Middle Grade, Asain Lit, Chinese Mythology, Magic, Immigrant, Belonging, LGBTQIA.

Such a wonderful and important story. Zhao really does sum it up perfectly by saying this is an intersection of “Chinese Percy Jackson meets YUGIOH!!!” I don’t usually read middle-grade books but this was fantastic for any age. It is a sophisticated tangle of so many important stories, stories of identity, belonging, of heritage, of history, of culture, of self worth, of magic and of wonder. Such a fantastic read.

Special thank you to #NetGalley, #XiranJayZhao and #Simon&SchusterCanada for sharing this digital copy, these are my honest thoughts on #ZacharyYingAndTheDragonEmperor.

Really liked the mythology information and humor. The chapter headings were *chef's kiss*. It made me really want to go and study Chinese history because I am completely clueless. The cliffhanger keeps me wanting more.

After reading Iron Widow, I knew I was going to be on board for anything and everything Xiran Jay Zhao put out into the world. This is no exception, melding together lore with history for a wonderful urban fantasy adventure that is sure to resonate with young readers everywhere. In addition to the fantastical elements that make the story so engaging, it's infused with history and educational components that get you thinking.

Xiran Jay Zhao has such a strong voice that comes through in all of their writing and I adore the passion that is infused in all of their stories. It feels as though they're pulling from their own culture and personal experiences to craft these characters into complex, multifaceted characters.

While there are rightfully comparisons to the Percy Jackson franchise, clearly Zhao's love of Yu-Gi-Oh! shines through. This book proves that while Xiran Jay Zhao is a relatively new voice in fiction and fantasy, they're a force to be reckoned with and we'll be seeing a lot more from them over the years.

Upon hearing about this book, the main thing people said was that it was great for fans of Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson comparisons are completely warranted, and for fans of that series this is definitely something you might enjoy. However, because of those early comparisons I couldn’t help but see the very similar plot lines; boy finds out he has powers to control water, mother is taken from him, has a timed mission in order to save her along with the world, etc. Particularly in the beginning I found the story to be very similar but lacked as entertaining of characters, but luckily the second half of the book has some really great twists and differs from Percy Jackson quite a bit. There were a lot of twists that I didn't see coming at all but looking back you can’t help but wonder how you missed it. And what an ending, once I finished I just said ‘wow’ because wow lol. Another small detail that I really enjoyed were the funny chapter titles, something I been missing since I read Percy Jackson so many years ago. They’re often a feature of middle grade books and they were a clever and fun addition to this book. Throughout the book, besides the chapter titles, there's quite a few very funny moments and I really enjoyed the sense of humour. I would have loved for the book to lean more into the lightheartedness and humour of those scenes because at times I felt it got very serious for a middle grade. Of course I understand that the book was tackling some very dark issues which I appreciate that it didn't shy away from, but I think that for the majority of the book it felt more dark than lighthearted and I think more balance between the two would benefit the story and pacing.
I really appreciated the amount of research that must have gone into this. Even though it is a middle grade fantasy and not a huge historical story, it has so many elements of Chinese culture, history, and myth that I felt like I learned a lot from reading this. Not only that but it makes sure to teach you about how there are many widely different cultures within China. For the most part I found that this was weaved into the story very smoothly and in a captivating way, often comparing it to things such as video games, so that it’s easier to understand. Something else that I really appreciated was how nothing was black or white, every historical figure and character and event was neither completely good or completely bad. It made for a much more captivating story and allowed more nuance to the ‘villains’.
The one thing I hope to see maybe improved upon in future books (I’m assuming there will be a sequel with the ending of this one) is for more development for Simon and Melissa. I think an unfortunate side effect of the way the magic worked in this story was that they often weren’t present as themselves in the story and so despite them constantly being there physically, you don’t actually get to see a lot of them. I would have loved more scenes with them just bonding as themselves and think it would have added a lot more fun to the story.
Overall, I think Zachary Ying and The Dragon Emperor was a really fun and imaginative book with a lot of really cool elements of history and culture intertwined into the story. While I definitely think there is room for improvement, hopefully later on the series, I think it’s a really great book and would definitely recommend it for young fantasy readers or just any fan of middle grade fantasy.

Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4.5/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Favorite quote: Listen, kid, you are always going to be different. Accept that. Accept that right now. No matter how you try to fit in, the people around you will never truly see you as one of them. Because you are not. You have your own background, own heritage, own story. You cannot earn true respect by pretending to be someone else.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a middle-grade fantasy novel deeply inspired by Chinese history. At the beginning of the novel, Qin Shi Huang attempts to bind himself to his ancestor, Zack’s, body so that he can help close a portal and save humanity. Instead, he binds himself to Zack’s headset instead.
I am reviewing this novel as 12-year-old me would have. I know she would have been totally obsessed with it. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy it now, I just know I would’ve loved it more a few years ago.
The characters in this novel were absolutely fascinating. I adored the blend of modern characters with notable figures from ancient China. As someone who, unfortunately, knows absolutely nothing about this time period, this novel provided an enthralling glimpse into the history of the emperors that appear in this novel.
As for their descendants, I found Zachary, Simon, and Melissa to be an awesome trio. Their personalities were very fleshed out. Zachary’s character arc was very well done in this novel, though Simon and Melissa’s could’ve had a bit more to them. However, this is the first book in a series (at least I hope it is, after that ending) so I will let it slide.
I cannot think of anything I strongly disliked about this book. As someone who has never really played video games, I found it a bit difficult to grasp all of the terms at the beginning. But once I figured it out, the writing style was INCREDIBLE. This book truly read like a video game, ie. action packed, dramatic, and hilarious.
All in all, this book was really good. Xiran has done it again. I would recommend this book to people who can’t wait for the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians show and need something to tide them over, or to anyone who wants to dive into Chinese history and myths alongside an extremely lovable protagonist.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-Arc of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Having read Xiran Jay Zhao’s debut YA novel Iron Window, I was more than excited to hear that they were diving into the realm of Middle Grade and get an arc that made my day!

Aside from spot-on, perfectly timed pop culture references (Leeroy Jenkins) throughout this novel, the pace, action, character development, and depth of myth and historical culture, as well as some of the best chapter titles I have encountered in a novel will keep you turning the pages right until the end.

Zhao intricately blended their storytelling of rich mythology and Chinese history into a world filled with gamers in a VR MMORPG setting - a mind-blowing concept surly to captivate a reader at any age! Throughout the novel, I found myself highlighting and Googling to find out more about the locations, figures and myths that were being written about.

I found Zhao’s take on writing about history and how we are taught and how we should see it very interesting: “Popular media has this tendency to either glorify or vilify historical figures into one-dimensional characters who are easy to wrap your head around, but I don’t agree that this is the best way to approach history, especially when talking about history to children. Kids are capable of understanding complexity. When I went to school in China, the curriculum made it very clear that the First Emperor was a terrible person but also probably the most important figure in our history ever. I think Zack’s complicated relationship with him kind of mirrors Zack’s complicated feelings about China itself. Complexity is interesting to write about!”

I am not sure what you are waiting for, but you need to stop reading this review and head to your closest bookstore and get this book!

Xiran Jay Zhao knows how to write action in such a fun, wildly vivid way that I find few other authors are capable of. There’s a whole lot of silly, middle-grade-ness about this book but its balanced perfectly with the careful handling of more serious subject matters. I know many other reviews are probably going to rave about the same things I want to rave about, so I’ll just focus on what I think is one of the biggest reasons someone should pick up this book: it does away with the misconception that Arab=Muslim/Muslim=Arab. I find that many white/non-Muslim readers, and other uneducated readers, often don’t understand the difference between those two words. Zachary is Muslim, but he is not Arab—he’s Chinese. Islam is a religion, and you don’t need to be from the Middle East to practice it. This is the perfect book for someone who’s looking for a fun, comedic and action packed middle grade book that doesn’t shy away from discussion-worthy topics, while also never losing sight of the adventure at its heart.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is fantastic. I had such an enjoyable time reading this action-packed novel. It’s filled with tons of relatable references from Chinese cultural references to North American pop-cultural references. As a Chinese Canadian, I really appreciate having a novel of representation like this. I wish I had this novel growing up because I feel like it would have helped me be proud of my heritage.

I loved how fast-paced this novel was. Right off the back, it jumps into action after introducing Zach and Simon. Later in the story, the reader is introduced to another character Melissa, and the trio is complete. Reading about the characters’ interactions with each other was hilarious. There were many moments when I laughed out loud imagining the scenes described in the story. The story does a great job of capturing what young teenagers would sound like. Of course, the references to current pop culture really helped solidify the casual and young nature of the trio.

The overall story follows the conventional structure of the hero’s journey, but it has its own unique take on it that still makes it engaging to read. The foreshadowing is quite well done and persists throughout the story, keeping me wanting to know more. I really liked how the author combined past, Chinese history, with future, science-fiction augmented reality technology. Without diving into spoilers, I thought the way the author explained how the spirits worked was super creative. I can’t rave enough about how elegant and epic the description of the spirit magic is. It’s incredibly vivid which helped easily visualize the intense battles.

I would highly recommend this novel. It’s especially perfect for people who love games, anime, Chinese culture, or adventure.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Granted, I doubt many people have had the chance to read a Percy Jackson and Yu-Gi-oh inspired novel chock full of both Chinese and pop culture references, but it was worth a mention on behalf of the utter uniqueness and creativity that went into creating this vivid story.

The writing style was simplistic yet beautiful, flowing wonderfully with an incredible cinematic quality that brought the words to life. It truly was as though the events were playing out before me, and it made for a story that was easy to comprehend despite the complicated backstory and occasionally confusing exposition. While it was sometimes easy to point out the convenience of a situation where the need for plot points and context to be told was evident, it didn’t necessarily take away from the experience and the main character’s cluelessness was tied into his complicated relationship with his culture in a way that I personally found to be very relatable and profound.

I was hoping for more emphasis on Zack’s sexuality. It was the first time I’d seen queer representation in a middle grade novel, but it felt very understated and subtle. It’s my assumption that it is something that may be built on in later instalments in the series, but I’d still have liked that particular outline to have received a little more attention.
Additionally, I didn’t always find the bonds between the main characters believable; there wasn’t enough build up and Zack always felt as though he were on the outside of the group—which seemingly was indeed the intent (and was effective in its execution) but made for little emotional impact when conflict arose between the leads.
The advice of “show not tell” is situational in literature and, in my opinion, often over/misused, but it certainly applied here. There were many instances where there were minor timeskips and the reader was merely informed of the bonding the group had supposedly done off-page, but without the chance to properly see any of that occur I found it was difficult to feel connected to a lot of the side characters, and I had little investment in Zack’s relationship with them.

For how much I enjoyed this book, I did have a hard time getting through it. I believe two factors contributed to this: The cast, and the context. Upon looking up the names of the emperors corresponding to the trio of lead characters, I learned that they appear to be cameos from Xiran Jay Zhao’s debut novel, Iron Widow, which did lead to some initial apprehension on my part regarding possible spoilers for what is one of my most anticipated reads. Now having finished it, I’m still not entirely sure if there is any intended connection between the two series’s, but I suppose I can do nothing more than hope none of the events covered in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor will come up in Iron Widow. Aside from that, I did sometimes have a hard time keeping up with the video game and cultural references, despite appreciating them greatly. It was difficult to absorb a lot of the deeply fascinating and educational material about Chinese history when it consistently appeared in such large chunks. I do think that, because of the nature of the book and the information it needs to convey in a timely manner in order to move the plot forward, it does fall victim to info dumping, sometimes to the detriment of the pacing of the plot itself. That being said, I did learn a lot of interesting things about Chinese history and myths that I’m curious about expanding on both through personal research and upcoming instalments in this series.

Overall, I’d give this book a 4/5 ⭐️ And recommend it to fans of Percy Jackson and Chinese mythology.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. I am an Indigo employee, this review contains my personal thoughts.

A fun story which seeks to engage readers who are gamers/VR lovers, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, is an enjoyable and entertaining story of a young boy who becomes the avatar of the First Emperor of China through his VR headset. Zhao reaches out in this book to second and third generation children who struggle with their identity and feel marginalised and misunderstood by their peers. The central character, Zachary, is self-conscious of his cultural differences and seeks refuge within online games. Weaving Chinese history throughout, this book will tick many boxes for parents looking for reading material for their kids over the summer.

I can see this becoming a popular series should the author continue Zachary's story. I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed 'Amari and the Night Brothers', 'Percy Jackson' and 'Skandar and the Unicorn Thief'.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor will fit beautifully onto your class' action-adventure book bins, right next to the Percy Jackson series and the culturally diverse titles that Rick Riordan Presents has published from different authors. The cover is a grabber, and the basic premise is likely to hook your gaming students.

Zach is a low-key kid. He's being raised by a single mom, and knows very little about his Chinese heritage. He's certainly not filling in the gaps at school in North America. The opening action sequence, which is a total grabber, finds him unexpectedly fighting off possession by the ghost of the First Emperor of China, and ending up with that ghost embedded in his gaming headset. When Zach's mom is pulled into the chaos, he has to jump into a mission to help seal the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld in order to save her.

There is loads of learning for the reader here, both in terms of Chinese history and legend (and the way the two intermingle), and in terms of modern history. Zach and his mom are Hui, and his dad disappeared because of his political action. Xiran Jay Zhao does their usual excellent weaving of modern themes with historical fact as the novel progresses.

Zach is an engaging main character, and his companions on the journey (also possessed by ghosts) are also well-written. The device of having Zach not as fully absorbed by his ghost is very powerful, and helps the reader see Zach's struggle with the choices his Emperor makes very clearly. This theme in the novel is one that will pull in some readers who might be looking for something beyond a straight action storyline. It works in much the same way as Percy's pushback against the "god" side of his demigod status in the Lightning Thief series.

At times, the storyline gets a little bogged down in the history, but the action sequences are amazing, particularly the ones that begin and end the book. Older readers who enjoyed Zhao's awesome Iron Widow will find lots to engage with in this books as well. Definitely one to track down for your Grade 6-10 classroom, depending on reading level.

Wow, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao is a wild ride through Chinese history, myth, and Zack's personal journey to self-acceptance and inner strength. The beginning is a bit abrupt, but it works with Zack having to figure out what to do when a Chinese emperor fails to properly possess him and he has to take off on a journey to save his mother's soul by reinforcing the seal between earth and the spirit world.

I can see the Percy Jackson inspiration, with Zack's desire to save his mother, and the water powers, but I loved the video game twist and how much Chinese history and social issues Zhao packs into the story without losing the pacing. The ending was a wild ride. I had my suspicions, so some of the ending wasn't a surprise, but there was so much in the way it unfolds.

What's so great about this book is how much Zack's internal struggle shapes the narrative. As a Muslim Chinese-American, Zack feels like an outsider everywhere he goes, but he is also a genuinely good person who just wants to be accepted and do the right thing.

Zack finds himself thrust into morally murky situations, unsure of what to do because he doesn't know the history and legends of China. He relies on his new friends, Simon and Melissa, who are also hosts for past emperors, and Zhao does a great job signalling the times the emperors take over, so I was never confused.

This book is 100% the first in a series though, and ends on a decent cliffhanger, so there needs to be a book 2. I'm excited to see where the story goes, and see Zack's relationships with Simon and Melissa develop. I did think that they were a bit flat as characters in this book, and I'd like to learn more about them.

Rating: 4.5/5

*I did receive an eARC from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

As a lover of Xiran Jay Zhao's other novel, Iron Widow, I was looking forward to their middle grade debut, and it did not disappoint. This book is perfect for lovers of Percy Jackson and Moon Knight and I would recommend it for the older demographic of middle grade.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is an action packed, historical fantasy filled with such complex twists and turns. Although filled with lots of information about Chinese history, the story was still easy to understand. A lot of the information given about all of these historical figures was done through the use of Zachary's portal lense, which I think utilised an element that had such a big role in the book very well, on top of all of its other features.

Although I cannot comment on the Chinese and Muslim representation in this, the main character goes through a bit of a journey of self-acceptance throughout this book. He starts off as the only Asian person at his school, but when he travels to China with two other characters in this story, he finds himself connections within the country but also feels a sort of detachment as someone who did not grow up in China, nor speaks the language. I believe that this kind of representation could be really important for so many people, especially the younger audience that this book is targeted towards. There is also a couple references to the MC being queer which I believe will be well explored and fleshed out throughout the rest of the series and am very much looking forward to.

Cannot wait for the sequel!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is truly a wonderful novel. It grapples with themes of "not fitting in" and also struggles Chinese Diaspora children face on a daily basis. I really loved the exploration of Zack's identity and his connection to Chinese culture. Him being a Muslim Chinese American was really interesting and his friendships and the concept of morality—of both himself and the emperors—was really well done.

However, the one issue I had with the book was the pacing. At the beginning it was quite slow and there were many instances where the writing was just not done properly, especially the action scenes. They had me rereading each line again to get the gist of what actually was happening.

But overall, Zachary Ying is a very great book, and I hope readers of Chinese heritage pick this up as I think they might resonate a lot with this.

I received an e-galley of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is such an exciting, adventurous, and surprisingly educational middle grade novel that is sure to delight all readers. In this story, we meet Zachary Ying who finds himself quickly thrown into a world where former emperors can possess those in their family lines and will do so in order to get their plans going. These plans that put Zachary's mom in danger and also it appears the gate between the living and the dead. While Zachary is able to fight off the possession of his ancestor, the Dragon Emperor, he finds himself on an incredible journey in order to save his mom's soul, and the fate of the world.

I thought that Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor had such an interesting premise. Having read Xiran Jay Zhao's YA novel released last year, Iron Widow, I knew that Xiran is an author that is able to blend history and fantasy very well. Even so, they surprised me with how they were able to bring that talent to the middle grade audience. For those unfamiliar with Chinese history, mythology and important people in its history, the novel expertly blends and weaves it into the story so that you are able to follow along, understand it all, and still feel like it doesn't break away from the plot development. Xiran Jay Zhao is an author to watch out for - for both middle grade and YA readers.

The first middle grade fantasy novel by Xiran Jay Zhao (author of the YA fantasy book Iron Widow), Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor combines Chinese history and mythology with an epic modern adventure. Zachary is a young Chinese-American boy living in a small town who hasn’t had the opportunity to learn much about his heritage. Unknowingly a descendant of the First Emperor of China, Zack is roped into a potentially dangerous mission to seal the portal leading to the Chinese underworld to prevent the moral realm from plunging into war and chaos.
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​Zhao is quickly becoming one of my ‘I-will-buy-anything-you-write’ authors. For fans of Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson series and others), Zachary Ying is carving its place with epic middle grade fantasy novels.
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​Like Zachary, I grew up with little knowledge of Chinese history and my heritage so I learned a lot from reading this novel and really appreciate the amount of research done to incorporate Chinese myths into a fictional story with as much accuracy as possible. There is a fine line bordering criticism of the Chinese government in a fictional story but I think Zhao also navigated this line well.
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​I really loved the diversity and discussions of diversity amongst Chinese people in this novel. Various Chinese minority groups are highlighted and talked about, and Zachary himself and his mother are Muslim Chinese.
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​My only criticism is that I felt there was not enough character development in Simon and Melissa. We got a lot from Zack but I personally wanted more connection with the team. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series where hopefully this will happen!

4.5 - 5 stars

This book was a delight!!! Fast-paced, intense, sweet, and fantastical, I loved the concept. I can’t wait for the next book in the series… In fact, I’m hoping for the a Rick Riordan-esque world, FULL of mythology from different cultures, written by a bunch of different authors, building on the world building from this book.

The mythology was compelling, and the VR system that structured the world building was a great way to learn about Chinese mythology. I found myself Googling settings, figures, and myths from the book. I loved that our main character was a Uighur Muslim - I’ve never before seen Uighur Muslims represented in the media I consume, and Zhao did some great work representing the unique struggles of being a member of the Chinese diaspora, who is also a member of a minority population. This book was excellent!

Zhao had cemented them self into a favourite author with Iron Widow, and through Zachary Ying, they’ve showed incredible range. I can’t wait to read more and more from
them!

Zachary Ying is typical of many middle schoolers - avid gamer, desperate to fit in, and trying to figure out who he really is - which makes him relatable to readers without being a cliche. This book is a great fit for my fantasy-adventure lovers who enjoyed The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim or the Rick Riordan Presents series. I was pulled into Zachary’s story after the first chapter.

I personally loved all the history, but it might be a little overwhelming or confusing for tweens who just aren’t into Chinese history. If they can stick with it beyond the first 6 or 7 chapters, they’re in for a treat. Once you’re clear on the who’s who of ancient Chinese rulers, the book is a wild and enjoyable ride.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor hits just the right combination of action and education. I learned a ton about Chinese myths and legends and a bit about modern China as well, while never feeling like reading a textbook.

Zack is a likable and sympathetic main character who is imperfect enough to be relatable but not so flawed as to be annoying. Simon hit the mark for me as well, while Melissa came across a bit boring. I loved the personification of Qin Shi Huang as a multi-dimensional character and he just might have been my favourite.

I love books where I don't know who to trust and this book was all of that. Navigating intrigue along with Zack was super enjoyable to me. I love it when a book keeps me second guessing character motivations.

Overall, I found this book super enjoyable and loved learning about Chinese myths and history along with Zack!

Zachary Ying is a fast-paced action adventure full of fascinating history lessons, family drama, and the meaning of true friendship.
I gave it 4 stars because I did have a little difficulty connecting with the characters. The ending is fantastic, though, with a mild cliffhanger. By the end, I was hooked enough that I must know what comes next. I love this author's writing style, and those chapter titles are worth the read. So funny!