There are just some books that you’ll find aren’t suited to you. I think Breath of the Dragon is one of those for me. 

This isn’t an objectively bad book. It has a great start, with an engaging and fast-paced first act. Likewise, the third act runs rampant and wild like a martial arts film on paper almost to the finish. It’s the whole second act of the book that gives me pause, along with a completely unnecessary romanticism subplot that I feel not only distracted from the main plotline but also belittled all of the main characters. 

I don’t think I’ll be reviewing further entries in this series because I don’t know if I’m going to enjoy the rest of the story any more than I did this first section of it. I do think that this book is worth the read if you like tournaments, martial arts, political intrigue, great on-page fight choreography, broken families, and magic based in spirit/soul/Qi.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews three stars and below will not appear on my social media. Thank you.