Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the STEM aspects of the story where engineering was such a big part of it. I enjoyed the Mulan retelling portion where she’s disguised as a boy and having to deal with that. I didn’t end up enjoying the romance in the end which was too bad. I just felt like some of the storyline was not as enjoyable and a bit awkward which made me feel disconnected. I’m not really interested in continuing the series which is disappointing but another series I can check off my list 😂

Of Jade and Dragons

3.25 ⭐️

I saw this on a few lists of upcoming fantasy novels and it sounded so promising!

Ying disguises as her brother and enters an engineering trial in order to figure out why her father was killed. Along the way she ends up falling for a prince who sees right through her disguise.

This had a lot of twists and turns and was pretty entertaining. While it probably could have done with some shortening, it was easy to follow. Not a ton of character development, and I honestly wanted more of the cool engineering parts.

Thanks to @netgalley for this eARC!

This book was fantastic! I absolutely enjoyed this story and cannot wait to see where Amber Chen goes next!

When a girl is forced to take on the guise of her brother to enter the prestigious Engineer's Guild (which does not allow women to enroll), she does so to help her learn her craft, but also try to find clues about her father's past and who may have been responsible for his death. What she discovers during her time will forever change her life.

I absolutely loved the characters. This is a Mulan-esque style where Ying must masquerade as her brother to flee her village and try to become eligible for the competition to enroll at the Engineer's Guild in a big city. Ying is not your typical YA heroine who is a damsel in distress and suffers from the type of situation where she conveniently forgets something or is naive. She is head-strong (maybe even stubborn at times), but she knows what she wants, and puts in the work. Constantly drawing on knowledge she studied or recalled from working with her father, she is a great character. Let's not forget the ST(E)M rep this book promotes! Ying grows into a fierce character over time, and while she does encounter some romantic moments, she does not let that cloud her vision. Ying is also a very caring person, not willing to sacrifice others, she strives to find comradery with her fellow engineers.

The conflict of the book is Ying's plight to join the Engineer's guild through a series of competitions while trying to learn more of her father's past, and his involvement with the guild. During these trials she is subjected to ridicule, scrutiny, and other obstacles as many of the Head Engineers seem to be out to get her, or attempt to degrade her abilities. Ying does not let that get to her. We also see mentions of war brewing, and Ying begins to realize how different engineering is from her father's workshop that designed trinkets and gadgets, to the guild workshops that focus on warfare and weaponry. Over the course of the book we see political intrigue as well which adds to the overall mystery and secrecy of this esteemed guild.

The context of the book is done well I think. Chen paints a vivid image of the world, its politics, and intricacy without ever feeling like it is too much info-dumping. She provides us enough of the background when necessary and keeps the pace well. Plenty of times where Chen is showing us, rather than telling which is crucial to a book like this. I do not know much of engineering or anything of the sorts, but the writing did seem to go into fairly good detail about the projects during the trials and various engineering trinkets that were developed throughout the book. Given the time period of Dynastic inspired ruling, I would say this book definitely cements itself as a "Silkpunk" genre, similar to The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu. Blending technological advancement with Dynasty regimes and traditions.

As for the craft, I find Chen's skill as a writer to be great! I was blown away by how entertaining and detailed this book was and loved the development of the characters. I only had a few minor complaints, one of which being how Ying goes from a small village to a grand city, and experiences little to no culture shock whatsoever. I feel like that could have added to her character development a bit. There were also a few moments where plot convenience took over, but it did not feel overbearing, so I gave it a bit of a break. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Another moment involves a civilian committing an atrocious act, and it feels like there is no moral dilemma over it, or the shock having committed such a action and I felt like for the character who experiences that situation, it should be a bit more nuanced? (END SPOILERS) Aside these things, I enjoyed Chen's work and dedication to the mechanical aspect, and the lack of magic in the book was a refreshing change of pace, and goes to show, you do not need magic to make a book great! I cannot wait to see what Chen does next, as I will be picking up her next book as soon as I can!

First of all I am obsessed with this cover. Of Jade and Dragons drew me in with the cover and the amazing sounding synopsis.

This book was very intriguing to me, I will admit it started a little on the slower side but then once the plot got moving I was invested.

I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I do wish we would’ve got more characterization and world building but overall I enjoyed this book.

Ying dreams of being an engineer but when her father is murdered, she’ll do anything to find the assassin. Disguised as a boy, she joins the apprentice’s trial at the Engineer’s Guild in the capital and begins to investigate her father’s death. Becoming entangled with the prince complicates everything, for he has plans of his own…

Ying was clever and I enjoyed the friendships she made in the guild. The world-building was teased out alongside unfolding action, I enjoyed the steampunk elements, but I wanted to know more about why exactly they were at war. The mystery was interesting, but progressed at an inconsistent pace. Ying didn’t seem to be experiencing grief—other than her need for answers and revenge. This story raised ethical questions about the cost of war and revenge but I struggled to draw conclusions by the end.

The romance was slow enough for me to buy in, and had tension from their separate statuses in society and from not knowing if Ying could fully trust Ye-yang.

I have no guesses about what happens next in series, because this book’s bittersweet ending was a sharp turn away from everything I had invested in with the guild trials and Ying’s friendships. The ending felt rushed, leaving much unresolved. There were no reactions from her family and friends about the events happening in the world and her actions. I was left wanting more and hopefully the next book will deliver those pieces.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the ARC.

3.5 stars

So first of all, there are no dragons (ok there’s an automaton at the end but that doesn’t count). Second, this is really more silkpunk than standard fantasy (there’s no magic here).

I would say the setup here is closest to Spin the Dawn with “girl enters 3 stage competition disguised as boy, palace intrigues ensue with much danger, and gets close to boy, but can she trust him and his motives”.

The problem I had is that the middle really drags and the pacing is uneven. I’m not sold on Ye-Yang as the love interest either. There were some things he did, even early on, that made me uncomfortable. And the end really solidified those feelings.

Speaking of the end, it was really a gut-punch. We’re clearly set up for an angsty second book, and I’m really curious as to where Ying goes from here.

All that being said, the engineering portion was pretty cool, and I liked the friendship Ying and Ye-kan developed. I

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own

A Mulan-esque story set at an engineering school was all it took to sell me on this book. I love a good STEM heroine and it was nice to get something a little different that concentrated on the weapons manufacture and engineering side of a war rather than a typical warrior training montage type of book. I do think the characters could have been developed more, I didn’t connect quite as much with them as I wanted to. But overall I enjoyed the read and will follow the series.

Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC!

I have never read anything like this before. The term silkpunk is completely new for me. I really enjoyed the setting and the plot of this book. I really loved the engineering and imaginative theme in the book. It just made the story richer and better.

In a side note, I am very confused with the ending. Is he marrying her yes or no?

"A lamp can light up the darkness around you, but a story lights up the darkness within."

A disclaimer: There are no real dragons.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying is living a relatively sedentary life when her brilliant engineer father is murdered during a workshop break-in. Desperate to learn the truth behind the murder, Aihui disguises herself as a boy and enrolls in the nation's notoriously difficult Engineering Guild in order to uncover the secret behind her father's past and what led to his death. Along the way she befriends two princes and uses her father's lessons to get through school, solve the case, and stay alive.

I'd never heard of silk punk but was drawn to this for the Mulan comparison, and it didn't disappoint. The first few pages were hard for me to get into, I think more due to the way the ARC formatted on my Kindle than anything to do with the story itself, but once I got going I read straight through to the end. The setting/set-up wasn't particularly unique, but the execution made the book fun to read nonetheless (after all, if you market the book with a Mulan comparison, you need to deliver). The trials at the Engineering Guild were interesting, and Aihui's unique answers also underscored the idea that engineering is both a science and an art. I could see the Chinese culture and influence throughout the book, and it really left me with some food for thought on today's world. No spoilers, but I also really appreciated that author didn't go with the easy, Disney-ending and instead let the characters be who they were and the chips fall where they may.

Thank you Penguin Group and Viking Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aihui Ying is a girl who dreams of becoming a world class engineer like her father once was. After her father is murdered she disguises herself as a boy and enters the Engineers Guild trials to try to discover the answers of who killed her father. Along the way she meets a handsome prince and finds beautiful friendships. I do think this read as more fantasy than murder mystery but I did enjoy the mystery aspects along the way. It was fun seeing Aihui Ying during the trials it definitely gave me STEM vibes with her wanting to be an engineer in a male dominated guild. The trials were exciting and showcased Aihui Ying’s quick thinking and brilliant mind. This book at times did feel a bit long but as the first book I understand the author wants to set the stage. This had a great blend of technology, clashing clans/ royalty, scheming, mythical creatures, and a bit of romance sprinkled in. We also see Aihui Ying struggle with themes of revenge, ambition and the cost of getting your hearts desire. I think this reads as a stand-alone but I am happy there will be a second book.

Overall this was a fun YA silk punk murder mystery that blended fantasy and technology with a splash of romance. I definitely got Mulan vibes and think this would be a great read for fans of Asian mythology that feature strong women in a fantasy technology setting.

Huge thank you to Penguin Teen for gifting me an ARC #penguinteenpartner

Whenever I am reading a YA book, I do try to give a lot of grace to the book being a little more simplistic, the characters making age appropriate but frustrating decisions, etc. This book, for me, went beyond what is typical for the genre to be a little too predictable & repetitive. I would say that this is lower YA/middle grade adjacent except I don't think the subject matter is really appropriate for that age group, given the murder on page, the visit to the pleasure house, and the technical nature of some of the engineering/political descriptions.

What I liked: The main character's motivation generally made sense. The Mulan-inspired elements were fun and I liked the structure of the engineering school. I liked the murder mystery plot and felt that the resolution made some sense, kind of. I did like the ending. This is comped to Iron Widow and I agree, I think fans of that book would also enjoy this one. I think some readers will enjoy the romance plot.

What I didn't like: The romance, at all. The way every event/plot point is foreshadowed, then described, then recapped. I feel like this could have been a third shorter without cutting anything that happened. The amount of time spent in the main character's head, following her stream of consciousness, was frustrating. I also felt like a lot of the worldbuilding was either given as dry info dumps or just not described at all, with so many details unexplained. I don't think I would read book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Books for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I very much enjoyed this book. It took a little bit to pick up, but once it did, it really got going and I could not put it down. I’d keep telling myself “just one more chapter,” and then wouldn’t even realize I’d accidentally started on the chapter after the one that was supposed to be my “last.” It wasn’t nonstop action, but with the main character hiding her identity for most of the book, it *was* high stakes, which kept up the necessary drama and momentum.

However, there is a reason I’m giving this book four stars instead of five. The writing was *riddled* with cliches— and every time I came across one while reading it pulled me right out of the story. Not only do cliches feel as though they cheapen good writing, but they also felt too modern for the time period that the novel was based on. By and large the writing was great, but was weakened by the far too frequent reliance on modern cliches.

This is a relatively minor gripe, considering this is the first book in a series, but the ending was immensely disappointing to me. For spoiler reasons I won’t go into why, I just felt let down that after everything we ended up where we did. I think I had hoped for more. But, I suppose that’s what sequels are for…

This may be a it’s me and not you type of situation when it comes to this book.

Since seeing the cover of this book I wanted to read it. It draws you in and so does the blurb! The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Ying. She is looking into the murder of her father and there is only one way to do that, dress like a boy and join the Engineers Guild. I definitely was intrigued by the start of the book but my infatuation was quickly dissolved due to how things started playing out.

A lot of what happens is very obvious and also happens too easily. She gets into the guild by meeting a prince who saves her, knows she is not a boy right away, and offers to get her into the guild because he has no one else to give the slot to. If you are a prince I am sure you know a lot of people. Things like this happen all the time. I also feel like Ying was very brash with her choices and this could just be due to how convenient everything seemed to be.

The writing style felt on the younger side of YA and I had a hard time with it. I did like how she described the settings and gadgets that these people used though. That part was really intriguing.

I also wasn’t a fan of the romance and didn’t really feel the connection between them.

Overall, this was okay. I just had too many issues with it and unfortunately could not get into the book enough to love it.

Of Jade and Dragons is a pretty solid book overall - a nice coming of age type story with Mulan influences. I felt that the writing and plot was very YA (not in a bad way) and I do think younger readers will enjoy the story immensely.

I feel as though the characters could have been a little more fleshed out and the world building a bit more detailed as well. The story begins with something that should have induced lots of mourning but it didn’t seem to? And there was no culture shock from village to big city? It seemed a little unbelievable BUT I do think you could make a case that it’s due to the FMCs personality.

I know I’ve seen some complaints about the ending but I felt like it was well done and made a lot of sense. Maybe if I were a bit younger it would have annoyed me but I think it was a great choice. It’s not as interesting when things aren’t earned (that will make sense when you read the book)

Of Jade and Dragons follows Ying, the daughter of an engineer and a chieftain. She witnesses her father murdered by an assassin, and must disguise herself as a boy to enter the Engineer Guild where her father used to work in order to figure out who killed him and why. While there, she meets a prince, and though they grow close, she isn’t sure how trustworthy he is.

The story started a little slow, and I found the dialogue a little info-dumpy and stiff initially, so much so that I considered putting it down, but it does pick up after the 30-40% mark, and gets better as it goes. I loved the ending, which had a great mix of grayness and angst and romance and intrigue that does make me curious for a sequel. Definitely had some of that historical c-drama vibes that I think the author was going for. Ying was an interesting protagonist to follow, capable but not unrealistically so and still making mistakes and learning, and some of the supporting characters get some depth, too, which makes it difficult to completely dislike or support them.

I don’t really know what this is labeled under, though it feels like it leans more sci-fi than fantasy. But I do wish if it’s leaning toward engineering the contraptions and gadgets felt more technical or taught me something about engineering, because sometimes that felt a little vague in exchange for more time for the romance. The mystery as well felt like a bit of an afterthought, like that was Ying’s main motivation but it seemed like she only occasionally remembered to investigate.

Overall, though, once I got over the slower parts of this novel, I did enjoy it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

Of Jade and Dragons is a fantasy novel set in a world based on Chinese mythology. I'm a huge fan of books set in historical-inspired locations with fantasy elements so I was excited to read this one!

Andddd I ended up DNFing at around 20%. What really got me was that the language felt super YA. The descriptions, dialogue, and prose all felt like it was meant for a much, much younger audience. That isn't my cup of tea, and the rest of the plot/character aspects weren't enough for me to overlook the writing style.

I think this book could be good if you're into more of an informal writing style. It just wasn't for me! 2 stars. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I am seriously invested int this story and i need the sequel ASAP. Aihu Is precious and I admired how quickly she failed to maintain the Mulan illusion. I I also really liked her relationship with Ye khan and Ye Yang and given the ending i feel like her relationship with both is far from over, She is even more like her generous engineer father than she thinks. I also liked the the trials and guild dynamic between all of the potential members. It definitely gives Mulan vibes especially with the ending. I need this series to continue. I also like the dynamic between the princes and am curios to see how Ye-Khan and Ye Yang handle their new situations.

This was a fantastic YA silkpunk debut influenced and inspired by the Mulan myth and the tale of the Butterfly Lovers. I flew through this book and honestly am not only in love with the story, but am still reeling from the ending. 🫨

The story follows Aihui Ying as she goes to the prestigious Engineers Guild disguised as her brother to solve the murder of her father. This reminded me so much of the rigorous academy setting of The Poppy War and the hidden gender plot of She Who Became the Sun. Mixed together with a Qing dynasty like society was just *chef’s kiss* 😚

I loved Ying as the main protagonist. She’s stubborn, thinks outside the box, and isn’t afraid to tell people off. Her love of inventing and engineering is something that I wished showed up more often for young women when it comes to representation, and that her love for these subjects doesn’t detract from her feminine side. Her love interest in the 8th prince, Aogiya Ye-yang just made me so happy for no other reasons than he supports her in any way he can and really falls for her desire to see things through peacefully in a pre-war setting. His character reveal at the end of the book just threw me a punch to the gut so sharply that I honestly had to rant to my boyfriend at midnight about my thoughts. 😱

Speaking of that reveal, I feel like I’ve been so spoiled for happy endings that getting the ending we got in this book made me spiral in a good way. I’m officially hooked and am DESPERATELY awaiting news for a sequel (please please let there be one!!). 🙏🏼

The only things that left me wondering at the end of the book were what were the ending reactions of Aogiya Ya-kan and Ying’s brother, Wen, after the events concluded. Were they understanding or critically of Ying and her decisions? 🤔

In the end, I NEED to know what happens to these characters!! Big thank you goes to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Chen, for ripping my heart out in the last 25% of the book in the best possible way. I might need a therapy session to recover from that ending. 🥲

Publication day: June 18!

Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️

Beautiful beautiful book! Slightly Mulan inspired and I loved that! Incredibly easy to read and so refreshing. I loved the trials plot line and the slight murder mystery. I could have done with a little more world building as well as see more of Ying grieving the lost of her father. This says its YA for 12 and up so I can look past that as it would be perfect for teenagers just starting to get into fantasy. Overall the story was great and I loved the characters. Looking forward to more from the author!

I can see this book being one of my favorite reads this year!

It is beautifully written and fast paced with a touch of Mulan vibes! There’s action, suspense, secrets and the author keeps you guessing. The romance too…ahhh! The tension, banter, pining *swoons* but the ending…my heart needs a second book right now!

Absolutely loved this!