Of Jade and Dragons | 
so-soAmber Chen‘s Chinese-inspired YA fantasy (the first in a duology) has interesting world-building and I liked the focus on engineering. However the pacing is inconsistent (especially in the final quarter), the plot relies heavily on things happening to Ying rather than her agency and her romance with Ye-yang is unconvincing, in part because Ye-yang is under-drawn as a character. That said, the ending is interesting and I would read the sequel.
#wondrouswednesday @eggs
Thanks for the tag @Meshell1313
1. Of Jade & Dragons was so amazing.
2. Paperbacks are my favorite.
3. Most read genres this year have been horror, historical fiction, and fantasy.
pickI waited until discussion day to post my review, but this book blew me away! I wasn‘t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I loved Ying, our FMC and also enjoyed all the side characters she befriends along the way. Solid start to a potentially awesome series! If a steampunk Mulan retelling with a murder mystery and trials sounds interesting to you— pick this one up. Loved it 4.5/5 #whimsicalreadsbookclub
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#whimsicalreadsbookclub
(Question 2 of 3)
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Time for discussions!!! Comment down below.
(Question 1 of 3)
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so-soIn an effort to avenge her murdered father, Ying dresses up like a boy to enter the trials for the Guild of Engineers to find the culprit.
Ying was a great protagonist. A good balance of world building. & all the time we spent w/ minor characters, I thought they would show up more @ the end.
But pacing all over the place. Too slow, for too long, w/ a too rushed conclusion that I didn‘t get time to appreciate because it suddenly ended. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
pick#whimsicalreadsbookclub
This book was breathtaking. I refuse to imagine Ying as a boy, so this attached photo is how I pictured her in all her badass, honorable, and genius glory!!!!! All aspects of this book were well thought out, and the conclusion tied up nicely for a possible duology, which I am crossing my fingers for. If you love Fantasy with a little sizzle of some slow burn romance, political warring, and all things machines, grab a copy!
so-soMulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer‘s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father‘s murder.
I listened to this on audio. I liked the setting and the book was fun to read but I never felt invested in the story. I just thought this book was okay but not great.
#whimsicalreadsbookclub
Here‘s my progress for the #whimsicalreadsbookclub pick that we‘re reading this month. It‘s been taking me forever to read this book. What do I think about this book so far? I think it‘s a fun and interesting book. I don‘t know if I like it or not. I don‘t really feel invested in the story but it‘s not so bad that I want to DNF it so I‘ll keep going with it. If I had to rate this book right now, I would give it 3 stars.
For #whereareyoumonday, the book that I‘m currently reading is set in China. This is also our book club read for the #whimsicalreadsbookclub this month. I‘m finally getting back to reading this book again. I only got 2 chapters in and wanted to get back to listening and then I didn‘t read it for a few days because I got distracted by things I had to do. I‘m hoping to finish reading this book before our discussion at the end of the month.
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I'm ready to have a cozy evening reading this months book club pick. How is everyone enjoying it so far?! I'm only 20 pages on.
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pickCan‘t wait for our #whimsicalreadsbookclub discussion of this one. Is this a standalone? Feels like it could be but I think it‘s a series? Anyway, a good revenge story giving Mulan vibes. A girl trying to avenge her father and enter a male only guild and of course there are princes who complicate things. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#whimsicalreadsbookclub
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August is almost here, and it's time for a new read! Make sure you get your copy if you haven't already. Discussions will be held on August 30th.
@brittanyreads @slategreyskies @Read4life @Sace @Meshell1313 @kelli7990 @PageShifter @BooksNBowls @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Gissy @ShelleyBooksie @GirlNamedJesse @BookmarkTavern @eskoch28
pickSorry, @RaeLovesToRead, couldn't not finish this.
Ying seeks revenge for her father's murder. She sets out to find the murderer in the capital of the nine isles. With the help of a chance acquaintance she also manages to get accepted into the trials for the Engineers Guild. Now she needs to pass the tests at the guild and stay alive, because the assassin is on her heels.
Could work as a standalone, but is the first book in a series.
@RaeLovesToRead - I'm trying to pace myself, but I think I'll finish the book today. I'm taking notes on StoryGraph for our #BuddyRead. Jump in any time.
#GhostCat is thinking about how to catch a fat pigeon
so-soWith a strongwilled & relatable FMC (Ying), the book was fun & had me hooked from the start until the very end. That being said, slightly baffled by how all Ying's problems were solved. Solutions were too convenient & some details were glossed over. An example: Ying's reaction to her father's death. Surely, a family relative's passing would greatly affect Ying? Especially since she was close to him, but it read like Ying barely even mourned him.
For the #whimsicalreadsbookclub, I found our book club read for August on Spotify Premium. It‘s also on Audible. The wait list for the book at my library is 20-24 weeks and that‘s too long. It won‘t be available to me by the time August gets here. This sounds like a fun read. It sounds like it has a similar story to the Disney movie Mulan and I liked that movie so I‘m looking forward to reading this book next month.
I've started and am already 5 chapters in. 😬 Blame it on the warm summer morning and me sitting outside with nothing else to do. It reads fast. Especially since I've snagged the #audiobook from the library - for pronunciation.
#buddyread @RaeLovesToRead
First in a new series: #SeriesLove2024 @TheSpineView @Andrew65
#whimsicalreadsbookclub
@brittanyreads @slategreyskies @Read4life @Sace @Meshell1313 @kelli7990 @PageShifter @BooksNBowls @Catsandbooks @TheAromaofBooks @Gissy @ShelleyBooksie @GirlNamedJesse @BookmarkTavern @eskoch28
And the votes are in!!!! The winner for our August bookclub read will be Of Jade and Dragons.
Everyone is welcome to join us!
pickI loved the premise of this story. Great south East Asian inspired story from a new author. Girl runs off to avenge her engineer father by joining the boy only Engineer Guild. Mulan feel. The romance did not fit. It didn‘t add anything, and was close to taking away from it. I wanted to see more of the Guild and her being anti-war. For being such a big war, we didn‘t really experience much that proved that. There was more room to grow potential.
Eeeeeek! My June Owlcrate book has arrived and it is stunning! I'm obsessed with the dragon on the cover! And of course I just love how BLUE it is! 🩵💙🩵💙🩵 #owlcrate
