Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books, and Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee for an e-arc of Breath of the Dragon in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was so much fun. The world building was so well executed and one thing you can always count on is a fantastic action scene from Fonda Lee. A lot of times, with fighting that relies heavily on martial arts, it’s hard to follow what’s supposed to be happening. But with Breath of the Dragon, it felt like I was right there watching them play out.

I love the collaboration between these two and I cannot wait to see where the story goes.

"Marked or not, every one of us has Breath enough to will our own destiny into being.” - dang, this line hit.

I was so excited for this book because I am obsessed with The Green Bone Saga and I mean who doesn't love a tournament? However this story fell a little short for me. The pace was too slow for my liking and I found myself having to push through to finish the first half of the book. Once we got to the 50% mark of the story, it started picking up. We get to see the development of our characters and that was probably my favorite part of the story. I'm not sure if I'd pick up the second book immediately as I felt like I've read many books quite similar to this one.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book! All I needed to read was "The first novel in a sweeping YA fantasy duology based on characters and teachings created by Bruce Lee!" to know that I wanted to pick this up. I haven't read any books by Fonda or Shannon Lee before, but I am glad I did. I can't wait to read more by them soon, especially by Fonda Lee.

This was a fun ya fantasy book that has good fighting scenes, characters, and political intrigue. Breath of the Dragon is definitely a love to Asian action films. If you enjoy fantasy books and Asian action films, and Bruce Lee, you should definitely pick this up. Also, the cover and the writing style is stunning. I am excited for the next book and hope it comes out in the next couple years. However, I want to learn more about the characters more, and their relationships in the next book. That was the only thing in this book that was lacking a little bit.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
4 stars

I honestly really enjoyed this book. The writing could be a bit distant and on-the-nose/telly at spots, but it wasn't bad. It made for an easy read that just kept moving.

Overall, this book is such a love letter to Asian action flicks while being a very solid YA High Fantasy book. The fight scenes were very clean and concise with a clear show of martial arts knowledge, and the magic system shows a lot of influence from both martial arts practices and Asian culture. Also, anyone who wants to claim books aren't political should avoid this book, because there's definitely a lot of fantasy politics that are woven in nicely while still leaning into the martial arts aspect.

I'm super excited for the next book. There were so many sprinklings in this book that I want to see come full circle (primarily Jun and his family), and I want to see how Jun continues to develop, especially considering the environment he's going to be in after the end of this book.

If you like high fantasy and you like Asian action movies, or even action anime, I highly recommend this book. Even if the writing wasn't always for me, the plot and world itself was just *chef's kiss* Right up my alley, truly.

I wanted to love this book but it fell flat. It was hard to really visualize the world, and the main character just wasn't that memorable. Overall it felt very tedious to get through

Another fantastic fantasy novel from Fonda Lee—this time with Shannon Lee—based on characters created by Shannon Lee’s father, Bruce Lee. The world-building and magic in this book were top-notch. Even in such a short span, they crafted a world that felt rich, immersive, and complex.

As expected from Fonda Lee, the fight scenes were expertly done. I usually struggle to visualize action sequences and tend to check out, but with her writing, I can see every move so clearly, and I’m completely invested in the fight itself.

The plot follows a familiar YA fantasy structure, so it doesn’t break new ground, but it was still engaging. My only real gripe—and the reason this didn’t get a full five stars—is that I wanted more depth in the character relationships. Most of them felt a bit straightforward (mentor/mentee, school rivals, crush), and a little extra complexity would have taken this book to the next level.

This was a fun journey. It's the exactly the type of story I'm looking for when I think of YA. The plot being based around honor amd the martial arts aspects kept reminding me of avatar the last air bender and I loved it so much. It took be back to my childhood.

I am so obsessed with Fonda Lee's writing and storytelling and this book left me captivated from beginning to end. Gorgeous world building, compelling action scenes and excellent characters!

Unfortunately I think this one wasn't for me because of the main character. I just found it very difficult to get into his head and understand him but that was probably a personal issue. The writing was beautiful which I loved and I liked the plotline.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The first installment in the Breathmarked duology, Breath of the Dragon follows teen Jun who enters a tournament to prove his skills, restore his father's honor, and hopefully reunite him with his mother and twin brother.

This was such a fun read! I love a good tournament, and it was interesting and honestly refreshing to see a story unfold almost entirely at a tournament. While I wouldn't argue that this reinvented the genre, I did adore the attention to detail in the fight scenes, and found the world and our lead character to be remarkably interesting and compelling. The pacing was also impeccable, at least for me. I never felt rushed, but things were never slow enough for me to become disinterested. Sure, this was a pretty teen read, but YA should feel teen, and there's a lot set up that I think will be a lot of fun to read in the sequel. I'll certainly be reaching for it as soon as it hits shelves!

This was a fantastic book! I have to say I was initially interested in the book based on the authors, and they did not disappoint! This was such an engrossing read, I got sucked into the story early, and it became very hard to put it down. I am greatly looking forward to the following books in the series to see where they take the story. The world building in the story was so good, I think sometimes when a book is the first in a series too much of the time is spent on world building and the story gets lost. I don’t think that was this case with this book at all. The background information was woven into the story in such a way that I did not feel like I was getting bored with the story. The characters were very vivid and I felt a connection with them while I was reading. I think this would be a great read for anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction, fantasy or adventure novels. It’s absolutely great for anyone who loves an action-packed emotional story!

Fun read! Enjoyed all the action sequences and I liked the character development with Jun. The pace did lull in some areas and some scenes were predictable but overall enjoyed it and I look forward to book two!

Anything Fonda Lee touches, I will read!!

A cinematic martial arts fantasy blending honor, self-discovery, and a touch of magic!

*"Marked or not, every one of us has Breath enough to will our own destiny into being."*

**Read this for:**

🐉 Dynamic martial arts battles that leap off the page

🏯 Themes of honor, resilience, and personal growth

✨ A sprinkle of magic with the fascinating "Breathmarked" powers

Jun, a sixteen-year-old outcast, dreams of redeeming his family’s honor by winning the elite Guardian’s Tournament—a deadly competition where Breathmarked warriors with dragon-granted powers fight for the right to protect a sacred scroll. Though unmarked and untrained, Jun’s determination to carve his own path leads him to face not only fierce opponents but also the political machinations threatening his world.

**Why you’ll love it:**

This book is *Avatar: The Last Airbender* meets *Cobra Kai*, with the depth and emotional resonance of Fonda Lee’s *Green Bone Saga*. The martial arts sequences are vivid and precise, thanks to Shannon Lee’s unique insight into Bruce Lee’s philosophy and techniques. The world-building is rich, the stakes are high, and Jun’s journey from impulsive youth to self-aware fighter is deeply satisfying.

Whether you’re a martial arts enthusiast, a fan of fantasy with rich lore, or simply in search of an inspiring underdog story, *Breath of the Dragon* will keep you hooked from start to finish.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC!*

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the complimentary DRC & ALC.
#smpinfluencers #macaudio2025

Book one in a duology, the start was a little slow with the world building and character introductions, but once we got to the tournament things really took off. Twists and turns all the way to the end. I loved the friendships that were built and am grateful for a fantasy without romance! As always with YA for me it can be hit or miss, especially when the characters are as young as Jun, however this is one that gets it right for a wider audience and not just the teens. I can’t wait for book 2!

I mostly listened to the audio and Eric Yang was great! I hope he narrates book 2.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) When I first read JADE CITY by Fonda Lee about a year or so ago (my first book by her!), I did so and left it upon finishing being equal parts intrigued, intimidated and, in all honesty, frankly a bit overwhelmed. I've said it time and time again how I'm not the biggest Fantasy reader, especially "High" Fantasy because (and just to add some quick context) I know how much of a commitment they are when it comes to world-building, character & relationship development, and just... the sheer breadth of plot that needs to be covered and properly paced/fleshed out in order to successfully tell a cohesive story. That all being said, I know solid and engaging writing when I see it - and reading even just ONE of Lee's past works made me instantly see that she has *IT* ✨✨ BREATH OF THE DRAGON was an enjoyable & engaging read - a love letter to martial arts, especially - and one I found to be very accessible for someone "like me" (aka, again: a novice in F/HF reads) and a great introduction to both the authors & the genre itself (especially since it is also categorized under YA). I'd say this story is pretty fast-paced and written in such a way that makes you want to keep turning pages— the tournament-centric & romance-free plot, various action-packed scenes (hand-to-hand combat!), and use of the "MC/Underdog with A Lot of Growing Up to Do & Something to Prove™" trope also gave BotD an almost anime/manga-like feel to it, which I thought was very fun and a nice little Easter Egg/nod, however intentional or not. And while I do think, upon reflection, that there could (and should) have been more moments/scenes added or expanded upon in order to further establish character motivations, certain plot points, and just the story's overall world-building, I still believe enough was provided to give readers a clear & vibrant basic foundation of how this world functions and what to expect. Definitely recommend not only to Fantasy lovers and martial arts enthusiasts, but also Shonen anime/manga fans also!

A super fun young adult adventure with likeable characters and a world that is worth learning more about. I can't wait for future iterations to learn more about Breathmarked powers and how our initial understanding of them might not be all there is to the story. I also love the twist on the classic hero's tale with the fact that Jun doesn't have any special powers of his own, but I have a feeling that more will be revealed about his innate ability to manipuate his own Breath and his connection to his brother's powers.

I love the idea of this book and it was okay. But it's one I may not remember years down the line. I love the concept of a book surrounding characters based on Bruce Lee and I'm a HUGE Fonda Lee fan. Perhaps I may be unfairly comparing this to books like The Green Bone Saga but this just didn't hit for me,

Imgur link goes to Instagram photo scheduled for January 29th
Blog post goes live Feb 14th
Amazon and B&N review submitted
Will be covered in an upcoming Youtube wrapup


**TL;DR**: I think my expectations were too high and this was just… not for me.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: Jun runs away to compete and become the Guardian, a government appointed super warrior. But learns some hard truths on the way.
**Characters**: This might have been one of the breaking parts for me. They felt very… predictable?
**Setting**: I didn’t have the clearest picture of the setting, but we were told a lot about it.
**Fantasy:** The idea here was very cool but I feel like we lost a lot of the fantastical for most of the book.

**Thoughts**:

I was so excited for this I bought myself a lovely physical copy before I’d even gotten very far in the eArc. So to say I’m disappointed, I mean I’m very disappointed. I entirely blame myself for that as I had very high expectations with Fonda Lee attached to this but alas, it didn’t work for me. Breath of the Dragon was pitched to me as a YA Fantasy based on the ideas of Bruce Lee’s style and training. Which sounds great, but didn’t connect for me.

This reads very young, something I beg of you to know going in. We have a lot of the very classic young adult - middle grade age level tropes here. A young man who is impetuous and very blind to the evils and darkness in his world. Jun is bound and determined to fight, just do martial arts. He’s so wrapped up in it he accidently gets half his family exiled while the other half goes to work for the government. So while he and his father live out their lives in poverty on one side of a divided country, his twin and his mother are at a training school on the other. Jun is very much not happy about this and it colors his story from the beginning.

I found a lot of the following twists and turns very predictable and there was just something here that kept me disconnected the whole time. I think this would be a hit for a young reader, especially one who loves martial arts. Unfortunately it wasn’t that for me.

If you’re a fan of YA fantasy with martial arts, epic fight scenes, and high-stakes tournaments, Breath of the Dragon is definitely worth picking up. This book brings a dynamic energy to the genre, and its vivid descriptions of martial arts made for an action-packed read.

Our main character, Jun, goes through solid development over the course of the story. However, if you’re someone who enjoys exploring the deeper complexities of side characters, you may find the first book a little slow or lacking in that department; however, once the story found its stride, I was invested. The pacing picked up, the stakes got higher, and I couldn’t wait to see where Jun’s journey would lead.

Jun’s character might feel frustrating at times for older readers—he’s impulsive, headstrong, and makes some questionable choices—but I think the intended YA audience will connect with him and his growth as he navigates challenges both in the arena and within himself.

Overall, Breath of the Dragon is a great addition to the YA fantasy genre, especially for readers who enjoy action-packed stories with a martial arts twist. I’m intrigued to see where Jun’s journey takes him next and how the world and characters will evolve in future installments.

I really dod enjoy the writing of this book, but theres something about it that fell kinda flat for me. It all seemed very surface level to me. But the writing makes up for that, i feel