This is a good book with some good plot twists. It’s interesting and I really like the Chinese mythology and lore that is behind some of the story and character names.
In this first book in a series, a 12-year-old girl named Zhi Ging feels a bit left out because she’s not like some of the other children in her village of Fei Chui above the cloud sea, the home of the Glassmiths. She really wants to earn an invitation to Hok Woh, an underwater school where you can study to become an immortal, but things don’t go well.
However, after a dragon attack on the jade mountain, Zhi Ging ends up finding an unusual way to join the new class of students at Hok Woh. But that doesn’t mean she’s welcomed by everyone. Zhi Ging and her fellow students, aka Silhouettes, have to complete challenging trials each month to stay in the school. Sabotage, unseen dangers, and more could trip them up. As Zhi Ging grows into her true potential, rumours grow about the return of the dreaded Fui Gwai, an evil spirit that possesses people’s souls.
This is a really good book that is fantasy in nature but based on Chinese rather than European folklore or mythology, which is really cool and different. I liked learning about some of the Chinese things involved, and it was also an exciting story. I’m glad there are more books in the series and I’m excited to read those soon.
Reviewed by Maddie, Year 6
Streatham & Clapham Girls Prep School, London
Age Guide 9+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Siobhan McDermott was born in Hong Kong and grew up on a steady stream of stories filled with Chinese legends and Irish folklore. She now lives in the UK and continues to order dim sum in Cantonese tinged with a distinctly Dublin lilt. Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm is her debut novel and was chosen as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. Her debut was inspired by moments across her life: from childhood ferry trips between Lantau Island and Hong Kong, to travelling around Taiwan, Italy and Spain.
Visit Siobhan McDermott’s website here.
Follow Siobhan McDermott on Instagram here.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Yuzhen Cai is an illustrator and animator living in Shanghai, China. She trained in academic painting and sketching before moving to London in 2016 to study BA Illustration at the Camberwell College of Arts, where she graduated with a first class degree and was highly commended by the Macmillan Prize 2019.
Yuzhen has since completed a Masters in research at the Royal College of Art, where she explored illustration and storytelling. She is fascinated by whimsical settings and playful characters and enjoys creating art in both digital and manual mediums, combining flat bold colours with handmade textures.
0 Comments