Morrissy, Kim (6 June 2022). "How DARLING in the FRANXX Inspired a New York Times Bestselling YA Novel". Anime News Network. News . Retrieved 9 June 2022. 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.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

Morph Weapon: Wu Zetian’s weapon can become a whip, then a hammer, and then a dagger due to a legend about her suggesting she’d use the three to tame an untameable stallion. To be honest, I’m just glad I’ve watched some cdramas, brushed up on a bit of Chinese history and watched all of Xiran’s videos diligently in the past year or so, because otherwise the experience of reading this book wouldn’t be the same. I’m not saying that you won’t enjoy the book if you don’t know the history - you still will because the story is written in such a way that everything that needs to be learnt is told in an organic way and you learn it along with the main character. But if you do know some little history and pop culture tidbits, it just makes you feel more excited and in the know. The magic system is also very interesting because it’s based on myths and legends and how much people believe in them. The writing is fun and quirky and full of banter, and the action starts right from chapter one, so there’s not much here to get bored. We are always on the move with the characters, going on heists and summoning legendary historical or mythical figures and just overall having fun all throughout. Chue, James (26 September 2021). "Empress Smashes Alien Mechas in Chinese-Canadian Author's New Book". Radii . Retrieved 24 October 2021. YES I LOVE THIS. I love the representation of Chinese minorities, the queer rep, the character development amidst non-stop action as well as the unabashed nerdy Chinese history and anime inspirations.Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review. I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I have never been passionate about (any) Asian culture so I really appreciated the history and cultural lessons. The presentation of the plot through altered reality games was clever and well done. I’m sure it would grab any kid who is mostly focusing on playing such games. I’ve recommended it to my son. 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. Nawotka, Ed (24 September 2021). "Publishing in Canada 2021: Novelist Xiran Jay Zhao on Blending SciFi and Chinese History". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 24 March 2021. 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.

Zachary Ying Series by Xiran Jay Zhao - Goodreads

Fake Memories: Thanks to being shaped by belief, the Emperors sometimes faintly remember things that didn't actually happen. Wu Zetian did not kill her own child, but a persistent legend of her doing so means she sometimes remembers it that way. immersive, fast-paced, and wholly engrossing, zachary ying and the dragon emperor had me spellbound from the get-go; i devoured the book in one escapism-fuelled sitting. this was my first book by xiran jay zhao, and with a sample size of n = 1 (one) book they are already entering the top tier of authors i love, enjoy, and wish to support. FOR TEACHERS: If you are an elementary or middle school teacher struggling with your classroom budget, I can send you a copy of Zachary Ying free of charge! Just fill out the form here.Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The emperors are referred to as Qin Shi Huang, Tang Taizong and Wu Zetian, even though those weren't their real names (Qin Shi Huang's was Ying Zheng, Tang Taizong's was Li Shimin and Wu Zetian's is unknown, but she changed her name to 'Zhao' when she became emperor). Alec Scott, for The Globe and Mail, compared Zachary Ying to Zhao's first novel Iron Widow (2021) and commented that "the two books speak to Zhao's obsessions – both with anime, the visual storytelling popularized in Japan that's gone global, and with Chinese history and mythology. [...] In both novels, the mythic past gets translated into the future. [...] But these similarities are superficial: The first book is a primal scream brimming with horror at the world its young heroine inherits, while the new novel plots a tween's journey from zero to, if not hero, then someone of substance. [...] For all their differences of mood, the novels rescue what is valuable to Zhao in Chinese history and myth, and project it forward – creating artistic acts of cultural reappropriation". [15] Codega, Linda H. (22 September 2021). "Historical Fantasy at Its Most Anime: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao". Tor . Retrieved 24 October 2021.

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

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. year-old Zachary has never had much chance to learn about his Chinese heritage. His single mother has never had time to teach him, and his schools have only ever taught Western myths. So when a demon from Chinese legend appears at his school and the First Emperor of China attempts to possess him, he exorcises him to his AR headset and runs home, only for the demons to follow him and seize his mother's soul. Rescued by Simon Li, the host for Tang Taizong, Simon reveals the truth: spirits have been leaking from the Chinese underworld, and unless they reseal it before the Ghost Month, they will wreak havoc across all of China.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. A breathtaking middle grade debut, Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor is a gripping tale that heavily focuses on identity and finding your true self. I loved everything about this book except the action scenes, which were honestly a pain to get through. Not that the writing was bad or anything, it was just super slow to me. 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. It's All About Me: Qin Shi Huang is extremely egotistical, sacrificing mermaids to make their fat into lamps, building a lavish tomb, and is livid when Zachary knows Rameses II, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan but not him. Even Tang Taizong, who himself was a conqueror who did very questionable deeds, calls him a megalomanic who sacrificed innocent mermaids.