Breath of the Dragon

Breathmarked, Book 1

By: Shannon Lee, Fonda Lee

Narrated by: Eric Yang

A young warrior dreams of proving his worth in the elite Guardian Tournament, fighting not only for himself but the fate of everything he loves.

Sixteen-year-old Jun dreams of proving his worth as a warrior in the elite Guardian’s Tournament, held every six years to entrust the magical Scroll of Heaven to a new protector. Eager to prove his skills, Jun hopes that a win will restore his father’s pride—righting a horrible mistake that caused their banishment from his home, mother, and twin brother.

But Jun’s father strictly forbids him from participating. He believes there is no future in Jun honing his skills as a warrior, especially considering Jun is not breathmarked, born with a patch of dragon scales and blessed with special abilities like his twin. Determined to be the next Guardian, Jun stows away in the wagon of Chang and his daughter, Ren, performers on their way to the capital where the tournament will take place.

As Jun competes, he quickly realizes he may be fighting for not just a better life, but the fate of the country itself and the very survival of everyone he cares about.

A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books.

©2025 Fonda Lee and Shannon Lee (P)2025 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The unpredictable plot twists and innovative magic system, which incorporates religious elements, are intriguing and, along with Jun’s realistic emotional development and reactions, create a gripping narrative...A complex, hard-hitting, epic martial arts journey."—Kirkus (starred review)

"The authors extol Bruce Lee’s principles while continually raising the stakes and surprising readers with thoughtful twists in this relentlessly paced and exquisitely choreographed martial arts fantasy series opener."—Publishers Weekly

"I'm genuinely awestruck by the brilliance of this coming-of-age novel. Infused with the vital essence of Bruce Lee's intellect, martial arts prowess, and philosophical depth, it's a captivating journey that transcends the ordinary–a master class in storytelling. I loved it and cannot wait for the next book!"—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

A Book I have been looking for!

I have been in a long slump in looking for a book that perfectly fit the niche I was looking for, and I had been unable to really mesh with Greenbone. But this book had everything I had been longing for and more! tbis is definitely going on my shelves as one of My favorite books, along with Be Water My Friend! I look forward to the future releases of this series! Thank you to all who worked on it!

Fun read!

This book is so much fun:) there’s action in almost every chapter, characters that are full of personality, and a world that is full enough to keep you engaged. I feel like the story could have had some moments of pause so we could breathe between action, get to know the characters a little more, and flesh out the world, but honestly it’s not so distracting that it takes away from the story:) I’m glad this was the first book I read this year:)

Amazing Book!

I love this book, I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel. such a fantastic and uniquely set up world.

Like watching a Bruce Lee Film

Great story, great reading, and for my fellow martial arts enthusiasts, Bruce Lee fanatics, and philosophers, listening to this book is like watching one of the Legend's films. Great work of art from the Lee family and everyone involved 🙏 Peace & love

Overall, pretty good.

I didn't read the description of this book beforehand and went into it blind. I purchased it because it has Fonda Lee's name on it and I'm a huge fan of the Green Bone Saga.

The book got my attention pretty quickly and I stayed entertained throughout the whole thing. It's well written with good character development and world building. Definitely worth a listen. 4.5/5

My only gripe with this audiobook was the reader. His voice was fine but he had a weird cadence. It kind of reminded me of the way Christopher Walken speaks but less distinct. I give him a 3.9/5

Loved the fighting descriptions and the relationships

Excellent story and narration . Keep me fully engaged and wanting more . The story keeps a very engaging pace!

Characters

4.5 🌟 This was very good! I think my absolute favorite parts was how much experience you can feel in the martial arts scenes. Like you can tell how much knowledge was in this book and it made it so good. I’m so excited to see how this story wraps up. Jun is flawed and goes through a great arc growing from naivety to a strength and understanding of the world around him.

Satisfied

This martial arts story is well written, full of twist and great description of action fighting.

Fonda Does It Again!

Fonda is the goat! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! Fonda Lee! I need 15 words and atleast seven of them need to be unique.