I honestly loved this book so much! The characters were written so perfectly. Each felt so unique. I loved learning about ancient Chinese history which I really didn’t know much about it. With every Chinese person or element that was present I looked it up and learned even more. The author did a fantastic job getting the reader interested in Chinese history. The book was also really funny and the ending left me wanting more. I need book 2!!! Overall this was so good and I highly recommend.

Zachary Ying's mother works hard and can't teach him about his Chinese heritage. All he learns at school are Western classics, so Zack is unprepared to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China in order to seal the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. Unfortunately, the spirit binds to his AR set and botches the mission from the start. When Zack's mother's soul is stolen by demons, he must learn to wield the emperor's powers and search for artefacts. If he can't get this right, he loses his mother for good.

Being Chinese among a lot of not-Chinese people is difficult for Zack in the middle of the novel, something many minorities or mixed kids will feel and identify with immediately. He wants to make friends in his new middle school, talk about video games and be seen as just one of the other kids. His ethnicity isn't something he can forget, not when the white kids joke about it around him and say being friends with him gives him "a free pass." This is of course the kid that becomes the avatar of a greedy spirit. Over the course of the novel we find out more about the different cultures in China, the ethnic groups and the way they're treated. Zack is Muslim, and not part of the dominant Han Chinese culture that usually comes to mind when people think of China.

Because Zachary doesn't know much about his Chinese heritage, he gets a crash course on early history and what the first emperor's accomplishments were. By extension, so do we. I recognized the mention of the first woman emperor; she was the inspiration for Zhao's first book Iron Widow. (Amazing YA novel, look into it if you haven't already read it!) And we learn more as the novel progresses, because the driving force for the emperor spirits is legend magic: the strength and skills the spirits have is based on the stories told about them, and this can change over time and different versions of the stories. Because Zachary doesn't have much connection to the ancestor spirit and his heritage, he must find items that once were precious to his ancestor to truly bond with his magical ability. This means we get a chance to see modern China, learn about the past as well as the historical figures.

This is a wonderful middle grade novel starring East Asian characters, as well as the history and legends surrounding the creation of the modern Chinese state. It's deftly done, and I look forward to reading more books in this series!

From Big Gay Fiction Podcast #376 https://www.jeffandwill.com/biggayfictionpodcast/2022/05/05/get-ready-for-summer-vacation-with-a-ya-reading-list/

Jeff: But we’re not quite done yet talking about books that are coming this month because I actually wanna talk about one that I’ve read that is coming out on May 10th, and it’s called “Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor” by Xiran Jay Zhao. I have done my best, I’m gonna say this upfront, to research so I get my pronunciations right. If I mess these up, I so apologize. But here we go. I loved this middle-grade book so, so much. It is an incredible mashup of fantasy, sci-fi, and action set in the modern-day. How modern is it? Well, there’s even a chapter title that references “American Idol” as in how the creation of China was actually like “American Idol.” If you’re one of the legions of people who loves Rick Riordan’s, Percy Jackson books, I really think you’re gonna love this one. Zachary Ying, or Zach to his friends, simply is trying to get through middle school. He’s got friends, but he’s got no one like him. And he’s often ridiculed for things like what he brings for lunch, which is food that his mom makes but that others find kind of odd and maybe a little bit smelly.

One of his favorite things is the game Mythrealm, and he and his friends make up a team that actually plays in competitions. Zach’s also sort of obsessed with the game’s creator, Jason Xuan, and he actually wants to be like Jason someday. Zach’s world takes a turn as he starts hearing voices which seem to come from the portal lens that he uses when he plays Mythrealm. Now, these are glasses that let him see the real world beyond them, but it’s overlaid with elements from the game. So they’re basically looking like glasses, but you get all these other things laid over the lens. Think of it kind of like the Google Lens from like eons ago when they first tried to put those out there. And I really love this element since there’s tech in this book that is similar to the things that we have in the world now but aren’t quite in, like, everyday use yet.

So one day, about the time he’s starting to hear these voices, Zach meets Simon who immediately befriends him, talking about Mythrealm, but also giving him a lot of discussion about Chinese historical figures for reasons that Zach really can’t figure out. Now it seems that Simon has a very rare weapon in his Mythrealm arsenal and it’s something that Zach’s friends want to use for an upcoming tournament. They all end up in a bit of a fight when Simon won’t lend it out. And suddenly out of nowhere, Zach seems to be able to control water, even creating a huge thunderstorm over the fight and actually sort of injuring a couple of his classmates. And so, of course, you might be wondering, What is Zach up to here? Well, it turns out the voices that Zach heard actually come from Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China and someone who Zach is a descendant of. Zach is meant to host the emperor’s spirit because this emperor, along with others, are on a mission to seal a damaged portal to the Chinese underworld before it blows open during Ghost Month, which would unleash all manner of spirits and cause general chaos.

Now the spirits binding to Zach goes wrong somewhat because Zach doesn’t know that much about Chinese history or his heritage. And the spirit ends up actually binding to Zach’s portal lens instead, which severely is diminishing its power. Oh, and by the way, in the midst of all this, as a big battle takes place over will Zack or will Zack not bind with the emperor correctly? Zach’s mom has her spirit stolen, and with a tight timeline on the mission to seal that portal, they can only take care of his mom once the portal is sealed. It’s kind of being held as a little bit of a ransom. So Zach goes off to China with Simon and another spirit-possessed warrior child named Melissa to track down the portal seal, get it in place, and to essentially save China and the world. It’s a chase through museums, temples, fantastical places, most of which Zach knows nothing about. His mom hasn’t told him much about where he comes from, what his heritage is, or really even who his father was, who actually died in China as a political prisoner. Zach also doesn’t get any Chinese history, of course, in his American school so he has no knowledge from that either.

It’s an incredible first half of the book as Simon and Melissa, along with their spirits, actually educate Zach about parts of Chinese history and what he has to do to solve this portal problem. I really love all the elements that Xiran has in this story, Zach learning more about his Chinese culture, about his father, connecting with his heritage in ways that he’d been unable to before. When he gets pulled into this thing, he has the opportunity to make a wish of what he may want to happen here. And besides getting his mom’s spirit back to her body, he also says that he would like to become strong, and his growth into being a strong individual was so amazing. And it’s not about being necessarily strong of body, it’s about being strong, really, in every way, and being able to stand up for yourself, be able to take control, and be confident in situations. The growth of Zach was so incredible in this book. And, of course, we see him grow along the way as he’s put through this quest to save the world. But the moment when he realizes that he has become strong was so satisfying to read. It was just one of those kind of just wonderful moments that you can get in a book.

The adventure throughout this book is also super fun. Xiran puts you right in it with Zach, Simon, and Melissa, plus, there is a high snark level in this book with the attitude that the emperors have. You see in the mythology that’s created in this book, the emperors and their spirits are impacted by how modern society views them and so they’ve picked up all kinds of modernisms along the way and it gives their speech and their interaction with these kids a really brilliant kind of snarky sarcastic tone, which is just a whole bunch of fun. More than anything, the back and forth on if you can or can’t trust any of these people and the spirits was so incredible because it kept me guessing right down to the end of the book.

Now you may ask yourself why am I talking about this book? As I haven’t mentioned anything queer. It’s mentioned a couple of times in different ways that Zach likes boys. And I really love how this is not a primary point of the story. I love that it was there, but it was there in a way that it wasn’t made to be an important point. And I have to imagine for any young people who pick this up and to be able to see themselves in that way and see this young person who does some really incredible stuff and for it just to be presented in that matter of fact, no big deal way will be so fantastic.

I am so very interested to read more of Zach’s story because, oh, yes, this ends on a quite well-done cliffhanger. So I think if you love “The Lightning Thief,” you’re just gonna love “Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor.”

And by the way, in the show notes, I’m gonna add a link to Xiran’s YouTube channel. They’ve got an incredible library of videos there discussing Chinese history and culture and how it’s represented in the media. There’s some really interesting and insightful things about movies like the recent Disney movie, “Turning Red.” I highly recommend you give their YouTube channel a look as well when you pick up this book, which, again, is coming out on May 10th.

If you’ve enjoyed any of the Percy Jackson universe or Rick Riordan Presents, you’d probably love this book!

Zach is just trying to fit in at school when his VR device is possessed by the legend of a long dead Chinese Emperor. Then his mother’s soul is stolen & there’s a cute boy asking for his help to save the world.

I appreciated the story’s emphasis on connecting with your culture, but also that starting from a place of not knowing doesn’t make you a bad member of that culture. There is also so much information and history in this story. At times, it felt a little info dump heavy, but I always love a story that makes me want to research more!

And an additional point for this book? The chapter titles are a genuine delight. From “”How the Creation of China was Exactly Like American Idol” to “How Chinese Sherlock Holmes and Chinese Leroy Jenkins Can Help a Museum Heist” to “How to Slay Immortals By Becoming
Underwater Darth Vader”, every chapter title made me laugh out loud.

My biggest issue is entirely a personal preference. I do not like obvious sequel hooks. It’s not like I need everything tied up with a bow, but this felt a little too much for me. But that’s entirely my preference. The pacing was a little uneven, and the secondary characters aren’t quite as developed as I would have liked, but overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read that I will absolutely follow up on!

This book was everything that it was promised to be, and I had an absolute blast reading it.

The worldbuilding is amazing and immersive, I love the mixture of magic and technology, the characters are all unique and endearing, and it contains so much important representation, as well as interesting information about Chinese mythology, culture, and history.

Actual rating: 4.5

Hello, I was NOT aware the main character was Muslim! What a wonderful surprise! This wasn't super heavy on Muslim rep or anything but it was nice to see it included!

I loved Xiran's writing in Iron Widow and so I was very excited to read their middle grade! In true Xiran fashion, this was hilarious and a page turner. As someone with no prior knowledge of Chinese history, I was able to keep up easily. The characters are fun and unique and I loved them all! I'm definitely curious to see where the story goes from here.

If you love Percy Jackson style books, this is definitely the one for you!

this was a super fun and action packed middle grade novel! i requested this due to my love for 'iron widow' so I wasn't surprised that I loved this as well! i love the fantasy elements and how being Chinese was a major part of the story. the storytelling was great and interactive. Zach was super sweet and I loved reading about him and following his journey!

Ugh, this was great,

I don’t usually read middle grade, but I LOVE this author and I really enjoyed this book! XJZ has such a wonderful way of writing that makes everything enjoyable to read. I can’t wait to read the second installment!

Xiran Jay Zhao just never misses and their middle debut is just fantastic!

The story was so entertaining and I so wish I had amazing diverse books like this one when I was growing up, I’m definitely going to give it to my niece to read!

There’s also some easter eggs in here to the author’s other book that had me squealing, it was like two worlds mixing and I loved it!

This is definitely the kind of book that you cannot put down and read in one sitting max the ending left me screaming for the next installment in the series!

If you love history, mythology, and chaos, this book is for you.

Zachary “Zack” Ziyang Ying (12, gay) loves the video game Mythrealm, and it helps him make “friends.” When a Chinese boy, Simon Li, shows up at his school, Zack finds his life turning upside down as the spirit of Qin Shi Huang tries to possess him when he stands up for Simon to his “friends.” It doesn’t help that his mother’s spirit gets abducted by bad ghosts. To save his mother from disappearing forever and China from being overrun with malevolent underworld creatures, Zack has to travel to China, the country that had killed his father for speaking out, with Qin Shi Huang attached to his AR headset.

I didn’t make the connection of “Ying” and Qin Shi Huang’s (Dragon Emperor) family name “嬴” until I stared at the gorgeous book cover for one long minute before starting the book. It was one of his family names (mentioned in the story), and I adore all the little details like this sprinkled throughout the story.

Because we have a clueless protagonist, the Chinese Hui–American who knew very little about Chinese history and mythology, we as readers get to learn everything as Zack did. As someone who knew who all these historic icons are, I can’t say how much sense it would make for those who are not familiar with all them. For me, all the little bios Qin Shi Huang provided Zack with through his AR lenses were nice refreshers. I do think it is helpful and fun for learning a bit of history, too. Want to see the poet Li Bai as a drunk ghost? Read this book.

Most of the time, I dislike chapter titles. I know, I know. When chapter titles are done badly, they reveal too much of or add nothing to the story. But Zhao nailed all the chapter titles! They are all so incredibly funny, accurate, and not too spoilery either. Some examples of this would be “How to Get Rich and Famous by Renting Your Body to a Dead Emperor” and “How to Scam the Ancient Chinese Justice League.”

There is a lot of chaos in this book, and I am so here for it. Most of them are emperor drama. It is a special brand of fun when thousand-year-old emperor ghosts bicker like teenagers. Enjoy books with chaotic and disaster gays? Try chaotic and disaster emperors with a confused gay boy. I think Zhao is so big-brained for writing this series.

I also need to mention that I appreciate the mention of the genocide of minority people the Chinese government is carrying out. This includes, but is not limited to, Hui and Uighur Muslims.

For those who don’t like cliffhangers, please note that ZACHARY YING ends with one. I personally don’t think it’s so big that I feel it claw at me, but I do think about it once in a while since I finished the book about ten days ago.

Maybe I’m one of the few people left who has not yet read Zhao’s IRON WIDOW. After reading ZACHARY YING, I am extra excited to read everything Zhao has to offer.

[content warnings: possessing, manipulation (including blackmailing), bullying, racism, genocide, death, murder, forced captivity]

Zachary Ying has always struggled to fit in. Not only is he the only Asian kid in his small, white town in Maine, but as a Hui Muslim he is also a minority among Chinese and Muslims. He also likes boys instead of girls. The only place Zach has been able to make friends is in Mythrealm, an AR game accessed through a portal lens worn like glasses. When a demon spawns and attacks him the spirit of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, binds himself to Zach's portal lens. With this binding comes access to water magic, regulated through an energy meter tied to Zach's qui. Zach wants nothing to do with this connection until his mother is attacked and put into a coma. In order to save her soul and prevent an other-worldly disaster, he must team up with two other kids who have been linked with other Chinese emperors: spunky Melissa who harbors the only female emperor Wu Zetian, and Simon who is linked with Tang Taizong. Zach must learn to work with the opinionated Qin Shi Huang and the other emporers to prevent the spirits of the underworld from crossing over to the mortal realm.

The author's exploration of the diaspora experience, being trapped between multiple worlds and not fitting in perfectly to any of them, is made accessible through this adventurous, action-packed story. Chinese history is brought to life through this Yugioh-inspired tale, and both American and Chinese government are critiqued through the lens of Zach's complicated relationship with his identity. Perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and mythology stories. Another must-buy from Zhao.

Amazing book! The feeling of being hyper seen as an Asian in a predominately white community is felt strongly as well as the character's awareness of the bizarre scenarios he finds himself in. It's action packed and plot driven with great moments of humor and heart. Felt like it belonged in a Rick Riordan presents while also being very much a Xiran Jay Zhao work with the meme-y and fandom based humor and writing. Would recommend for any fans of Percy Jackson!

Overall a fun book. I appreciated the way the author incorporated Chinese mythology/history into the plot, but early on there was definitely a lot of exposition that made the first few chapters slow for me to get through. But also part of my struggle to get into the book was that the ARC I was given could only be read on my phone, which isn't the book's fault. As I started to get to know the characters and the magic system everything clicked into place and the bits of information started to feel more integrated into what was happening. I really enjoyed getting the chance to learn more about both contemporary and ancient China. I also enjoyed Zachary as a main character/his development, as well as how nuanced the morality of the story was. I don't read a lot of middle grade, but this definitely felt more nuanced than a lot of books I read as a kid in terms of there being no clear good and bad guys.

Even if I struggled to get through the beginning and some of the action sequences, I overall had a fun time reading Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor. I'd be interested in continuing, as long as I don't need to read the next one on a phone screen. I would also be curious to talk to middle grade readers about how they feel. In general, I though the book was pretty funny and it seemed like if I was in middle school I would like it, but I also haven't been in middle school for a while.

An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a cool action fantasy for middle grade readers by Xiran Jay Zhao. Released 10th May 2022 by Simon & Schuster on their children's imprint, Margaret K. McElderry Books, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the e-book format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of e-books with interactive formats lately.

This is such a fun adventure. There will be inevitable comparisons with Percy Jackson, Pokemon Go, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, but while the similarities are there, it manages to be its own authentic self without being derivative in the slightest. It's very well written and entertaining and full of the sort of mythology and Chinese history which would have thrilled my 12 year old self and likely kept me up late reading under the covers with a flashlight.

There are deeper, important messages to be found in the action as well: about fitting in and the dichotomy of being a 1st generation American kid in an area that isn't especially diverse. As an adult reading the book, I got a pang for young Zachary, whose mom doesn't want him to learn Mandarin as a 1st language since she didn't want him to have an accent when speaking English, and his guilt at trying to sneakily compost the packed school lunches she sends with him to school every day since they're not "American" food.

There is quite a lot of Chinese history and folklore I really enjoyed reading about, and I spent some hours afterwards reference hunting online - the author has done a great deal of research. I also liked her exploration of modern day Chinese politics and diversity (all written in age-appropriate terminology and quite understandably).

Five stars. Genuinely entertaining. Honestly funny in a lot of places. It would make an excellent choice for public and school library acquisition, and a good choice for bookish middle grade readers. I'm really looking forward to finding out what comes next!

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Great story and excellent characters. Definitely has a Percy Jackson vibe going on. Looking forward to next book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I’ll start by saying this book was such an interesting concept! After all, it is described as Chinese Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong and Yugioh and I’ll say it definitely lived up to that! The representation was amazing, emphasizing the diversity within China. It was funny and definitely reminded me of Percy Jackson with the water powers, missing mom, and funny chapter titles. Unfortunately, comparisons are bound to happen when it is described as being like a another thing and I don’t think this book was quite as good as its comparison. It was definitely different and its own thing but there were some aspects it had in common with PJO that wasn’t as well done in my opinion, the main one being the history dumping. While I loved learning about Chinese culture and mythology, it just seemed like a lot and often got me distracted from the story, which was my main issue with it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with tons of amazing representation and diversity and the important message of the need to accept, embrace, and be proud of your cultural roots and identity.

Rainbows and Sunshine
May 24, 2022

Ah this was so much fun!! I'm really fascinated with history and mythology and I absolutely loved the author's debut, and when I came to know about this book, I couldn't wait!! And I loved every second of it!! I love their writing and it was interesting to see some familiar characters myths like the Dragon Boat Festival.

Zach's such a sweet kid and he deserves a hug! I loved all the side characters. I love how it interconnects current politics and social issues with the characters.

I love the worldbuilding, especially the video gaming and virtual reality set up. It goes so well with the history and makes it very interesting. I love the writing with the humor and banter and also the pop culture references.

Love the representation of Chinese minorities, Zack is Hui Chinese, muslim and queer while Melissa is Miao.

If you love adventure filled quests, ancient Chinese history and mythology and story that will steal your heart, pick this up! THAT ENDING!!! I need the next book as soon as possible!!!!

*ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I absolutely LOVEDDDDDDDDDDDD this book! While it was a different energy from Xiran's first book (which I'm completely obsessed with), I loved that it had that mix of angst, humor and history. I also felt like I learned a little more about Chinese culture and history. I thought that this book, friend group and adventures were simply brilliant and I was ready for the next book when I finished...I just hope that Xiran doesn't keep us waiting toooooo long!

Full disclosure: I gave this to my 12 year old to read. So, this review is from my kid:

As a Chinese-American kid I really enjoyed this book about someone like me having adventures while also being a normal kid. I liked how it incorporated Chinese culture and history. The story is really fun and the characters are likeable. Xiran Jay Zhao is a cool writer and I like her YouTube channel that teaches about Chinese culture. Her writing style is really funny too. I recommend this book for kids like me and other kids who are interested in learning more about China, or who just want to read a fun book.

Show-stopping, magnificent, never-before-seen, spectacular, magnificent, awesome fantastic, love it so much