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domiri 's review for:

5.0
adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

 Yu-Gi-Oh with Chinese culture and instead of a card game they play Pokemon GO. 

Being both Chinese and Muslim, Zach spends a lot of his time trying to fit into his American school, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for him to connect with his cultural heritage. This never seemed like a problem until Zach is attacked on the playground, and the ghost of his ancestor, the First Emperor of China, tries to possess him. The possession fails, but Zach finds himself battling against historical and mythic figures across China in order to save the mortal realm. 

Zachary Ying is an entertaining fast-paced middle grade novel in which Zach learns about himself, in both the sense of his culture and the type of person he wants to be. Author Xiran Jay Zhao is a master at keeping the stakes high while keeping the story fun, and I adore the way they handed adding in the cultural stories (I would love to see the attacks animated). This is a perfect book for anyone who loves Percy Jackson, Amari Peters, or Aru Shah.  I eagerly await the next book.