4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Spoilers for the book follow.

I really enjoyed Breath of the Dragon. It was an engaging, fast read for me, about a land split in two, one side where martial arts are practiced widely and revered, another where martial arts are taught solely to those who are Breathmarked, aka those born with dragon scales and magical power. Split from his breathmarked twin and mother, Jun Lin and his father were exiled after it was found his father was also teaching a young Jun martial arts. Skipping to age 16, Jun's love of martial arts causes discord between him and his father, and he runs away to take part in a tournament to become the Guardian, the best martial artist in the country, a position that comes with riches and power. I really enjoyed that Jun's story is one of a student learning from a master, as well as a political one, as he learns there's more to the tournament than meets the eye.

I always love Fonda Lee's writing and am looking forward to the rest of the series! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for access to an e-galley.

In a land split in half, with one magical scroll on the side where fighting is revered, and the other scroll on the side where people born with dragon scales (breathmarked) are taken from their families and trained, young Jun want to be a great fighter. After being exiled from their home, Jun and his father struggle. Jun only wants to fight, to prove to his father that he is a worthy warrior be competing in the Guardian’s Tournament.
Since there is a tournament in this book, there is a lot of fighting description, but it is fast paced and enjoyable. Jun is a great character as he moves from only being focused on himself to realizing he is part of a revolution.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this DRC.
#BreathoftheDragon #NetGalley

Jun and his father are exiled from their home in the divided lang of Longhan because Jun’s father trained he and his twin brother in martial arts, which are outlawed by all except the Breathmarked Aspects. Jun’s twin is one of those Breathmarked and he is taken away to train. Years later, Jun and his father are living in the East where Jun has been training in the Iron Core style of martial arts with hopes of one day competing in the Guardians’ Tournament to becomes the West’s Guardian of the Scroll that was separated from its twin when the East and West permanently separated. Jun makes it into the tournament and political plots ensue. The book starts a bit slow as Jun is making his way to the tournament, but picks up a bit when he finally arrives. I didn’t think Jun was a very likable character, he is kind of a prick as his fellow student and tournament competitor Yin Yue likes to remind him. That’s probably to be said for all the characters in this book, most of them only have in-redeeming qualities. Once the tournament started, I did enjoy the story a bit more, but I’m not sure yet if it’s enough to get me to read the rest of the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an eARC for my review!

A perfectly fine YA fantasy novel with a fun tournament competition trope. I thought it was well-paced and I liked the world-building and political conflict that is set up, but overall it’s not a very memorable book. The characters and the plot are pretty generic. I feel like there was a lot of missed potential that would have allowed us to form more meaningful connections to the characters, but they were not explored with any kind of depth. There was only one standout moment in the book for me that garnered any kind of emotion. That being said, I’m invested enough in the story to pick up the sequel when it comes out

Breath of the Dragon is just the kind of book I’m looking for to recommend to my adventure and fantasy loving teen readers. The story is exciting, fast paced, and easy to get caught up in. If you’re interested in Asian culture, martial arts, political intrigue, magical abilities, and dynamic characters, you’ll enjoy this book.
The one thing that didn’t work for me was the use of modern curse words. I may be in the minority here, but if I’m reading a fantasy novel, I prefer made up curses, like what Brandon Sanderson does in his books. The made up words, if wisely chosen, keep me locked into the world created by the author, whereas contemporary curses pull me back into reality, creating a distance between me and the story. But that’s really my only complaint. All in all it’s a very good story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, I received and e-arc from NetGalley.

Breath of the Dragon is a solid action packed story. If you studied any martial arts, you’ll see the details clearly in your head. If not, it’s written well enough for you to get a great visual as well. I’d love to see this turn into a television series.

I greatly enjoyed this book. The characters were well fleshed out. The fight sequences were incredibly well developed. The plot moved along beautifully. I truly didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait for more!

I have been waiting and wanting for a great young adult fantasy to make me brainrot and think of nothing else but when the next book will come...As a long standing fan of Fonda Lee and her Green Bone Saga, I'm so happy to see her step back into the world of supernatural martial arts. This was a fun, exhilarating ride, and I can't wait for what's to come. If you like supernatural martial arts tournaments, and a headstrong, hardworking underdog protagonist, this one is something you can't miss out on.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐
(Meaning: I thought about it at night, I want to talk about it to everyone, but if pressed I can think of minor weaknesses.)

This was a fast-paced and super fun read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves action anime, kung fu movies, and/or light fantasy. I loved this in the same way I loved Avatar (TLA) and Haikyuu - not because the plot lines are similar, but because of the way it made me feel. The cinematic imagery (complete with slow-mos!), the colorful characters and their 3D development, the straightforward storyline and fast pace: this is the perfect mix of comfort read and bingeable action. Shannon Lee's ultra-descriptive martial arts blended with Fonda Lee's knack for living, breathing characters is such a magical combination.

This book in particular is quite black and white in terms of good vs evil; I'm really interested to see the sequel, as hints were given that Jun's view of the world will be forced to become more complex. I can't wait!

I was pleasantly surprised by Breath of the Dragon. Even though I've read plenty of books with fight sequences, I've never read one that is so focused on martial arts. It has extensive fight scenes, which I'm happy to say were easy to understand and enjoyable. The world-building was great, but I was mostly drawn in by the story. Though at first, it seemed that the story would be pretty basic yet enjoyable, there were a number of twists that kept me wanting more. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

4.5 stars rounded up. While this book had some flaws, I did enjoy reading it and am excited for the sequel.

Breath of the Dragon is the first book in an action-focused fantasy duology. The story starts when the main character Jun is exiled from East Longhan with his father for practicing martial arts, separating him from his mother and twin brother. He is told that he will eventually be allowed to return if he gives up fighting, however the escalation of the civil war between East and West Longhan makes return impossible and destroys Jun's chances of seeing the rest of his family again. To cope, Jun turns back to martial arts, despite it being the thing that tore his family apart in the first place. And also there's dragon magic

4/5 Plot: Engaging and interesting, though there are aspects that felt a bit predictable. I was able to guess most of the main arc of the story from very early on but the specific details still surprised me. I do also have a strong inkling that I can guess some of the crucial plot points for the second book and I haven't decided yet if that implies very good foreshadowing or very bad. I wasn't a large fan of the ending, but it does serve as a good cliffhanger and set up for the next book so I will refrain from judging it too hard

3/5 Writing: While I liked the writing style overall, there were many situations where the author described a series of things that had just happened rather than showing them in-the-moment. Similarly, the main character often had long introspective moments weighing up lots of ideas, potentially over explaining his thought processes. This was on top of awkwardly placed descriptions of world-building details, like political factions, locations, or history. While the world building was interesting, it was awkwardly placed and took me out of story when the author made a page long digression about politics and or magic. On the other side, the fight sequences were all very well written and engaging, without being repetitive or excessive.

5/5 Characters: I loved the main characters and their interactions. Like with aspects of the plot, there were some characters that I could tell would be important right away just from how they were introduced, but there were others that surprised me when they kept popping up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a love letter to old kung-fu movies, and I greatly enjoyed it. It took me a while to have it click for me, but once it finally did, I kept going. If you like Fonda Lee, you'll enjoy this book.

thank you to the authors and NetGalley for the digital arc! I normally do not read this genre, but I wanted to try something new since the plot intrigued me. I am glad I did!

There were various aspects of the novel that I enjoyed:

1. The plot was well-developed, engaging, and fast-paced. It grabbed my attention so well that I read so many pages on my daily commutes.
2. I like it when there is in-depth information/background on some of the characters. It just makes it interesting for me to read.
3. I liked that Jun is not breathmarked. He is trying to prove to himself and the world that he can achieve his goals through his hard work and talent and not let that decide his fate/future. He is a jerk and has some good traits about him. He does go through character development once he enters the tournaments and discovers his own mistakes, the importance of his family/friends, and the fate of the country at stake.

Can't wait for the sequel to see where the story goes!

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Breath of the Dragon!
Wow. Young Adult is back and in a big way. This is going to be beloved by fans of Sanderson especially.
The world building of this book was perfectly done and it created a rich and beautiful fantasy with political intrigue and loveable - though sometimes challenging - characters.
I do not have a martial arts background, but even I can see the care and work that was put into this story to pay homage to the all the styles of fighting it includes.
Fonda Lee really took on YA fantasy successfully - which who would think otherwise ;)
Four stars.

A young warrior dreams of proving his worth in the elite Guardian Tournament, fighting not only for himself but the fate of everything he loves. A breath taking novel you cannot stop to read it.

I have been provided with a review copy of Breath of the Dragon from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just so good. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

*Breath of the Dragon* by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee is an immersive and exhilarating YA fantasy that blends martial arts, magic, and deep character development into a thrilling coming-of-age story. Set in a richly imagined world, the novel follows sixteen-year-old Jun, who seeks redemption for his family’s honor by entering the Guardian’s Tournament. Despite not being "breathmarked" like his twin brother—born without the dragon scales that grant special abilities—Jun is determined to prove his worth. His journey begins as a selfish pursuit but evolves into a powerful story about identity, honor, and social justice.

The world-building is phenomenal, with the intricate magic system and the tension between the human and magical realms adding depth to the story. As Jun stows away with a group of performers on his way to the tournament, he not only faces physical challenges but also uncovers political and social inequalities that push him toward a greater cause. The supporting characters, especially Ren, his brave and steadfast companion, enhance Jun’s growth and make the story even more engaging. The combination of martial arts action, magical intrigue, and found family tropes will captivate readers from start to finish.

Though the story starts at a slower pace as it introduces its world, it picks up quickly once the tournament begins, delivering high-stakes action and emotional depth. The vivid descriptions of the martial arts scenes, combined with themes of perseverance and sacrifice, make the novel both cinematic and thought-provoking. *Breath of the Dragon* is a compelling first book in what promises to be an unforgettable duology, leaving readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Decent take on the classic tournament/competition style YA novel. I overall enjoyed but found some of the writing and dialogue to be clunky or juvenile at times. I think I would read the sequel but dont find myself counting down the days. fine!

I thought this was a phenomenal YA novel. The world building was wonderful, as I expected from Fonda Lee. It was seeped in a plethora of martial arts training and fight scenes, which I was way more interested in that I would have imagined, but it was not necessarily my normal reading. For that alone - to make me feel immersed in a world that I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards in a novel, makes me want to recommend this to any fantasy reader. If you are looking for any type of romance or love story, this is not the book for you. The only thing keeping me from giving this a 5 star review is that I did not love the main character Jun. I kind of wish there were more stand out characters, or maybe a stronger relationship to have also focused on throughout the book. But overall I will be purchasing this book once it is out and recommend it to younger fantasy readers, or readers trying to get into the fantasy genre.

*Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review*

BREATH OF THE DRAGON follows sixteen-year-old Jun as he sets off on a journey to achieve his lifelong dream: winning the tournament to become the Guardian, the fiercest fighter in all of West Longhan, the guardian of a divine scroll, and an important advisor to the Emperor. An exile from the neighbouring country of East Longhan, who seceded from the empire fifty years ago, Jun is determined to win the riches and fame the title entails, and make his father proud.

But when his father forbids him from entering the tournament, Jun stows away with a local musician and his adopted daughter, and set off for the capital, trying to raise the funds required to enter. The trio are caught up in the increasingly unstable political climate between the East and the West, and must protect the people they love from the whims of selfish rulers.

I genuinely liked this book. I found Jun to be a relatable if naive protagonist, which was nice to see in a male character. Jun and Ren had an engaging dynamic, although outshined by Jun's relationship with Yin Yue, and the worldbuilding was a unique twist on some familiar high fantasy tropes (tournaments, magical armies of child conscripts, etc). So why, do you ask, does this not earn a 5 star rating? One word: execution.

The premise of this book was interesting. Enter a tournament where the winner becomes a divinely appointed scholar of a magic scroll. Find a home in a country that sees you as a dangerous enemy. BREATH OF THE DRAGON checked off all the boxes that I expected from a YA fantasy. The thing that kept it from a 5 star rating was the writing. The authors are so painfully obvious with how they externalize Jun's thoughts, and the dialogue was awkward to the point where it read like a first draft. The number of text-wall speeches characters give at otherwise-tense moments cut the suspense instantly. All the unique worldbuilding and political intrigue died because of the way the dialogue vomited out information.

I also had some issues with the way disabled people, particularly those who were blind or low vision, were treated in this book. So many references are made to characters' blindness being a handicap they have to "compensate" for, and at one point Jun remarked how sad it was that a random blind lady didn't have cool powers that exchanged with her disability. The main blind character gets into stereotype territory, and I strongly suspect the authors did not consult a sensitivity reader. I genuinely hope that this changes for book 2, because while I can overlook clunky dialogue and prose, I really don't want to read another book full of poorly written disabled characters.

TWs: death, violence , weapons, physical fights, dismemberment, parental death
Rep: East Asian coded main cast and a blind supporting character..