Guest post by The Girl With No Reflection author Keshe Chow
Keshe Chow is a Malaysian-born Chinese-Australian writer of novels, short fiction, and poetry. She won the 2020 Perito Prize, the 2021 Rachel Funari Prize for Fiction, the 2021 Yarra Literature Prize, and the 2022 Victorian Premier’s Prize for an Unpublished Manuscript. The Girl With No Reflection is her debut novel.
Dragons have been everywhere in the bookish world recently, from Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series to Sarah A. Parker’s When the Moon Hatched, and even Taran Matharu’s Dragon Rider. Even in the wider world dragons are dominating: HBO’s House of the Dragon series is currently commandeering the small screen.
But when we think of dragons, what do we picture? Probably the enormous fire-breathing, winged creatures of olde: Smaug-type monsters that horde treasure in caves; Targaryen dragons that incinerate whole armies with just one flame-licked breath; huge creatures unfurling their leathery wings like those in Fourth Wing. The thing is, though, dragon lore goes way beyond these archetypes. The Girl With No Reflection, my upcoming debut YA fantasy novel, features Chinese dragons which are quite different—and a lot less familiar to mainstream audiences—than Western dragons.
How are they different? Well, for one, Chinese dragons typically don’t have wings. Instead, they are serpentine creatures with horns, manes and claws, and their ability to fly is magical rather than mechanically powered. And, instead of breathing fire, Chinese dragons tend to control the elements, especially water and wind. In traditional Chinese folklore, dragons impact the weather. It was a commonly-held belief that a displeased dragon god could bring about phenomena such as droughts, tidal waves, or floods.
Unlike in Western mythology, Eastern dragons are also depicted less as monstrous beasts, and more as god-like beings that represent prosperity and good fortune. While they can be mercurial, they are also wise and benevolent, living peacefully alongside humans and even helping us.
Throughout history, dragons were a symbol of Imperial power, and were closely linked to Chinese royalty. Since dragons were thought to represent ‘Yang’ (male energy), emperors were associated with dragons, and throughout many periods of Chinese history only royalty—and sometimes officials—were permitted to wear clothing decorated with dragon motifs. In Chinese culture, dragons are celebrated during events such as Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat festival.
In the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Dragon, so it’s the perfect time to read books about dragons! If you want to know more about books that do dragons a little differently, then read on…
The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan (adult fantasy)
25-year-old Sai lives a quiet life running his family’s teahouse and caring for his ailing mother. When he’s given dragon scales—a cure for his mother’s illness—he is thrust into a search for the world’s last dragon, which has long been thought of as extinct. If he succeeds in finding the creature, he might just save his own life, as well as that of his mother’s.
Inspired by Chinese myths of ancient dragon gods and the red threads of fate, Katrina Kwan’s dazzling fantasy debut is a propulsive adventure perfect for fans of Sue Lynn Tan and Hannah Whitten.
The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow (young adult fantasy)
In my own upcoming debut, The Girl With No Reflection, a princess is pulled into a dark mirror world populated by reflections cursed to mimic us. Although they look identical to us, the reflections are actually sentient beings with their own thoughts, motivations, and agendas. And there are other creatures hidden beyond the mirrors, too—creatures that can curse and kill.
Ying must close the mirror barrier before the reflections swarm from the mirrors to attack, slaughter, and replace us. The problem? She’s fallen in love… and he’s from the wrong side of the mirrors.
Inspired by several Chinese myths including the Moon Goddess and the Archer; the Carp and the Dragon Gate; as well as dragons, phoenixes, and other lesser known creatures, The Girl With No Reflection is full of the magical, the monstrous, and the macabre.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (young adult fantasy)
On the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Princess Shiori’anma—who harbors forbidden magic—is rescued from drowning in a lake by a shapeshifter dragon. However, the princess’s actions capture the attention of her stepmother, Raikama, who banishes Shiori and turns her brothers into cranes.
Shiori must embark on an epic adventure alongside a magical paper bird, the boy she was betrothed to marry, and the dragon who once saved her life, if she has any hope of saving the kingdom and restoring her six cursed brothers.
Whimsical and romantic, Six Crimson Cranes weaves together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang’e, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao (young adult fantasy)
Lan spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city colonized by Elantian conquerers. She has a hidden secret, though—a strange mark inexplicably burned into her arm by her mother just before she died.
When Zen, a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom—encounters Lan, he recognizes the mark as a sign of deep and powerful magic. Together, they must journey to discover the key to saving both their kingdom and themselves.
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night takes inspiration from Xianxia and ancient Chinese folklore. The dragons come into it late in the piece, drawing parallels with the Four Guardians of Chinese mythology: the dragon, the tiger, the tortoise, and the bird.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (adult fantasy)
Xingyin lives an isolated life on the moon, along with her mother, Chang’e. But little does she know, her mother was exiled for stealing the Celestial Emperor’s elixir of immortality. Chang’e has managed to keep Xingyin hidden—until now. When Xingyin’s existence is discovered she must go on the run, leaving her mother behind.
In order to save her mother, Xingyin must come face-to-face with the Celestial Emperor, battling armies and immortals and getting help from unlikely places—including dragons.
Inspired by the legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic.
