There has been a recent surge in Asian-inspired YA fantasy, and I love the twist this gives to these worlds. Of Jade and Dragons continues in this trend and mixes in a steampunk element, making the story pop. Ying, the main character, is a creative, spunky and engaging protagonist. Multiple plot lines keep the story moving, with a few twists I didn’t expect. Ying is also passionate about engineering and creating things, which is a cool asset to the story. Some of the secondary characters also really stand out. They have individual motives, and none of them are strictly good or bad people, which I appreciated. The author mentioned this story is meant to read like a Chinese drama, and while that’s not my area of expertise, this story does have a dramatic flair.
However, the story felt a bit disjointed overall, like too much was going on, and the pieces weren’t quite integrated correctly. Some elements felt over-dramatized or like the whole book was trying too hard. I struggled a little bit to connect with the prose, which made it hard to stay immersed in the story. However, many readers enjoy dramatic stories, and prose is often not a major concern for YA readers. This may still be a good pick for fans of Asian-inspired YA fantasy.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 3 mild obscenities; 5 scatological words; 4 anatomical terms; 2 derogatory names.
Violence/Gore: A brief fight; a character dies of injuries inflicted by another; report of a serious injury caused by a corrosive liquid; a character is chased and attacked; a character is injured by a strange liquid, has a limb amputated to prevent further spread; a few threats; a character is grabbed by a drunk character; a character is attacked with poison darts; an attempted assassination results in a fight, some deaths and serious injuries; two characters are seriously beaten as a punishment; description of how a weapon is intended to decapitate people; vague reports of deaths from war; a fight results in fatal injuries; a character is murdered.
Sex/Nudity: Mention of a brothel; male characters undress to bathe, not sexual; a character feels attracted to another; a few instances of mild romantic touch, including holding hands and hugging; a character accidentally enters a brothel, some description of women dancing, women dressed scantily, and a few sexual references; a female character helps a male character in the bath wash his back, not sexual; a kiss; sexual reference; discussion of arranged marriages.
Mature Subject Matter:
War; murder; arranged marriage; death of a family member; family relationships.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Characters drink alcohol; some characters get drunk.
