A review by erinnicolecreads
Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a really fun read & set the scene for following books really well! I loved the use of the Chinese zodiac in the magic system & how Asian culture was woven into the story. I also loved the characters & can’t wait to see them develop further in the next book! Very intrigued to see how the romance subplots unfold as well. I loved how readers are transported from modern Manhattan, to the shaman realm, to the Descendant academy, & to faerieland! The ending left off with a bang & has me itching for the next book!

I do however wish we had some elaboration for the following things:
-the curse: it didn’t really seem that bad, so why were the Descendants so desperate to get rid of it?
-the midsummer sprout story: had major jaw-dropping potential, but the execution fell flat; i wish there were some subtle clues leading up to the reveal
-the final betrayal: seemed out of character for that person; again, i wish there were some subtle clues for readers to try to work it out leading up to the event

Overall this was such a fun read & I’m really looking forward to reading the next book! Thank you so much Penguin Teen Canada for the ARC copy!