The Dragon Queen was a powerful depiction of the struggles of Korea as a nation, long in the past and in current times. In this story a strong Dragon Queen emerges, with wonderful ideals and many struggles to overcome adversity. Carried over to today, with Americans negotiations, the message is conveyed in a most unusual way. Thank you NetGalley for the e-reader review copy. All opinions are my own.

US diplomat Nate Simon is sent to Seoul to find out why someone sent the president an ancient, carved comb with an ivory inlay of a two-headed dragon. Embassy aide Anna Carlson is the one who shares the extraordinary story of Korea’s last queen, Queen Min. Seoul, 1866. The beautiful orphan Ja-young is chosen to be the child bride of Gojong, Korea’s boy king. Highly intelligent but shy, Ja-young faces a choice: she can be a stone queen—silent and submissive—or she can be a dragon queen and oppose enemies and empires that try to rule Korea during the age of imperialism. Her choice leads her to forge a legend that will endure far beyond her lifetime.


The short review...

I don't find many books I'm interested in about Korea so I was really pleasantly surprised when Evelina @ Avalinah's Books suggested this book to me.

Right out the gate I've got to clarify a little about the story... The Dragon Queen at its heart is a historical fiction dramatizing Korea’s last queen's rise to power and the legacy she leaves behind. It's framed in this contemporary setting to give you a reference of her effect on modern-day Korea but it doesn't do much for the story, its basically social commentary. To me it was thin and I wasn't much interested in that aspect anyway so I was glad it wasn't developed more. To a reader looking for a nice balance between historical and contemporary you won't find it here. Still Ja-young's story totally drew me and I was quickly rooting for her.

I've studied different periods of Korea's history but hadn't really learned anything about this historical figure. I could imagine a lot of what the author explored actually happening... the powerful women of Korean History actually went all out and rivaled the men when they were able to consolidate and hold onto their power. I could really appreciate the people she had around her and who supported her as she worked to be a dragon queen. While this ends more realistically than happily I quite enjoyed the rise and fall of her life as she overcame the difficulties that plagued the people of Korea during this time.


Cover & Title grade -> C-

This is an indie book so obviously this cover is doing the best that it can without a ton of investment... I feel like it could totally be a photograph of Anna or Ja-young and both works to hint at the story. To be frank though I think highlighting the historical nature of the story is was more important... with an Asian motif cover showcasing vector art of the comb that caused the story to be revealed would be so much better!! Sure its about an actual historical figure so a photograph works in the sense that its saying... based on a true story, but readers who will want to read need to be drawn in by the emotions of the story, not the facts.


Why did I find The Dragon Queen story so compelling?

-The Making of a Queen.
The first part of The Dragon Queen follows Ja-young as she goes from orphan girl to a bride. Korea is cut off from the modernity of the 1800s and still follows old-fashioned traditions that will sink them if not changed. This is what Ja-young walks into and its a struggle she will battle her entire life.

-The Politics of a Dragon.
Queen Min's duty is to have an heir. Without this political clout she can easily be put out to pasture. At the same time she is struggling to combat her wily father-in-law who rules through his son, her husband. She deals with a weak man whose word is absolute law in Korea but who is connected to his father with a tie that binds.

-Pottery and Listening to the Spirit of a Thing.
The most fascinating part of the story... there is this underground group who works for Korea's good that Ja-young becomes embroiled with. For a time she leaves the palace and gets a taste of what a regular life may have been like. It's quite a poignant turning point for one where she recommits to the commitments she's accepted.


How do you feel about taking a historical figure and dramatizing their life?

One of the most powerful movies I watched as a child was about Mozart. I was enchanted with this movie and would willingly come and watch it with my mom. I wanted to know what actually happened compared to what we saw. Was he really so talented? I felt for the other composer who envied him so much.

The Dragon Queen very much read for me as did this Mozart movie. It brings up questions and ideas that fit quite well with reality yet this is obviously not exactly what happened to Ja-young. I think when a story allows you to experience the plight and struggles of those you wouldn't otherwise know you are richly rewarded for reading about them even if it isn't totally true to what happened.

The Dragon Queen is about a woman WAAAAAAYYYYY before her time. She had vision and truly wanted to work together with those is power to make the best country for her people. As a poor orphan she wasn't so arrogant and blind that she couldn't see the plight of the common man and she is one reason why Korea was able to maintain their status as a separate country! Truly a fascinating look at a historical figure.

Entertaining and informative, as this is a fictional account of real events.

This book is told very beautifully and sharply. We will look at the past history of Korea that has connected with the present. For me, this is the perfect way to enjoy a fictional historical novel without getting bored at all. Even I like addicted to this book, from the first page to the last. So first, you have to look at the synopsis of this story. And since the first page, we will meet with Nate Simon who went to South Korea to get an overview of the current situation in Korea. Then what happened was beyond expectations. The reader was brought back to Ja-young’s time on October 8, 1895. At that moment Nate has also been carried away with various feelings for wanting to meet his wife, Jin-ee.

The story created by Andrew Williams makes a very interesting story and easy to learn. This story might get boring if it is just filled with the past. But the way the author makes plot back and forth really becomes an interesting idea. At a certain moment, when the reader gets bored with the stories and past atmosphere when Ja-young is alive, then suddenly the story goes back to Nate’s story. All the images in the story are made accordingly with a true story based on the year of the incident. All of us will know about Queen Min’s story from Korea. The narrative in this story is told in a straightforward and easy to understand the language. This lets us know if the author might have planned this. The various characters in each story really stand out.

Obviously, I cannot find the flaws of this novel. You have to feel it by yourself. Especially, if you are a connoisseur of Asian history like me. All parts of the plot, story, and character in this novel make us feel alive at that time. The horrible ending is made like the peak of a story that cannot be described again with words. I am truly amazed at the end of the story and very grateful to Andrew Williams for writing this book. This story is beautiful and poignant, and this story is worthy of being enjoyed for all Asian history enthusiasts. Definitely, you will read it from the first page to the end. I cannot tell if this book is fiction or nonfiction. The present and past times that occur in the characters in the story are as directly related to each other. The description of the story between Nate and Ja-young has a clear boundary, this is what makes the reader understand easily. The plot in the story is very interesting and there are unlimited ideas in it. It’s really awesome. #TheDragonQueen #NetGalley

This is an interesting format for a historical book - it's both fiction and not really fiction at the same time. With short interludes about the present day, the author tells a fictionalized historical tale through one of the characters. If you like historical novels or memoirs about Asia, you will enjoy this. It's sort of a mesh between the two, except, of course it's not a memoir, because it wasn't written by the queen herself.

Anyway, the present day parts act mostly as an afterthought, a setting for the historical bit - the tale of the last queen of Korea. And that is one epic tale! I truly enjoyed it. The novel being built as a tale told by someone in the present does not distract you from the historical parts at all. The writing is unassuming, it reads as something between fiction and nonfiction, and that's good - and with just the right amount of politics not to be bored.

However, I feel like perhaps I would have enjoyed this story more if it was set solely in the past, without the interludes from the present, but they also have their meaning in this book. I believe the author wanted to raise awareness of the fact that many Koreans want Korea to be one nation again - as hard to believe as it might seem to us in the Western world.

The Dragon Queen's story is definitely worth hearing!

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange to my honest opinion. This does not affect my review.

I had read [book:Daughters of the Dragon|20925858] by William Andrews and I thought it was outstanding. It is one of my favorite historical fiction reads. So when I saw The Dragon Queen, I didn't hesitate on reading this even though historical fiction is usually not the genre I read. The story is told over two timelines, present day Korea and Korea in the 1800s. It was a beautifully told story about Queen Min's journey. Not as powerful as the the first book but still as captivating. Another phenomenal read about Korea's history and culture.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for supplying me a copy of William Andrews' "The Dragon Queen" in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a fantastic book. From the very beginning I was invested in the story and found it easy to settle into the flow of the writing. This book is split into two perspectives; first we follow a US diplomat in the present day and then we also follow the story of a queen of Korea during the 1800's. Although I enjoyed both of the perspectives, I did find Ja-young's more compelling. I loved reading about this time period as I didn't know a lot about it and I found it really interesting to read about. I definitely plan to find out more about this time period and queen. The characters are all well written and complex, and the relationships between the characters were well developed. The plot is compelling throughout, which made this quite a quick read for me because I was so absorbed in the story. Once I'd started reading I didn't want to put it down. Overall this was a great read and I would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you enjoy historical fiction.

Really well done historical fiction. Korea, no doubt partly because of the Olympics, has been the subject of numerous novels in the last several years. Andrews' earlier book- Daughters of the Dragon- is one of my favorites. Although there's a dual time line with one foot in the present, this really is about the 1866 section and Queen Min. What a fascinating woman! You'll learn a lot about Korean history and culture along with getting a good story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Having read Daughters of the Dragon a little while ago I was very excited to read this new novel which continues the story of the dragon comb.

The story is revealed over two time-lines, present day and Seoul in 1866. The opening introduces us to a US diplomat Nate Simon who is sent to Seoul to assess the situation on the Korean peninsula. Nate, familiar with Korean language and culture is by no means an ‘expert’ on Korea and knows little of its history. Tired and somewhat confused on his arrival he is bemused to find that an embassy aide, Anna Carlson, has subverted his mission and held him in secret. Moreover she knows about the mysterious carved comb with the inlay of a two-headed dragon that has been sent to the President of the US and Nate’s task to learn more about the comb and exactly what it means.

Anna then begins to narrate the history of Korea’s last Queen who as an orphan was selected to be the bride of King Gojong whilst his uncle acting as regent holds all the power and controls Korea. We then witness Queen Min as she matures and determines to be the Dragon Queen to steer Korea between the imperialist threats of China and Japan.

Beautifully written, the characters of Queen Min and her husband, King Gojong shine through the narrative. I was totally immersed in their story and through this came to a greater understanding of Korea’s position. As for Nate and Anna – I was never particularly interested in their story – just wanted more of Queen Min and her life.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Fascinating.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.