Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
Product Details
Web ID: 18496923Silkpunk Fantasy At Its Best
THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE YA FANTASY OF THE YEAR?!? Unpopular opinion: I love it when a YA book starts with a parent’s death. Sue me. Ying’s father’s death launches her into investigating his murder leading her to the capital city of Fei. Here, she must go undercover as a boy and complete the three trials in the Engineers Guild, all while trying to unravel the mystery and soothe her own heartbreak and grief. I am obsessed with this book and the world that Amber Chen created. Silkpunk as a genre is just so COOL!? The setting reminded me so much of Avatar the Last Airbender meeting a traditional Historical Cdrama. I had a wonderful time imagining the city of Fei with the glittering pagodas and mechanical airships floating in the skyline. This book was inspired by the real-life love story between the first Qing dynasty emperor Hong Taiji and his wife Harjol. Ye-yang, the eighth prince (Beile-ye), is the reason Ying can enter the Engineers Guild and I loved watching their interactions as the book progressed. I cannot wait to read the sequel to this book because oh my god what an ending 👀 Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for an advanced ARC and an honest review! OF JADE AND DRAGONS will be out JUNE 18TH, 2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Silkpunk Mulan coded SFF
Of Jade and Dragons is a light easy read YA fantasy about Ying who passionately following her father's step to be an excellent engineer. She had to disguise herself as a man (bcs no woman allow) to enter the well-known Engineer Guild and her ambition was fueled after the assassination of her father. She promised to look for who and why her father needed to met his end that way. This book has such a great potential. I love the premise, the engineering steampunk vibes in a Chinese traditional fantasy kingdom setting sounds very promising. However, this book felt a bit surface level. I'd definitely love for it to be written with more depth and atmospheric vibes. In general, I love the friendship dynamics. It could use more academic settings and rivalry. Not so much with the romantic vibes, tho. The kingdom alliance, tricks and twists, and the investigation could be more thorough written. The plot is okay overall. the ending is kinda nice with the twists and everything. However, the final act felt anti-climatic. I'd love for the engines, airship, weapon, canons to be more lively and engrossing. It was an okayish type of story. It was nice but not that great. I might want to read the next installment to see if it improves 👀 If you're into Mulan-coded YA fantasy laced with steampunk settings and a pinch of murder mystery, completed with political kingdom intricts, give this book a go 🥹✨ I see how some people might love this book. Thankyou for the arc in exchange for honest review 🩷
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Asian-Inspired Engineering Fantasy+Murder Mystery
Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Amber Chen for the opportunity to read Of Jade and Dragons in exchange for an honest review. Of Jade and Dragons was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and it did not disappoint. It was both expected and unexpected in the thrills of engineering, murder mystery, and romance, along with my most favorite literary trope: crossdressing to hide one's gender identity to achieve a goal. The story follows Aihui Ying, who wants to follow in her fathers footsteps to join the Engineer's Guild and become a guild master. Unfortunately, they do not allow girls to join the guild. And besides, her father and their family live a quiet life away from the city, because her father wanted to leave that life behind. The tides turn when Ying's father is assassinated, the culprit seeking the secrets of his works. Ying knows now that she must join the Engineers Guild, if for nothing more than to find her father's killer and learn the secrets behind their motive. Disguised as Aihui Min, Ying takes on the persona of a boy to take the trials for the Engineers Guild. While she missed the application window, her engineering skills impress a young prince, who is able to put her into the trials as a nominee without an application. Plus, he sees right through her disguise (but why don't others? With some pointers from him, perhaps she can be more manly). As Ying's outside the box thinking when it comes to engineering and teamwork make her stand out to the High Commander, she strives to keep her identity a secret, or she will never learn what she needs. With few to trust, she bathes at the prince's house and selects him as a confidant...but some secrets even he cannot know. This novel is exciting in a realistic fantasy flare. The engineering aspects and ideas presented by Ying and the other characters are fun to explore and to wonder what will she do next. The murder mystery continues through to the end, where many secrets about her father and his past are revealed, a certainly worthwhile investment for the reader. Goodreads calls this Fall of the Dragon #1, indication the start to a series, though no information is available on a second installment...yet. With the way things end, it could be an unsatisfying, yet wholly realistic and true-to-character end, though the promise of more of Ying's story is exhilarating. Looking forward to the next one. A book perfect for fans of Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and wholistically enjoyable fantasy romance mysteries.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Had so much potential
Jade and Dragons tried to be a take of revenge in a steampunk-inspired world, but its execution leaves much to be desired. Instead of being action-packed, it’s boring, flat, and often forgets the plot’s purpose. Aihui Ying, who aspires to be a brilliant engineer like her father, is devastated when she arrives too late to prevent his murder and loses the killer. Determined to find her father’s killer and learn about his past, Ying sneaks into the Engineers Guild, disguised as her brother. As she navigates politics and challenges, Ying must grapple with her quest for revenge and decide if her vengeance is worth the cost. I did enjoy the slight taste of world-building. Steam-punk-inspired fantasy should be a mainstream genre. Unfortunately (for all the reasons listed below) the world-building is sparse and couldn’t make up for the meandering plot and lackluster characters Ahui is hard to read about. Her reactions to mundane things or slight offenses are childish and go against the “strong female surviving in a man’s world”. I was told she's intelligent, but it’s not shown on the page. Her wit and cleverness are only mentioned and seem implausible when displayed. Her lack of focus on her father’s death is so odd considering it’s supposed to be the overarching plot in the book, yet it’s rarely mentioned and she seems to recover from the trauma completely off-page. I could have handled the lack of focus if the book had Ahui struggling with bigger problems than a crush (more on that later). For example, most of the story is set in the Royal Court and Engineer’s Guild. Yet, she never actively has to fight against gender roles or societal oppression that exist in these environments. Yes, she is disguised as a boy, but the themes are rarely brought up, or at least discussed somewhat thoroughly. It felt like a Disney movie the way societal barriers and sexism are underplayed. The romance (which took up more page time than the actual plot) was cliche and trope. Ahui seems to find a very feminist Prince despite being raised in an environment where the patriarchy is standard. It’s never explained why he accepts women's empowerment. Their relationship is built on tropes and shallow interactions. The repeated instances where the Ahui “trips” and falls into the prince’s arms had me fighting several eye rolls. These moments and other quirky interactions highlighted the lack of anything meaningful between her and the prince, which made the love declarations even more silly. The pacing suffers due to significant periods passing off which could have been used to build the world, develop characters, or advance the actual plot. Combining this with the problems above makes for an incredibly boring read. Overall, Jade and Dragons is a book with an intriguing premise undermined by cringey dialogue, shallow character development, and a lack of meaningful engagement with its themes. Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the advance copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fun Asian-inspired coming of age story!
Since the age range for this arc is 12 and up, I'll review this as something my past child self would've loved and devoured in a few days. Anyway, this was a pretty fun read! I came in with low expectations and walked away wanting more. I read the author's short story in Wilted Pages, a dark academia anthology, and I really liked it, which is why I requested this arc. This was a fun coming-of-age story with Asian-inspired worldbuilding with a strong, intelligent, and relatable FMC, Ying. (Stubborn young woman who wants a career instead of following the prescribed woman's role of getting married? Big mood.) At times, the writing was witty (in a cute YA way) and made me chuckle. It was very easy to read and follow along. I really liked the academic/trials plotline combined with the mini murder mystery (that turned into something much bigger, which was even better imo). And as much as my current adult self wanted more details on worldbuilding and characterization, I ended up liking the arc for what it was. I actually appreciated how the writing style and story wasn't so heavy and depressing. It definitely could've been that way, tone-wise. It was a great palate cleanser between darker and more serious reads. Which leads into my only criticism that this entire story felt very "lite" and the solutions to Ying's problems were way too convenient. Ying's father was murdered, but it didn't feel like she even mourned him? She's a village girl in a big city, but there was no culture shock? There were dozens of trial candidates, but it only felt like a handful (Ying and her three friends) because none of them were actually mentioned. The scene at the brothel and the second trial mentioned that Ying and her friends were with other boys in their cohort, but those boys were just faceless entities that I forgot they even existed on page. Idk, maybe that's just my grown-up self being nitpicky about details. As a child, I probably wouldn't have cared about any of that. I think some reviewers didn't like the ending, but I liked it. Maybe if I was younger, I would've hated it. But as someone older than the suggested age range for this novel, I really liked that Ying stayed true to herself and stood firmly with her beliefs on war. I hope the sequel dives a lot more into the worldbuilding. We only see two places in the Antaran Isles, Huarin and Fei, and I'd love to explore more islands, and possibly even the Great Jade Empire. Oh, and I really want more actual airship flying action (and Ying piloting an airship or something cool) because we barely see any of that here and I know that some reviewers were disappointed by that. Read this if you love Tamora Pierce's books, Squire by Nadia Shammas, or The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker. Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Now this is fantasy!
Every once in a while a book will come that reinvigorates my love for fantasy. This is definitely one of these books. There isn’t a single thing I didn’t absolutely love about Of Jade & Dragons. From the characters to the world-building and the mystery that I didn’t expect but absolutely appreciated, Amber Chen’s debut captivated me from the first page. Where the book really shines for me is with Ying. She was—and I’m not exaggerating—the perfect protagonist. She is smart, strong-willed, and funny. I loved her motivations and her sense of morality and justice and simply couldn’t help but wish for her to succeed. Of Jade & Dragons is a fantastic debut by Amber Chen and I can’t recommend it enough. If you love fantasy, a school setting with dangerous trials and mystery, or you just want a story with incredible characters, do yourself a favor and read this book. I guarantee you it will be one of your favorite reads of the year.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great sci-fi and fantasy
Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen tells the story of Ying who leaves home after her father is murdered and ends up in The Engineer’s guild trials. This is a male only apprenticeship and she must pretend to be her brother while proving to everyone she measures up to the brilliance of her dad, one of the best engineers in the guild. Yeyang is a prince who assists Ying in getting into the trial and his presence adds considerable love interest to the story, but can she trust him? The story is fraught with mortal peril as Ying tries to find her father’s murderer. I recommend this book for science fiction and fantasy readers. Ying is a strong female character with courage and determination who risks it all to make her dreams come true and to avenge her father’s death. The ending in this novel will leave you breathless and wanting the sequel now. Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thank you Penguin Teen / Epic Reads!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Teen / Epic Reads for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own. I've said it once and I'll say it again: 2024 is going to be a beast for readers and we are not prepared for the onslaught of gorgeously written stories. Of Jade and Dragons is no different. I knew from the first chapter that I would want to follow Ying on her journey and beyond. Ying's ambition is to follow in her father's footsteps to become part of the Engineer's Guild in Fei where only the highest ranking men can achieve their dreams and create unimaginable things. When her father is murdered for his life-threatening Guild notes, Ying takes it upon herself to track the killer which leads her to disguising herself as a boy to enter the Engineer's Guild where her father is most revered and her father's secrets will be revealed. Of Jade and Dragons is a murder mystery enriched in a Chinese Qing dynasty-inspired world. The politics are cut-throat, the world-building is stunning, and Amber Chen's storytelling kept me engaged until the very end. Ying meets Ye-yang, the male love interest, on her way to the Engineer's Guild and I wish they had more scenes together. Ye-yang is one of the fourteen children of the High Commander and helps Ying keep her disguise while she competes at the Guild. There are difficult tasks she needs to pass in order to move up the ranks. The longer she stays there, the easier it'll be for her to find out more information on her father's murderer, what he kept hidden from her, and why he asked her to burn the notebook on the day he died. I liked the hints of romance between Ying and Ye-yang. Of Jade and Dragons focuses more on the murder mystery and the trials than the romance, which honestly is totally fine. I was so engrossed in Ying's path to finding the truth that the romance is an extra bonus. There were many plot twists, some I was able to decipher quickly and others that took me by surprise. I hope we will see more from Ying's family and how they are incorporated in the war and how that will affect their relationships. The friendships she built with a few of the aspiring Engineers is developed well and I love her bond with Ye-kan. I'm desperate to find out his reaction to the ending of this story and how his friendship with Ying will be affected, too. The murder mystery and the steampunk ships, automaton creatures, and creations were so cool. I hope we will see another dragon in a sequel. The ending is open for a possible sequel, which makes me very happy. I would love to read more about Ying and what may come in the future for her and her home. Of Jade and Dragons is on my life as of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I was not disappointed. I highly recommend this beautiful story if you've read To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, Defy the Night, and fell in love with the story of Mulan.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com