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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
adventurous
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25/5
Grief could make people do such terrible things.
This book was so much fun! It is blatantly clear how much Xiran Jay Zhao loves and has such a passion for ancient Chinese history as this book is rife with it. Legends and myths, rumours and historical facts, they explore so many incredible stories from ancient history in such a unique way.
The magic system (alongside Zhao's sci-fi subversion) was absolutely brilliant. I adored how the powers of the characters were influenced by legends and belief and by legacy. These factors granted all of it a deeper meaning as it questioned the truth behind these legends and asked the question of what we leave behind when we're gone.
As Zachary Ying is a children's/middle-grade book, I expected it to be content with the emperors' spirits and the fun side of their legends and histories, however it took the story a step further towards greatness by challenging them. It didn't ignore their cruelties and the horrors of their reigns. I really appreciated this and thought it was incredibly well done, I loved that Zhao didn't dumb it down just because it's a children's book. Kids are much smarter than you think and can appreciate complexities and nuance like this, too.
I never knew which characters to trust all throughout the book, they hid their true motivations carefully and were always three steps ahead. This made reading this book immensely fun, it truly is unputdownable. I loved Zack so, so much and wanted to protect him from the whole world; these characters latch onto your heart so tightly.
Another aspect I loved was the Muslim representation (especially of Chinese Muslim minorities, which we don't see a lot in media) and the way Zhao wrote this was phenomenal. Zack's relationship with his various identities and the way he grows as the story progresses was wonderful to read.
I must admit, alas, I did not know this was a series and now I am on the edge of my seat, shocked by the ending, pleading for the next book to be in my hands right this second! This is an amazing book, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson who like ancient gods and mythologies. It's an adventurous tale that never fails to entertain.
Another hit from Xiran Jay Zhao! (And Heavenly Tyrant creeps ever closer to publication, woohoo!)
A coffin of gold buries only a cold body.
-李白 (Translated by Xiran Jay Zhao)
Grief could make people do such terrible things.
This book was so much fun! It is blatantly clear how much Xiran Jay Zhao loves and has such a passion for ancient Chinese history as this book is rife with it. Legends and myths, rumours and historical facts, they explore so many incredible stories from ancient history in such a unique way.
The magic system (alongside Zhao's sci-fi subversion) was absolutely brilliant. I adored how the powers of the characters were influenced by legends and belief and by legacy. These factors granted all of it a deeper meaning as it questioned the truth behind these legends and asked the question of what we leave behind when we're gone.
As Zachary Ying is a children's/middle-grade book, I expected it to be content with the emperors' spirits and the fun side of their legends and histories, however it took the story a step further towards greatness by challenging them. It didn't ignore their cruelties and the horrors of their reigns. I really appreciated this and thought it was incredibly well done, I loved that Zhao didn't dumb it down just because it's a children's book. Kids are much smarter than you think and can appreciate complexities and nuance like this, too.
I never knew which characters to trust all throughout the book, they hid their true motivations carefully and were always three steps ahead. This made reading this book immensely fun, it truly is unputdownable. I loved Zack so, so much and wanted to protect him from the whole world; these characters latch onto your heart so tightly.
Another aspect I loved was the Muslim representation (especially of Chinese Muslim minorities, which we don't see a lot in media) and the way Zhao wrote this was phenomenal. Zack's relationship with his various identities and the way he grows as the story progresses was wonderful to read.
I must admit, alas, I did not know this was a series and now I am on the edge of my seat, shocked by the ending, pleading for the next book to be in my hands right this second! This is an amazing book, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson who like ancient gods and mythologies. It's an adventurous tale that never fails to entertain.
Another hit from Xiran Jay Zhao! (And Heavenly Tyrant creeps ever closer to publication, woohoo!)
A coffin of gold buries only a cold body.
-李白 (Translated by Xiran Jay Zhao)
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
This book was amazing! I learned so much and loved reading about Zach’s adventure. I wish I knew little nerdy middle schoolers to gift this book to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, Islamophobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship
Minor: War
Make sure you DON'T read this right after reading "Iron Widow"; since both use ancient Chinese historical/mythical figures, the wildly(?) different takes on the same characters will give you a bit of whiplash.
But the thing that stands out the most is that while the protagonists of "Iron Widow" are not nice people, they are ultimately good(ish) and act in the best interests of most parties. Here, they make NO QUALMS about saying how the spirits they are allied with were actually bad people, like unabashedly VILLAINOUS. Which, in the same spirit as various Robins & other teen sidekicks, is precisely why these hardcore scary tyrants & bad bosses are paired with 12-year olds; some call them morality pets in popular tropes, but you cannot deny that the idea of hardened warriors need to be around kiddos to have even the remotest chance of seeming like heroes [just in recent memory, Mandarlorian&Grogu is the prime example).
Other than that, a fun whirlwind of legends and maybe real facts (propaganda over millennia is a funny thing) from the country of my ancestors spun quite well into a modern day adventure quest.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rewatch the Mummy trilogy since it ends with Jet Li Qin emperor as the new big bad.
But the thing that stands out the most is that while the protagonists of "Iron Widow" are not nice people, they are ultimately good(ish) and act in the best interests of most parties. Here, they make NO QUALMS about saying how the spirits they are allied with were actually bad people, like unabashedly VILLAINOUS. Which, in the same spirit as various Robins & other teen sidekicks, is precisely why these hardcore scary tyrants & bad bosses are paired with 12-year olds; some call them morality pets in popular tropes, but you cannot deny that the idea of hardened warriors need to be around kiddos to have even the remotest chance of seeming like heroes [just in recent memory, Mandarlorian&Grogu is the prime example).
Other than that, a fun whirlwind of legends and maybe real facts (propaganda over millennia is a funny thing) from the country of my ancestors spun quite well into a modern day adventure quest.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to rewatch the Mummy trilogy since it ends with Jet Li Qin emperor as the new big bad.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Fundamentally just not for me. Way, way too many infodumps, though.
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
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:
Yes
I. LOVE. THIS. BOOK. I love this book so much. I enjoyed every second of it. Do you love Percy Jackson? Do you love card games? Do you love learning about myths and history that you weren’t taught about in school (speaking from a British person’s POV)? Then you are going to LOVE this book!
The characters; lovable and hilarious. They don’t always sound like 12-year-old but the fact that they have 2000+ year old ghosts talking to them you can kind of argue that away. I would kill for these children especially Zach. I love that boy. I want him to absolutely go apeship at some point. Boy is getting used like Percy but at least this boy got to use the words “pissed off” so at least he’s got that going for him. The others, Simon and Melissa, are also so cute and loveable and I love the old married couple thing they have going on. I also want to point out that the main character is a Chinese Muslim and I don’t think I’ve seen a children’s book with a Chinese Muslim character in it let alone as the main character so that was so exciting to see! Seeing how the mother wears a hijab and the talk about halal food made me beam!
I adore the magic system in this, it’s so new and so fun and just a good time and was so enjoyable to read about. I loved the carefree-ness of it in the sense that things are just the way they are and there was no need to over explain anything you are just told things and that’s it and I really liked it. This is a children’s book so it just being what it is without feeling the need to overexplain absolutely everything was really nice.
On the note of it being a children’s book however, holy shit it’s dark for a kids book. Yes, this is definitely a children's book, 100%, but some of the imagery... wow. Personally, I loved it I just really didn’t expect it. It’s the type of book I would have LOVED as a child and absolutely fits in with the types of books that made me the reader and writer I am today. It doesn’t treat you like a little kid. All ages can read it and have an amazing time. I’m 21 and I had an absolute blast! I read it in a day! I want the next book now! Seriously! When is the next one out?? I need it!!
Anyway, I don’t want to spoil it but just know that this book is absolutely delightful. It’s full of adventure and friendship and wonder as well as being really thought-provoking, tense and at times really emotional. I cried reading this and I'm not even Chinese so I can’t imagine how impactful and emotional this book is going to be for Chinese readers. This book better blow up like other children's books have because it deserves all the attention. It's one of the most fun and enjoyable books I’ve read this year and I can’t wait to see where the story goes.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun action fantasy story with some great twists!! The best thing about this book is the suspense -- the whole time we don't exactly know who to trust and exactly just how much to trust them, so the whole time I was anxious to see how everything resolved and how secrets would be revealed. Good tense stuff!!
I am not from the cultural background that we explore the history and setting of in this book, but I believe this will really resonate with people who have similar situations to Zack's, where they're trying to come to terms with their cultural ties to countries that they don't live in anymore while also trying to fit in in new places. The way Zack mulls over all the lessons he's learning, both about magic and about practical stuff in day-to-day life, is really powerful.
I think some things took me out of the tone juuust a bit -- the pop culture references and video-game tone is funny and effective sometimes, especially when we're learning about history in the text, but there are a ton of pop-culture references during really tense times and action scenes that feel kind of weird and got rid of some of the tension and suspense. I get that Zack's a kid and he as the narrator might think silly things/describe things in silly ways, but there are plenty of times that he can be very serious, so it's not like pop culture is the only way he communicates. So the pop culture references to things like Darth Vader and Code Geass during fast-paced high-stakes action scenes clashed for me. But, cut those lines out and we've got some otherwise high-suspense stuff here IMO.
Overall, I'm definitely invested in this as a series and will read the next one! Eager to see how these friendships change and how the powers and such evolve!
I am not from the cultural background that we explore the history and setting of in this book, but I believe this will really resonate with people who have similar situations to Zack's, where they're trying to come to terms with their cultural ties to countries that they don't live in anymore while also trying to fit in in new places. The way Zack mulls over all the lessons he's learning, both about magic and about practical stuff in day-to-day life, is really powerful.
I think some things took me out of the tone juuust a bit -- the pop culture references and video-game tone is funny and effective sometimes, especially when we're learning about history in the text, but there are a ton of pop-culture references during really tense times and action scenes that feel kind of weird and got rid of some of the tension and suspense. I get that Zack's a kid and he as the narrator might think silly things/describe things in silly ways, but there are plenty of times that he can be very serious, so it's not like pop culture is the only way he communicates. So the pop culture references to things like Darth Vader and Code Geass during fast-paced high-stakes action scenes clashed for me. But, cut those lines out and we've got some otherwise high-suspense stuff here IMO.
Overall, I'm definitely invested in this as a series and will read the next one! Eager to see how these friendships change and how the powers and such evolve!