Hello, everyone! I’m extremely excited for today’s blog post because I’m participating in the official blog tour for The Dragon Warrior which is hosted by Shealea from Caffeine Book Tours. I was so excited to be invited to review this #OwnVoices middle-grade fantasy because this was a story that spoke to my childhood. Through the incorporation of Chinese mythology and culture, Katie Zhao has crafted a world that touches the heart of every immigrant and child of diaspora. From hilarious dialogue to adventurous characters, this heartfelt story encourages every young reader that with bravery, determination, and a hint of magic, they too can be a hero.

The Dragon Warrior follows the journey of 12-year-old Faryn Liu, a young multiracial girl who lives in San Francisco with her younger brother, Alex, and her grandfather. After stumbling across a demon one evening, she discovers her powers and true identity as the Heaven Breaker, a powerful warrior to the Jade Emperor. To prove herself worthy, she and her brother must travel on a quest across the country, growing deeper with her culture and finding her own family along the way.

Reading Katie’s writing was a magical experience—one second you’ll be laughing from the funniest joke to quietly sobbing from an unexpected turn. Fans of Rick Riordan’s writing in the Percy Jackson series will find themselves loving the equally lighthearted sass and humor. Her vivid descriptions of rou bao zi (steamed buns) and nian gao (sticky rice cakes) will leave you hungry for more. The entire story was easy to fly through, and reading it felt like watching an adventure movie unfold.

As an Asian American reader, my heart grew 10x while reading this book because I wished that my younger self had this story while growing up. Seeing endless references from my childhood brought back many memories of Chinese New Year celebrations with my family, and in her story of family and forgiveness, Faryn reminds all readers that anyone can be a hero, showing the reader that there is more than what meets the eye.

Overall, The Dragon Warrior did not disappoint as one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2019, and I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends! In fact, this is a book I’m excited to share with all my younger cousins because I hope they will feel inspired by Faryn and the magical Chinese culture. I cannot wait for this story to be in the hands of other young readers because it will easily become a new favorite.

Dragon is in the title so I HAD to pick this book up!

The Dragon Warrior
by Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Faryn Liu is a member of the Jade Society in San Francisco. Unlike many contemporary Jade Society members, she has actually trained hard to defeat the demons they are supposed to fight. In recent years people haven’t seen many demons, until now. Faryn and her brother, Alex, trained with their grandfather, since their father disappeared years ago on a quest.

During the Lunar New Year Parade, Faryn runs into a real demon, and with the help of a god, she defeats it. Soon after, she is tasked with a quest of her own to prove she is the Heaven Breaker… or not. She and Alex hope this quest will lead them to their missing father. They even have their father’s journal to help them navigate the journey. But not all the gods want them on this mission and that causes problems. They get help from some unexpected sources and they are hindered.

The banter between brother and sister is fun!

There was a lovesick, puppy-like expression on his face that made me want to punch him. Instead, I did something worse. “Sooo, Alex. It’s up to me to talk to you about girls, huh?” …. My brother looked at me as though Id’ suggested we poke our eyeballs out and offer them to the gods.

–The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao

Who Will Like This Book?
Anyone who enjoys reading a fun fantasy adventure will love this book. There is politics between the gods, love, loss, curses, dragons, weapons, fights, discovery, wisdom gained, magic, banter, conflict at every turn, beautiful culture, and hope in this book.

The Dragon Warrior is a heartwarming tale that speaks to me and hopefully other people of Chinese descent, especially the diaspora. I love Faryn and Alex and their relationship dynamic. I was impressed by how fleshed out they were and their character growth. It took a while for me to warm up to Moli and Wang, but they were interesting characters themselves.
The book is fast-paced that you would get hooked into the story. As a sucker for quests, I was swept off my feet by Faryn’s and being with her brother and frenemies makes it worthwhile. The worldbuilding is rich and detailed – especially on the food (my goodness! I drooled). I’m familiar with Chinese mythology, but Zhao makes it refreshing and well incorporated with the story. Zhao also knows how to make me laugh one minute and teary the next so beautifully.
The only issues I had were: the worldbuilding was sketchy at times and there were moments where the characters should’ve reacted more or more realistically.
Overall, The Dragon Warrior didn’t let me down and I wouldn’t mind going on another adventure with Faryn and the gang.

4.5 stars

reading the dragon warrior was the bookish equivalent of having a nice cup of hot milk while snuggling up in warm blankets. it made me feel the warm fuzzies all over, and i’m so excited for the diaspora kids who will get to read this book soon, and be able to relate to faryn and alex’s experiences.

"the gods didn’t give me ultimate strength. my friends and family did."

the dragon warrior is a beautifully told story about family, friendship, and bravery. faryn liu and her brother have been trained by their grandfather to be warriors who fight for the gods ever since they were little kids, and when things take a sudden turn, they set off on a quest to prove their ability, along with faryn’s best friend turned enemy, moli.

i loved traveling with faryn, alex and moli. i haven’t been to any of america’s chinatowns, but when i visited sydney, london, and singapore, i had dinner at chinatown almost every night, and i love the idea that wherever i am in the world, there will always be some part of home within reach – i really enjoyed exploring san francisco, chicago and phoenix’s chinatowns with them.

growing up, i was told chinese folk stories, and i remember enjoying them a lot, because they were unique and unlike anything else i had read before. it was a fun and refreshing experience seeing them and the chinese gods being portrayed in a different light in the dragon warrior. i remember reading percy jackson a few years back and thinking, it would be totally amazing if someone wrote a series like that but instead of basing it on greek mythology they could take inspiration from chinese folklore – and that’s exactly what i got in the dragon warrior! erlang shen, nian shou and guanyin all make appearances in the novel and i loved seeing bits and pieces of my culture and its stories being featured in the book.

and other than that, the book was hilarious. apparently, demons give off the scent of stinky tofu and tiger balm, and evil deities smell like off-brand chanel perfume. the author has an accounting degree AND a gift for writing, and i have no doubt she’d make a great comedian too – her jokes are so on-point and never once failed to make me laugh. (i also love how she incorporated chinese elements into those jokes in a way that isn’t offensive – it just made me laugh even harder because i found it so relatable.)

the characters are also really lovable, and have so much depth. we have faryn, a kind and brave biracial girl who cares about her family and works really hard in training to become a warrior for the gods. i was rooting for her so hard, right from the very start! her brother, alex, is cheeky and sometimes annoying, but i love the kid. he sometimes feels insecure as he doesn’t fight as well as her sister, but he’s really good at solving riddles, and he never gives himself the credit he deserves. at times i wanted to reach through my kindle screen and give him a chocolate chip cookie to cheer him up. moli is sassy and sharp-tongued, and i loved her badass personality and how she slowly rekindles her friendship with faryn. ren is absolutely adorable, and he’s always reasonable and calm. you know, when you do a group project and most of your groupmates stray off task, except for one who urges you all to get back on track and get work done? that’s ren. and i also really liked ye ye – he’s always super gentle and loving towards the liu siblings and i loved his relationship with his grandchildren.

"but you’ll do well to remember this, warrior – power isn’t measured only by the size of a weapon."

i loved the dragon warrior so much, and i’m sure that all chinese kids, regardless of their current place of residence, will love it as much, if not more. (and that cliffhanger-ish ending killed me. this book isn’t even released yet, and i’m already hyped for the second book.) the dragon warrior comes out on october 15th. to quote the dedication section of this book – “for immigrants, children of immigrants, and diaspora readers everywhere: never forget that you are the dragon warriors and heroes of your own stories.” ♡

trigger warnings: death, violence

I received this e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Faryn and younger brother Alex are being raised by Ye Ye, their grandfather, since their father left to go on a quest. They live within the Jade Society, an elite organization within the San Francisco Chinatown dedicated to honoring the Chinese gods and fighting demons. Lately the Jade Society hasn’t been fully training their warriors to fight demons and especially not training girls. The leader of the Jade Society has ostracized Faryn’s family because their father left on his quest several years ago and still has not returned. Therefore, Ye Ye has trained both Faryn and Alex to be warriors. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a demon is running rampant in Chinatown. Faryn, with the aid of a god, helps take it down. She is later declared the Heaven Breaker, much to the chagrin of the Society leaders, who will lead the Jade Emperor’s army against the army of demons. Faryn, Alex, ex-BFF Moli, and new friend Ren embark on a journey to the island of the gods. The four children will be tested like never before with the outcome of their quest uncertain.
More and more books are coming out with girls as heroes. There haven’t been many focusing on Chinese mythology. The Dragon Warrior does a good job introducing the major Chinese gods while keeping the action fast paced as the quartet travel across America, visiting different Chinatowns. Questions are not all answered in the end, setting up for a sequel. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Rick Riordan and those wanting to learn about Chinese-American culture. This would be appropriate for fourth grade and up.
#TheDragonWarrior #NetGalley

This book reminded me of Percy Jackson. It's action packed, filled with humor and suspense and features a quest. I found the story interesting and fun, yet I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked to. Thus the 3 stars. I felt like the writing was clunky in some areas, making it hard for me to really immerse myself in the story.

The words on the pages resonated with my soul, tugged my heartstrings, and gave me hope. I loved every bit of this nuanced, #ownvoices story.

This has the potential to be a fantastic story. I enjoyed the Chinese mythology as it has not been over-done in other stories recently and ideas for the characters were interesting. However, I felt that the initial exposition of the story left some confusion as to the setting and some of the characters' behavior was unrealistic. For example, the initial setting sounds like it should be in 18th century rural China, come to find out some time later they are actually in modern day San Francisco. Additionally, the younger brother's reaction to some upsetting news seems to convey that his behavior is justified to a tween audience that could accept this as reasonable behavior. Overall, I loved the idea of the story and I wanted to enjoy this more, but the exposition and character development snag in places that draw the reader out of the story, rather than deeper into it.

Ever since her father disappeared to find the demons he were certain were coming, Faryn Liu's life in her tight-knit community within San Fransisco's China Town has been miserable. She, her brother Alex, and their Ye Ye have been ostracized by the Jade Society--an elite group of descendants of Chinese immigrants who were warriors who protected China Towns all across the country from demons. Insulted at every turn and made to do demeaning chores, Faryn and Alex are trained as warriors in secret by Ye Ye. Faryn doesn't understand why: they'll never be accepted in the Jade Society, Alex isn't a fighter, and Faryn will never be seen as a warrior as a girl.

Until the night of Lunar New Year arrives and Faryn defeats a demon, and a god arrives at the New Year's banquet proclaiming that the time of the long-foretold Heaven Breaker has arrived. The sole person able to lift the Heaven Breaker's weapon, Faryn, Alex, and her ex-best friend are sent on a quest that will lead them to the land of the gods. Along the way, they encounter flying chariots, dragons, meddling gods and Asian-American pop sensations--you know, the usual stuff that makes a great quest. Can Faryn prove to the gods, the Jade Society, and herself that she is the Heaven Breaker? Find out in "The Dragon Warrior"!

So. Wow. What an amazing book! Full of heart, and amazing characters--good, bad, and some in the gray areas--Zhao's debut tells a tale of love, friendship, and always fighting for what's right, even when the alternative seems easier. Faryn is a wonderful protagonist and narrator, and readers of all ages will have fun interacting with gods from the Chinese Pantheon. But that cliffhanger... Oh, boy, that cliffhanger... I can't even be mad about a cliffhanger that's going to drive me wild for a whole year, because it was so perfect and well-written and a complete and total surprise.

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Aru Shah, and magical girls, "The Dragon Warrior" is the first in what is preparing to be a truly phenomenal series that will surely take the whole world by storm.

I will be preordering this book. Pulls you in with a compelling character and keeps you there battling demons with her. Already have a line up of students who want to read it and are willing to wait. When doing silent reading with grade sevens we stop at the end and share what our book is about. I told them about Dragon Warrior and how much I was loving it and why. They are pumped, ready, and waiting.

Twelve-year old Faryn Liu has trained all her life to be a warrior of the Jade Society. The rest of the members of the Jade Society might look down on her and her brother, Alex, but that hasn’t stopped them from training. Ever since their father went missing years ago, all they can think of is trying to follow in his footsteps, and someday seek out the gods. But when Faryn stumbles across a demon in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown, she’s suddenly thrust into a much larger adventure than she’d ever expected or hoped for.

The Dragon Warrior is a middle-grade fantasy novel by Katie Zhao. It’s also her debut novel! And I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read an ARC of it before its release.

If you’ve ever read any of Rick Riordan‘s Camp Half-Blood books, you might find yourself thinking about them as you read this. The Dragon Warrior involves a lot of Chinese mythology, gods, and goddesses, and also features middle-grade protagonists. Not just that, but Zhao is able to also keep a style of narration that’s amusing and young, perfect for younger readers. In fact, I think this book would appeal to anybody old enough to be reading chapter books, as the tone and voice is youthful and fun.

What helps a great deal with the narration is that we get it through the first-person POV of Faryn. Faryn is twelve, and Zhao manages to stick very well to how a twelve-year old would think and react, and Faryn’s just a fun protagonist to experience this world through. She’s loyal to her family and friends, unsure of whatever great destiny the world seems intent on thrusting upon her, and worried about the decisions she’s making. She’s definitely recognizable as a twelve-year old, and I think many twelve-year olds will be able to identify with her, especially those with Chinese heritage. Faryn isn’t only Chinese, though, as is mentioned a few times throughout the novel. She has a mixed ancestry that differentiates her from the other people at the Jade Society, making her a bit of an outcast.

That might be my one dislike about this novel: Faryn, Alex, and their grandfather are very definite outcasts in the Jade Society. I get the outcast narrative, but they’re also basically servants to the rest of the Jade Society, only because of Faryn and Alex’s mixed heritage. I get that the outcast narrative is a frequent strategy among fantasy novels especially, but when exaggerated like this it tends to annoy me. Also because it takes place in modern times, and while I know there’s often a lack of acceptance of mixed ancestry in some societies, it seemed a little too much that Faryn and Alex would be forced to be servants and wouldn’t even be allowed to go to school. That was just too much. It worked in terms of the narrative, but it still really annoyed me.

The book is led by a quest, again like Riordan’s books. The fate of the world depends on this quest, so you can’t say the stakes aren’t high as Faryn sets out on it with her companions. And her companions truly shine. You have Alex, her brother, who feels frustrated to constantly be in his sister’s shadow. He comes to life, and gives Faryn her other side, where she’s got to keep an eye on her little brother. But he’s hopeful and young and prone to making mistakes, like any other pre-teen boy. I won’t spoil who Faron’s other companions end up being, but I ended up loving both of them too, particularly the one who ends up driving the chariot, as they are tough and stubborn and another excellent character through who we can experience more of Faryn.

Every character here, except for maybe Mao, was great and I found myself loving and rooting for them. And by the time I got to the end of the novel, after so many twists, I found myself sobbing on the train. The book made me excited, nervous, frustrated, and devastatingly sad. And it left me wanting more.

Luckily, The Dragon Warrior is part of a series, and we’ll hopefully find out more about the sequel soon! I know I definitely can’t wait to hear more about it.

The Dragon Warrior is an excellent middle grade mythology novel, perfect for anybody who likes adventure and fantasy, and kick-ass characters. Definitely a must for any Riordan fan too!

The Dragon Warrior will be released October 15. You can preorder your copy from Bloomsbury USA Kids here.

The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao Publication Date: October 15, 2019 Need to publish in September
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books or the review copy of The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao. All opinions are my own.
Zhao’s debut novel is a middle grade fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology. The novel follows Faryn Liu, whose family is viewed as outcasts, as she goes on a quest to save the world from demons, become the Jade Emperor’s general, and restore honor to her family. This is a #ownvoices novel and is perfect for readers who love mythology and have enjoyed Aru Shah and the End of Time, The Serpent’s Secret, or the Kane Chronicles.
This is a fast-paced book that takes the reader on an adventure across the United States. Along the way, there are tricks played, plans thwarted, battles fought, and friendships forged in various Chinatowns including San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Manhattan. There is a strong focus on the theme that things are not always what they appear and that one should not judge something or someone based on appearances. There is also a strong focus on relationships both friendships and familial. I love that Faryn is strong female protagonist and a warrior. The book has a wit and sense of humor that had me frequently laughing. There are times when characters use what I’m assuming are Chinese phrases/words and I wasn’t always able to understand the meaning based on context-clues. My review copy did state that a glossary was to come, so I assume this will clear up many of the misunderstandings I experienced. My students love books inspired by mythology, and I can’t wait to share this book with my students so they can learn more about Chinese culture and mythology.

#TheDragonWarrior #NetGalley #mglit #middlegradereads #readinginthemiddle #teacherswhoread #teacherreader #teachersthatread #ownvoices #chinesemythology #katiezhao

I love Faryn, she's a likable main character who values kindness and her family who wants to find her missing warrior father using his diary and maps. She discovers that she's the prophetic demon-slaying Heaven Breaker and embarks on a quest with her resentful, angry brother,Alex, her ex-friend, Moli, and a dragon boy with whom she'll fight demons, escape capture, and save imprisoned dragons so she can attend the god's Lunar New Year banquet. Instead of finding her missing father, she learns of the god's war plans to wipe out humans. She refuses to lead their destructive army but is horrified when her brother, eager for vengence against people who treated him unkindly, takes the power of the Heaven Breaker so he can lead the army. The story ends on a cliff-hanger of settling in an inclusive Chinatown and seeing a glimpse of her father.
I enjoyed the adventure very much. However, because I almost no background knowledge about the Chinese language or mythology, I struggled a little with comprehension and flow. What I really needed is to read a nonfiction mythology book first or to have a guidebook that I could use to look up this pantheon's characters.

The Dragon Warrior is an action-packed quest story inspired by Chinese mythology. A young mixed Chinese girl, Faryn Liu, discovers that Chinese deities and demons are walking the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown, and soon finds herself in the thick of a heavenly quest and war. She might be the mythical Heaven Breaker who can command dragons, and leads a group of allies that includes her brother, former best friend-turned-enemy, a shapeshifting boy, and an assortment of dragons and minor deities, in her quest.

The story is fast paced and I enjoyed the witty banter. The ending sets up the story nicely for future installments.

Faryn and Alex live with the Jade Society in San Francisco's Chinatown. Their parents are both gone so they are being raised by their grandfather Ye-Ye. They are outsiders in the Jade Society because their father refused to follow the new leaders who wanted demon fighting to be secondary to making money. During the Lunar New Year celebrations Faryn actually fights a demon with the help of a god. She doesn't tell anyone but it is revealed when the god, Erlang Shen, crashes their celebration and announces that she is the Heaven Breaker, the great general for the Jade Emperor. It is confirmed when she is able to lift Fenghuang, the spear of the Heaven Breaker. Faryn must complete a quest in order to reach the island of the gods. She is joined on the quest by her brother Alex and former best friend Moli. They pick up Ren in Phoenix. They are helped and hindered along the way by other gods and goddesses and demons.

This book follows the same path as many others since Rick Riordan started writing the Percy Jackson books. Lots of mythological creatures and a quest. I found the Chinese Mythology fascinating as I know nothing about it. I loved Faryn and her determination to do what is right even when that is the harder path. I thought Alex's betrayal set up the rest of the series really well and I can't wait to find out what happens after this.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus



Falun (Faryn) Liun and her brother Alex are being raised by their grandfather, Ye Ye, after their father, Ba, a dragon warrior, went missing several years ago. They live in San Francisco's Chinatown, but are not appreciated by the more wealthy members of the Jade Society. The leader, Mao, is openly hostile, as are others, like Wang and Yuhao, who are Faryn's age. Moli. Faryn's former best friend, also ignores her. During Lunar new year, Faryn goes out to get medicine for her grandfather, and on the way home, is attacked by a demon. She defeats it with the help of a god, and is secretly pleased that a god showed up at the festival for a change. She keeps this a secret, however, and goes to the festival with her family. There, the young dragon warriors try to lift a sword that can only be lifted by the Heaven Breaker, but none can. That is, none but Faryn. She is able to lift Fenghuang, and the goddess of Mercy, Guanyin, who helps her keep her father's maps, which she hopes will help her find him. Unfortunately, Ye Ye passes away in the midst of all of the activity, but gives Faryn notes that she can send to him for help. Faryn, Alex, and Moli take off on a quest to find Ba in accordance to the prophecy. This takes them first to Phoenix, where they meet Ren, who can shape shift into a dragon. They then go to Chicago, where they meet Chuangmu, a goddess who runs a hotel. She fools them into staying and then won't let them go. They eventually escape and head to D.C. , where they find that the demons have been wreaking havoc all over the US. They also run into the Red Prince, another formidable adversary who keeps them prisoner until Ren can harness the power of the dragons. Finally, they set off for Peng Lai island to find the Jade Emperor and hopefully their father. Things are still difficult, and when they finally meet the emperor, it turns out that he wants the Heaven Breaker to help overthrow the human world! There has been some discussion that Alex and Faryn are not related by blood, but Alex, suffering from a feeling of inferiority and egged on by the gods, takes Fenghuang and claims that HE is the Heaven Breaker. Guanyin appears to Faryn and offers to help her try to save the human world from the Jade Emperor... and from Alex.

Strengths: This was action packed, and had very likable characters. It followed the Rick Riordanesque quest protocol, where characters have to travel to different locations and are bothered by various characters from mythology/religion along the way. The friend drama with Moli is a nice touch, and Alex's betrayal sets up the next book nicely.
Weaknesses: I should have taken notes; I had a lot of bookmarks on my Nook, but it's not as easy to retrieve information that way. This is not overly complicated, but it was a bit of a challenge for me, so will be perfect for my readers who get really into fantasy stories.
What I really think: I'm definitely purchasing, but would like a little more information in the next book in the series. This has a glossary at the end, but it wasn't part of the E ARC. That would probably help, and I would like more information about the role of the gods and goddesses mentioned in modern Chinese culture. Western readers might not realize when or if the gods and goddesses in the book are actually worshipped; to me, all religion is mythological, but I don't know that we will ever see an adventure book with Jesus as a character.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this title.


Conflicted review incoming.


On the one hand, I adored the world that Zao created. It gave me serious Miyazaki vibes and anything that does that get a thumbs up in my opinion.

One the other hand, I had a hard time plot and character-wise. There seem to have been a slight disconnect with me and the protagonist. This is going to be confusing to you all, but I felt like I was merely watching these things happen instead of being a part of it. Faryn did not seem to have a distinct personality, though she is a strong character. I will give her that.

It took me a minute to get used to the writing style, as well. I mean, we all have our styles, but I could not get into Zao's. At least with this book. It felt choppy and abrupt. I think (maybe) some in-depth editing could have saved it a bit.

There was also a death that kinda got me like WTF, but I won't drop any spoilers. Let's just say; I wasn't happy. haha

I know I read an arc so there's hope a lot of the issues I had will be worked out. For now, it's a 3.5

The Dragon Warrior takes the chosen one/reluctant hero trope and gives it new life. Zhao has created an immersive world filled with engaging characters and fascinating mythology. Fans of the Rick Riordan imprint books will certainly love this book. Highly recommended for all students who love reading fantasy.

This novel left me breathless! This novel had action, adventure, riddles, and a hint of romance! I especially loved all the characters especially Moli and Farryn! Both of them are very strong and sassy! The only thing I have to criticize was Alex’s character growth was not developed enough because his change just seemed sudden rather than gradually reaching his conclusion. I really loved how it is about Chinese culture and mythology! Thus, i really did not want this novel to end, and I can’t wait for the sequel! I recommend this fans of Mortal Instruments and Percy Jackson! Full review to come!

Debut book by new author, Katie Zhao, is sure to please Middle grade readers who like mythology. This would be a great addition to a library trying to diversify their collection with more Asian literature. Faryn Liu and her little brother Alex, are members of the Jade Society warriors, they have been outcasts since their father left in search of demons. They are card for by their grandfather who has also been training them to be warriors. It is the Lunar New Year festival and Faryn leaves the compound to go into San Francisco’s Chinatown to get her grandfather’s medicine. On the way home she encounters a nián (Chinese demon) and uses her grandfathers training to try and stop the demon from causing havoc in Chinatown. This is the beginning of her adventure, read this book to find out who will wield the ancient weapon, Heaven Breaker, and what this means to the Chinese gods.
#Netgalley ARC
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