Xiran Jay Zhao

Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this hilarious, action-packed middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm. Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open. The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers. And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Claire

“He died taking mercury pills that he thought would make him immortal," Tang Taizong said.

"So did you!" Qin Shi Huang yelped without looking at him.

akynn 

Winona 

Wow, this one took an awfully long time for me to finish. Maybe I should have just given up and filed it under "did not finish" because my feelings for this book did not change from start to finish. But my hope for  Zachary Ying and The Dragon Emperor  ruled over my better judgement.

The premise is certainly eye-catching: a cross between Percy Jackson and Yu-Gi-Oh! but with Chinese history and mythology? Sign me up! I wanted to read it even more after finding out that Zack is a Chinese Muslim and that there would be queer representation. But an exciting premise and the promise of good representation do not make a good book alone.

Unfortunately,  Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor  suffers from the problem of reading like a first draft. The story is mostly told through huge exposition dumps about Chinese history and mythology. Every time a new character or place is introduced, several paragraphs are dedicated to explaining their/its historical importance. Oftentimes, this exposition is given during the middle of battle, taking the reader out of the story and killing any momentum. In the case of the Emperor's, the explanation about their historical importance seems like a placeholder for developing a fleshed out personality.

And this problem carries over to the characters of Simon and Melissa. Because they spend so much of their time being possessed by their respective Emperors, I felt like I had absolutely no idea who they were as people. Simon never went beyond being a nerd about Chinese history who was good at video games and Melissa just felt like a stereotypical pretty girl with a mean(ish) mouth. Because the pacing is so fast we never actually get to just sit with these characters to find out who they are and see them change over the course of the story. 

The same can be said for the fight scenes as well. They just rush on by with Zack usually passing out by the end and the rest of the events being relayed to him by the other characters. There's a lot of telling in this book as opposed to showing.

Zack is the only character who gets any character development, and even then, because the pacing is so breakneck it feels rushed. With the way we were rapidly running towards the end of the book I was sure it was a standalone, only to find out there is a sequel in the works. There are ways to tie up loose ends, and finish a first novel in a series, without making the ending feel unsatisfactory.

I did not expect a cliff hanger. I thought this would be a standalone book. I'd say it's a much needed addition to fiction for kids since we do not (whether we love to learn history or not) get exposed to much Asian history in our classes. At least, this millennial didn't growing up. And a good story is the best way to spark interest and parking interest is what sparks a desire to learn more. 

I love Qin Shi Huang. He was easily the most entertaining character for me. (I recommend the audio book because not only does the narrator do a superb job, but now I know how to say Qin Shi Huang! My Mandarin is just not there yet...) And I love the Wu Zetian is also in this book after reading Iron Widow. All of the emperors are compelling, funny and just a delight to read. I didn't expect this book to make me tear up in certain places, but I did. Those are spoilers though.

I'd say the weakest element of this book is that I feel that Simon and Melissa's characters could be more developed. I just didn't feel that tight knit 'YUGIOH friendship' vibe that I think the author was going for. However, if there is more to this series, then I understand wanting to focus on Zack and Qin Shi Huang more. Though I did like Jason and found him quite intriguing.

 A good pick for kids and one I still enjoyed as an adult.

I did not expect a cliff hanger. I thought this would be a standalone book. I'd say it's a much needed addition to fiction for kids since we do not (whether we love to learn history or not) get exposed to much Asian history in our classes. At least, this millennial didn't growing up. And a good story is the best way to spark interest and parking interest is what sparks a desire to learn more. 

I love Qin Shi Huang. He was easily the most entertaining character for me. (I recommend the audio book because not only does the narrator do a superb job, but now I know how to say Qin Shi Huang! My Mandarin is just not there yet...) And I love the Wu Zetian is also in this book after reading Iron Widow. All of the emperors are compelling, funny and just a delight to read. I didn't expect this book to make me tear up in certain places, but I did. Those are spoilers though.

I'd say the weakest element of this book is that I feel that Simon and Melissa's characters could be more developed. I just didn't feel that tight knit 'YUGIOH friendship' vibe that I think the author was going for. However, if there is more to this series, then I understand wanting to focus on Zack and Qin Shi Huang more. Though I did like Jason and found him quite intriguing.

 A good pick for kids and one I still enjoyed as an adult.

oberon vortigern

This is a fun adventurous middle school book about a young Chinese American, Zachary Ying, who suddenly has Qin Shi Huang, the legendary first emperor who united China, possessing his virtual reality device. Forced to go on a journey to save his mother and the world, he fights spirits with two other kids, also being possessed by other legendary Chinese historical figures. 

I appreciate that this is highly informative about Chinese culture and history, beyond the "Han Chinese" Westerners only know. Zachary is a Hui Muslim, an ethnical minority being oppressed by the Chinese government, and struggles with his identity as a Chinese American. Having grown up in United States and being exposed only to American culture, he is unsure how to feel about China, especially with his tragic family history complicating it. Throughout the story, Zachary learns both the good and bad things about China, and realizes that China is not the monolithic country he only knew from American media. 

Like China, I love that the Chinese historical figures in this book are presented as not only good or evil characters, but multi-dimensional characters who have their reasons for their actions that make them known as tyrants today. Them being described as "supervillians" are hilarious! Way too often do we judge historical figures by today's ethics and morals, instead of considering their era's circumstances, ethics, and morals. 

Overall, Xiran did an excellent job blending sci-fiction and fantasy in an action-packed story, exploring a Chinese American boy's relationship with China through Chinese culture and history. This gets a 4 out of 5 from me.

Amanda

Read this on audio with my 11yo and he was absolutely riveted. He loved the mix of history and mythology and wishes the game Myth Realm were a real thing.

I enjoyed this book a lot more with a kid it was geared for in tow. I tried reading it without him first and thought it was fine but didn't really grab me. His enthusiasm increased my own enjoyment significantly. Very cool concept. Kids who like Rick Riordan's books and any of his "presents" books, will likely get a huge kick out of Zachary Ying

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and physical copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Muslim Chinese MC and side character, Chinese side characters

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, fantasy, Chinese, Chinese history and mythology

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Genre: MC Fantasy

Age Relevance: 12+ (racism, micro aggressions, possession, violence, death, scary moments)

Explanation of Above: There is some racism and micro aggressions shown throughout the book toward the MC. Possession by ancient ancestor is shown. There is some small violence and death in the book. There are also some scary moments that might scare some younger readers.

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 340

Synopsis: A middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm.

Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mom was busy enough making sure they got by, and his schools never taught anything except Western history and myths. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.

The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers.

And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever

Review: For the most part this was a great book! I loved the storyline, it was unique and had a very interesting premise. I thought that the magic system and how the information was overlaid to Zachary was also interesting and well done. It’s a fun read that I think most kids would highly enjoy and one that I think that could use to help learn about the Chinese Emperors. The characters are also well developed and the world building was as well.

However, I had issue connecting to the book. I thought the book was a bit too fast paced and it took me a bit to get into it because of that pacing.

Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!



thank you to simon and schuster children’s publishing, margaret k.  mcelderry books, and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

let’s talk about zachary ying and the dragon emperor. this book is like  a history lesson, but with more humor, pop culture references, and action-packed fight scenes on the side. 

this book has been one i’ve been so excited to read after adoring xiran jay zhao’s debut, iron widow last year. and their venture into a middle grade story did not disappoint. this book is often pitched as percy jackson meets chinese mythology, and honestly, that’s a spot on comparison. the humor. the chapter titles. the gods. it’s got it all. but, so much more.

this book is absolutely a book i’d wish was incorporated into my curriculum when i was in my middle grade years. it teaches so much about chinese history, legends, and myths in a way i’ve never known about. i was lucky to learn about some of the figures mentioned, but in a western society, it’s lacking. i think this book could be a great option for younger readers to learn about a non-western culture in a fun, and well, funny manner. 

there’s so much i could say about this book and how it touches on incredibly important topics. first, zack is a muslim main character, with a hijabi mom, and he’s queer. his differing identities all make sense for his character and how he sees the world. subtle, but heartbreaking actions, such as his mom refusing to speak their native language at home so he doesn’t have a “non-american” accent. generally, just being a poc in a predominantly white town. it’s all so masterfully done, and incredible to see how zhao’s woven it in. it’s a great way to introduce young readers to a multitude of important topics that need to be discussed. i cannot wait to see how they continue to develop these themes in later installments.

okay, now for the not so great. while i really enjoyed this book a lot (and will absolutely be picking up the sequel because.. that ending! just… wow!!), there are a few things that felt a bit off to me. the main issue i had was when we were following simon, melissa, and zack, all characters who are 12. basically, their conversations felt a bit… older? stilted? it felt like they were more like younger teens (14/15) rather than their tween age. it wasn’t always an issue, but it was prevalent enough for me to notice. in the end, it didn’t really hinder my enjoyment for this book because i just love their writing. somehow, i can devour their books in record time. 

genuinely, i cannot recommend this enough if you’re a fan of percy jackson, chinese mythology, or just looking to venture further into middle grade books.

oh and on a lesser note, shout out to that atla reference. xiran, you truly know how to reach my heart 🖤.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

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