has done wrong, but they can also do good. We also get the beginnings of Zack questioning his sexuality, and might be explored more in later books. This is a wonderful middle grade read, and I look forward to the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide and Death
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Racism, Islamophobia, Death, Death of parent, War, Murder, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Genocide