A steampunk fantasy inspired by the history of the Qing Dynasty, Of Jade and Dragons is an impressive YA debut. This story follows Aihui Ying as she disguise herself as a boy and infiltrates the prestigious Engineer’s Guild, all in an effort to solve her father’s mysterious murder.

I appreciated that Ying was a bit older than a lot of ya protagonists. I think it made her actions and choices feel more realistic. I also loved that Ying wasn’t some prodigy when it came to engineering. She’s definitely smart and cleaver but she’s good at engineering because her father nurtured and encouraged her interest in it. Ying’s character has a lot of depth and she really grows as a person over the course of the story. Her interactions with others, particularly Ye-Yang and Ye-Kan really shows her commitment to her core beliefs and her strong sense of self. She speaks her mind and she doesn’t let others treat her as lesser simply because of their status.

Ye-Yang’s character is intriguing because throughout the story we see him wanting to be a better person than his father while still being trapped by his father’s world view and influence. He’s become complacent with the idea that the ends justify the means. Ying challenges this viewpoint, she pushes him to stand his ground, to demand better because nothing less will do.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am definitely interested in picking up the sequel to this story. If you like angst, strong FMC’s, revenge, politics, beautiful world building, and high-stakes adventures then you should pick up this book.

I really, really enjoyed this. I have been eating up all of the recent YA focusing on Asian cultures and mythologies. I also really liked the fact that there was some romance but that wasn't the focus of the story. I loved the main character--she was smart and witty and I loved reading from her perspective and watching her interact with others and the setting. I didn't realize at first that this was a retelling of Mulan, but I definitely see that now that I"m reflecting--to be fair, I wasn't super familiar with the story of Mulan, so it's no real surprise that I missed it.

Overall this was great--great relationships, great dialogue, really compelling plot and setting! I am definitely going to have to watch this author to see what they put out next!

A smart FMC??? I love it! I enjoyed this story that felt like Mulan but definitely with a twist. I wish I had seen more romance BUT I also understand that it is YA even if some other book boxes aren't classing it as such.

Great fantasy story and characters.
Couldn't put the book down.
I love stories with Asian culture and myths.
A great fantasy story.

Aihui Ying, a young woman, wants to follow in her father's footsteps and become an engineer. When her father is assassinated, she only has one choice but to infiltrate the prestigious Engineers Guild to find the assassin. She disguises herself as her brother to enter the apprenticeship trial to gain access to the Guild and find her father's murderer.

This book was a unique retelling of Mulan. Full of STEM themes and an intelligent FMC. I love to see a character development focused on a female's brilliance. She transforms from a dutiful daughter to a courageous and resourceful woman. The dialogue between Ying and her father is heartfelt and shows their loving relationship. The engineering marvels added to the uniqueness of the story. The author builds suspense and mystery throughout the book. I was captivated, trying to guess who the assassin was and the valuable contents of her father's journal up to the end. The novel masterfully blends fantasy and adventure with a coming-of-age story while raising questions about the cost of ambition and honor.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Netgalley, Penguin for Young Readers Group, and Viking Books for Young Readers.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this book.

You're going to like this book if you are a fan of Mulan and the idea of going against what is "expected" from a person in society. This book is a good representation of doing something for your own values instead of just following what others say you should do.

The main characters are well written and intriguing with their interactions. The main female character, Ying, is stubborn but has a good sense of loyalty and what is right on a larger scale. Her interactions with the main male character, Ye-Yang, were a bit bland in my opinion but I liked the fact that she was not immediately in love with him just because of his pretty face or social rank. Ye-Yang, is a decent main male character, he felt a bit boring and even confusing at first because he was not showing as many quirks until after maybe half of the book.

The story did not take on an interesting enough plot until about 40% of the book, when the main idea was being planted and the conflict was kind of obvious. I think the plot was good enough to keep the desire to read ahead but it just started so slow that I almost did not finish it. I am glad I did finish it though, but I think it will be just fine as a standalone since I don't see how it can add anything else to the story that would make me want to keep reading it.

Overall, the story was good and the characters were well planned and introduced. The book itself could have left some stuff out to make it a bit easier to get into the main conflict, but the overall idea of the main character's purpose was well addressed. I liked the book enough to finish it.

2.5⭐

DNF. The book felt overwritten and did not feel like it truly got started until over 100 pages in. I would cut out the first 100 pages and start there. I had a hard time reading through all of the formatting errors. It seemed like almost every page had a typo. I tried to persist through, but eventually I just got tired of it. I loved the concept but ultimately did not fall in love. I wish this author success and hope this book finds its target audience.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for an early copy of this book! 3.5 stars this was a mulan retelling following Ying posing as her brother to join an engineering program. I liked the concept of this one, and was interested throughout. But it moved a little slow for me at times and I would have like some more romance.

Thank you Viking Books and Amber Chen for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Aihui Ying sets out to investigate her father’s death by disguising herself as her brother and enters a male only apprentice trial that her father also was a part of in hope to find more clues to lead to the identity of the ones responsible. As she learns more, and gets deeper inside, secrets are uncovered and she’s left not knowing who she can trust.

4/5 ⭐️

I had so much fun in this fast paced, industrial, silkpunk world. I enjoyed the romantic subplot, mixed with a bit of murder mystery. Ying character development had me invested in her future and rooting for her, whichever way the story went. Her unlikely allies and surprising foes made for great tension within the characters. Overall, a great read and I’m excited for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ✨3.5 stars✨

Of Jade & Dragons by Amber Chen is a promising debut novel (with a beautiful cover!) set in the fantasy world of Antara.

Ying has always wanted to travel to the fabled capital city of Fei and enter the Engineer’s Guild. She dreamt of being an engineer, just like her father before her. But everything changes after her father is murdered. Hoping to find answers and get revenge for his death, she travels to the capital disguised as her brother to the Engineer’s Guild. She manages to enter the guild’s apprenticeship trial, with the help of Ye-yang, one of the powerful beile’s of the kingdom, but once there, Ying must protect herself from the assassins who seek her father’s precious journal and stay in the difficult guild trials. But there’s more at stake, and there seem to be more secrets and questions than answers, between Antara’s complicated politics, threats of war, and Ying’s own complicated relationships.

Of Jade and Dragons was an overall pretty good and engaging book. Once I got reading, I got more into the plot and wanted to continue.

When I first read the blurb of this book, I thought it would be a fantasy novel, and there definitely were fantasy elements, but when I started reading, I found it to be leaning more on the science fiction side, especially with some of the weaponry and airships. I even got a little dystopia vibe, and the challenges to get into the Engineer’s Guild reminded me a little bit of the trials to get into a faction in Divergent. I definitely enjoyed the more advanced technology and would love to have seen more airships and flying time!

Ying is a strong and relatable main character. She’s intelligent and brave and makes a good FMC (especially in a Mulan retelling). There was also a nice cast of characters around her. Ye-kan was probably one of my favorites! I liked how he was almost a younger brother to Ying, but he was also a good friend and helped her many times. They both weren’t what they seemed, and both had secrets to keep, and Ye-kan was a lot smarter and less naïve than he let on :) However, I felt like the apprentices in the trials weren’t developed enough. Apparently, there were a lot of them, but only a few actually had any page time.

I felt like through Ying’s perspective, the Engineer’s guild was portrayed as this prestigious, exalted institute that was perfect in every way, when in reality it was less than perfect, and it was obvious there were a lot of cracks beneath the surface. I was happy that as the book progressed, really near the end, she realized the truth, but the continuous praise of the guild did start to feel a little too much in the earlier parts of the book.

Ying and Ye-yang had so much potential in this book, and I would have loved to see more of them together, without all the complications! The yearning….

But there were some shocking twists near the ending, from Ye-yang’s motives to the High Commander and his involvement, and I didn’t know how to feel about some of them - mainly the ones regarding Ye-yang. I didn’t like the complication Nian (Ying’s sister) added with her marriage and I’m not sure how that’s going to work, especially with Ye-yang and Ying’s feelings for each other.

I am happy with the ending. It was fitting for this book, and I liked that Ying stayed true to herself and her beliefs, even if she had to walk away from other things. Although, I’m not sure what will happen next, since it definitely seemed like the ending was set up for a sequel.

So, overall, I enjoyed reading Of Jade and Dragons and can’t wait for what’s next!

DNF at 50%
Mulan inspired but instead of a high stakes war there’s a training competition and a murder mystery that’s kind of pushed to the back burner? Idk I really was just bored. I do think the author is really sweet and genuinely kind and I hope this book finds it’s audience.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story of revenge? A handsome prince? All while set in a world with DRAGONS? Sign me up immediately!

Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen is a YA fantasy novel about eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying, who dreams of becoming a brilliant engineer just like her beloved father - but her life is torn apart when she arrives a moment too late to stop his murder, and worse, lets the killer slip out of reach. Left with only a journal containing his greatest engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, Ying vows to take revenge into her own hands. Disguised as her brother, Ying heads to the capital city, and discovers that the answer to finding who killed her father lies behind the walls of the prestigious Engineers Guild - the home of a past her father never wanted to talk about. With the help of an unlikely ally - Aogiya Ye-yang, a taciturn (but very handsome) young prince - Ying must navigate a world fraught with rules, challenges and politics she can barely grasp, let alone understand. But to survive, she must fight to stay one step ahead of everyone. And when faced with the choice between doing what's right and what's necessary, Ying will have to decide if her revenge is truly worthwhile, if it means going against everything her father stood for . . .

I LOVED this book. With immaculate vibes, airships and other steampunk stuff that reminded me of Scott Westerfeld's Levithan, AND a backdrop of a murder mystery. It's just *chef's kiss*.

What I loved most about this book is how Chen put the plot and worldbuilding at the forefront, and the romance in the back. I'm not always the biggest fan of books that make the romance the main selling point. Regardless, Chen knows how to write romance! Especially with a male love interest with dimples (which you don't see that often in YA now-adays.)

But no matter how much I loved this book, the writing style kept throwing me off. It was a lovely and lyrical at times. But was almost constantly clunky. Plus I feel like Chen tells more than she shows. But at the same time, this is Chen's FIRST book. There are going to be some pitfalls before she finds the rhythm of her writing style.

Regardless, I LOVED this book. I would highly recommend it whoever would listen. Because I feel like EVERYONE needs to read this Mulan x steampunk novel!

4.5/5
Cawpile: 8/10

This was an interesting new young adult fantasy release that felt like an Asian historical fiction with scifi elements. The book takes place in a fantasy world with warring nations and lots of cool inventions, like airships and canons. Although there are more modern inventions, there did not seem to be any magic in this first book. Additionally, there were typical nobility based rules and typical political scheming you would see in a historical fictions.

There is some romance subplot in this story that I enjoyed seeing. The two characters started out annoying but grew on me over time. They ended up being pretty well developed and dimensional. I enjoyed seeing the relationship develop and am curious to see what happens next with our main characters.

I thought the writing was easy too read and the pacing of the book wasn’t terrible. I enjoyed the journey the plot took us on as we follow the main character through her engineering guild trials. I did feel like parts of the book were a little predictable but I didn’t feel like the mystery was motivating me to keep reading - it was the characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Asian fantasy or anyone who is looking for a fantasy filled with fun inventions/engineering.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

This book is hard for me to review. Not because it's hard to rate per se. It's hard for me to put down my thoughts because I feel so disappointed by this book. For the first half of it, I was thinking this would be a 4* read for me, maybe higher depending how it ended. I was really enjoying my time with Ying and Ye-Yang (I like the name choice there). It felt like a spiritual successor to Tamora Pierce, specifically Alanna. Replace fantasy with steampunk technology, swap out medieval Europe-ish society for Qing Dynasty China-ish society, and replace "become a knight" with "become an engineer". You've now got the basic premise for Ying. It wasn't just that Ying disguised herself as a boy. It was the sense of awe when she first saw the capital. It was the way her relationships with her classmates were born and grew. It was the comfortable rhythm of classes in the midst of a fantastical world. It reminded me very strongly of Alanna, albeit with a murder mystery running alongside.

The problems started around page 250 of the e-ARC, out of around 460. Specifically with a scene that should have been dramatic but had me raising an eyebrow instead, wondering why certain details were focused on and others were ignored. The questions posed by that scene, in fact, were never answered in the entire rest of the book, and the entire incident was forgotten shortly thereafter. It could have been removed without changing the story at all. All it did was add holes that the author had to shore up in the next scene.

I almost wish I had stopped reading this book at the halfway point, because that first half was solid, like traveling down a well-paved road. The second half was not well-paved; it was old and cracked and half-flooded with swampy water. The scenes might be nice themselves, but they were littered with cracks, transitioned to the next scene poorly, and made me roll my eyes more than they drew any real emotional reaction from me.

I have to emphasize again at this point that this review is based on the e-ARC. I emphasize that because none of the problems I saw go so deep they couldn't have been fixed in editing after the e-ARC went out. I know Amber Chen is capable of fixing these problems, because the first half of the book was clean and well-written. So either she didn't want to change the latter half for some reason, or she didn't have time to fix the latter half. In either case, this is my open plea to Penguin and Amber Chen: This is slated as the first in a series. Please, please take the time to clean up all of book two. These characters, this world, and this writing deserve it.

Final rating: 3*

Of Jade and Dragons is one of those reads where I found myself easing in slowly and then gradually becoming glued to its pages until it was suddenly over. I read the last 75% of this book during a camping trip last weekend, and it was an absolute joy to have with me! I laughed, I gasped, and I felt Ying's turmoil time and time again. It is pitched as Mulan meets engineers, and I for the most part agree. This title turns a couple of common YA tropes on their heads, which was very refreshing to read. Not everything goes according to plan all the time, and not everybody gets a happy ending. I think Chen skillfully left a door open for a potential sequel with the way this title ended, so I am looking forward to seeing if that comes to fruition!

This was a really fun, enjoyable fantasy read. Very reminiscent of Mulan and I enjoyed the character’s family history. I found the trials to be very interesting and enjoyed the romance. Excited for book 2!

This book had a really cool concept with a blend of industrial and fantasy elements. I was very hyped when i first heard about the book. However, despite the book being enjoyable, I feel like it didn't really live up to the hype as much as I thought it would.

I do like the characters, especially Ying, Ye-Kan and Ye-Yang. I really liked Ying's resourcefulness and her determination to prove herself in a world that looked down upon women (other than those within powerful clans). She becomes smarter and grows as a person as she goes through each test and faces new challenges.

I also enjoyed her interactions with both brothers. Ye-Yang coming to the rescue at the end?? AHH
I never expected him to end up as a morally gray character so the reveal with his involvement of Ying's father's death was very unexpected. I hope to see Ye-Kan again for the next book bc I really hope he doesn't blame Ying for his mother's death


One issue I had with this book is that it felt very slow-paced to me which made it difficult for me to read through it. I also wans't able to pick up much character development because of this (though this might just be a me problem bc I was reading it so slowly. I think the main issue that contributed to this though, was the fact that the ebook was formatted weirdly on my kindle app so that just affected my reading experience overall. I may edit my review if I reread it on the hardcover

Overall, I enjoyed all the worldbuilding but I feel like their characters could have been a LOT more fleshed out. I feel like a lot of the focus were on the worldbuilding and not much on the character development.

I was so excited to read this book, and it did not disappoint! Aihui Ying wants to become an engineer, but when her father was murdered, she vows to avenge him. Armed with the jade pendant she grabbed from the assassin and the journal her father left, she travels to the capital and disguised as her brother to infiltrate the prestigious Engineers Guild. With the help of Aogiya Ye-yang, the 8th prince of the High Command, she attempts to unravel the mystery behind her father’s death while trying to keep her place in the male only apprenticeship trial and avoiding the assassin still looking for her father’s journal.
This book was so good. I liked how the plot focused a lot on politics and the mystery behind Ying’s father’s death but also had a romance subplot that gave me The Cruel Prince vibes. I enjoyed the historical elements woven in the story. I feel like I learned a lot about Asian culture while still enjoying the story. I also really enjoyed watching Ying and Ye-yang’s relationship grow. It was definitely slow burn but it fit the story well. Additionally, the ending was crazy. I didn’t see the plot twist coming at all, and I can’t wait for the next book!
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to be perfectly honest with the 1-5 people who actually read my reviews: I almost DNf’d this book until I met Ye-Yang. Then, I said I was going to keep reading the book just for him, but it probably wouldn’t be a high rating. For some reason, from only the first chapter, I was convinced this book wasn’t for me. Ye-Yang was my reasoning for continuing, but then I got immersed in the book. Once immersed, the jaws of life couldn’t separate me from this world, the storyline, and everything about it. I finished this book in a single sitting, with breaks to look up fan-art and go to the bathroom, but that’s it.

Mulan was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, and this was heavily inspired by Mulan. Especially in the beginning. However, as the book progresses, it becomes its own separate entity. One of my favorite changes was that Ye-Yang knew Ying was a girl from the get-go. He recognized her FAST, and I loved that. It feels more realistic that they fell in love while she was honest about her identity with him, rather than falling for the charade.

And that ending?! Those twists?! Ye-Kan, I thought I would hate you, but all I feel for you right now is so much empathy. Can I hug a fictional character? Pretty please?

Seriously, go read this book. It’s crack cocaine in a good way.

4.25⭐️

I really enjoyed the first installment in the "Fall of the Dragon" series! It was hopeful, intense, dark, twisty, and more.