Sixteen-year-old Jun can’t forgive himself for the childhood mistake that tore his family apart. Desperate to restore his father's honor, reunite with his twin brother, and prove himself as a warrior, he hatches a simple plan: compete in the Guardian tournament—and win. With no sponsorship or funds, Jun stows away with a blind flutist travelling to perform in the city, but as hostile political forces infiltrate the capital and breathmarked warriors with Dragon-gifted powers dominate in the arena, Jun must fight for more than personal victory. The fate of his divided country hangs in the balance.

Breath of the Dragon is a quintessential coming of age story, and Jun's development from child struggling to see beyond his own hardships to young adult able to empathize with others and fight for justice is engaging and well-crafted. Respect for martial arts and martial arts philosophy shine through the text, resulting in delightfully fun combat reminiscent of classic film and anime competitions like The Karate Kid or Yu Yu Hakusho. Lee & Lee's fight scenes are vivid and precise--each match leaps from the page with clarity and ease, switching masterfully between Jun's inner monologue and the tournament's explosive action. 

At times, though, BOTD feels almost too quintessential—Jun is the young prodigy determined to prove himself, Yin Yue is the disciplined rival he must defeat, and flutist Chang is the unconventional master with whom Jun trains to hone his skills. Though I kept waiting for Lee & Lee to breathe fresh life into each archetype, none are truly explored in any new or exciting ways. Jun has unexplained natural aptitude for martial arts that leave his victories feeling ever-so-slightly unearned, and although BOTD’s political undercurrent is poignant, it lacks the snap of urgency that other revolutionary YA fantasies achieve. 

Overall, BOTD is enjoyable, if not excellent. Adult readers should be prepared for a solidly YA narrative, but if you're a fan of martial arts, coming-of-age stories, and East-Asian inspired fantasy worlds, put your fists up, because the Guardian tournament is about to begin!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (3.5 stars)

This book is a cross between Hunger Games and Bruce Lee. From the get-go the story sweeps you in and holds your attention. After he lost his twin brother and mother and ended up in exile with his father, all Jun wanted to do was to compete in the elite Guardians tournament and win the scroll of heaven. Despite his father's strict ban, he runs away to compete as an unknown warrior with no sponsorship. Its only after the loss of his father he realizes that he's fighting for a lot more than a simple honor and winning the scroll of heaven is only the first step in the face of the evil that has blanketed his country.
When the book ended, I was left in a state of disbelief. I cannot wait for the next chapter.

This was my first book with Fonda Lee's writing and I enjoyed it quite a bit, and enjoyed the faithfulness to all the different martial arts described throughout. I will say I was kind of bored through the first half of the book, but that's kind of my fault for reading tons of martial manhwas!

The first half of the book definitely felt like it was written for a teenage reader, however during the second half it felt more adult. I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel as I'm curious what happens next!

The quick cut: A sixteen year old runs from home to compete in the Guardian's tournament and become the next Guardian of the magical scroll of Heaven.

A real review:
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review.

There are a few roles in life that are difficult to achieve, but come with great responsibility and rewards. For sixteen year old Jun, that role is one he's willing to do anything for.

At a young age, Jun's life was changed forever when his family was split in half: his twin brother and Mom went to training as a Breathmarked while his father and him were banished. Since then, they've only had each other as they make ends meet. When the Guardian's tournament comes up and provides an opportunity to bring something good to his family, he's excited to compete. However, his father forbids him from doing so. Can he win the tournament? Or will it be more dangerous than expected?

This novel does an excellent job of creating a unique world while using story elements we've seen before. There are plenty of deadly competition books out there, but this one stands out. The family dynamic, along with Jun's desire to prove himself, adds a personal twist to this plot type.

Jun feels like he needs to prove himself due to the past. He's very aware that his pride and wounded ego is what got his family split apart in the first place. Unfortunately, he still hasn't learned that sometimes doing things for the wrong reasons only digs the hole deeper. Seeing him live with the consequences and how he reacts to those is a significant element to his character development.

I did at moments find it difficult to keep track of what was happening. The competition itself was well placed, but the aftermath seemingly went at a breakneck pace. It left me feeling a significant amount of reader's whiplash.

A fun competition fantasy with plenty of character focus added.

My rating: 4.25 out of 5

Characters: 5/5
Story/Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5

This incredible action packed YA novel has magic, a page turning tournament plot, well crafted fight scenes and really shines in its passionate characters. Jun reads like a 16 year old boy, but also has believable motivations driving him. I found the martial arts captivating even though I am not familiar with it at all. I also enjoyed the world building and the two divided sides clashing in ideals. All said this was a fantastic novel and I would recommend it to anyone who loves action packed novels!


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A love letter to martial arts and coming-of-age stories. This was my first book by Fonda Lee and she did not disappoint. The way she writes makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters. You know in movies when there’s a fight scene and everything slows down, that’s what it feels like to read from Jun’s perspective. He’s such a lovable character and you can’t help but root for him. My favorite part of this book were the training scenes and they reminded me a lot demon slayer to be honest. I also loved how the plot expanded and where we left off. I’m eager to see where the story goes in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a 4.5 star read for me - I was constantly surprised and it also did not hold back (please check out the TWs!)

From the prologue to the end, the story and plot changed and took turns that I did not see or expect at all. The plot does have some tropes that are to be expected but written in ways that are not conventional from my experience. I do wish we had a little more of the found family trope that I sensed happening during one of the journeys for Li Yun. However, I wish it was fleshed out a little more. My favorite character arcs are Li Yun and Yi Yue’s journeys the most, their growth was very aligned with the experiences they had. There were no superficial transformations within the characters.

At the 80% mark of the book, I was not sure where the plot within this book was going to go as the main events of which we were building up to had completed. Of course I was completed shocked that there was *more*: from about 80-90%, I felt as though the book became monotonous and a bit flat before it picked up again, and so I wish that part had been written a little shorter as it felt less intentional. After the 90% mark, we met some characters that we hadn’t seen in a while and my interest picked right back up! Thankfully, this first book did not end on a cliffhanger but still kept me wanting more! I really look forward to what book 2 will bring for us in this series.

The writing style was great. Anything Fonda Lee touches and writes is among my favorite books. Since the book is action packed, it moves quickly, and it does not have a lot of prose or flowery language during those parts. However, during the more emotional parts, there is appropriately more prose or philosophical language, which I really enjoyed.

The worldbuilding is ongoing and I think will be a main portion for book 2, as this series has a lot of political intrigue between a warring country that has been split in two. Of course, I would have loved more world building in the first book but I think it will lend itself more in the second book.

Overall, I enjoyed this even with some of the harsher scenes (again check the TWs) and one of the slower parts. But from the Prologue I knew I had to read this!

Breath of the Dragon is a fast paced, action-packed fantasy set in a Chinese inspired world. It's a story with political intrigue, lovely fight scenes, and a country that has been divided into two opposing sides over their differing views on the practice of martial arts. Reunification hasn't been possible for many years as they have taken different paths and continue to be divided over this complex issue.

Jun is a sympathetic and generally well-intentioned character. At first, I was thrown off by his over confidence in his skills and ego, he is kind of portrayed as a jerk. However, I began to warmup to him by the end of the book as his motivations for wanting to enter the tournament came more to light. Also, he shows a lot of growth despite facing some challenging opponents. Eventually even coming to understand what the weight of being a Guardian really entails. I found myself absorbed with his journey to enter the tournament, and enjoyed how the story kept me guessing with all of its twists and turns. The corrupt General even raised the tension nicely and the stakes kept getting higher and higher. This is the first book in what is meant to be a duology and is said to be based off of the characters and teachings of Bruce Lee, it is written by Bruce Lee's sister, Shannon and author Fonda Lee. Overall, I enjoyed reading this YA fantasy and am eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Just like listening to an action packed Bruce Lee movie! It had a slow start, but once past the world and character building it became an action packed edge of your seat masterpiece. It made me feel like I was right there on the sidelines watching it all happen. I’m looking forward to what happens next!

Breath of the Dragon
By Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
Release Date: 1/07/2025

Jun is a twin separated from his brother and mother by the Snake Wall that separates their country. He wants to be the next Dragon Guardian which requires him to win a fighting competition. He’s single-minded in what he wants and thinks little of anyone else—at first.

During his journey to get to the there and during the competition he connects with new and old friends. He learns a lot about himself and the world in which he lives.

The fantasy elements come out during the fight scenes. Everyone has different gifts and some “special people” even have scales marking them as such.

I liked the martial arts focus and the fight scenes were fabulous. Ren is the love interest but there really wasn’t any romance. She held her own and had her own story-line. My favorite secondary character was his nemesis from his old fighting school - I loved seeing how their relationship grew.

Thank you St. Martin’s press and Netgalley for an eArc

If there is a person in your life who is looking for a fighting book: give them this book. It’s all the training and fighting you can want. I unfortunately wasn’t really looking for that. I was initially drawn in with the dragon marked and separation of family, but became bored for the most part. I think there is some interesting things this is doing for the genre in terms of creating a sort of anti chosen one, but I was looking for more of the relationships to really draw me in.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

Breath of the Dragon was the first book I've read by these authors. I went into the book only knowing it was Brice Lee inspired and had a lot of martial arts in it.

I was unexpectedly thrown into a action packed fast paced book. The world building was fabulous with a deep history. There was political intrigue that kept the plot going all the way to the end of the book. The characters have diversity.

If you like tournaments, this book is for you. Crushes were mentioned, but no real romance was in the story. Sorry to disappint, the romance readers. For this being a YA books I very much enjoyed it. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with early access to Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book an overall 3.5⭐
This is a young adult fantasy story with ALOT of martial arts. It was well written which I had no doubt because Fonda Lee but then Shannon Lee to me is a new author and after reading this book I found out she is the daughter of Bruce Lee and it MAKES SENSE. The descriptions of the fights are incredible.

It's alot of built up which I guess makes sense because it is book 1 and it's there to introduce the lore, magic, world, politics and of course the characters.

I will definitely be continuing with the series. The best thing about this book is that it's friendships and not a romance.

Not only am I grateful for receiving an arc of this book but I enjoyed reading this story and following the characters. I loved the martial arts and the characters, at some parts, the plot was pulling at my heartstrings because I couldn’t stop thinking about Brandon Lee. This book definitely will have a place in my heart simply because of the Lee family and I can’t wait to finish the rest of the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this wonderful ARC!

Have you ever read a title where you know the text has a strong inspiration or deeper meaning but can't catch what it is? This is how I felt reading Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee's newest novel, Breath of the Dragon.

The story was alright. It didn't wow me, but I followed along and stuck around for the fight scenes. It was interesting to interpret certain fighting styles through text when we usually view them on film. I also like a good underdog story, and this tale was the epitome of a good fight. There were times when the story lagged and became typical. The characters didn't do it for me, but I stuck it out, and I'm curious to see what happens with the unfinished plots that will wrap up in Book 2.

arts movies from the orient with a bit of love sprinkled in it and this definitely delivered. This takes place in a world with people who are blessed by the Dragon and have special abilities and people who are not. There are two kingdoms with one who only those blessed by the Dragon are thought fighting and learn how to wield their abilities and the other kingdom that no matter your ability, learning to fight is encouraged. Li Jun’s family is broken up after his brother is taken to learn martial arts and after seeing his father live in sadness Jun, against his father’s will, joins the tournament for the selection of the next Guardian of the Scroll. He sneaks into the wagon of a traveling blind flutist and his daughter but after being discovered and being tested for the job as protector of the travelers, Blindman Chang decided to train him during good way to the city for the tournament. Through the story and the events that Jun has to go through you can see him maturing and becoming a better person from the lessons learned. I can’t wait for book two.

This was a fun YA adventure story that very much felt like it had the essence of Bruce Lee mixed with teachings of Karate Kid and Avatar the Last Airbender if instead of focusing on Aang, the story focused on Sokka, who had no powers, or in this story, he would not be breathmarked.

Overall, I loved the world-building and the breathmarked magic system where the powers are completely random and range from potentially overpowered to very minor. I wish we got to explore that more, but as we follow Jun, the twin brother of a breathmarked who was banished from his nation due to being taught martial arts, it makes sense that not a lot of time was spent here.

There is a lot that makes this feel right at home in the YA genre: there is a lot of good vs. evil and our MC is very set on his path, even to the detriment of others. The things that happened with his father did not really make sense to me, other than as a way to pull him from the tournament, but also he didn’t leave??? There was a big opportunity for found family and while we got a good rivals-to-best-friends situation, the found family that could have been, was lost and not found.

Alas, I still had a blast reading this and would highly recommend it if you love asian inspired stories featuring martial arts and targeted for a YA audience.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book stands on it own with no need for sexy scorching love scenes that most authors are renown for. It’s brilliant in its execution and so well written that this reader was taken to a place she had never been before. The authors Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee use detailed descriptions of people and sceneries throughout Jun’s tragedies, competitions, and frenemy relationships.

Li Jun didn’t start as a character I loved. He was very self-centered with anger tendencies. His character continually expands while learning his life lessons and the young man at the end of the book is someone I would want by my side in a war.

Some of the other characters that are memorable are performer Ren and her father, Sifu Chang as well as Yin Yue his competition at the Iron Core school and for the Guardian Tournament.

The authors do a seamless job of shaping and growing all the characters personalities from their experiences and when the book ends all I could think of is “Please tell me the next book is soon!”.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Jun, a young boy from the East is trained in martial arts alongside his twin brother by their father. His brother is breath marked, meaning he has a special power bestowed on him and he will one day be taken to be an Aspect. Jun is not breathmarked, but is a skilled martial artist all the same. On the day his twin brother is taken, Jun reveals the family secret and is exiled alongside his father to the West, where martial arts is not only legal but encouraged. Jun grows up and intends to one day be the Guardian of the Scroll of Heaven, by winning a tournament. After he is denied entrance by his father, Jun stows away on a local performer’s caravan on the way to the capital. What unfolds is not only a story of one boy’s rise to greatness, but the unraveling of a much bigger political plot that speaks to the separation of East and West and the foundation of the Empire itself.

This is my second Fonda Lee story and I really like her style of writing! I cannot speak to how much of this story is really based on Bruce Lee nor can I speak to Shannon Lee as an author, but this story is engaging and not a formulaic YA fantasy story. There are some pretty high stakes and political tension throughout that was well explained and believable. The last 25% went a little crazy and was explosive and violent for being a YA novel. Overall, This was a very strong book and the ending was engaging enough that I will definitely be checking out the sequel!

I wanted to love this book, and don’t get me wrong—I did enjoy parts of it. However, something felt like it was missing. Perhaps this is because it’s the first book in a series, and some things are left to develop later?

The plot was incredible and required a lot of worldbuilding, which was handled beautifully. That said, I wish the characters had felt more emotionally connected. None of them really resonated with me on a deeper level, and they seemed somewhat distant from each other. Given the political nature of the story and the main character’s environment, maybe this was intentional? I’m not entirely sure.

One thing that stood out to me was how well the martial arts sequences were written. I could vividly imagine every fight in my head, like watching an action-packed movie unfold. The precision and clarity in those scenes added so much to the overall experience, and they were a definite highlight for me.

This book had so much potential, and while I loved its unique concept, it occasionally felt a little dull. Still, I appreciated that it was a very character-driven story. Jun’s growth throughout the book was one of the highlights for me. I just wish he didn’t have to endure so much—it was heartbreaking to witness. Hopefully, book two will be kinder to him.

One element that left me confused was the slight love triangle. It didn’t feel like a full-fledged subplot, but I’m unsure where the author is taking it. Honestly, I wasn’t a fan and hope it’s resolved in a way that feels more satisfying in the sequel. On the bright side, I’m looking forward to seeing the sense of found family explored more in the next installment.

That said, this book has all the makings of an amazing movie franchise. With its intricate worldbuilding, cinematic fight scenes, and compelling storyline, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it on the big screen one day.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Wednesday books and to NetGalley for the digital ARC! I’ll be waiting impatiently for book two.