Scan barcode
A review by caffeinated_reads3
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
4.0
Amber Chen's "Of Jade and Dragons" is a relatively quick read. As part of the summary, it's Mulan meets Iron Widow. Unfortunately, I have yet to read Iron Widow (horrifying fact), but I can see where they draw the similarity to Mulan.
Of Jade and Dragons is about the journey of the FMC who disguises themselves as a male. This FMC is not necessarily trying to bring honor to her family like Mulan did. Instead, the FMC wants to join a magical engineering guild, find out who murdered her father, AND avenge her father's untimely death. Along the way, she needs to pass three different tests to become guild member, do her best not to be found out as a female, and navigate some feelings that develop for the seemingly friendly, royal MMC. Their world is also at odds with another empire, and war is a way for both the FMC and MMC to put their best foot forward.
The reader can definitely feel the Mulan vibes. I also thought about The Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the Poppy Wars. A small part of my brain thinks of Fourth Wing as well, but the more I think about it, the less I think there is a similarity - no one comes back from the dead (yet?).
I am very excited to see that this is the first book of series (there's a #1 next to it!). Congratulations to Amber Chen for their debut book! If Asian mythological, YA fantasy book is your thing, I would recommend this to you. Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and the author for allowing me to read this for a review.
Of Jade and Dragons is about the journey of the FMC who disguises themselves as a male. This FMC is not necessarily trying to bring honor to her family like Mulan did. Instead, the FMC wants to join a magical engineering guild, find out who murdered her father, AND avenge her father's untimely death. Along the way, she needs to pass three different tests to become guild member, do her best not to be found out as a female, and navigate some feelings that develop for the seemingly friendly, royal MMC. Their world is also at odds with another empire, and war is a way for both the FMC and MMC to put their best foot forward.
The reader can definitely feel the Mulan vibes. I also thought about The Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the Poppy Wars. A small part of my brain thinks of Fourth Wing as well, but the more I think about it, the less I think there is a similarity - no one comes back from the dead (yet?).
I am very excited to see that this is the first book of series (there's a #1 next to it!). Congratulations to Amber Chen for their debut book! If Asian mythological, YA fantasy book is your thing, I would recommend this to you. Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and the author for allowing me to read this for a review.