While this book started off strong it quickly deteriorate for me. I got 18% in and I just couldn't force myself to read more. The concept of vampire going to school while they are much older than regular teens was too much for me. Especially because they all read like teens. If they're going to be in school they better be newly turned. I also could not get behind the writing. This was just not the book for me.

I don’t know, this book wasn’t very good. It set in New York, but the characters are transplants from China. They were turned to immortal (think vampires and werewolves) as punishment about 160 years ago. And now those immortals are still in school when they aren’t on assignment. It’s kind of ridiculous. They are treated as students/children when they are 160 years old! The main group of characters go on “assignment” to try and restore the magic that they lost long ago. And it’s the human of the group that is the ace in the cards for the assignment. There is a bit of a twist at the end, but overall, this book is too full of cliches to be enjoyable.

For centuries, the Descendants of legendary warriors protected China with their zodiac-themed powers, until marauding Englishmen stole the fountainheads that gave them their abilities. Now they are cursed to live in NYC as sexy vampires, werewolves, and fox spirits. Inexplicably, the leaders of their secret society are all angsty immortal high school students. When their Chancellor is murdered, his little sister Evangeline ropes her ex, her bestie, and a terrified human girl into a heist to retrieve their fountainheads from the fae. The cardboard characters breeze through every danger, mainly hindered by their own hang-ups. The amalgamation of world mythologies ought to be more interesting than it is.

Zodiac Rising follows the Descendants of the Chinese zodiacs at a secret Manhattan boarding school after the source of their magic was stolen. The Descendants are cursed and must live as creatures of darkness. Evangeline is a vampire out for blood and vengeance. Nicholas is a shapeshifter desperate to restore justice to his people. Alice is a mortal who seeks the truth of her heritage. Tristan is a werewolf who will do anything to free himself from the monstrous wolf inside him. Together, these four Descendants team up to take back the stolen zodiac statues and break the curse. But the wrath of the fae linger around every corner and one wrong move could destroy their world as they know it.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. It wasn’t bad, and there were parts I enjoyed, but I had some issues. I do think a lot of people will love this book—it just wasn’t my favourite. I enjoyed the world and the world-building. It was really fascinating, and I am interested in reading the sequel as the author crafted a complex and intriguing world. I enjoyed the writing style and I am curious to read the author’s other books as a result. The plot twist was pretty obvious to me, but it does set things up to make for a fast-paced, action-packed sequel.

I thought most of the characters were just okay. I wasn’t fond of Evangeline—she was so arrogant and it turned me off her. I did think her coldness was interesting as she’s a vampire—I enjoyed the take on vampires being more cruel since they’re undead. I did Nicholas, Tristan, and Alice. They had interesting arcs and personalities.

Overall, if you like urban fantasy or heists then you should definitely give this book a try!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this art heist mystery with sprinklings of magic. fans of “portrait of a thief” will enjoy Look forward to the next book!

Wasted Potential with a Few Bright Spots.

Reading *Zodiac Rising* by Katie Zhao left me with mixed feelings. While the book had the potential to be a captivating adventure, the execution fell short in several ways. The writing style felt a bit too aggressive, as if it was constantly trying to prove something. Unfortunately, this made it difficult for me to connect with the characters, and I never really grew to care for them deeply.

However, I will say that Julius stood out as the most intriguing character—he had a depth that made me want to know more. On the other hand, Evangeline was a significant disappointment. It seemed like she was meant to be a badass character, but instead, she came off as an arrogant, incompetent leader with an inflated ego that wasn't backed up by her actions or skills.

Overall, Zodiac Rising had its moments, but it left me wishing for more nuanced storytelling and character development.

"Zodiac Rising" is a young adult modern fantasy/heist novel by Katie Zhao. The story opens with the emperor of the Middle Kingdom being punished by the gods for his greed. The gods release monsters called wrathlings to destroy everything. One god relents and provides 12 warriors who are descendants of a magical animal from the Chinese zodiac. The warriors fight back and win. Many years later, the heads of the animal statues are stolen and the descendants' powers are removed, with many of them being transformed into supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves. They cannot return to their original selves until the statue heads are returned.
The book mostly takes place in present time with the descendants who are left attending a special hidden school, which was the part that really took me out of the story because I couldn't understand why the centuries old descendants were essentially in high school with actual teen descendants. Several of the characters go to faerie land to pull a heist and get back the statue heads, which I found the most interesting part of the novel. Interesting and fun. A recommended additional purchase for YA collections where modern fantasy novels are popular.

DNF at 9%. I couldn’t connect with any aspect from the storyline, the characters, the setting, the pacing, nothing was hitting the beats I was looking for personally.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Zodiac Rising by Katie Zhao is a third person multi-POV YA contemporary heist fantasy. When Evangeline's older brother Julius is killed by a fairy, she enlists her ex-boyfriend, her childhood friend, and a human to get back the five missing fountainheads for the Circle of Twelve, an artifact of importance to the Descendants of the Zodiac. But trouble is brewing among the clans as several believe it's time for the dragon clan to step down as leaders.

Chinese folklore, specifically the twelve zodiac animals, mixes with fox spirits, vampires, and werewolves for a spin on the classic fantasy heist. Evangeline and her brother are vampires from the dragon clan and crave human blood as a result. In her youth, Evangeline tried to hold her hunger in until she got so hungry that she killed multiple people on a train. Nicholas, a fox spirit and a member of the tiger clan, understands her fears of losing control again as he once lost control of himself as well. This creates a deep bond between the two that seems to blur the lines between romantic and platonic but is definitely steeped in loyalty.

Further complicating this is the rule that supernatural Descendants cannot intermarry, which also impacted Evangeline's relationship with Tristan, a werewolf from the snake clan. The pair broke-up a long time ago but there are obviously still lingering feelings on both sides. The more time they spend together, the closer they get and the easier it is for them to slip back into old habits. Between the two possible ships for Evangeline, I was definitely rooting for her to be with Tristan (in part because I like Nicholas with Alice, who is the human on their team who can also read minds). They challenge and compliment each other while also having a very long shared history, which means they know the worst parts of each other already.

A major theme is identity, particularly in relation to Alice. Her father disappeared years ago and she is in the dark about who he was, especially in relation to the Descendants. Evangeline struggles with the loss of her brother and being the last of the dragon clan, focusing all of her energy on the retrieval of the fountainheads. I get the feeling that Nicholas would struggle to find himself if Evangeline disappeared because his loyalty to her is such a big part of his POV. Tristan knows who he is, but he also wants to be who he is with Evangeline by his side.

I would recommend this to fans of fantasy heist novels, readers of YA looking for Chinese folklore, and those who like different spins on vampires and werewolves

Zodiac Rising was an unforgettable read. There are so many fantasy elements to keep you engaged, and the boarding school aspect appeases the popularity of dark academia. Some tropes make this one feel reminiscent of the 2010s YA glory days--this is perfect for its YA audience, with characters who think and speak and act like teens. It's one I'm sure I'll read again!

This was incredibly hard to get into, but once I finally did, it was somewhat worth it. The characters were written beautifully, but the backgrounds were overly done and it made the plot drag. The idea of the story is brilliant but it was not executed as well as it could have been.

This book was fresh and engaging. I loved the fact it was more paranormal in the traditional sense. Lots of different types of creatures going bump in the night.

The academia setting and lore round it out to be a nice, fresh take on YA paranormal.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately I found it a bit lackluster and predictable.

The potential for this world so full of magic and immortal beings was boundless but sadly fell a bit short of my expectations. I think the plot is intriguing and while a magical heist is enough to captivate anyone I felt it was a little rushed and a bit too easy.
Everything goes a little too perfectly and they seem to have no problems getting out of every bad situation they find themselves in with little trouble or difficulty. There were no heart wrenching moments that made me truly worry for their safety or their wellbeing and I think that’s the main issue I had with getting into this story.

On the other hand I feel the characters are interesting and I enjoyed the view into their backgrounds. However, I felt almost zero romantic chemistry from any of them. Lei and Titus had more chemistry than anyone else in this book and they were only together for a few pages. I feel the pairings could have been chosen a little better rather than going with the most obvious choice in Evangeline and Tristan who felt incredibly forced to me.

I think my main issue with the characters is how they behave like a bunch of teenagers which is understandable for Alice but not for the other three who were hundreds of years old. These were people who had lived through wars and the near extinction of their people and yet they act no different than a bunch of grade school kids with a crush. I just wish they had a bit of the wisdom and maturity you would expect from someone who has lived for as long as they have.
And please for the love of all things can we not stand and argue while deep in enemy territory?

The last few chapters were a bit better, but sadly still just as predictable as the rest of the story. I will still read the next book since I hate leaving a series unfinished but I hope that it will be a bit deeper and make me feel all the excitement that this world has the potential to bring me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Summary of the plot:
Over 100 years ago, 5 statues representing 5 of the Chinese zodiacs were stolen, thus disrupting the power of the descendants of the Chinese zodiac. Some were changed into supernatural creatures, such as vampires and werewolves, while others simply lost their powers. Evangeline is part of the Dragon family and is a vampire. Her brother, Julian, is murdered one day, but before his death, he left her a letter with instructions on what to do if he died, including a lead on how to find the missing statues. Evangeline enlists the help of four other students to travel to the Fae world to retrieve them.

Thoughts on this book:

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars

I have such mixed feelings. I wanted to really enjoy this because the plot sounded really interesting. However, I could not understand how the secret boarding school was important to the story. If the author took it out, I think the plot would have essentially been the same. Descendants must attend this school to take classes for... an indefinite period of time? Until they go on assignments? But then they have to come back to the school anyways? I was a little confused about its important, but okay. I also wasn't sure why it was important for some of the Descendants to be supernatural. I wish I knew what the author's thought process was behind that. I will also say that some scenes felt a little too convenient and easy, so that irked me a few times.

On the other hand, I appreciated this balance between Chinese and Western folklore. The Fae world is one that I'm familiar with as I grew up in America reading a lot of Fae stories. But as a Chinese American, I do not often read stories of the Chinese zodiac. So I thought it was interesting how the author incorporated both worlds into one while also combining the struggles of being Chinese in America (or a non-Western person in a Western society, to be more general).

Overall, it was a decent read, but I did not like the plot twist at the end.

This was a beautiful blend between Chinese mythology and the supernatural, so with vampires, werewolves, fox spirits, and fae, fantasy readers will surely find something that appeals to them. That being said, was I extremely confused at first? Yes, because as far as I was concerned, I'd never heard about vampires or werewolves in Chinese mythology, but I enjoyed the curse (or you know, the reason why the descendants have become said night creatures). Apart from just mythology, Zhao intertwines history, dark academia, political struggles, and several betrayals and plot twists to keep you invested until the very end.

We're set in at a secret academy meant for the descendants of the zodiac, but most of the plot revolves around our main cast straying away from school and off to the Underworld and Faerieland to pull off a dangerous heist. Usually, it's frustrating to read a book where the characters are students! You know, set at school, but then they're never AT said school. In this case, Zhao manages to keep the academy consistently incorporated with the main conflict as Cecil (hello, my favorite character), a side character, does her best in fighting the political conflict between the Houses of Descendants.

Unfortunately, as with every book, there will be factors that some readers just don't like! And in my case, it was our favorite little trope: a love triangle. I mentally fastforwarded whenever it the three characters got into a love triangle-y vibe argument or situation. Also, weirdly, half the time, it was just not clear who this one character actually liked? One moment they were fawning over one love interest, and then a few pages after, they're admiring another? Sadly, the romantic aspect in Zodiac Rising does not do it for me.

This book was wonderful! It was lush and gorgeous with plot twists to keep you on your toes. Great read, very enjoyable, and so exciting!!

Urban academic fantasy pulls me in right away and is right up my alley, and this did not disappoint. Pull in the Chinese zodiac, vampires and shapeshifters, and you've got a killer premise. This was a lot of fun and has a beautiful cover that I wish I had on my shelf!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC copy gifted in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Fourth Wing!

So... There isn't a nice way to say this, but I regret requesting this arc. At least this was a buddy read with Mai so I had someone to commiserate with.

As someone who has read a ton of books, nowadays I don't expect my reads to be life-changing or anything. Hell, I can even get down with something that's cliche and tropey if the characters are interesting or the worldbuilding is top notch.

Zodiac Rising is none of the above.

It's like Twilight meets magical school, but make it Chinese American. The writing is boring. The story is boring. The characters are boring. At least the worldbuilding was somewhat passable.

I guess this book is great if you have limited experience with BIPOC authored YA urban fantasy. But if you're looking for something fun or exciting with memorable characters, better look elsewhere.

I feel like this book really tried with its mixture of Chinese and Western lore, but in the end, it read so bland. Vampires? Werewolves? Magic? Fae??? Nothing made sense at all, other than the fact that the novel hit all the right story beats in a very formulaic way, so at least that part made logical sense.

Why are these 160+ year old supernaturals going to a private high school with teenage human Descendants? Why aren't they running multinational corporations, or sitting on boards, or, idk, pulling a Carlisle Cullen and raking in money by playing the stock market?

Instead, they're going to regular classes all day to learn... Advanced Mandarin? Even though they've been alive for 160+ years and were born in China. JFC. Make it make sense!!!! They aren't even going to grad school. This shit blows my mind. And all of this is only in the first 20% of the novel.

I thought I'd at least like Evangeline because she's a girlboss, but I draw the line at being mean to the help and others who literally didn't deserve it. Talk about girlboss, gatekeep, gaslight. Yuck.

One of the MCs, Alice, had the personality of a wet sock, even though people kept saying she was "interesting." It was probably supposed to be foreshadowing, but after reading until the end, I still found her boring.

As an OG lover of Twilight (Millenials, rise up!), I actually got so sick and tired of all the Twilight references (high school, playing baseball, vampire piggyback rides, Alice being so Bella coded that I can't even [oh no, she's clumsy~~]).

There was another huge reveal that was literally recycled from one of the author's previous books. It felt cheap, tbh. Like the author ran out of ideas and decided to do the same thing again. Hell, the entire novel felt like an amalgamation of all the popular YA fantasy tropes and cliches from the past 20 years.

The existence of fae in this novel felt very shoehorned. Like the author had to add in a popular trope to rope in more readers. It didn't make sense because the vibes in this novel were very Asian American and then suddenly, fae!

I think the one overarching theme I hated was that everything was solved so easily. Oh no, the main characters are being attacked? The bad guys are knocked out in an instant. They're being chased by their rivals? No one actually gets captured.

The prison break was boring. The heist was boring. The Six of Crows gang could easily outwit these supernaturals. Two characters almost start a fight with each other in the middle of said prison break. Two characters make out in the middle of said heist. Like, can we not? Are we not in life or death situations with extreme time constraints??

I only finished this because it was an arc. I stopped caring early on in the story. By the end, I wanted Marcus Niu and co. to take over the Descendants. Give me a villainous world domination story that might or might not include using Alice as a broodmare.

I'm getting too old for this shit.

Actually, there was one thing I liked. When a character was described as "Slenderman," that shit sent me.

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for this arc.

🥃 Take a shot every time someone mentions the midsummer's sprout 🥃

What is it about Asian fantasy that keeps disappointing me?

This is labeled YA, and while that is partially to blame, the crux of this novel centers around Descendants, all of whom are immortal. As such, I expected them to be mature. They are not. They still attend school like the high schoolers they pretend to be, and though born in China in the 1800s, still take classes such as Advanced Mandarin. The math isn't mathing. (Even stupider, there is a class named So You're a Descendant, So What? I'm not making this up.)

Chinese mythology is rife with its own stories and creatures, and this book chooses to become Cassandra Clare Lite with the immature high schoolers continuously butting heads with the fae. I hated the heist. I hated the characters. I hated the twist. I hated the lack of resolution.

I was enjoying the vampire resurgence in fiction as of late, but these vampires are so vapid, shallow, and stupid, I didn't know what to make of them. Instead of drinking blood like "normal" vampires (I give a little leeway to Twilight, because it was actually entertaining), we have incredibly laughable means of consumption, e.g. blood coffee and blood baos. (Speaking of Twilight, the multiple references to it were unnecessary and unwarranted.)

The one plus? It's not a colonizer romance.

P.S. The werewolf/wet dog comparisons will never not be funny to me.

P.P.S. I didn't think I'd read something I'd hate more than The God and the Gumiho so soon, but here we are.

📚 Buddy read with Zana

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers

I'm bummed to say this because I was looking forward to this one, but I'm DNFing at 18%. I might come back to it one day but right now I just can't deal with the immortal entities in high school. I don't think the writing is bad, and there's set up for a good plot, so I think lots of teens will enjoy this one.