4/5 ⭐️ Pretty much following a young woman trying to figure out who killed her father and not realizing a lot of secrets will be revealed because she thought she knew her father! Love the story pacing and secrets revealed until we get to the end and then you realize there’s more to the story that meets the eye! In a good way! Also, love the engineering school and magical elements that brings the story together!

I wanted to love this book I REALLY did!!! I had actually preordered it prior to receiving the ARC because I was so excited for this release. Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. 1) For a book that has Dragon in the title, there are hardly any dragons. Honestly this felt like Fantasy lite. I kept waiting for the dragons which never came. The only one that did come was robotic. 2) I felt like the book relied on tropes a lot. The FMC starts off as an almost Mulan/Belle esque character. Everyone in town talks about how no one will marry her cause she wants to be an engineer. And then when her Father is murdered she must go and avenge his death (or reclaim his honor) Sound familiar at all? And look I'm not hating on fairytale retellings, I think they can be done very well! Actually Mulan and Belle were my favorite Disney movies growing up, however the way this was done felt very cliche. 3) I have heard this book referred to as a steampunk Fantasy C-drama and I can see why. However the C-drama element of it was just over the top for me. I think this book could be beloved by so many people. Unfortunately it just wasn't the book for me. Thank you though for the ARC. I read this around the publishing date but haven't posted a formal review because I really want this book to do well and I don't want influence people away from it when you have been so kind to give me this ARC. However these are my honest thoughts. Thank you again

I really enjoyed this book. The premise was great and I really tried to be kind to the female main character but goodness... sometimes she was just really testing my patience. That was my biggest gripe, but it was honestly bearable if you remind yourself over and over that she's just a kid and hating kids is wrong.

The only thing I'm upset about is the fact that I waited so long to read this book. I've had this sitting on my kindle as an e-ARC since March, and I've only just read it in December. If anything, it was a fabulous way to wrap out the year because it was indeed a 5 star read for me.

We follow Ying as she enters the Engineering Guild's apprenticeship trial in pursuit of her father's murderer. And as if the stakes weren't high enough, since no women are allowed, she has to disguise herself as a boy, further risking her life and her reputation if she's found out. Who can she trust? Who is friend and who is foe? Will she find the answers she's searching for and will she even want them if she does?

Amber Chen weaves a compelling story from the very first page, and I was cheering for Ying every step of the way. I love a good trial/challenge story arc, and the detail she includes in the machinery was amazing. The imagery in Chen's book is stunning and at times heart-rendingly beautiful. The relationships are complex and show how power can break even the strongest of relationships. I'm so looking forward to the next installation of this series, and I can't wait to see where Ying's journey will end.

DNF 15%. Interesting premise and we love a dragon moment. I’m considering this a DNFFN (aka did not finish for now). I tried picking this book up no less than 5 times and I just could NOT get into the groove with it.

While Of Jade and Dragons had an interesting silk punk setting, the world-building felt shallow. The engineering and technology were more decorative than essential, which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story.

Even as a YA fantasy, the plot complexity seemed more suitable for a younger audience, with the occasional mature themes feeling like a weak attempt to justify its YA label.

I had high hopes for this book, but it ultimately did not meet my expectations. The characters lacked depth, and the emotional impact of the story was underwhelming.

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for my copies of this book; all opinions are my own!

I do so love it when a woman exceeds at a “man’s” craft. This book put so many elements I love into one story some top favorites being adventure, cunning, competition, romance, science, and discovery.

I loved the inventions spoken about throughout this story, including some intricate details behind the designs and how, in the end, the invention ultimately worked.

I’m so interested in what happens next, and can’t wait to read more!

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was a great mulan-adjacent tale and I really enjoyed the characters, world building, and the plot. Excited to see what’s next!

I loved the idea of a mulan-inspired fantasy story with a focus on engineering, but ultimately this fell flat all around. The stakes never felt high enough, the main character was difficult to read, and I was confused about whether there was supposed to be a romance.

I thought the world was amazing and rich with culture, I loved seeing fantasies based on a real culture. But I did find myself confused a lot of the times and felt like there were times for more world building to provide a better understanding. I really enjoyed the premise, but I don't think it lived up to what I hoped it would be unfortunately. And I just didn't feel a super strong connection to the characters, which holds me back a lot from really loving the story.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me this ARC.

This was a really intriguing premise, I'm always looking for more silkpunk fantasy and I loved the idea of the focus on engineering. Unfortunately it felt a bit half baked and needed some additional polish.

I've been highly anticipating Of Jade and Dragons ever since seeing the author's pitch on Twitter - I will take a Mulan-inspired fantasy story any day and one set against the backdrop of competition is a setup I've loved before (i.e. Spin the Dawn). Amber Chen creates an incredibly compelling world where the island nation of Antara finds itself on the brink of war as natural resource supplies dwindle and a larger more powerful Empire tests their borders. The hope of victory rests on the infamous Engineers Guild which has always been closed to female applicants.

Upon witnessing her father's murder by an intruder in his workshop, Aihui Ying decides to impersonate her younger brother and follow her father's footsteps to the capital to find some answers. Her journey is conveniently smoother than expected when running into one of the High Commander's sons, the fourth beile Yeyang. With his support, Ying finds herself as one of the applicants to the Guild's grueling trials for an apprenticeship, using this opportunity to further her own quest for revenge.

Despite such a strong premise that should have instantly hooked me, Of Jade and Dragons took me longer than expected to get through. The two main factors that I struggled with were the pacing and Ying herself. For a book that's over 450 pages, the plot meandered throughout the competition. We get glimpses of the stress other candidates experienced, but Ying seemed to flounder through her classes making it difficult to root for her. We were told of her struggles but her successes seemed like a mere stretch for her. It definitely took me a majority of the novel to warm up to her, hence why the plot seemed to drag.

The story does take an interesting twist once secrets about the guild and High Commander's ambitions are revealed. It's a classic tale of man's greed for power that seems to be the push Ying needs to become more proactive in her story which in turn allowed her character to grow and mature. The additional elements of "friendly" academic rivalry between Ying and her classmates, Yekan and Chang'an in particular, and the potential romance between Ying and Yeyang were placed more in the background but did add more depth to the story that kept me invested through it all.

While Of Jade and Dragons had a slower start for me, the ending leaves open questions of personal morality, the cost of war, and how forbidden love can survive amid political unrest. We haven't heard much about the sequel yet but I'm hoping the author will continue to expand this world and we'll get to see Ying's journey and character arc continue to flourish.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

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 🩷

I rated this 3.5/4⭐️

Overall I thought this was a very fun and exciting read. I loved the inventive curiosity and problem solving of the female main character, who goes to an engineering school meant for all men so she can uncover the mystery of her father's death. The romantic entanglement is super gripping and played a good balance between the story and romance. The bonds between the classmates was also a fun dynamic element of the story. In other words, this book excelled at characters!

The weakness for me came with the world and political building. We are told about a war often with little actual experience with that or the overarching politics that play into it. I want to know why this war is so important and why it's being fought! Instead this was used as a plot device to take away the male lead and show the importance of engineers in the society. I hope that book 2 will address the war more and it's overall importance to the main character.

Aihui, an inventor and engineer, sets off to avenge and find out more about her father’s murder amidst a steampunk-esque world where sexism abounds. Reviews compare this story to Mulan due to her posing up as her brother, but she also has similar spunk and strength. The world building was unique without being too confusing and I was rooting for Aihui the whole way.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book--I couldn't make myself take a break for sleep or dinner, and I don't regret it! A perfect balance of intrigue, action, and ever-increasing complexity that kept me rooted in place for the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.

I liked it, the characters were good to follow and the plot was cute! I enjoyed the scifi elements and how the emphasis on country is not always worth fighting for.

it kinda have that mulan element to it, where she has to disguise herself as a male to get in the Engineer's guild which only males are allowed. it reminds me of Stars of Chos (Sha Po Lang), it has that futuristic, steampunk with Chinese influence to it. Yeyang is determined to follow in to her father's legacy and to become the first female engineer.

A Mulan inspired story where the main character tries to solve who murdered her father and wants to get into a guild that only accepts men. That sounds interesting! But it really wasn’t.
Our main character witnesses the murder of her father and is desperate to find the people responsible, I would too! But that plot sort of gets lost once she gets into the apprenticeship. She starts to focus on romance and passing the tests. The plot of finding the murderers was not the main plot and when she would find clues it was more of a last minute thought or decision than for her actually looking for clues.
Our main character is described as smart. Key word described. We never actually see her engineering or thinking about anything that would label her smart. And the parts where she does have to make something it isn’t described that well and it’s more like “I can do this. Here, it’s done!”
The romance itself felt out of place. She meets this random guy who is very eager to help her and then they start to fall for each other even though they’re hardly with each other. And when they’re together before they started liking each other, there was nothing that was shown to us that would make them like each other. They just do.
The world could’ve been so amazing if it focused on the steampunk elements and the actually creation of the devices they describe. It ended up being a world surrounding a romance.