ARC Book Review: Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

5 Shining Stars

Released: June 18, 2024

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a brilliant engineer just like her beloved father – but her life is torn apart when she arrives a moment too late to stop his murder, and worse, lets the killer slip out of reach. Left with only a journal containing his greatest engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, Ying vows to take revenge into her own hands.

Disguised as her brother, Ying heads to the capital city, and discovers that the answer to finding who killed her father lies behind the walls of the prestigious Engineers Guild – the home of a past her father never wanted to talk about. With the help of an unlikely ally – Aogiya Ye-yang, a taciturn (but very handsome) young prince – Ying must navigate a world fraught with rules, challenges and politics she can barely grasp, let alone understand.

But to survive, she must fight to stay one step ahead of everyone. And when faced with the choice between doing what’s right and what’s necessary, Ying will have to decide if her revenge is truly worthwhile, if it means going against everything her father stood for . . .

“A lamp can light up the darkness around you, but a story lights up the darkness within.”

OF JADE AND DRAGONS was a wonderful and refreshing debut book set in a steampunk version of Qing Dynasty China with a protagonist who was an Mulan inspired engineer. OJAD follows protagonist, Ying who disguises herself as her brother to solve her father’s murder. I enjoyed this book immensely, especially how it focused on wit and innovations, and how it shows that women too, can be smart and innovative as compared to men.

Ying is someone who holds her self-worth well. She uses her head over her heart and sets things straight. I respected her decision toward the end of the book and foresee her doing wonderful things in the sequel. She befriends a few students at the Engineers Guild and undergoes trials and tribulations having to live up to her father’s name.

As for Ying’s male counterpart/love-interest, Ye Yang, he was an enigma and I liked how coolly confident he was in the face of political crisis. I liked how Ying felt calm with him and he was the water to her fire. I liked the angst and yearning between him and Ying together with their tense, yet professional boundaries that drew them together. Ye Yang has dimples too. 🤭

The plot was nicely done with a great deal of time spent working and understanding how the world works in OJAD. With solid world building and innovative inventions dealing with machinery and pure grit, Chen crafts a story in a Chinese-inspired setting and interweaves the threads of Chinese history together with real-life historical inspirational figures and a story that will follow you for a long time.

Thank you to the author, Amber Chen for sending me a nice signed ARC copy of OF JADE AND DRAGONS for review! I can’t wait for the sequel.