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A review by ronan5
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
This book was fantastic! I absolutely enjoyed this story and cannot wait to see where Amber Chen goes next!
When a girl is forced to take on the guise of her brother to enter the prestigious Engineer's Guild (which does not allow women to enroll), she does so to help her learn her craft, but also try to find clues about her father's past and who may have been responsible for his death. What she discovers during her time will forever change her life.
I absolutely loved the characters. This is a Mulan-esque style where Ying must masquerade as her brother to flee her village and try to become eligible for the competition to enroll at the Engineer's Guild in a big city. Ying is not your typical YA heroine who is a damsel in distress and suffers from the type of situation where she conveniently forgets something or is naive. She is head-strong (maybe even stubborn at times), but she knows what she wants, and puts in the work. Constantly drawing on knowledge she studied or recalled from working with her father, she is a great character. Let's not forget the ST(E)M rep this book promotes! Ying grows into a fierce character over time, and while she does encounter some romantic moments, she does not let that cloud her vision. Ying is also a very caring person, not willing to sacrifice others, she strives to find comradery with her fellow engineers.
Ye-yang is also a really fascinating character. Though he is written as a typical YA love-interest, he boasts a mysterious side as he has a personal conflict within his family. A powerful royal and warrior, he plays an important role in the story. The romance in this story between Ye-Yang and Ying is fleeting and does not take up a majority of the book, so it is fascinating to watch their relationship develop throughout their few scenes. I enjoy how his character was utilized in the story, especially at a climactic point for him.
The conflict of the book is Ying's plight to join the Engineer's guild through a series of competitions while trying to learn more of her father's past, and his involvement with the guild. During these trials she is subjected to ridicule, scrutiny, and other obstacles as many of the Head Engineers seem to be out to get her, or attempt to degrade her abilities. Ying does not let that get to her. We also see mentions of war brewing, and Ying begins to realize how different engineering is from her father's workshop that designed trinkets and gadgets, to the guild workshops that focus on warfare and weaponry. Over the course of the book we see political intrigue as well which adds to the overall mystery and secrecy of this esteemed guild.
The context of the book is done well I think. Chen paints a vivid image of the world, its politics, and intricacy without ever feeling like it is too much info-dumping. She provides us enough of the background when necessary and keeps the pace well. Plenty of times where Chen is showing us, rather than telling which is crucial to a book like this. I do not know much of engineering or anything of the sorts, but the writing did seem to go into fairly good detail about the projects during the trials and various engineering trinkets that were developed throughout the book. Given the time period of Dynastic inspired ruling, I would say this book definitely cements itself as a "Silkpunk" genre, similar to The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. Blending technological advancement with Dynasty regimes and traditions.
As for the craft, I find Chen's skill as a writer to be great! I was blown away by how entertaining and detailed this book was and loved the development of the characters. I only had a few minor complaints, one of which being how Ying goes from a small village to a grand city, and experiences little to no culture shock whatsoever. I feel like that could have added to her character development a bit. There were also a few moments where plot convenience took over, but it did not feel overbearing, so I gave it a bit of a break. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Another moment involves a civilian committing an atrocious act, and it feels like there is no moral dilemma over it, or the shock having committed such a action and I felt like for the character who experiences that situation, it should be a bit more nuanced? (END SPOILERS) Aside these things, I enjoyed Chen's work and dedication to the mechanical aspect, and the lack of magic in the book was a refreshing change of pace, and goes to show, you do not need magic to make a book great! I cannot wait to see what Chen does next, as I will be picking up her next book as soon as I can!
When a girl is forced to take on the guise of her brother to enter the prestigious Engineer's Guild (which does not allow women to enroll), she does so to help her learn her craft, but also try to find clues about her father's past and who may have been responsible for his death. What she discovers during her time will forever change her life.
I absolutely loved the characters. This is a Mulan-esque style where Ying must masquerade as her brother to flee her village and try to become eligible for the competition to enroll at the Engineer's Guild in a big city. Ying is not your typical YA heroine who is a damsel in distress and suffers from the type of situation where she conveniently forgets something or is naive. She is head-strong (maybe even stubborn at times), but she knows what she wants, and puts in the work. Constantly drawing on knowledge she studied or recalled from working with her father, she is a great character. Let's not forget the ST(E)M rep this book promotes! Ying grows into a fierce character over time, and while she does encounter some romantic moments, she does not let that cloud her vision. Ying is also a very caring person, not willing to sacrifice others, she strives to find comradery with her fellow engineers.
Ye-yang is also a really fascinating character. Though he is written as a typical YA love-interest, he boasts a mysterious side as he has a personal conflict within his family. A powerful royal and warrior, he plays an important role in the story. The romance in this story between Ye-Yang and Ying is fleeting and does not take up a majority of the book, so it is fascinating to watch their relationship develop throughout their few scenes. I enjoy how his character was utilized in the story, especially at a climactic point for him.
The conflict of the book is Ying's plight to join the Engineer's guild through a series of competitions while trying to learn more of her father's past, and his involvement with the guild. During these trials she is subjected to ridicule, scrutiny, and other obstacles as many of the Head Engineers seem to be out to get her, or attempt to degrade her abilities. Ying does not let that get to her. We also see mentions of war brewing, and Ying begins to realize how different engineering is from her father's workshop that designed trinkets and gadgets, to the guild workshops that focus on warfare and weaponry. Over the course of the book we see political intrigue as well which adds to the overall mystery and secrecy of this esteemed guild.
The context of the book is done well I think. Chen paints a vivid image of the world, its politics, and intricacy without ever feeling like it is too much info-dumping. She provides us enough of the background when necessary and keeps the pace well. Plenty of times where Chen is showing us, rather than telling which is crucial to a book like this. I do not know much of engineering or anything of the sorts, but the writing did seem to go into fairly good detail about the projects during the trials and various engineering trinkets that were developed throughout the book. Given the time period of Dynastic inspired ruling, I would say this book definitely cements itself as a "Silkpunk" genre, similar to The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. Blending technological advancement with Dynasty regimes and traditions.
As for the craft, I find Chen's skill as a writer to be great! I was blown away by how entertaining and detailed this book was and loved the development of the characters. I only had a few minor complaints, one of which being how Ying goes from a small village to a grand city, and experiences little to no culture shock whatsoever. I feel like that could have added to her character development a bit. There were also a few moments where plot convenience took over, but it did not feel overbearing, so I gave it a bit of a break. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Another moment involves a civilian committing an atrocious act, and it feels like there is no moral dilemma over it, or the shock having committed such a action and I felt like for the character who experiences that situation, it should be a bit more nuanced? (END SPOILERS) Aside these things, I enjoyed Chen's work and dedication to the mechanical aspect, and the lack of magic in the book was a refreshing change of pace, and goes to show, you do not need magic to make a book great! I cannot wait to see what Chen does next, as I will be picking up her next book as soon as I can!