Zachary Ying never had many opportunities to learn about his Chinese heritage. While his mom was busy making sure the two of them got by and his school was focused on teaching Western history, Zach’s been trying to make a name for himself in the gaming world. So Zachary is more than unprepared to learn that he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld or fear the upcoming Ghost Month blowing it wide open. However, that mission takes an immediate dive when Zach’s mom’s soul gets taken hostage by demons during an unexpected battle. Now, with one of the world’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zachary finds himself racing against the clock as he tries to collect magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning some brand new powers—because if he can’t find a way to keep the spirits in the underworld where they belong, he might just end up losing his mom forever.
If you’re looking for a novel that will keep you on your toes with all its action, twists and turns, then Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor might just be the perfect book for you.
We’ve seen quite a few (amazing) middle grade series that are based on or inspired by mythology but in Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor, the entire premise revolves around historical figures instead of mythology which I thought was so cool. While I won’t call myself truly versed in Ancient Chinese history, I did get a thrill out of recognising names of Emperors here and there and was fascinated by how captivatingly Zhao describes events and adds a magical spin to them all by connecting the magic to the stories that have been distributed most often among the public about these historical figures.
All that being said, I found myself lost quite a few times while reading Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor. There are a few instances of heavy info dumping where I was drowning in information and couldn’t keep up with all the different historical tidbits and who was who and whose descendent was on which side and so on. There are also back-to-back action scenes which do drive up the tension and will definitely appeal to younger readers looking for that movie-feel to their reading, but it unfortunately left little time for Zach, Melissa, and Simon to really talk and get to know each other more—but here’s hoping that will be remedied in future installments in the series. Then again, this might have been a narrative choice to show how Zachary is overwhelmed himself in the beginning and in that case, kudos, because I definitely felt that. Nevertheless, the building blocks were definitely laid for some promising character development and bonds that will feel like family.
What is Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor strongest point, in my opinion, is the way it approaches identity. Zach’s journey reflects on what it means to be Chinese and how you can be caught between two cultures, especially when you’re surrounded by people who have grown up differently than you have. Zach has some conflicting feelings when it comes to belonging and I think that was beautifully explored by his exposure to Simon and Melissa, who have grown up in mainland China, versus his life at school where he used to be the only Chinese kid. There are a lot more layers to this discussion but let me just say that it added a lot to the story and was one of my favourite aspects of the novel.
And speaking of identity, let me just say I was over the moon that there is now a central hero in a fantasy middle grade novel who is gay—I cannot even imagine what it would have been like to find a queer protagonist in what promises to be a magical series when I was young so I’m already over the moon that the next generations will get to grow up with Zach and see themselves represented, not only in contemporary but fantastical reads.
All in all, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a promising start to a new middle grade series with a cliffhanger that has my fingers itching for the sequel. I can’t wait for middle graders to meet Zachary.
Keeping you at the edge of your seat with jam-packed heists, action and adventure, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a fun, high-stakes exploration of Chinese history, intersectional identity and finding the power within!
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 10th 2022.
Will you be picking up Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
A middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm.
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. So Zack is woefully unprepared when he discovers he was born to host the spirit of the First Emperor of China for a vital mission: sealing the leaking portal to the Chinese underworld before the upcoming Ghost Month blows it wide open.
The mission takes an immediate wrong turn when the First Emperor botches his attempt to possess Zack’s body and binds to Zack’s AR gaming headset instead, leading to a battle where Zack’s mom’s soul gets taken by demons. Now, with one of history’s most infamous tyrants yapping in his headset, Zack must journey across China to heist magical artifacts and defeat figures from history and myth, all while learning to wield the emperor’s incredible water dragon powers.
And if Zack can’t finish the mission in time, the spirits of the underworld will flood into the mortal realm, and he could lose his mom forever.
