Breath of the Dragon is a well-crafted fantasy that blends a richly imagined world with compelling action and an emotional core. Co-written by Fonda Lee and Shannon, the book delivers a story that will appeal to fans of fantasy with sharp world-building and political intrigue.

The novel’s greatest strength lies in its character development. The protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and growth is a major highlight, as he learns to understand both himself and the world around him. This emotional depth is complemented by a series of powerful messages about doing what is right, honoring family, and confronting prejudice.

While some readers may find the pacing uneven—wishing for more detailed training scenes and less internal monologue—the compelling fight scenes and engaging storyline make it a fun and satisfying read. It’s an easy book to recommend for those who appreciate a narrative with martial arts elements and themes of determination and self-belief.

This was a solid fantasy book! I usually prefer more lyrical writing but this definitely did the job. However the story didn’t feel the most unique. It felt like I read it before but in different fonts, I think it would have been a tremendous help if the characters were fleshed out more and given more depth to their backstories, then they would be more compelling.

Shannon and Fonda Lee deliver a richly imagined world and cinematic action in Breath of the Dragon, though I found myself more admiring than emotionally engaged. The story is solid and the dragon mythology compelling, but something about the pacing or characters kept me at arm’s length. Still, fans of fantasy with sharp worldbuilding and political intrigue will find plenty to enjoy. A fun read, just not one that fully hooked me

This book!! When I finished this book, I was losing my mind. I cannot believe how amazing this was. Though I shouldn't be surprised with one of the authors being Fonda Lee. Every single part of this book was well crafted. The characters and how they operated, their details and history, their emotions and the growth they each experienced. Absolutely amazing. I really love watching a character grow so much, like they aren't perfect by any means and they continue to lose or fall, but they keep working at bettering themselves and just keep going throughout the novel. This had exactly that. I loved our main character's development into understanding not just himself better, but the world around him. Ugh! Amazing. I definitely need a sequel and I do tend to recommend this book to people looking for this type of vibe.

This book was interesting, I loved the lore in this one. The storyline was unique with great character growth. I would recommend this book to everyone.

I truly enjoy reading this book very much. It's very high fantasy young adult. Do not expect romance very much. It's more than to it. Definitely recommend reading it.

I really enjoyed BREATH OF THE DRAGON. While a little slow at the start, the pacing really picked up and I was engaged throughout the rest of the book. Jun was a great main character, a (perhaps over-) confident young boy who worked hard, and I found some of the side characters even more interesting. I can't wait for the next book to continue the journey.

I had so much fun reading this book. I feel like we don't see a lot of YA fantasy books with a male protagonists, so this book is definitely filling a much needed space. The action scenes and competition were riveting to read, and the world building was nicely fleshed out. I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel because it ended on such a good cliffhanger.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the ARC!

Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee is a fast-paced YA martial arts fantasy inspired by Bruce Lee’s philosophy. Set in a wuxia-style world, it follows Jun, a determined teen entering a deadly tournament to restore his family’s honor. Readers and critics praise its cinematic fight scenes, rich worldbuilding, and thoughtful exploration of strength and identity. While some found Jun hard to connect with at first, most agree his growth is rewarding. It's a thrilling, action-packed read perfect for fans of martial arts and coming-of-age stories with depth.

3.5⭐️
really really solid ya fantasy full of emotion, determination, and martial arts

i would have liked more training scenes and preparation for the trial. we get Jun’s childhood and then it fast forwards to when he is already a skilled fighter. even as they’re traveling to the city, it’s explained that Chang is training Jun but we don’t really get to see it

the fight scenes were compelling and the storyline was interesting and kept me engaged. i don’t think anything in this felt super exciting or surprising but it was still fun

this had a lot of great messages about propaganda, immigrants, believing in yourself, honoring your family, and doing what’s right even if it feels like the world is against you

This is a fantastic ya fantasy that blends Fonda Lee’s incredible writing with Shannon Lee’s familial heritage of martial arts into a fast-moving engaging story!

I have been a huge fan of Fonda Lee’s adult fantasy series, and hoped that her incredible writing would transfer well into a ya format, and I’m happy to say it did. Her story-telling and style is so unique and I definitely saw glimpses of it in her characters. Her character-work is unmatched and I was captivated by the characters we meet and follow.

In addition, the ya story gave this book a faster pace than her other books, and it captured my attention, making me read this book in three days because I was so interested in where the story would go. This plot is one that could be overall somewhat predictable based on how things are expected to turn out, but Fonda and Shannon both include plot twists and turns that made this story feel wholly unique.


I absolutely recommend this story to anyone who loves martial arts, loves tournament stories, or Fonda Lee’s writing as this is an incredible first book in a duology!

3.5 stars - This book is an adventure from start to finish.
I thought the beginning was a little slow as it feels like typical YA coming of age concepts such as family being torn apart, making new friends, being the best/most disciplined fighter, etc. I thought that the main characters Jun and Yi were well-written and with such maturity, and sometimes even brutality, yet they're still easy to follow for young readers.

This book is fine, but I’m so miserably bored. And this book taking me a week to read is ridiculous. I hate picking it up 🤣

First and foremost, thank you so much to @netgalley and @stmarinspress / @wednesdaybooks for the e-ARC!

3.25 / 5 ⭐️

“𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

I grew up watching Bruce Lee movies and inspired films because of my Dad’s love of martial arts, so let me tell you how I excited I was to not only read a book of fiction inspired by the teachings of Bruce Lee, but to also find out his daughter co-wrote it!! This book was pure nostalgia for me, but it was missing something…

I loved the whole premise of this book involving tournaments and trials, political intrigue, upholding family honor, chosen/dragon-blessed abilities (breathmarked), and of course action packed fight scenes, but I did feel that the world building was a bit lackluster. I didn’t get the whole immersive and expansive world building that I expected going into this read. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and felt that there was a lost opportunity for a larger found family trope.

Nonetheless, it was a super entertaining read, and I do plan on reading book 2, so I am hoping the events that transpire will make me love book 1 more!

🐉 blessed abilities
🥋Bruce Lee inspired
🐉 karate kid vibes
🥋 upholding family honor
🐉 tournament & trials
🥋fantasy martial arts novel

I really enjoyed this novel. It kept my attention and I was invested in the outcome. However it’s left in a way that I am certain there will be a book 2. This is about martial arts and the rivalry of two nations. It’s not about dragons. This is an excellent YA novel.

This is a quick, engaging YA fantasy rooted in martial arts philosophy and inspired by Bruce Lee’s teachings—and it absolutely delivers on that promise. Sixteen-year-old Jun is easy to root for as he fights to reclaim his family’s honor in a high-stakes tournament full of action, heart, and magical depth.

The story has strong anime vibes, with a clear coming-of-age arc, brotherhood, and inner growth that feels both classic and fresh. It’s a great fit for younger YA readers or anyone looking for a meaningful, action-packed read that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Great start to a duology—I’m excited to see what comes next.

I've heard about Fonda Lee before, but I've never read any books by them before,, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I really loved the concept of this book and the martial arts/tournament storyline. It was definitely way more exciting with the change of rules that allowed for the stakes to be higher. I just wish that the tournament was more drawn out and the rounds lasted longer in order to really increase the tension. I do think that this book could have very much benefitted from being longer. However, even with that, I was really entertained the entire way through.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Shannon and Fonda Lee, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Breath of the Dragon was a really interesting concept, with exceptional world building. Fonda Lee really is an expert in her craft. This was my first Fonda Lee book and one of the rare YA books with a male main character! I had fun reading this and the fight scenes were really intricate. Overall, a really fun read and I am really excited to read more from Fonda Lee!

Part Hunger Games, a little bit of Star Wars, and others, Breath of the Dragon is a great mashup of all the dystopian high stake fantasies I really enjoyed as teen but with a great element of mixed martial arts and Asian culture. Similar to Katniss, Jun was kind of an annoying character but I did really like him! He was obviously on this journey self-discovery and having to prove himself to everyone. The supporting cast was also excellent and brought the plot along seamlessly. Yie Yun ended up being one of my favorite characters and I really liked him and Jun's ever-evolving bromance. It gave an unexpected subplot I really liked. It wasn't all straight-up (hetero) romance but found family vibes. The writing was also so engrossing and well done. Action sequences can be really confusing but the authors did a great job. Not to mention, Shannon Lee is the daughter of the famous Bruce Lee! This is a great fun fact and adds so much more to the story. I am really looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you @wednesdaybooks for the free book!

This was one of these books that stayed with me. Even though it released in January, and I read it at the beginning of the year, I still think about it. Co- written by Fonda Lee along with Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon, this book blends the beautifully world building of fantasy writing and the strength, control and determination of martial arts.

the nitty gritty: twin boys Sai and Jun get separated while young because one has a gift (ie is Breathmaked) and one does not. Many years later, in order to earn back the honor of his disgraced family, Jun chooses to train and fight in the Guardian Tournament against his father’s wishes.

The dialogue definitely reads YA, but the storyline is brutal and unforgiving. There were so many moments I was incredibly frustrated with characters in position of power, but it gripped me enough to want to know what happens next.

This book is VERY martial arts focused. If this isn’t something that’s interesting to you, it may not be your cup of tea. But I loved the references to Asian culture and the fantasy world that was built, especially the different gifts of each person who was breathmarked.