A review by readingrobin
Princess Rouran and the Dragon Chariot of Ten Thousand Sages by Shawe Ruckus, Shawe Ruckus

Did not finish book. Stopped at 53%.

Thank you to NetGalley and UK Book Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, this story follows Moli, a young Chinese girl traveling to England for her father's funeral. Following a trip to see Chinese relics at the British Museum, she unexpectedly embarks on a time-traveling adventure, featuring dragons, shamans, and fantastical creatures she had only ever read about. 

Though I was initially drawn in from the synopsis, like Moli I am a dragon-lover at heart, I struggled to really connect with this book. It does a great job of bringing a depressing reality to younger readers, that of the extreme anti-Asian sentiment that came with the peak of COVID. There's also a great deal of philosophical thought found within these pages, though I'm not sure if it'll entirely land with the desired audience.

But, ultimately, the writing style and story became too scattered and unfocused for me to fully engage with it. It seems to shift from an Alice in Wonderland-esque opening to something more action-packed and dramatic, an aspect that only threw me off even more. 

I am glad to see more books discussing Chinese history and mythology for a Western audience, but I think this one needed a bit more polish to have more of a lasting effect on readers.