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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
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
This is definitely for fans of Percy Jackson and the Rick Riordan Presents titles. It follows a similar plot trajectory and reminds me a lot of the quirky humour and adventure of those sorts of books Unfortunately, I don't care for them usually and while I preferred this title to the PJ series, it's not a new favourite of mine. But if you do like PJ or Riordan-esque titles, this may be your new favourite!
This book has good humour both in the dialogue and in the ludicrous plot of the novel. It's action-packed with chase scenes, heists, and other dangerous circumstances. This for me meant that the character development was less prioritized and the emotional depth didn't come until the very end of the novel.
It was great to learn some interesting Chinese history and myths and see some familiar faces from stories I already knew too. There are a lot of cameos and this can get a bit overwhelming but the repeating appearances helped solidify these characters better.
I loved the representation of Chinese minority ethnic and religious groups and the commentary of who is Chinese, who claims Chinese stories as their heritage, and how the current government is controlling the narrative about China and "unifying" through violence and homogenization.
Good hook for a sequel, but I don't think I'll be continuing in the series as it's not my kind of thing. I picked this up because I LOVED Iron Widow and I love Chinese history and folktales, but couldn't get past the formulaic PJ style. I'm definitely in the minority in this opinion so I hope this doesn't discourage hopeful readers.
***Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc copy of this title! My opinions are my own.***
content warnings: violence, parent/child separation, murder, Islamophobia, brief mentions of genocide and East Turkestan prison camps, betrayal, suicide/self-sacrifice.
This book has good humour both in the dialogue and in the ludicrous plot of the novel. It's action-packed with chase scenes, heists, and other dangerous circumstances. This for me meant that the character development was less prioritized and the emotional depth didn't come until the very end of the novel.
It was great to learn some interesting Chinese history and myths and see some familiar faces from stories I already knew too. There are a lot of cameos and this can get a bit overwhelming but the repeating appearances helped solidify these characters better.
I loved the representation of Chinese minority ethnic and religious groups and the commentary of who is Chinese, who claims Chinese stories as their heritage, and how the current government is controlling the narrative about China and "unifying" through violence and homogenization.
Good hook for a sequel, but I don't think I'll be continuing in the series as it's not my kind of thing. I picked this up because I LOVED Iron Widow and I love Chinese history and folktales, but couldn't get past the formulaic PJ style. I'm definitely in the minority in this opinion so I hope this doesn't discourage hopeful readers.
***Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc copy of this title! My opinions are my own.***
content warnings: violence, parent/child separation, murder, Islamophobia, brief mentions of genocide and East Turkestan prison camps, betrayal, suicide/self-sacrifice.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
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
Kind of felt like Carmen Sandiego with the heists, traveling to different locations, and giving historical/myhtological/cultural knowledge. It was cool seeing a middle grade book with characters that are morally grey. I'm interested to see what happens next my guess is that his mom is the new host for Qin shi huang, or possibly fusus mother, but I guess we will see
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
If you enjoy grey characters, mythology and sci-fi this is a good book for you. I wish it would spend more time exploring certain aspects of the story, but I think it is an improvement comparing with Iron Widow.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
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
ZACHARY YING AND THE DRAGON EMPEROR is an utterly delightful middle grade blend of Chinese history and mythology, a “Pokémon GO meets Yu-Gi-Oh!”-esque augmented reality game, and a fantastical mission with high stakes and humor.
I’m serious – this book is absolutely hilarious. Zhao’s humor really shines through, and because I’ve watched some of their YouTube videos on Chinese history (which I highly recommend), I could actually hear them saying some of the lines as I read. The humor hits on multiple levels – there’s one joke about historical sources differing that STILL has me chuckling out loud.
If you have ever enjoyed Zhao’s YouTube videos, an episode of Drunk History, or any work of comedy that modernizes people from history, I think you’d really enjoy this book.
But not everything in this book is lighthearted. Zack is a queer, Uyghur, Muslim, Chinese-American kid growing up in the US. This book really delves into Zack’s experiences and identity struggles as a hyphenated American. I was repeatedly hit with the thought, I’m so glad this exists for young people going through the same thing.
In short, read this book to yourself, to your children, to your students. And then join me in anxiously awaiting the sequel. That cliffhanger!
I’m serious – this book is absolutely hilarious. Zhao’s humor really shines through, and because I’ve watched some of their YouTube videos on Chinese history (which I highly recommend), I could actually hear them saying some of the lines as I read. The humor hits on multiple levels – there’s one joke about historical sources differing that STILL has me chuckling out loud.
If you have ever enjoyed Zhao’s YouTube videos, an episode of Drunk History, or any work of comedy that modernizes people from history, I think you’d really enjoy this book.
But not everything in this book is lighthearted. Zack is a queer, Uyghur, Muslim, Chinese-American kid growing up in the US. This book really delves into Zack’s experiences and identity struggles as a hyphenated American. I was repeatedly hit with the thought, I’m so glad this exists for young people going through the same thing.
In short, read this book to yourself, to your children, to your students. And then join me in anxiously awaiting the sequel. That cliffhanger!
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes