Ok, so not only did I burn through Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor in 2 days, I also read the acknowledgements and started crying 😭 (RIP Kazuki Takahashi). If you grew up loving Yu-Gi-Oh! you NEED to read this book.

Zachary Ying competes on his school’s Mythrealm team but after meeting Simon, the new exchange student, he finds out that not only are the mythical creatures of legend are real, but also the First Emperor of China is possessing his portal-lens!

I adored this book. The characters were a joy to read and the interactions between the kids and the emperors that were possessing them were enjoyable and hilarious at times. The facts about ancient Chinese history were woven into the plot in a way that didn’t feel like a massive Ready Player One style info dump. It was so interesting and I have some more research to look into after I finish this review. The plot had a great build up and the action stayed fast-paced until it raised to it’s peak in the final chapters with a startling cliff-hanger!

The only thing, and I mean the only thing, that I wished the book had done was take a little more inspiration from the gaming aspect of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga/show to include more Mythrealm battles throughout. I would’ve loved to have learned a little more about the tournaments and how the mythical creatures and spirits inspired the gameplay during it’s creation. But that’s just be being a nerd and doesn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, a great middle grade that can be enjoyed by nerdy adults too!