The Last Dragon of the East

By: Katrina Kwan

Narrated by: Eric Yang, Feodor Chin

Inspired by Chinese myths of ancient dragon gods and threads of fate, Katrina Kwan’s dazzling fantasy debut is a propulsive adventure perfect for fans of Sue Lynn Tan and Hannah Whitten.

At the spry young age of twenty-five, Sai has led a quiet life, keeping the family teahouse up and running—even if that means ignoring the past-due notices—and taking care of his ailing mother. But he has a not-so-secret gift that he’s parlayed into a side career: he was born with the ability to see the red threads of fate between soulmates, which lends itself nicely to matchmaking. Sai has thus far been content not to follow his own thread, the only one he’s ever seen that’s gray and fraying.

But Sai’s ordinary existence is about to be turned upside-down by a pair of shining dragon scales. When his mother’s doctor sells them to him, claiming them as a miracle cure, Sai is pretty sure he’s being scammed. When the medicine actually works—and the terrifying, ruthless emperor catches wind—Sai is thrust into the search for a dragon long thought extinct that will lead him into the throes of a brewing war and deep into foreign lands, facing down challenges both magical and mortal on an unexpected adventure. And for the very first time, as his own thread of fate begins to move, he may be able to solve the mystery of his Fated One at the other end of the line.

Critic reviews

"Eric Yang’s gentle narration perfectly suits this slow-paced fantasy audiobook. Sai can see the red threads of fate that link people to their soulmates. Through this skill he earns enough to care for his sick mother and keep his family’s teahouse running. After a miracle medicine made of dragon scales heals her, the emperor orders him to find the dragon they belonged to. But Sai never expects the dragon’s red thread to connect to his own. Yang’s soothing voice reflects Sai’s kindness and adds warmth and humor to the romance that develops. Narrating a small subplot about a family of ancient dragons, Feodor Chin gives a commanding performance."

cute but

I was expecting more of a queer story since it had the LGBTQ+ tag. It was still a cute story, but the queer relationship was suuuuuper in the background.
I liked that the fmc was the physically strong one. I felt like the huntress was more plot device than character. She needed more to her.
I found the narrator to be a little too monotone. I didn't really connect with the emotional scenes like I wanted to.

Engaging storytelling

I enjoyed this book and do recommend to folks captured by the title or cover art. That said, the only same-gender pairing represented involves a greedy stranger whose flaws generate a predictable plot device. The narrator and producer did clean work with the recording.

A very good debut

I liked the ending, I loved all the stories and fables woven into the story, and I didn’t mind the villain.

There was no fuss regarding sexuality, that is who loved whom, same sex or not, same species or not. Just that the love was true.

The narrator did a good job.

I loved this one!!

The narrators for this audiobook did such a great job, and I fell in love with this story through both the masterful storytelling and the way the narrators brought this story to life.