Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-22 09:52:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Xiran Jay Zhao
- ISBN：0861545486
- 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。
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。
Reviews
Amie
，
The plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Zack: ⭐️
Hannah。Risken
，
it's a nice read while you lean Chinese history it's a nice read while you lean Chinese history 。。。more
Ria
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Fear is a normal sensation that cannot be avoided。 But what you do have power over is whether you let it hold you back。 There will come risks in your life that demand to be taken。 You’ll feel the allure of them calling to you， but also endless voices telling you that you are not enough， or that it can’t be done， or that you can’t possibly be the one to do it。 4。5★If you like Rick Riordan's book， maybe you'll like this。 It has mythological and/or historical stories， actions and humor。 It had M Fear is a normal sensation that cannot be avoided。 But what you do have power over is whether you let it hold you back。 There will come risks in your life that demand to be taken。 You’ll feel the allure of them calling to you， but also endless voices telling you that you are not enough， or that it can’t be done， or that you can’t possibly be the one to do it。 4。5★If you like Rick Riordan's book， maybe you'll like this。 It has mythological and/or historical stories， actions and humor。 It had Muslim main character and mentioned Islam as minority in China。What I like about this book is the way the history of China's dynasty is told， the chemistry between the characters is like a child， the three Emperors who fight with each other but have great teamwork， and the first emperor with Zack。The ending， although the first mission complete， there is more mission for them in the next book。 （view spoiler）[I also curious how the Qin AI will guide Zack and whose spirit inside Zack's mother （I have some guess）。 （hide spoiler）]Content Warnings:Graphic: Islamophobia， Racism， DeathModerate: Death of parent， Bullying， ViolenceMinor: War， Xenophobia， Genocide 。。。more
poppy
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i wanted to like this book but the prose was。。。 not good。 jarring。 and a lot of telling instead of showing。 maybe i'm just not the intended audience （which is why im leaving this review unrated） but yeah i wanted to like this book but the prose was。。。 not good。 jarring。 and a lot of telling instead of showing。 maybe i'm just not the intended audience （which is why im leaving this review unrated） but yeah 。。。more
synzz
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4。5 ⭐️
Alice
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Ok， so not only did I burn through Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor in 2 days， I also read the acknowledgements and started crying。 （RIP Kazuki Takahashi） If you grew up loving Yu-Gi-Oh！ you NEED to read this book。 Zachary Ying competes on his school's Mythrealm team but after meeting Simon， the new exchange student， he finds out that not only are the mythical creatures of legend are real， but also the First Emperor of China is possessing his portal-lens！I adored this book。 The characters wer Ok， so not only did I burn through Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor in 2 days， I also read the acknowledgements and started crying。 （RIP Kazuki Takahashi） If you grew up loving Yu-Gi-Oh！ you NEED to read this book。 Zachary Ying competes on his school's Mythrealm team but after meeting Simon， the new exchange student， he finds out that not only are the mythical creatures of legend are real， but also the First Emperor of China is possessing his portal-lens！I adored this book。 The characters were a joy to read and the interactions between the kids and the emperors that were possessing them were enjoyable and hilarious at times。 The facts about ancient Chinese history were woven into the plot in a way that didn't feel like a massive Ready Player One style info dump。 It was so interesting and I have some more research to look into after I finish this review。 The plot had a great build up and the action stayed fast-paced until it raised to it's peak in the final chapters with a startling cliff-hanger！ The only thing， and I mean the only thing， that I wished the book had done was take a little more inspiration from the gaming aspect of the Yu-Gi-Oh！ manga/show to include more Mythrealm battles throughout。 I would've loved to have learned a little more about the tournaments and how the mythical creatures and spirits inspired the gameplay during it's creation。 But that's just be being a nerd and doesn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book。 Overall， a great middle grade that can be enjoyed by nerdy adults too！ 。。。more
heabooktubes
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I would give this a 3 or a 4 but my 9 year old son called it the best book he’s ever had read to him， and he’s the target audience， so 5 stars it is。
Howard
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I enjoyed the American Gods like premise of the spirits of past emperors being tied to their histories/legends/remembrance。 I also liked the subtle exploration of potential queerness that felt very age appropriate。The pace really dragged for me after the first 100 pages。 Every single Chinese historical figure was referred to as “the Chinese version of some American pop culture figure” and that type of description got boring really quick。I was also reading this under the assumption that it was a I enjoyed the American Gods like premise of the spirits of past emperors being tied to their histories/legends/remembrance。 I also liked the subtle exploration of potential queerness that felt very age appropriate。The pace really dragged for me after the first 100 pages。 Every single Chinese historical figure was referred to as “the Chinese version of some American pop culture figure” and that type of description got boring really quick。I was also reading this under the assumption that it was a standalone （because that’s how it seemed from the marketing and until a week ago it wasn’t listed as part of a series on goodreads）。 There are ways to end on a cliffhanger/set up plot for the rest of the series while still feeling like a complete book。 Ultimately， this felt unfinished/incomplete and that does not make for a positive reading experience for me。 。。。more
Diana
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Dnfed at page 160I was really digging it since I loved her first book， but reading it was forcing myself to open the book and reading felt more like a chore than something I did for fun。。。 :（
WRong
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great
Shannon
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I loved this！ It was an awesome mix of Percy Jackson meets Yu-gi-oh。 I originally found out about this title after reading Iron Widow and need to read more by Zhao。 This was an amazing， funny， fast-paced book that had me hooked from the beginning。 I love the representation of characters involved and how they all developed and grew， the discussions about feeling like you belong were especially important and moving。 I am excited that Wu Zetian was involved again， because she is fast becoming my fa I loved this！ It was an awesome mix of Percy Jackson meets Yu-gi-oh。 I originally found out about this title after reading Iron Widow and need to read more by Zhao。 This was an amazing， funny， fast-paced book that had me hooked from the beginning。 I love the representation of characters involved and how they all developed and grew， the discussions about feeling like you belong were especially important and moving。 I am excited that Wu Zetian was involved again， because she is fast becoming my favorite。 Reading books by Xiran Jay Zhao has made me want to learn more about Chinese history， the writing is so good and mixes plot and history so well， it never drags。 I know of many patrons who would love this series and I can't wait to recommend it to them！ 。。。more
Barbara Cryer
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Never knew there were Chinese Muslims。 This book was extremely interesting， especially in terms of the Chinese history and the thought provoking ideas of the plot。
☔️ lin chuchu ☔️ 林楚楚
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rep: gay muslim hui chinese protagonist， miao chinese mc， chinese casti liked iron widow a lot more but this was a solid three stars。 fun， enjoyable， and likeable characters and humor。 xiran jay zhao is FANTASTIC at making a book very addicting to the reader so much so that no one would be able to put any of their books down while reading。 i just wish melissa and simon got more character development and/or like。。。any screentime， since they seem to be very one dimensional and have a lot of potent rep: gay muslim hui chinese protagonist， miao chinese mc， chinese casti liked iron widow a lot more but this was a solid three stars。 fun， enjoyable， and likeable characters and humor。 xiran jay zhao is FANTASTIC at making a book very addicting to the reader so much so that no one would be able to put any of their books down while reading。 i just wish melissa and simon got more character development and/or like。。。any screentime， since they seem to be very one dimensional and have a lot of potential to become something more， but i really liked zack！ a very well written protagonist， and it was absolutely hilarious how he's just so done with being the "chosen one" in this situation。 literally the only one with any common sense and is appropriately shocked/distressed with every new incident。 i would love to see the friend group actually bond next book though because i didn't see any of that happening before zack was like : i would literally die for these two。 also， the author infodumps so much instead of showing through dialogue or anything， just huge paragraphs/monologues about the necessary context and unnecessary context every other page that my eyes skip over。 simon serves as simply an npc for zack to get information about the situation even though he was adorable and could've been a great character and melissa is a dear but she has like two lines。 however， one major thing i also liked was the inclusion of minority ethnicities in china。 we literally never get that in fiction and i think xiran jay zhao tried their best to handle it pretty well ？ （im han and american though so my opinion really isn't worth much on this topic nor do i know my shit about anything）。 anyways， can't wait for the second book to come out！ love this gay little middle schooler。 。。。more
Emily Pedigo
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Nothing is more interesting than history， especially the history of one of the oldest remaining nations。 If you have even the smallest interest in Chinese mythology and historical figures， I cannot recommend this book enough。
Alexis
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This is a book for all those who love virtual reality， gaming， and fantasy。 I loved Xiran's first book， Iron Widow， and am so glad that middle grade readers can read her books too。 She writes with such detail and her plots are well-developed。 The action was non-stop and the whole time I was unsure who the real villain was， which I love not knowing！ Plot twists， some humor， and tension made this book a great read。 Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sharing an early copy with me in exc This is a book for all those who love virtual reality， gaming， and fantasy。 I loved Xiran's first book， Iron Widow， and am so glad that middle grade readers can read her books too。 She writes with such detail and her plots are well-developed。 The action was non-stop and the whole time I was unsure who the real villain was， which I love not knowing！ Plot twists， some humor， and tension made this book a great read。 Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for sharing an early copy with me in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Dragons*4ever
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🐉🌌🌊ℨ𝔞𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔶 𝔜𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫 𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯🌊🌌🐉 4。5 Stars Zachary Ying （Ying Ziyang） is the only Asian kid in his grade。 Zachary has been trying to hide and suppress his culture， he has very little knowledge of Chinese history。 When a new kid named Simon Li （Li Shuda） comes to his school， the two bond over Mythrealm， a video game with mythical animals。 But when Zachary's "friends" force him to get Simon to borrow his water dragon， and Simon refuses， Zachary is beaten up。 Then something awakened within 🐉🌌🌊ℨ𝔞𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔶 𝔜𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔯𝔞𝔤𝔬𝔫 𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯🌊🌌🐉 4。5 Stars Zachary Ying （Ying Ziyang） is the only Asian kid in his grade。 Zachary has been trying to hide and suppress his culture， he has very little knowledge of Chinese history。 When a new kid named Simon Li （Li Shuda） comes to his school， the two bond over Mythrealm， a video game with mythical animals。 But when Zachary's "friends" force him to get Simon to borrow his water dragon， and Simon refuses， Zachary is beaten up。 Then something awakened within him。 The first Emperor of China， Qin Shi Huang， would give Zachary his wish if Zachary allowed the emperor to possess him。 Zachary is part of Qin Shi Huang's family line and learns he is destined to host the first emperor to stop a leaking portal in China。 However， when Qin Shi Huang's spirit tries to enter Zachary's body， things go wrong and he ends up possessing Zachary's AR gaming headset。 With the emperor shouting orders through Zack's headset， and his mother's life on the line， he must travel to China to stop the portal from completely opening。 Along with Simon Li， who hosts Tang Taizong， and Melissa Wu （Wu Mingzhu）， who hosts Wu Zentian， the three must stop the spirits that are sent after them。 However， Zack is starting to doubt what is good and evil。 Is he doing the right thing？ Could he trust his friends？ An adventure with a perfect juxtaposition of history， myth， friendship， and humor。 Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is one of my favorite books of the year！ There are books that speak to my heart and books that speak to my soul。 This book was one of those books。 I loved everything about this book。 The explosion of ideas and realities that burst into one's mind when reading a book for the first time is an experience I treasure。 I savored each word， each page， and chose to read this slowly to stay in that exhilarating experience of reading this book for the first time。 This book consumed me， the words flowed like music， the characters felt like best friends。 Forgive me for being dramatic， but this book was one I particularly will be dramatic about。 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭: [𝟓] This plot had the perfect amount of history and myth。 It had strokes of familiarity through subtle but powerful nuances in the characters and plots that made it more relatable。 Reading the acknowledgements made it more apparent how hard it is for someone to get a book deal and succeed in the literature industry。 I loved learning about Xiran's journey and the personal story she added in the acknowledgements。 They are truly amazing authors and I am thankful that this book is getting the hype that it deserves。 I've read many books that involve mythology， gods and culture， but this book makes that plot point more unique。 The line between myth and history blurs and seamlessly weaves itself into the story。 I cherish the magic system a lot。 I found it really interesting and new how the historical characters would gain magic based on what others believed that they had （if there was a movie where a character possessed a certain power about that historical figure， then the spirit would gain that power。） Wu Zentian， Tang Taizong， and Qin Shi Huang had amazing distinct personalities that separated them from their counterparts。 All the characters were charismatic and hilarious。 I actually bought this book after reading it and now I have my own copy！ I liked how no part in this book was rushed or fast paced and structured in an interesting way。 The way history was told in this book was in a very engaging and captivating way。 It really depends on how one might think of history， whether it is boring or interesting， depending on how it is told。 It was very engaging， interesting， and didn't feel choppy。 I like how this book also states Xiran's political opinion。 Very strongly in this book do we get what Zack feels about suppressing Muslims in China。 I thought that it was really amazing that politics and the situation in China were being focused on this book。 Zack's fear and disconnection from his Chinese culture and how he felt out of place in both America and China was a really important part。 I enjoyed how Zack didn't instantly get comfortable or gain total control over his powers。 It really really took him a long time and I enjoyed watching him both struggle and grow。 The first chapter in this book was probably one of the most heartfelt and powerful first chapters I have read。 I instantly could connect to Zack and yet feel immersed in this story。 It was a tapestry and cultivation of emotion and plot and character at the heart。 I like how this book had a mixture of both realistic themes that sit heavily and humor that added light tones。 I absolutely loved the plot。 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:[𝟓]I don't really know what I loved so much about Zack's character。 Because there were many things。 He was the sort of character I instantly wanted to protect and be friends with。 I could relate to certain aspects of his character。 He was flawed， which fleshed him out more。 His emotions were raw and well written。 Simon and Melissa were great characters too。 Although I wanted the book to focus more on Melissa， I still enjoyed her character。 Wu Zentian， Tang Taizong， and Qin Shi Huang were such amazing characters。 Altogether， they were an amazing cast of characters who were both complex and relatable。 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: I love Xiran Jay Zhao's writing。 They really touch on important topics and don't shy away from the topic。 The perfect balance of elements。 They have a way of instantly entrancing the reading into their amazing book。 The historical elements and myths were talentedly mixed together。 They have a very powerful writing style！🐉🌌🌊ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯🌊🌌🐉☑️Zachary Ying☑️Simon Li☑️Melissa Wu☑️Wu Zentian☑️Tang Taizong☑️Qin Shi Huang🐉🌌🌊ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔠𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫🌊🌌🐉 An absolute amazing book！ 。。。more
Cassandra Haywood
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WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ENDING？？？ Anyway this was a brilliant read。 If you like Percy Jackson， would definitely recommend！ It has very similar vibes。 Also anything this author touches is gold。 Love their work。 You don't need to know lots about chinese mythology to follow the story， because the main character also doesn't know a great a deal so things are explained very naturally so that an audience with any background knowledge can follow the story。 （ I am qualified to say this as someone who knows n WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ENDING？？？ Anyway this was a brilliant read。 If you like Percy Jackson， would definitely recommend！ It has very similar vibes。 Also anything this author touches is gold。 Love their work。 You don't need to know lots about chinese mythology to follow the story， because the main character also doesn't know a great a deal so things are explained very naturally so that an audience with any background knowledge can follow the story。 （ I am qualified to say this as someone who knows next to nothing about chinese mythology but found it easy to make sense of）This story is just incredibly well written and the characters are diverse and dimensional。 If you haven't read it you should do so。 If you are looking for a sign to read this book。 This is your sign。 。。。more
Northern Rose
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I really wasn't sure what to expect when I read this。 Having read it I'd say that it very much reminded me of Ray Riordan's novels ie Percy Jackson etc with the way it brought in both legend/history and fiction。 I thought that the book itself was well-written - although there was some language I didn't particularly like ie repeated use of the word humungous。 I found that I was soon pulled into the story - and really liked the idea of Chinese emperors using modern gaming technology to speak to/ma I really wasn't sure what to expect when I read this。 Having read it I'd say that it very much reminded me of Ray Riordan's novels ie Percy Jackson etc with the way it brought in both legend/history and fiction。 I thought that the book itself was well-written - although there was some language I didn't particularly like ie repeated use of the word humungous。 I found that I was soon pulled into the story - and really liked the idea of Chinese emperors using modern gaming technology to speak to/manipulate children today。 The plot was well-designed - I wanted to find out if Zac's mother's soul was restored to her （a bit annoying that this wasn't resolved but clearly this sets up the reader to want to read the next instalment！） There were things that I liked less - whilst I liked the fact that the book told me things about Chinese history I sometimes found that these sections were a bit clunky。 My teen daughter （who I asked to also read this book to see what she thought of it） said that the book itself - the idea of spirits coming back - was actually a bit disturbing to her - so this is something may be for younger children/their parents to be aware of 。。。more
Hannah Rials
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3。5！ Very enjoyable， great for fans of Percy Jackson， video game players， and even history buffs。 Got a bit of everything really and will be a series！ Just not exactly my jam， but good read！
Diego H
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Once again， Zhao blends Chinese culture with modern fantasy/sci-fi to create an enthralling read for all ages with plenty of history and heart to enjoy。 What Riordan did for Greek myth， Zhao does with Chinese legend in Zachary Ying。
Helen
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What I was looking for: Xiran Jay Zhao has extremely interesting and entertaining Youtube videos about Chinese history and I enjoyed their other book， Iron Widow， immensely。 Of course I had to pick up their latest book。My thoughts: Sadly， it took me quite some time to get into the book。 I only read the first Percy Jackson book years ago but Zachary Ying reminded me way too much of that book: protagonist raised by single mum， supernatural shenanigans which he does not want to be a part in， supern What I was looking for: Xiran Jay Zhao has extremely interesting and entertaining Youtube videos about Chinese history and I enjoyed their other book， Iron Widow， immensely。 Of course I had to pick up their latest book。My thoughts: Sadly， it took me quite some time to get into the book。 I only read the first Percy Jackson book years ago but Zachary Ying reminded me way too much of that book: protagonist raised by single mum， supernatural shenanigans which he does not want to be a part in， supernatural attack on mother， mother ends up in a coma， now is reluctantly in to save mother， group of two boys one girl， 。。。 （my bookseller sister tells me that this is not a “Percy Jackson” thing but actually a standard in these type of MG books in recent years）。 But then it got more and more interesting the further the book progressed and I loved the last 1/3 of the book。 This does， however， make it difficult to rate。What I really loved right from the start was that I learned much about China， Chinese folklore and traditions。 And I really liked the ambiguity of the characters – evil and good were not clear cut （as it isn’t in reality）。 And I appreciated the hints of LGBTQ content which， judging by the author’s other content， will probably be explored more in future books。The everyday racism Zachary faces hurt me very much and I hated that he had to go through this。 But it is important to have this in books， so more people will hopefully pick up on such things and not repeat casual （and not so casual） racism。 The videogame was cool and sound fun， but I was a little confused， not being very familiar with VR devices， how it worked in everyday life – do the kids really walk around with these huge things over their eyes？ Even though I had a hard time getting drawn in， I do think it is a great MG book and I recommend it to this age group。 Even if the book had not ended on a cliff-hanger， I still would have been very interested in the next instalment。 。。。more
Angela
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This was a really good book with some great action sequences a lot of myth and history deftly inserted and a really complex story for a book not aimed at adults or teens。Looking forward to seeing what else this author comes up with。
Mearle
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Imagine being able to write like this！ Damnnnn。 Nauurrr so far every book of Xieran Jay Zhao slapssss。 Yuhh。。Okay I love a bunch of crazy kids going on an adventure。 So we went to CHINA！ YUHHHH。 Also our boy Zack is moslim and I love seeing that represented。 Since you don’t see it often。 So obviously we fall into these Chinese legends。 I was so confused when I read Wu Zetian。 Sounded so familiar。 Ahh wait Iron Widow of course。 Also Nezha is a very common name with dragons and stuff。 Look I know Imagine being able to write like this！ Damnnnn。 Nauurrr so far every book of Xieran Jay Zhao slapssss。 Yuhh。。Okay I love a bunch of crazy kids going on an adventure。 So we went to CHINA！ YUHHHH。 Also our boy Zack is moslim and I love seeing that represented。 Since you don’t see it often。 So obviously we fall into these Chinese legends。 I was so confused when I read Wu Zetian。 Sounded so familiar。 Ahh wait Iron Widow of course。 Also Nezha is a very common name with dragons and stuff。 Look I know things from other Chinese inspired or books with a Chinese setting。 I love to see it。 Nahh this was great！ Just going about with an emperor from so many years ago just chilling。 Well not exactly chilling， because we were under pressure。 But obviously slayed！ And ate。 This was unique to me and I love it！ 。。。more
♡ calliope ♡
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ate fr4。25， rtc！ but this is one of my new fave middle grade books
Karina
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4★
Kelly K
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I was feeling this in the beginning and then it fell flat and I ended up skimming most of the 2nd half of the book。
Thibault Busschots
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It’s basically a really cool mix of Chinese culture with video games and Japanese anime like Yu-Gi-Oh， Code Geass， Shaman King， …Zachary Ying’s mom gets attacked by angry spirits and put into a coma。 The only way his mom can survive is if Zack goes to China with the ghost of his ancestor to close a portal that’s leaking spirits from the Chinese underworld into our world。 His ancestor is China’s first emperor， who happens to have water dragon powers。 On this adventure of a lifetime they come acro It’s basically a really cool mix of Chinese culture with video games and Japanese anime like Yu-Gi-Oh， Code Geass， Shaman King， …Zachary Ying’s mom gets attacked by angry spirits and put into a coma。 The only way his mom can survive is if Zack goes to China with the ghost of his ancestor to close a portal that’s leaking spirits from the Chinese underworld into our world。 His ancestor is China’s first emperor， who happens to have water dragon powers。 On this adventure of a lifetime they come across many legendary figures from both Chinese myths and history。It’s a story written by someone who struggled with her identity while growing up and she’s finally managed to accept herself and her heritage。 And she is clearly ready to not only fully embrace it but also be proud of it。 She wants to celebrate it and share it with the world。 That being said， the writer stands up for what she believes in and doesn’t shy away from criticizing what she doesn’t like。 I very much appreciate this and it’s part of what makes this such a powerful and satisfying book。 I hope and think this book will make a lot of people feel proud and good about themselves。On the surface this is an absolute blast， mixing Chinese mythology with Japanese anime and video games in a children’s adventure for the ages。 But there’s so much more beneath the surface， there’s the exploration of Chinese history done in such an easily accessible and fun way that kids will gobble it all up with pleasure。 And there are powerful themes represented like bullying， trust， how power corrupts， struggling with your identity and even the power of belief that’s very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series。This book has so much to offer。 This book is engaging， highly enjoyable and so worthy of being read。 It’s almost like a really fun Chinese history lesson for kids， cleverly disguised and hidden under a comfortably thick and entertaining blanket of Japanese anime and video games。 Consider me very much impressed。 。。。more
Finley
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Super fun！！ 10/10
roma
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3。5*
Vail Chester
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