Author: Erica

Book Review: Of Jade and Dragons

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I don’t review a lot of books here, but sometimes a book deserve a mention. Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen is one of those books. Plus, it has the added bonus of being similar to what I write–Asian inspired fantasy worlds.

Be warned, this book does have some minor swears in it.

My Review:

This story kept me hooked. It was like a Chinese fantasy drama mixed with steampunk technology, all in a book. The only drawback was that it had some minor language (a– being the main one).
This book had swoon worthy scenes that hinted at a budding romance between Ying and Yeyang. You know, those epic scenes where the girl is about to get hurt and the hero sweeps her into his arms and protects her. And don’t forget daring rescues. Add in that there is danger between them–both are harboring secrets. Will they still love each other when everything is revealed?

Then there is Yekan (second male lead syndrome!) one of Ying’s classmates who seems to have growing feelings for her too. (My growing preference was him. Can’t wait to see what’s in the next book.)
This is definitely an author to pay attention to. She’s a solid story teller, with characters that are unique and make a great ensemble. (I’d watch this is it was a drama for sure.)

Recommended Reads

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I enjoy finding books that are similiar to what I enjoy writing. I discovered shoujo manga long ago and used to visit a now out of business comic book/sports shop because he carried Ribon and other anime books for the girls. (It was named Doug’s Dugout.) Anyway, I saw my name in one of the Ribons, so I had to get it.

When I started writing, I had folks tell me that Asian fantasy doesn’t sell. I don’t think they would tell me that now. In fact, there’s soo many good looking books coming out. And, books from overseas are being translated and brought over! Guys, this is soo exciting.

I recently discoved Japanese light novels. The cover caught my attention and since royalties had just dropped, I splurged and got a physical copy. (The cover is even better in person. The feathers shine!) I’ve spend the last two days devouring this and ordered he second one.

I’m giving this book 5 stars. If you read reviews on GoodReads, a few folks mentioned typos. So lets get this out of the way: Yes, there are a few typos. But, in this day and age of AI writting books, typos like these show that humans worked on it. And then there is this: no one is perfect, so no book is perfect; but inside imperfection we find beauty.

I also find some solace in finding little mistakes in books, because I know how hard it is to avoid them.

If you haven’t read this one, you should check it out. (Here’s the amazon link.)

Another recent book was Heart of the Sun Warrior.

I did enjoy this one. I liked how it felt like I was reading a Chinese fantasy drama. I’m not sure I liked this one as much as Daughter of the Moon Goddess though. I had some mixed feelings on the ending and with who she eventually chooses. Although, his love for her was quite obvious, I wasn’t sure on hers for him. Perhaps that was because she didn’t know herself until the end. But, it’s definately worth reading. It’s a really good conclusion.

As I’m open about, I enjoy a good Korean or Chinese drama. (Or even an anime. I’ve been having a blast this summer taking my kids to see Studio Ghibli films.) One that stands out recently is Love You Seven Times. I highly recommend it. I loved how everything is connected. And I found something about the ending (hint: his expression) especially sweet. You can stream it on iQIYI.

Announcing my Etsy Bookshop

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You may have read in my newsletter that I was launching a little bookshop. After some trial and error, and getting massively frustrated, I’ve settled on Etsy to handle selling signed copies of my books.

I’ve kept the Roxbury Books name for it, going with my book blog name. (You can see my blog here: Roxbury Books (blog). It flows off the tongue nicely.