Of Jade and Dragons, Amber Chen
Of Jade and Dragons, Amber Chen
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Of Jade and Dragons

Author: Amber Chen

Narrator: Jen Zhao

Unabridged: 12 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/18/2024


Synopsis

Mulan 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.

Eighteen-year-old Aihui Ying dreams of becoming a world-class engineer like her father, but after his sudden murder, her life falls apart. Left with only a journal of her father’s engineering secrets and a jade pendant snatched from the assassin, a heartbroken Ying follows the trail to the capital and the prestigious Engineers Guild—a place that harbors her father’s hidden past—determined to discover why anyone would threaten a man who ultimately chose a quiet life over fame and fortune. 

Disguised as her brother, Ying manages to infiltrate the guild’s male-only apprenticeship trial with the help of an unlikely ally—Aogiya Ye-yang, the taciturn eighth prince of the High Command. With her father’s renown placing a target firmly on her back, Ying must stay one step ahead of her fellow competitors, the jealous guild masters, and the killer still hunting for her father’s journal. Complicating everything is her increasingly tangled relationship with the prince, who may have mysterious plans of his own. 

The secrets concealed within the guild can be as deadly as the weapons they build—and with her life and the future of her homeland at stake, Ying doesn’t know who to trust. Can she avenge her father even if it means going against everything he stood for, or will she be next in the mastermind’s line of fire?

About The Author

Amber Chen is a Singaporean-Chinese author of SFF and contemporary fiction. She spends much of her free time living within Chinese fantasy novels and dramas, and also drinks one too many cups of bubble tea. One of her webnovels, The Cutting Edge, has been adapted for television. You can find her online at ambercwrites.com and on TikTok, Instagram, and X @AmberWrites88.


Reviews

Goodreads review by mitra ౨ৎ on February 06, 2024

sorry this was so beautiful, and the ending? i am currently ruined, this was EVERYTHING <3 (also idk why i'm reading so much like it's very concerning procrastination) rtc ☆ -- the fact that this is kind of mulan-inspired makes me so so happy !! thank you to the author and penguin publishing for the ar......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on August 06, 2024

Jade and Dragons tried to be a take of revenge in a steampunk-inspired world, but its execution leaves much to be desired. Instead of being action-packed, it’s boring, flat, and often forgets the plot’s purpose. Aihui Ying, who aspires to be a brilliant engineer like her father, is devastated when sh......more

Goodreads review by sakurablossom95 on June 29, 2024

When I first laid eyes on the cover, I was immediately captivated by its stunning design! As soon as I read the synopsis, I was hooked. A girl disguising herself as a man to enter an engineer’s guild trial and solve her father’s murder? My mind screamed, "Mulan retelling with a twist!" Being a huge......more

Goodreads review by Zana on February 06, 2024

My first buddy read with Ren! 👯‍♀️ This fits The Diverse Baseline February Prompt C: A book by a BIPOC author with found family. Since the age range for this arc is 12 and up, I'll review this as something my past child self would've loved and devoured in a few days. Anyway, this was a pretty fun read!......more

Goodreads review by ingrid ₊ on September 15, 2024

more ying and yekan siblingism in book two please amber chen and thank u......more


Quotes

“A richly detailed and wildly imaginative book with some of the coolest retro-future tech envisioned on-page and an engineer heroine with the smarts to wield it! The steampunk C-drama of my dreams.”—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow

"Drawing on inspiration from Qing dynasty China to craft complex worldbuilding, debut author Chen employs vivid and sensory language to cleverly set the stage for Ying’s quest for answers—and revenge—in this gripping silkpunk fantasy that thrills from start to finish."—Publishers Weekly

"[An] absorbing, deftly written story . . . A fascinating world with twists that will keep readers enthralled."—Kirkus Reviews

"An excellent starting point for new YA readers."—Booklist

“A twisting adventure filled with wild devices, rebellions against the natural order of things, and the battle between creation and destruction.”—Chris Kluwe, Lightspeed Magazine