"Sometimes fate tore loved ones apart. Sometimes it turned rivals into brothers."


What do you get when you mix Henry VIII, Netflix's Cobra Kai, and Marvel's X-23? I would say you get a story pretty similar to this one.

I was a bit hesitant going into this book because although I have absolutely loved Fonda Lee's works in the past, some of the reviews for Breath of the Dragon didn't sound very promising. I am happy to report that any doubts I had as to the magnificence of this story were quashed by the time I finished reading this ARC.

When the story reached its apparent climax, far before its ending, I expected things to take a left turn but that is not what happened. Reading this felt like reading multiple books in one but without the plotholes.

Jun grew so much from the beginning of the book to the end. So did several characters. Although this is a coming-of-age story featuring a teenage protagonist, I would say this is a great YA book for those who tend not to enjoy YA. Do the young characters sometimes make you wish you could shake them? Certainly. However they aren't portrayed as typical teens to the point of being annoying which is not something that can usually be said about YA novels as a whole.

Looking forward to reading the finished version of this book.

Thank you NetGalley & Wednesday Books for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this one! After reading Jade City by Fonda Lee last year, I was thrilled to see her releasing a YA fantasy. If you're feeling a bit intimidated by the Jade City series due to its length and complex political landscape, Breath of the Dragon is a fantastic starting point.

Fonda Lee has a vivid way of crafting characters that you immediately fall in love with, making you truly care about their journeys from the very first page. Jun, the main character, is incredibly fun to follow—he's arrogant and impulsive yet lovable at the same time. Watching his character development throughout the book was a real treat, and it has made me even more excited for the rest of the series. I appreciate how Lee doesn’t make things easy for her characters; they fight, struggle, almost win, and then fight again. It keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Breath of the Dragon strikes the perfect balance between action and politics, featuring one of my favorite elements: a competition! The story masterfully weaves together key fantasy elements like fight scenes, training, competition, and political intrigue, which makes the book feel fast-paced and keeps you constantly engaged. While it’s obviously a fantasy novel, the magic system is straightforward and easy to grasp, so much so that you sometimes forget people have magical abilities at all.

I’m actually sad that I read this ARC because now I have to wait even longer for the next book in the series!

This was pretty darn good! I love a good training arc. It was a bit slow paced for my liking. I feel like I got about half way through the book before I really got into the story. But once I did, I had so much fun with it!

The writing style was nice, and flowed well for the reading experience.

This was so much fun and such a delight. I can’t wait to be able to recommend this to some of my students! It’ is definitely something to look out for.

Thank you to NetGalley & Wednesday Books for this eARC!

It has been quite a while since I've read a YA fantasy, and this book did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the story. The writing was clear, but I do think there could have been more subtext. There were certain instances where it felt like I was implying something or reading the threads laid out before me, only for the dialogue or explanation to spell it out anyways, so that was a little frustrating. I do think this has to do with the book being YA though!

The pacing in the beginning left a little to be desired, it did take until almost 40% for me to feel really into it, but I wouldn't say the pacing is bad by any means.

Personally, I love a good training arc, but I do wish the "Breath" component that Jun was being taught had a little but more to it, or harder rules I guess. The explanations were a little fluffy and vague, meaning I still am not exactly 100% sure why learning to control his Breath gave Jun such an advantage? It felt like his control was hanging by a thread for parts of his fighting as well.

Breath of the Dragon was excellent. I really enjoyed the growth of the main character and the immersive world the authors created. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and look forward to seeing where this story will take us.

I have read the Green Bones series and this book is right up there with them. You can't tell that two authors wrote this book and it is the perfect read for a fantasy.

A family split apart, one half goes to the East and the other half goes to the West, and a tournament at the end. This is the fantasy version of The Karate Kid merged with the Hunger Games.

I see this book doing great and is definitely a great read for fantasy enthusiasts.

Thank you #NetGalley #BreathOfTheDragon

(3.5/5) Breath of the Dragon is essentially a martial arts movie in book form and is very enjoyable because of it! We follow Jun, a skilled martial artist who wants to prove himself by becoming the Guardian, but to do so, he must disobey his father’s wishes and run away with Sifu Chang, his new teacher, and Ren, Sifu Chang’s mysterious daughter, to compete in the tournament to become the Guardian.
The fighting scenes were very detailed and fun to read, and I loved reading how Jun improved his fighting skills and watching him succeed in the tournament. I didn’t love Jun as a character—at least in the beginning—and some of the characters do feel a bit shallow and archetypal, but since it is mainly focused on the action, it’s not that important. The pacing dragged a bit in the middle as the group is traveling and Jun is training, but it picked back up when the tournament started. Overall, a pretty solid fantasy read, and I’m excited to see where the story goes!

This saga is written in the same style as The Hunger Games, but it is not a knockoff trilogy. This is a story of a nation divided following the disagreement of two brothers. We follow Li Jun's quest to show his father and his country that he is a worthy Guardian of the Scroll despite not being genetically gifted. His family, much like his country, are torn apart while Jun is a child. He and his father make a way for themselves without knowing the fate of their mother and Jun's twin brother. We follow Jun's training, his escape from humble origins and his fight for what he considers glory. The goal is to win the Guardianship Tournament, and this competition is as exciting as it is fierce. The tournament is not the end, though, but a new beginning for Jun and for the country. This is an exciting trial, where there is literal danger coming from every direction, as well as hidden allegiances. The characters are rich and multilayered. The interactions are fun and exciting. There isn't a lull in the action from the moment Jun decides to leave home. I read this book very quickly and am excited to grab the next in the series!

This was a great book! The story line was really great and it was very unique! The writing was great. Would highly recommend!

This was an excellent, engaging book that truly lived up to my expectations! Thank you for this book.

This was a good book! Shannon and Fonda Lee worked well together and created a masterpiece! I go into books written by two authors cautiously, because I can often tell when some scenes were written by one and others by the other. But not in this case. I appreciated the love for martial arts and Bruce Lee in this book, and I love that it is a love letter to Shannon's father's life. The characters were lovable and felt very real. This would have been even better as an adult, but I understand why it was written as a YA, considering its themes and messages to the reader. I will be looking out for the sequels release in 2026 (crazy!).

I'm giving this one 3 stars! Both authors lend a lot of skill in making this world come to life. The concept of being breathmarked is very neat. I liked discovering the unique abilities. I'd be interested in finding more information about Bruce Lee's technique and fighting style as the only thing I was familiar with was the punch. Ya know, THE punch. If there were more references/ties to reality then I sadly missed those.

Following Li Jun as he is forced through a brow beating (pun intended), world shaking, whirlwind of a coming-of-age journey was at times frustrating, since he was a self-centered kid, but I think it was done fairly well. When you're young you don't understand politics and the levels that people will go to have a shred of power. Our protagonist gets a rude awakening every step of the way.

There were a couple moments in the novel I felt that it was pulling towards a reveal only to have it go off in another direction, which wasn't bad, but I was a little disappointed in the reveal. The main one deals with one of the competitors at the competition.

Thank you Netgalley for lending the arc. Looking forward to seeing how the journey ends in the next one!

Thanks to netgalley & the author for the ARC of this book. Reminds of the karate kid but so much more graphic & gory! I fell in love with “the little dragon” & ren! Now I hope there is more in this world or with these characters.

How does Enter the Dragon crossed with Bloodsport sound? If you are like me, it sounds fantastic, and I absolutely loved this book. It is marketed as YA; the protagonist is a teenager but this doesn't read like the often-insipid YA that's inundated the book world.

In this world, there's a country that was split in two in the not-so-distant past. Think N/S Korea if it had happened long before the 20th century. The split was over power: a magical scroll that gave legitimacy to the ruler was split in two with the rebels taking half and forming their own land. This is where Jun was born, but he was unfortunate in that he gave away that he knew martial arts when he was a child. In Jun's birth country, it's forbidden to learn martial arts unless you are breathmarked with a patch of scales like a dragon's on your body. Jun and his father are banished since Jun's father taught him these arts and they are forced to leave Jun's mother and twin brother behind. Jun's twin is breathmarked and that means that he is fated to become a student in the one school that teaches these skills in this country.

After Jun and his father are banished to the other side of the wall, they find that martial arts are seen much more casually. Jun joins a school himself and works singlemindedly so that he can enter the tournament that allows the winner to become the Guardian of this country's half of the dragon scroll. He wants to be the best.

The tournament takes up part of the book and it's a lot of fun, with its colorfully named participants with their different styles. There's also some political intrigue which I think will come to the forefront of the next book, some romance, some tragedy.

This book sucked me in and I sped through it- I can hardly wait for more of this story!

I’m not one to give new fantasy books a try, but this description really grabbed me and sucked me in. I’ll definitely be staying connected with these authors so that I can read their future works. And I’ll definitely be recommending this book!

This was a wonderful read! This book follows the protagonist, Li Jun, who is separated from his twin at a young age when it's discovered that his brother is born with something called a Breathmark—a trait leaving a person with dragon scales on their body, and special magical talent, which seem to be different for every Breathmarked individual. But while his mother and brother go on to live in renown, Jun and his father are banished for the study of martial arts. Ten years later, Jun wants to win a tournament that will allow him to be the next Guardian, a figure that will give him power and renown as well, much like his brother.

Breath of the Dragon is an amazing fantasy read, with detailed worldbuilding and interesting politics, all while being largely focused on martial arts. There’s not much of a focus on romance in this one, but there are a lot of found family aspects! I was also really excited to read from the perspective of a male YA protagonist, which I don’t see so often.

The beginning half of this novel is a little slow and hard to get into, and tends to prioritize fight scenes. Yes, I knew that this novel would be about martial arts, but some aspects of the fight scenes feel repetitive at times. Despite this, the scenes themselves are written very beautifully, so I can’t complain TOO much there. Still, just be aware that a large portion of this book is fighting/martial arts scenes and description.

This book really picks up around the midway point as more information about the characters, the tournament, and the fantasy politics get introduced or elaborated on. These aspects are what largely what kept me unable to put the book down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

Breath of the Dragon is a fast-paced, action-packed adventures with feisty characters, endless twists, and really solid worldbuilding, both in the magic and the politics. My experience reading it is like watching a blockbuster movie. It starts with a bang, hooks me to the characters and the world. And it gets me to root for Jun, the protagonist, which is an impressive feat for a YA book. There is a very nice character arc for him, where he subtly and smoothly grows more self-aware, cautious, and intelligent. His best quality, though, is that he feels strongly about every relationship in his life, which makes his interaction with other characters very dynamic throughout the story. The prose is vivid and impactful, especially in all the fight scenes, of which there were a lot, because the authors clearly know what they are writing this for. Overall, it's a solid YA fantasy, and I had an absolute blast reading it.

One thing I wish I get more of is the side characters. There are many characters who weave in and out of his life over the course of the book. But other than Yin Yue and maybe Ren, I don't have a clear picture of them, and that makes it a little bit hard sometimes to match his emotions. I suspect, though, that maybe some characters are left mysterious for some sensational reveals the sequel, which I'll definitely look forward to.

*Breath of the Dragon* by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee is a thrilling tale that blends action, magic, and emotion into a captivating story. Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving himself as a warrior in the prestigious Guardian’s Tournament, hoping to win and restore his family's honor after a past mistake led to their banishment. However, his father forbids him from participating, believing Jun’s lack of a breathmark—a symbol of special abilities—means he has no future as a warrior.

Undeterred, Jun takes matters into his own hands and stows away with performers heading to the capital where the tournament is held. What starts as a quest for personal redemption quickly turns into something much bigger, as Jun discovers that winning the tournament might be the key to protecting not just his own future, but the fate of his entire country.

Lee and Lee have crafted a rich and immersive world, filled with intense battles, high stakes, and complex characters. Jun’s journey is one of self-discovery and courage, and his determination to prove his worth despite the odds is truly inspiring. The relationships he builds along the way, especially with Chang and Ren, add warmth and depth to the story, making it more than just a tale of competition.

The action sequences are well-paced and exciting, keeping you on the edge of your seat as Jun faces challenges both physical and emotional. While the story may follow some familiar tropes, it does so with a fresh energy that keeps it engaging and enjoyable.

*Breath of the Dragon* is a fantastic read for anyone who loves stories of underdogs rising to the occasion, filled with magic, martial arts, and heart. Jun’s journey is one that will resonate with readers, reminding us all of the power of perseverance and the importance of fighting for what you believe in.

This story felt both familiar and fresh at the same time. An oversimplified comparison, but it was like The Karate Kid meets The Green Bones Saga meets The Poppy War, but in a YA setting with a 16 year old main character who actually acts like a teenager. Take the underdog in a fighting competition aspect of The Karate Kid, and fuse it with the light magical elements and political intrigue of the Green Bones Saga, and sprinkle in the training discipline and corrupt government plots of The Poppy War.

The colourful and vivid descriptions of the fight sequences were masterfully done. The characters and disciplines were inspired by Bruce Lee and his teachings, and it is very apparent in the writing style. It is fast paced, there is no real romance, there’s teen angst, there’s convoluted politics amidst civil strife presented from both sides, and there’s a teenage boy who just wants to be the best martial artist in the country thrown into the middle of it all. I love the idea of the Breathmarked and their abilities, and I am so eager for more.

This book ticked a lot of my fav boxes (tournaments, travelling on the road, found family, Asian fantasy, political intrigue, and unique magic systems), and I can’t wait to see how the series continues.