*Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for an arc*

Xiran Jay Zhao is easily one of my favourite authors. I read Iron Widow last year and fell in love with their writing. Zachary Ying and the Dragon Empire has writing just like Iron Widow, yet funnier.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Empire is described as Chinese Percy Jackson meets Yugioh, and that is a perfect description. If that description alone doesn’t make you want to read it, just think of how funny a Chinese Percy Jackson could be with an Emperor possessing his AR headset. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Xiran wrote this book to be funny, yet also tackling heavy topics but never letting it get too heavy or dampening. There are talks of racism in China towards ethnic minorities, and as a white passing Metis person who didn’t know about some things that happen in China, Xiran made this book funny and adventurous yet educational.

Zack is 12-years-old, just like Percy Jackson was in The Lightning Thief, and the amount of times I laughed in both books is equal. Reading middle grade novels is always fun to see how authors write pre-teens. Zack makes mistakes like pre-teens do, and I love when authors don’t make their characters perfect.

If you’ve read Iron Widow, you know how Xiran Jay Zhao can write cliffhangers. And beware, this one also has one. Is it still worth it to read now? ABSOLUTELY it is. It’s not the worst cliffhanger I’ve read (*ahem*Elizabeth May*ahem*), but I still need the second book.

When I started this book, I completely forgot that there is LGBTQ rep in it. Zack is gay, and every time he talked about having butterflies around other 12-year-olds, I was surprised. Like I don’t know why it slipped my mind that the MC is gay.

I highly recommend this book. Middle grade is an amazing age range, and this book is one that will be enjoyed by pre-teens, teens, and adults!