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.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars
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Do you love a reluctant hero? Because I love a reluctant hero. Especially when that hero is unconventional. Sai is the owner of a slowly failing tea room and is taking care of his ailing mother. He’s also a fantastic matchmaker - why? Because he can see the red threads of fate that connect soulmates. He’s soft and sweet and stubbornly clings to his goals regardless of the dangers and his lack of skills in… well pretty much every physical aspect. Sai was an amazing and super fun main character to read - and absolutely hilarious when he finds someone he didn’t think he would find and becomes absolutely smitten with them.
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All three of the main characters really grew on me - even the grumpy and jaded Jyn (she had good reasons okay!). My one qualm is that I enjoyed the Huntress, Feng, so much as a character that I actually wish she had been more involved in the plot. She does play an important role at peak moments, but I kinda wanted to hang with her throughout the entire book cause she was so great. (Perhaps maybe even as a throuple? 👀 - but that’s wishfulness on my part lol).
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The Last Dragon of the East is a great adventure fantasy with fated ones, grumpy and sunshine, and an unconventional MMC that hooked me from the first page. I definitely recommend checking it out.
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And look! We have another Canadian author we can support! Heck yeah!
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Hisses & Kisses 🐍
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*I received an eARC from Simon & Schuster Canada, S&S/Saga Press & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

The premise of this The Last Dragon of the East, a quaint, young teashop owner being wrangled into a quest that causes him to run headfirst into his soulmate, is delightful. The execution of the plot less so.

I believe my biggest problem with this book is that everything is very convenient. He conveniently gets the necessary medicine, conveniently decides to stand up to guards despite otherwise being painted as cowardly and timid, conveniently gets arrested, and so on until he conveniently finds the one he needs, and then his soulmate just swoops in and they go on their merry way together finishing off the journey. The lack of obstacles, slow pacing, and odd character work all took me out of this story and I did not like it as much as I had truly wanted to. I think my concern with the characterization work is that Sai is less a fully realized character and more a list of tropes tucked into a robe—there's no consistency.

I do think that there are people out there who will enjoy this. I think the world building is lovely, and I did enjoy the way Kwan tied myths and the past into little snippets littered throughout the book. I think some will enjoy the pacing and the way this reads as more of a merry adventure, and I think that many will enjoy the romance. I just personally could not look past the convenience of the plot and the character work to fully immerse myself in this novel.

The Last Dragon Of The East was so different than anything I’ve read recently! The descriptions were rich and beautiful. I loved the elements of Chinese mythology and legends included in the story. The main character Sai can see red threads of fate between soulmates. Right away he was charming and witty, and wanted to help others even when he put himself in harms way. I didn’t feel like we got to know the MFC Jyn’s personally as well as we did Sai. If we had I feel the romance could have been more impactful. Having her POV might have helped with that!

The first part of the book felt light hearted and funny, I almost expected more of a cozy fantasy adventure. It takes a turn though before long and there’s quite a few darker more violent scenes to follow. Some really caught me off guard I’m not going to lie😅 A lot more action than I anticipated, but the scenes were well written and easy to visualize. There were a lot of unique fantasy creatures described throughout the story too!

If you’re looking for something a little different, check this one out! I enjoyed it. I see so much great storytelling in Katrina Kwan’s future and I’ll be interested to read her next book!

**Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada|Saga Press and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy to read and review! All opinions are my own.**

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

First off, this book has so many things I love: Asian mythology, red string and dragons 🐉. Seeing Sai use his ability and all the different threads was so interesting and one of my favourite parts. Also the mythology of the dragons was written so well and I loved it. Then the romance and their connection was just so cute.

Overall, highly recommend this book if you love the red string myth.

This was such a lovely book to read! A great mix of fantasy, legend and a hint of romance, I found it incredibly enjoyable to read!

This book follows Sai, a young man with the gift to see the crimson threads of Fate, and helps people find their fated partner. While this job brings him joy, his own thread is grey. After a run-in with a group of the emperor’s soldiers, he is tasked by the emperor to find the last dragon known to exist. This task sets him across the empire, and brings him closer to discovering his own fated partner, as well as some answers to why his thread is different from everyone else’s.

This story was not always what I expected, but surprised me with some twists, and very engaging writing. Sai is a charismatic young man, but struggles at times with the other characters around him. Throughout his journey, he holds to his convictions, and chooses the honourable stance, even when it leads him to battles where he is often outmatched. This book does lean into the romance-fantasy genre more than other books I tend to read, but it’s a light enough romance to be incredibly enjoyable!

I received an e-ARC of this book from Simon and Schuster and NetGalley, thank you so much for the advanced edition! All opinions are my own.

The Last Dragon of the East is a romantasy book based in Chinese mythology. Sai is a teashop owner taking care of his sick mother. He also has the gift of seeing the red threads of fate that connect soulmates. What follows is an adventure into far off lands to find a cure for his mother and follow his own thread to his soulmate. But when those two goals oppose each other, will he follow his head or his heart?

I found this premise super interesting, and a book will always intrigue me if it has dragons. I did find the story a bit slow from the 15-60% mark as I wasn’t sucked into this universe and was annoyed by Sai. Then the story took a horror type turn that truly scared me - it was written so well! Katrina Kwan writes many scenes involving battle, pain, and body horror that were so well done it gave me visceral chills. Afterwards, I found Sai and Jyn’s journey much more interesting as secrets unfolded and the initial premise of the story gave way to an ancient grudge and hunt.

This book stands out from other Asian based romantasy books I have read recently with its unique reading style and flow of storytelling. There is some spice, but it is written more vague and flowery than explicit. I would recommend this to fans of romance or fantasy books who are looking to try out the other genre!

Personally, I find language and tone to be an incredibly important part of a narrative. While it is rare for me to be so disturbed by syntax that I will actively dislike a book, having your language and tone properly compliment the story you are trying to tell is often something that pushes a book into four or five star territory for me. The fallout of this is that you can have the most imaginative, sprawling epic ever, but if there is a disconnect with the authorial voice it will always seem less than or at best, average. Unfortunately, this is what befell The Last Dragon of the East.
Speaking plainly, was this novel an enjoyable read? The short answer is yes, but that does come with a caveat that I know I will forget about this book in a week or so. The reason I am bringing this up is because I feel that The Last Dragon of the East could have been so much more. It has all the building blocks for a really amazing fantasy: lovable characters, a quest, intrigue, clear character dynamics and motivation. What stops it short is the incredibly simplistic and far too contemporary language that disrupts emotional engagement. The fact the wording in the book feels like it would be at home in a modern setting pulled me out of the story. As such, I could never really fully immerse myself in the world building.
Overall, would I still recommend The Last Dragon of the East? Probably, if I knew someone really enjoyed Chinese inspired fantasy. For me, I will likely pick up another of Kwan’s books before I render final judgement on whether I like her writing style or not.

The Last Dragon of the East follows Sai, a young man who can see the red strings of fate that link soulmates together. Sai's relatively peaceful existence is upturned when he is forced to go on a quest to find the last living dragon to save his ailing mother - though what he finds instead may change his world forever.

This premise seems lush and romantic and epic. And it is, to an extent. There's a grumpy x sunshine romance. There's dragons. There's Chinese mythology. It feels like I'm reading items off of a checklist. That's largely what the reading experience was like, to be honest.

TL;DR: TLDOTE is fast-paced. It's TOO fast-paced. The rest of this review will be as fast-paced as I found the book:

Events occur in rapid succession without any time to breathe or develop the characters beyond their most basic traits. There's a number of violent/dark events that don't have any gravitas because the book simply moves on from it in the next chapter. The romance relies heavily on the use of the "reincarnation/we-love-each-other-in-every-lifetime" trope, in combination with the two love interests being able to feel each other's emotions through their shared red string of fate. I felt no investment or interest in their relationship. The villain is as one-dimensional as it gets; his backstory essentially boils down to "mmm money and power good, I am evil now". The plot is painfully predictable, yet Sai's internal monologue is so purposefully dense in an attempt to prolong the mysteries that it becomes frustrating to read. The ending is rushed. Jyn's character is strangely bipolar. The descriptions of the setting and the mythology are engaging and vivid, but the dialogue and (again) Sai's internal monologue feel juvenile and lacking substantial depth. The cover art is gorgeous. That is all, thank you.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

10/10, immediate 5 ⭐️, no notes!


It’s been a very while’s since I have finished a book in one sitting, but this one takes the cake! It was an absolute pleasure front to back and I would love to erase my memory just to read it for the first time again. I love a mythology retelling as much as the next person, but this was just so beautifully written, I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.


Thank you so much for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected. I was taken aback when I started it and realized it was told from the perspective of a ML which is so rare for books like these, however this added an interesting layer to the novel that I didn't expect. The world was crafted so beautifully and your heart really yearned for these characters. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a good read.

While reading this book, I felt like I was in the cinema watching a movie about dragons. 🐉

This story was about Sai, a twenty-five-year-old man who had the ability to see red threads that connected soulmates. But he never met his Fated One, and his thread was always gray. Until the day he was sent by the emperor to bring a dragon to him.

He found her, his Fated One. She was a beautiful woman with green eyes who could transform into a dragon. 💚

This story uniquely painted Sai and Jyn journey together, discovering themselves, fighting for each other's existence and protection. I don't read many fantasy books, but this story really captivated me.

Jyn was the last dragon, and Sai would do anything to protect her and never leave her again. But how can they survive the fight against the emperor and his great army? Nobody could help them, no one believed in the existence of the dragons anymore.

I loved Jyn's commitment, which lasted seven hundred years. She was my real hero in this book.

I was very afraid that I wouldn't like this book, because fantasy is not a genre I often read. It's a quick read, had a great story and amazing characters. Of course, there were villains but for me they existed in the shadow of these two amazing heroes.

If you like fantasy books, you will like this story. If you're not into fantasy stories, you'll still be delighted. I have a feeling that this book will stay in my memory for a long time.