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batmayne_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
5.0
The book follows 3 characters zachary ying(main character), simon li and melissa wu as the travel through china to sealna leaking portal, the door to the other side. The kids are hosts to ancient emperors Qin Shi Huang, Tang Taizong and Wu Zetian (in order of characters)
There were amazing historical teaching moments and modern references (avatar, dragon ball z, the mummy 3) that were perfect to the story
Also had very real momemts on current issues in the world (muslim camps, british museum refusing return of artifacts)
Its like yugioh with AR and its amazing!
There were amazing historical teaching moments and modern references (avatar, dragon ball z, the mummy 3) that were perfect to the story
Also had very real momemts on current issues in the world (muslim camps, british museum refusing return of artifacts)
Its like yugioh with AR and its amazing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
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
zombiezami's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This was an exciting and endearing book, and I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series. The one thing I didn’t like was how many times a facet of Chinese history or culture was explained as “this person was basically the Chinese version of [Western thing].” I understand that the POV character is a Chinese American person who has little knowledge of Chinese history, but those summaries felt pretty oversimplified. Also, some of the dialogue scenes around Chinese culture and history didn’t feel terribly organic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Xenophobia, Racism, Islamophobia, and Police brutality
Minor: Medical content, Genocide, War, and Slavery
dandelionsteph's review against another edition
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.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
sophiesmallhands's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Racism, War, Death of parent, Violence, Islamophobia, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
fe_aye'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? 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
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
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
dewugging's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Suicide, Murder, Grief, Death, and War
Minor: Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Gore, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Kidnapping