Steam punk and dragons say no more. That is all I needed to be persuaded to grab this one. I was not disappointed. Ying is out for revenge when she sees her father murdered. She will stop at nothing to find his killer. She dresses as a boy Mulan style to get into the Engineer Guild to continue her search. There she makes more discoveries than she bargained for. There is lots of action and some tense moments. I cannot wait to read the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Of Jade and Dragon is Amber Chen's debut novel dives into Asian mythology combined with steam-punk. The novel is fast-paced, and quick to deliver twists and turns that leave the reader wanting more. With its steam-punk background, the author has managed to create a fantastical world that is still rooted in its real-world counterpart. I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed A Poppy War and Mulan. There are some great action sequences and beautiful prose and I look forward to reading the next book.

Of Jade and Dragons

Women in stem but make it fantasy(steampunk?). I throughly enjoyed reading this book, that is, until the end, because I thought it was a stand alone. 🤣 Now I have to wait for another book for resolution. Which is fine. It’s fine. I’m fine.

This story is really technical. Engineering plays a big part in the storyline. Hence my women in stem reference. There’s some mystery and the start of a romance storyline.

I will for sure be continuing the series.

Content: death, violence

The moment I saw this cover, I knew I needed to read it. Then I read the summary- and it's Mulan retelling with a twist? DONE. I'M BOUGHT IN.

This wound up being a very easy read (which is a plus in my book), with an FMC that I thought was delightful. I really enjoyed the secrets and plot twists- and I am SO excited that it's finally out in to the world so everyone else can read it too!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this eARC!!

4.5 ⭐ rounded up to 5 ⭐

Loose Mulan retelling set in a steampunk world. Started off a bit slow in the beginning, picked up alot in the middle, the ENDING!!! I literally can't wait for book 2. This might end up being my favorite debut book of this year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Penguin Young Readers Group for this advanced copy.
This book surprised me by how much it captivated me, stealing hour after hour without my realizing it. Not only was it action-packed and fast-paced, but it also had a very compelling world-building element that never felt overwhelming. Elements of it reminded me of different books that I liked. The trials element reminded me of the Scarlet Alchemist; Gerel as a Guild master was very reminiscent of Snape in that he also had hated the MC's father and the resentment passed on; and, Mulan because our main girl, Ying, pretends to be Min during most of the book.
Speaking of Ying, I really appreciated her arc and her motives. I felt like she might have been naive and impulsive, but never dumb or stupid. Her actions made sense and her train of thought was always consistent with a very strict set of morals and self-doubts. As a character, she felt very real. Ying's relationship with her father was also explored very beautifully with moments of exposition that felt well-timed and never overbearing. I felt like I understood their dynamic pretty well, and that contributed to her motivation always seeming aligned with my expectations of her.
On the romance side, I definitely was taken with Ye-lang from the get-go, but I fear that he is now wholly incompatible with Ying. He needs to review his priorities and face his inner demons before he can be that person for her. Especially with how things ended between them. Ye-kan, on the other hand, is definitely harboring a one-sided crush on Ying and it would be a very plausible (and cute) friends-to-lovers sort-of situation that I would 100% approve of because I love Ye-kan.
I'm very curious about the next installment. I want to see how the world will be shaken by the ending of Book 1, and how Ying will be forced back into the action because she's very adamant she wants nothing to do with Fei and the Guild anymore. I'm wondering if her sister's wedding will force her to go back to the capital or if something else will motivate her this time.
Overall, highly recommend this book for people who are seeking a well-developed plot set in an interesting world with a badass female character and an angsty slow burn romance.

A 4.5 for sure.

I’ve been so excited to read this book since I first saw the cover, but more so since the author gave details about the historical character inspirations and I’m such a sucker for fantasies which take some inspo from Chinese history. I waited till I managed to get the audiobook, and I have to say, it was a very enjoyable experience.

I love how this book is a great combination of very easy breezy prose, all the super fun YA tropes, fast paced plot progression, a very cool world with inspirations from the rise of the Qing dynasty but with steampunk elements, well fleshed out main character who is easy to root for supported by an interesting ensemble cast, great audio narration, and an end I did not at all see coming. I particularly enjoyed listening to this while working out because despite the high stakes for our main character, it’s not too much on the angsty side, just like I prefer.

Aihui Ying is a rebel at heart, determined both on her path to find the truth behind her father’s murder as well as about exploring her true love of being a part of the engineering guild. She maybe naive and sheltered in some aspects, but mostly has a good head on her shoulders, resilient in her goals and a good friend to others. I really enjoyed following her every step of the way, learning the secrets of the guild, her father, and the High Commander’s family, right alongside her. Her story is made more enjoyable by her equations with Aogiya Yeyang, a Prince with high ambitions who is equal parts supportive and mysterious: Aogiya Yekan, another prince who comes across as arrogant and snobbish but is a secret softie who values his friendships and wants to be something other than what’s expected of him; the other apprentices who start off a bit hostile but become reluctant comrades as the trials go on; the various eccentric guild masters who range from outright vindictive to indifferent to intrigued; and her sister Nian who just wants a happy and fulfilling life.

Some may find this book a bit predictable because of the common YA fantasy tropes in it but that’s precisely why I really enjoyed it - the trials to become a member of the engineering guild, the eventual camaraderie between the apprentices, the impossible romance between characters of varying backgrounds, and a deadly secret - it was all familiar ground but in a very unique silk punk setting, making it a fresh entertaining voice in YA fantasy. I thoroughly had fun and can’t wait to see what the author does next in the sequel.

This book was the perfect mix of my favorite Disney movie and academia. I am a total nerd so I love anything set in schools and the sciences. I just needed to know that it was a Mulan retelling to read it and it absolutely delivered.

I loved this story to bits and pieces. The characters were great the plot was captivating and the subtle romance *chefs kisses*.

I really enjoyed this book, it's characters and plot line were amazing. I loved the female main character as I could relate to her a lot. I appreciate the book exploring important themes, allowing the readers to also understand more about the fmc's life and journey. I would definitely recommend this book!

This a delightful read! Ying, our mc, was a fun character to follow--intelligent, headstrong, and bravely determined. This first installment had really great set up, and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I loved that this book was Mulan inspired. Truly a beautiful story and a quick read. I’m so excited for this to be a series and read more of Ying’s journey!

This is a variation of a Mulan retelling. The FMC has to dress up as her brother in an attempt to get into the engineering guild to solve her father's murder.

I loved the fact that the FMC was an engineer. There aren't enough stories out there with strong women in STEM.

I wish the story flowed a bit better. At times I would just get lost in what I was reading.

Of Jade and Dragons was an exciting read, easily a four star rating! With a strongwilled and relatable FMC (Ying), the book was fun and had me hooked from the start until the very end. That being said, I was slightly baffled by how all of Ying's problems were solved. The solutions were all too convenient, and apart from that, there were some details that felt glossed over. An example would be Ying's reaction to her father's death. Surely, a family relative's passing would affect the main character to a large extent, right? Especially since it was someone the FMC was close to, but to me, it read like Ying barely even mourned him. However, those might just be me nitpicking, so I swear, this read was truly worthwhile! The academic rivalry had me kicking my feet and squealing ( as per usual), as did her dynamic with both male leads, Ye-Yang and Ye-Kan.

First, a heads up to fantasy readers: despite the title, there are no actual dragons in this book.

There's also very little engineering in this book. I was excited for a fantasy book about a woman in STEM, but the engineering often fell to the wayside in favor of things like the romance.

But the romance also didn't feel fully fleshed out. In my opinion, it wasn't clear why the MC was so deeply attracted to the love interest and everything felt surface-level.

The mystery/revenge side of the story was interesting, but it too sometimes was forgotten in favor of the school competition or the romance.

It's like all three threads competed with each other instead of weaving together into a cohesive, satisfying story.

I saw the potential in this story, but it never quite reached that for me.

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

I really wanted to love this book to the point of obsession because I now have a beautiful Illumicrate version that I don't know what to do with.

Overall this book was ok. My main issue is with the main character Ying. She watches her father die in the first chapter and before he dies he tells her to burn the journal the murderer was looking for and not to look into his death...well, you can guess from the blurb that she did the exact opposite. Ying comes across as selfish and reckless in the beginning of this book and while there is character growth, it wasn't enough for me.

The world building was interesting and I liked the side characters. I was a bit meh on the love interest and actually preferred her friendship with his brother.

This book has an interesting concept, but I'm not sure about the execution.

Thank you to Penguin and Netgalley for the eARC

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a perfectly good YA fantasy. I loved the silkpunk worldbuilding of the book and the fact that it was inspired by Mulan. Loved the airships and that Ying was a strong FMC who wanted a career instead of being stuck in society's role for women. This was a quick, fun read that felt like a YA book should. However, the pacing was off in my opinion - things happened to quickly and conveniently, especially at the beginning of the story. I probably won't read the sequel, but this was fun for what it was.

Solid 2.5 stars.

There is much to like about this book - the plot, though derivative, is compelling. It's, as many have noted, Mulan inspired, with a boarding school/competition aspect added. I like the world, I like the steampunk-esque feel.

However, this book feels like a rough first draft. The writing is clunky and uneven, the character development is minimal. There's an almost insta-love aspect, but I have no idea why these characters are attracted to each other. They really don't interact all that much. And I found the school competition to be also rather rushed.

I feel like this could have done so much better with a very good edit and some bulking up of aspects of the book.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

This was such an atmospheric, enjoyable tale!

It was giving Mulan in the best way. The female main character is like-able & well developed, she was so easy to root for. The relationships were complex and I loved the dynamic between the the FMC and the MMC, as well as the side characters!

The ending was great and I will be readily awaiting the next!

Book Name: Of Jade and Dragons
Author: Amber Chen

ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers

Stars: 4

- Thoughts.
- much younger YA than anticipated
- Love the plot
- Charetaers felt good for younger YA
- the vibes were immaculate
- very Mulan twelfth-night vibes