Scan barcode
A review by bamamelereads
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
So first of all, there are no dragons (ok there’s an automaton at the end but that doesn’t count). Second, this is really more silkpunk than standard fantasy (there’s no magic here).
I would say the setup here is closest to Spin the Dawn with “girl enters 3 stage competition disguised as boy, palace intrigues ensue with much danger, and gets close to boy, but can she trust him and his motives”.
The problem I had is that the middle really drags and the pacing is uneven. I’m not sold on Ye-Yang as the love interest either. There were some things he did, even early on, that made me uncomfortable. And the end really solidified those feelings.
Speaking of the end, it was really a gut-punch. We’re clearly set up for an angsty second book, and I’m really curious as to where Ying goes from here.
All that being said, the engineering portion was pretty cool, and I liked the friendship Ying and Ye-kan developed.
“I was your sword. But you were never mine.”
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
I would say the setup here is closest to Spin the Dawn with “girl enters 3 stage competition disguised as boy, palace intrigues ensue with much danger, and gets close to boy, but can she trust him and his motives”.
The problem I had is that the middle really drags and the pacing is uneven. I’m not sold on Ye-Yang as the love interest either. There were some things he did, even early on, that made me uncomfortable. And the end really solidified those feelings.
Speaking of the end, it was really a gut-punch. We’re clearly set up for an angsty second book, and I’m really curious as to where Ying goes from here.
All that being said, the engineering portion was pretty cool, and I liked the friendship Ying and Ye-kan developed.
“I was your sword. But you were never mine.”
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.