They majored in health sciences with a focus on biochemical disease research at Simon Fraser University, graduating in 2020. They worked at a co-op before deciding an office job was not for them. [4] Career [ edit ] 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. 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.

Zachary Ying Series by Xiran Jay Zhao - Goodreads

i really loved that this was filled with historical facts, but it got really confusing and i would've liked it more if it had been focused on a few things and dug deeper, instead of going in all different directions. Maybe I’m one of the few people left who has not yet read Zhao’s Iron Widow. After reading Zachary Ying, I am extra excited to read everything Zhao has to offer. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review. last thing i want to mention is that neo cihi, the audiobook narrator, really brought this story to bursting, vivid life! their expressive and multifaceted voice was so much fun to listen to, and i'm going to keep an eye out for more stories narrated by them in future. the only note i have is that i might’ve preferred a narrator who could pronounce the chinese words and phrases more accurately - but i understand this may’ve been a deliberate choice on the part of the author and publisher! and it ultimately didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. Worthless Foreign Degree: Justified. Mrs. Ying fled China after her husband was executed and had to start her life over in the US, and can't call on her biochemical engineering degree without drawing attention to herself.Jing Ke and Gao Jingli are trying to assassinate Qin Shi Huang for his tyranny. Wu Zetian even (derisively) calls them heroes while talking about how predictably honorable they are, which makes Zachary very uncomfortable. 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. Hello, I was NOT aware the main character was Muslim! What a wonderful surprise! This wasn't super heavy on Muslim rep or anything but it was nice to see it included! Tang Taizong and Wu Zetian are also very full of themselves. Qin Shi Huang notes in Tang Taizong's bio about how he considers himself a much better emperor than everyone else.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Wikipedia

Brooks, Rachel. "Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor (Zachary Ying #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 26 June 2022.

I also need to mention that I appreciate the mention of the genocide of minority people the Chinese government is carrying out. This includes, but is not limited to, Hui and Uighur Muslims.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Goodreads Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Goodreads

A Form You Are Comfortable With: Downplayed. Qin Shi Huang puts up qi meters over characters because explaining what's actually happening would take too long. Okay, so there are legends basically everyone in a culture knows. Like Americans and their Batman and George Washington. For us in China, it’s Qin Shi Huang and Tang Taizong. We all know who they are and the legendary stuff they did. Them being in the minds of so many people generation after generation is what makes their spirits so powerful.” Laser-Guided Amnesia: Since revealing the existence of spirits and magic would be really inconvenient to both their quest and the world at large, the protagonists carry diluted Meng Po broth in spray bottles. Full broth makes people forget their entire life, but a spritz of the diluted stuff only makes them forget the last hour. way too fast-paced, it was hard to understand what was going on and to picture the scenes most of the timeCompelling 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. Twofer Token Minority: Deconstructed. As a Hui immigrant, Zachary is Chinese, American, and Muslim. Because of this he's an outsider in every group, which gives him a desperate desire to belong. He only really starts to come out of his shell when he and Melissa bond over being Chinese ethnic minorities. On the surface this is an absolute blast, mixing Chinese mythology with Japanese anime and video games in a children’s adventure for the ages. But there’s so much more beneath the surface, there’s the exploration of Chinese history done in such an easily accessible and fun way that kids will gobble it all up with pleasure. And there are powerful themes represented like bullying, trust, how power corrupts, struggling with your identity and even the power of belief that’s very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. Disappeared Dad: Zachary's father spoke out against Uyghur oppression, and the Chinese government had him executed as a terrorist.

Zachary Ying And The Dragon Emperor (Literature) - TV Tropes Zachary Ying And The Dragon Emperor (Literature) - TV Tropes

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I have never been passionate about (any) Asian also - i’m not a gamer myself and was totally surprised by how much i adored the way zhao interfaced video games, augmented reality, history, and fantastical worldbuilding - all of it became much more accessible and interesting as a blended collective. this eclectic mixture of subjects also showcased zhao’s pitch-perfect deadpan humour, pop culture references, and passion for and knowledge about chinese history - it is epic, to say the least. not to mention, the legend magic at the crux of the worldbuilding felt unique and progressive and utterly compelling. though some of the explanations verged toward info-dumping, this was balanced by the entertaining way in which zhao delivered the details: through witty character profiles (like pop-ups you’d see in a video game), sarcasm-infused storytelling, and rapid-fire banter. Fast-paced, furiously funny and utterly fantastic. I absolutely loved the combination of science-fiction, fantasy, Chinese history and mythology - and the battle scenes were completely epic!’Big Bad: The Yellow Emperor, who is trying to unseal the portal and take over the world, uncaring of how many people or nations get destroyed in his wake, and who opposes the heroes at every turn. Every other antagonist in the story has good intentions and legitimate grievances with the Emperors, but the Yellow Emperor is doing it purely for power and control. 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. Xiran creates a world unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The combination of gaming, a heist for magical artifacts, the history of China, and its historical figures is brilliant and something unexpected that readers will surely fall in love with. While I did enjoy worldbuilding, it had a similar issue that is also present in Iron Widow. Throughout the story, we get several history bits about China and its various historical figures. While I did enjoy learning about China’s history, much of what I didn’t know before, gave off major info dump vibes. This put a huge damper on the plot, slowing it down tremendously. I struggled to grasp the mechanics of the more magical elements and oftentimes was confused about what is ultimately going on. 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. really appreciate the casual gay muslim rep - we desperately need more of this in fantasy books. it was also good to see rep for chinese ethnic minorities.