What a great way to start the month of October with this lovely book written by Katie Zhao. Special thanks to Shealea of Caffeine Book Tours for allowing me to participate in this tour. Check out the launch tour post here.
Title: The Fallen Hero
Author: Katie Zhao
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Kids
Publication date: 13 October 2020
Age group: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis:
Faryn Liu thought she was the Heaven Breaker, a warrior destined to wield the all-powerful spear Fenghuang, command dragons, and defeat demons. But a conniving goddess was manipulating her all along…and her beloved younger brother, Alex, has betrayed her and taken over as the Heaven Breaker instead. Alex never forgave the people who treated him and Faryn like outcasts, and now he wants to wipe out both the demons and most of humanity.
Determined to prevent a war and bring Alex back to her side, Faryn and her half-dragon friend Ren join the New Order, a group of warriors based out of Manhattan’s Chinatown. She learns that one weapon can stand against Fenghuang–the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Only problem? It belongs to an infamous trickster, the Monkey King.
Faryn sets off on a daring quest to convince the Monkey King to join forces with her, one that will take her to new places–including Diyu, otherwise known as the Underworld–where she’ll run into new dangers and more than one familiar face. Can she complete her mission and save the brother she loves, no matter the cost?
I had the chance of reading The Dragon warrior, the first book for this series, last year and it opened up a new world to me. While I am very much familiar with Greek and Roman mythology (thanks to Uncle Rick), I knew little about east asian mythology specifically, Chinese. So I am glad to discover this thrilling series that also reflects my quest in finding, believing, and accepting myself for who I am and who I can be.
Just when Faryn Liu found herself and her destiny, series of events led her into questioning her true worth. She lost almost everything. Her grandfather died in a demon attack, her friend died saving their lives, her father lost all his memories and does not remember her, and her brother betraying her and siding with the gods in the destruction of humankind. But in every loss, there is a gain. Now Faryn sets with a new adventure together with her new found friends and strength into saving not only his family but also the world.
The Fallen Hero is set months after The Dragon Warrior comes to an end. Together with Ren, her dragon friend, they stayed in the New Society to train with other warriors. Despite the betrayal of her brother Alex, Faryn is determined to bring him back. With her new goal, she sets off to an even daring quest. Will she be able to defeat the evil forces now that she’s no longer the heaven breaker?
Coming from the dragon warrior where Faryn learns that she’s no longer the heaven breaker gives more depth to the story more than I can ever think of. We are all so accustomed of the protagonists finally finding their strengths and fulfilling their destiny. But what if you are no longer the one whom everyone branded you to be?
Even if I wasn’t the heaven breaker any longer, even if none of the gods would help me here in the underworld, I STILL HAD MY OWN STRENGTH.
It is amazing how this middle grade fantasy book was able to convey a very much important lesson of not only finding oneself but also strongly believing that you can forge your own path and be the best version of yourself. But of course, not setting aside the fun and humor all throughout the story.
Overall, this action-packed book is perfect for middle graders. Not only they can learn Chinese culture and mythology, but they will get important life lessons that will surely help them as they go into the journey of life just like Faryn.
Check out the book in these following links!
Amazon B&N Book Depository IndieBound Goodreads
Katie Zhao is a 2017 graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in English and Political Science, and a 2018 Masters of Accounting at the same university. She is the author of Chinese #ownvoices middle grade fantasy THE DRAGON WARRIOR (Bloomsbury Kids, October 2019 & 2020), as well as a young adult author. She is a mentor for Author Mentor Match. She is currently open to freelance editorial services for young adult and middle grade manuscripts.
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