I loved this! It ends on a cliffhanger that leaves me craving the next book but doesn’t leave me angry. It wraps up just enough of the minor plots to be a satisfying cliffhanger!

The action in this book is a 10/10. I have yet to read fight scenes that keep me this engaged!!

I love our main protagonist and I can’t wait to see how he grows and how his relationships develop.

The plot is really intriguing to me!! I love the light fantasy elements to it, but it’s not difficult world building at all.

Overall, I highly recommend!!

There are just some books that you’ll find aren’t suited to you. I think Breath of the Dragon is one of those for me.

This isn’t an objectively bad book. It has a great start, with an engaging and fast-paced first act. Likewise, the third act runs rampant and wild like a martial arts film on paper almost to the finish. It’s the whole second act of the book that gives me pause, along with a completely unnecessary romanticism subplot that I feel not only distracted from the main plotline but also belittled all of the main characters.

I don’t think I’ll be reviewing further entries in this series because I don’t know if I’m going to enjoy the rest of the story any more than I did this first section of it. I do think that this book is worth the read if you like tournaments, martial arts, political intrigue, great on-page fight choreography, broken families, and magic based in spirit/soul/Qi.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews three stars and below will not appear on my social media. Thank you.

Another book I really wanted to like—and honestly, should have loved based on the premise—but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. This book is marketed as a YA fantasy with heavy martial arts influences. While the martial arts elements and nods to Bruce Lee are clear, where the book falls short is in the fantasy aspect and character development.

Let’s start with the characters. I felt no attachment to any of them. The main character came across as whiny, and I couldn’t connect with him or feel any impact from the "trauma" he experiences throughout the story. The book attempts a found family trope, but it doesn’t succeed because none of the characters have enough depth or personality to make that connection feel meaningful.

Now, about the world: The concept of the breathmarked people is intriguing and well-thought-out, but the execution is lacking. The breathmarked are not the focal point of the story, and their abilities end up feeling pretty underwhelming. The world itself is confusing. I’m still not sure what time period this is set in because the political system and the tournament seem to belong to one era, while the dialogue suggests a completely different time.

That said, the action scenes are well-written, and I enjoyed the martial arts elements. While the main character does develop over the course of the book, I still found him to be rather boring.

Thanks to NetGalley, the authors, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

First book in a fantasy duology based on the teachings of Bruce Lee. Penned by his daughter Shannon and Fonda Lee author of the Green Bone Saga the story is heavy with martial arts. A divided kingdom and a brewing war lead our hero Jun into a tournament to become the Guardian of a sacred scroll. As Jun begins this journey it is interesting to see him change as he is exposed to the lovely Ren and becomes familiar with Prodigy Yin. Morality and principle battle evil in this story although there are always shades of grey. Looking forward to part II. A thank you to both Goodreads and Netgalley for this advanced copy.

An action-packed fantasy and beautiful homage to martial arts, co-written by the daughter of Bruce Lee. Wonderfully complex characters on exciting journeys of self-discovery throughout the book as our characters grow amidst political turmoil and strife during a tournament that could decide the fate of a divided nation, with even larger implications and repercussions.

🥋 Book Review 🥋

Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee
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I enjoyed this book. It’s not my typical genre, but the premise was very intriguing. The worldbuilding was great. We got a fully developed world with history, a complex conflict, and political intrigue. The characters were interesting, and we got a wide variety of them. However, the book overall felt a little flat to me, because so much of the book was spent on talking about martial arts, and there were so many fight scenes that they began to feel redundant. I would’ve liked more character development, more about Jun’s family, especially his brother Sai, more focus on the relationships between characters overall, and I would’ve liked at least a little romance.
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 0 🌶️
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Read if you like:
▫️martial arts
▫️rivals
▫️deadly tournament
▫️rebellion against a corrupt government
▫️found family
🥋
Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, Shannon Lee, Fonda Lee, and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I got this book as an ARC from netgalley.

If you like fighting, tournament-style novels with some rebellion and politics thrown in, you'll love this book! I enjoyed the characters and their development. I'm giving 4 stars instead of 5 because the first half of the book was very slow and hard to get through. The world-building was great, but at times was heavy and caused the story to slow.

Things really picked up once the tournament started, and I couldn't put it down! Things happened very quickly over the course of just a few days. This felt somewhat unbelievable, but good for story progression. The characters were loveable, and you could see their development across the novel.

I really enjoyed how the author wrote about the political side of things. There were so many moments I felt incredibly frustrated for the characters because of the government's lies. I was so believable, and you could feel the characters' emotions.

I will definitely read the next one, as you could follow some breadcrumbs the author was leaving. I'm excited to find out if Ren does have a breathmarked ability and to meet the older Sai!

I have posted my reviews on Goodreads and StoryGraph.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of Breath of the Dragon! All opinions are my own.

This book had me in a chokehold from the second chapter and I couldn't consume it fast enough. From the character arcs, the relentless obstacles, an amazing and intriguing magic system, and the abundance of political corruption, I was absorbed.

Jun our main character had me a bit concerned in the beginning. He's quick to act without much thought at the beginning leading to some challenging consequences, but he really came into his own and grew through the book. What really carried the book for me was the side characters. Chang gave Uncle Iroh and Toph Beifong energy that made me excited for every scene that he was in. Ren was relentless in her wisdom and setting Jun straight with his bs. Even Jun's rivals, there were many, helped to further the plot in such an intentional way.

I'm not typically one for a plethora of fight scenes in a book and can understand how this would deter some readers, but I really enjoyed seeing how Jun grew from each of these fights and learning about the varying styles of martial arts based on region and school.

The book ends with many questions and I cannot wait to see what Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee cook up for the next book(s) of this series!

My only critique, which is just a me thing, there were no actual dragons in this book. As a dragon girly, I was hoping for maybe an appearance, but the lore and magic system made up for that.

"I will not defeat myself" will be ringing in my head for a long time to come.

In a kingdom where only those blessed with the "mark" are trained in martial arts and those without it are banned from studying, one boy's life is turned upside down when his twin brother is taken because he has the mark and his family is torn apart because of their secret training of martial arts.... and now years later Jun dreams about becoming the greatest martial arts master in the kingdoms to regain honor for his family and reunite them. Jun's family is torn apart when he accidentally reveals that his father has been teaching him martial arts. His brother is taken to be trained as an Aspect, since he was born with the breathmark and those with the mark are gifted with special abilities, his brother's being that he can mimic anything he sees, while Jun and his father are exiled to another kingdom for 5 years and his mother moves with his brother. Jun's only true dream in life is to become the greatest martial artist in all the kingdoms, despite how much his father forbids him. Jun doesn't care for anything else and dreams about entering into the great martial arts competition to become the next Guardian. The Guardian is gifted with powers, money, and fame... and being in charge of one of the two ancient mystical Dragon scrolls. Jun doesn't care for any of that, all he wants is to prove that he is a great warrior, and if that means sneaking off to join the competition against his father's wishes, then so be it. Jun will train harder than he's ever trained, meet other martial artists, and find himself put into the middle of a political war all the while learning to strengthen his skills and take his own fate into his hands. This is the first book in a series and an absolutely amazing read. The story just sucks you in and you can't help but root for Jun as he grows and learns. The story felt like watching a movie, I was so invested in the journey and can't wait to see where the next book goes and what Jun does next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a character journey!

Release Date: January 7,2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

For me three stars, for a teen into martial arts four stars. For a teen boy into martial arts and fantasy a potential five stars. Solidly written and a quick read but it is very YA and I’ll admit I like YA where the character doesn’t really read as a teen…. This lead is very much a brash boy. For the right readers this is an excellent book. And I really have enjoyed Fonda Lee’s other books a great deal, I’m simply not the target audience and that’s ok.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In a country divided in two, Jun has a grievous relationship with both the East and the West. In a day they’d hoped would never arrive, Jun’s family is discovered for a seemingly innocent secret and broken in two—his mother and twin remaining in the East while Jun and his father are exiled to the West. While his father struggles to grieve his family, Jun throws himself into martial arts, determined to make a name for himself. When a national martial arts competition approaches, the winner of which becomes second only to the emperor, Jun resolves to participate at any cost.

Huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan, and Fonda Lee + Shannon Lee for the ARC. This is my first book by Fonda Lee and OH MY GOSH, I get the hype!!! Jun is an impulsive, hot-headed teen, and the narration does an incredible job of letting his voice shine without being irritating or obnoxious. Jun experiences so much growth throughout this book and it was a highly enjoyable experience to watch it unfold so naturally. Also, as an homage to Bruce Lee with insight from his daughter, the action scenes were such a highlight. They were so well written. I look forward to the (undoubtably heart-wrenching) next installment.

Content Warnings: violence, gore

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Did not finish for the following reasons:
- dry, emotionless writing style
--difficult to connect to characters
-predictable plot beats
--lack of intrigue
-- no drive to pick back up after putting the book down

A Bruce Lee inspired YA fantasy novel by the lovely Fonda Lee, the author most known for Jade City, and co writter shannon lee. Taking place within a Chinese-inspired fantasy world, the book follows the protagonist, Jun, a young boy who was banished from his home kingdom with his father when his active practice of martial arts was discovered. Now, as a teen living on the opposite side of the kingdom, he pursues the chance to win a fighting tournament. Action sequences, fighting. It gave me MAJOR visions of The Combat Codes, another martial arts fantasy I highly recommend.

Another amazing read by Fonda Lee!
Sixteen year old Jun is living in the shadow of his twin and the regret of his father. Jun has been training his whole life to fight in the Guardians Tournament, a competition held every six years to determine the new Guardian of the Scroll of Heaven. An uphill battle as Jun has been forbidden to compete by his father and will be fighting against the breathmarked, people marked at birth with dragon scale and have special abilities.
Fonda Lee’s martial arts background and writing combined with Shannon Lee’s insights into Bruce Lee’s philosophy and fighting style made this an action packed and cinematic read! I’m so excited for book two!
Thank you Net Galley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy!

his was truly a love letter to martial arts with a sprinkle of fantasy. I loved the world building, plot and the characters. In this novel, sixteen year old Jun has dreamt of nothing else than to prove himself at the Guardians Tournament to win the honour of guarding the magical Scroll of Earth.
This seems to be the first installment in a series and I am really hoping it might as I was left with so many questions at the end of this book. The world building was spectacular and cannot wait to delve further into this world. However, I wish there were more emotional relationships between the characters as I felt the relationships weren't deep enough and it was more on the surface level. I would love to learn more about the twin brother and hope we read from his perspective eventually.

“Breath of the Dragon” is the fantasy martial arts novel for any Bruce Lee fans. Think Bruce Lee meets Mulan or karate kid 😅. It’s just reminding me of so many movies. It has all the nostalgic feels of Ip Man (fun fact: it’s written by Bruce Lee’s daughter), a kid learning martial arts, and the Mulan touch of blazing your own trail, navigating family honor, being caught in a political propaganda mess, and needing to save the country.

Of course, the world building aspect was great. I loved the political intrigue, action-packed tournament fights to crown the next Guardian, and a magic system where only select individuals are born breathmarked abilities.

I do wish there was more depth in the Sifu-student bond, parent-child dynamics, and friendship arcs. It had so much potential for a greater FOUND FAMILY magic, and I wanted to feel all the feels.

I still enjoyed the ride and can’t wait to see where both Miss Lees take us in book two and hope to see greater character development for the male protagonist. As of currently he is still slightly bratty 😅😆.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks for the eARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In my personal opinion, there’s not much Fonda Lee could do to get lower than 4 stars, and she just confirmed that here. I was struggling to finish a book before I started this and I was worried I was slumping. Apparently I just needed to read a well written book.

This book is co-authored by Shannon Lee, Bruce Lee’s daughter, and let me tell you: it shows. Fonda Lee was already great at writing action scenes, but this book is dominated by action and fight scenes. They are uniformly excellent. I sometimes struggle to visualize action sequences, but that was never an issue with this book.

The world building is good here. There’s obvious political and historical influences, but it’s still compelling and distinct on its own. And while this is much more YA than the Green Bone Saga, both authors use their skills to allow it to stand out. I wish the premise was a little more unique, because it centers around an imperial competition to gain a powerful position and god, I’ve read so many books like that. But this is better than most because the authors are incredibly talented.

I would definitely recommend this to most fantasy, adventure, and martial arts fans. It’s a good 4.5 stars.

*Bruce Lee meets The Karate Kid* – I absolutely loved this book! Initially, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. The world-building was rich and immersive, with vivid descriptions that made it easy to get lost in the setting. The characters were unique, well-developed, and felt genuinely real. If you're a fan of intense fighting championships set in a fantastical world, this book is a must-read. I’m already excited for the next one in the series!

This book focuses heavily on martial arts, which is great for those who love it, but feels excessive for someone who isn’t interested in getting play-by-plays. It has an interesting premise and worldbuilding.

Breath of the Dragon by Fonda Lee is a captivating tale that showcases Shannon Lee's unpredictable plot twists and innovative magic system. The incorporation of religious elements adds an intriguing layer to the story, while Jun's realistic emotional development and reactions further enhance the narrative. This complex and hard-hitting epic martial arts journey is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.