Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao follows Zachary. He hasn’t had the opportunity to learn about his Chinese heritage from his mother, who was more focused on getting by after moving to America. Zack is utterly beside himself when he learns that he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for one specific purpose: fix the weakening seal of the portal to the Chinese underworld before it’s too late. When the Emperor tries to possess his body, he fails and possesses Zack’s AR gaming headset instead. This mistake leads to Zack’s mother’s soul to be taken by demons. With the First Emperor in his headset, Zack must journey across China to steal ancient magical artifacts and defeat historical figures both real and fictional. Zack must achieve all this while learning to wield his new water powers. If he fails, Zack’s mom’s soul will be lost forever.

This was such a fun and entertaining read. I loved the mix of humor, mythology, and high-stakes action. Zack is a great hero!

Is it weird that I hated Iron Widow so much I wanted to give this author another try? I’m glad I did, because this was so much better than Iron Widow. The fun, cheeky writing is by far better suited to a fun adventure middle grade novel than it is to a YA book that’s trying to be dark and twisted and has a main character skating around, murdering and torturing people. Words like “duh” and phrases like, “I know, right?” make so much more sense in this book.

I also feel like the book integrated the author’s love of Chinese history much better in this, compared to Iron Widow. There are even some familiar names that readers encountered in Iron Widow (if not already known from Chinese history), like Li Shimin and Wu Zetian. This time they get explained a bit more in historical context, instead of just being borrowed names. I really don’t know much about Chinese history but it just felt like the way these historical characters were presented made so much more sense than Iron Widow, which could have existed on its own without using all those specific historical names. Since I don’t know Chinese history, those names meant nothing to me while reading Iron Widow. At least this time they actually get fun introductions explaining who they are and what they’re best known for. I can't give out points for accuracy, but I can see young people reading this and it being a starting point for learning about more Chinese history.

The set-up is fun involving video game tech, Chinese history, a young boy having a bit of an identity crises, cheeky characters, and a ticking-time-bomb plot. Right from the get-go Zack just seems like a nice kid, so I’m happy to follow him on this adventure. There are fight scenes, chase scenes, museum heists, and fetch-questing - plenty of action and adventure to keep young readers hooked.

The LGTBQ+ rep was nicely done. Only a few mentions here and there that felt completely natural. Sometimes it can feel way too ham-fisted with the author making sure you KNOW the character is LGBTQ+ and constantly reminds you over and over. Maybe it’s because Zack is only twelve and still trying to figure out who he is. (I guess the only one that was a bit cringey was when he actually shouts out "I don't like girls!". Could have done without that one? Or maybe he was just more certain of himself at that point? There may have been more because, honestly, I mostly skim-read this and probably missed some. sorry.)

The book also deals with some very heavy topics such as governmental oppression, and restrictions against Muslims in China, with the main character being Muslim himself. It also focuses on how Zack feels out of place in a mostly white school in Maine, how he never feels like he fits in, but throughout the story grows to be more confident about his own heritage and finding some real friends.

Finally, here was someone who got him, got how he could be both Chinese and yet not the typical Han Chinese, sharing some traditions with the Han yet diverging on others in their unique, major ways.

At the end of the day, not my cup of tea since I don’t read much mg (and I admit I did skim read this…because...too many books and not enough time and it's not actually the kind of book I regularly enjoy reading...), and it occasionally feels a bit too info-dumpy, but it is such a huge improvement from Iron Widow, which is pretty much my least favourite book of all time. Lol

This book still had some weird descriptions though (which some people might like?), but I just thought they were weird:

Simon’s gaze turned weirdly piercing.

A wild intensity bloomed in Aiden’s eyes.

Zack’s heart still thrashed with panic.

Pain detonated through his arm and hip.

A siren wailed through the night, warping closer.

But yeah, like I said: so much better than Iron Widow. I think people who enjoyed Iron Widow will enjoy this, even if it's intended for a different age group. And people like me, who hated Iron Widow, will also potentially enjoy this.

(I received an ARC from NetGalley. Some of the quotes might not be the same as the final edition of the book.)