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amclhr's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
n011ya's review against another edition
5.0
A really great book. Zack is influenced by other people but it is more justified and believable since he is just a kid. I love the inclusion of Zack feeling very disconnected with his heritage and fitting in since it is really relatable. His crush on Simon was definitely cute in the childhood first crush type of way. Its yet another amazing book and certainly kept me at the edge of my seat at the climax of the novel and the cliff hanger is UGH SO GOOD!!!This book was really amazing and I got so invested I binged the whole book in less than a day! 10/10 An amazing book which I would read again.
grace_b_3's review against another edition
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
strategineer's review against another edition
5.0
Xiran Jay Zhao strikes again. I was blown away by her YA novel Iron Window a few months ago so when I saw her next novel Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor on sale, I snatched it up.
Once again, Xiran has interwoven ancient Chinese history and mythology seamlessly with an anime inspired aesthetic (Yugioh in this case whereas Iron Window was very Darling in the Franxx) serving it all through a genre appropriate lens.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's fun, it's cute and it subverts enough tropes to keep you guessing. I got a kick out of the main villain being a rich tech bro dickhead.
In both of her novels, Xiran portrays main characters who commit murder (and other crimes against humanity) but it's ok because "the ends justify the means". These characters are the heroes of the novels so we're supposed to be rooting for them despite these murders they've committed for the "greater good".
Sidenote: Technically nobody actually dies in Zachary Ying and The Dragon Emperor, a book for twelve year olds, but only technically. Our memories make us who we are, if you take away 2000 years of memories from someone, don't ask, you've killed that version of them.
Xiran's novels also make reference to other heinous crimes against humanity that aren't justified and are portrayed as such like ancient Chinese foot binding rituals and the Chinese genocide of the Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
I'm curious to see how far Xiran pushes her characters in her next novels. Will her heroes eventually come to regret or feel guilty about the evil they've committed on their path to achieving their goals? Will someone they've wronged in the past punish them for their digressions? Or will her heroes never have to come to terms with their choices and the people they've hurt along the way continuing the cycle of violence they were subjected to instead of ending it?
Uhhhh. Obviously I don't know but I'm excited to read whatever comes next from Xiran Jay Zhao.
Once again, Xiran has interwoven ancient Chinese history and mythology seamlessly with an anime inspired aesthetic (Yugioh in this case whereas Iron Window was very Darling in the Franxx) serving it all through a genre appropriate lens.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's fun, it's cute and it subverts enough tropes to keep you guessing. I got a kick out of the main villain being a rich tech bro dickhead.
In both of her novels, Xiran portrays main characters who commit murder (and other crimes against humanity) but it's ok because "the ends justify the means". These characters are the heroes of the novels so we're supposed to be rooting for them despite these murders they've committed for the "greater good".
Sidenote: Technically nobody actually dies in Zachary Ying and The Dragon Emperor, a book for twelve year olds, but only technically. Our memories make us who we are, if you take away 2000 years of memories from someone, don't ask, you've killed that version of them.
Xiran's novels also make reference to other heinous crimes against humanity that aren't justified and are portrayed as such like ancient Chinese foot binding rituals and the Chinese genocide of the Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
I'm curious to see how far Xiran pushes her characters in her next novels. Will her heroes eventually come to regret or feel guilty about the evil they've committed on their path to achieving their goals? Will someone they've wronged in the past punish them for their digressions? Or will her heroes never have to come to terms with their choices and the people they've hurt along the way continuing the cycle of violence they were subjected to instead of ending it?
Uhhhh. Obviously I don't know but I'm excited to read whatever comes next from Xiran Jay Zhao.
hannahhbic's review against another edition
5.0
*leans into the mic* holy mother of what the f-
if you haven't read this because you don't normally read MG, i swear it's worth it. what a freaking ride. this book feels like both an anime and also like a trilogy of adult SFF books. AND THIS IS BOOK ONE!
seriously what are you waiting for. go pick it up right now!!! (merry xmas to yourself.)
i would also like to state that waiting to listen to Zachary until the re-recorded audiobook version was released was the right call. eric yang's voice is wonderful and i really hope to see him pop up more in the future.
thank you to netgalley for a preview copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. what a knockout of a book.
if you haven't read this because you don't normally read MG, i swear it's worth it. what a freaking ride. this book feels like both an anime and also like a trilogy of adult SFF books. AND THIS IS BOOK ONE!
seriously what are you waiting for. go pick it up right now!!! (merry xmas to yourself.)
i would also like to state that waiting to listen to Zachary until the re-recorded audiobook version was released was the right call. eric yang's voice is wonderful and i really hope to see him pop up more in the future.
thank you to netgalley for a preview copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. what a knockout of a book.
bright_night's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
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
4.25
surperb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
jacqiesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaeliwolf's review against another edition
4.0
Creative chapter titles. I like the inserts of the different introduced characters saying the time range and weird biography-like explanations for the new gods/emperors/etc.
amy_olivier's review against another edition
Good book but as someone who don’t like Yu-Gi-Oh the card based magic system is just not for me, might give it another shot later bc i really liked the characters in there