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A review by mothumn
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
Arc Review
3.75 rounded up to 4 stars
Upon hearing about this book, the main thing people said was that it was great for fans of Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson comparisons are completely warranted, and for fans of that series this is definitely something you might enjoy. However, because of those early comparisons I couldn’t help but see the very similar plot lines; boy finds out he has powers to control water, mother is taken from him, has a timed mission in order to save her along with the world, etc. Particularly in the beginning I found the story to be very similar but lacked as entertaining of characters, but luckily the second half of the book has some really great twists and differs from Percy Jackson quite a bit. There were a lot of twists that I didn't see coming at all but looking back you can’t help but wonder how you missed it. And what an ending, once I finished I just said ‘wow’ because wow lol. Another small detail that I really enjoyed were the funny chapter titles, something I been missing since I read Percy Jackson so many years ago. They’re often a feature of middle grade books and they were a clever and fun addition to this book. Throughout the book, besides the chapter titles, there's quite a few very funny moments and I really enjoyed the sense of humour. I would have loved for the book to lean more into the lightheartedness and humour of those scenes because at times I felt it got very serious for a middle grade. Of course I understand that the book was tackling some very dark issues which I appreciate that it didn't shy away from, but I think that for the majority of the book it felt more dark than lighthearted and I think more balance between the two would benefit the story and pacing.
3.75 rounded up to 4 stars
Upon hearing about this book, the main thing people said was that it was great for fans of Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson comparisons are completely warranted, and for fans of that series this is definitely something you might enjoy. However, because of those early comparisons I couldn’t help but see the very similar plot lines; boy finds out he has powers to control water, mother is taken from him, has a timed mission in order to save her along with the world, etc. Particularly in the beginning I found the story to be very similar but lacked as entertaining of characters, but luckily the second half of the book has some really great twists and differs from Percy Jackson quite a bit. There were a lot of twists that I didn't see coming at all but looking back you can’t help but wonder how you missed it. And what an ending, once I finished I just said ‘wow’ because wow lol. Another small detail that I really enjoyed were the funny chapter titles, something I been missing since I read Percy Jackson so many years ago. They’re often a feature of middle grade books and they were a clever and fun addition to this book. Throughout the book, besides the chapter titles, there's quite a few very funny moments and I really enjoyed the sense of humour. I would have loved for the book to lean more into the lightheartedness and humour of those scenes because at times I felt it got very serious for a middle grade. Of course I understand that the book was tackling some very dark issues which I appreciate that it didn't shy away from, but I think that for the majority of the book it felt more dark than lighthearted and I think more balance between the two would benefit the story and pacing.
I really appreciated the amount of research that must have gone into this. Even though it is a middle grade fantasy and not a huge historical story, it has so many elements of Chinese culture, history, and myth that I felt like I learned a lot from reading this. Not only that but it makes sure to teach you about how there are many widely different cultures within China. For the most part I found that this was weaved into the story very smoothly and in a captivating way, often comparing it to things such as video games, so that it’s easier to understand. Something else that I really appreciated was how nothing was black or white, every historical figure and character and event was neither completely good or completely bad. It made for a much more captivating story and allowed more nuance to the ‘villains’.
The one thing I hope to see maybe improved upon in future books (I’m assuming there will be a sequel with the ending of this one) is for more development for Simon and Melissa. I think an unfortunate side effect of the way the magic worked in this story was that they often weren’t present as themselves in the story and so despite them constantly being there physically, you don’t actually get to see a lot of them. I would have loved more scenes with them just bonding as themselves and think it would have added a lot more fun to the story.
Overall, I think Zachary Ying and The Dragon Emperor was a really fun and imaginative book with a lot of really cool elements of history and culture intertwined into the story. While I definitely think there is room for improvement, hopefully later on the series, I think it’s a really great book and would definitely recommend it for young fantasy readers or just any fan of middle grade fantasy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Genocide, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War