*leans into the mic* holy mother of what the f-

if you haven't read this because you don't normally read MG, i swear it's worth it. what a freaking ride. this book feels like both an anime and also like a trilogy of adult SFF books. AND THIS IS BOOK ONE!

seriously what are you waiting for. go pick it up right now!!! (merry xmas to yourself.)

i would also like to state that waiting to listen to Zachary until the re-recorded audiobook version was released was the right call. eric yang's voice is wonderful and i really hope to see him pop up more in the future.

thank you to netgalley for a preview copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review. what a knockout of a book.

After reading Zhao's IRON WIDOW, I had to see their take on middle grade novels as that is the age I teach. This was an incredible story with so much history, folklore, and culture woven into it. I can't wait to share it with my students.

Zachary Ying is just trying to get by when a Chinese spirit turns up trying to take over his body, and his mom’s soul is taken by demons. Now, knowing little about Chinese history or folklore, he has to go to China on a quest involving Chinese historical and mythical beings in order to save his mom. A fun story of fantasy and adventure, though it sometimes feels a bit more like a history or folklore lesson.

I had so much fun reading this! It's not quite up with Iron Widow for me, but I didn't expect it to be either, and it's still one of the better middlegrade fantasy books I've read recently.

I loved the mash-up of Chinese history with a videogame-like vibe because of the AR glasses, which made the book really fun and adventurous, but the story is also a lot darker and more complex than I expected. Would highly recommend this!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review based on final copy. All opinions are my own.
Xiran Jay Zhao’s YA debut blew me away so much that they’ve earned a spot on the “would read anything from, even a grocery list” category. While Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a bit of a pivot from Iron Widow, it also feels quintessentially/thematically similar, even if the tone and target audience are different.
Zhao leans heavily into their influences here, with some concepts that are recognizable for anyone with even a surface level knowledge of Yugioh!, shonen anime/manga, and MMO gaming. There’s also a seamless mix of Zhao’s signature passion for Chinese history in the mix, with the AR tech interacting in a fun way with the spirits of legendary figures, like (of course) Wu Zetian and Qian Shi Huang, the First Emperor.
Through Zack, Zhao navigates a narrative familiar for Chinese diaspora kids of being a minority within Western society. Kids like Zack can be proud of and connect with their heritage, while also still having complex feelings about it due to the racism and ostracism they face from others, and I appreciate the way this was navigated. It was also quite cool to see expressions of his and his mother’s Muslim faith sprinkled in. It wasn’t a big part of the book, but it was a nice surprise.
This is such a fun, yet insightful adventure story, and one of those few times when the comps do the story justice. If you love Percy Jackson, anime/manga, and/or Chinese history, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

This is a book for all those who love virtual reality, gaming, and fantasy. I loved Xiran's first book, Iron Widow, and am so glad that middle grade readers can read her books too. She writes with such detail and her plots are well-developed. The action was non-stop and the whole time I was unsure who the real villain was, which I love not knowing! Plot twists, some humor, and tension made this book a great read. Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sharing an early copy with me in exchange for a review.

This was a fun read. Zach Ying just doesn't fit in. He is always moving around, he is Muslim Chinese, and he doesn't have much money. He has not had much opportunity to learn about his cultural origins. Then he finds out he is born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a special mission. If he succeeds, the portal to the underworld will be closed. If he fails, well.....
The imagery and writing style of this book are compelling and make it hard to put down. I love having the opportunity to learn more about a culture I don't know that much about. It is in a similar vein as Percy Jackson books, but honestly, I like this much better.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

What I think is so amazing about this book is the detail in each action. It reads like an action movie. I can see it in my minds eye so vividly that, just like Iron Widow, at points I had forgotten I was even reading at all.
Zachary is a awkward with low self esteem, that goes through the definition of being in a rock and a hard place.
He tries his best though.
Zack’s story builds on the black and white and gray of society so well that you, as a reader, question what is right or wrong as well— and the knowledge that a 12 year old is doing this is even more impressive.
The moments of historical explanation were overwhelming at times though, and, though fascinating and much appreciated, kept this book from a full 5 stars for me. It was introspective and a fun, imaginative story that will surely be a success to young readers. But the parts with the Chinese history read more like a textbook in chat-speak then a furthering of the plot.
Overall, I read this in a day and enjoyed it thoroughly.

This book was genuinely enjoyable. The writing style was incredible, no surprise from Xiran Jay Zhao. I was a bit slowed by the pacing which took some time to get used to, but overall I truly enjoyed this book and could highly recommend it. I love that this is a middle grade novel because I think this was the kind of complex adventure story I would have loved in middle school and I guarantee kids who read this will fall in love with the characters and the world that Zhao brings to life.

I loved this! It was an awesome mix of Percy Jackson meets Yu-gi-oh. I originally found out about this title after reading Iron Widow and need to read more by Zhao. This was an amazing, funny, fast-paced book that had me hooked from the beginning. I love the representation of characters involved and how they all developed and grew, the discussions about feeling like you belong were especially important and moving. I am excited that Wu Zetian was involved again, because she is fast becoming my favorite. Reading books by Xiran Jay Zhao has made me want to learn more about Chinese history, the writing is so good and mixes plot and history so well, it never drags. I know of many patrons who would love this series and I can't wait to recommend it to them!

Real rating is closer to 3.5, but I've rounded up both because I'm not the intended audience, but also because this is a book that fully deserves four stars.

While I don't normally seek out middle-grade titles, I requested Zachary Ying because of how much I loved Iron Widow. While Zachary Ying didn't blow me away to the same levels, I was amazed at how Zhao crafted such a fun and adventurous yet sensitive and complicated world, rich with history and references and just an all-around wonderful time.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor follows a boy, Zachary Ying, who is a little out of place in his school. He faces bullying for being the only Asian kid in school, but has a few "friends" because of his love for Mythrealm, a virtual reality game. Enter Simon, an Asian exchange student who also likes Mythrealm and seems normal enough, except for the fact that he's a vessel for Emperor Tang Taizong and wants Zachary to accept the spirit of his own ancestral emperor: Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China and as it turns out, a yappy tyrant.

When Qin Shi Huang binds to Zach's AR headset instead, a battle ensues that leaves the live of Zachary's mom hanging in the balance, Zachary must traipse across China to battle historical figures, heist magic artifacts, and rediscover the culture he never got a chance to learn about. I really enjoyed the way Zhao incorporated Chinese figures and stories into the book in an informative way that was still funny and engaging. I can tell this is a book that will be adored by its target audience, and while I personally didn't always enjoy the plot or character choices (ugh, kids), people of all ages will love Zachary Ying.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.

The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers.

And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever

Thoughts : Never thought that I would get the e-ARC. It's super fun and hilarious middle-grade fantasy. I get a lot of PJO vibes in this book. Highly recommended and thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

This is a really good start forwhat its sure to be an amazing action packed series with a dash of coming of age!! everyone that enjoyed percy jackson will surely like this as well

Super fun middle grades read! I love the yugioh / Chinese mythology fusion. Absolutely wonderful and seemed rather nostalgic, in a way?

I love the author’s other work Iron Widow so I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed with their next work.

My Thoughts:

From the author of Iron Widow, this middle grade contemporary/sci fi-ish fantasy follows a very hesitant and confused Zachary Ying who is put through tremendous pressure and responsibility to both save China and save his mother's soul. That is a lot to put on Zack and he is never quite sure who to trust and who to believe. When the spirit of the First Emperor of China tries to link his spirit with Zack and instead is only able to link with Zack's AR gaming device, Zack can only rely on his own inner power to save his mom.

Like Tristan Strong in Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, there are key points where Zack feels like he is failing his mother, failing his friends and failing his father. If students like Tristan, Percy Jackson or the other Rick Riordan presents books, they are going to devour this.

From the Publisher:
Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.

The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers.

And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao (they, their)
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date: May 10, 2022

This is the book that I needed when I was younger.

Zachary Ying hasn't really learned about the stories related to his Chinese heritage. He's busy trying to survive middle school, somewhere he already feels out of place as one of the few Asian Americans there, and playing Mythrealm, a game on his AR headset. However, when the First Emperor of China possesses his AR headset and Zack's mom's soul gets taken by demons, Zack has to journey across China to save his mom and prevent all the spirits from the underworld from flooding the mortal realm.

I loved that Zachary is Hui Chinese (a minority ethnic group) and Muslim. I absolutely loved the relationship between Zack, Melissa, and Simon. The way that the Qin Shihuang, Wu Zetian, and Tang Taizong's characters interacted with each other and with the children was also hilarious.

The way that Chinese historical events and Chinese mythology blended together with the sci-fi aspect of AR technology was really well done. I enjoyed reading about references to stories and other small pieces of Chinese culture that I grew up with - Sun Wukong, Nezha, the poems of Li Bai, the dragon boat festival - on and on, this book made me smile at all the pieces of familiarity brought to life in a new adventure.

Since the basis of this story includes a few famous emperors throughout Chinese history (as revived by legends of their lives), there's a lot of great commentary on what it means to be good versus bad, especially as a leader. All of these leaders did terrible and great things, all in different ways, and I'm glad that there was plenty of exploration on that front.

And the cliffhanger! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

A thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I read Iron Widow earlier this year and loved it, so I figured I'd try out Xiran's middle grade book. The story is fun and interesting, especially the way it blends Chinese history with a virtual reality type video game. I did get a little confused with all the different names and some of the virtual possession type storylines, but I think middle grade kids (the attended audience) will really enjoy this one.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for fair and honest feedback!

Also... This book was AMAZING. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I loved the world, the characters, the writing style, all of it, and I will be reading anything Xiran Jay Zhao puts out.

5/5

I honestly loved this book so much! The characters were written so perfectly. Each felt so unique. I loved learning about ancient Chinese history which I really didn’t know much about it. With every Chinese person or element that was present I looked it up and learned even more. The author did a fantastic job getting the reader interested in Chinese history. The book was also really funny and the ending left me wanting more. I need book 2!!! Overall this was so good and I highly recommend.

Zachary Ying's mother works hard and can't teach him about his Chinese heritage. All he learns at school are Western classics, so Zack is unprepared to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China in order to seal the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. Unfortunately, the spirit binds to his AR set and botches the mission from the start. When Zack's mother's soul is stolen by demons, he must learn to wield the emperor's powers and search for artefacts. If he can't get this right, he loses his mother for good.

Being Chinese among a lot of not-Chinese people is difficult for Zack in the middle of the novel, something many minorities or mixed kids will feel and identify with immediately. He wants to make friends in his new middle school, talk about video games and be seen as just one of the other kids. His ethnicity isn't something he can forget, not when the white kids joke about it around him and say being friends with him gives him "a free pass." This is of course the kid that becomes the avatar of a greedy spirit. Over the course of the novel we find out more about the different cultures in China, the ethnic groups and the way they're treated. Zack is Muslim, and not part of the dominant Han Chinese culture that usually comes to mind when people think of China.

Because Zachary doesn't know much about his Chinese heritage, he gets a crash course on early history and what the first emperor's accomplishments were. By extension, so do we. I recognized the mention of the first woman emperor; she was the inspiration for Zhao's first book Iron Widow. (Amazing YA novel, look into it if you haven't already read it!) And we learn more as the novel progresses, because the driving force for the emperor spirits is legend magic: the strength and skills the spirits have is based on the stories told about them, and this can change over time and different versions of the stories. Because Zachary doesn't have much connection to the ancestor spirit and his heritage, he must find items that once were precious to his ancestor to truly bond with his magical ability. This means we get a chance to see modern China, learn about the past as well as the historical figures.

This is a wonderful middle grade novel starring East Asian characters, as well as the history and legends surrounding the creation of the modern Chinese state. It's deftly done, and I look forward to reading more books in this series!