I tried for several weeks with this book and made it to about 20%. Sadly, I will be DNFing at 20%. The premise was interesting with the red threads of fate. The story just didn’t capture me or pull me in. That’s not to say I’ll never come back to this story but I’ve been working on it for over a month and just not picking it up.

The Last Dragon of the East is the story of an epic love spread across many lifetimes. The book focuses on various aspects of Chinese mythology, particularly the red strings of fate.

Sai has spent most of his life taking care of his ailing mother and trying to keep their family tea shop afloat. He also has a unique gift - the ability to see the red strings of fate that tie soul mates together, which leaves Sai as a bit of a romantic. His own string lies dormant, limp and dull grey. When Sai is found in possession of dragon scales he's acquired to try to help heal his mother, the emperor forces him to hunt the last dragon and retrieve more. On his journey, something happens with Sai's string and he's taken on an adventure to find his own Fated One and learn what he'll do to protect her.

The Last Dragon of the East was such a fun read and was so rich in Chinese mythology and even culture. The love story is unique and spans lifetimes and geography. The prose was beautiful and lush and Jyn is such a fun character.

I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Violet Made of Thorns, and Jade Fire Gold, so I had high hopes for this one. And it started out STRONG. I was immediately pulled in but by the middle, I kind of lost interest? I don't know if it's a case of "it's not you, it's me" but even though the rest of the novel didn't deliver on its initial promise, I still feel this can be enjoyed by our readers.

2.5 ⭐️

I wanted to love this book—so much. I went into it with high hopes, but honestly, it didn’t work for me the way I wanted it to. The overall vibe was my biggest struggle. Fantasy can be heavy and intense, or it can be cozy and lighthearted—and both are great! But The Last Dragon of the East tried to do both at the same time, and it didn’t quite work. One minute there’s sarcasm and light banter, and then—BOOM—someone’s head gets chopped off and blood is flying everywhere. The characters also felt all over the place. One was supposed to be this supreme, all-powerful evil, and for a minute, it seemed like that was true… until he felt like just a regular dude. Another character was described as completely useless in combat, but somehow kept diving headfirst into fights and surviving against trained warriors. I just didn’t understand what the book wanted me to believe about them. And then there’s the language. I know this is a personal gripe, but when a story feels ancient or set in another era, I really don’t love it when the characters use modern curse words. It takes me right out of the world.

That being said, there were things I loved. Sai’s ability to see the strings of fate was such a cool concept, and I loved how it tied into his journey. The dragon legends and how they connected to the story were beautiful and emotional. I think what it comes down to is that I wanted something more consistent. There were areas that were strong, but the uneven tone, characters, and worldbuilding made it hard for me to stay engaged. I wish I could say I loved it, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for providing me with an e-arc & and physical copy! All opinions shared are mine and mine alone.

3.5 stars, rounded up

A fun romp!

I really liked Sai's voice, although his entire being changes toward the end, not toward the better IMO (there's an explanation for the change, though).

The book is fun, Jyn and Sai's star-crossed love is a delight, and the big bad is enough of a twist to warrant an "oh shit"...at least from me lol.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book and i can't wait to see where the author goes in the future with their writing.

This book is more violent than I thought it would be based on the cover art and premise. I was expecting Song of the Six Realms and got something completely different. It's a beautiful cover art. It had plot points I enjoyed, but overall, it just wasn't for me.

Content Warning: beheading that feels out of left field, soldier is hit by an arrow and trampled, invading army ignoring white flag and proceeding to unalive them to the extent that no longer attached limbs are flying through the air, all of a sudden strong language that also feels a little out of left field with the book's abrupt tonal shifts. And there's a Jacob imprinting on a baby moment towards the end.

Again, the cover is beautiful. There are parts I enjoyed. But I was definitely expecting a cozier vibe from the cover, premise, and beginning of the story. This book feels ubruptly Game of Thrones-esque and it took me for a loop.

The FMC has been alive for thousands of years but behaves like a twenty-five year old. The telling over showing was distracting for the romantic plotline though. It bothered me that the MMC can immediately "feel her emotions through the bond" even when her actions are completely the opposite.

This book features:
One third person PoV from MMC's perspective
Fated mates/starcrossed lovers
Age gap romance
Grumpy Dragon x Sunshine MMC
Dying mother
Corrupt king
Shapeshifter
Threads of fate to fated mate
Reincarnation

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a gifted copy of this book and an e-arc through NetGalley. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is an incredible story that pulled me in from start to finish. It’s a perfect mix of adventure, mythology, and personal growth.

The main character’s journey is both exciting and emotional as they learn about themselves and face challenges tied to family, loyalty, and courage. Kwan does a great job of creating a vivid world filled with mythical elements, and the story balances action, humor, and heartfelt moments perfectly.

What really stood out to me were the themes of resilience and cultural identity, which made the story feel meaningful and relatable. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

If you enjoy fantasy or stories with rich characters and beautiful storytelling, The Last Dragon of the East is definitely worth reading.

I just wasn't able to actually get into this book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked the characters but I struggled with the story. 3.5/5

I genuinely really enjoyed this novel. The romance between them was very sweet and although I knew who the two of them were right off the bat (the subtly of their backstories wasn't very subtle) I still had fun reading about it. I have to admit though that I think I confused this story with a different one because I thought this story would be queer. Jyn and Sai were so cute though and it was queer (their son's partner was a man and there were other queer characters) just not between the main characters like I assumed. I kind of hope there's a sequel because I'd love a story about their son being reincarnated but... I don't think I'd like to see R'ong again (his partner). If it's done well though I think I could be into it!

The Last Dragon of the East takes places in a war torn country, following Sai, a man who tends to a tea shop, loves his mama but can also see everyone's Red String of Fate. Due to unfortunate circumstances involving curing his mother's illness and a power hungry Emperor, Sai finds himself on a journey to find the Last Dragon.

This started off so strong and fast paced but after the 40% mark, the pacing and excitement drastically dropped. It becomes a journey that doesn't feel fleshed out, and it struggles balancing world building, a budding romance and the fantasy elements. The romance took me out of the story, but considering this is a fantasy involved the infamous red string, it was bound to have the "fated love" trope which is my least favorite trope. If you don't mind it, this book could be for you.

What I did love was Sai's character. He's a softer male protagonist. He knows he can't throw a punch but the guy will sure try for the people he cares for, and that was endearing to me.

Overall this was an okay experience. It was a great premise but the execution could have been better. Thank you Saga Press and Netgalley for an eArc. This review is my own opinion.

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is an excellent mix of fantasy and romance given to the reader in fast paced narrative that kept me hooked from page one.

As a well paced stand alone this title is an excellent read for those who are looking for an emotionally complex addition to their library.

I really enjoyed it! Dragons, romance, fate, what more could you want?! I really enjoyed the love story and how it plays out throughout the story!

This book read like an old fairy tale, which was really nice in some respects and a little disappointing in others.
It was an easy and fast read, with a story moving quickly and not much of a world-building, but it still kept me interested to the end.
Although I didn’t connect much with Sai and felt his relationship with his fated one lacked chemistry, I still ended up being swept away by the stakes of their romance. I don’t really like insta-love and unfortunately, this was the kind of fated mate trope this story portrayed, but I appreciated how Jyn was still guarded at first and they had to take their time to get to learn other.
I think I didn’t mind the other characters not being developed or fleshed out, or even not being completely overtaken by the romance, specifically because of the tale-like quality of this story. I trusted I knew where this was going and it led me there without ever demanding too much from me, which is what I needed.
I won’t spoil anything, but this also had my favorite trope ever, so it of course helped keeping me invested.

I found this to be a endearing tale of enduring, lasting love. The fated mates trope was done well. It was an exciting premise and a heart breaking love story.

Although I think the that character lacked depth over all. With them being fated mates, I feel as though there could have been more growth within their relationship. I also would have enjoyed more of the green dragon and her stories over the 7,000 years. I still found it to be a enjoyable read. I wish there was more about the blue dragon and his story.

3.75 stars

This was such a fun, quick read! I always love a good "I will find you in any lifetime" soulmates type of romance and this one delivered! I was very connected to the main two characters but felt that the side characters fell a little flat. There was also one scene towards the end that left a tiny bit of a bad taste in my mouth regarding the romance. I can't say exactly what that was without spoiling but it's extremely weird if you think about if for too long so I'm just not going to because the rest of the book was great! I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves Chinese mythology, dragons, and soulmates!!

I received an advanced copy of The Last Dragon of the East from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have restarted this review more times than I can count as, for some reason, I'm having difficulty writing it. So, instead of paragraphs, I'm making a list of things I want to talk about, and we'll see how that goes.

Plot: It's very straightforward: find the dragon. However, once the dragon is found, the plot shifts into running from the bad man, which is still very straightforward. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but somehow, it was still hard to follow. Many things that happened made little to no sense, and while some decisions are explained later, it's too little, too late.

Pacing: Do you have whiplash? Because I have whiplash. For a book with over 300 pages, I wasn't expecting it to fly by so quickly, but whoosh, there it went.

World-building: It was there. A little confusing, but there. I would have loved more, but there was enough to make sense of the world, even though many details were missing.

Characters: I didn't like or dislike them. They were just there. The main characters were inconsistent to the point of frustration at times, and while it kind of makes sense for one of them, I couldn't figure out why the other was acting the way they were. I would have loved more development for them and the side characters. They were good characters for what the book was, however.

Romance: Hmm. Before I read this book, I would have said that I'm not a super huge fan of fated mates because it usually indicates that there will be some insta-love happening. After finishing it, I would still say that. Maybe I haven't read the right one yet, but the romance didn't work for me.

Magic: Despite my dislike for insta-love, I find the red string of fate fascinating, and I liked that Sai was one of the only ones who could see them. Also, I love nearly everything with dragons, so that's a given. I know very little about any other magic abilities in the world, as that was one of those missing world-building details, but I like the foundation that was built and would have loved to see more.

That's all I've got. I liked the fairytale atmosphere and thought the story was well written. Though I would have liked more of everything, honestly, The Last Dragon of the East was a solid book.

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is a romantasy novel that draws on Chinese mythology, primarily dragon myths and the red thread of fate. At age twenty-five, Sai struggles to support his ailing mother and failing tea shop via his matchmaking side hustle--he can see people's red threads fate, which connects them to their soul mates. But he runs afoul of his kingdom's despotic emperor when he gives his mother a dragon scale miracle cure for her illness. Faced with either certain execution or an impossible quest to find the last living dragon of the land for the emperor, Sai sets off on a quest of adventure, danger, and a love he never expected to find.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Smooth pacing; great writing; a solid balance between flashbacks, myths, and the novel's "present," readers will not be disappointed! The character development was consistent and satisfying, while the emotional gut punches hit properly hard. My only quibbles were Feng's speech patterns and the ending. Kwan was likely trying to affect an accent or dialect for Feng, but since Feng was the only character with a different speech pattern than everyone else, the effect came off as awkward and clunky, and took me out of the story a little each time she spoke. Instead, it would have felt more natural for Feng to speak like everyone else, and just note the difference in dialect/accent as an aside. Also, the ending felt a bit weird to me because of the age gap, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things (in the novel's universe), one generation difference isn't too terrible? Still, on the whole, I really liked this novel and will look forward to future works by Katrina Kwan.

Readers who enjoy this novel may also like: The Celestial Kingdom series by Sue Lynn Tan, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, and possibly Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

This is quite the lovely story.

Synopsis:
Sai, a young man who runs his family’s teahouse, has a special gift. He can see the threads between Fated Ones. People seek him out to guide them to their soulmate. When Sai buys some illegal dragon scales to cure his ailing mother, he is sent on life-changing adventure. The emperor forces Sai to track down the dragon so its magic can be exploited. When Sai finds the dragon and meets Jyn, his life and destiny is changed forever.

Thoughts:
This book is so much fun, tender, and full of adventure. There is war, romance, monsters, mythology, magic and reincarnation. Sai and Jyn’s story is absolutely touching, and the ending is delightful. I do hope that the author considers a sequel. I would love to go back into this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the copy of this book.

Genuinely so disappointing. I was really into this book until about 25%, when we were treated to the worst eye dialect I’ve ever read. It was a terrible writing choice and I hated it. It genuinely made me stop reading the book. Huge mistake.