Reviews

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this book.

You're going to like this book if you are a fan of Mulan and the idea of going against what is "expected" from a person in society. This book is a good representation of doing something for your own values instead of just following what others say you should do.

The main characters are well written and intriguing with their interactions. The main female character, Ying, is stubborn but has a good sense of loyalty and what is right on a larger scale. Her interactions with the main male character, Ye-Yang, were a bit bland in my opinion but I liked the fact that she was not immediately in love with him just because of his pretty face or social rank. Ye-Yang, is a decent main male character, he felt a bit boring and even confusing at first because he was not showing as many quirks until after maybe half of the book.

The story did not take on an interesting enough plot until about 40% of the book, when the main idea was being planted and the conflict was kind of obvious. I think the plot was good enough to keep the desire to read ahead but it just started so slow that I almost did not finish it. I am glad I did finish it though, but I think it will be just fine as a standalone since I don't see how it can add anything else to the story that would make me want to keep reading it.

Overall, the story was good and the characters were well planned and introduced. The book itself could have left some stuff out to make it a bit easier to get into the main conflict, but the overall idea of the main character's purpose was well addressed. I liked the book enough to finish it.

_shannara_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A steampunk fantasy inspired by the history of the Qing Dynasty, Of Jade and Dragons is an impressive YA debut. This story follows Aihui Ying as she disguise herself as a boy and infiltrates the prestigious Engineer’s Guild, all in an effort to solve her father’s mysterious murder.

I appreciated that Ying was a bit older than a lot of ya protagonists. I think it made her actions and choices feel more realistic. I also loved that Ying wasn’t some prodigy when it came to engineering. She’s definitely smart and cleaver but she’s good at engineering because her father nurtured and encouraged her interest in it. Ying’s character has a lot of depth and she really grows as a person over the course of the story. Her interactions with others, particularly Ye-Yang and Ye-Kan really shows her commitment to her core beliefs and her strong sense of self. She speaks her mind and she doesn’t let others treat her as lesser simply because of their status.

Ye-Yang’s character is intriguing because throughout the story we see him wanting to be a better person than his father while still being trapped by his father’s world view and influence. He’s become complacent with the idea that the ends justify the means. Ying challenges this viewpoint, she pushes him to stand his ground, to demand better because nothing less will do.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am definitely interested in picking up the sequel to this story. If you like angst, strong FMC’s, revenge, politics, beautiful world building, and high-stakes adventures then you should pick up this book.

zagfros's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

For fans of The Scarlet Alchemist & The Night Ends With Fire, Of Jade and Dragons combines the magical academy setting & hiding as a man to gain entey. It also has a unique take on the 'magical academy' sub-genre, rather than magic, the power comes from engineering. I really enjoyed this take and it felt really refreshing.

We follow Ying, investigating her father's murder all the way to the Engineering Guild. Through a chance encounter she gains a powerful ally of the fourth beile, Ye-yang. Through his patronage she is able to gain entry as an apprentice and undertake multiple trials to prove her worth. The final trial is a real surprise as well!

Along the way, she gains some unconventional friends such as Ye-kan who has more to him than meets the eye. All the while, trying to remain undercover & find out the truth behind her father's murder.

Of Jade and Dragons is a brilliant debut with a unique take on some popular tropes, it flows really well (I got through about 85% in one sitting) and has a bunch of loveable characters. Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley & Penguin Random House for the arc!

_christinacreads's review against another edition

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Mulan inspired but instead of a high stakes war there’s a training competition and a murder mystery that’s kind of pushed to the back burner? Idk I really was just bored. I do think the author is really sweet and genuinely kind and I hope this book finds its audience.

cyndqls's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I heard this was a girls in STEM book and I was immediately intrigued, even though I am sometimes a little hesitant towards YA titles. I did ultimately really like this and found it well-paced and engaging, though I did think the chapters ran a little long for my liking. Though she is at times frustrating, I felt that Ying was fully realized (I mean—she’s 18, and a little stupid, and going through it, it’s fine). I also liked the other characters that Chen introduced; Ye-Kan’s character arc was good to see in particular.

The overall plot was interesting and I’m definitely interested in seeing how the rest of the story will unfold in the sequel. There’s some neat things happening and I liked the worldbuilding a lot, though I’ve always thought silkpunk is an interesting genre. Though there are no real dragons in this, reading about the engineers’ work was fun. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the turns this took and while I didn’t care much for the tiny romance subplot, I also didn’t mind it.

There were some bumps at the start but I think they evened out as the story progressed and I had fun reading it! My biggest complaint is that I felt like the chapters were all a bit too long and could’ve been cut in half (even if it would’ve doubled the chapter count) but that’s just a matter of personal preference.

fatime_sino's review against another edition

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3.0

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was enjoyable, but ultimately kind of all over the place in terms of characters and story.

After Ying’s father is murdered, she goes to the engineering school that he went to for answers. What I love about this plot line is that Ying is a HORRIBLE detective. She figures out absolutely nothing and gets no clues, and it was honestly kind of refreshing to see. She’s an engineer, not a detective.

I really had trouble with Ying and Ye-yang’s relationship, as I didn’t trust him even a little bit the whole time (and I was ultimately right), but I think this was intentional. It made me feel uncomfortable and unsure, and I think (hope) that was the goal, to show some truly morally gray characters.

One relationship I loved was Ying and Ye-kan, they were great together and I know they had a brotherly/sisterly bond but I was still like… I could get behind that romance if the author went that way. They had great back-and-forth and they truly cared about each other and made each other laugh.

Ultimately, the biggest issue with this book for me was the pacing. Time was going by so fast and we weren’t seeing some moments that I felt we should have seen. We didn’t see ANY of Ying’s lessons and schooling so I’m really not sure what she learned and what growth she had as an engineer other than her starting to design and build weapons. Everything felt very rushed and convenient to me.

I’m probably going to read the next book because I am curious to see where the story goes and I think there’s room for a lot of growth and interesting story ideas, plus the writing potential is there.

camilla_reads88's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.0

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