Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen

Book Review

Nadya Mercik

Dragons in the title and on the cover hook my attention straight away. And though their presence is more metaphorical than real in Of Jade and Dragons, the story is definitely gripping. Drawing inspiration from the real historical figures in the Qing dynasty of China and mixing it with C-drama vibes and angst, Amber Chen creates a vivid silkpunk story of murder mystery, revenge and establishing oneself in a strongly patriarchal world steeped in political intrigues.

Ying enjoys her life on one of the lesser of Nine Isles. Following in her father’s steps, who was a renowned engineer of the guild, she dabbles in constructing mechanisms for her own satisfaction, dreaming of being able to fly one day. True, neighbours keep reminding her that with such behaviour, she is not going to get herself a good husband, which is all she is supposed to be thinking of. But her dad supports her endeavours and loves her so much that it simply has to work out.

But then, one day, Ying returns to the lab to find her dad killed by an assassin. She manages to rip a jade pendant off the killer’s belt. To her surprise, it has a dragon carved on the surface, and the jade is not ordinary. Both are the symbols of the Empire the Nine Isles are at war with. But why would the Jade Empire want her father dead? On top of that, with his last breath, her father bestows his engineering diary on her with a strict order to burn it. Yet curiosity pushes Ying to look inside, and she finds her dad is working on the weapon systems. Unable to let go of her revenge and desire to find the truth about her father, Ying dresses herself as a boy and ventures to the Engineer’s Guild on Fei Island.

On her way, she is rescued from the same assassin by no other than the Fourth Prince, who sees through her disguise and offers her help in becoming the guild’s apprentice. Ying dives into the world of her father, discovering things about his youth and talent. But she also has to work hard not to get kicked out of the guild. As her studies progress and more truths come out, Ying will have to decide what kind of engineer and person she wants to be and what to do with her revenge.

In my opinion, a YA novel, Of Jade and Dragons, offers you a bit more. Amber Chen is good at twisting the tropes and giving them a fresher perspective. You can definitely see some references to Mulan – what with Ying pretending to be her younger brother and entering the male-dominated world. She might not be going to the war front, but she keeps working on her father’s weapon designs. Yet with Ying’s strong personality, the mystery of her father’s murder and the contemplation of what it is to be an engineer, the story shifts in a totally different plane. Chen gives us a wide assortment of characters – other Guild apprentices alongside their masters and royal family members, each and every one of them ambitious and flawed. Though young, the characters make quite an impression: driven by the harsh, competitive world of the guild and political intrigues, they feel and sound more mature, and it makes it more interesting to follow them. The same goes for the romance that sparks between Ying and the Fourth Prince: it gives you the satisfaction of the usual love story elements, yet in the end, takes you to an unexpected decision.

I cannot finish my review without talking about the language. Being a silkpunk story where engineering goes beyond steam machines and zeppelins, Of Jade and Dragons offers you a vivid and almost poetic relationship with inventions. Stories are a continuation of an author, and so are the mechanisms for Ying and her father and the Guild Masters – they are the expressions of their own souls, from a tiny butterfly to an automaton dragon or a hybrid chimaera. To elevate that relationship, Chen raises the questions of engineering ethics. Where is it that your talent and your love of inventing end and your responsibility begins? And what will your stance be when the war is on the doorstep?

An entertaining, vivid read with a beautiful atmosphere and plenty of intrigues, Of Jade and Dragons is definitely worth a read without age limitations.