Breath of the Dragon is a fast paced, action-packed fantasy set in a Chinese inspired world. It's a story with political intrigue, lovely fight scenes, and a country that has been divided into two opposing sides over their differing views on the practice of martial arts. Reunification hasn't been possible for many years as they have taken different paths and continue to be divided over this complex issue.

Jun is a sympathetic and generally well-intentioned character. At first, I was thrown off by his over confidence in his skills and ego, he is kind of portrayed as a jerk. However, I began to warmup to him by the end of the book as his motivations for wanting to enter the tournament came more to light. Also, he shows a lot of growth despite facing some challenging opponents. Eventually even coming to understand what the weight of being a Guardian really entails. I found myself absorbed with his journey to enter the tournament, and enjoyed how the story kept me guessing with all of its twists and turns. The corrupt General even raised the tension nicely and the stakes kept getting higher and higher. This is the first book in what is meant to be a duology and is said to be based off of the characters and teachings of Bruce Lee, it is written by Bruce Lee's sister, Shannon and author Fonda Lee. Overall, I enjoyed reading this YA fantasy and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Just like listening to an action packed Bruce Lee movie! It had a slow start, but once past the world and character building it became an action packed edge of your seat masterpiece. It made me feel like I was right there on the sidelines watching it all happen. I’m looking forward to what happens next!

Breath of the Dragon
By Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
Release Date: 1/07/2025

Jun is a twin separated from his brother and mother by the Snake Wall that separates their country. He wants to be the next Dragon Guardian which requires him to win a fighting competition. He’s single-minded in what he wants and thinks little of anyone else—at first.

During his journey to get to the there and during the competition he connects with new and old friends. He learns a lot about himself and the world in which he lives.

The fantasy elements come out during the fight scenes. Everyone has different gifts and some “special people” even have scales marking them as such.

I liked the martial arts focus and the fight scenes were fabulous. Ren is the love interest but there really wasn’t any romance. She held her own and had her own story-line. My favorite secondary character was his nemesis from his old fighting school - I loved seeing how their relationship grew.

Thank you St. Martin’s press and Netgalley for an eArc

If there is a person in your life who is looking for a fighting book: give them this book. It’s all the training and fighting you can want. I unfortunately wasn’t really looking for that. I was initially drawn in with the dragon marked and separation of family, but became bored for the most part. I think there is some interesting things this is doing for the genre in terms of creating a sort of anti chosen one, but I was looking for more of the relationships to really draw me in.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Breath of the Dragon was the first book I've read by these authors. I went into the book only knowing it was Brice Lee inspired and had a lot of martial arts in it.

I was unexpectedly thrown into a action packed fast paced book. The world building was fabulous with a deep history. There was political intrigue that kept the plot going all the way to the end of the book. The characters have diversity.

If you like tournaments, this book is for you. Crushes were mentioned, but no real romance was in the story. Sorry to disappint, the romance readers. For this being a YA books I very much enjoyed it. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with early access to Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book an overall 3.5⭐
This is a young adult fantasy story with ALOT of martial arts. It was well written which I had no doubt because Fonda Lee but then Shannon Lee to me is a new author and after reading this book I found out she is the daughter of Bruce Lee and it MAKES SENSE. The descriptions of the fights are incredible.

It's alot of built up which I guess makes sense because it is book 1 and it's there to introduce the lore, magic, world, politics and of course the characters.

I will definitely be continuing with the series. The best thing about this book is that it's friendships and not a romance.

Not only am I grateful for receiving an arc of this book but I enjoyed reading this story and following the characters. I loved the martial arts and the characters, at some parts, the plot was pulling at my heartstrings because I couldn’t stop thinking about Brandon Lee. This book definitely will have a place in my heart simply because of the Lee family and I can’t wait to finish the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful ARC!

Have you ever read a title where you know the text has a strong inspiration or deeper meaning but can't catch what it is? This is how I felt reading Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee's newest novel, Breath of the Dragon.

The story was alright. It didn't wow me, but I followed along and stuck around for the fight scenes. It was interesting to interpret certain fighting styles through text when we usually view them on film. I also like a good underdog story, and this tale was the epitome of a good fight. There were times when the story lagged and became typical. The characters didn't do it for me, but I stuck it out, and I'm curious to see what happens with the unfinished plots that will wrap up in Book 2.

arts movies from the orient with a bit of love sprinkled in it and this definitely delivered. This takes place in a world with people who are blessed by the Dragon and have special abilities and people who are not. There are two kingdoms with one who only those blessed by the Dragon are thought fighting and learn how to wield their abilities and the other kingdom that no matter your ability, learning to fight is encouraged. Li Jun’s family is broken up after his brother is taken to learn martial arts and after seeing his father live in sadness Jun, against his father’s will, joins the tournament for the selection of the next Guardian of the Scroll. He sneaks into the wagon of a traveling blind flutist and his daughter but after being discovered and being tested for the job as protector of the travelers, Blindman Chang decided to train him during good way to the city for the tournament. Through the story and the events that Jun has to go through you can see him maturing and becoming a better person from the lessons learned. I can’t wait for book two.

This was a fun YA adventure story that very much felt like it had the essence of Bruce Lee mixed with teachings of Karate Kid and Avatar the Last Airbender if instead of focusing on Aang, the story focused on Sokka, who had no powers, or in this story, he would not be breathmarked.

Overall, I loved the world-building and the breathmarked magic system where the powers are completely random and range from potentially overpowered to very minor. I wish we got to explore that more, but as we follow Jun, the twin brother of a breathmarked who was banished from his nation due to being taught martial arts, it makes sense that not a lot of time was spent here.

There is a lot that makes this feel right at home in the YA genre: there is a lot of good vs. evil and our MC is very set on his path, even to the detriment of others. The things that happened with his father did not really make sense to me, other than as a way to pull him from the tournament, but also he didn’t leave??? There was a big opportunity for found family and while we got a good rivals-to-best-friends situation, the found family that could have been, was lost and not found.

Alas, I still had a blast reading this and would highly recommend it if you love asian inspired stories featuring martial arts and targeted for a YA audience.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book stands on it own with no need for sexy scorching love scenes that most authors are renown for. It’s brilliant in its execution and so well written that this reader was taken to a place she had never been before. The authors Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee use detailed descriptions of people and sceneries throughout Jun’s tragedies, competitions, and frenemy relationships.

Li Jun didn’t start as a character I loved. He was very self-centered with anger tendencies. His character continually expands while learning his life lessons and the young man at the end of the book is someone I would want by my side in a war.

Some of the other characters that are memorable are performer Ren and her father, Sifu Chang as well as Yin Yue his competition at the Iron Core school and for the Guardian Tournament.

The authors do a seamless job of shaping and growing all the characters personalities from their experiences and when the book ends all I could think of is “Please tell me the next book is soon!”.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Jun, a young boy from the East is trained in martial arts alongside his twin brother by their father. His brother is breath marked, meaning he has a special power bestowed on him and he will one day be taken to be an Aspect. Jun is not breathmarked, but is a skilled martial artist all the same. On the day his twin brother is taken, Jun reveals the family secret and is exiled alongside his father to the West, where martial arts is not only legal but encouraged. Jun grows up and intends to one day be the Guardian of the Scroll of Heaven, by winning a tournament. After he is denied entrance by his father, Jun stows away on a local performer’s caravan on the way to the capital. What unfolds is not only a story of one boy’s rise to greatness, but the unraveling of a much bigger political plot that speaks to the separation of East and West and the foundation of the Empire itself.

This is my second Fonda Lee story and I really like her style of writing! I cannot speak to how much of this story is really based on Bruce Lee nor can I speak to Shannon Lee as an author, but this story is engaging and not a formulaic YA fantasy story. There are some pretty high stakes and political tension throughout that was well explained and believable. The last 25% went a little crazy and was explosive and violent for being a YA novel. Overall, This was a very strong book and the ending was engaging enough that I will definitely be checking out the sequel!

I wanted to love this book, and don’t get me wrong—I did enjoy parts of it. However, something felt like it was missing. Perhaps this is because it’s the first book in a series, and some things are left to develop later?

The plot was incredible and required a lot of worldbuilding, which was handled beautifully. That said, I wish the characters had felt more emotionally connected. None of them really resonated with me on a deeper level, and they seemed somewhat distant from each other. Given the political nature of the story and the main character’s environment, maybe this was intentional? I’m not entirely sure.

One thing that stood out to me was how well the martial arts sequences were written. I could vividly imagine every fight in my head, like watching an action-packed movie unfold. The precision and clarity in those scenes added so much to the overall experience, and they were a definite highlight for me.

This book had so much potential, and while I loved its unique concept, it occasionally felt a little dull. Still, I appreciated that it was a very character-driven story. Jun’s growth throughout the book was one of the highlights for me. I just wish he didn’t have to endure so much—it was heartbreaking to witness. Hopefully, book two will be kinder to him.

One element that left me confused was the slight love triangle. It didn’t feel like a full-fledged subplot, but I’m unsure where the author is taking it. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan and hope it’s resolved in a way that feels more satisfying in the sequel. On the bright side, I’m looking forward to seeing the sense of found family explored more in the next installment.

That said, this book has all the makings of an amazing movie franchise. With its intricate worldbuilding, cinematic fight scenes, and compelling storyline, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it on the big screen one day.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Wednesday books and to NetGalley for the digital ARC! I’ll be waiting impatiently for book two.

I loved this! It ends on a cliffhanger that leaves me craving the next book but doesn’t leave me angry. It wraps up just enough of the minor plots to be a satisfying cliffhanger!

The action in this book is a 10/10. I have yet to read fight scenes that keep me this engaged!!

I love our main protagonist and I can’t wait to see how he grows and how his relationships develop.

The plot is really intriguing to me!! I love the light fantasy elements to it, but it’s not difficult world building at all.

Overall, I highly recommend!!

There are just some books that you’ll find aren’t suited to you. I think Breath of the Dragon is one of those for me.

This isn’t an objectively bad book. It has a great start, with an engaging and fast-paced first act. Likewise, the third act runs rampant and wild like a martial arts film on paper almost to the finish. It’s the whole second act of the book that gives me pause, along with a completely unnecessary romanticism subplot that I feel not only distracted from the main plotline but also belittled all of the main characters.

I don’t think I’ll be reviewing further entries in this series because I don’t know if I’m going to enjoy the rest of the story any more than I did this first section of it. I do think that this book is worth the read if you like tournaments, martial arts, political intrigue, great on-page fight choreography, broken families, and magic based in spirit/soul/Qi.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews three stars and below will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

Another book I really wanted to like—and honestly, should have loved based on the premise—but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. This book is marketed as a YA fantasy with heavy martial arts influences. While the martial arts elements and nods to Bruce Lee are clear, where the book falls short is in the fantasy aspect and character development.

Let’s start with the characters. I felt no attachment to any of them. The main character came across as whiny, and I couldn’t connect with him or feel any impact from the "trauma" he experiences throughout the story. The book attempts a found family trope, but it doesn’t succeed because none of the characters have enough depth or personality to make that connection feel meaningful.

Now, about the world: The concept of the breathmarked people is intriguing and well-thought-out, but the execution is lacking. The breathmarked are not the focal point of the story, and their abilities end up feeling pretty underwhelming. The world itself is confusing. I’m still not sure what time period this is set in because the political system and the tournament seem to belong to one era, while the dialogue suggests a completely different time.

That said, the action scenes are well-written, and I enjoyed the martial arts elements. While the main character does develop over the course of the book, I still found him to be rather boring.

Thanks to NetGalley, the authors, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

First book in a fantasy duology based on the teachings of Bruce Lee. Penned by his daughter Shannon and Fonda Lee author of the Green Bone Saga the story is heavy with martial arts. A divided kingdom and a brewing war lead our hero Jun into a tournament to become the Guardian of a sacred scroll. As Jun begins this journey it is interesting to see him change as he is exposed to the lovely Ren and becomes familiar with Prodigy Yin. Morality and principle battle evil in this story although there are always shades of grey. Looking forward to part II. A thank you to both Goodreads and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

An action-packed fantasy and beautiful homage to martial arts, co-written by the daughter of Bruce Lee. Wonderfully complex characters on exciting journeys of self-discovery throughout the book as our characters grow amidst political turmoil and strife during a tournament that could decide the fate of a divided nation, with even larger implications and repercussions.

🥋 Book Review 🥋

Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
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I enjoyed this book. It’s not my typical genre, but the premise was very intriguing. The worldbuilding was great. We got a fully developed world with history, a complex conflict, and political intrigue. The characters were interesting, and we got a wide variety of them. However, the book overall felt a little flat to me, because so much of the book was spent on talking about martial arts, and there were so many fight scenes that they began to feel redundant. I would’ve liked more character development, more about Jun’s family, especially his brother Sai, more focus on the relationships between characters overall, and I would’ve liked at least a little romance.
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 0 🌶️
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Read if you like:
▫️martial arts
▫️rivals
▫️deadly tournament
▫️rebellion against a corrupt government
▫️found family
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Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, Shannon Lee, Fonda Lee, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I got this book as an ARC from netgalley.

If you like fighting, tournament-style novels with some rebellion and politics thrown in, you'll love this book! I enjoyed the characters and their development. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the first half of the book was very slow and hard to get through. The world-building was great, but at times was heavy and caused the story to slow.

Things really picked up once the tournament started, and I couldn't put it down! Things happened very quickly over the course of just a few days. This felt somewhat unbelievable, but good for story progression. The characters were loveable, and you could see their development across the novel.

I really enjoyed how the author wrote about the political side of things. There were so many moments I felt incredibly frustrated for the characters because of the government's lies. I was so believable, and you could feel the characters' emotions.

I will definitely read the next one, as you could follow some breadcrumbs the author was leaving. I'm excited to find out if Ren does have a breathmarked ability and to meet the older Sai!

I have posted my reviews on Goodreads and StoryGraph.