Minimal romance? Found family? Tournaments (that may or may not be fought to the death)? Selective magic? Academic rivals? This book checked off, like, half of the tropes I really enjoy.

Breath of the Dragon is a YA fantasy story that focuses heavily on martial arts and one stubborn boy's journey to rise to the top. It reminded me a bit of The First Binding by R.R. Virdi and Mel Torrefranca's Nightshade Academy, but it had its own unique elements too.
We meet Jun, a young boy determined to enter a tournament to become the country's next Guardian - essentially the master warrior guy who gets special wisdom. He flees home and embarks on a journey that leaves him entangled in politics, rebellions, and magic he never knew existed. The story was relatively fast-paced, and although I managed to predict most of the main plot twists, I still enjoyed them. Admittedly, it took me a while to get into the story, but I also read a book in less than 6 hours right before I started this one, so it might have been a mini-book slump. The cliffhanger left me intrigued for book two, and I'm excited to see where the story goes next.
I think the biggest issue for me was the lack of true depth and complexity of the characters. Jun himself was well-developed, as we got to see his journey from stubborn, egotistical teenage guy to stubborn, noble-ish teenage guy. Ren was probably my favorite character, as she's the only main female lead (but hopefully, she gets more page time in the sequel). I liked Yin as well, especially as he grew to be a part of the found family despite being Jun's rival. The rest of the cast wasn't incredibly large, so I can't really blame them for being a bit flat. This is, really, Jun's story, so we don't necessarily need a lot of information about other characters.
Breath of the Dragon is the start of a new YA fantasy series perfect for readers who love martial arts, found families and rival arcs, and deadly tournaments.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.75/5