As a major Fonda Lee fan I knew I had to read Breath of the Dragon. And while I wanted to fall deeply in love with it, I found myself having a hard time getting into it. If you love well thought out and executed fighting, this is for you! Keep reading this book review of Breath of the Dragon for my full thoughts.
Summary
Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Earth to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s honor—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.
But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. There is no future in honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.
As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
In Breath of the Dragon, Jun is fighting for a chance to prove ourselves. What is more relatable? We can think we want to find greatness, to be a legacy, to be a hero. But what happens when our path isn’t straight forward? We can think we know what being a hero means, but what happens when we are forced to sacrifice? All the rhetoric we would use to excuse our sacrifices. If you love a good training scene, then you have to read Breath of the Dragon. For me, it was a bit of a slower hook in Breath of the Dragon.
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If you love a fast paced action read, then you should check out Breath of the Dragon. I appreciate a bit more introspection to make the emotional blows hit. We got peeks into areas I wish would be explored more – and might be in the sequel – like the father and son relationship. One of my favorite themes of rebellion was a late game theme development, but saved Breath of the Dragon for me. I like a bit of a subtle rebellion plan which explodes into a story about what sacrifices we will make for peace, treaties, and conquest.
There’s certainly things to enjoy in Breath of the Dragon, I just wish some of my favorite themes and aspects were developed a bit earlier and in more depth. This is just book one of a series, so it’s still a promising start! Find Breath of the Dragon on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.