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Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-28 07:53:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Xiran Jay Zhao
  • ISBN：1665900709
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Fable ，

Advanced copy was sent in exchange for a review。I love Yu-Gi-Oh， I’ve watched all the shows and still play the card game to this day， so when I saw Chinese Percy Jackson meet Yu-Gi-Oh！ I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy。 Middle-grade age is when I got really obsessed with reading and plowed through just about anything I could get my hands on， until I ran out of things that were interesting or difficult enough。 I was reading above my level but had no interest in teenage vampires or the che Advanced copy was sent in exchange for a review。I love Yu-Gi-Oh， I’ve watched all the shows and still play the card game to this day， so when I saw Chinese Percy Jackson meet Yu-Gi-Oh！ I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy。 Middle-grade age is when I got really obsessed with reading and plowed through just about anything I could get my hands on， until I ran out of things that were interesting or difficult enough。 I was reading above my level but had no interest in teenage vampires or the cheating spouses over in adult fiction， but the books aimed at my age were all starting to seem childish after reading a couple hundred of them。 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is exactly what 12 year old me would have wanted， because it is more advanced middle grade while still being clearly middle grade。 I’d class this as action-adventure historical fiction with an emphasis on history， which I think is awesome since history courses in the United States scarcely touch on Chinese history。 I have disliked some historical middle grade stories for just reading like textbooks but I believe the author’s intensive knowledge of Chinese history and experience growing up in China makes it just a fun historic adventure without feeling like a class。 The characters are realistic and in their relationships with each other and their actions as 12 year olds。 The battle scenes leap off the page with their excitement and seamless flows; I will be honest， I sometimes just skim fight scenes when they aren’t very interesting or don’t contribute much， the fights in Zachary Ying are a full immersion experience and actively contribute to the plot and move it right along。 The plot left me guessing constantly， with many delightfully unpredictable twists and turns。 I can’t wait for the next installment， even though it may be a little while considering how this isn’t even out yet。 I think every age of reader would enjoy this book because I am raving and I don’t hardly read middle grade anymore。 。。。more

Alyssa ，

Thank you to the publisher Margaret K。 McElderry Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review。 Well， Xiran Jay Zhao has proven to be much more successful in middle grade than YA for me。 It’s always interesting to compare an author’s works when they pivot between genre or age demographic。 And while I respected the project of her YA debut， something about the pacing and characters fell flat - like a story that had a lot to say that couldn’t find the right words to illustrate it。 H Thank you to the publisher Margaret K。 McElderry Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review。 Well， Xiran Jay Zhao has proven to be much more successful in middle grade than YA for me。 It’s always interesting to compare an author’s works when they pivot between genre or age demographic。 And while I respected the project of her YA debut， something about the pacing and characters fell flat - like a story that had a lot to say that couldn’t find the right words to illustrate it。 Her upcoming middle grade release， Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor does the exact opposite in its delivery。 It’s a middle grade fantasy by all rights， but blends this almost perfectly with its exploration of Chinese-American culture through one boy’s journey back to the country of his ancestors to save his mother’s spirit。 Zachary Ying is a little bit fantasy， a little bit sci-fi and provides a familiar trio of protagonists （the classic two boys， one girl triad） that characterizes this type of fiction in middle grade。 The dynamic of his friend group is hilariously complicated by the centuries-old spirits of Chinese royalty that occasionally possess his friends and try to kill him。 It’s macabre but never too dark， even while the book tackles even more disheartening topics like the mistreatment of minority groups within China。 Zhao was able to balance these two very different tones remarkably well， even if she does tend towards infodumping with her actual explanations of the spirit-based magic system。 She doesn’t shy away from other topics that simply wouldn’t have been published in middle grade fiction even a few decades ago。 Zachary himself is gay， which is never played as a reveal but just a part of him he recognizes - as much as he recognizes the world will not always accept him for it。 The more middle grade I read as an adult， the more I realize it may be the most important demographic in publishing out there。 It’s targeting a group cognizant enough to recognize the significance of topics like race and representation in literature， without being bogged down by the expectations of the present day state of YA fiction。 That being， it's full of books that are in theory written for teens but more often than not read like new adult romance novels instead。 Middle grade speculative fiction is unabashedly pure fantastical whimsy at a first glance。 But the best kind also carries a steady throughline that roots the story to our reality with real-world issues。 And Zhao’s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is the best kind。I think this book captures all the fast-paced hijinks the target demographic of middle-grade readers will most enjoy from the genre， while also exploring thematic material just as many adults will connect with。 Be it the magic system or the message， Zachary Ying understands the assignment。 And I’m so glad to see a new series that I think could easily find a place among the middle-grade greats like Percy Jackson。 。。。more

Meg ，

Spiritual successor to my Percy Jackson loving heart。 I can’t wait to recommend this to every kid ever。

nicky ，

xiran jay zhao is one of the best authors today and you can’t change my mind。

Katya ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc！ This book really lives up to the hype！ Percy Jackson vibes but with a dash of wuxia and Indiana Jones-level tomb breaking。 Can't wait to see what happens in the next book， because the cliffhanger KILLED ME。 I read this book before Iron Widow， but I'm definitely getting that one off my shelf next because I can't get enough of Xiran Jay Zhao's writing。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc！ This book really lives up to the hype！ Percy Jackson vibes but with a dash of wuxia and Indiana Jones-level tomb breaking。 Can't wait to see what happens in the next book， because the cliffhanger KILLED ME。 I read this book before Iron Widow， but I'm definitely getting that one off my shelf next because I can't get enough of Xiran Jay Zhao's writing。 。。。more

Daniel Holland ，

Question: What's a historical fact you wish people knew？I don't read a ton of books in this targeted age range， even when I was that age。 BUT when I saw Xiran Jay Zhao announced this book in full Seto Kaiba regalia I was in。 Because I'm going to laugh， I'm going to enjoy the torrent of shade they throw， and I'm going to learn some history。"Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor" follows a kid who is a descendant of the First Emperor of China， Qin Shi Huang。 Well， his AR headset is。 Oh and since he Question: What's a historical fact you wish people knew？I don't read a ton of books in this targeted age range， even when I was that age。 BUT when I saw Xiran Jay Zhao announced this book in full Seto Kaiba regalia I was in。 Because I'm going to laugh， I'm going to enjoy the torrent of shade they throw， and I'm going to learn some history。"Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor" follows a kid who is a descendant of the First Emperor of China， Qin Shi Huang。 Well， his AR headset is。 Oh and since he doesn't know anything about his Chinese heritage （world history is such a poorly taught class） the magic he needs to stop the ghost apocalypse of China isn't available。 So we get treated to his journey of being exposed to artifacts and myths while the hosts of Wu Zetian and Tang Taizong help him cultivate power to seal the spirits away。 But these were not great people so Yay morality shenanigans。Reasons to read:-Learn some history！-Xiran does not pull punches when pointing out the wrongs being done in the past and present-The MC is flabbergasted as the rest of us when they find out about the ludicrous things that there are historical records of-Big anime battles with historical figures-Dammit they did it again to meCons:-Really was expecting a giant multi headed dragon to show up 。。。more

MollyK ，

Not gonna lie。 Adding to my TBR because of the author's profile pic。 Not gonna lie。 Adding to my TBR because of the author's profile pic。 。。。more

Roman Froxet ，

Xiran Jay Zhao’s sophomore novel， Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor was certainly an interesting experience。Coming into this novel from Iron Widow， Zhao’s debut， I was intrigued to see where they would go next。 I can surely say， I wasn’t expecting what I read。 The story involves a boy named Zack Ying， who discovers that he’s descended from Chinese royalty， the dead aren’t necessarily dead forever and he might just be the key to saving the world。 Plus， ancient dark forces are on the rise and th Xiran Jay Zhao’s sophomore novel， Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor was certainly an interesting experience。Coming into this novel from Iron Widow， Zhao’s debut， I was intrigued to see where they would go next。 I can surely say， I wasn’t expecting what I read。 The story involves a boy named Zack Ying， who discovers that he’s descended from Chinese royalty， the dead aren’t necessarily dead forever and he might just be the key to saving the world。 Plus， ancient dark forces are on the rise and they’ve taken Zack’s mother。 Embarking on a life changing adventure， for Zack， nothing will ever be the same。 From an interesting magic system to the “epic” battles， there’s a lot that happens in this book。 With that said， I’m not certain that I enjoyed it all that much [edit: I didn’t]。 I quoted and italicized epic because there was this feeling that the battles were supposed to feel [or maybe I’m just imposing from my time with Iron Widow] but honestly， they felt merely fine or maybe even a tad bit underwhelming at times。 I truly hate to say this， because I absolutely loved Iron Widow， so I surely assumed that I would love this as well。 Something I did thoroughly enjoy was all of the historical and mythical knowledge of China that was spread throughout the story。Xiran Jay Zhao’s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor earns a rating of 3/5。 Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as I would’ve like to， I look forward to reading more from them。Thank you to NetGalley， Simon and Schuster， and Xiran Jay Zhao for the arc。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

Twelve-year-old Zachary Ying wants a few things in life。 He wants to stop being made fun of by his own friends， he wants his mom to have a good job， and he just wants to play videogames。 Unfortunately， his family has more struggles than most。 After his father was killed by the Chinese government， his mother had to flee to the United States。 Zack is Chinese-American， but he certainly knows more about the American portion of himself than the Chinese。 So when an ancient Chinese emperor possesses hi Twelve-year-old Zachary Ying wants a few things in life。 He wants to stop being made fun of by his own friends， he wants his mom to have a good job， and he just wants to play videogames。 Unfortunately， his family has more struggles than most。 After his father was killed by the Chinese government， his mother had to flee to the United States。 Zack is Chinese-American， but he certainly knows more about the American portion of himself than the Chinese。 So when an ancient Chinese emperor possesses his gaming headset， he has no idea what he’s getting himself into。 After vengeful spirits take his mother’s soul hostage， Zack has to pair up with two other kids who are hosting emperor spirits。 They only have a few days to seal a portal， otherwise the world will be flooded by spirits and fall to chaos。 And Zack’s mom will be gone for good。I received an advanced reading copy of Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor in exchange for an honest review。 To read my full review， visit my blog here: https://stephsstoryspace。wordpress。co。。。 。。。more

2TReads ，

I loved every minute spent with this book。 Full review to come。

Savannah ，

I don't tend to read a lot of middle grade， but this book was so so fun！ Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor follows Zachary Ying as he discovers that he is the chosen host for the First Emperor of China's spirit。 The initial spirit-binding goes awry， and the First Emperor ends up bound to Zack's AR headset instead。 Zack is then flung headfirst into a magical world he didn't know existed to save China and the world。 I think this novel does a great job of dealing with and explaining important top I don't tend to read a lot of middle grade， but this book was so so fun！ Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor follows Zachary Ying as he discovers that he is the chosen host for the First Emperor of China's spirit。 The initial spirit-binding goes awry， and the First Emperor ends up bound to Zack's AR headset instead。 Zack is then flung headfirst into a magical world he didn't know existed to save China and the world。 I think this novel does a great job of dealing with and explaining important topics and themes in a way that a middle grade reader can digest and understand。 Zack has always struggled with connecting to his Chinese heritage， and this becomes even more evident as he has to travel to China and understand a lot of Chinese legend and myth in order to save the country and the world。 It also shows that nothing in life is inherently good or evil， and that it's okay to have complicated feelings about that。 This book was incredibly funny and I found myself literally laughing out loud at some parts！ Xiran Jay Zhao excels at writing funny dialogue and that extends to this book。 I also loved how each emperor/empress that chose a mortal host had their own type of magic and that it was based off of their legend and how strong their story has survived throughout time。 The only thing that was slightly repetitive to me was when the characters taught Zack different Chinese legends and history he needed to know - it was a lot of "character A tells Zack a story"。 Overall I am looking forward to the next book in the series （especially after the ending！！）。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Marion Cleborne ，

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book！Zachary Ying loves to play Mythrealm on his AR gaming headset—until it gets possessed by the spirit of an ancient Chinese tyrant emperor。 To save the soul of his mother， Zachary and Qin Shi Huang， along with two other emperor-possessed kids， have to travel to China and stop ghosts from flooding the mortal realm。 This book was described as a Chinese Percy Jackson meets Yu-Gi-Oh， which I definitely see！ Fan Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advanced review copy of this book！Zachary Ying loves to play Mythrealm on his AR gaming headset—until it gets possessed by the spirit of an ancient Chinese tyrant emperor。 To save the soul of his mother， Zachary and Qin Shi Huang， along with two other emperor-possessed kids， have to travel to China and stop ghosts from flooding the mortal realm。 This book was described as a Chinese Percy Jackson meets Yu-Gi-Oh， which I definitely see！ Fans of ancient mythology， China， and video games-meet-real life stories will love this。 I found this book spends a lot more time explaining the cultural context than， say， Percy Jackson， for example。 Maybe it is because I am not as familiar with Chinese myth as I am with other cultures， but it felt like these was a lot of background information， which might put-off some readers。 For the characters， I loved Zach and his relationship with Qin Shin Huang！ Seeing them interact was the highlight of the book in my opinion。 I also liked the other two emperors， too。 They really stole the show with their big personalities and constant bickering。 This book is set up for a sequel， which I am looking forward to read。 I am looking forward to spending more time with the characters and learning more both about the myths and legends as well as the human characters。 。。。more

andi ，

somebody turn this into an animation pls

Melissa ，

Zack feels isolated in rural Maine， most of his friends were made playing Mythrealm， an augmented reality game。 But when a real demon threatens Zack， and his mom is attacked， he discovers a connection to the spirit of Qin Shi Huang， the first emperor of China， that gives him magical powers。 Together with the spirit hosts of two other former emperors， Zack travels to China in an attempt to save his mother’s life and prevent an otherworldly disaster。

Margaret ，

I knew I would enjoy this book， because I really enjoy the author's writing style。 They have a knack for embodying a truth to their characters。 First off， Omystars， the chapter titles are hilarious ！！！ The story was very intriguing， because the author seamlessly included the historical and mythological aspects of the story with the action of a VR MMORPG。 I loved learning about all the Chinese Emporors/esses involved in the story， and the characterizations really gave me a feel for the characters I knew I would enjoy this book， because I really enjoy the author's writing style。 They have a knack for embodying a truth to their characters。 First off， Omystars， the chapter titles are hilarious ！！！ The story was very intriguing， because the author seamlessly included the historical and mythological aspects of the story with the action of a VR MMORPG。 I loved learning about all the Chinese Emporors/esses involved in the story， and the characterizations really gave me a feel for the characters' lives。 The lack of "Western" knowledge about the Chinese histories is sad， as it is so rich。 The addition of the MC having Hui ancestry just added to the interest and information in the story。 The only thing wrong is， the sequel isn't out yet ！！！！！ cliffhanger ！ 。。。more

Mikayla ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Margaret K。 McElderberry Books for allowing me early access to this eARC in exchange for a review。 I really had a lot of fun with this book！ I read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao last year and loved it so much。 They became an auto-buy author super quick for me so when I heard that they were writing a middle-grade book that had “Percy Jackson” in the blurb I knew I had to read it。 I’ve been pretty obsessed with Asian fantasy recently and as a PJO kid at heart this book de Thank you to NetGalley and Margaret K。 McElderberry Books for allowing me early access to this eARC in exchange for a review。 I really had a lot of fun with this book！ I read Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao last year and loved it so much。 They became an auto-buy author super quick for me so when I heard that they were writing a middle-grade book that had “Percy Jackson” in the blurb I knew I had to read it。 I’ve been pretty obsessed with Asian fantasy recently and as a PJO kid at heart this book definitely filled a void I didn’t know I had。 This book also was fairly education in terms of learning and seeing these Chinese myths and history fused throughout the story。 I’m so glad this book exists and I’m so happy we are getting more cultural representation in middle grade outside of euro-centric fantasy and mythology。 It hit pretty social issues that I think is imperative for kids to have an understanding of at that formative age range。 The book was a bit slow to get started but after I hit the 40% mark it just flew by。 I loved how we really didn’t know which side was the “good side” for the longest time and we were questioning everyone and understood Zach’s distrust for pretty much everyone。 （I will say I’m hoping for more dragons in the sequel 👀）。 It’s been a while since I picked up a middle grade book but I’m glad I did。 。。。more

Abbi ，

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is Xiran Jay Zhou's ambitious first foray into middle grade fiction。 The novel introduces us to Zachary Ying， a Hui Chinese-American who has grown up raised by a busy single mom after his father was executed by the Chinese government。 After a move from NYC to the Maine suburbs， Zachary struggles with being othered by his white peers， despite his own disconnection with his culture。 Things change when another （Han） Chinese boy named Simon arrives at school and s Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is Xiran Jay Zhou's ambitious first foray into middle grade fiction。 The novel introduces us to Zachary Ying， a Hui Chinese-American who has grown up raised by a busy single mom after his father was executed by the Chinese government。 After a move from NYC to the Maine suburbs， Zachary struggles with being othered by his white peers， despite his own disconnection with his culture。 Things change when another （Han） Chinese boy named Simon arrives at school and suddenly， Zachary is confronted with historical and mystical spirits。 After his mother is attacked and her spirit is taken hostage， Zachary must go on a quest in order to restore it and prevent the Chinese underworld from taking over the mortal realm。 Armed with the wisdom of Qin Shi Huang， hosted in Zachary's VR headset thanks to a botched possession attempt， Zachary returns to China for the first time since he was a child and alongside Simon and Melissa， both of whom also host the spirits of past Chinese emperors， they work to keep the spirit world sealed and the world whole。I liked this a lot！ As said， it's ambitious， Zhao mixes Chinese history， mythology， and aspects of shounen adventure manga （Yu-Gi-Oh！ most visibly） altogether while touching upon issues of cultural identity， political persecution， and figuring out one's sexuality。 There is a lot going on in this book but there's something very charming about it even when its execution occasionally feels clunky。 Many recent Chinese-American narratives have centered this idea of returning to the motherland but Zachary Ying explores the distinct experience of a Hui person making this journey and in doing so， approaches this with nuance and complexity。 This overarching nuance carries into the way this book approaches good and evil and makes for an engaging read that I'm interested to see progress forward。 。。。more

Meredith Martinez ，

（4/5） I'm a firm believer that a Middle Grades book， when written well， can be relevant and enjoyable for all ages and even raise important questions and themes for further discussion。 Xiran Jay Zhao's book did exactly that。 I read their first novel， Iron Widow， at the beginning of the year and subsequently added Zhao to my "immediate add to TBR" list。 This book is billed as a cross between Percy Jackson and Yu-Gi-Oh！， and I can definitely see Zhao's inspiration from those two but also anime and （4/5） I'm a firm believer that a Middle Grades book， when written well， can be relevant and enjoyable for all ages and even raise important questions and themes for further discussion。 Xiran Jay Zhao's book did exactly that。 I read their first novel， Iron Widow， at the beginning of the year and subsequently added Zhao to my "immediate add to TBR" list。 This book is billed as a cross between Percy Jackson and Yu-Gi-Oh！， and I can definitely see Zhao's inspiration from those two but also anime and clearly from Chinese culture and legends。 I loved the action in this book and felt like it was well paced， with enough explanation and background given to connect the dots but not so much as to make it drag。 I appreciated the diverse representation in the book， with a Chinese Muslim main character grappling with cultural identity in light of feeling like no matter where he is （whether his all-white classroom in Maine or being one of many Chinese minorities）。 I always love books that incorporate legends and breathe new life into the old stories， and this one was no different。 I think the concept Zhao used in this book was really cool where specific powers of emperors and legends rely on the social awareness of their stories and their strength in the cultural consciousness is what drives their strength as spirits。 I definitely see the anime inspiration in the theme throughout the book of the complex histories of cultural legends -- there isn't a hero and villain in the traditional sense （very Naruto vibes）， but each character has their own back stories and motivations and you， the consumer， have to wrestle with that complexity。 The cliffhanger at the end has me anxiously awaiting Zhao's next installment in this series！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

❀●○●○Ashley○●○●❀ ，

I am not the right person for this book as this is not my age demographic， and I knew that going into this。 Nevertheless， I still wanted to give it a shot and， unfortunately， I wasn't a huge fan of this book。 I found myself enjoying the history more than the actual story which wasn't exactly what I wanted from this book。If you want to check out my full review， you can find it here on my blog！Thank you， NetGalley and Margaret K。 McElderry Books， for giving me the opportunity to review this in adv I am not the right person for this book as this is not my age demographic， and I knew that going into this。 Nevertheless， I still wanted to give it a shot and， unfortunately， I wasn't a huge fan of this book。 I found myself enjoying the history more than the actual story which wasn't exactly what I wanted from this book。If you want to check out my full review， you can find it here on my blog！Thank you， NetGalley and Margaret K。 McElderry Books， for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance。 。。。more

Katerina ，

3/5 ⭐️Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced finished copy for review。 All opinions and ratings of this book are my own。（I am hoping that there will be a second book to this as it shows a stand-alone。 I do not want another Master of One situation。）I think the last time that I picked up a middle-grade book was way back when I read the Percy Jackson series。 That has been at least 10 years or so。 One of my goals this year was to read more middle-grade literature， especially middle-gr 3/5 ⭐️Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced finished copy for review。 All opinions and ratings of this book are my own。（I am hoping that there will be a second book to this as it shows a stand-alone。 I do not want another Master of One situation。）I think the last time that I picked up a middle-grade book was way back when I read the Percy Jackson series。 That has been at least 10 years or so。 One of my goals this year was to read more middle-grade literature， especially middle-grade literature that contains underrepresented identities。 I have heard so many things about Xiran Jay Zhao and while I have not had the chance to read Iron Widow yet， I wanted to give this book a try to see if I enjoyed her writing style。 Which I did。Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor follows the story of a young boy who has ancestry to the first emperor of Qin Shi Huang。 During a normal school day， Zachary is attacked by one of his schoolmates possessed by a demon。 The emperor tries to save the kid's life by taking over the boy's body and instead takes over his gaming glasses。 Being sent on an action-filled journey across the globe， Zach not only encounters other young pre-teens like him possessed by ancient emperors but he also starts to connect with his ancestry and what it means to accept all parts of himself。I really enjoyed the magic system that Zhao introduces， it has a mix of airbending， YuGiOh， and cultural magic/myth all mixed into one。 It was unique and really captured me at the beginning。 I also love how Zhao bases power on the awareness of these ancient figures and if their story continues to be told they are stronger。 Also adding in the element of there are spin-offs to these individuals' stories and they are widely known they also play a part in creating strong lasting spirits。It was all quite unique and I enjoyed it。 Along with the action。 We don't wait long into the book where we get action and it is continuous throughout the book。Where I think the book deters from its intended audience is the culture/history dump we are given quite often。 Any time a new character， individual in history， myth， creature， and cultural artifact is introduced we are given an entire 1-2 page history lesson on that thing。 This would slow the plot down immensely。 At times I felt like I was reading more of a history book than a middle-grade contemporary/fantasy novel。There is also a lot of commentary on politics and a lot of name dumps。 It was hard to keep track of at times。 Also， the villains， side-characters are brief within the story， and then we are pulled along to the next thing that we get an entire backstory on。 As a 27-year-old who reads quite avidly， I felt like this book was far denser than what a middle-grade book ought to be。 I am also curious as to if the references are understood by the younger generation。 I understand a lot of the YuGiOh references as Pokemon and YuGiOh are what I grew up on; however， I am curious to know if this is something that is still popular today？ I do not see YuGiOh streaming on TV like Pokemon and I don't know if a majority of the audience for this book would get these references。 This is just a thought process and I am really curious as to the answer to this。 Also because of these references， the setting is changing quite often and it left me baffled at where we were in both setting and plot。All in all， I really enjoyed the bantering between the emperors， the history that the book brings in， the representation， and the action that we were given。 I am hoping that there is another book to this stand-alone as there are a lot of things left open with no conclusion and character development still needed。 。。。more

Ris ，

What a fantastic book！This book follows twelve year old Zachary Ying who finds himself thrusted into a world of based on Chinese history & mythology - a topic he has very little knowledge of。 After learning he is host to the spirit of Chinas first emperor， he must take on the mission of sealing the portal to the Chinese underworld in order to save China。This book describes itself as Percy Jackson meets Yugioh， and while I have never seen Yugioh， this book 100% has Percy Jackson vibes。 Although I What a fantastic book！This book follows twelve year old Zachary Ying who finds himself thrusted into a world of based on Chinese history & mythology - a topic he has very little knowledge of。 After learning he is host to the spirit of Chinas first emperor， he must take on the mission of sealing the portal to the Chinese underworld in order to save China。This book describes itself as Percy Jackson meets Yugioh， and while I have never seen Yugioh， this book 100% has Percy Jackson vibes。 Although I am well past being a middle schooler I think this could potentially be the next big series for that age group！ 12 year old me would have ate it up - and I hope this generation of twelve year olds will as well。 I think this is a great series that will allow many kids to have a story and a character they see themselves reflected in and can relate to， and for other kids to learn about a new culture that they may know little of！ I look forward to seeing where this series goes and how it flourishes！Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for giving me the opportunity to read and review a digital arc of this book！ 。。。more

Bon ，

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this to review。 Zachary's adventure drops May 10th。I found Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor a touching and complex tale， although perhaps a bit much so for the intended audience。 This review is going to waver back and forth because some of the things I loved were double-edged blades， prone to over-use and repetition in the plot。 But overall， I think it merits a solid 4 from me， and is a book we need on shelves right now A huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this to review。 Zachary's adventure drops May 10th。I found Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor a touching and complex tale， although perhaps a bit much so for the intended audience。 This review is going to waver back and forth because some of the things I loved were double-edged blades， prone to over-use and repetition in the plot。 But overall， I think it merits a solid 4 from me， and is a book we need on shelves right now！ Protagonist Zack is a reluctanthero dealing with diasporic Chinese identity struggles， compounded by the fact he's of non-Han ethnicity， Muslim， gay， and only twelve。 He's just trying to fit in at his American school， dumping lunches from his mom in the trash and dodging racist microaggressions。 And then a haunted gaming headset sends him on a globe-hopping adventure with a couple other kids also possessed by long-dead emperors。I was really into the magic system of the world - part Yugioh， part Daoist cultivation systems we've seen in Xianxia Cdramas， part airbender etc。 The specific powers of the emperors hinged on。。。social awareness of their stories？ It reminds me of urban legend or cryptid fantasies I've read， where belief = power。 Neat。There's a ton of action， loaded with lackeys and enemies from the emperors' history。 At the same time， many unfamiliar historical figures showing up as bosses or helpful allies ran a risk of becoming Too Much， and it did at times， with some passages so dense I had to move on or get bogged down。 This ties into my main issue with the book - I can see the average reader overwhelmed by history and name dumps and political commentary。 I mean， I was， even as a 30-something earnest reader with an idea of some of the cultural stuff。 And then there's the Yugioh video game component - I watched a few episodes and had a deck like 18 years ago， so felt pretty lost during the game-inspired parts。 This was really just way denser than any middle grade I've ever read; while reading I found myself thinking so hard to keep track of characters， powers and settings that I couldn't really summarize where we were in the plot the whole time。 You just get pulled along。 As numerous as the name drops were， it was still a delight to see names familiar from Xiran's Iron Widow series， and the Detective Dee of popular movie fame。 The emperors' bickering amongst themselves and their pop culture references were wildly entertaining， and some of the absurd metaphors went a long way in encapsulating moments of Chinese history。 Much like the author's youtube， there's a lot to learn here， and it's presented in a largely fun way。 It ended on a cliffhanger， too - excited to see where this goes。 。。。more

Spiri Skye ，

Thank you Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！ I loved Iron Widow。 When I saw the author was coming out with a middle grade book with that gorgeous cover， you know I requested it。 I don’t read a lot of middle grade anymore， but I do think I would’ve really liked this as a kid。 It has many of the same elements as Percy Jackson， twelve year old finds out about his heritage， gets a water ability， have to save mom， and learn lots of mythology。 It was also on par with how funny PJO was。 Howeve Thank you Netgalley in exchange for an honest review！ I loved Iron Widow。 When I saw the author was coming out with a middle grade book with that gorgeous cover， you know I requested it。 I don’t read a lot of middle grade anymore， but I do think I would’ve really liked this as a kid。 It has many of the same elements as Percy Jackson， twelve year old finds out about his heritage， gets a water ability， have to save mom， and learn lots of mythology。 It was also on par with how funny PJO was。 However it was really missing the connection with characters。 I don’t know much about the side characters themselves。 I love how much history we learn in this book， but at times I was confused。 I wish there was a reference or guide in the back， would’ve been really helpful to have that to flip to when needed。 The last thing that really irked me is that this ends in a cliffhanger。 Although considering iron widow I shouldn’t be surprised by that。 The pop culture references in this book were funny， I loved the jokes about avatar the last airbender。 Would recommend if you like that or PJO。 。。。more

Paul Mcguire ，

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the opportunity。A group of children are possessed by the spirits of Chinese emperors and embark on a quest to save China and the world。 It is a nice escape from more serious fantasy and moves quickly。 Like Iron Widow， the battles often feel rushed but this keeps things moving。A boy is swept into an adventure when he learns that he is descended from the first Emperor of I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the opportunity。A group of children are possessed by the spirits of Chinese emperors and embark on a quest to save China and the world。 It is a nice escape from more serious fantasy and moves quickly。 Like Iron Widow， the battles often feel rushed but this keeps things moving。A boy is swept into an adventure when he learns that he is descended from the first Emperor of China。 Through his virtual reality headset he learns grand magical powers as he learns more about his history。 Through his ignorance the reader learns about the early emperors。 Though history is a large part of the story it doesn't become dry。It is an absolutely ridiculous tale but also tons of fun。 Those who grew up with shounen anime will recognize the style of storytelling。 Zhao infuses the story with tons of Chinese history， which makes this a fun way to learn about early emperors。 。。。more

Veronica ，

This would've been a great book to get me out of my reading slump except I was too busy and had to read it in bits and pieces。 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor was a lot more enjoyable than I expected。 I usually don't read MG fiction because authors sometimes oversimplify everything from the language to the story and it makes me feel Old and bored， but that wasn't the case with Zachary Ying。 For the most part， Zhao doesn't dumb down her book and proves middle reader fiction can still be cleve This would've been a great book to get me out of my reading slump except I was too busy and had to read it in bits and pieces。 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor was a lot more enjoyable than I expected。 I usually don't read MG fiction because authors sometimes oversimplify everything from the language to the story and it makes me feel Old and bored， but that wasn't the case with Zachary Ying。 For the most part， Zhao doesn't dumb down her book and proves middle reader fiction can still be clever （think Artemis Fowl but Asian。）The story was a fun mix of action， adventure and video games and totally it earns its Yugioh comp （there are no playing cards here， though。） It almost feels like a Ready Player One for the 90s-early 00s Asian American crowd。 It made Chinese history/mythology approachable and appealing and was the strangest mix of seemingly random elements that somehow all came together and worked。 My main critique is I wish the character development had been a little stronger。 It seemed like Zhao was going for the whole found family vibe， but it felt a little superficial to me。 The side characters showed glimpses of brilliance， but in general it felt like there was a lot of untapped potential in terms of the supporting cast。 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is an exploration of Asian identity and introduction to Chinese culture dressed up in a story about video games， monsters and elemental powers。 It was a surprising read that was both fun and thoughtful， but minus one star for that horrific cliffhanger of an ending。 。。。more

Mish ，

**I got an advance reading copy through the bookstore I work at。 My review is my own。**What would you do if a god from your culture tried to inhabit your body， failed， and ended up posessing your VR headseat instead？And then sent you on an extreme ghost chase in mainland China？While you were just trying to get through middle school， and stand up to some bullies？This book was an utter delight from start to finish。

Kelly ，

5/5** Thank you so much to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 **WOW！！This was so action-packed I was on the edge of my seat for like， half the book！ Zachary Ying was a fantastic hero who was so relatable to many。 Zachary is a Uyghur boy who was forced to flee China with his Mom when he was very young， and whose Dad was killed by the government for speaking out against the genocide。 He and his Mom moved from New York City to Maine at the start 5/5** Thank you so much to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 **WOW！！This was so action-packed I was on the edge of my seat for like， half the book！ Zachary Ying was a fantastic hero who was so relatable to many。 Zachary is a Uyghur boy who was forced to flee China with his Mom when he was very young， and whose Dad was killed by the government for speaking out against the genocide。 He and his Mom moved from New York City to Maine at the start of the book， and so Zachary now has to deal with losing his community and sense of belonging because he is one of only a handful of Asian kids at his school。I loved pretty much everything about this book。 It was billed as 'Percy Jackson meets Yu-Gi-Oh'， and even though I haven't finished Percy Jackson yet， it DELIVERED。 There was action， high stakes， amazing lore， fantastical creatures， magic -- YOU NAME IT！I loved how prevalent Ancient Chinese history was in this book， and how many different characters we， the readers， got to meet。 Being a white， Canadian girl， I am one of maaaaaany who never learnt about Chinese history in school， so it was a lot of fun and super interesting for me to learn alongside Zachary。Not only is this book a delight and would appeal to so many middle grade readers for the adventure aspects alone， this book also touches on several serious topics such as racism， genocide， religion and religious freedom， good vs。 evil/right vs。 wrong， JUST to name a few。I especially loved reading about the author's inspiration/hopes for this book: "Being Chinese has become so painfully political。。。 Yet on another hand， there’s the necessity of demystifying and defending Chinese culture to combat anti-Chinese racism。 Many diaspora like myself are caught in the crosshairs， struggling to find the balance。 But what I firmly believe is that traditional Chinese culture and history don't belong to the Chinese government。 It belongs to the Chinese people， both native and diaspora。。。 Through Zack’s journey in this book， I wanted to engage with the complexities of Chinese identity， especially as a minority and diaspora， but I also want to have fun。"In my opnion， Xiran Jay Zhao met their goals and THEN some！ I can't wait to read the next book and I am so happy that this book exists in the world for children to enjoy and learn from。 What are you waiting for？ Pick up your copy now！！！ 。。。more

Jessie ，

After reading Iron Widow last year， Xiran Jay Zhao quickly became one of my new favorite authors。 When I found out they were writing a middle-grade book， and even though I am not as well versed in that genre， I was eager to dive in。 The irreverent tone and humor of Iron Widow finds a ready home in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor， about a young boy in New York， the son of Chinese immigrants， who finds himself being possessed by Qin Shi Huang， a Chinese emperor of the past。 In order to save hi After reading Iron Widow last year， Xiran Jay Zhao quickly became one of my new favorite authors。 When I found out they were writing a middle-grade book， and even though I am not as well versed in that genre， I was eager to dive in。 The irreverent tone and humor of Iron Widow finds a ready home in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor， about a young boy in New York， the son of Chinese immigrants， who finds himself being possessed by Qin Shi Huang， a Chinese emperor of the past。 In order to save his mother， he must join up with avatars of other past emperors and attempt to save the world。 Inspired by a mixture of Chinese history， science fiction and anime， this book is nonstop。 A lot of this book is told through basically information dumps about Chinese history and for the most part I didn't mind because it was so interesting and so well told。 One particularly memorable chapter is called "How the creation of China was exactly like Amerian Idol。" I loved Zachary。 He is going through a lot in this book， with his mother and his identity， and a lot of the discussions the book prompts involve finding a place for yourself when you don't fit in anywhere and a recognition that comes with age that some things are not black and white。 Sometimes the world isn't separated into just heroes and villains。 A lot of the world-building sort of reminds me of American Gods in that cultural consciousness can manifest gods into different forms and that myths can become real because people believe in them。 All done through the vernacular of video games。 It is extremely clever and well done and I also appreciated the Wu Zetian easter eggs we got。 I'll basically read whatever Xiran Jay Zhao writes and it seems like Zachary Ying might be a series？ What a cruel place to leave us！Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Mel ，

What a great MG book！ Full RTC closer to release！

Shelly ，

Son's Review: 5 stars。 A well-written story that's not like all of the other stories out there。 Liked the adventure。 Liked that it made him "big brained" by teaching him some Chinese history and culture。 My review: I also thought it was very good and liked that it taught some Chinese history and culture。 It is nice to see Chinese representation。 （My son is Chinese via his father and it's not easy to find good books that have Chinese kids as the main character and China as a main setting。） A bonu Son's Review: 5 stars。 A well-written story that's not like all of the other stories out there。 Liked the adventure。 Liked that it made him "big brained" by teaching him some Chinese history and culture。 My review: I also thought it was very good and liked that it taught some Chinese history and culture。 It is nice to see Chinese representation。 （My son is Chinese via his father and it's not easy to find good books that have Chinese kids as the main character and China as a main setting。） A bonus is that it includes （with the main character） Muslim Chinese representation。 I also liked the theme of being confident in who you are and stop trying to be what you think other people want。 I received this book free through NetGalley。 This does not influence my （or my son's） review。 We had already planned on getting the book from the library and when I saw that it was available through NetGalley， I had to get it since I'm not patient。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0