Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC of The Fallen Hero in exchange for an honest review.

First, if you’re wondering about my thoughts on the first book in The Dragon Warrior series, check out my review here. I’m very happy to say that this sequel did not disappoint. Just as a warning, this review will include spoilers for The Dragon Warrior.

The Fallen Hero picks up a few months after the events of The Dragon Warrior. Faryn and Ren are living among the New Order in New York after the devastating betrayal of Faryn’s younger brother Alex and the gods they were meant to help and worship. Faryn and Ren aren’t exactly feeling a warm welcome for the New Order, but that’s to be expected after they barged into their lives and brought with them trouble on top of loss. The most shocking piece of joining the New Order though has to be the discovery that Faryn’s long lost father is here and he’s suffering from amnesia. He has no idea who Faryn is and it’s like losing him all over again. When the gods show up with yet another quest that they expect Faryn to embark on, the last thing she wants to do is appease them. But what if this is the only way for her to get both her brother and her father back? Faryn may not be the Heaven Breaker anymore, but it’s very clear she still has a world to save, whether she wants to or not.

The plot of The Fallen Hero is pretty easy to follow. Who doesn’t love a middle grade rooted in an epic quest and mythology? I think the pacing of the story is great and there’s never a moment where you’re just ready for things to be over with. Though this is Faryn’s second quest, it’s definitely not the same as the first. This time around she’s stuck with not one, but two people who aren’t exactly her biggest fan, the failure of losing her brother, and the pressure of trying to return her father’s memory bearing over her. Before, she had her brother there when she needed him and Ren. This time, Ren has his own demons to fight and lessons to learn and Faryn is left trying to prove herself worthy again to a whole other set of companions. Faryn is dealing with grief, uncertainty and insecurity all in one swoop and while this isn’t new territory, it has a different face. There’s also immense pressure for her in terms of filling the shoes of the fallen warrior who saved her life months ago during the battle in New York.

The other dynamic that was interesting to see showed up in the form of Ashley and Jordan. Ashley and Jordan are siblings in the New Order who have a secret that makes everyone wary of them. Ashley certainly isn’t Faryn’s biggest fan after what happened in the battle in New York and she takes every opportunity to make it known. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the three of them must embark on this quest together. After losing her own brother, Faryn is forced to work with to siblings who remind her so much of her own relationship with Alex. Watching Faryn struggle with the comparisons throughout the story was heartbreaking. Ashley was a pain the the behind, I’ll admit, but I understood her reservations and her anger. Here’s this girl from a group of warriors that everyone knows has lost her way and suddenly she’s caused the death of her friend AND is encroaching on the quest they could actually get her accepted by the New Order. Who wouldn’t be upset about that?

There’s one scene that was HILARIOUS that I have to mention. The trio finds themselves looking for the entrance to the Underworld, which happens to be located in…wait for it….PANDA EXPRESS. This leads to a bunch of jokes being cracked about the legitimacy of Panda Express and how of course it’s the entrance to the Underworld. There’s a moment when they stepped into the Panda Express and when a group of white people are staring at them, Faryn says “Nothing to see here colonizers!” I literally burst out laughing while reading that.

In closing, this book was action packed. Each battle scene brought something new to the book and had me wanting more. Katie Zhao does not shy away from the tough subjects, even in battle. The only thing that struck me a little was that I though more than one piece of the quest would happen in the book, but it didn’t. The events that occurred didn’t feel drawn out, which is great, but I thought we’d see the end of the quest in this book. That’s okay though, it just means I’ll have to pick up the next book.

Be sure to grab a copy of The Fallen Hero when it’s released on October 13th!