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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderberry Books for allowing me early access to this eARC in exchange for a review.
I really had a lot of fun with this book! I read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao last year and loved it so much. They became an auto-buy author super quick for me so when I heard that they were writing a middle-grade book that had “Percy Jackson” in the blurb I knew I had to read it. I’ve been pretty obsessed with Asian fantasy recently and as a PJO kid at heart this book definitely filled a void I didn’t know I had.
This book also was fairly education in terms of learning and seeing these Chinese myths and history fused throughout the story. I’m so glad this book exists and I’m so happy we are getting more cultural representation in middle grade outside of euro-centric fantasy and mythology. It hit pretty social issues that I think is imperative for kids to have an understanding of at that formative age range.
The book was a bit slow to get started but after I hit the 40% mark it just flew by. I loved how we really didn’t know which side was the “good side” for the longest time and we were questioning everyone and understood Zach’s distrust for pretty much everyone. (I will say I’m hoping for more dragons in the sequel
I really had a lot of fun with this book! I read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao last year and loved it so much. They became an auto-buy author super quick for me so when I heard that they were writing a middle-grade book that had “Percy Jackson” in the blurb I knew I had to read it. I’ve been pretty obsessed with Asian fantasy recently and as a PJO kid at heart this book definitely filled a void I didn’t know I had.
This book also was fairly education in terms of learning and seeing these Chinese myths and history fused throughout the story. I’m so glad this book exists and I’m so happy we are getting more cultural representation in middle grade outside of euro-centric fantasy and mythology. It hit pretty social issues that I think is imperative for kids to have an understanding of at that formative age range.
The book was a bit slow to get started but after I hit the 40% mark it just flew by. I loved how we really didn’t know which side was the “good side” for the longest time and we were questioning everyone and understood Zach’s distrust for pretty much everyone. (I will say I’m hoping for more dragons in the sequel
Fantastic, fun, Middle Grade!
A great story with a wonderful concept! Thoroughly enjoyed every second and I'll be reading it with my students in September!
A great story with a wonderful concept! Thoroughly enjoyed every second and I'll be reading it with my students in September!
The beginning of this was really fun and fast paced in a good way… and then by the middle, the fun kinda died and it just kept going with the same pace. Overall, I enjoyed the concept of Percy Jackson meets Chinese emperors meets Yu-Gi-Oh but the execution wasn’t my favorite. Every time we met a new character we got a long history lesson and every time Zack didn’t know something, he conveniently got a long explanation from one of the side characters (who were really not fleshed out and only existed to tell Zack things he didn’t know). Basically, a lot of telling and not showing. As for the pacing, I’m pretty sure Zack fainted at the end of half of the chapters and woke up to someone telling him 4 days or more had passed, which was convenient for their mission… Anyway, just not for me. I do think the conversations within it, the history that you can learn from it, and Zack’s character are important, though. Just would have liked it to be a bit more developed.
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy novel book 1 in the series.
This book was just amazing. This is my first Xiran Jay Zhao book and I loved so much about it. Zachary Ying was a wonderful, adorable, and somewhat flawed protagonist that I loved from start to finish. Many of the other supporting characters were amazing too, especially that banter Zack has with them made me laugh and feel things too, it was great! I also LOVED the story in this book of a young boy trying to make and keep friends by just doing what they wanted no matter how much it made him uncomfortable to suddenly being pulled into a journey to save a country he knew nothing about, along with the world, from an ancient spirit trying to take it over and "save" it. This isn't even a matter of good vs evil because even the spirits you are helping aren't good either, but more on the . . . morally gray spectrum lol. Throughout this book you learn of these spirits and their importance in China's history, and while getting a brief lesson in it, the figures aren't at all romanticized and talked up as the best thing ever, but criticized for what they've done and mostly not at all feeling sorry about it, but seen as a necessary evil on their part. This book has some hard topics to tackle from feeling out of place in a country you've lived in, to still feeling out of place in a country you were born in. I felt for Zack all throughout this book and I was so ready to just jump into these pages and give him the warmest hug I could give him. Oh! Zack is also queer. So if you're one of THOSE readers, then BACK OFF! This book is so wonderfully amazing that it deserves to be read by anyone in Zack's shoes and anyone wanting to learn with an open mind. The fam and I seriously can't WAIT for book 2. Seriously, I want it, like, yesterday haha!
p.s. Still not in the mood for in depth reviews for trad pub books, but I think I can work with this.
This book was just amazing. This is my first Xiran Jay Zhao book and I loved so much about it. Zachary Ying was a wonderful, adorable, and somewhat flawed protagonist that I loved from start to finish. Many of the other supporting characters were amazing too, especially that banter Zack has with them made me laugh and feel things too, it was great! I also LOVED the story in this book of a young boy trying to make and keep friends by just doing what they wanted no matter how much it made him uncomfortable to suddenly being pulled into a journey to save a country he knew nothing about, along with the world, from an ancient spirit trying to take it over and "save" it. This isn't even a matter of good vs evil because even the spirits you are helping aren't good either, but more on the . . . morally gray spectrum lol. Throughout this book you learn of these spirits and their importance in China's history, and while getting a brief lesson in it, the figures aren't at all romanticized and talked up as the best thing ever, but criticized for what they've done and mostly not at all feeling sorry about it, but seen as a necessary evil on their part. This book has some hard topics to tackle from feeling out of place in a country you've lived in, to still feeling out of place in a country you were born in. I felt for Zack all throughout this book and I was so ready to just jump into these pages and give him the warmest hug I could give him. Oh! Zack is also queer. So if you're one of THOSE readers, then BACK OFF! This book is so wonderfully amazing that it deserves to be read by anyone in Zack's shoes and anyone wanting to learn with an open mind. The fam and I seriously can't WAIT for book 2. Seriously, I want it, like, yesterday haha!
p.s. Still not in the mood for in depth reviews for trad pub books, but I think I can work with this.
Well, when it said fans of Percy Jackson would enjoy it, I didn't think for the portion I read it'd be practically a plot point by plot point similarly.
ARC from Netgalley and Simon Schuster. All opinions are story my own. Thank you
Yugioh meets Chinese historical Emporers perfect for all young kids, but especially children who struggle with multicultural identities.
I love the representation that Xiran Jay Zhao has weaved within their middle grade debut. After reading Iron Widow in April I knew I needed more of Zhao's amazing storytelling and I was extremely excited to see that they had a new series coming out in May. I love the fun Chinese Legends we are given throughout the book. The adventure Zach, and his companions go on is fun, but what I love most of all is Zach's growth as he tries to understand the Chinese culture that he had tried to ignore for so long in order to fit in at school.
I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers, but I really loved the climax of the story and what it meant to Zach to make such a big choice. The world isn't just black and white, but also grey and I feel the dilemma Zach found himself in at this point was pivotal in his growth as a character.
As for a book for younger readers I can see so many young kids enjoying the fun adventure and the historical legends are perfect for future historians.
Yugioh meets Chinese historical Emporers perfect for all young kids, but especially children who struggle with multicultural identities.
I love the representation that Xiran Jay Zhao has weaved within their middle grade debut. After reading Iron Widow in April I knew I needed more of Zhao's amazing storytelling and I was extremely excited to see that they had a new series coming out in May. I love the fun Chinese Legends we are given throughout the book. The adventure Zach, and his companions go on is fun, but what I love most of all is Zach's growth as he tries to understand the Chinese culture that he had tried to ignore for so long in order to fit in at school.
I won't go into detail to avoid spoilers, but I really loved the climax of the story and what it meant to Zach to make such a big choice. The world isn't just black and white, but also grey and I feel the dilemma Zach found himself in at this point was pivotal in his growth as a character.
As for a book for younger readers I can see so many young kids enjoying the fun adventure and the historical legends are perfect for future historians.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
This book is super cool and I think if it had come out when I was younger I would have loved it. However, I've definitely aged beyond it and the video game inserts and the preachy political thoughts are just too much for me. That being said I really hope this author keeps writing for the kids out there!
I'm not going to lie: currently, I'm on a reading slump, and I picked this book as something quick to read, maybe so I could get over it. Well, it didn't work, but I'm still glad I picked this book.
Ancient Chinese emperors possessing kids sounds like the perfect plot for a shonen manga, but this is so much more than that. And the main thing here that makes it all work is simple: spirits are based on what the people think about them, not on the real historical figures. With this simple worldbuilding choice, the author can escape the whole "picking sides" problem that always exist with historical figure, and instead can present the emperors and legendary heroes as flawed, complex and many times even contradictory characters. And the characters are what builds this history.
The book also deals with many unique topics for the genre, like culture, the complexities adapting and being part of one, knowing and accepting your roots, and even how to deal with the complex situations that can come from accepting cultural differences, while reflecting on the imperfections of each culture.
If you look at the time I took to read this book, you may think I didn't like it, but that's simply not true. This is an interesting book, which had some great ideas and good execution. I can't wait for the next one.
Ancient Chinese emperors possessing kids sounds like the perfect plot for a shonen manga, but this is so much more than that. And the main thing here that makes it all work is simple: spirits are based on what the people think about them, not on the real historical figures. With this simple worldbuilding choice, the author can escape the whole "picking sides" problem that always exist with historical figure, and instead can present the emperors and legendary heroes as flawed, complex and many times even contradictory characters. And the characters are what builds this history.
The book also deals with many unique topics for the genre, like culture, the complexities adapting and being part of one, knowing and accepting your roots, and even how to deal with the complex situations that can come from accepting cultural differences, while reflecting on the imperfections of each culture.
If you look at the time I took to read this book, you may think I didn't like it, but that's simply not true. This is an interesting book, which had some great ideas and good execution. I can't wait for the next one.