hiba's Reviews > After the Dragons

rep: gay chinese mc with chronic illness, gay afro-chinese-american mc

cw: brief mentions of suicidal thoughts

3.5/5

this was a pretty good little read! not a new favorite but i don't regret picking it up at all.

an urban low fantasy with themes of pollution, climate change and chronic illness, after the dragons is set in a modern day beijing that's suffering from drought conditions and a growing population of stray dragons. amidst all this, two college students form a tentative relationship.

i love how the author brings beijing to life in such a stark, vivid way through gorgeously atmospheric writing. there's a hazy almost ephemeral sense to the world and it suits the uncertain and coming-of-age nature of the story.

the dragons were definitely the best part of this novella. the way the author integrates the dragons into the everyday city life of beijing is so interesting to see; reducing these fantastical mythical creatures into animals as mundane as pigeons or cats. the descriptions of the dragons are so stunningly detailed they genuinely feel real. the world here has so much potential and i hope cynthia zhang writes another story within this setting.

i liked eli and kai well enough but i did feel a little emotionally distant from them and their burgeoning relationship, which is why this didn't get a higher rating from me. i did appreciate seeing the experiences of biracial chinese diaspora through the eyes of eli. besides that, most of the science-y descriptions went over my head and bored me a little. the dialogue also felt a bit awkward to me at times.

overall, if you're into descriptive, atmospheric reads with queer protagonists and you like dragons, you should definitely pick this book up.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.