I read this book about five years ago, and the cover was purple.
The book was about two inches thick, and I remember it had a young girl as the main character. She had a dragon, which at some point she disguised as a soup ladle. I remember a character called the necromancer, and I think the girl's name was Ping or something similar.
It was definitely set in the past in China or some other part of Asia.
I remember a fire burning down a building, and something to do with mountains in the beginning.
Definitely a fantasy story with the baby shapeshifting dragon, but don't know much else.