*Actual rating is 3.5 stars*

Since I enjoyed the first book, I had high hopes for this one and unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. The main problem was the structure of the plot. Here the plot was a little bit all over the place, instead of the first book's more streamlined plot.

Especially Ying’s perspective was especially prone to follow the constant “does something, it goes wrong, then back track to the start” formula and it just got old very fast. Not to mention the indecisiveness of her romance with Ye-Yang. It was hard to root for someone when they are so inconsistent in their thoughts and actions. The most enjoyable part for me was Nian's perspective, and I’m sad that we didn’t get more time to properly explore her character.

The Blood Phoenix is a quick read that would have been more enjoyable with more developed characters and an ending that weren’t so open-ended. It didn’t feel like the conclusion to a duology.

I absolutely adored this book. I think it was a great sequel. Though the time jump for me was a little off putting. But overall a great read

I really enjoyed this book and the closure it provided me after reading the first book. I felt like I could REALLY feel the emotions the characters were experiencing. The author did a great job pulling me into the story!

Let me start by saying I am a HUGE Of Jade and Dragons fan. Ying’s story is was fresh and inspiring. I didn’t feel that way about The Blood Phoenix, as the middle took so much intentional focus for me to get through. I bet I’d have liked it more with some of the conflicts edited out. If you really love action adventure stories with a focus on plot over characters, you will probably appreciate this one more. The last 25% was better, but the ending was somewhat unsatisfying. One thing I really liked is that the chapters were split between Ying and her sister. It was interesting to get Nian’s perspective here.

Even though book 2 didn’t quite hit for me, this was overall a decent duology, and worth reading for book 1 alone.

Of Jade and Dragons: 5 stars
The Blood Phoenix: 3 stars

The Blood Phoenix is a thrilling and emotional conclusion to Amber Chen’s silkpunk duology, masterfully expanding on the world introduced in Of Jade and Dragons. While the first book focused more on the academy and its immediate surroundings, this sequel dives deep into the broader political landscape, class divisions, and the harsh realities faced by those living outside positions of privilege. The world-building is richer and more expansive, giving readers a vivid look at the complexity and inequality within this Qing Dynasty-inspired universe.

What stands out most is how the story incorporates multiple POVs, offering a fuller, more nuanced view of the events unfolding. These varied perspectives bring depth and allow us to better understand the stakes, the emotional weight of the characters' choices, and the power dynamics at play. The silkpunk technology and aquatic engineering introduced in this installment are especially creative—an imaginative highlight, even for readers with no STEM background.

The narrative picks up about two years after the first book, and while spoilers are best avoided, it’s worth noting that the romantic elements bring both heartache and charm. There’s a bittersweet second-chance romance and a newer, less developed pairing that touches on themes of youth, inexperience, and emotional maturity. While the newer romance could have used more buildup to feel fully earned, it still adds a tender layer to the otherwise fast-paced plot.

Though the pacing occasionally falters—some sections drag while others rush by—the momentum generally holds strong, driven by political intrigue, character growth, and compelling action sequences. One of the book’s only real frustrations is how little we get to know about the enigmatic Master Cixin, whose presence looms large but remains frustratingly distant.

And the ending? Absolutely brutal in the best way. Chen leaves us with questions and possibilities that beg for a follow-up—perhaps a spin-off? Here’s hoping. Until then, The Blood Phoenix remains a satisfying, immersive read that balances steampunk invention, rich cultural influence, and character-driven storytelling.

This was an action packed ending to a wonderful silk punk YA fantasy inspired by the Qing Dynasty. I loved being back in this world of engineering (even though I’m absolutely useless when it comes to the mechanics of just about everything) with the old and new characters interacting with each other. While there were a few times I thought the pacing was a bit off for the plot and I wished that we could’ve had more time exploring the romantic pairings in this book, I still had a fantastic time reading this! 🥰

The book picks up about two years after the events of the first book, and so because of that, I won’t be talking so much about what is happening plot wise in the book in case it spoils it for those who are interested in reading this duology. All I’ll say is that I loved the second chance romance that we get for a certain pairing while we get a new paring to explore through the lens of young love and immature/mature pairing. I do wish we could have gotten more time to explore the feelings developing between the new pair as it feels like it just came out of no where for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

While I did think the pacing of the novel could have been a slower in some parts and sped up in others, I think the new setting of aquatic engineering was fascinating for a reader who has little to no experience in the STEM fields. I do wish we could have gotten to know more about the elusive Master Cixin (. . . I don’t think this is a spoiler . . .) though since they seem like such a fascinating figure that is solely talked about. 🤔

And that ending? Chen, you are cruel for that because now I’m going to be spending the rest of my days wondering what it all means while knowing I’ll never get any answers. I do hope this means that we will be gettin a spin off series in the future because I can’t accept that it just all ends like that. 🤞🏼

HUGE thank you goes out to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest (and late) review and to Colored Pages Book Tours for letting me be a part of the tour and helping me get a gifted physical copy of the book with Penguin Teen! And thank you goes out to Chen for writing such a fun YA fantasy inspired by the Qing Dynasty with huge Mulan vibes while incorporating the folktale of The Butterfly Lovers. ❤️

Publication Date: June 17, so go pick up this completed duology!!

Overall: 4.25/5 ⭐️

Two years after the ending of OF JADE AND DRAGONS.

I delighted in the ocean setting, from the focus on science and engineering to pirate - the underwater exploration feels refreshing in a plot which engaging dynamics are composed of deadly journeys, tournaments and the juicy addition of mythical beasts.

The story still echoes themes of revenge, betrayal and politics, which the highlight manifests in the exploration of side characters, especially family (interesting that I liked more the side POV). I overall enjoyed the romance but I preferred the 2cp (romance of secondary characters), which I found less flowery/dramatic, in this way feeling more real.

The book two feels almost a completely different story centering around familiar key characters, with the incorporation of a huge cast of new characters that can make the story feel more expansive, yet at the same time, quite disjointed from the previous book. In short, it would be less distracting if readers regard this as a standalone.

Compared to book one, the intense battles scenes make PHOENIX more action-packed and dramatic, still containing some emotional moments. Lastly, while hopeful (?), I would have liked a more resolved ending, which the open nature allows a possible sequel.

THE BLOOD PHOENIX has different vibes and regardless of feeling lukewarm, it's a fun read.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed in this one!

Overall, the story was fine and relatively interesting, but I feel like so many of the things that made me love the first book were missing here!

The two year time jump felt...odd? I don't really understand why it was necessary other than to manufacture a reunion with more emotional impact later, but even that missed the mark. And the vibes were just...different.. It's still a steampunk type of energy, but the change in setting and conflict that I didn't really believe in definitely made it miss the mark for me in terms of investment. In the first book, we're cheering for her to get through the trials and become an engineer for multiple reasons. In this one, we're...cheering for her to do engineering? For a conflict that was randomly generated and not really tied to anything? I don't know, it didn't work for me.

I was really hoping for more out of Ye-Yang and Ying's relationship too. Not only have two years gone by, but it felt like neither person's reaction felt...right? for how things ended and where they were. It's a weird mix between anger, disinterest, and childishness that I just didn't really get. There was a lot going on with also nothing going on, and I really wish there had been more time spent on it. Especially with a random 2 year time jump where she straight up just pretended he didn't exist! Incredibly weird.

The last quarter of the book was absolutely the best part, but you have to push through a LOT to get there. It's almost like Chen knew how she wanted to end the book, but wasn't sure how to get there, so the whole thing was written backwards. It just didn't work for me, and I'm so bummed about it--this was an anticipated release for me! But maybe it's just further evidence that I've aged out of YA and all my complaints are new genre conventions?

Thank you Viking Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a great sequel to Of Jade and Dragons. I really loved how we got to explore more of the world and political climate this time around, instead of just the academy and the immediate country. We got to see more of the way in which the poorer and less lucky existed in this world. I also liked how more characters got POVs and page time in this book, it helped us get a better picture of this world. The machines mentioned in this book were even cooler than the previous one, so I really appreciated that. Honestly, I think I might need to read more silkpunk books.

Well, I will say that I was hoping for a lot more from this one after how much I adored book 1. There were still bits that I enjoyed, but it overall fell flat.

This takes place 2 years after the events of book 1, Yong has started living her life anew, but she is still haunted by her time at the Engineers Guild. Ye-yang has been pushing forward in his new position, and Nian is learning her new role. I think part of my struggle here is just how separate and choppy all of these stories feel at the beginning, even for the characters who are in the same place. It quickly devolves into a bit of a classic “swashbuckling sequel” trope, and while there have been times where I enjoy this, it felt rather out of place and abrupt from the first book. There are definitely adventures, and our characters all do go through quite a lot of development. Even with that, though, I found the middle dragging, and feeling kind of removed from the ultimate conflict.

The ending feels wishy-washy as well. I know this is supposed to be an end to a duology, but it does feel very intentionally left open to return. This isn’t always a bad thing by any means, and I may even return to it if Chen decided to continue, but for the moment it feels incomplete and anticlimactic. I’m still giving this 3 stars because I enjoyed bits and pieces, but it didn’t end up hitting as hard as the first did for me by far. Thank you to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for this eArc!

Book 1 was decently good, I enjoyed reading about the trails of engineering. But book 2? I have no idea where this plot was going for the entire time and the rest of the story took random turns.

Things would just happened without full plans or explaination. Ie; how many soldiers did the usurps have. Apparently all of them. Like how would that be possible?

Apparently the only people in this kingdom worthwhile are these four teenagers.

I had actually already read this physically when I was approved for the ARC---a happy accident! I enjoyed the first installment of this series, though I remember wishing that we leaned a little harder into the trials and that side of the plot. Because I felt like it was a bit inconsequential, but also just unexplored, which was a bit of a disservice to the plot and characters (especially when that was one of the "selling points" for the book). I was hoping that this second book would deliver on that and give us what we didn't quite grasp from the first book. However, this felt like a totally different...story. Though it follows the same characters (largely) from the first book---Ye Yang and Ying---the characterization that we built up through Book 1 just didn't exist anymore. It felt like I was reading about strangers. Ye Kan and Nian's romantic arc was sweet, though, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story a lot. This just didn't feel like a sequel, more like a loosely connected companion because of both the time gap we don't cover and the fact that the characters just felt so different.
The writing itself was still pretty solid, and I liked what we got of the world, but unfortunately the characters and plot just really lost me. I would like to check out more from this author in the future, though, because I can definitely see myself enjoying Chen's writing with a different plot/characters.

I don't know what happened. I loved the first book but I am not sure what this was. It felt like a completely different story even though it's a duology and follows the same characters but both Ying and Ye Yang felt like strangers to me. 

This reads more like a follow up story than a sequel and you can actually read it as a standalone (if you are okay with spoilers from Book 1). The time gap of 2 years was too big for a duology. What happened to each of them in between, what sort of difficulties they faced that made them choose the path they did. The ending was more or less predictable. 

Nian and Ye Kan at least got some sort of romance and it satisfied my romantasy heart. I knew this series isn't a typical romantasy and I won't even term the Ying and Ye Yang relationship in the second book romantic at all. But how come these two had no character growth. 

Overall this series went from a solid ten to somewhere between 5-6. But I love Amber Chen's writing and I would still give her books another try.

I DNFed this :( I just lost interest at about 15% and couldnt get back into it so, dnf at 33%. I loved book one so im sad but it isnt for me i guess

This book dives right in to the world we left at the end of the previous book, only two years later. There was a lot more adventure based action in this one, which I am always a sucker for, especially since it involved pirates. I also really liked getting to know Nian, and seeing her grow as a person, while growing closer to Ye-kan. I think the time jump from the first book to this one really benefited these two, as they are actually learning to be adults. I honestly don’t have any complaints about how their story went and even how it was resolved at the end.

However, I unfortunately have quite mixed feelings about how Ying and Ye-yang’s story was continued—although they were together physically most of the book it really just did not seem to me like there were any major developments past what happened at the end of the first book. The only signs of this really only happened in the last 10% or so. Also, I am quite mad about how their story was left at the end, and I really hope the author continues this series in order to bring some resolution to this. I really love these characters, and I just want them to be happy.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title. Cover. Story. The total package. Like Amber Chen is a powerhouse in this book. It was unbelievable.

The Blood Phoenix picks up two years after Of Jade and Dragons, bringing back Ying and her friends into a tense political storm filled with pirates, conspiracies, and difficult choices. Amber Chen’s world—the Nine Isles—is lush and immersive, full of Qing dynasty-inspired culture and silkpunk technology that feels fresh and vibrant.

I loved the layered politics and the way the story split focus between Ying navigating pirate threats alongside the new High Commander Ye-yang, and Ying’s sister Nian grappling with power struggles in the capital. The characters felt distinct and had room to grow, especially Nian, whose unexpected knack for strategy added an intriguing twist.

That said, the pacing felt uneven to me. The book sometimes stalled in slower political plotting and exposition-heavy sections, which pulled me out of the momentum. The stakes were high, but I struggled to stay fully invested in the sprawling cast and multiple threads. There was plenty of promise here, but the emotional connection didn’t hit as deeply as I hoped.

I'm sad this series is over, I felt like there was potential to continue it on. I don't feel like I had resolution for some of the characters.

The Blood Phoenix
Fall of the Dragon duology: Book 2
By Amber Chen
Narrated by Jen Zhao
4 ⭐️

I really loved this duology. I felt Chen did a brilliant job creating this world and guiding the reader through it. Book 2 continues about 2 years after book 1. The story shifts from an academia-like setting to politics, social expectations and in turn rebellion, familial complexities, and war. I loved getting the rest of Ying’s story and having Nian step center stage. I found I loved Nian equally to Ying which is vastly different than how I felt at the ending of book 1.

I think this is a solid YA fantasy to recommend to young readers. I love the themes presented throughout - they’re there but aren’t persevered on. I can see a 12+ year olds having different (positive) experiences reading these books and coming away with different reflections.

I read this via a combination of audiobook and an eARC. I read book 1 with my eyes. My opinion of the audiobook is really good. Zhao gave a performance that was easy to listen to, felt congruent with the culture of the story, and gave added life to the of all characters. I had a difficult time hearing the differences in some names while listening to the audio. This is not an issue with the book or narration - it’s me. Hi. I’m the problem. To help with this, I read this with my eyes as I listened to keep the storyline straight. This doesn’t happen often and feels personal to me, but fyi I did experience this.

Thank you NetGalley, Amber Chen, and Penguin Group for this eARC. 🐉

Of Jade and Dragons was one of my favorite fantasy books in 2024 and this second book was truly fantastic. I loved the plot of the book, the pirates and also secrets/betrayals that happened through the book.

The characters are all so well developed and I really enjoyed getting to see more from Nian and her navigating palace politics and becoming this really strong person. Ying, of course is amazing and I loved her growth through this book. Same with Ye-Yang. I just adore him and his love for Ying. The new mechanics/designs were really fun to read about too.

BUT I will say that the ending left me wishing for more, especially since this is a duology. Like, is that it? I’m hoping Amber Chen gives us more books for closure.

Thank you to the publisher for the early gifted copy!

This series takes so many intricate twists and turns. Even in the first book, it reminded me a lot of The Bone Shard Daughter, though a little less gritty. I do recommend a refresher or reread of the first book before starting this one if you have trouble remembering character names or plot points (like me). Beautifully written and expertly plotted.