Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

Product Information

Situational Sword: Due to the legend of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang, his sword can only be drawn if others are shouting "Bear your sword, my King!" at him. British Fantasy Awards Shortlists". Archived from the original on 20 September 2022 . Retrieved 20 September 2022.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Semantic Superpower: Spirits have powers based on their legends. For examples, Wu Zetian declared herself “the sun and moon in the sky” so she can create a blinding light, Cheng Yaojin was known for showing up out of nowhere so he can teleport, and Tang Taizong had six of his best warhorses immortalized so he can call upon their spirits. Cain and Abel: During his lifetime, Tang Taizong had his two brothers killed. note The Xuanwu Gate Incident, when Taizong killed his brothers in a coup to seize the throne, is divisive, but it's generally agreed that the two brothers planned to kill Taizong first because his military accomplishments outranked theirs. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao, Read by Neo Cihi". Literary Hub. 2022-05-26 . Retrieved 2022-06-26. zachary ying succeeds at something that many novels i’ve read - whether targeted toward adults or youth - attempt and don’t always achieve: it interweaves macro-level, big-picture politics and social issues with the micro-level nuances and complexities of individual stories and characters. and it does all of this within a fantastical middle-grade novel featuring unique worldbuilding rooted in ancient chinese history and mythology and modern-day video-gaming and pop culture. As Zachary Ying is a children's/middle-grade book, I expected it to be content with the emperors' spirits and the fun side of their legends and histories, however it took the story a step further towards greatness by challenging them. It didn't ignore their cruelties and the horrors of their reigns. I really appreciated this and thought it was incredibly well done, I loved that Zhao didn't dumb it down just because it's a children's book. Kids are much smarter than you think and can appreciate complexities and nuance like this, too.

More books by Xiran Jay Zhao

I received an advanced digital copy from Margaret K. McElderry Books via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. Edutainment: Clearly inspired by the genre, as it's a story where a boy has to learn Chinese history and culture to increase his own magical power.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor Review: Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor

MacGuffin: The heirloom seal, a legendary and long lost symbol of the power of the Chinese emperors. Touching it will grant the three emperors the power to reseal the gates to the spirit realm. Boring, but Practical: Among his mahjong buddies (Ramses II, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great), Qin Shi Huang conquered the least amount of land, but focused on practical concerns like standardizing roads, writing, coinage, and measurements to promote unity. Because of this, China has remained a single country into the modern day, while all the others' empires are long gone.I don't read middle grade books. But I will definitely read this one. Because it's from Miss Zhao. I'm excitedly, anxiously waiting for Iron Widow's sequel to come out. There were certain elements added that didn’t bring anything important in terms of the plot and overall story structure. I wasn’t sure what elements were fundamental and what I should be paying close attention to. There were lots of characters introduced in this story and this was a major detriment to the story because I would spend so much time remembering who they were and then they never showed up again. By focusing on a few characters, we could have dug deeper into their stories which would make it overall less confusing. In June 2022, Zhao announced that the publisher would be rerecording the audiobook with a new voice actor as the Mandarin in the book is mispronounced. [7] [8] The original audiobook edition will remain for sale while rerecording occurs; [8] Zhao stated: "I've been assured that buyers of it will get the new version automatically after it comes out". [9] Zhao also commented that, "I have to stress that I do not blame the VA for taking the job [...]. They clearly worked hard on the audiobook and gave a great performance, it's just a shame about the Mandarin". [10] Plot [ edit ] The magic system (alongside Zhao's sci-fi subversion) was absolutely brilliant. I adored how the powers of the characters were influenced by legends and belief and by legacy. These factors granted all of it a deeper meaning as it questioned the truth behind these legends and asked the question of what we leave behind when we're gone. I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I have never been passionate about (any) Asian culture so I really appreciated the history and cultural lessons. The presentation of the plot through altered reality games was clever and well done. I’m sure it would grab any kid who is mostly focusing on playing such games. I’ve recommended it to my son.

ZACHARY YING AND THE DRAGON EMPEROR | Kirkus Reviews

Fake Memories: Thanks to being shaped by belief, the Emperors sometimes faintly remember things that didn't actually happen. Wu Zetian did not kill her own child, but a persistent legend of her doing so means she sometimes remembers it that way. Lodge, Sally; Maughan, Shannon (18 February 2022). "Spring 2022 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 26 June 2022.Rights Report: Week of March 16, 2020". Publishers Weekly. 16 March 2020 . Retrieved 24 October 2021. Compelling Voice: The heirloom seal is the concentrated power of the authority of the Emperor. While other Emperors can resist, any command given by its holder must be obeyed. Being Chinese has become so painfully political. Pride in Chinese culture is no longer as simple as that, but could accidentally play into the Chinese government’s use of traditional culture as propaganda. Yet on another hand, there’s the necessity of demystifying and defending Chinese culture to combat anti-Chinese racism... traditional Chinese culture and history don't belong to the Chinese government." Qin Shi Huang had the engineers of his tomb killed so they could never reveal the death traps to someone else. Fusu summons their spirits, who are more than happy to guide him through them.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor | CBC Books Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor | CBC Books

Brooks, Rachel. "Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor (Zachary Ying #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 26 June 2022. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/ZacharyYingAndTheDragonEmperor Follow ing Literature / Most of the time, I dislike chapter titles. I know, I know. When chapter titles are done badly, they reveal too much of or add nothing to the story. But Zhao nailed all the chapter titles! They are all so incredibly funny, accurate, and not too spoilery either. Some examples of this would be “How to Get Rich and Famous by Renting Your Body to a Dead Emperor” and “How to Scam the Ancient Chinese Justice League.”YES I LOVE THIS. I love the representation of Chinese minorities, the queer rep, the character development amidst non-stop action as well as the unabashed nerdy Chinese history and anime inspirations.