STRONGER THAN A BRONZE DRAGON hooked me with the promise of mechanical dragons and kept me reading with the driven Anlei and interesting worldbuilding… for a while, before ultimately falling a bit flat. While I enjoyed reading the book in the moment, it didn’t stand out enough to be memorable afterward for me.

The heroine, Anlei, held so much potential. I admired her drive and ambition, and wanted to see her succeed. Yet she fell very much into the special snowflake category of YA fantasy heroines where she’s special compared to everyone else. I’ve had enough of not-like-other-girls, especially when paired with a lackluster romance subplot and “we must defeat the great evil!” It’s not a BAD plot, just one I’ve seen over and over lately and can’t muster any excitement over.

That said, I finished STRONGER THAN A BRONZE DRAGON in record time and it was certainly entertaining enough to keep me interested from start to finish. And I would read future books by the author, especially if we get to see more steampunk worlds and blending interesting elements together.

While the concept of this story was enticing, it just didn't "hit the mark" for me. I love dragons (although they weren't represented in the way I anticipated), the steampunk factors were present. Nothing in the plot really stood out to me or was memorable for that matter.

While I enjoyed this book, I can’t say I love it or that anything stood out to make it really stellar. Unfortunately it really didn’t fully grab my attention until after the halfway point, as the beginning half felt rushed at times, then slow, and really the pacing was just off, overall. The second half was much more engaging and interesting, and had some fantastic twists!

A good story, for sure, just not quite enough to keep my eyes glued to the page.

I grabbed this novel because of the steampunk aspect and of course dragons!

With that said, I was left a little underwhelmed. When doing steampunk, I feel authors must give it their all and more as it’s a concept that’s very hard to perform well. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me here.

I also didn’t like how the adventure the MC goes on lacks the adventure itself. The plot skips a lot of it which took away from the story rather than boosted it.

It’s no small secret that I love steampunk. I’ll pretty much read any steampunk book I can get my hands on because there’s not a lot of them, and when I find one? EXCITEMENT. Which is what I was filled with when I found out about Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon. Steampunk is usually pretty white so I was excited for this diverse steampunk story! Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out quite how I expected it would.

My first qualm with Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon was that there was not enough steampunk, and the steampunk that was included wasn’t… very steampunk. Yes there were automata and copper things and flying ships but that’s just not enough for me when it comes to steampunk books. I need a bit more, and Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon definitely had the room for it because for a book with a title referencing the bronze dragons… they weren’t in the story very much at all.

Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon is a journey book, meaning the main character, Anlei, leaves her home pretty close to the start of the novel and sets off on a journey to aid this random guy she just met in hopes that their end goals will align and she’ll get what she wants. I’m usually a fan of journey books because they can showcase a lot of character development and/or relationship development. Unfortunately Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon relied on skipping the journeying and going straight to the next point of action. So it was more like a journey book of Big Events without the actual journey. There’d be passages to tell the reader that Anlei had travelled for x amount of time, and then she would arrive at the next Big Scene. I felt like the author may have wanted to jump to the exciting bits but the thing is the exciting bits aren’t exciting without the build up.

There was definitely a case of instalove in Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon. The book only covers a very short amount of time and I must admit I didn’t really believe the declarations of love at the end. I wanted more. Or less, actually. I would have been fine if the characters had just been like: hey, I really like you. That would have made more sense because even though they’d been through a lot they didn’t really know each other all that well. And I don’t think finding love is the be all and end all of a journey, either. I know some readers might have been annoyed if these characters hadn’t professed their love but I, for one, would have been happy with just an acknowledgement that they’re keen on each other and want to get to know each other better.

Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon certainly sets up the possibility for a sequel but if I’m being honest I’d probably give it a miss. There were times when I really had to push myself to finish this book, which I wouldn’t normally do, but because I had been so excited for it I felt like I owed the book a complete read. In the end I’m not entirely sure it was worth it.

© 2019, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

This book was an okay read for me. I loved that it was action-packed and I loved our heroine. The storyline was good, but I felt myself unable to connect with the story as much as I wanted to with this kind of a world. I mean steam-punk, action, dragons, you’d think it’d be right up my alley.

I definitely enjoyed the read, but I don’t know that it would be one that I’d read again. Recommended for those who love fantasy and dragons!

Review copy provided for coverage consideration in Book Riot - I ultimately did not cover this book.

Things I Liked:

✑ Haters-to-Lovers trope with lots of snarky banter (snarky banter always gets me)
✑ Dyslexia Representation!!!
✑ Action, action, and more action! There are a lot of great action sequences + an epic quest to the Courts of Hell
✑ China-inspired fantasy + steampunk elements + robot dragons = the coolest concept ever

Things I Liked... Less:

✑ Clunky conversations and awkward pacing
✑ THE INFODUMPING IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE
✑ The fantasy/steampunk elements didn't mesh together well...it felt too forced. I love the concept, but not the execution
✑ Many characters were flat and underdeveloped
✑ Ibsituu was too much of a fix-it-all character (Ex Machina)
✑ Anlei didn't really grow or develop that much as a character, I feel like?

Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan had a lot of potential, but ultimately failed to impress for me.

I liken it to Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

It’s my favorite kind of ice cream.

If the option is available, I get me some Mint Chip wherever I go.

I grew up in the US and have lived here most of my life. But for a time, I lived abroad in Australia. By and large, I love Australian food and to this day miss my beef sausages and chips.

But there’s one food item in Australia I can’t stand.

You guessed it, it’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

I don’t know what it is. But every brand I’ve tried, every milkshake I’ve gotten has done Mint a serious disservice. It doesn’t taste like the wonderful dessert it is in America, but instead takes like toothpaste.

Yuck.

Normally, I love Asian-based fantasy. It’s actually one of my favorites.

From the first time I read Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman I’ve been in love with Asian Fantasy.

I just finished Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and fell head over heels for it.

I so very much wanted to like Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Much like Australian Mint Chip, it had the appearance of something good, but a very off-putting flavor.

More reviews at https://tlbranson.com/blog/

Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon Review

The story begins with our main character Anlei.

Anlei is a very awkward girl. We begin the scene with her as a fierce warrior, and unashambedly so. This is not Mulan where she has to pretend to be a man in order to fight. She’s a warrior woman, and her village is okay with that.

Anlei has stepped forward to protect her village from the spirit-monsters called Ligui.

It seems like we are going to get a very strong, independent character like Celaena Sardothian (Throne of Glass) or Katsa (Graceling).

What we really get is a self-absorbed whiner who is too quiet for her own good.

But I get it. I’ve read enough Asian fantasy. I know the culture. Women are often seen as inferior. Which is why so many Asian fantasies involve a woman disguising herself as a man.

I get it. I do.

But you can’t buck that tradition by openly being a rebellious warrior type and then silently submitting the next moment like all the fire and gusto is gone. It was so flip floppy and very off-putting.

If you’re going to be sly and sneaky, be sly and sneaky. If you’re going to be brave and strong, then be brave and strong. Own a personality type and stick to it.

Misplaced motivation

But personality isn’t the only thing to suffer indecision, Anlei’s driving motivation changes with the wind.

One minute she’s willing to marry a guy old enough to be her father to save her village and do her duty. The next she’s wanting to save someone else’s village to the detriment of her own, and the next she wants personal glory.

But it’s that last motivator that really gets me.

Over and over Anlei moans about becoming famous and being a legend. She fights this battle and that person all to become a legend.

When she should be worrying about staying alive or saving her traveling companion, Tai, from certain doom, she’s instead worried about her image and how history will speak about her.

Uh…really? Saving your village is a better motivator. Let’s stick with that.

And she does at times.

Cause Anlei goes right back to wanting to save her village once all the high pressure is gone. But in the heat of the moment, personal glory is all she cares about.

But that’s not all folks.

This sweet, little, scattered brained girl has a sadistic side.

At one point Anlei lands a very good hit in with her sword and blood sprays in her face. Yes, it’s written that way. Blood sprays in her face.

Guess what she does.

She laughs with glee.

I’m not joking. That’s how it’s written.

Anlei revels in blood in her face rather than being disgusted, repulsed, or experiencing remorse for what she’s just done. Not even a shred.

The two distinct images I got of Anlei reading the story was like night and day. Either Anlei suffers from multi-personalities, or Fan didn’t truly understand her character and couldn’t peg a personality type for her.

A Great Story

That’s not to say it’s all bad.

Many of the story mechanics were great! I was surprised by a turn of events on more than one occasion, and the level of foreshadowing in Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon is second to none.

The hints here and there and the nuggets of information that is dropped all lead to a very satisfying ending.

The world, while a bit forced for the story’s sake, is well planned and well executed.

The only blemish on and otherwise fantastic plot is once again the characters, who, moments after discovering something, go on to forget it less than five minutes later and stare dumbfounded at a similar, but larger problem.

As the reader, I was screaming for them to remember what they did just two pages earlier, but they did not. And then it suddenly hits them five pages later after they’d tried everything.

Not so bright there guys.

Some Final Comments

I received an ARC of Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon and my final comment might just be a result of the version of the ebook I received, but the story ends pretty abruptly.

One moment we’re seeing the aftermath of events and the next we’re in the epilogue a few days later without any clear indication of a break.

It was rather jarring, but the whole ebook I had didn’t have any chapter breaks. My only indication of chapters was the first letter of the chapter was missing. No such signifier existed for this ending issue.

The writing at times felt overly simplistic, yet fun and airy at the same time.

It’s a good read. Don’t misunderstand my moaning. Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon just fell short of the high expectations I had going into the story.

Out of principle, I never rate a book lower than 3 stars. The author put a lot of hard work into writing the story, and I commend Mary Fan for a great plot and tale.

If I can’t at least give it a three, I won’t review the book. The fact that this review exists is testament that Stronger Than A Bronze Dragon is a story worth reading,

3/5 stars.

Sadly I didn't finish this one before it was archived, and I regret that I didn't get further into the story. However, I was finding it hard to be drawn in by what I did read. I don't know why, exactly; I'm a big fan of steampunk, and the world was super interesting, albeit a bit underdeveloped for my taste. I also wasn't quite connecting to the characters. I'm still giving it 3 stars though, because it's definitely well-written and I'm sure it would have stuck with me more if I'd managed to finish.

As a Chinese kid, I rarely found myself represented in books, and Stronger than a Bronze Dragon really stood out to me because of the fact that it was a Chinese-Inspired fantasy written by a Chinese author. I fought tooth and nail for a copy, and wasn’t disappointed!

At the start, like many people, I felt like some of the characters fell into the common YA trope—there’s the not-like-other-girls main character and the pompous love interest, but as I continued reading, I noticed how complex their personalities were and how their motivations weren’t cookie-cutter YA leads. Granted, I am a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope (especially if it has a lot of snarky banter), but paired with the great action sequences in this book, I was really sold…at the start.

As the novel progressed though, I felt like things started to fall apart. It wasn’t bad per se, but it seemed very awkward and the pacing itself wasn’t the best. One of the character arcs was finished and closed in the first third, and then another was introduced way too soon. Personally, I think it may have been better to lengthen it and get readers more immersed within the plot, maybe use the other pages to expound more on the characters. Not to mention, all the twists and turns were revealed in the last third of the book, and all in all, the writing style didn’t connect with me.

I think I personally found this book to be three stars, but I had to take off half after the book ended the way it did. The romance would’ve been better had the characters remained friends at the end instead of getting together romantically after only a few weeks of knowing each other.

Despite these less than stellar notes though, the mix of Chinese culture and steampunk was badass. The blend between machinery and magic in Stronger than a Bronze Dragon seemed as if it was seamless, and it really stood out especially in the final battle. The dyslexia representation—according to readers who have dyslexia—was done really well too.

Overall, I think this had a lot of potential! Had this remained in the editing process for about two more months, I believe this would’ve been a full five star read.

Stronger than a Bronze Dragon went from promising, to boring, to intense and exciting.

Science, Magic, Revenge, Adventure and a Strong,
Complex Main Character with a Heart for Her People
Stronger than a Bronze Dragon immediately drawn me into its story with its easy-to-read writing and an action scene. Then came the mechanical dragons, cyborgs, automatons, spirits, demons, ghosts talking to people, magic, a remote village and a magical pearl and my heart just got more excited. A female fighter revenging for his father and protecting their village as a main character sealed it all together. It was a cool concept, I was just amazed immediately and held on tight to a promise of a great adventure.

Anlei, the main character, she is a strong, highly skilled, female fighter with a heart for her people – which was a strong reason enough for me to love her immediately. She knows her goals, disciplined, and just deeply cares and loves her family. What I love most was her reluctance to submit to the misogynistic traditions in their society. Yet, she also knows her priorities and chose to sacrifice. I hate that she had to. But the fact that she did, makes me admire her resilience and bravery and deep love for her village even more.

But there’s still more to her than that. She loves her people and willing to sacrifice for them BUT at the same time, she’s willing to risk her village to fulfill her dreams of becoming like the Warrioress and slaying evil. She’s also sympathetic and chose to help another person to save his people. She’s a complex one like that.

I also liked Tai. He’s charming, good-natured and though he was a thief, had to lie, and sometimes cocky, he has just the same good heart like Anlei. He wants to protect his people as well and just as committed and passionate about it as her. They have similarities but at the same time, their personalities contrasts. I also liked their chemistry, loved their interactions, and enjoyed all those banters.

I also really liked Anshui, Anlei’s sister. She has an amazing talent. I admire her intelligence when it comes to inventing, as well as how thoughtful sister she is and I really always looked forward in her appearances in this book..

Insta-Crush, Just Boring, Lack of World-Building, I Need Answers
The downside for me, occurred mostly right at the middle of this book.

Somewhere around 45% to 65% into the book, the sort of “climax” for their first adventure started when they finally got into Mowang’s place. I was shocked because I was so looking forward to that yet I was so bored that I even almost fell asleep. It was only the mysteriousness and cockiness of Tai that kept me entertained at this point.
And then I started to dislike Anlei. Her superhero complex, turned into something different for me. Loving her people to the point of protecting and sacrificing for them is one thing, wanting so badly to be the heroine of others’ story and even think of stealing other people’s quest of heroism for her to be known as the heroine of the story is another. At some point she became really hungry for glory and for people to sing her name as the hero. Her pride also went too high up.
The insta-crush is… errr. I found that “confession” scene awkward (understandable), unbelievable and seems like just popped out of nowhere. I like that this wasn’t romance heavy but, I would seriously be glad to trade the insta-crush with a slow burn romance. I mean, they’re literally strangers, but embarked on an adventure with the goal of saving both of their people, the chemistry was there, and I can just imagine how good it would be. Yes, they said the words “I love you” at the end BUT STILL, it did’t feel like a slow burn. I didn’t even feel anything burning, tbh
I found the world-building lacking. At first, I was really in awe of the world being introduced but as the time goes by, it just like… vanished. (If that makes sense to you) I literally went, “where’s the world-building???” along the way.
Viceroys mysteriousness was there from the very beginning but I felt like it also flopped in the long run. It was like he’s only there for the sake of the plot twists. I didn’t truly know him except that he’s the crazy, power-hungry and dangerous villain.
Intense, Insane, Beautiful… Book Redeemed
About around 75% of the book, I felt like it regained its momentum. Everything leading up to the very end was either intense, insane, beautiful, or at least two, or all at once. I loved all the elaborated action scenes. And I was really really satisfied by its ending.

My irritation towards Anlei I felt at the middle vanished. Her determination, strong heart and fighting skills made me remember why I admired her from the very beginning, and she gained the glory, as well as the happiness – and the safety and recovery of her village – she truly truly deserves and hard-earned. She literally went from being a Dailan Guard, to a bride for a bargain, to an adventurer out to help a stranger save his people, to a Warrioress who saved her own people and others, to a daughter who finally avenged her father, and to a woman who found love and is looking forward for more adventures of her life.

And the twists, among the many of them throughout the story, there are only 2 that I was not able to predict.

OVERALL
Though I think it failed to deliver at some point, I still really enjoyed Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon. Stronger than a Bronze Dragon is about a strong, badass female fighter and her quest to glory and being the woman she wants to be, loving, protecting, sacrificing and saving your people, avenging a father, science and magic, oppression and power-greediness. It also has those intense action scenes that might keep you at the edge of your seat.

This was truly such a fun, fascinating and proudly Asian read, and absolutely refreshing! My review can be found in the link attached: https://libraepaintspages.wordpress.com/2019/06/16/stronger-than-a-bronze-dragon-blog-tour/

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Stronger than a Bronze Dragon is an enjoyable and inventive Chinese-inspired YA fantasy with gaslamp/steampunk elements. It's not particularly deep, but it's a really fun and fast-paced, and has plenty of action and romance - I read it in one sitting, and it's a great adventure story. A great read that would suit the lower end of YA, or those looking for a good romp and a change from the dark, slow-burn trends popular in YA at the moment.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book because it was set in China and it seemed to be a story with fantasy and steampunk elements. I was so excited to read it. So I went without any expectations and well, you can't be that disappointed if you didn't have high hopes in the first place. It really saddens me that this book was not as good as it could have been.

Anlei has been raised as a warrior-acrobat. She lives in a small village that is constantly under attack of these ghostly beings that kill its inhabitants. That is why she and other women have armed themselves to defend their people. Until one day in the middle of an attack, the help arrives with the powerful Viceroy Kang and his army of bronze dragons. With the promise of protecting the village permanently, he demands the legendary River Pearl, an ancestral treasure of the village and a woman in marriage. Anlei is chosen against her will to seal the deal. <b>When she prepares to give up her life to protect her family and her people, a young man named Tai steals the pearl from the Viceroy's palace and Anlei will go after him to get it back.</b>

When I started reading this, I couldn't help but think about Inuyasha's anime (remember the Shikon pearl? I DID!). <b>At first I thought the history would go a very different way, but it quickly turned into an adventure in which Anlei travels with young Tai and discovers secrets and fantastic stuff along the way.</b> I was not going to give up that easily, so I kept reading but soon I realized that many things were bothering me and I was not enjoying it that much.

The fantasy and steampunk elements were really underdeveloped. They felt not that well integrated into the story. For example, the bronze dragons (it is in the title of the book, by R'hllor's sake) and it did not have the importance that they deserved.<b> The book also leaves its Chinese atmosphere and wordbuilding very stale and dry, which was a major turn off for me.</b>

<b>The characters.. well, they felt kinda flat. I didn't dislike them but I didn't like them either. </b> After a hundred pages, I assumed I had a total disconnection with them and that that would not change. Anlei was a bold and strong-willed girl but I did not feel any genuine interest in her problems. Tai was a tolerable character that with more development would have been a lot better. The villain, well, his personality was non-existent and the other ones just appear for a couple of pages and that is it. Anlei and Tai are the main ones and well, they didn't quite convince me.

I think the mail issue with this book is that the pace is so quick and lets-go-to-places-and-stuff-happens there are no moments for the characters to really grow. There was a plot point towards the middle of the book that is solved and the book could have perfectly ended there, but then it continues with something else and that is quite frustrating because it feels very unnatural. And the romance. Well, it is quite instalovy and I could not care for it at all.

I know I sound very negative here, but the book really needed more editing and work to be great. There are really good scenes (the demonstration in the plaza I could say) and the book has good moments sprinkled here and there. The writing style is quite basic and also has certain mentions of words in Chinese (sometimes it was a bit confusing).

In the end, Stronger than a bronze dragon would have been a good Asian inspired steampunk fantasy book if the pace was not over the place and the characters had moments to breathe and grow. It has a bunch of good ideas that do not mesh together and that's why it doesn't feel natural. I think it had great potential and it saddens me that did not deliver. I will be looking forward to Mary Fan's books in the future though. I want to see what she brings next.

I thought I would love this one more than I did. Stronger than a Bronze Dragon was shaping up to be a great read full of dragons and a steampunk fantasy. Unfortunately I just couldn't connect to the story or to the characters.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

'Stronger Than a Bronze Dragon' is a new young adult fantasy full of adventure and excitement. The main character, Anlei, is completely badass. She's just as tough as the men - if not more so - and not afraid to hide it. She definitely lives up to her warrioress name. She was a complex and realistic character with plenty of strengths and faults. I loved getting to know her and watch her change and grow throughout the story. I really enjoyed seeing her relationship with Tai begin and then change as well.

The world building was incredibly well done. The author used detailed descriptions along with vivid imagery to really bring Anlei's world to life. I wanted to know all about the different villages, the politics, the history, the people - the author made it seem so complex and fascinating. I felt like I was right beside Anlei throughout the entire story, which only added to the excitement and quick pace of the book. Another thing I absolutely loved about this novel was the bits of steampunk sprinkled in throughout the story. The mechanical bronze dragons, airships, pistols, and so many other items that revolve around the steampunk theme were included in the book and I loved this extra addition to the story and think spices things up. I do have to mention writing style, since it's a huge aspect of a book for me. The author uses the first person point of view with Anlei as the narrator. I absolutely love that she wrote the story this way. I always seem to have a stronger connection with the main character and an overall better reading experience when this writing style is used. I think it fits perfectly with the story and was the icing on the cake for me. I highly recommend this for fans of YA fantasy, adventure, and steampunk.

Stronger than a bronze dragon is the Asian steampunk fantasy I did not know I needed in my life. Full of action, spirits, mechanical dragons and adventure, I couldn’t stop myself from devouring it.
I loved the main character, she was strong but also vulnerable. I did cringe a little at the romance but its not given much focus so it didnt really affect my reading experience. There was also a bit of info dumping here and there. The action scenes where so well written, it was like I was right there fighting along with her. I feel this book woulf make a good movie.
This book has made its way to my best fantasy books of 2019 list. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who loves reading fantasy books. It is a Chinese-inspired, steampunk fantasy with a fierce heroine, mechanical dragons, well-written action scenes, spirits, and a complex plot that will keep you guessing.

Really enjoyed this one! I can appreciate the joys of publishing an own-voices novel, and reading about the folklore and retelling from this cultural standpoint was engrossing. My only issue was that main characters seemed to fall into well associated tropes, such as ‘all action main character ‘ and ‘arrogant love interest’, however I still found the novel very enjoyable.