This book read like an old fairy tale, which was really nice in some respects and a little disappointing in others.
It was an easy and fast read, with a story moving quickly and not much of a world-building, but it still kept me interested to the end.
Although I didn’t connect much with Sai and felt his relationship with his fated one lacked chemistry, I still ended up being swept away by the stakes of their romance. I don’t really like insta-love and unfortunately, this was the kind of fated mate trope this story portrayed, but I appreciated how Jyn was still guarded at first and they had to take their time to get to learn other.
I think I didn’t mind the other characters not being developed or fleshed out, or even not being completely overtaken by the romance, specifically because of the tale-like quality of this story. I trusted I knew where this was going and it led me there without ever demanding too much from me, which is what I needed.
I won’t spoil anything, but this also had my favorite trope ever, so it of course helped keeping me invested.

I found this to be a endearing tale of enduring, lasting love. The fated mates trope was done well. It was an exciting premise and a heart breaking love story.

Although I think the that character lacked depth over all. With them being fated mates, I feel as though there could have been more growth within their relationship. I also would have enjoyed more of the green dragon and her stories over the 7,000 years. I still found it to be a enjoyable read. I wish there was more about the blue dragon and his story.

3.75 stars

This was such a fun, quick read! I always love a good "I will find you in any lifetime" soulmates type of romance and this one delivered! I was very connected to the main two characters but felt that the side characters fell a little flat. There was also one scene towards the end that left a tiny bit of a bad taste in my mouth regarding the romance. I can't say exactly what that was without spoiling but it's extremely weird if you think about if for too long so I'm just not going to because the rest of the book was great! I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves Chinese mythology, dragons, and soulmates!!

I received an advanced copy of The Last Dragon of the East from Netgalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have restarted this review more times than I can count as, for some reason, I'm having difficulty writing it. So, instead of paragraphs, I'm making a list of things I want to talk about, and we'll see how that goes.

Plot: It's very straightforward: find the dragon. However, once the dragon is found, the plot shifts into running from the bad man, which is still very straightforward. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but somehow, it was still hard to follow. Many things that happened made little to no sense, and while some decisions are explained later, it's too little, too late.

Pacing: Do you have whiplash? Because I have whiplash. For a book with over 300 pages, I wasn't expecting it to fly by so quickly, but whoosh, there it went.

World-building: It was there. A little confusing, but there. I would have loved more, but there was enough to make sense of the world, even though many details were missing.

Characters: I didn't like or dislike them. They were just there. The main characters were inconsistent to the point of frustration at times, and while it kind of makes sense for one of them, I couldn't figure out why the other was acting the way they were. I would have loved more development for them and the side characters. They were good characters for what the book was, however.

Romance: Hmm. Before I read this book, I would have said that I'm not a super huge fan of fated mates because it usually indicates that there will be some insta-love happening. After finishing it, I would still say that. Maybe I haven't read the right one yet, but the romance didn't work for me.

Magic: Despite my dislike for insta-love, I find the red string of fate fascinating, and I liked that Sai was one of the only ones who could see them. Also, I love nearly everything with dragons, so that's a given. I know very little about any other magic abilities in the world, as that was one of those missing world-building details, but I like the foundation that was built and would have loved to see more.

That's all I've got. I liked the fairytale atmosphere and thought the story was well written. Though I would have liked more of everything, honestly, The Last Dragon of the East was a solid book.

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is a romantasy novel that draws on Chinese mythology, primarily dragon myths and the red thread of fate. At age twenty-five, Sai struggles to support his ailing mother and failing tea shop via his matchmaking side hustle--he can see people's red threads fate, which connects them to their soul mates. But he runs afoul of his kingdom's despotic emperor when he gives his mother a dragon scale miracle cure for her illness. Faced with either certain execution or an impossible quest to find the last living dragon of the land for the emperor, Sai sets off on a quest of adventure, danger, and a love he never expected to find.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Smooth pacing; great writing; a solid balance between flashbacks, myths, and the novel's "present," readers will not be disappointed! The character development was consistent and satisfying, while the emotional gut punches hit properly hard. My only quibbles were Feng's speech patterns and the ending. Kwan was likely trying to affect an accent or dialect for Feng, but since Feng was the only character with a different speech pattern than everyone else, the effect came off as awkward and clunky, and took me out of the story a little each time she spoke. Instead, it would have felt more natural for Feng to speak like everyone else, and just note the difference in dialect/accent as an aside. Also, the ending felt a bit weird to me because of the age gap, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things (in the novel's universe), one generation difference isn't too terrible? Still, on the whole, I really liked this novel and will look forward to future works by Katrina Kwan.

Readers who enjoy this novel may also like: The Celestial Kingdom series by Sue Lynn Tan, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, and possibly Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

This is quite the lovely story.

Synopsis:
Sai, a young man who runs his family’s teahouse, has a special gift. He can see the threads between Fated Ones. People seek him out to guide them to their soulmate. When Sai buys some illegal dragon scales to cure his ailing mother, he is sent on life-changing adventure. The emperor forces Sai to track down the dragon so its magic can be exploited. When Sai finds the dragon and meets Jyn, his life and destiny is changed forever.

Thoughts:
This book is so much fun, tender, and full of adventure. There is war, romance, monsters, mythology, magic and reincarnation. Sai and Jyn’s story is absolutely touching, and the ending is delightful. I do hope that the author considers a sequel. I would love to go back into this world.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the copy of this book.

Genuinely so disappointing. I was really into this book until about 25%, when we were treated to the worst eye dialect I’ve ever read. It was a terrible writing choice and I hated it. It genuinely made me stop reading the book. Huge mistake.

The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan is a beautifully written story that tells the story of how we are tied to one another by the red string of fate. I thoroughly enjoyed Kwan's storytelling and writing style and am excited to see what she writes in the future!

Our main character, Sai, has the power to see everyone's red string of fate. He utilizes this power to make a living and assist his mother, who is bedridden with an illness. During this time, he notices his own thread is going grey and is fraying off, but that is the least of his worries. When the village healer promises a type of medicine that will cure his mother's illness, Sai scrapes together all of his money. But what he didn't know was the medicine was actually dragon scales. The Emperor gets word of the scales, and arrests both Sai and the healer. To escape punishment, Sai is sent to find and bring back the last remaining dragon of the East. On this quest, his own thread of fate begins to move, sparking hope that his questions of his own thread will finally be answered.


Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Saga Press Books for allowing me to read and review The Last Dragon of the East! All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sai, who is gifted with the ability to see the red threads of destiny that bind fated lovers, dedicates himself to helping couples find each other, despite skepticism from those around him. However, his own thread is a gray, leaving him to question if he will ever meet his Fated One. The plot thickens when Sai, in a moment of impulsive valor to aid a young woman, punches a captain, landing himself in jail and exposing the secret of the forbidden dragon scales he purchased to heal his ailing mother. With his mother's life hanging in the balance under the Emperor's threat, Sai embarks on a perilous quest to find the dragon connected to these scales.

While I sometimes wanted to strangle Sai, the other part of me felt protective and wanted to root for his success in finding his Fated One and to help heal his mother.. His journey with Jyn is one I'll remember. I enjoyed the humorous and not-so-serious moments. They reminded me of how I felt watching and reading the Heaven Official's Blessing series. The Last Dragon of the East is a beautifully written romantic fantasy featuring the Red String of Fate and somber themes. The character development for Sai and Jyn is fabulous but not so much for secondary characters. The building of their relationship is well-developed and I liked following along Sai's perspective as he searches for his Fated One.

If you're looking for a last minute short read to reach your reading goals The Last Dragon of the East is a great pick.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my copy of this book!

I think Katrina Kwan said, “I heard you didn’t like the fated mates trope. Allow me to change that.” AND CHANGE IT DID SHE.

I loved this one. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but it wasn’t the brutality mixed with a sprinkle of coziness crossed with dragons and star-crossed lovers that I got. I loved the converging storylines, the glimpses from the past, the heartbreaking reality of greed and wealth.

I think Katrina Kwan is an excellent storyteller and the narrators chosen for the audiobook were especially talented as well.

If you’re looking for an adult fantasy standalone, look no further!

3.5 stars, rounded down

Things I liked: the overall story was interesting, and I really enjoyed the flashbacks and how they accompanied the plot progression.

Things I felt fine with: the characterization of our main characters didn’t have any problems. the battle scenes and dialogue were both solid.

My complaints: the writing and tone of the book felt off compared to the content. the side characters felt one-dimensional, and many appeared to be created just for one plot moment. the relationship felt strange and moved too fast for what we saw develop, even with what we learn from flashbacks.

I don’t regret reading this book, but I was a bit befuddled by it. Most of the book reads like YA or even middle grade, but then we get semi-explicit scenes and torture, which really threw me for a loop. I think this honestly would have worked better if it were directed to younger audiences with minor edits to make it appropriate.

OMIGOSH!!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book!

This was a phenomenal read. I could not put this down. I adored the characters so much and this book broke my heart a number of times.

The Last Dragon of the East might have been a shorter book but it packed a punch the entire read. The stress and emotions for our characters and even side characters was so high. I was also obsessed with how much Sai becomes a "I LOVE my WIFE" kind of guy as soon as he meets her 🤣

I can already feel that this will be a book to reread and I will be recommending to everyone.

One of my favorite books this year!! Sai is such a sweet heart that just wants to care for his mother. The Chinese mythology, the world building, the HEART this book has. Truly a great book!

The Last Dragon of the East is a fast paced, romantic fantasy featuring Chinese folklore and a himbo MMC that will forever remain a favorite of mine. I absolutely adored Sai and it was a pleasure witnessing his story develop and his relationship with Jyn grow. I always love the concept of soulmates, especially in reference to the red string of fate. I sped through reading this and enjoyed almost every second. I found Sai early in the story a little too naive and goofy for my tastes, but he quickly grew on me and this story will stick with me for a long time. Jyn is so well portrayed by the author and her strength and depth of love were admirable. I think anyone who enjoys Asian mythology, stories of adventure, love, and hardship, as well as manga and/or anime would find a story they love in The Last Dragon of the East.

Thank you to Saga Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Blog post goes live Dec 6th
A second Instagram post will likely go live around Dec 28/29th as well
Will be covered in an upcoming video on Youtube

**TL;DR**: This one was a surprise in many ways, all lovely.
**Source**: NetGalley and a physical copy via the publisher

**Plot**: Sai ends up forced on a journey by the Emperor to find the last dragon and along the way he finds a lot more.
**Characters**: I enjoyed all these characters and could see them vividly. I genuinely felt for them as well.
**Setting**: A beautiful Asian inspired world, I will keep a lot of those settings in my mind for a long time.
**Fantasy:** I thought this was interesting and well drawn, I do wish we’d gotten more of it but I loved what we had. I’d kill for a sequel to this.

**Thoughts**:

The way that this man was gone for the love interest! This follows Sai, he’s a tea shop owner who cares for his mother and struggles to make ends make in a kingdom that is struggling to simply survive. He works on the side helping people find their Fated Ones, as he can see the Red Threads of Fate that connect these people to each other. He gets on the Emperor’s bad side after purchasing illegal dragon scales for his mother’s medicine and as punishment the Emperor sends him out to find the last dragon of the east.

Pretty quickly we meet our love interest in this and the way Sai falls for her, the journey they go on and the way the interact? I loved it. Jyn is incredibly grumpy, and she’s incredibly strong - a nice flip from the usual ‘man grumpy, woman weak and bubbly’. You can see her struggling with grief as she’s lost a child, but she’s also dealing with seven thousand years worth of grief for her lost husband as well and man it hurt to read. I ate up the way this author wrote Sai’s feelings and how they interacted and I cannot wait for more from her.

This is short one, it doesn’t go too deep and it focuses primarily on the relationship between the two but it does it such a wonderful way. I loved it. I will be revisiting lines in this, and I am following the author to make sure to stay up to date on her releases because yes please! One I really recommend if you want a short and snappy love story with a beautiful setting. And dragons!

I really really really loved this read! It was about loss and love and fate and longing and just all those emotions that go along with losing a piece of yourself.

Sai, if we're being honest, came across as a bit of a bumbling individual at first. He had really good intentions trying to care for his mother, but ultimately it landed him in a bit of hot water. The early turn of events forced him out into the world beyond the tea house and onto a path that he was meant for.

As the story unwound, it was really enthralling to see all the pieces ultimately come together to the big reveal at the end, which I absolutely loved and adored.

I was so hooked on the premise of this book- Asian fantasy, fated soulmates, dragons, mythology, basically everything I could want in a book!! I think my expectations were TOO high because sadly this missed the mark for me.

Sai leads a quiet life and runs his family’s tea house while taking care of his mother. He is able to see red strings of fate, so as a side hustle he helps connect people to their fated one. His string, however, is grey and fraying and he has never attempted to follow it. He soon runs into trouble and gets set on a hunt for a dragon - which turns into him running from the emperor.

I really loved that the MC was a male character because you don’t see that too often in today’s novels. There were many plot twists I didn’t anticipate and I was really invested in the story after we met Jyn! However, I constantly felt like something was missing while I was reading. I kept forgetting this was an adult fantasy because it read more like YA, especially the dialogue. Sometimes the banter was really cringey and I found myself skimming. Things kept happening TOO fast without any details and the story felt like it was jumping around. I was shocked at some of the gore in certain scenes, especially the cannibalism. It felt so out of place and extremely jarring 😭

Overall I didn’t love it, sadly. I think maybe it could be a good starter book for someone just getting into fantasy or folklore, but as a more seasoned reader it was not memorable 😔

Despite the detailed amount of gore and death described throughout the book, I surprisingly found it cute and cozy. I really enjoyed the overall story and lush environment depictions. Fated lovers who are doomed to millennia of angst and tragedy are my bread and butter.

Unfortunately, I do think the writing fell victim to telling rather showing. This is meant to be an emotionally intense story, with lots of loss and longing. However, I never truly felt the agony the characters endured, because the author literally kept telling me that X character was feeling Y emotion at any given time but not demonstrating how said emotion manifested nor affected them. As a result, the primary characters felt flat and were difficult to connect to from a reader's perspective. I also found the swearing to be needless and inappropriate for the setting. Dragons and teahouse boys dropping f-bombs broke my immersion in an otherwise beautifully woven world.

I think the story itself is lovely. The Last Dragon of the East toes the line between fantasy and romance, never leaning into either genre too heavily. Honestly, this is the kind of mythological tale I would have loved as a child. It didn't quite land for me as an adult due to the lack of depth, but I would recommend it to people not yet exposed to this kind of Asian-inspired mythological tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the eARC!

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

This story weaves a captivating tale of love, destiny, and the power of hope. Sai spends the majority of his time time running a failing teahouse and caring for his ailing mother. Sai possesses the ability to see the red threads of fate, and he uses this power to earn additional money on the side as a matchmaker. When a miraculous cure, dragon scales, seems to help his mothers' condition, Sai embarks on a perilous quest to find the last dragon of the East.

While the world-building and adventure elements could have been further developed, the novel's strength lies in its endearing romance. Sai's journey to find his fated one is both heartwarming and memorable. When he covers her ears and tilts her head up to watch the fireworks unafraid??? SO sweet!

If you're looking for a fated romance with a touch of fantasy, or are interested in the red threads of fate, I'd recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Saga Press for the review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Perfect for fans of The alchemy of souls (kdrama) and Subzero (webtoon), this book takes the red thread trope to a whole new level.

The first half of the book was so whimsical its atmosphere felt like reading a fairy tale, it was so visually rich, with some vivid descriptions it felt so simple as following the story of a young man, an huntress, a last of its kind dragon and an evil emperor. It doesn't need complex worldbuilding or to go into too much detail of the mythology behind it for you to understand it.

It's a short, fast paced read that moves from one place to another quickly perfect for a weekend read. Following Sai who has a sidle hustle of matchmaking because he has the ability to see the read threads that connect one person to another, with a gray thread of his own, to help his ailing mother. Until one day forced by the emperor he is to find and hunt the last dragon. Having barely survived the journey with the help of a huntress, he finds out that his thread is starting to become red once more, and the dragon who he is supposed to hunt may be the answer to his questions.

I loved this take on the fated lovers, and the dynamic between all the characters. The banter between the main characters gave grumpy x sunshine and it was so fun to read. And having it be from the point of view of a male character was so refreshing, it was something different from all these female POV books.

The second half of the book is where I started to have conflicted feelings and why I didn't give it the full five stars, it felt like everything was happening too fast and there were some loose ends that didn't make sense and the ending just didn't sit well with me.

Overall I would recommend this to my fellow romantasy lovers.