The Dragon Wakes With Thunder by K.X. Song

3.87 AVERAGE

gerardthefrog420's review against another edition

3.75
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
Moral of the story: men are trash 
hayleym24's profile picture

hayleym24's review

4.0
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
A good wrap up to this duology.  While I enjoyed the book overall, the first 50% dragged and I really struggled to get going and engrossed with it.  There was a lot of set up and political interworking to set up so the second half makes sense.  Definitely less "Mulan" coded in this book but still a great story.  Meilin and Lei's story is what really kept me engrossed in this book and cheering them on.  The ending was the wrap up I needed for the duology.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.
shanisshelves's profile picture

shanisshelves's review against another edition

4.0
The Dragon Wakes With Thunder is a compelling, high fantasy, Mulan retelling that fuses courtly intrigue, shifting loyalties, mythic power, and the ache of impossible choices. In this second book, Meilin is bound to a conniving, evil dragon who seeks to use her power and political sway for his own purposes. On top of that, she also faces personal betrayal from those she trusts, forcing her to make heart wrenching decisions between her love and conscience. 

Meilin’s fearsome reputation leads her to be hated and feared by some, and trapped by others. She must fight for her freedom, and decide if having her name be remembered is worth the destruction of the world. I loved this book. It was fast-paced, had a swoon-worthy romantic subplot, and was bursting with female rage. Definitely give this series a try!

Thank you to Ace, Berkley, Penguin Random House, K. X. Song, and NetGalley for the ARC.

πŸ“”The Dragon Wakes with Thunder
✏️ K. X. Song
πŸ“† August 19, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
πŸ‰ Mulan retelling
πŸ‰ dangerous magic
πŸ‰ untrustworthy dragon
πŸ‰ court politics
πŸ‰ enemies to lovers
πŸ‰ morally grey characters 
πŸ‰ female rage 

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briez98's review against another edition

4.25
adventurous medium-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: Complicated
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kaylas_crossing's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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
halloitsalex's profile picture

halloitsalex's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous dark slow-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
staceyrz's profile picture

staceyrz's review against another edition

3.75
adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

bookchik15's review against another edition

3.5
adventurous reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

shaynasemer's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous emotional reflective tense medium-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
sydni_b's profile picture

sydni_b's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous dark tense medium-paced