"Of Jade and Dragons" by Amber Chen is a captivating blend of Mulan and Iron Widow, set in a thrilling silkpunk fantasy world. Chen weaves a tale of intrigue and danger as eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying disguises herself as a boy to uncover the truth behind her father's murder. Left with only her father's journal and a jade pendant stolen from the assassin, Ying embarks on a quest to the prestigious Engineer's Guild, where secrets lurk and danger abounds.

Chen skillfully crafts a story of betrayal, alliances, and unexpected twists as Ying navigates the treacherous world of the guild's trials. The dynamic between Ying and her unlikely ally, the taciturn eighth prince Aogiya Ye-yang, adds depth to the narrative, complicating Ying's mission and raising questions about trust and loyalty.

The world-building in "Of Jade and Dragons" is rich and immersive, bringing to life a vibrant setting filled with intricate technologies and political intrigue. Chen's attention to detail creates a sense of authenticity, drawing readers deeper into the story with each page.

At its core, "Of Jade and Dragons" is a tale of resilience and determination, as Ying confronts the demons of her past and fights for justice in a world where danger lurks at every turn. With its blend of action, mystery, and romance, this book is sure to captivate fans of fantasy and adventure alike. Amber Chen has crafted a compelling debut that will leave readers eagerly awaiting her next installment.

This book starts slow, really digging in the feeling of Ying's quiet home, and picks up rapidly the moment she leaves for Fei, a far more bustling city, even if she spends most of it within the Guild halls.

Watching her experience her decisions in grief to pursue a journey of revenge, investigation and joining the Guild she's always dreamed of was incredible. As the journey continues she learns more and more of the circumstances, the who, what and why the murder took place, and how it really changed her as a person once it hit the climax. I recommend taking the plunge into her story and growth as a person

Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book. This is my honest opinion.

4.5/5

Exciting, adventure of revenge. It's very fast paced and follows Ying on her search for more information about her father's murder. The book has great world building and the characters are wonderful. I love Ying and her growth and that she is a "stabby" type of main character but isn't like a fighter but just had anger issues and is intellectual. The side characters are wonderful and give great depth to the story. There is a side plot romance in the book but it's very well developed. Ying and love interest has chemistry. I wish there was more Ying with her family because it's there but not super developed before stuff happens. I have strong feelings about the ending and hope to see more work by this author in the future!

Amazing! I really loved this story and I think it was crafted so well. I cant wait to read more from this author because this book was one that I could not put down and I already want to read it again. The characters were well thought out and dynamic and the story was so captivating

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a really interesting read. It had a sort of Mulan-esque vibe to it with Ying pretending to be her father’s son instead of daughter to get in to the Engineering Guild’s apprentice trials, and I am a sucker for this trope. Anytime a girl is pretending to be a boy to just forgo misogynistic rules and regulations I am here for it. For her to also actually be a great engineer is amazing, I think Ying is a very strong FMC. I don’t know if I really felt a connection to her sort of love interest, but the political dynamics of the Engineers Guild with the High Commander’s sons sponsoring a couple apprentices and whatnot was very interesting to keep up with. All of the politics in this book were super interesting, however it was hard to kind of keep track of the familial relations of all the beile’s to the High Commander.

The contraptions that Ying makes are also super impressive. She is a really talented girl who is confident in herself and I loved that. And her friendship that she makes with a certain younger character is so cute and I loved getting to read it.

Overall this book was really really good and I am dying to read the next book! If you are a fan of fantasy or strong independent female main characters then absolutely read this book.

A beautifully crafted story of silkpunk fiction that has some Mulan inspirations and includes friendship, murder mystery, forbidden romance, secrets, betrayal, rivalry, and so much more. I was blown away by how fun Of Jade and Dragons was to read. At every turn I wanted to know what happened next.

This story was a mixture of plot and character development. Both were fantastic in my opinion. The world building was vibrant and political. I loved the rivalry between the beiles. The idea of an engineers guild was so different from everything I’ve read. The ending made me want so much more, and thankfully, this is only the first book.

I’m so grateful that I received an e-arc for this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to read more from Amber Chen in the future.

This book was everything that I look for in a YA fantasy - if you like Mulan retellings, steampunk settings, Chinese mythology, and strong characters, then this is a fantastic choice!
The characters were extremely well done - Ying was a really fun person to follow throughout this book. I liked that she was impulsive, but also cared a lot about her family and wanted to honor her father in the best way. I really love that the author based this book around STEM, too - Ying is a great inspiration! You don't see a lot of engineering or STEM-based plots in books, so it made me happy to read about Ying and her brilliance. Ye-yang was also wonderfully complex and hard to figure out - I loved him so much! Ye-kan also really added some fun and dimension to the book and I can't wait to read more about him later on.
The worldbuilding was also so unique and different from what I've read before. Amber Chen did such an amazing job including elements of steampunk/engineering with the historical setting. It all worked together really well, and her writing painted an excellent picture.
The overall plot was one of my favorites, too. While it follows the traditional structure of a YA fantasy book, the story was paced out very nicely and it was easy to follow. There was never any point where the book was slow or boring, and that made it a great reading experience.
I cannot wait to see what else Amber Chen writes next, because she is a wonderful new voice in the YA literature scene.

This book nearly broke me.

I requested an arc of this book because it piqued my interest but I never thought I would love it as much as I did.
This is a story about taking revenge and following your dreams, hoping that one does not cancel out the other. Our protagonist is faced with choices the she never even imagined she would have to make and leaves you hoping they’re the right ones.

The characters are wonderful and I adore the supporting characters just as much as I do the protagonists.
Ying is a wonderful and opinionated woman that doesn’t let a man tell her what she can and can’t do.
Yeyang is a steady presence throughout the book and a source of strength for Ying during most of it.
And of course I have to talk about Yekan who is my favorite part of this book. He’s the perfect addition to this story and just like Ying I want to ruffle his hair and squeeze him because he’s so sweet even though he tries his best to hide it.

This book has creativity, love, betrayal, and everything in between but I promise you will not regret picking it up.
I’ll be reeling from this ending for quite some time.

I received an ARC of this book and i gotta say, I really enjoyed readying this! The world building was amazing the plot was great! I really grew to love the main characters and their determination throughout the entire storey.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amber Chen, and Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC.

Aihui Ying is the chiefs daughter of a small clan within her country. After witnessing her father’s murder she decides to follow the only clues she has in order to solve his murder and get revenge. Dressed as a boy and pretending to be her younger brother, Min, Ying joins the engineering guilds competition in order to find her answers. With the help of Ye-Yang, the high commanders son and one of the most powerful people alive, Ying must keep her identity and goals a secret or risk death as a traitor.

This book has me stunned. I was invested in the story from the first couple pages upon her father’s murder and the story only improved as it continues. Secrets, heartbreak, betrayal this book had it all and now that’s it’s over I am devastated. I tried to research if there would be a second book and unfortunately I had no luck in discovering an answer and I pray there will be to easy this turmoil of emotions this book has left me reeling from.

I had only one issue with the book and it was that there were small inconsistencies throughout the book. For example, when Ye-Yang and Ying were on the boat and attached by assassins Ye-Yang had been shot with an arrow, hurt in a blast, and then fell into freezing water. However, following this encounter we saw multiple times that it was stated Ye-Yang would have been uninjured if not for the blast.

I easily give this book a 5/5 stars and highly recommend it to though who love a mystery, sweet romance, and emotional storms. I look forward to reading more of this authors work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for my honest review. Note, this review has some minor book spoilers.

This book was a great read! I really loved that this fantasy world had these mechanical animals and huge animal shaped airships. This book throws you into the story almost immediately with the main character, Aihui Ying, witnessing her father’s murder. Ying hopes to discover why and who’s behind her father’s killing. From there, she disguises herself as her younger brother to enroll into the male-only Engineers Guild. During the events at the Engineers Guild, Ying begins to learn things about her father that she never knew. Not only does Ying have her own secrets, but the people around her have theirs. People try and keep things hidden, but secrets have a way of coming to light.

I loved the slow burn romance in this book! I could definitely feel the angst and yearning between the characters. I frequently found myself squealing at some of the cute, awkward moments that Ying goes through. I did find that some of the side characters were not as memorable and the political system confusing at times. Overall, I didn’t find these to be a big issue though. The end of this book had me going through a whiplash of emotions. Great ending that leaves plenty open for the next book. I’m dying to know what’s next for the main characters!

A phenomenal debut.
To solve a loved one's murder she will join a competition to enter the Engineers Guild....but must do so disguising herself as a boy. Steampunk vibes mixed in with Mulan.
I enjoyed this read very much. A YA fantasy that had excellent world building, a fierce MC, some romance 👀. My favorite thing was the author's way of describing airships and the mechanics of engineering.
Looking forward to more from this author.

This story kept me hooked. It was like a Chinese fantasy drama mixed with steampunk technology, all in a book. The only drawback was that it had some minor language (a-- being the main one).
This book had swoon worthy scenes that hinted at a budding romance between Ying and Yeyang. You know, those epic scenes where the girl is about to get hurt and the hero sweeps her into his arms and protects her. And don't forget daring rescues. Add in that there is danger between them--both are harboring secrets. Will they still love each other when everything is revealed?

Then there is Yekan (second male lead syndrome!) one of Ying's classmates who seems to have growing feelings for her too. (My growing preference was him. Can't wait to see what's in the next book.)
This is definitely an author to pay attention to. She's a solid story teller, with characters that are unique and make a great ensemble. (I'd watch this is it was a drama for sure.)

Thank you NetFirst off! Thank you Net Galley and Viking Books for the ARC of this. This is the first ARC I've read in a long time and I'm happy that a few people told me about Net Galley.

I went in knowing next to nothing about this book. All I read was that it was Mulan meets Iron Widow and I clicked request copy with a "say less" attitude because I freaking LOVED Iron Widow and needed the sequel like six months ago. With that being said...

Would I describe this book as Mulan? Not really, thats a stretch. Would I describe this book as Iron Widow? No. I really don't see the connection. Would I even say its a combo? Again, no. This was something I realized a few chapters in and so I discarded that connection from my head. Once I did that I found I really enjoyed this book on its own.

(Side note, did I have to look up what silkpunk fantasy was? Yeah. That's new knowledge in my brain.)

This book had the perfect pace of plot and character development and was good at introducing things as they became relevant and didn't oversaturate the reader while doing so. I loved seeing the "silkpunk" air around this novel and that the inventions were very time relevant. The inventions and technology were believable in this with how the world is described and I think that's something really important a lot of authors forget about. They write something that seems to be in a time where flashlights wouldn't exist but then boom, plot convenient flashlight at your service. In this the author stayed consistent with the technology and inventions. Things were mostly made to run with steam or gas and that was that. It was refreshing and just that small attention to detail that really stuck out to me.

Ying was a fantastic character and I felt myself wither rooting for her, worrying about her, or yelling at her through the book. Her motivations and goals changed slightly with each thing she learned and it just felt like such real growth. She didn't drastically change for anyone, she changed based on what she learned and what her ideals are.

Ye-Yang was a stressful man to read about. I'd love to see a book from his POV because I'd like to know what was running through his head and learn more about him and his motivations. I feel like his feelings to Ying are sincere but there's obviously something more that we're missing with him.

Same with Ye-Kan, I really hope we see more of him and the other boy (I forgot his name) in the next book. I also wonder where the next book will take us.

I found myself so stressed at the end and for me, that's a sign that I am loving what I'm reading. I was going to save the last few chapters for another day but I just found myself needing to know the ending.

And now I get to suffer extra long. I am def picking this up for a "book trophy" when it comes out.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6335234326

Please. This was everything! What is it about this type of fantasy that can do no wrong? Revenge, murder, a STEM girl in the making, a hot prince, and war all come together in this stunning debut. Yes, I said debut! You never would have guessed it by reading, but she knocked it out of the park and I simply can't wait for the sequel, which is a shame, since I'm already reading this six months in advance. One star off because me and my little brain can't handle war things, but that is NOT the author's fault and is 100% a personal preference. And a spoiler alert, there are no actual dragons, which was in fact a bit of a letdown, but if you like historical fantasy, badass heroines, and Mulan retellings (as if this didn't have enough amazing things going for it) this is for you!

Mulan meets Harry Potter in this exciting adventure. Ying is horrified to witness her father’s death. A master engineer who resigned from the Guild to reside in a rural town, he left her a notebook filled with his designs. She suspects the assassin was hired by someone he’d known at the Guild. Disguised as a boy, Ying sets off to apply to the Guild as an apprentice. Along the way, she meets Ye-Yang, a handsome prince. He sponsors her application, and she enters the academy. While involved in relationships with her classmates, tests of engineering prowess, and learning about government politics, she fears the assassin might be on her trail. She also fears exposure of her identity, which would mean her expulsion from the academy. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories, secret identities, a Hogwarts-type school for engineers instead of wizards, a romance and a murder mystery, grab your copy of this book pronto! An intriguing premise, a clever heroine, and an exotic setting make this book a keeper. I’m hoping there’s a sequel in the works.

"These seas can never trap those who are meant to fly."

Of Jade and Dragons is a "silk"--punk Chinese fantasy about a rural chieftain's fearless, intelligent daughter named Auhio Ying. Ying, wishes to follow in her father's footsteps in join the prestigious Engineer's Guild far away in a distant land called Fei, despite it being taboo as a woman. Crafting and engineering intricate, creative tools, from a fan that whips out bamboo arrows to a wing glider, Ying's goal is to complete the apprenticeship trial for the Guild. When a mysterious figure brutally attacks her father, she is tasked to burn a book as her father's final words. However, curiosity strikes her, and she investigates the reason why the book is so important to take a life for. Disguised as a boy (hence the Mulan reference), Ying sets off on her first journey from her isolated clan to seek answers to her father’s murder, the contents of the book, and its possible connection to the Qirin Empire.

The writing is well done, but the dialogue is a little stiff in the beginning and her connection to Huarin and to her father, before he died, was too quick in my opinion. The worldbuilding is unique, imaginative, and honestly a breath of fresh air from popular fantasy books. Ying is brave, foolhardy, and naïve. She contradicts herself, but I chalked it up to her trying to find herself-- belief in a just world with peace, or should war and bloodshed be utilized for peace?

She is helped by the fourth son of the High Commander—Beile Ye-Yang—(the titles are a bit confusing, with the term “Beile” as a noble/high rank/royal, I believe), and has a host of interesting friends. It reads like a YA novel, with lots of cliché and young love, but it’s a fun and interesting read with lots of twists toward the end. I found myself liking Ye- Kan and looking forward to his appearance throughout the book. Ye-Yang gave me red flags and bad vibes from the start, but I tend to overlook those :(

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for this ARC! It will be published June 18th. I'm excited for the next installment!

Spoilers:

Towards the end, I found myself disappointed with the direction of the book. Her ultimate goal was to become an engineer, but she was more focused on her love interest. In fact, in the epilogue, when she goes and flees to her village, I find that really unlike her as a character, and confusing. She is so brave, and she always said she wanted peace and even looked down on Ye-Yang for violence, but she makes the most gruesome weapon and then flees, refusing to become an engineer like she wants. In the end, the seas really did trap her. Instead of finding a way to make her passion for good after her realizations, she runs away.
The pitting of women against her also is frustrating-- all the three women characters were irritating to read, and positioned against Ying.

THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITE YA FANTASY OF THE YEAR?!?

Unpopular opinion: I love it when a YA book starts with a parent’s death. Sue me. Ying’s father’s death launches her into investigating his murder leading her to the capital city of Fei. Here, she must go undercover as a boy and complete the three trials in the Engineers Guild, all while trying to unravel the mystery and soothe her own heartbreak and grief.

I am obsessed with this book and the world that Amber Chen created. Silkpunk as a genre is just so COOL!? The setting reminded me so much of Avatar the Last Airbender meeting a traditional Historical Cdrama. I had a wonderful time imagining the city of Fei with the glittering pagodas and mechanical airships floating in the skyline.

This book was inspired by the real-life love story between the first Qing dynasty emperor Hong Taiji and his wife Harjol. Ye-yang, the eighth prince (Beile-ye), is the reason Ying can enter the Engineers Guild and I loved watching their interactions as the book progressed. I cannot wait to read the sequel to this book because oh my god what an ending 👀

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for an advanced ARC for an honest review!

OF JADE AND DRAGONS will be out JUNE 18TH, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Of Jade and Dragons, by Amber Chen, was a well paced story and a easy read.
The heroine, Aihui Ying, has a non-traditional dream for her future and marriage is not part of it. She is the type of female that will jump off a cliff to test a glider she constructed and not care about the whispers of her Aihui clan thinking she is eccentric. Her dream is to go to the Engineers Guild and become a master following her father’s footsteps.
Dressed as a boy, armed with a jade pendant from her father’s assassin and her father’s dangerous journal she sets off to the capital to search for answers. Aided by a prince, Aogiya Ye-yang, who sponsors Ying in the guild’s male only apprenticeship trials, she must watch her back as the assassin seeks the journal, secrets of the guild are revealed, dark lies are brought to light, and plots may not turn out as expected.
If you like stories about different cultures, mythology, mystery with a little romance this is a story for you.

This book was wonderful. I haven’t read a good 5 star read in a while so this was a pleasant surprise. The execution of this book was amazing and the plot kept me hooked the entire time. We start the book immediately jumping into action and that’s a surefire way to keep me interested. I loved all of the characters and how they interacted, especially the dynamic between Ye-kan and Ying. Ying is such a badass FMC and she is so much stronger than me because honestly I would’ve folded at the end (IYKYK). She was such an interesting character to see the world from and her determination and the choices she makes are inspiring. The end did have me questioning about a sequel? But I can also understand if the story ends here. I loved this book and this is such an amazing debut novel!