The Dragon Warrior

This was a solid middle grade book. It is super rich in culture, which I love. But I was a little disappointed with how the story turned out. I couldn’t figure out the main message and was wanting faryn to be a stronger figure. I also wanted the world building to be a little stronger, rather than seemingly strung together as needed. Still, a decent book.

Disclaimer: I bought this book! Support your authors! Book: The Dragon Warrior Author: Katie Zhao Book Series: The Dragon Warrior Book 1 Rating: 5/5 Diversity: Half Chinese main character and Half Chinese/Chinese side characters Recommended For...: Chinese mythology, middle grade fantasy Publication Date: October 15, 2019 Genre: MG Fantasy Recommended Age: 10+ (violence, slight gore, some scary moments) Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Kids Pages: 288 Synopsis: As a member of the Jade Society, twelve-year-old Faryn Liu dreams of honoring her family and the gods by becoming a warrior. But the Society has shunned Faryn and her brother Alex ever since their father disappeared years ago, forcing them to train in secret. Then, during an errand into San Francisco, Faryn stumbles into a battle with a demon--and helps defeat it. She just might be the fabled Heaven Breaker, a powerful warrior meant to work for the all-mighty deity, the Jade Emperor, by commanding an army of dragons to defeat the demons. That is, if she can prove her worth and find the island of the immortals before the Lunar New Year. With Alex and other unlikely allies at her side, Faryn sets off on a daring quest across Chinatowns. But becoming the Heaven Breaker will require more sacrifices than she first realized . . . What will Faryn be willing to give up to claim her destiny? Review: Overall, I thought this was a good book. The book had a lot of action and very fast pacing. The book also had a very interesting plot and the story kept me so intrigued throughout. However, I did think that the characters and world building weren't as developed as they could have been. Verdict: Recommend this series!

Read my full and detailed review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads LIVE on 8/19 @ 9:30am EST! Overall: I loved this novel. I thought it was such an amazing MG Fantasy novel, and I am so glad that Katie was able to tell stories about her heritage and culture and seamlessly make that mythical world come to life in modern day USA. This book made me feel like the deities were real, and we just haven't been blessed enough to interact with them. Or maybe, they are just mad at us for not praying to them all the time. You'll get that reference when you read it. I highly recommend this one! But always remember that any myths that you read about, in any books, this is a chance for you to do more research on your own to learn more. This is just an introduction into that world, and helps you pinpoint where to start. So if you're into the Jade Emperor, or Nezha the Third Lotus Prince, or even Guanyin and Erlang Shen... take what Katie introduced you to and learn more from there.