Thank you Simon & Schuster + NetGalley for the ARC.

WOW this was delightful. I haven’t read a standalone fantasy novel in so long and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read this. The world building and story telling was mesmerizing and I love how everything wrapped up so well at the end. There were definitely moments where this was rushed but for 300 some odd pages, I am so impressed.

A legend tells that thousands of years ago a family of three dragons existed. The three of them live together until one day the blue dragon, the prince and son of the green and red dragons, left with a stranger. Since that day nobody knows what happened with the dragons, and the world has forgotten about them. Since he remembers, Sai can see the red thread of destine that binds soulmates. That's why he decides to reunite soulmates to gain money. He's live wasn't easy, but after he saves a young woman, it gets more complicated. Sai is taken to the emperor who compels him to find the last living dragon. However, when Sai finds the dragon, he could not hurt it because it is his fated one.

The beginning of the book was slow and almost made me drop it. However, once Sai crosses the frontiers to the south kingdom and meets Jyn, everything becomes better. The narration is intriguing because it develops two parallel stories. While Sai is discovering who he is and a new world with Jyn, some other chapters explain the story of the blue dragon. I must be sincere and tell you that what made me continue the story was because I was confused. At the beginning I didn't know if the love interest of the main lead was the huntress or the dragon. Then, when the blue dragon was introduced, the confusion increased. That's when I started to think that maybe Sai was the blue dragon and the stranger his love interest. Imagine my surprise when the plot gets to the point where everything unravels, and it was more complicated than I thought.

Another point that I wanted to highlight is that the book talks about the legend of the red thread. In her book, Katrina Kwan talks about the version we all know. Humans are born with a red thread around their finger and the other side of the thread is tied to them fated one. However, she introduces a new plot twist. According to the legend, the thread could be stretched, but never broken. The only way it can be broken is when one of the soulmates dies. That's where the thread becomes gray and then it fades away. However, in this book we learned that there's a way to severe the connection voluntarily and it's when one of the soulmates rejects the other one. That rejection comes in the form of murder.

The Last Dragon of the East Sea is a short book in which every detail is essential to enjoy the story. That's why I didn't give many details because I don't want to ruin the story. The fun part of this book is that the reader must break his mind to guess what is happening and which characters are connected. The writer did an excellent job with the intrigue and fulfilled the expectations of what the ending should be. I like that the main lead was not soft and gave a cruel punishment to the villain. Also, it was good to know that love always wins, and that destiny always fulfills itself.

We’ll say this is a 3.5

Personally I’m not a fan of the fated mates/soulmates trope and I’ll explain why in the context of this book. Other than some witty banter, we use the red thread to skip the building of trust / getting-to-know-you / initial bloom of attraction. Like the immediate “love at first sight” vibe just because they’re fated always feels like an excuse to skip the foundation of a relationship (again, this is a personal preference).

Things I liked: Jyn‘s character and the way she holds Sai and hope and the world in general at a distance (she does kind of flip very dramatically but I would say that fits with her character in the context of the story); I always love when stories are woven throughout a book and this one was no exception (even better when Jyn gets to correct the legends with the facts); the whole section of the book when they’re in the Wastelands was solid.

Things I didn’t like: the pacing was weird (the whole book took place over the course of a month??); injuries were totally shrugged off / magicked away (the man was fighting an army while walking on two shattered legs??); I would have liked the villain to be present more than as a framing device (like sure, we see some minions but that’s a different ball game); and I wanted a bit more resolution to the huntress’s story (why didn’t they go back to her village at the end??).

Overall, a solid debut with a lot to like

This was a cute book I guess? I honestly have so little feeling about this book despite having read all of it. It was cute. Very romantic, personally I didn’t find that the romance was all that intriguing though.

Interesting in concept, particularly with the idea of reincarnation and the way the story spanned over so many lifetimes. But I found the relationship between the main characters underdeveloped. It felt like they were together because they were fated to be, so there was no sense of whether they actually grew to know each other, why they were in love, why they were together. In fact, Jyn seemed very uninterested in his current entire lifetime, shrugging off his mother possibly dying or him dying again. For a book completely centering around an epic romance, I would have preferred more in the why they should be together rather than all another the how they can be together.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed Katrina Kwan’s recent contemporary romance, and was excited to hear she was also releasing a fantasy, especially when I saw the comps to Sue Lynn Tan and Hannah Whitten. And while The Last Dragon of the East wasn’t quite what I expected, with those comps in mind, I still more or less enjoyed it.
It’s fairly light on the world building, but the influence from Chinese folklore is prominent from the first pages. It has an almost fairytale-like feel, and I liked the themes, particularly the red string of fate, which I had previously seen explored in a Chinese contemporary romance, so it was cool to see a new take on the concept.
I liked the choice of Sai as a protagonist, particularly to subvert expectations slightly that most fantasy written by women follows a female protagonist. Sai intrigued me in how he had a bit of a mundane life with his mother in their teahouse, but he also had a gift for matchmaking and finding people’s soul mates (again, a stereotypically female vocation). But he also has his own fate he’s been avoiding following, as is often the case for adventure narratives. I enjoyed watching his growth throughout the book, and the fun spin on the reluctant hero.
There’s a fairly solid balance between the adventure narrative and the romance with Jyn. He and Jyn have a fun dynamic, particularly with him being more soft and sunshine-y, and Jyn being more mysterious and prickly.
Pacing wise, the first half was the most engaging and immersive, with a lot going on. However, the second half dragged a bit in places, especially as the main quest plot got a little lost. And towards the end, things did feel a little rushed trying to wrap things up.
However, in spite of these minor shortcomings, I enjoyed it, and it’s a solid first foray into the fantasy genre, with hopefully more to come. While experienced fantasy readers, particularly those who require detailed world building might not enjoy this, this makes for a great intro to the romantic fantasy genre to readers interested in trying it.

The Last Dragon of the East is such a fun debut. I went in not really knowing what to expect, but was quickly drawn into the world Katrina Kwan has created. The balance of mythology, fate, and romance worked beautifully throughout the book. The use of Chinese mythology and the threads of fate was captivating and added a rich layer to the story.

I found the MC Sai’s character charming and relatable, and his humor kept things light even when the story took some darker turns. The twists in the plot kept me engaged, and even though there were some darker elements, they didn’t take away from the overall cozy feel of the romance and adventure. The pacing picked up quite a bit in the final third of the book, but the ending was incredibly sweet and really hit home for me.

This was a fantastic read, and I’m definitely excited to see what Katrina Kwan comes up with next. If you enjoy lush mythology, a bit of romance, and unique characters, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Thank you NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This went by faster than I thought and was less memorable than I'd hoped. And I think the main problem is that it aspired to be more than it could be.
(Full review in link.)

*dragons 🐉
*Chinese mythology - red string of fate
*a romance for the ages

Those three things - that’s all it took for me to want to read this.

***********

Vivid, beautiful, and an absolute recommendation from me.



Thank you to S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley for the DRC

I was very excited to get this book and I ended up enjoying it even more than I expected to. It’s very sweet and surprisingly emotional towards the end. The first part felt slow to me because I’m not the biggest fan of first person, present tense POV, and I always have to adjust my mindset when I read it. That’s just a personal preference though, and doesn’t affect my rating. Sai definitely is a bit of a mama's boy at first, but this just means his character had good growth later in the story, and I ended up really liking him. Everything really picked up for me after part one, and then I was absolutely hooked from the oasis on. Jyn was a wonderful character with her prickliness and overprotective nature. Plus, she’s just a total BA. I also really liked the chapters in which we followed the tale of the three dragons because it broke up the journey, and also ended up being quite relevant. It made it more exciting as everything was revealed and you made the conmections. All in all, I think this is a very strong fantasy debut and I look forward to seeing more from Kwan.

Sai's life is turned upside down when his mother's doctor sells him a pair of dragon scales as a miracle cure. Because of their success, the emperor recruits him on a hunt for a long lost dragon. What ensues is an incredible tale of fated mates and the risks we take to follow our own thread of fate! I adore stories that seamlessly weave in mythology. They're my favorites and this one is just insanely good!

I received a copy through Net Galley for review.

I did really enjoy this one, it's a solid read, about the red string of fate, and the connection of fate and soulmates.
Sai can see the red string of fate. Can see the lines of love that connect two people together. A son of a humble tea house, most people think he's a fraud. But that doesn't stop the curious from reaching out and paying him a modest sum, a few coins at most for his occasional help. While he can find everyone else's connected fate, he cannot find his own. The thread tied around his thumb is slack and grey.

To find your one love, your connected fate is a rare thing, for those two people to find each other. He could see it in his parents, their thread constantly taught connecting one another, but his mother's is black now, just a loop around her thumb since her husband has passed on.
But his mother is greatly ill, is all he has in this world. And he saves enough coin to receive a cure for his mother, two supposed dragon scales. But upon giving one to his mother, she revives, is well agin.

This catches the attention of the cruel Emperor. Who sends him on a wild chase to find and capture a dragon. A dragon that turns out to be very real, and very close to Sai's own heart, and past.
This sends Sai on the journey of his life, where he will eventually find out why his string of fate is grey, and how long his fated has waited for him. He will discover his future and his pasts.
This was a sweet, sad story of waiting for your love ones, and the lengths one will go through to be with them, to protect them, and your battered heart.

The last line made me cry happy tears 😭

I'm SO excited to have been able to read Katrina's fantasy debut. With the coming of fall/mid-autumn festival time, this was also the perfect time to read it (mood readers understand).

This story felt like it was two stories in one, in a good way though. It tells the grueling adventure Sai endures regarding his Fated One and then it also tells the mythological story of the dragons and their history. Katrina weaves these two stories together into one beautiful story of its own. And I'll say it here again: THE ENDING 🥹🥹🥹


Thank you Katrina, NetGalley, and Saga Press for the ARC!

This was a surprisingly fast-paced book, especially with how short it was! Overall a fun one and a solid debut. I never read the blurb so I was not expecting the POV to be a male character. Don't let the cover fool you! This book has some dark and gruesome parts as well as lighthearted.

What I liked: Sai was sweet and charming, I liked that he was not the typical "strong and battle ready man" main character. He was an enjoyable POV. The fate strings, the references to old stories, the love Sai clearly felt, the first 60% was my favorite, all the buildup and slowly getting questions answered. Sai use of nicknames that pestered Jyn were also funny. I liked that the roles were reversed with a (physically) weak MMC and a strong FMC. I loved the mythology element, the stories woven into the book about the dragons were great.

What didn't quite work for me: I think it would have benefitted from Jyn's POV. She was certainly the grumpy to Sai's sunshine, and while we learn why later in the book. It leaves her character a little one dimensional without hearing her POV. I feel like this book kicks the darkness up a notch in part 4, which was frankly unexpected. I read dark books but I wasn't prepared for it from this one. The ending is okay, but the lead up to the ending is a little icky to me - reminiscent of something from Twilight that has had a lot of discourse and criticism over the years. I know what the author was going for and trying not to be weird about it, but it still didn't sit well with me.

Solid 4-4.5 stars up until about 75% when it dropped to a generous 3.5.

Thank you Sagapress and NetGalley for the ARC!!

I love a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, so I had a lot of fun with Sai’s resolute good-nature in the face of Jyn’s seriousness - especially with all the cute nicknames he gave her. I was also really interested in the mythology woven into this story; I liked the interspersed snippets of the blue dragon and his love story, as well as the moment Sai begins putting two and two together after seeing the dragon tapestry.

Thank you to Net Galley and Saga Press for this ARC. I was really excited to read this because I enjoy Chinese fantasy and adventurous stories. Unfortunately, the characters lacked depth and felt very flat. The story itself was also not very interesting and honestly felt pretty cliched in a boring predictable way.

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

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is a mixed first and third person POV romantic fantasy using Chinese mythology. Sai is an aspiring matchmaker who can see the strings of fate but his own is gray. When Sai is given genuine dragon scales with miraculous healing abilities, he’s imprisoned and then sent out by the Emperor to find the source. But the one at the end of his thread has connections to the scales and Sai is going to have to make a choice between the love he has been waiting for and fulfilling the task given to him.

I was a big fan of Katrina Kwan’s contemporary romance so when I saw that she also had a fantasy coming out, I grabbed it as soon as I could. I love how she writes male characters having softer characteristics while also having harder ones. I also enjoy how she writes romantic relationships (I liked Jyn and Sai quite a bit here), so she has definitely found herself a fan in me this year.

Sai and Jyn take time to meet up, but when they finally get together, it is quite intense. Jyn tries to push Sai away and is very closed off while Sai is completely unashamed in his flirting and views her as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. More than that, he is attracted to her stubbornness. I love a male lead who falls hard and fast and knows exactly who he wants while the female lead is pushing her feelings aside to either complete her goal or protect her love interest.

There are shorter chapters between chapters of the larger narrative, some of which are told more like a legend or fairy tale while others are more like snapshots of a previous life. I felt that added a lot of mystique as we don’t quite know exactly what the connection these shorter chapters have to the bigger picture until about the halfway point.

Content warning for brief depictions of torture

I would recommend this to fans of romantic fantasy with a mythology angle, readers looking for an Imperial China-inspired fantasy centered around dragons, and those looking for a male lead who is very pro-romance

This book was a delightful, quick read that really pulled me into a fascinating world with its unique lore and emotional story arc. The world-building was a huge standout for me—while it wasn’t as detailed in every spot as I might have liked, the universe it created was full of potential, and the mythological elements, like the red threads of fate, really made it feel fresh and different. The concept of fated mates added a romantic layer to the story, though it does lean into the “insta-love” trope, which might not be for everyone. That being said, the emotional depth, especially towards the end, made it all worthwhile.

One thing that stood out is how the story balances between lighter, whimsical moments and some surprisingly intense, even dark, turns. There are violent scenes that might catch you off guard if you’re expecting a fully cozy fantasy, but they add a sense of urgency and stakes to the adventure. The pacing was a bit uneven, though—I felt like the book could have been shorter, maybe even a novella. But I wasn’t mad about the extra length because the world was so interesting.

Overall, I’d say if you love mythology, particularly stories steeped in Chinese folklore, and enjoy the fated mates trope with a mix of romance and adventure, this book is worth a read. It’s emotional, sometimes a bit intense, but ultimately heartwarming. I can see a lot of readers, especially those who like fast-paced fantasy with a romantic twist, enjoying this one.

Thank you Saga Press Books for letting me read this arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book so quickly, I got hooked in and finished it in a few days. I was surprised when I saw it was an adult book because it did feel more of a YA in my opinion, which isn’t bad but I kept forgetting the characters were older.

I found it interesting and refreshing to see the story entirely through Sai’s eyes. I was a little sad we didn’t get more world building in the beginning, but understood why since we were learning alongside Sai. I was super curious though about the history and lore around the dragons and different characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katrina Kwan, and the publisher for allowing me access to e-Arc.

4.5 stars

I loved this so much! It was just a beautiful tale. I was immediately hooked on the story from page one. That doesn’t happen very often. It normally takes me a while before I get into a story. The great storytelling reminds me of Sue Lynn Tan’s. I highly recommend it!