Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

Release Date: June 18, 2024

“‘Living in the shadows of someone else means you’ll never realize your own potential.’”

.•°°•..•°°•..•°°•..•°•.🐉🗡️⚙️🌊.•°°•..•°°•..•°°•..•°•.➷

Of Jade and Dragons tells the story of Aihui Ying, an eighteen-year-old girl who longs to follow in her father's footsteps and become an engineer. However, after his murder, Ying finds herself venturing to the capital of Fei for a different reason: to discover her father's killer and get revenge. Ying must disguise herself as a boy as she seeks to further her knowledge of engineering and her father's past and, most importantly, find his killer within the deeply sexist Engineer's Guild.

I was so excited to pick this up, and it first caught my eye because of that gorgeous cover! This book certainly did not disappoint- it is filled with unique characters, mystery, and creative concepts, all set in an intriguing world.

Of Jade and Dragons immediately captured my attention and sucked me in. The world that this story is set in is well thought out with unique customs, and the author did an amazing job painting it in my head, especially the city of Fei.

The characters were one of the biggest things that stood out to me within this book. They are unique, well thought out, and the author did an excellent job building and shifting their relationships with each other. Ying was one of my favorites: she was everything I wanted and more. She's intelligent, creative, witty, curious, and an incredible main character in general. One thing that I also really liked about her was that she wasn't too gullible. Ying wasn't immediately trusting or naive- she was alert, careful, and thoughtful. While she did pick up on many things that, if this had been written differently, she might have overlooked, she did not come across as the all-knowing heroine who faces no problems. I enjoyed reading about a sharp and intelligent heroine who doesn't let her guard down easily. I also enjoyed how this affected her relationships- the author did a nice job of taking a guarded and cautious character and slowly letting her open up.

When it came to the smaller but obvious details, Ying was hard to fool. But when it came to the mystery itself, I was pleased to find that the author had managed to pull off tricking her main character (and me) without having Ying be the typical "oh my goodness, how did I miss that" kind of character. While Ying did have a moment like that, there was clearly more to it than that, and it added to the complexity of Ying's character- this revelation that Ying hadn't noticed played into her values and what she had been hoping her life would become (I won't say any more on this to avoid spoilers!).

I also really liked the other characters, particularly Ye-Yang and Ye-Kan. I enjoyed learning more about Ye-Yang throughout the story, and the author did a nice job sprinkling little details about him that led to more intrigue and questions. I also loved reading about his and Ying's relationship and watching it shift.

Ye-Kan was one of those characters that you just hate at the beginning, but by the end, he's one of your favorites. His character development was beautifully done, and his and Ying's friendship blossomed beautifully. I'm very curious to see how the author builds on their relationship in the next book.

Ying's main goal in this book is to discover her father's murderer, and she makes that very clear in the beginning. However, most of this book did not feel very focused on that. The middle of this book is more focused on Ying's current situation trying to become a member of the engineer's guild and the trials she and the other apprentices must face. While discovering her father's murderer is still touched on, Ying makes very little progress on it during the middle of the book. It almost felt like the plot and Ying's goals had shifted- instead of trying to discover her father's murderer, she was more focused on passing the tests and becoming an engineer. I didn't find it boring, it just felt like the main focus of this book had changed.

There were also some parts of this book that I found confusing. I had a hard time understanding the political system and the ranks of different characters, but I think if I read this again it would make a lot more sense. It didn't make the story hard to follow, I was just confused at times.

While I did highly enjoy the characters in this book, I had a hard time connecting with them. The characters did have flaws and weaknesses, but I felt like they weren't deeply explored enough and touched on by the author to make them relatable. I still cared about them, I just had a hard time connecting with and relating to them.

The only other problem I had with this book was the action. It was good and it could be exciting, however, I felt like the characters had an easy time getting out of tough situations. There wasn't a moment where I was like "oh my goodness, I can't imagine how they're going to get out of this". I especially felt this way with the climax of the story. The consequences of it felt more internal and focused on Ying's thoughts and feelings as opposed to affecting her actual position in life and society.

Despite the flaws, this was such a fun read and a fantastic debut. I'm so grateful I've gotten to read this masterpiece before it comes out. But I feel confident that even if I hadn't stumbled upon this on NetGalley, this most definitely would've been a cover impulse buy! I really enjoyed the characters, concept, and plot of this story, and especially how Ying showed everyone that not just boys are capable of being engineers. It makes me so happy to see more and more stories with women in STEM, especially not just white women. I cannot wait to read the second one, and I'm looking forward to seeing this gorgeous book out on the shelves in June!

This was everything that I was hoping for from the description, I was engaged with the idea of a silkpunk fantasy novel and thought it worked overall perfectly. I could see the elements of Mulan in this book and thought it worked well overall. I was invested in the characters and how they worked in this universe. Amber Chen has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more from her.

ARC provided by the publisher— Penguin Group— in exchange for an honest review.

I think the best way I can describe this book is.. mid. I enjoy the good old mulan take where the girl goes undercover, and the writing was simple enough to read in one sitting, but nothing really spoke out to me. Ying wasn’t a character I was able to really connect with, despite loving some of her characteristics I didn’t enjoy the others at all- this being a commonality with the other characters. The origin of the romance was confusing as well. It didn’t feel like anything new which was somewhat disappointing.

Dazzling and damn good, OF JADE AND DRAGONS may end up being one of the best YA debuts of the year. I’m calling it now: Amber Chen is *the* YA author to watch. Her writing style is shatteringly gorgeous, and her skill for intricate world-building is unmatched. I loved every last bit of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers for an ARC.

In this Mulan-inspired historical fantasy, Aihui Ying wants two things: to uncover the truth behind her father’s murder and have a shot at an apprenticeship at the renowned male-only Engineer’s Guild. For a chance at both, she disguises herself, takes her brother’s name, and ventures off her tiny island to Fei, the main city of the Antaran Islands to face new enemies, new friends, and new feelings.

I missed reading standalones. I didn’t expect to be reading a standalone. I thought this journey was going to be long and winding, both for Ying and for readers. I am very glad to be incorrect on that account. Though I found the beginning a bit exposition-heavy, I do suppose that is to be expected in any fantasy novel. I applaud the author’s masterful weaving of historical and fantastic aspects, giving it an East Asian steampunk vibe that I very much dig. The accompanying love story was compelling to the very end, giving enough to keep this romance reader interested without taking away from the strength of Ying’s personal journey.

This book will be released on June 18, 2024 with this VERY gorgeous cover art, and it certainly will have a place on my shelves.

Thank you to Penguin Group and Netgalley for the e-ARC. I enjoyed Of Jade and Dragons. I absolutely loved the Mulan vibes throughout this book. We follow our FMC Ying who just watched her father, clan chieftain be murdered. Ying recovers a pendant with a dragon from the assassin who killed her father and her father's notebook which he tells her to burn. Upon discovery, Ying takes the pendant to her brother Wen who is next in line to become the next clan chieftain. Wen tells Ying it's basically a waste of time to figure out who murdered their father. Above all, Ying wants to be an engineer like her father. However, slight problem is the Engineer's Guild does not allow females. Ying disguises herself as her little brother and begins her journey to try to get into the Engineer's Guild to see what she could uncover about her father during his days in the guild. While traveling to the guild, she run's into Ye-yang who is a young prince. He vows to keep her secret about being a female if he could sponsor her to get Ying inside of the Engineer's Guild. Ying's father is very well respected, however other masters still harbor jealousy/mistrust toward her father which in turn throws some heat onto Ying during their tests. Eventually, we find out the pendant belongs to one of the guards to the High Commander and Ying wants to find out if he really killed her father and why? The fact that this was the Amber Chen's debut novel is amazing. The plot, politics, romance, everything was so well fully thought out.

Such a beautiful cover. I definitely enjoyed this one. It was a fun magical system and I loved the ride.
3.8

Of Jade and Dragons is a fun, imaginative fantasy take on the classic Milan story and author Amber Chen brings a vibrant and interesting world to life and crafts an intriguing new spin on the legend.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I loved:
🔧The academic setting. I am a sucker for academic settings and I really enjoyed this aspect.
🔧The Mulan inspiration and plotline.

Other than that, I was less than impressed. My minor issues stem from this being a classic YA novel with a naive, whiny, and overall young FMC. I know middle school/high school me would have loved this. Adult me? It was easy to get through, and I was curious enough to see it through to the end, but I didn't love it.

All of the characters needed more development. I didn't connect with Ying. Her father dies at the beginning, and I don't recall her ever mourning. She was also incredibly rude to her friends and never apologized and expected them to forgive her, and they did. Ye-kan, Chang-en, and Ye-yang were all pretty one-dimensional. I would have loved more depth. Why is Ye-Kan so abrasive? Why is Ye-yang such a tortured emo boy? Other than Chang-en being a golden retriever best friend, what else is there?

Also, the romance between Ye-yang and Ying was confusing. I didn't understand what he saw in her. She was this naive, whiny child whilst he commanded a military. It didn't make sense.

I also felt the pacing wasn't great. I loved the academic setting, but wished there were more trials. In between the trials the book got boring as not much tended to happen. The ending also came on fast and resolved extremely quickly. It felt too easy.

There were also a lot of forgotten characters and lose ends. One such being Arban, who introduced as an antagonistic schoolmate for Ying. And then he had like 2 scenes that were inconsequential and completely disappeared by the 75% mark. Master Gerel was also introduced as an antagonistic professor and that fell flat. The mystery wasn't as prominent as I'd have liked it to be and took a backseat to the academics until the very end. Not to mention the lose ends at the end, but a lot of its spoilery so I don't want to get into it. Plus, some might resolve in a sequel but I felt most made more sense to be resolved in this.

I went in with pretty high expectations as there is a rumor that this is a book box pick, but I was not impressed. Nothing felt new. There was nothing here that distinguished this from any other book in the genre. I felt the main character had too much to focus on, i.e., the murder mystery, academics, politics, romance, and the threads were lost, or at least not convincingly woven back in. I wanted to connect with the characters, I wanted to be wowed by this story, and it really fell flat to me.

Of Jade and Dragons was awesome! This book was a pleasure to read! In the story, we follow Ying’s quest to solve her father’s murder! It leads to the prestigious Engineers Guild, which then Ying disguises herself as her younger brother to gain access! Women are not allowed, so she must tread carefully in searching for the killer!

Amber Chen did a wonderful job with the character development in this book! I loved the mystery “who done it” aspect as well, which kept me on edge! The role of a strong female characters like Ying was very refreshing and inspiring! The romance subplot was very interesting and I hope the author expands on it if there is a sequel!

My only gripe about this book is that the chapters are really long! Personal preference, but I wish they were broken up a little more bc it was a struggle for me to get through some of them! But overall, the book was amazing and I can’t wait to get a special edition of the physical book!!

Big THANKS to NetGalley and Viking Books for the ARC of this book for an honest review!

Excellent and powerful female main character! A wonderful addition to young adult fantasy with everything you could ask for

Of Jade and Dragons follows Ying, who is determined to solve the mystery surrounding her father's murder. When the trail leads to the Engineers Guild, Ying must disguise herself as her younger brother to gain access and continue her search for her father's killer.

This was a delightful YA debut from Chen! I enjoyed that Chen was able to create a beautiful world without it being overly info dumpy. Ying was also an incredible lead. She was intelligent, strong-willed, and was true to herself the entire novel. I enjoyed the fact that she wasn't naturally good at all the tasks presented to her, but rather had to work hard to keep progressing. The ideas in this book felt so fresh and i appreciated how light the tone was considering some of the themes of this book. I also loved the romance subplot and am so curious to see where it goes if there is a sequel.

My only issue with this book was the long chapters. I wish the chapters would have been shortened since they all had natural page breaks throughout where the current chapter could have ended and a new one started. That is nit-picky though.

Overall, highly recommend this book and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Viking Books for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!

Ahhh the ending of this book had me. This whole entire book was so beautiful and interesting. The book originally caught my eye because of the reference to it being like Mulan, which is my favorite Disney Princess movie. However, as soon as I started it I knew the book was unique to itself in an amazing way that I loved. The coming of age story of a strong young woman was so inspiring. Thank you Penguin publishing for an ARC of this book.

4 stars ☆
⤿ arc review
tropes: friends to lovers

of jade and dragons is everything i wanted in a ya mulan retelling! i cannot believe this is chen's debut novel, i read this during a break in school and i simply could not put it down, an immersive feeling of clarity while living in a beautifully crafted world. this book follows a girl, ying, who disguises herself as a boy and goes on a journey to the engineer's guild, solving challenges only the bravest can attempt. she must unravel her father's murder and the culprit behind it, befriending a prince who might have malicious motives of his own. i believe this was inspired in a Qing Dynasty setting (hopefully i got that right because i am sadly very uneducated) but the world building was minimal, and rarely was there any sort of confusion. you may sense a hint of glee in my tone and that is because ya fantasies always go too far with this, and that is something i get very frustrated with. sometimes, it's easier to give the reigns of the imaginary world to the reader themselves!

ying is such a strong female main character, fierce and stubborn, unwilling to leave her father's legacy behind, uncovering a variety of clues. i loved reading about her thought process, the author wrote the engineering mindset brilliantly, and the behind-the-scenes look about what goes on in her mind while coming up with something insanely creative was so cool! i think she's so inspiring for future women in stem and i would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about that, the romance is just a bonus <3

ye-yang, the mmc, is complex, i still don't know what to think about him. again, i have this urge to reveal everything and just scream about all the spoilers and why my mind is spinning but i won't. instead, i'll say that these types of characters are my favorite, ones left up for interpretation. are they good, are they bad? is their moral compass broken? perhaps there's a little bit of tragic backstory lingering that i simply cannot wait to learn about. to be quite honest, i wouldn't be surprised if there's a sequel, not because there's too many unanswered questions, but because i think the story can still seamlessly continue. whether or not it's a series, of jade and dragons is a ya book that i will keep close to my heart ౨ৎ

a little side note: the cover designer of this also created "spin the dawn," and i love both of these so so much, framing both of them as soon as possible!

thank you to amber chen and netgalley for the arc ♡

This was an enjoyable read, but nothing astonishing. The plot was interesting and the characters were compelling enough, but I didn’t feel emotionally invested in the story. I think it would have benefited from a little more character development and just overall more detailed writing. Something just felt missing. However I really liked the mythology aspects!

"A lamp can light up the darkness around you, but a story lights up the darkness within."


Aihui Ying. The chieftain's daughter. The high commander. Airships. The Cobra's Order. The Antaran territories. A loved one taken away too soon. Revenge.

The setting is very academic, a trial focused story set in a Asian backdrop including many other candidates - few of which we actually meet, and I would forget at times it was more than the few I heard of in the developing story line.

I adored the little details. The airships. The passion behind the work. The anger and the hesitation and uncertainty at the budding relationship - fragile and new and unbalanced, shaken further with a lie.

A mysterious leather bound book. Ayangya, lightning, her fierce white mare. Sea-bound pirates. A dragon pendant.

The Engineers guild, apprenticeship trial. Chimeras. Dance of A Thousand Flowers. A journal, memories of her father. A murder.

One goal. Become an engineer. Blades. Blood. Rings. A broken heart. Greed. Corruption. Condors. Wishes. Yearning. Beautiful, would definitely recommend 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!

This was such a delightful read that I couldn’t put down. The beginning was slow, but once I got deeper I had to finish it in one sitting. I loved the writing style of this author and was constantly wanting to know what came next.

Ying is such a well written strong female main character. She’s fierce and stubborn. I loved how the author wrote the engineering side of things and how Ying thought through different problems. I enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the book and discover the answers to her burning questions.

Ye-yang was also an incredible male lead to go alongside Ying. He was complex and at times a mystery, which was a joy reading. He was both infuriating and lovable in the best ways possible.

My heart sank at times reading their story, and other times I was cheering them on. I would love to see a second book for these two and see how their relationship would develop. I’d also love to see how Ying fares in new challenges if there was a second book. Overall I’d give this a 3.75 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen is a fantasy adventure read that takes place in an Asian-inspired, steampunk aesthetic world. Our main character is Mulan-coded and is passionate about following her father's footsteps to becoming a great engineer and joining the Engineers Guild.

This vibrant story definitely leaned heavily into the YA fantasy genre with a sprinkling of romance subplot. The worldbuilding was light and the story kept a fast pace throughout. I definitely found myself wanting to learn more about this lush world the author created.

Overall, I gave this three stars because I liked it, but I didn't find myself in love with it. I kept waiting for there to be more layers and depths with the characters which kept me from becoming attached. However, I think that if you like YA fantasy adventure and are looking for an easy story to dive into, this is the book for you.

✨ 3.75 on the star scale for me.✨ The book starts out strong. From the first chapter I was intrigued. A young girl who disguises herself as a boy to try and solve her father's murder heads to the Engineer's guild. Ying finds a way to join the Engineer's Guild through Ye-yang; number 8 to the high commander. She faces betrayal and heartache through her journey. Definitely gives off some Mulan vibes. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review this eARC. I truly enjoyed the book. I will definitely be looking out for the next one in the series. I can’t wait to see what happens.

It has a beautiful cover but the setup of the book needs some work. I was perplexed about where the book even began and I am sure this is because of it not being finished yet. But the digital copy needs better spacing and clearer-defined chapters. I also feel like I could have used some backstory. Because of these initial issues, I wasn't drawn into the story but it did seem to have detailed writing and an interesting premise. I might be interested in a finished version.