Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Series: Of Jade and Dragons #1
Author: Amber Chen
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Released: June 18, 2024
Received: Own (OwlCrate)
Find it on Goodreads | More Fantasy | OwlCrate

Book Summary:

Aihui Ying has always been what her village considers a wild child. She doesn’t want to follow a girl’s “normal” path. She wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a world-class engineer.

After her father’s death (read: murder), Ying makes the dangerous decision to join the male-only guild, under disguise, of course. With the help of a prince, her cover may be safe, but only if she’s careful. Unfortunately, the more she learns, the less she understands. Worse, she doesn’t know who to trust.

My Review:

Of Jade and Dragons is a fascinating magical read about one girl’s determination to follow in her father’s footsteps – no matter the danger. It’s also a bit of a murder mystery, with plenty of intrigue and politics.

Overall, I felt like this story had a lot of potential, some of which was sadly left on the table. Aihui is a brilliant engineer, and it was nice that those parts of her mind got to shine. However, she’s clearly naive when it comes to people, as evidenced by all the red flags she overlooks. It makes you want to scream.

Readers will have to suspend their disbelief a tiny bit over the course of Of Jade and Dragons. It’s hard to believe that only one person would discover her secret (technically, two). Likewise, the romance was far from my favorite part of this book.

I don’t know how I feel about the ending. It will either make the next book a lot stronger…or weaker. There’s no in-between for this one, and I’m curious to see which way it goes.

Highlights:

• Dragons & Destiny
• YA Fantasy
• Mythology
• Determination

Trigger Warnings:

• Familial Death
• Prejudice

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