A Mulan retelling (the Mulan aspect here is a female disguising herself as a boy) with steampunk/silkpunk vibes. I enjoyed the beginning, felt it lagged in the middle, and then the ending was wow, along with that CLIFFHANGER! All in all a promising story by Amber Chen.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

I will try to keep this short. I very much enjoyed the book despite the obvious flaws. Good things:
- Mulan, but with engineering
- Murder mystery
- Undercover engineering
- Supportive daddy in patriarchy
- Secrets of parents and classmates
- Questioning the role of engineering in war
- Love interest with secrets

After finishing though:
- Daddy Issues
- Main character of course so beautiful, the best engineer ever, everything always works out for her, yaddayaddayadda
- Pacing off, ending too rushed
- Love interest turns out to be a toxic little...not gonna write it
- War crimes

I still loved the part of her at the Guild. The murder mystery had become secondary. The initial love story with the dude was also cute, we also love a hurt brooding type, but when he turned out to be a power hungry liar (not a surprise exactly), I was annoyed.

3.5 stars

This is one of the hardest reviews for me to write because its hard to put into words just how much I adored this book.
It has all my favourite things including a murder mystery, secret identities, and complex politics. I'm a huge fan of YA fantasy novels with the three-part trial structure and I was so invested in these particularly because of the world building and how this effects the nature of the challenges. And best of all, I was floored by the conclusion and can't wait to get my hands on The Blood Phoenix.
Perfect for fans of Spin the Dawn, A Magic Steeped in Poison, and Song of Silver Flame Like Night.

Unfortunately was not able to read this book before it was archived. For all intents and purposes, looked like a great read. Can’t do wrong with a dragon book. Might pick up at a later date.

There has been a high bar set for YA & Middle Grade Sci-Fi and Fantasy over the years. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, The Giver, The Maze Runner, The Legend series...each has been widely beloved by fans and rapidly canonized as some of modern day culture's greatest literary achievements. And for good reason. These series have shaped adolescents and altered their brain chemistry to desire more and more relatable, yet fallible characters in fast-paced, imaginative settings. And this book is no different.

When Aihui Ying's father is murdered, shattering the idealistic world that she has created as a hopeful, future engineer, she sets out on a Mulan-inspired endeavor to infiltrate the prestigious, male-only Engineers Guild and uncover the cruel secrets behind her father's death. Will she find closure and maybe a little romance along the way?

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style is easy to follow, the plot is fast-paced, and the characters are developed enough that you can uncover their motives and desires without too much trouble. All this to say, I wish this book leaned more toward dark academia. All of the necessary elements are there--a prestigious school, a wide range of characters, an unattainable romance, and a goal that the MC is working toward--but somehow it falls short. The novel is reminiscent of Poppy Wars, Harry Potter, and Fourth Wing at various points throughout, but it fails to dive deeper into the academic setting, world-building, or the plethora of characters that are just waiting to be explored.

Though Ying has a consistent inner monologue, she feels very underdeveloped and robotic at times when she interacts with other characters. She is hyper-focused on her mission to a fault, in that she barely engages with any of the other students and professors around her, so that her romantic dialogue with Ye-Yang often feels forced to become necessary to the plot. The ending felt a little rushed and too convenient, and I wished afterward that the first book had relied more on the academic world-building for the majority, and set up the mystery for a second novel.

Though this book didn't completely alter my brain chemistry, I love what Chen accomplished, and am looking forward to book 2 (if there will be one) to see how the story progresses.

Thank you to the publisher for this e-arc; 3.5 stars for this book.

A fun YA fantasy story that combines fantasy with steampunk elements. A good story to get lost in if you have patience.

This is such an interesting fantasy. Part school competition/part Mulan. This is exactly my kind of story.

After discovering her father seconds from death, Ming is determined to find his killer and seek revenge, at any cost. Her thirst for vengeance will take her to the city of Fai. Once in the city, Ming disguises herself as her brother in order to enter the Guild Engineers Apprenticeship competition. Ming will need all the help she can get in order to not only survive the competition but also find out the truth about her father.

I had a really good time reading this. I started on audiobook (which was fantastic and greatly helped with my pronunciation) but I was too impatient so I ended up reading the rest.

This book is my kind of fantasy. It leans more political and some people aren’t going to like that it’s more scheming and schooling than violence but I thought it had a great balance.

I am impatiently waiting for book two, and now I’m going to have to get the Illumicrate edition of the first.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. While I am incredibly grateful, it does not change the content of my review.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Amber Chen for the opportunity to read Of Jade and Dragons in exchange for an honest review.

Of Jade and Dragons was one of my most anticipated books of 2024, and it did not disappoint. It was both expected and unexpected in the thrills of engineering, murder mystery, and romance, along with my most favorite literary trope: crossdressing to hide one's gender identity to achieve a goal.

The story follows Aihui Ying, who wants to follow in her fathers footsteps to join the Engineer's Guild and become a guild master. Unfortunately, they do not allow girls to join the guild. And besides, her father and their family live a quiet life away from the city, because her father wanted to leave that life behind.

The tides turn when Ying's father is assassinated, the culprit seeking the secrets of his works. Ying knows now that she must join the Engineers Guild, if for nothing more than to find her father's killer and learn the secrets behind their motive.

Disguised as Aihui Min, Ying takes on the persona of a boy to take the trials for the Engineers Guild. While she missed the application window, her engineering skills impress a young prince, who is able to put her into the trials as a nominee without an application. Plus, he sees right through her disguise (but why don't others? With some pointers from him, perhaps she can be more manly).

As Ying's outside the box thinking when it comes to engineering and teamwork make her stand out to the High Commander, she strives to keep her identity a secret, or she will never learn what she needs. With few to trust, she bathes at the prince's house and selects him as a confidant...but some secrets even he cannot know.

This novel is exciting in a realistic fantasy flare. The engineering aspects and ideas presented by Ying and the other characters are fun to explore and to wonder what will she do next. The murder mystery continues through to the end, where many secrets about her father and his past are revealed, a certainly worthwhile investment for the reader.

Goodreads calls this Fall of the Dragon #1, indication the start to a series, though no information is available on a second installment...yet. With the way things end, it could be an unsatisfying, yet wholly realistic and true-to-character end, though the promise of more of Ying's story is exhilarating. Looking forward to the next one. A book perfect for fans of Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and wholistically enjoyable fantasy romance mysteries.

I enjoyed this book but what really did it for me was the world building. It was so refreshing to see a different viewpoint and I'm glad that I read it.

Of Jade and Dragons had a lot of promise with its captivating cover and intriguing synopsis, but ultimately fell a bit short for me. The concept of Ying disguising herself as a man to enter the Engineer’s Guild and solve her father’s murder had me excited, especially with the Mulan-esque twist. The steampunk-inspired Asian fantasy world was fresh and interesting, but the execution left much to be desired. Ying’s character, though described as intelligent and determined, often came across as immature, and the plot frequently meandered, losing focus on her quest for revenge. The romance, while taking up more page time than expected, felt shallow and clichéd, which detracted from the overall narrative. While the world-building had potential, it felt underdeveloped, and the pacing made the story drag. That said, fans of light, fast-paced fantasy might still find enjoyment in it, but I was left hoping for more depth and substance.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is a decent book and I have enjoyed the fantasy elements and the plot but it just didn’t quite hit all the right spots for me to rate it any higher. The world building was fascinating with all its glorious steam-punkness but the characters and their dialogues were poorly written and were a true pitfall of this story. Alas, a disappointing read.

Marketed as a steampunk fantasy novel, Of Jade and Dragons was enjoyable, overall, but had a lot of slow build up and surprisingly few dragons (IE: no real dragons). It felt like the book was trying to do too much in too short a time, which resulted in me being confused about what was going on for the first half of the book and then surprised by an abrupt ending.

Words cannot express how much I enjoyed this story and world. Amber Chen did a great job describing the setting and characters.

This book was not what i was expecting. I think i had higher hopes than i was hoping for. this started out so slow and then just kept it up. Maybe it just wasnt for me.

I received an advanced copy of Of Jade and Dragons from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Despite my love for everything Mulan-related, Of Jade and Dragons was a bit of a letdown, with bland characters, a neglected plot, and a lack of world-building. However, it was still an enjoyable read, surprisingly enough. I don't think that the writing itself was bad. Perhaps a little too telling and a little young, but nothing so crazy that it took away from my ability to read and enjoy the story. I think the book suffered from a lack of development in all departments.

The characters had the makings of interesting and dynamic people but weren't fleshed out enough to quite get there. Even though Ying's motivation to join the engineer's guild was out of the desire to discover her father's murderer, I barely saw any motivation through the rest of the book once we got to the guild. Ye-yang made no sense, nor did any of the other boys Ying interacted with. I needed more background on them and to not have them be on the page just to further whatever Ying was doing.

Back on the subject of Ying's father's murder: this was supposed to be the plot, but again, I saw no indication of Ying actually trying to solve the murder until information fell into her lap. This plot point was overshadowed by Ying taking part in the engineer's guild's classes and trials, which also needed significantly more development. On top of all that, there's a war going on that I have no accurate information about. It ended up feeling like the plot was a bunch of ribbons that never got their bowtie. Nothing connected in a meaningful way, and those plot ribbons kept getting left behind with no actual world-building to try and hold things together.

Even with all this, I did finish the book, and I can't say that I didn't like it. Was it perfect? No. But if I remove the things I had issues with, Of Jade and Dragons wasn't a bad book. Taken at face value, I think that it had a lot of potential. However, I likely won't be reading the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed this book! it felt on the young edge of YA, but in a good way in my opinion. it brought me back a bit to the feeling of reading tamora pierce books, which is a HIGH compliment from me. every once in a while, it’s a relief to read a fantasy book where you know not that much will go wrong, because it’s intended for a younger audience. and in this one, the plot/setting/characterization all felt really strong so it made for an enjoyable reading experience.

I really enjoyed this fantasy by Amber Chen. I liked the story and the characters, overall it was well done. The only thing for me was that there could have been more world building. But a pretty solid fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin and Viking books for the ARC!

Of Jade and Dragons
By Amber Chen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This Mulan retelling with a twist, was such a beatiful and entertaining story. So action packed with an academia vibe. Ying is such a strong, headstrong, exceptional character determined to discover the mystery of her father’s murder. She infiltrates the engineer’s guild apprentice trial disguised as a boy hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps as well as figure out why her father was murdered. The two male leads were a great addition, Ye-Kan like a little brother, and Beile-ye Ye-Yang. I hope to see more of them in the next book.
If you enjoy a Mulan retelling with a twist, with academia meets steam punk, a fierce ruthless female lead that strays true to herself to the very end, and some twists I didn’t see coming, please give this book a read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review Of Jade and Dragons (even if my review is a bit late).

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕤𝕥:
Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming an engineer like her late father, who was murdered. Armed with his journal and a jade pendant, Ying disguises herself as her brother to infiltrate the male-only Engineers Guild, seeking answers about his death.

With the help of the prince, Aogiya Ye-yang, Ying navigates dangerous trials, jealous guild masters, and a relentless assassin. As secrets within the guild unfold, Ying must decide whether to avenge her father, risking her life and homeland, or face becoming the next target.

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
🐉 Feisty female engineer
🐉 Mysterious prince
🐉 Murder mystery
🐉 Betrayal and secrets

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤:
🎥 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗻
📚 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝘃𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗱

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
I was so excited to pick this book up, and it first caught my eye because of that stunning cover! Overall, the story did not disappoint- it is filled with unique characters, mystery, and creative concepts.

I really loved the characters. Ying was intelligent, creative, and witty. She was cautious and didn’t trust easily, and I enjoyed getting to watch her slowly open up. Ye-Kan was one of those characters that you just hate at the beginning, but by the end, he's one of your favorites. His character development was beautifully done, and his and Ying's friendship blossomed beautifully. I'm very curious to see how the author builds on their relationship in the next book.

There were definitely some parts of the book I found confusing. I had a hard time making sense of the political/ranking system. I also felt like there could have been a lot more world building. Overall, this was still a fun read! That cliffhanger ending has me anxiously awaiting the next book!

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (𝟯/𝟱)

Aihui Ying witnesses her father's assignation. Obsessed with justice, she leaves her home behind, seeking out the killer.
Disguised as a son of her father's, Aihui gains entry to the engineer school - her father still a famous student. Desperate to learn more about him and forge a connection, Aihui cannot hide from the reality of his truths.
Balancing invisibility while motivated to show her father continues on her own abilities, Aihui must choose her own journey.