Way too slow going for me and felt like we were being thrown into the middle of a book 2 rather than introduced to a new world. Almost 100 pages in and we still didn't really get to the meat of the book or even close.

Got to the halfway mark thinking I wasn't very interested in the plot or characters. It wasn't a bad adventure story, I just thought it didn't really stand out enough for me to continue.

Though I got more than halfway, I really couldn't bring myself to finish this book. It was great to see a book that celebrated Welsh mythology, but there weren't any qualities in the characters, writing style, or plot that made me want to keep going. Introducing a love triangle about halfway through was a choice and it doesn't help that that's one of my least favorite tropes.

There was an idea here, along with an amazing cover that made me want the story to be good, but it didn't turn out to be an engaging one. 

Got nearly halfway but I never felt settled into the book. It took too long for things to really get going and even at the midpoint it felt like things were still gearing up. I just have too much to read at this point to finish something I think I may just give a three at best. 

Have too much to read right now and this book wasn't really gripping me enough to finish. It'll probably be enough for younger readers but for adults it rings as sort of just okay.

Was initially intrigued by the very charming illustrations but unfortunately even at 70 pages the story felt too long-winded for me. Every interaction drags on maybe two pages longer than it should and it isn't written in a way where those 700 pages flow easily. I can't believe I stopped before I got to the real meat of the story, but I just don't think it was worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and UK Book Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, this story follows Moli, a young Chinese girl traveling to England for her father's funeral. Following a trip to see Chinese relics at the British Museum, she unexpectedly embarks on a time-traveling adventure, featuring dragons, shamans, and fantastical creatures she had only ever read about. 

Though I was initially drawn in from the synopsis, like Moli I am a dragon-lover at heart, I struggled to really connect with this book. It does a great job of bringing a depressing reality to younger readers, that of the extreme anti-Asian sentiment that came with the peak of COVID. There's also a great deal of philosophical thought found within these pages, though I'm not sure if it'll entirely land with the desired audience.

But, ultimately, the writing style and story became too scattered and unfocused for me to fully engage with it. It seems to shift from an Alice in Wonderland-esque opening to something more action-packed and dramatic, an aspect that only threw me off even more. 

I am glad to see more books discussing Chinese history and mythology for a Western audience, but I think this one needed a bit more polish to have more of a lasting effect on readers. 

Took too long a break from reading this and I realized that I didn't really feel like coming back to it. Probably would have given it more of a chance when I was younger, but I'm getting tired of political royal dramas, even if they involve werewolves.

Got almost halfway before I realized that I wasn't really absorbing much of the material. It has an interesting concept, but I don't think it executes it very well through a very basic writing style. There is a decent mystery aspect, and it seems like it has a lot to offer to those who like YA dystopias that center around elements of escape, survival, and corrupted beings in power. It's not really my genre so it probably didn't stand much of a chance.  

Honestly, I don't think I could take the book seriously after Anne Rice compared a man turning into a werewolf to getting a boner. I was too busy snickering to even process what I was reading. I think I want to stop mainly because I think that's one of the only things I want to remember about this book. That the main character, Reuben the Wolf Man, is the most basic, has-all-the-charisma-of-a-paper-bag lead and Anne Rice made a metaphor I don't think I'll ever forget.