Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Xiran Jay Zhao (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 13/7/2022

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao

Publisher: Rock the Boat

Publication Date: July 7, 2022

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours)

About the book:

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:

        I am so invested in Chinese web novels these days, and so it goes without saying that this story captivated me. Who wouldn't? It is a Chinese version of Percy Jackson after all. And don't make me start on that gorgeous cover page. I was hooked from the start. This is one of the rare moments when I regret not getting a physical ARC. These stunning colours invite you to make a place for them on your shelf.

        As you might have guessed, the story keeps in line with the fantasy traditions set by Percy Jackson and Harry Potter series. A trio of twelve-year-olds (two boys, one girl) travels across China to complete their mission of sealing the leaking portal that connects the mortal world and the spirit world. One couldn't but compare this with Percy Jackson series. The similarities are astounding beginning with Zach's powers which involve water. But the story doesn't feel that solid as there are no prophecies to make sense of or mysteries to uncover. No, what makes this a spectacular read is its engagement with the immigrant condition.

        Zach is a Hui Chinese immigrant whose dad was killed for voicing against the Chinese government. Leaving the country in pursuit of an American dream like many others doesn't produce the intended results. They are left struggling in a country which is reluctant to accept them however accommodating its policies are. We find Zach leaving his lunch unopened for fear of alienating his newly acquired friends but in spite of these sacrifices he remains another Asian kid to his classmates.

        This unwanted quest comes as an eye-opener not only for him but also for the readers. We do get a lot of history lessons in between and it is never boring. Representation of Chinee minorities is another fact that endears this story to me. Zack is Hui Chinese, Muslim and also queer. Melissa Wu is a Miao who intends to project her ethnicity by becoming a fashion idol. With these newfound friends, Zach is finally at home.

        Simon and Melissa make excellent sidekicks and their emperors are absolutely awesome, especially Wu Zetian. I am already intrigued by the snippets of her life story to add the TV series to the watch list. Then there is Qin Shi Huang. He might be a tyrant according to history books, but the author has created such a wonderful character out of it, we cannot help but love him to the core. He is definitely my favourite. 

        Well, this series is far from being over. The ending has left me heartbroken yet hopeful about the fate of the Dragon Emperor. Eagerly awaiting the sequel . . .

Meet the author:

Xiran Jay Zhao is the #1 bestselling author of the Iron Widow duology. A first-gen Hui Chinese immigrant from small-town China to Vancouver, Canada, they were raised by the internet and made the inexplicable decision to leave their biochem degree in the dust to write books and make educational content instead. You can find them @XiranJayZhao on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, TikTok for fun short videos, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is their first middle grade novel.