The Dragon Warrior

The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I have been moving away from middle grade books, which I used to love, but I am so glad I read this. Honestly, age up the characters a little, and it is so close to being a YA read, at least the YA I grew up with.

The Dragon Warrior is about Faryn Liu a mixed race Chinese girl growing up in San Francisco's China Town as part of the Jade Society. The Jade Society for centuries has protected the world from demons, but slowly lost sight of their role. During the latest Chinese New Year not only do the demons come back, but the long awaited Heaven Breaker is revealed. Faryn along with her little brother, and old best friend are sent on a quest by the gods to reach their fabled island, completing side quests along the way.

For the most part, I really enjoyed the characters. I found Faryn to be a really good main character that was able to carry the story. It is clear why the gods chose her, she is still a child, so she is not always making the best choices, but she tries to see the best in a person, and wants to do the right thing.

Moli was great. She did not want to be there, but she ended up showing time and time again that she was more than anyone ever thought she was. I really think that her character had the greatest growth, and I really loved her more than even Faryn.

Faryn's little brother Alex was the worst character for me. I understand that he is the little brother, but he was too much. He was always trying so hard to be more and deciding that he didn't need to listen to his sister even when she knew what was actually going on. I really hope his character has some redeeming qualities in the second book.

There are so many Chinese gods in the book that it's hard to keep straight, but that's okay, there is a glossary in the back in case you get lost, or just want to know more about them. Strangely, I didn't get names as mixed up as I normally do.

I am going to read the next book right away because this was a wonderful read. I was not prepared for the ending, although honestly, I should have been, I don't know why I was so thrown.

Age appropriate: Yes
Content Warning: Death, One split second of a gender fluid character, if that's a problem for you, here is your warning

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