Of Jade and Dragons --- Book Review

This Silkpunk story of revenge, love, friendship, and staying true to oneself is a beautiful read.

In Of Jade and Dragons, Amber Chen brings to life a magnificent silkpunk island nation. On one of the smallest and remotest of the islands, Aihui Ying grows up in her father’s laboratory, learning from him and designing and building her own inventions. After seeing her father murdered and fighting with his assassin, she is determined to travel to the city and avenge his death. She disguises herself as a boy, leaves her island, and the adventure begins. Once in Fei, the capitol city, Ying enters the Engineer’s Guild trial, hoping to follow in her father’s footsteps. The friends she makes along the way become integral to her success but also suspects in her investigation. She becomes close with Ye-yang, the man who has sponsored her in the trial and who turns out to be one of the sons of the High Commander, the nation’s leader. She also develops friendships with some of her fellow apprentices, including Chang-en, who was also nominated by a sponsor, and Ye-kan, who has secrets of his own.

As the first in a series, this story of revenge, love, friendship, and staying true to oneself is a beautiful read. The details, inspired by Qing Dynasty China, include beautiful architecture and fashion, as well as a society of honor, duty, and rigid rules. The characters are well-rounded and real; they have conflicting desires and duties, and Chen is able to invest her readers in their struggles. She skillfully manages just the right amount of tension to keep her readers enthralled with the story and eager for the next chapter: the relationship between Ying and Ye-yang teeters on the edge of forbidden romance, and Ye-kan’s secrets and secret-keeping will influence Ying’s destiny. Along the way, history will unfold, identities will be revealed, and the question of moral and ethical engineering will determine the outcome of everything. Chen’s writing style is immersive and not too formal, and her storytelling is very well done. This book is a must-read.

Buy your copy at Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, or Amazon.