Book: The Last Dragon of the East
Author: Katrina Kwan
Rating: 4/5 stars

The Last Dragon of the East was an enjoyable story with elements of Chinese mythology, dragons, and fantasy woven into it. It follows the main character, Sai, who has the unique gift of being able to see the threads of fate between soulmates - which means he is quite the matchmaker. Sai purchases a pair of dragon scales from his ailing mother's doctor, which ends up turning his ordinary life upside-down. The emporer catches wind that Sai possesses these scales, and Sai is thrust into an adventure he never expected. For the first time in his life, Sai's own thread of fate begins to awaken, and he may be able to find his Fated One after all.

I thought that the soulmate thread concept was such a unique idea to have a story written about it. I have heard of the idea being tossed around before about the invisible string or threads of fate theory - but this book brought it to life in a fantasy setting that I thought was well-written. The romance between the two main characters felt very genuine, as it was not love at first sight, and the love built and progressed as the story did.
The story was fast-paced, which I enjoyed as I found that it didn't drag on. I also enjoyed how straightforward the story was, and it tugged at my heart strings more than once.
I also enjoyed that I was able to support a Canadian author by reading this book, and it was overall a very magical read!

The Last Dragon of the East is author Katrina Kwan's debut fantasy novel - and I am looking very forward to seeing what else she writes within the fantasy genre!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of The Last Dragon of the East.

This book was beautiful, the writing was lovely and it felt like a fairy tale! I fell in love with Sai, our MMC, he is sunshine personified, he was so funny, and enthusiastic about everything and it was such a nice change of pace from all the brooding grumpy men I've been reading about in romances (which I also do love). Jyn is his Fated One and she is our grumpy, brash, heroine! She was so strong and had been through so much, she was so raw and realistic. Their chemistry was perfect, and the way Sai describes Jyn and thinks about her was so romantic and lovely, you could only hope to have a man love you like that!

3.5 stars
This story is primarily a romance. The plot prioritizes resolution of the emotional drama over the action. Because of that the plot drags in the second half, all the development occurs internally to the character and all the external action takes a back seat.
As characters both Sai and Jyn are well rounded on their own and when put together interact in a delightful manner. Sai is a good person and puts himself in danger but other times he also acts according to his own interest and the balance between the two creates an interesting character and makes him less predictable. Jyn might seem as the typical cold and aloof beauty but, without spoilers, her personality makes sens in the context of the story and takes an interesting turn as the story progresses. Their dynamic evolves at a good pace so their interactions don’t feel stale or rushed.
Where this book suffers is in the wold building, the myths that directly affect the plot are explained in detail but that is it, no other stories or variations are told. We start in a location and get enough time to get to know the characters, the history of the people and the town, but that level of detail disappears after that and the lands the characters explore become rather generic, the climate changes but all the people act and think in the same way so in the end they all feel the same. Because of this the feeling that we are on a grand adventure is greatly diminished and the pacing suffers because of it.

I really enjoyed this one.
A very fast-paced book full of interesting older characters, romance, magic and dragons.
Overall, this is probably one of my favourite retellings of Chinese Mythology.
Highly recommend.

Thank you for the ARC, however, I will say I was a little underwhelmed with this highly anticipated release. While I do definitely see the audience being perhaps younger or somewhat newer to fantasy, I tend to crave something different. Again, I definitely think there is an audience for it and I do know exactly who I’d recommend it to however for me this was a miss

I really enjoyed this one! It was a phenomenal read all around. It was very well written, with interesting characters and a plot that kept me on my toes. I was instantly pulled into this, it was captivating from beginning to end

This one started really strong for me, but unfortunately didn't hold up as the story progressed.

I loved the elements of fantasy and Chinese lore, and the MC was charming. But I found the pacing to be off, with lots of dialogue and introspection followed by rapid action scenes that were over in a paragraph or two. I can't help but feel like a few of the events could have been removed to give more space for character development. We barely know Jyn except through Sai's memories, and their insta-love was surface-level (yes, even with their seven millennia of history).

I was also confused by the tone of the book. Some sections felt almost YA in the delivery, while others were distinctly adult. The plot skipped quickly over things that would have helped to raise the stakes and keep me invested, but there were far too many magical loopholes that swooped in to save the day.

I was interested enough to keep reading, but found myself skipping sections. Overall, the story had potential but fell flat for me.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

I was over the moon when I got the ARC. Sadly, It was not for me. I found the spacing of the book to be too rushed, which made it hard for me to connect with the story and the characters. Even in the sad moments, I didn't feel emotionally invested in the book. The romance was too abrupt and too insta-love. I liked the sunshine/grumpy dynamic between them, and the mythology was interesting.

I ended up finishing this in two sittings including staying up until 1 am to finish the last 23 minutes of it. I was into this book. I love the premise, I’m here for fated mates any time but especially when there’s reincarnation involved! The whole “I’ll love you across every lifetime” thing just gets me every time, not even death can keep these mates apart forever. And I love the way the dragon fits into the story, fantastic use of Eastern mythology there.

It lost a star for me because it took too long to actually get into Sai’s quest and before he starts the quest he is kind of annoying. That gets lost fast once he’s on his quest especially once he meets up with Jyn. Once he's forced into action he becomes more confident, even if he's not exactly good at defending himself, he tries really hard. Does Jyn have to rescue him multiple times? Yes, but we love it when it's turned around so that the MMC is the damsel in distress. Sai and Jyn have a superb dynamic and great chemistry. Jyn on her own is a broken bird of a character with such a tragic backstory you can't help but completely adore her. She's such a grump the whole time with a soft spot only for our eternally sunshine-y Sai. Feng, one of the side characters, was annoying and I did not understand the purpose of her heavy-handed accent, it didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the world around them. Having her show back up again so randomly and so long after she originally exited the story was weird and really forced.

The plot was exciting and engaging. The evil Emporer demands that Sai hunt down the dragon whose scales he bought to cure his sick mother so that the Emporer can kill it. Sai is threatened with his mother's death if he doesn't cooperate. In a subversion of the usual quest trope finding the dragon actually turns out to be really easy and that's where shit hits the fan, the fun starts, and things really get going with the plot. I sort of saw the big reveal coming, but what came after the reveal I was not prepared for, and all I can say to the big bad is DAMN, WOW. Luckily they gets what they deserve.

🐉The Last Dragon of the East🐉

When I saw that this book was described as perfect for fans of Sue Lynn Tang and Hannah Whitten I was super intrigued. I really enjoy a story inspired by Chinese mythology so I was curious to see how this one would go. I’ve included the blurb in the next slide’s if you’re interested.

Overall I enjoyed this one. I really enjoyed all of the Chinese mythology included in this one. It included quite a few, even just briefly which was so enjoyable. It’s quite fairytale-like which made it a fast paced and enchanting read. Of course, I also quite enjoyed the dragon-y aspect of this one. I enjoyed the first half much more than the second half. The second half was fine but just didn’t draw me in the same way that the beginning did. The ending brought me back into the story.

While I enjoyed the main characters, I felt like Sai could be difficult to connect with at times. The story is told from his POV but I think it could have greatly benefited from showing Jyn’s POV as well. I enjoyed that it was a reverse grumpy/sunshine where he was the sunshine and she was grumpy. It totally worked in the context of this story and I enjoyed observing how the relationship between Sai and Jyn changed throughout the book. Though the concept of fated mates isn’t my favourite trope I felt like it was well done in this one.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this one. I would definitely pick up other books by this author.

Thank you @simonschusterca for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Last Dragon of the East came out on October 8th!

⭐3.5/5 stars⭐

There is just something really spectacular about Chinese mythology and this story did not disappoint. The atmosphere of this one was truly breathtaking.

Read if you like
Fantasy
Chinese Mythology
Dragons
Fated mates
Reverse grumpy/Sunshine

I loved discovering Sai’s life, he was such an endearing character, caring and selfless, it was truly a delight to follow his story. The pacing was really great, I found myself intrigued by all that was happening all the time. The story traveled places, there was action, mystery as to what secrets Jyn was hiding, super emotional moments but also funny banter through it all which made this read really well balanced.

The whole idea of being linked to your fated one by these red strings was so interesting and also moving because not all love stories are perfect, and it showed through these strings. Such a great concept to navigate.

I quite enjoyed how we learned slowly about Sai's past, bit by bit we could put it all together so that it all finally made sense. I was a bit heartbroken by it all and would have certainly wished for a bit more suffering on the bad guy part *evil face*, but that's me, when a character is the worst, they'll never suffer enough in my opinion to justify what they put me through, haha!

All in all, this was a fantastic and beautifully told story that is all about the power of love, as good and bad as it can be.

Thanks to Saga Press & Katrina Kwan & ColoredPagesBookTours for my copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

Book review: 5/5 ⭐️
Genre: folklore fantasy
Themes: fated lovers, dragons
📖 Read if you like: Her Radiant Curse, A Magic Steeped in Poison, An Arrow to the Moon

This is an original work of fiction that interweaves elements of Chinese mythology in an adventure of dragons, fated lovers and reincarnation. Sai is an ordinary son of a tea house owner with the extraordinary the gift to see the red threads of fate, helping him to play matchmaker. His own thread is a big question mark appearing grey and frayed, but when his good deed goes punished Sai is thrown into a new world with a quest to locate the last dragon of the east. Unprepared for who and what he finds at the end of that thread, this tale of revelation was magical to read.

It was a fast paced adventure with Sai falling out of the frying pan and into the fire time and time again. With all sorts of creatures roaming the lands, a ruthless emperor set on conquering all life and waging an endless war and the seeds of magic blooming it was a tale rich in both world building and plot. The love story was well developed and endearing.

All in all this one is sure to enchant those who enjoy folklore, mythology or dragons. A great immersive fantasy if you happen to be in a reading slump and need a good story to pull you out. I simply could not put down this debut and am eager to see what this author writes next!

This book gives me fairytale Asian inspired fantasy vibes and is very straightforward.

Our protagonist, Sai is a sweet and simple person who works in the teahouse and would occasionally play matchmaker to people who are fated with each other as he can see the red strings of fate. He was unexpectedly thrown into finding the last dragon when he was caught with a dragon scale which he needed to heal his ailing mother. The baddy would be the evil emperor sending him on this quest. The irony is that when he met the dragon, Jyn he was seeking, she turned out to be his ‘fated one’. The complications arise when she refuses to acknowledge the bond and they were thrown together when he unexpectedly got injured saving some villagers and she ends up saving him. Along the way, he finds out more about their shared history and together, they vanquished the emperor.

The world building is minimal as the plot moves at a fast pace with every puzzle falling into place as the story progresses. The characters introduced are what you see is what you get which also does not require much character development to build into the plot. I do enjoy the bantering and sweet moments between Sai and Jyn - it’s funny to see how Sai’s sunny personality drives Jyn up the wall. I would also like to note that there are some gruesome scenes in the book which I did not expect such as cannibalism and some gory details. I would also like to note that as the story progresses, I do find myself enjoying the read.

The downside: I find it to be tropey and very fairytale-like at some moments. It lacks the gripping factor where I can’t put the book down as I am very invested in it. At times, I just wasn’t as invested in the characters as I should be - for an adult book, there were moments that they acted “un-adultlike”.

If you are looking for a simple Asian inspired fantasy with fairytale elements - this gorgeous book is for you!

I participated in the cover reveal and would like to thank SagaPress and Katrina Kwan for sending me a physical copy of the ARC. I would also like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with the e-version as the arc was an unexpected gift that arrived closer to pub date.

There is a good story here, but the execution was lacking for me. It did not read as an adult fantasy and the plot was too easy to unravel.

I enjoyed the concept of reincarnation and fated ones. The villain was one-dimensional and not at all engaging and as for the main characters, I wanted more of their back story.

3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

The Last Dragon of the East is a fast-paced and dramatic fantasy romance debut from Canadian author Katrina Kwan. Told from the POV of Sai, a young man struggling to keep his family’s teashop afloat while also caring for his ill mother, the story kicks off quickly and sends Sai on an epic adventure inspired by Chinese legends and myths.

Our introduction to Sai and his regular life is quick and well-executed, displaying his ability to see the red threads of fate and the way the people around him react to his gift before taking us back to the teashop where we meet Sai’s mother. While his mother doesn’t get a lot of page time, the moments we do get are very sweet.

The pacing after Sai finds himself in trouble and sent to find the dragon felt disjointed until we reach the point where he meets Jyn. Once the pair are forced together the pacing begins to feel much more natural and everything begins to really come together.

As far as characters go, Jyn was the highlight for me, the poor woman has really been through it, not to mention the way Sai kept needing to be saved. I would have loved to see more of Feng, but she certainly leaves an impression regardless. I can’t help but feel that Sai is such a big dork (meant affectionately), the man has no sense of self-preservation, but he certainly means well and has such an optimistic attitude to everything.

While I enjoyed the way Kwan told the story, the violence was comically over-the-top and detracted from the story. The sheer amount of violence was heavy-handed and stretched my ability to suspend disbelief, and there was a feeling of dissonance between the romantic/myth storyline and the violence.

Overall, a solid fantasy debut from a promising author that will definitely appeal to lovers of soulmates and love stories that feel like the stuff of legend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada/Saga Press for making the DRC available to me. All opinions are my own.

Content Notes: sexual content (non-descriptive), loss of a parent, chronic illness, graphic violence (including beheading and maiming), injury detail, death, elements of war including conquest and harm to innocents, murder, attempted murder, threat to a child, sexual harassment, suicidal thoughts, cannibalism, torture

When I tell you I’m obsessed with this book, I mean it. It’s such a beautiful story full of raw emotion and interesting plot twists. I usually don’t love it when a character recovers their lost memories because it invariably changes the character substantially, but in this case, it was done so well and with so much authenticity that it didn’t feel like the characters changed but rather just expanded. Highly recommend this one!

This was honestly a really refreshing read! Somehow different from what I’ve read recently but still similar in a way.
I love stories based on different cultural stories and mythology, but sometimes I find it hard to follow along with if it’s not explained in-depth enough. But I found this to be very easy to follow along and really connect with despite not having a vast knowledge of different Asian inspired mythologies.
My only reason for not giving 5 stars is there were certain moments in the story, usually during a fight or battle, where it felt a little *too* rushed and it took me out of the story a bit.
This was honestly such a beautiful and heart-wrenching story! I would have loved to see a “traditional” HEA, but I think the way the author tied this story up was just amazing.

*sigh* I just could not connect with the main character, and the romance was strangely both too sudden and too slow. The MMC was kind of dumb and short-sighted, and the love interest kept information from him solely for plot reasons.

I really wanted to like this, but just could not. :(

This was such an emotional and beautiful journey. Things do get graphic but if you've survived Game of Thrones you should be good to handle it. I felt elements of Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, GoT, and ACOTAR. I rarely cry anymore and this had me tearing up (although that might be because I was on my period). The characters are so endearing and the book expertly sprinkles in touches of funny and mysterious. Highly recommended and is definitely one of my top reads. I now feel empty and don't know how to fill the void with my next read. It has big shoes to fill.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc! It's been my favorite one so far <3

Sai has been running his family tea house since his father passed away and occasionally helping someone find their Fated One because he can see the red threads of fate that tie people together. For a some reason his own thread dangles grey and lifeless from his own hand and he fears finding out why but when war comes he is captured by the emperor and sent in search of the last dragon, leading to all kinds of answers to questions he never thought to ask before finding her.
This was an interesting take on the fated mates trope and an interesting plot but I just never quite fully connected with the MC's as much as I would have liked and some of the side characters could have been more interesting if they had been used more instead of randomly popping up for convenience sake. But this is an early entry in the authors career and I'm excited to see how she grows into her next book.