3.25 stars: Of Jade and Dragons is a solid fantasy debut with strong world building and a faced-paced plot. However, the story lacks strong character motivations, which made it difficult for me to fully invest in the character arcs in the books.

The strongest aspects of this book by far are the world building and the action scenes. Everything with the engineering school was very interesting and clearly well thought out. I appreciated seeing the various trials Ying and the rest of the nominees went through to become guild members. While this is only the first book in a series, I can tell that the world has a lot more to be explored and I am excited to see what comes next. I also thought the action was very well written and kept me on the edge of my seat. The book doesn’t waste any time getting to the meat of the story, which is both a good thing and a bad thing; the good news is that the story is very fast- paced, but that also means it skips over the process of establishing the status quo, which I think hurt the authors ability to build strong character motivations.

The lack of character motivations is definitely the weakest part of the book, and, unfortunately, the book struggles fully overcome this weakness. The major issue with the story is that the inciting incident is the death of Ying’s father, but we never get any scenes with Ying and her father to establish their relationship, so we never really know what is being lost when he dies. This is a major issue because we are constantly told how much Ying cares about and respects her father, but her motivation feels shallow because we don’t ever get to see that relationship in action. While Ying’s motivations were understandable on an intellectual level, I never felt like I could connect to her emotionally because we never got to see that emotional basis to her character arc. In a similar manner, I thought the relationship between Ying and Ye-yang fell a little flat. While I enjoyed some of their scenes, I didn’t feel like they earned the drama their relationship faced towards the end of the book. I’m not as invested in the relationship as I think the author wants me to be, and it’s because we don’t see very much of a build to that relationship.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this to lovers of YA fantasy, but I would not say this is an absolute must read especially to readers who aren’t very interested in fantasy or who are looking for a more romance-centered fantasy.

A bit slow at time but all and all a really good story with great characters and plot. I love the mixture of culture and science working in harmony.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reading Of Jade and Dragons today was hands down the best decision I have ever made. Well, for a Sunday, that is. Or maybe for all of 2024? I have no idea, but the year is still young. Anyway, in this, you will meet Ying and she dreams of being an engineer in the guild her dad was once in. The only problem is that they don't take girls. Which is rude and definitely needs to change.

It honestly doesn't take long for someone to see through her disguise and then for someone else to find out as well. On top of that, they are both princes in the same family. Along the way, there's a hint of a possible romance and some tension-filled moments between the two. And yet, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The betrayal and secrets came and knocked me off my feet. Thankfully, I was sitting down to read this book, but I am so happy that they happened in the ways that they did. I am also happy with how everything ended. It's never fun when things are easily forgiven just because of love. I'm hoping a certain someone grovels a bit and earns that forgiveness.

In the end, I'm excited for this book to be published so everyone else can enjoy it. I also can't wait for the next book to be written because I want to know what's going to happen next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc but this one isn’t for me.

DNF at 21%. Small spoilers for up to that percentage

Honestly… it all felt so bland? I’m an engineer and I was so excited to have a female engineer as a protagonist in a fantasy but I didn’t connect with her at all. Her father dies right off the bat and she barely blinks an eye - one tear falling at the graves of her parents. Besides her quest for finding his killer, she doesn’t even seem sad about his death? Nor even surprised? She doesn’t seem to have many feelings at all to be honest - it’s like her personality is “I like flying” 🙃

Ye-Yang too didn’t feel like a person but a stereotype. Prince who helps her. And I am soooo disappointed that the author chose to have Ying tell him she was a girl immediately upon meeting him. Because that’s one of my favorite parts of “girl disguised as guy” books: the male love interest being confused why he has feelings for a “guy”. By taking that out… is it even fun anymore? 🤷‍♀️

Ultimately the entire portion I read just felt pretty bland, from the writing style (which I would argue is a bit on the lower end of YA) to the plot to the characters. I don’t have any want to continue.

This was an interesting reimagining of mulan, I enjoyed every page. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted arc.

THIS is the YA book I’ve been ACHING for!!

Aihui Ying is a girl with dreams she knows will never happen simply because she’s a girl. But when her father is murdered in front of her, she makes the decision to channel her inner Mulan and seek her revenge. And, while she’s at it, maybe get into the engineering guild and follow in her father’s footsteps.

But on the way, she runs into a snafu when she’s attacked. Luckily she is saved by Ye-yang, the eighth prince of the High Command, and he agrees to assist her in disguising herself as her brother to get into the guild and complete the trials. As time passes, Ying realizes she doesn’t really know her father. Or her brother. Or Ye-yang. Or anyone in the guild. She can’t trust anyone or anything beyond her gut. Can she make the right choice? Do the right thing?

I loved Ying. I loved her motivations, I loved her attitude, and I love her self assured moral compass that she won’t stray from for ANYONE. This was truly her story, and the men and their problems were secondary to her and what she needed to do.

The relationship between Ying and Ye-yang was fantastically written, and felt so realistic in terms of what I would have done in her place. Or wanted to, anyway—I’m not convinced I’m as strong or awesome as Ying. The way the arc went for these too was absolutely perfect and ended on the perfect note to continue the story. I’m genuinely excited to see what direction it goes in from here.

If you love Asian fantasy, women taking no ****, trials/competition games, and always wondered how Mulan might have played out if Shang knew she was a girl from the start—this is for you. This was my absolute favorite YA Fantasy read in AGES.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read the Of Jade and Dragons ARC by Amber Chen. First of all, I want to highlight how wonderful Amber did with her world building. I felt like the details involving the engineering guild was really thought out and that the world felt so unique. It took me a while to really get into the story but once I did, I enjoyed the premise. Now on to some hopefully helpful critiques. Ying, the main MC goes off to find her fathers killer (no spoilers due to it being in the book summary section). I think this would have been a really good moment to give us a little history on Ying and her fathers relationship. We didn't really get to know his character and unfortunately that impacted my "go get em" mentality as it related to her finding the murderer. Another aspect that could have gone a little smoother was the dialogue between the characters and the story's momentum. Some lines were pretty clunky and I felt like the book had REALLY slow sections and then sections that went by way too quickly.

To end this on a positive note, I love reading about women engineers and its very empowering. Ying was strong headed and a very creative MC who I vibed with since the beginning. If you enjoy books that involve women in science and engineering you should give it a try!

Eighteen year old Aihui Ying, a budding engineer, vows revenge when her father is murdered. Her quest takes her far from her island home, across seas of treachery. Though she travels as a young man, perils abound, especially when she comes in contact with the powerful ruling clan, who are always jockeying for position and favor.
An opportunity arises for Ying to enter the engineering guild, her lifelong dream, but to do so she must remain in disguise. She faces touch challenges at every turn, especially the information she learns which makes her doubt the truth. Too late she learns life in the guild and the capital city is a constant game of winner take all, and she can lose the most if she wins.
Of Jade and Dragons has great world building, a bevy of strong characters, and high stakes. I rooted for Ying as she navigated the treacherous currents. Her moxie and heart were truly a winning combination for me. I recommend this book.

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.

Overall, this was a pretty good debut with vibes similar to Mulan which I definitely enjoyed. I also liked the emphasis on engineering and creating new weaponry, and the writing style made everything easy to understand. It took me awhile to become invested in the story and I do think the beginning would have been stronger had it explored the main character’s grief over her fathers passing more, because as it was she jumped straight into the revenge. I also think some of the characters could be developed more, between others participating in the trials and Ye-yang some of them fell flat for me. I will say though the ending was very interesting while also adding some depth to Ye-yang’s character, so I’m definitely curious to see what the sequel will bring.

~Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰.5~

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. “Mulan meets Iron Widow”!!? What’s not to like! Sometimes with sci-fi/fantasy books I have a hard time following along with world building, but Amber Chen did such a great job setting everything up. The steampunk/silkpunk element was also so much fun and I haven’t really read anything else like that. I really look forward to reading more from Chen in the future!

I had a lot of fun with this book and I’m glad I read it. This review is kind of ridiculously long so first off here are some star ratings for the different aspects of the book and then if you care you can read my more in depth thoughts on each aspect below.

Characters: 4.5/5
Character Growth: 5/5
Plot: 4.5/5
World (history, politics, setting): 5/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing (style, tone): 3.75/5
Ending: 4.5/5
Interest in Sequel: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5 (but I round up when I can’t do half stars on certain websites/apps)

To expand on these all for those curious.

Characters: I really enjoyed a lot of the characters in this book. First we have our main character Ying. I liked her creativity, curiosity, bravery, loyalty, and morals. There really just is a lot to love about her. Then we have Ye-Yang. He is a very interesting character. I don’t want to go into spoiler territory, so I will just say that I liked his sweet side, his ability to make me blush once or twice, his determination, and his cunningness. But I also don’t totally know how I feel about him and I definitely need the sequel to determine this. Another character I really loved was Ye-Kan. He starts off as an annoying little twerp but he quickly became one of my favorites. He can be so caring and loyal. He’s like the perfect little brother that will stick by your side and not let anyone mess with you but will still annoy the crap out of you when he wants to. I really hope he has a major part in the sequel and am so curious to see what’s next for him. The other characters aren’t really that important. I did think the different dynamics of the other guild apprentice hopefuls and beileyes was interesting. Oh and Master Lianshu was a fun character. I’m hoping we get more of: Master Lianshu, Nian, and Wen in the sequel as well.

Character growth: this is one of my favorite aspects of the book actually. Ying started off very naive and honestly a little annoying, but that was actually perfect because it helped you see how much she grows throughout the book. She really has a lot of soul searching to do about her father’s death, her own ambitions, and just learning about the world and political landscape and what her place in that should be. I really like how she develops through all of this and I think the best part of the ending was her being so sure of her choices and sticking by them. I’m so curious to see what’ll happen for her in book 2 and how she’ll grow even more. Another character that had great growth was Ye-Kan which I kind of already mentioned. But seriously, he becomes such a good friend and for growing up spoiled as he did, I think that was really impressive. I don’t think Ye-Yang really had much growth in this book but I think he’s set up well to have that in book 2 so I am excited to see that.

Plot: this was enjoyable. I love a woman being disguised as a man. I love the mystery and revenge story of figuring out why her father was killed and deciding what she was going to do about it. I also thought the backdrop of war and the role of engineers in that was very interesting. The plot pacing was pretty good. There was a lot happening but we still had a few quieter moments that focused on character growth and relationships too. Overall I would say it was medium paced and then the last 20% is faster.

World: the world is super interesting. Amber does a great job with describing it and helping me visualize it. (I was also listening to cdrama OSTs while reading and I would highly recommend this, you feel so fully immersed into the world when doing so). I wish I had gotten even more of the history and politics of the world and sooner. But that’s just a personal opinion because I like those things. I’m sure many people will be happy with the amount given in this book. I also expect book 2 to focus on the politics and war a lot more and I’m very excited for that.

Romance: I think this was a really interesting aspect of the book because of the characters and what ends up happening later on in the book. I was definitely feeling some of the romantic moments throughout the book. At one point Ye-Yang said something that shocked me and I may have been actually blushing. So it was a very fun read in that aspect. I do think the romance could have used a little more development for me personally. But I am really excited for the development of it in book 2.

Writing: when I started reading the book it came across a lot younger than I was expecting and felt very typical YA (not that any of this is a bad thing of course). So at that point I was thinking - okay this will just be a cute fun read that I don’t take super seriously. But I was pleasantly surprised to see that the writing developed and it soon felt older and more serious in tone. Personally, I’m really glad it did because the beginning tone didn’t really match an 18 year old woman’s pov, but I think the middle and ending tone was a much more believable match to the characters and plot. And it aligns well with the character and plot growth. So if you start reading this and aren’t super enjoying the tone in the beginning, just know it develops nicely throughout the story.

Ending: wow that kind of threw me for a loop in some aspects. But it was a pretty fun ride at the end. I am kind of mad at a specific character though and I really need that character to make things right in book 2.

Interest in sequel: at this point I’ve mentioned like a million things I want to see in the sequel so obviously I am very invested and excited to read it. I have really high hopes for it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author for the ARC I read.

Wow , such amazing read, gorgeous story , so well done and developed thru the book, love the fantasy sections and how immersive was this world. Very similar to a Mulan retelling and im here for it .

I loved the FMC Ying as she navigates the engineering apprentice trials and seeks to track down her father's murderer. She's strong and committed to her values, which are tested throughout this book as she learns who she can and can't trust. Ye-Yang was an intriguing MMC/love interest, but for me personally, the romance didn't pull me in as much as Ying's storyline of passing the trials and solving her father's murder. The most compelling character relationship for me was her rivals-to-friends dynamic with Ye-Kan, and I'm curious to see how the supporting characters and world building in general will be expanded upon in a sequel.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book for free from netgalley and the publisher.

I really liked this book to be honest. The main character of this book was delightfully headstrong, the romance was romancing in the right way, the tension was good, the standard 3 act tournament arc was based delightfully, and the murder was devious in the right way that made you feel like you were gaining ground, but not quite enough. I also really enjoyed the deviousness and capriciousness of some characters, and the careful line the author drew between making someone who is doing some really despicable stuff, but also you kinda adore. The goods of this far outweigh any of the bads, and I would unquestionably recommend this book for someone looking for a good light fantasy read.

That being said I had 3 gripes with the book, going from least annoying to most. This doesn’t meant the least annoying isn’t the worst, it just means it annoyed me the least.
1) The world felt hollow. I honestly didn’t get a sense of any distinct nature of any of the kingdoms or of the world. No nation, culture, or group, was particularly distinct in nature.
2) A lot of the characters didn’t feel their age. Despite the fact that Ying and Ye-Yang are apparently a year apart, and Ye-Kan is years younger than Ying, it didn’t feel that way. Ying and Ye-Kan felt the same age, whereas Ye-Yang felt quite a bit older. Like I wish the author had done a better job of makign the characters feel their age.
3) WHY IS SHE CALLING HER DAD A-MA. This was the most confusing thing, I had to keep reminding myself she <b>didn’t</b> mean her grandma or mom.

TLDR; A fantastic book that, personally, didn’t quite hit. I would recommend this for anyone who really wants people to recognize that China invented gunpowder, and write a fantasy novel around that. That being said, parts of the book left me incredibly confused, especially her calling her dad a-ma. All in all a 7/10 rounded up for very good feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an arc!

"Of Jade and Dragons" was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but it was a bit of a let down. The writing was easy to follow and the story had its moments of excitement, suspense and action but I found some parts to be a bit predictable and the pacing to be uneven. Some plot points were resolved too conveniently and the characters also could've used more depth and development

The ending did have me curious to see where the series goes from here, so despite not being blown away, I'll definitely be continuing with the sequel.

3.5 stars ⭐

The concept of an Asia-inspired steampunk setting was so promising, but it didn't nearly live up to expectations. There were moments of marvel, like placing restaurant orders using a tube and rail contraption, but there wasn't anything else. For a revered Engineers Guild where would-be apprentices "[dabbled] in cutting-edge engineering technology" there was a distinct lack of any kind of description about this technology.

I didn't care for the instant love between Ying and Yeyang, nor for the 3+ times he catches her before she falls. Ying was more focused on Yeyang than solving her father's murder, which didn't seem to affect her at all and was only mentioned conveniently to move the plot forward. I didn't expect the reveal where <spoiler>Yeyang had a hand in her father's death</spoiler>, but it wasn't anything special to me.

Overall, the story feels hollow and the world-building is all but nonexistent. I can't articulate or even understand why the Great Jade Empire and the Antaran isles are at war or why <spoiler>Shanjin agreed to design weaponry with Lianshu since he left the Engineers Guild because he didn't want to cause harm</spoiler>. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me.

AHHHHH! I love reading novels involving Asian characteristics and culture. Reading the book description beforehand, I was immediately reminded of Mulan. The stubborn female main character was an enjoyable character to follow along as she grew and learned. It was a very simple and quick read. However, I would’ve loved to see more world-building and introductions (or references) to more characters because I felt like we were only seeing the same few over and over again. This made the story seem smaller when I feel like it could’ve been expanded more. Overall, I think it is a great book for those looking for a quick, enjoyable read.

3.75⭐️

For those who loved a Mulan as a kid this book is a must-read! It is suitable for all audiences, but it is a YA which is shows a lot but it was still very enjoyable. I loved the unique world and the writing is so good. I will be reading the second one when it comes out. I just thought it was so fun and magical. Mythology fantasy books always get me!! it was a predicable tbh but it is written for a younger audience so i guess that can give a reason why i was able to predict it so easily.

4.5/5 ⭐

If you like...

🐲 silkpunk
🐲 Chinese-inspired historical fantasy/sci-fi
🐲 a FMC in STEM
🐲 a morally grey MMC
🐲 a murder mystery
🐲 DRAGONS (yes, the dragon on the cover is in the book, wait for it...)

then please read this book!!

Of Jade and Dragons is a beautiful story about a woman doing whatever necessary to avenge the death of her father, even if it means leaving her family, disguising herself as a boy, and going against her father dying wish for her to burn his journal and stay away from the Engineers Guild. But after a chance encounter with Ye-yang, the eighth prince and fourth beile to the High Commander, Ying is given the chance to not only track down her father's murderer, but also to follow a dream that was never a real possibility for her: a chance to compete for a spot in the Engineers Guild. And she takes it.

This book is the perfect blend of plot, politics, romance, and technology. Chen did an amazing job balancing all the aspects of her story (the assassin, the murder mystery, the competition, the romance...) and created an extremely well-paced story. There was always something happening! I was never bored or wishing that Ye-yang would come back from wartime things to further the romance subplot.

And speaking of romance...

Finally, an FMC that doesn't let her feelings, of both romance and betrayal, get in the way of what she wants and needs to do! Ying is an excellent FMC. She is a career-based woman with a good head on her shoulders, who doesn't let her feelings for Ye-yang cloud her judgement, and that is something I really respect. Because of this, I grew to fall for Ye-yang as Ying did, slowly, but surely. The romantic feelings came first, and then the trust came later. How *realistic* of Ying to decide she doesn't trust a man she met only two months prior. We love a girl who can think logically, even if she loves a beautiful, morally ambiguous man like the rest of us. I mean, how can you not fall for a man who drops lines like "If I want to conquer the world, will you stand by my side?" I get it, girl. I get it.

Everything was so well thought out. The characters, the mystery, the romance. The characters had excellent development (Ye-kan, I didn't expect to love you as much as I did, but I don't think Ying did either), the mystery was uncovered in a way that didn't leave Ying looking naive or stupid for not figuring it out earlier (no "how could I have possibly missed that?" moments), and the romance was given the time and space it needed to develop naturally (and to give it more of an impact when things may or may not start to go wrong).

Please read this book, it is 100% worth your time. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.