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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Cool, powerful, and necessary attempt to share diaspora mythology. Sadly, the book could not keep my attention, plus I was hoping for a closed end.
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong Percy Jackson vibes, but with dragons & Chinese mythology. I liked that everything did not turn out perfectly...Moli dies & Alex goes over to the dark side. It was also humorous and fun. The pacing was a little frenetic for me, but that is common for MG fantasy, it seems.
Dragon is in the title so I HAD to pick this book up! This book releases on October 15th. I want to get the review up before then, so you get a bonus post this week! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reading this book!
*This book was given to me by Bloomsbury via Netgalley in exchange for an honest book review.
The Dragon Warrior
40150608. sy475
by Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Faryn Liu is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco. Unlike many contemporary Jade Society members, she has actually trained hard to defeat the demons they are supposed to fight. In recent years people haven’t seen many demons, until now. Faryn and her brother, Alex, trained with their grandfather, since their father disappeared years ago on a quest.
During the Lunar New Year Parade, Faryn runs into a real demon, and with the help of a god, she defeats it. Soon after, she is tasked with a quest of her own to prove she is the Heaven Breaker… or not. She and Alex hope this quest will lead them to their missing father. They even have their father’s journal to help them navigate the journey. But not all the gods want them on this mission and that causes problems. They get help from some unexpected sources and they are hindered .
The banter between brother and sister is fun!
There was a lovesick, puppy-like expression on his face that made me want to punch him. Instead, I did something worse. “Sooo, Alex. It’s up to me to talk to you about girls, huh?” …. My brother looked at me as though Id’ suggested we poke our eyeballs out and offer them to the gods.
–The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
The story poses questions like: Which is more important, duty or family? Are some lives worth more than others?
Will Faryn and Alex find their father alive? Will they succeed in their quest? Will they triumph over the demons?
Who Will Like This Book?
Read the rest of this review on my blog: Quillandbooks.com https://quillandbooks.com/2019/10/12/book-review-the-dragon-warrior/
*This book was given to me by Bloomsbury via Netgalley in exchange for an honest book review.
The Dragon Warrior
40150608. sy475
by Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Faryn Liu is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco. Unlike many contemporary Jade Society members, she has actually trained hard to defeat the demons they are supposed to fight. In recent years people haven’t seen many demons, until now. Faryn and her brother, Alex, trained with their grandfather, since their father disappeared years ago on a quest.
During the Lunar New Year Parade, Faryn runs into a real demon, and with the help of a god, she defeats it. Soon after, she is tasked with a quest of her own to prove she is the Heaven Breaker… or not. She and Alex hope this quest will lead them to their missing father. They even have their father’s journal to help them navigate the journey. But not all the gods want them on this mission and that causes problems. They get help from some unexpected sources and they are hindered .
The banter between brother and sister is fun!
There was a lovesick, puppy-like expression on his face that made me want to punch him. Instead, I did something worse. “Sooo, Alex. It’s up to me to talk to you about girls, huh?” …. My brother looked at me as though Id’ suggested we poke our eyeballs out and offer them to the gods.
–The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
The story poses questions like: Which is more important, duty or family? Are some lives worth more than others?
Will Faryn and Alex find their father alive? Will they succeed in their quest? Will they triumph over the demons?
Who Will Like This Book?
Read the rest of this review on my blog: Quillandbooks.com https://quillandbooks.com/2019/10/12/book-review-the-dragon-warrior/
Dragon is in the title so I HAD to pick this book up!
The Dragon Warrior
by Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Faryn Liu is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco. Unlike many contemporary Jade Society members, she has actually trained hard to defeat the demons they are supposed to fight. In recent years people haven’t seen many demons, until now. Faryn and her brother, Alex, trained with their grandfather, since their father disappeared years ago on a quest.
During the Lunar New Year Parade, Faryn runs into a real demon, and with the help of a god, she defeats it. Soon after, she is tasked with a quest of her own to prove she is the Heaven Breaker… or not. She and Alex hope this quest will lead them to their missing father. They even have their father’s journal to help them navigate the journey. But not all the gods want them on this mission and that causes problems. They get help from some unexpected sources and they are hindered.
The banter between brother and sister is fun!
There was a lovesick, puppy-like expression on his face that made me want to punch him. Instead, I did something worse. “Sooo, Alex. It’s up to me to talk to you about girls, huh?” …. My brother looked at me as though Id’ suggested we poke our eyeballs out and offer them to the gods.
–The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
Who Will Like This Book?
Anyone who enjoys reading a fun fantasy adventure will love this book. There is politics between the gods, love, loss, curses, dragons, weapons, fights, discovery, wisdom gained, magic, banter, conflict at every turn, beautiful culture, and hope in this book.
The Dragon Warrior
by Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Faryn Liu is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco. Unlike many contemporary Jade Society members, she has actually trained hard to defeat the demons they are supposed to fight. In recent years people haven’t seen many demons, until now. Faryn and her brother, Alex, trained with their grandfather, since their father disappeared years ago on a quest.
During the Lunar New Year Parade, Faryn runs into a real demon, and with the help of a god, she defeats it. Soon after, she is tasked with a quest of her own to prove she is the Heaven Breaker… or not. She and Alex hope this quest will lead them to their missing father. They even have their father’s journal to help them navigate the journey. But not all the gods want them on this mission and that causes problems. They get help from some unexpected sources and they are hindered.
The banter between brother and sister is fun!
There was a lovesick, puppy-like expression on his face that made me want to punch him. Instead, I did something worse. “Sooo, Alex. It’s up to me to talk to you about girls, huh?” …. My brother looked at me as though Id’ suggested we poke our eyeballs out and offer them to the gods.
–The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
Who Will Like This Book?
Anyone who enjoys reading a fun fantasy adventure will love this book. There is politics between the gods, love, loss, curses, dragons, weapons, fights, discovery, wisdom gained, magic, banter, conflict at every turn, beautiful culture, and hope in this book.
This book is great! If you’re fans of books based off of different mythology’s like Aru Shah, and Percy Jackson, I would definitely recommend this book. This book has well rounded characters, an interesting story, plot twists, and is well written. I can’t wait to read the next one!
THE DRAGON WARRIOR is such a fun read!
Faryn Liu is a Chinese-American girl who wants nothing more than to be a warrior and bring honor to her family and the gods. She and her family are treated as outsiders by the Jade Society, a secret society of warriors tasked with protecting the world from demons. Faryn’s father disappeared years before on a mission to find the city of the gods. He believed that the society’s growing complacency in their task had allowed demons to begin regaining power. When Faryn discovers that her father was right, and that she might be the Heaven Breaker of myth, she takes up the Heaven Breaker’s task and sets off to stop the demons from gaining power.
The story is fantastical and filled with Chinese mythology. There are dragons! Gods and goddesses! Flying horses! I enjoyed the rich world-building and sheer absurdity of some of the scenes. If you like Percy Jackson, then I recommend it as a next read. I finished it in one sitting despite its 350 pages. The plot moves quickly. The characters are fun and engaging. All in all, it’s a really good time.
Faryn Liu is a Chinese-American girl who wants nothing more than to be a warrior and bring honor to her family and the gods. She and her family are treated as outsiders by the Jade Society, a secret society of warriors tasked with protecting the world from demons. Faryn’s father disappeared years before on a mission to find the city of the gods. He believed that the society’s growing complacency in their task had allowed demons to begin regaining power. When Faryn discovers that her father was right, and that she might be the Heaven Breaker of myth, she takes up the Heaven Breaker’s task and sets off to stop the demons from gaining power.
The story is fantastical and filled with Chinese mythology. There are dragons! Gods and goddesses! Flying horses! I enjoyed the rich world-building and sheer absurdity of some of the scenes. If you like Percy Jackson, then I recommend it as a next read. I finished it in one sitting despite its 350 pages. The plot moves quickly. The characters are fun and engaging. All in all, it’s a really good time.
This book was such a fun adventure. It reminded me a lot of the books by Rick Riordan, only instead of meeting Greek or Egyptian gods and goddesses, the characters in THE DRAGON WARRIOR meet Chinese gods and goddesses.
I found myself wishing the book had a glossary list of each god and goddess with a couple sentences about them (note: I read a pre-release version, so it may be that the finished copy has this). For the most part I was able to follow them in the story and keep them all straight, but I’m not as familiar with the mythology as I am with Greek mythology.
On the whole, I think readers who enjoy books like A WRINKLE IN TIME or THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL will enjoy this fast-paced adventure.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I found myself wishing the book had a glossary list of each god and goddess with a couple sentences about them (note: I read a pre-release version, so it may be that the finished copy has this). For the most part I was able to follow them in the story and keep them all straight, but I’m not as familiar with the mythology as I am with Greek mythology.
On the whole, I think readers who enjoy books like A WRINKLE IN TIME or THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL will enjoy this fast-paced adventure.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
lighthearted
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Faryn and her brother are at the bottom of the social ladder in San Francisco's Chinatown after their father has left them to find Peng Lai, the island of the gods. During the Lunar New Year, Faryn appears to be the legendary Heavenbreaker who is the only one capable of wielding the legendary weapon Fenghua. The gods give her a riddle that she needs to solve so she can visit Peng Lai and see her father again.
The Dragon Warrior sets out as a light-hearted story filled with quests and prophecy, while at the same time teaching the reader about Chinese deities and legends. It's quite witty at times and I love the abundant influences of Chinese culture throughout the story.
This is part one in a series and there are a few interesting plot twists towards the end that are a great set up for book two.
It's a fun and quick read that I can recommend if you like middle grade fantasy books, submerged in Chinese culture!
The Dragon Warrior sets out as a light-hearted story filled with quests and prophecy, while at the same time teaching the reader about Chinese deities and legends. It's quite witty at times and I love the abundant influences of Chinese culture throughout the story.
This is part one in a series and there are a few interesting plot twists towards the end that are a great set up for book two.
It's a fun and quick read that I can recommend if you like middle grade fantasy books, submerged in Chinese culture!