Stronger than a Bronze Dragon by Mary Fan is an Asian inspired tale that follows Liang Anlei on her quest to save her village from the ravages of the demonic Ligui. Anlei is one of the few women serving in the Dailan Guard, protecting the village from the nightly predations of the Ligui. When the Viceroy of the province offers the protection of his personal army in exchange for Dailan’s sacred River Pearl, the deal is sealed with a marriage pact and Anlei is chosen to be his new bride. The fierce Anlei is unhappy at the prospect, especially since the Viceroy makes it clear he views her as property. When the River Pearl is stolen, putting Dailan’s protection at risk, she goes after the thief. Tai isn’t what she expects though, and needs the Pearl just as desperately as she does to save his own people. She agrees to go with him and help, then return the Pearl to the Viceroy. In doing so, Anlei ends up on an adventure that leads her all the way to the Courts of Hell to confront Mowang and learn the truth of the Ligui, a truth more terrible than she once thought.

I rather enjoyed this story! I love the Asian inspired culture, patterned after the ancient Chinese dynasties. People from other cultures show up too. ‘Westerners’ in passing, and African in the form of Ibsituu, a magic user. She was one of my favourite characters. I absolutely adored the steampunk elements, with the magically driven clockwork dragons and automatons. Especially the dragons! And there are airships as well! Visiting the mythical Courts of Hell was neat, again, inspired by Chinese myth. It was a little surreal too, especially the hallucinations the demons induced.

I liked Anlei well enough. At times, her impulsiveness annoyed me. She put others at risk too often by not thinking before acting, including risking the Viceroy’s protection for her people. Tai the thief, on the other hand, was too adorable and I sympathised with his feelings of being unwanted, and how it shaped his childhood, and adulthood. His carefree nature was hiding such deep wounds. While I believe that the circumstances the pair faced together could forge a bond of love quickly, I find it difficult in this case, given Anlei’s personality and disposition. I believe Tai could, but I kinda feel Tai deserves better too. Anlei has dyslexia, and it was neat to see how that played into the story. It didn’t feel a contrived element either, but just a part of who she was. The time felt too short for such an adventure, even given the speed the airships offered travel. Everything seemed building to reaching Mowang, but that wasn’t the end of the story, and the last bit felt rushed and thrust a background character into the forefront.

If you enjoy Asian influenced fantasy, and steampunk elements, be sure to check this read out! I look forward to seeing the writer grow into her own, and I’d definitely read future books. Especially if they have the clockwork dragons!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed as part of the Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tour.