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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
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
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
Xiran Jay Zhao’s YA debut blew me away so much that they’ve earned a spot on the “would read anything from, even a grocery list” category. While Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a bit of a pivot from Iron Widow, it also feels quintessentially/thematically similar, even if the tone and target audience are different.
Zhao leans heavily into their influences here, with some concepts that are recognizable for anyone with even a surface level knowledge of Yugioh!, shonen anime/manga, and MMO gaming. There’s also a seamless mix of Zhao’s signature passion for Chinese history in the mix, with the AR tech interacting in a fun way with the spirits of legendary figures, like (of course) Wu Zetian and Qian Shi Huang, the First Emperor.
Through Zack, Zhao navigates a narrative familiar for Chinese diaspora kids of being a minority within Western society. Kids like Zack can be proud of and connect with their heritage, while also still having complex feelings about it due to the racism and ostracism they face from others, and I appreciate the way this was navigated. It was also quite cool to see expressions of his and his mother’s Muslim faith sprinkled in. It wasn’t a big part of the book, but it was a nice surprise.
This is such a fun, yet insightful adventure story, and one of those few times when the comps do the story justice. If you love Percy Jackson, anime/manga, and/or Chinese history, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
Xiran Jay Zhao’s YA debut blew me away so much that they’ve earned a spot on the “would read anything from, even a grocery list” category. While Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a bit of a pivot from Iron Widow, it also feels quintessentially/thematically similar, even if the tone and target audience are different.
Zhao leans heavily into their influences here, with some concepts that are recognizable for anyone with even a surface level knowledge of Yugioh!, shonen anime/manga, and MMO gaming. There’s also a seamless mix of Zhao’s signature passion for Chinese history in the mix, with the AR tech interacting in a fun way with the spirits of legendary figures, like (of course) Wu Zetian and Qian Shi Huang, the First Emperor.
Through Zack, Zhao navigates a narrative familiar for Chinese diaspora kids of being a minority within Western society. Kids like Zack can be proud of and connect with their heritage, while also still having complex feelings about it due to the racism and ostracism they face from others, and I appreciate the way this was navigated. It was also quite cool to see expressions of his and his mother’s Muslim faith sprinkled in. It wasn’t a big part of the book, but it was a nice surprise.
This is such a fun, yet insightful adventure story, and one of those few times when the comps do the story justice. If you love Percy Jackson, anime/manga, and/or Chinese history, I think you’ll enjoy this one.
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Reccomend for those looking for children/YA Historical and Mythological Fiction
As introduced in the synopsis, the book is about the adventure of a Muslim Chinese American boy who happened to be connected to the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, and embarks on an adventurous journey of exploring Chinese historical and mythical elements, which are also my favorite aspects of the book as you learn a lot more the stories. The author really did proper research on the topic and the inclusion of any non-fiction elements was meaningful and properly done to show respect to the source material, while also putting a modern spin on it by creating a very urban setting for the story and aiming it for young children, as seen in the pop culture references and the motifs that can be seen in other similar stories (my closest comparison would be Percy Jackson). That being said, the story can also be quite mature at times and touch on social issues such as the oppression of ethnic minorities in China, but they are handled by providing nuances and contexts so it adds another layer to the story. The cast of characters is also quite diverse and the representation of a queer Muslim MC is also a great addition.
That being said, as this is the first book and a large part of it was spent on providing the settings and world-building, it is quite lacking in character interactions and development. Besides Zachary, the main character, we do not really learn more about the supporting casts, their interactions, and growth, which is something I hope we will see more in the sequels of the 1st book. That being said, the writing is very easy to read and the author's voice is quite interesting so this would be a good book for many children.
As introduced in the synopsis, the book is about the adventure of a Muslim Chinese American boy who happened to be connected to the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, and embarks on an adventurous journey of exploring Chinese historical and mythical elements, which are also my favorite aspects of the book as you learn a lot more the stories. The author really did proper research on the topic and the inclusion of any non-fiction elements was meaningful and properly done to show respect to the source material, while also putting a modern spin on it by creating a very urban setting for the story and aiming it for young children, as seen in the pop culture references and the motifs that can be seen in other similar stories (my closest comparison would be Percy Jackson). That being said, the story can also be quite mature at times and touch on social issues such as the oppression of ethnic minorities in China, but they are handled by providing nuances and contexts so it adds another layer to the story. The cast of characters is also quite diverse and the representation of a queer Muslim MC is also a great addition.
That being said, as this is the first book and a large part of it was spent on providing the settings and world-building, it is quite lacking in character interactions and development. Besides Zachary, the main character, we do not really learn more about the supporting casts, their interactions, and growth, which is something I hope we will see more in the sequels of the 1st book. That being said, the writing is very easy to read and the author's voice is quite interesting so this would be a good book for many children.
zachary ying is a chinese-american boy who doesn’t know much about his heritage. this makes him extremely unprepared for what he was born to do: host the first emperor of china and seal the portal to the chinese underworld. but when his mom’s soul is taken out of her body, zack has no choice but to accept fate to get her back.
i don’t often read middle grade, but i loved this one so much and it makes me want to read more! the plot was so enticing and i loved how rich in chinese history it was! seeing zack grow into himself and his powers was great too and i hope to see even more of this in the next book!
i don’t often read middle grade, but i loved this one so much and it makes me want to read more! the plot was so enticing and i loved how rich in chinese history it was! seeing zack grow into himself and his powers was great too and i hope to see even more of this in the next book!
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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