The setting and magic system was very interesting , it took a little bit for the book to pick up pace but once it gets going , its so much fun !
Thank you for the eArc .

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is truly a YA novel and an amazing debut. The story is a Mulan retelling with sci-fi silkpunk fantasy with no magic involved. Ying is a great female protagonist (we love a women in STEM) that disguises herself as her brother in order to take part in the guild's trial in order to solve the mystery of her father's death and past. Ye-yang is the Eight Prince of the High Command that helps Ying get into the trials, and they get to learn about each other along the way. Chen's writing style fits the YA genre very well, it's easy to read and so well-written with the engineering parts. It's not too fast-paced but stays on track with the plot of the story and doesn't go off track. I feel like every scene that we were given was important to read. Based on past readings, I have become cautious with all the characters that the MCs meet. The reveals at the end of the book weren't too surprising, I was expecting some of them. I enjoyed seeing the relationships that Ying has formed with the other apprentices in the trial, and I hope they play a great part in the sequel. Overall, I look forward to reading the next book.

Review will also be posted on Goodreads and Fable.

Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book for review purposes.

An amazing debut and start to a series. The silkpunk elements are so fun and interesting, taking everything I’ve loved from the inventiveness of steampunk and then rooting it in East Asian history and culture. Ying is an amazing main female character who you can’t help but root for and feel overjoyed every time she overcomes an obstacle. In a lot of ways she takes the best things from a character like Katniss in the Hunger Games- she’s in a bad situation and has faced hardship, but uses that pain to make her stronger and more resourceful as she puts her mind to achieving her goals. Her romance with Ye-Yang is EVERYTHING; their interactions have that perfect, butterflies-in-your-stomach, cute but also a little dangerous and angsty type of romance that I go to YA for. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but I overall loved the vibes of this book and can’t wait to see what the sequel holds!

A book inspired by Mulan! Sign me up!!!! Mulan was my favorite Disney movie growing up. I have a soft spot for it and this book delivered.

Never use your gifts to harm others, my lamb. That is not what an engineer should ever do.”

Ying aspires to be a great engineer like her father. There’s just one problem, the engineers guild does not accept women. When her father is murdered Ying soon finds that the answers she needs are in the place her father had left behind, the engineers guild. To get answers she needs she disguised as her brother and entered the trials that would allow her into the guild. While navigating their world she must keep her identity secret or risk execution. She forms a connection with one of the princes that quickly becomes another danger.

“Choosing peace was exactly that a choice-“

I loved Ying’s strong personality and her knowledge of her worth. She never let anyone insult her. The friendships she forms in the guild were some of my favorites especially with one in particular. The engineering aspect was so fun and not often seen in YA so I really enjoyed that.

The pacing could have been better or maybe that’s preference? I do tend to enjoy faster paced stories and this one dragged at times. I also wasn’t convinced by the romance. It was a little too insta love for me.

Other than that I really enjoyed this book. Especially the moral question it posed. Ying’s own exploration of where she stands morally and her conviction to that morality. I’m hooked enough to crave the next installment to Ying’s story.

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

This book felt like a true YA novel and I know the future target audience will love this book once it debuts. The mystery, mulan/steampunk plot within this book is very unique.
Where I struggled with this book (mostly because it seems I am beginning to grow out YA) it the plot pacing and some of the characters choices. All in all, the target audience will love this book.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed this book, though I must admit that I had some trouble with the pacing. I wish that it had gone through one last round of edits to smooth out that piece. I did almost DNF because of that, but thankfully I was able to push past that part that slowed me down, and thankfully enjoyed the rest of it. Everyone's saying that this reminds me of Mulan, but aside from her disguising her gender, I don't see any other correlations. I thought it was good, and I liked the romance too, I just wish there was a drop more, which might have made it feel a little less organic. All in all, I will be recommending it to my platform. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads. 3.65 star.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

I DNFed this book, and I think the main issue is that I’m not the intended audience. Because of this I think it would be unfair of me to review the book.

Again, thank you to the publisher

This was just ok. I would have liked a better explanation of the world. The plot was predictable and I didn't care much about the characters or the romance. I think the next book in this series has the potential to be better though.

I love it when authors try something new and it's even more commendable when it's their debut. Of Jade and Dragons had a lot of common tropes but with twists that made it unique.

This is the first Mulan retelling that reminded me of the Disney movie which was exciting! Ying, our FMC, even has her 3 friends. But our MMC, Ye-Yang, knows that she's pretending to be her brother so it's pretty exciting to see the MMC in on the secret and help facilitate it for both her and his own motivations. I think the politics were underdeveloped and I hope the next book focuses on it more.

This was my first silkpunk book and it was so cool to see the inventions. There are no actual dragons in the book but the way you get to see one is pretty neat.

The romance is my favorite aspect of the book. Ying and Ye-Yang's interactions were so fun. I really love how they balanced each other out. I hope in the next book we see them working together with Ying as herself.

Amber Chen's "Of Jade and Dragons" is a relatively quick read. As part of the summary, it's Mulan meets Iron Widow. Unfortunately, I have yet to read Iron Widow (horrifying fact), but I can see where they draw the similarity to Mulan.

Of Jade and Dragons is about the journey of the FMC who disguises themselves as a male. This FMC is not necessarily trying to bring honor to her family like Mulan did. Instead, the FMC wants to join a magical engineering guild, find out who murdered her father, AND avenge her father's untimely death. Along the way, she needs to pass three different tests to become guild member, do her best not to be found out as a female, and navigate some feelings that develop for the seemingly friendly, royal MMC. Their world is also at odds with another empire, and war is a way for both the FMC and MMC to put their best foot forward.

The reader can definitely feel the Mulan vibes. I also thought about The Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the Poppy Wars. A small part of my brain thinks of Fourth Wing as well, but the more I think about it, the less I think there is a similarity - no one comes back from the dead (yet?).

I am very excited to see that this is the first book of series (there's a #1 next to it!). Congratulations to Amber Chen for their debut book! If Asian mythological, YA fantasy book is your thing, I would recommend this to you. Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, and the author for allowing me to read this for a review.

I will post to Goodreads, Storygraph and Instagram.

This story had everything! I absolutely loved routing for Ying as she went up against a power-hungry patriarchal society keeping women (and anyone who sought a peaceful future) down. What I loved: the heart wrenching love story, the development of unexpected friendships, the shocking twists, and the moment of sweet revenge. The choices our girl made were mature beyond her years. I read an ARC but I’ll be buying a hard copy. Can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity to read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me with an eARC of Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen in exchange for an honest review.


I've decided to DNF this book at 35%. I don't like to DNF books, but this one has been hard to get through so I've decided to not finish this one. It feels very YA, and I expected something more mature. The plot and characters aren't interesting to me, so I've been a little bored while reading it. I can see why others might like it, but sadly it's just not for me.

A rich tale of mysteries and friendships and revenge. The character arcs were full and sometimes surprising! Twists and turns occur often and keep the story moving and I look forward to a sequel, though this book stands on its own wonderfully.

I enjoyed this story - 3.5 Stars
There were a few pacing issues - some parts were dragging but others were too slow making it uneven. The world building was my favorite part of the story but the characters were solid too. Pretty good read

A Mulan vibes fantasy with a naive girl in engineering field is a novelty in itself but it also manages to weave a gritty story with a war background. The dynamic between Ying and Ye-yang was interesting as he did not come off as a usual likeable character but it is Ying's story all the way. For a fantasy based on politics, it was more of a YA and felt an easy and light read. The story fell flat for a bit as it was too straightforward and could have had some extra bling to it. I liked Ying's journey and how she is determined to find her father's killer and and her experience with guild was inspiring. I give it 3.5 so rounding to 4.

Okay, I don't know what silkpunk is, but I LOVE IT! This was such a fascinating young adult story about Ying and her desire to seek revenge for her father's death. It very much felt akin to Mulan, but with a different story and setting. I would love to see this as a movie one day.

✧.* The way that I am unable to wrap my head around the ending of this book absolutely amazes me (in the best way possible)—like did I finish this book or did it finish me?

Anyways, Of Jade and Dragons is an action-packed, high-stakes mystery that follows Aihui Ying, a girl who dreams of becoming a renowned engineer just like her father. But her peaceful life is upended when her father is killed in cold blood leaving only his journal filled to the brim with his engineering ideas and a jade pendant Ying managed to snatch from the assassin. Heartbroken and filled with vengeance, Ying ventures to the capital city of Fei, home to the revered Engineers Guild her father used to be apart of, where she is determined to uncover the mystery behind her father’s death. And the only way to do so, is to disguise herself as her younger brother in order to sneak into the guild’s strictly male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of Aogiya Ye-yang, the mysterious eighth prince of the High Command who may have an agenda of his own. But with war waging on the horizon and her father’s killer still on the loose, Ying must choose between following her heart or following her morals.

TROPES:
» unlikely allies
» allies to lovers (?)
» mulan vibes
» women in STEM
» murder mystery

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ THE WORLD BUILDING was befitting of the plot line where it wasn’t too vivid but descriptive enough to establish the atmosphere and setting of the book and I was ok with this because the world building wasn’t overbearing in the slightest, which helped the plot line stand out more. I also loved the incorporation of advanced punk-style engineering with the world of traditional Asia, with the clothing and architecture that is described. Also, the academic trials were also so fun to read about and seeing how engineering played such a big role in this world and found it so refreshing to read

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ THE PLOT was fast-paced, and I will admit that there were a few chapters that were long. But because of the fact that the plot was constantly moving, the chapters flew by especially with the balance between the trial and the murder mystery and the romance. And although I do wish we got more interactions between Ying and Ye-yang, their relationship is such a well-written complicated romance that it kept me hooked onto every interaction they had. I will admit, though, that I kind of saw the twist coming but I blame that on watching too many Asian dramas ♡

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ THE CHARACTERS were well flushed out and I enjoyed reading about Ying’s character development with how she started feeling so sure of her view of the world and by the end of the book, she’s struggling with accepting that the world isn’t what she thought it was and this made her feel so real to me. Ye-yang’s character is driven by finding justice, much like Ying is, and his character is complicated in the way that he doesn’t want to choose between having one of two things and will find a way to have both in everything he does, but he doesn’t realize what this may cost. And both Ying and Ye-yang balance each other out so well and I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store for them ♡

This book is such a wonderful read and I highly recommend checking it out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PenguinTeen for an ARC of Of Jade and Dragons in exchange for an honest review! ♡

I had a blast reading Of Jade and Dragons! I had never heard of silkpunk style until this book. This book pulls you in with its compelling characters and intricate plot. Ying's journey from a naive girl to a determined, resourceful hero is fantastic, and the dynamic between her and Ye-Yang kept me hooked. Plus a story about a girl in STEM? Amazing!

The world-building is wonderful, bringing the setting to life with rich descriptions and a backdrop of politics and war. The romance was a nice touch, and I can’t wait to explore that more as the series continues. The writing starts off a bit young but matures beautifully, matching the growth of the characters and the plot.

The ending left me excited for the sequel! I'm excited to see where the story goes next!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Of Jade and Dragons is a solid debut novel. The writing is decent, if not a little too straight foward. Ying is an excellent character, fiesty, smart.. yet naive. I greatly enjoyed how the author handled this part of Ying's personality. Often times a naive MC tends to be very annoying, making nonsensical decisions that the author can throw a blanket of naive over. I never feel like those characters truly grow within the story. But Ying tends to see the consequences of her naive decisions fairly quickly, and actually learns from them. They aren't decisions purely made to move plot along but because they line up with background. The supporting cast is also fantastic. My favorite being Ye-Kan. I might be more attached to him than our MMC, aha.

One thing that I greatly loved about this book is that it centers on engineering. It felt unique vs the usual magic/alchemy/assassin schools (not that I will ever turn down any of those plots). I just loved the idea of STEM and fantasy mixing together for the younger generation.

Overall, I enjoyed Of Jade and Dragons greatly. My only real complaint is that the end sequence felt too easy. Everything kind of just fell into place a little too fast. I also would've liked a bit more investigative work into Ying's father's murder.. as her initial driving point, I felt like that got a little lost. Given how the book ended, I will most definitely be picking up the sequel!

3.75 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Started off a little slow for me but thankfully I kept going! I loved the steam punk type feeling this book gave off. I’m always going to pick up books that have trials the main character has to compete in and this book definitely served with that!