Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Violence, swearing in interesting martial arts fantasy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
BREATH OF THE DRAGON tells the story of Li Jun, a 16-year-old in a fantasy world modeled after ancient China. Ten years ago, Jun and his father were exiled to a neighboring country for practicing martial arts in a land that forbids it to most people. At the same time, Jun's mother and twin brother, Sai, were taken from their village to the capital, where Sai was to join an elite group allowed to practice martial arts. At least his new country admires and encourages practicing martial arts. Jun dreams of reuniting his family and determines to enter the Guardian's Tournament, held every six years to determine the strongest warrior in the land to guard a sacred relic from a position of wealth and power. But the scheming General Cobu changes the rules of the tournament at the last minute in order to favor his chosen warrior as a step toward taking the throne for himself. Can Jun survive the now-brutal tournament where killing your opponent is allowed and even encouraged by some? And if he doesn't, will anyone be able to stop Cobu from taking over?
Is It Any Good?
Marital arts fans, and of course fans of Bruce Lee, will enjoy this action-packed fantasy that showcases some of Lee's practices and philosophies. Breath of the Dragon is well plotted, and the co-authors do a good job of describing the action clearly and keeping it exciting at the same time. The intriguing world is well imagined and populated with colorful characters. Teens will relate to and root for Jun, Ren, and Yin Yue as they fight for justice and learn that each side of a conflict sees the same things very differently. Although there's a little bit of romance and some political intrigue, readers who aren't fans of martial arts won't miss much if they pass this book by. But both martial arts and fantasy fans will find a lot to enjoy here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Breath of the Dragon. Is it too much? Is reading about it different from seeing it in movies, games, videos, and so forth?
Does the strong language affect how you think of a character or a situation? Is it a big deal?
Had you ever heard of Bruce Lee before reading this book? If you hadn't, are you interested in learning more about him or seeing his movies?
How are the characters courageous?
Book Details
- Authors :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Self-control , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Wednesday Books
- Publication date : January 7, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 352
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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