Zhi Ging is 12 years old and lives in Fei Chui, a village of Glassmiths. She lives with Aapau, the village healer, and was left with her when she was a baby. Zhi Ging is hoping she will be chosen as this year's Silhouette (a type of apprentice) as this will mean she can leave Fei Chui and attend an under water school called Hok Woh. Zhi Ging has always felt like she doesn't belong in Fei Chui as her hair doesn't glow like other residents when dragons are near. One day, she is attacked by a dragon and the people of Fei Chui get the wrong idea and think that Zhi Ging has summoned an evil spirit. Reishi, a Silhouette scout, rescues Zhi Ging and helps her escape from the Glassmiths.
Zhi Ging must now prove herself as a Silhouette, whilst taking part in dragon boat races, trials and avoiding Iridill (also from Fei Chui) who seems to constantly want to make her life a misery.
I loved the twists and turns this book took and the sheer amount of magic involved. The jellyfish 'pets' are a brilliant addition and I also loved that one of the characters had vitiligo - I only wish that my white patches could change colour like Mynah's! I can't wait for the next installment and to see what happens to Zhi Ging next as she continues her adventure! Children who love magic, adventures and stories about powerful friendships will enjoy this book.

Where to start! I love the adventure, it gave me Avatar the last Airbender adventure mixed in with Spirited Away - I couldn't put this down!

Hmmm… It may seem I've finally grown out of juvenile fantasy – "Impossible Creatures" did so little for me, and now this, which starts with a heap of promise and then just goes down and down. But you could say that with the world-building at its best here and the intrigue at its strongest, this is certainly not a junior-ONLY fantasy. Other elements, however, are where that term certainly applies.

Basically what we have is a lowly girl living as a Cinderella figure in a guild of glass-smiths, who is determined to leave the people she has no blood relationship with and go to the school for immortals. Before she can do that there is a great flash of what could be done with this world, but no – the mystical chap taking her to the school is just a routine character of no interest, the school is a bonkers one with telepathic jellyfish all over the shop, and you just know the bulk of things will be an extended training montage, school dorm, bullying, yack-yack section, before anything of note comes up in time to tease Book Two.

That might make it sound there is much here than is routinely formulaic, and there isn't really – but boy I could see the potential build-up of that, and I ducked out quick. It just seemed that the glass elements were going to be under-used, the paper dragons just weren't in evidence, and what was so assuredly conveyed early on was just going to devolve into a treading-ground-at-magic-school middle third. Other reviews saying what they said about the pattern on these pages only proved me right. So I leave this with a DNF and a two stars, to hint at the not inconsiderable effort the author applied to get something this adult found himself too immune to.

This book had everything I love in Children’s books combined to make one beautiful book. It was comforting and relaxing to read while also taking me on a wonderous adventure to explore a new creative and imaginative fantasy world, which I fell in love with straight away.

The thing I loved most was Hok Woh. The society of the Cyo B’Ahon was so interesting, having people who have attained immortality doing research and inducting others into their ranks. I loved the jellyfish that they used to communicate, because that seemed like a really cool idea.

The only thing that was missing for me, was that I would have liked to see more of the paper dragons that are alluded to in the title. I’m sure we’ll get to see more of what they are as Zhi Ging explores her magic more, but they were very lacking for a book with such an interesting title.

That’s my hope for the next book, which I will definitely be rushing out to buy! That and more Malo because I loved him so much.

Now this book. This is the kind of book that I would love to use in the curriculum for teaching. Theres’s intrigue and suspense, character development is fantastic and the world building is phenomenal.

There is so much detail within this book that it can quite easily be read page by page and questions could be addressed after every page.

This is a fantastic book for younger generations and I have already applied it to out teaching programme for next year. My class will thoroughly enjoy reading and working with this book.

I loved this! A lot moth in depth than I was anticipating for a book aimed at a younger market but the rich lore really drew you in. The Jellyfish stole the show for me, especially the one in the lunch room. Cannot wait for the second instalment.

A typical magical adventure story. I enjoyed the magical world. In this story, Zhi Ging must face the challenging trials set by her teachers to prove that she’s worthy of being a Silhouette or an apprentice to immortals. The story is inspired by Chinese mythology. It's a typical magical adventure story where an ordinary protagonist becomes the star of the show.
Biggest strength : The world building was great—the clouds, jelly fish system.
Weakness : But overall everything did not gel together. Some things perhaps would be developed more in the later books. The same goes for Zhi Ging—I would've liked to know her better and be really rooted in her story.

I enjoyed this story, there was a lot to like. Zhi Ging is determined and caring and makes for a great main character. Her friends are also great, especially Mynah with the ever changing colour patches on her cheeks. Of course, I can’t forget Malo, the best companion/animal sidekick ever. He was my favourite part of the entire book.

Paper Dragons was written by a woman born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and the influence of that heritage is strongly felt throughout the book. All of the place names are influenced by Cantonese and much of the mythology and world-building in the book is inspired by Cantonese mythology. There is even a section at the end of the book that explains the Chinese origins of many of the names. in the book.

The world is also inspired by China and I enjoyed all the background information about it. However, there was a lot to it for such a short book – a lot of details about the world and the underwater school. There were a lot of characters too, and so many thing were mentioned without being fully explained. This made parts of the book difficult to follow and there are definitely questions to be answered in the next book.

Overall, this was a good book and I had a lot of fun reading it. I’d recommend it if you’re interested in stories inspired by Chinese culture and mythology.

If you are looking for a new children’s magical fantasy series to fill a hole in your heart while waiting for the next Nevermoor which includes dragons then this is for you!

It is a children’s book but I really enjoyed it as an adult. Its main setting was in a school and it was giving me Harry Potter vibes which I am all here for.

It’s definitely a book I could read over and over again and with that ending I am eager for the next book already!

There are a lot of things to like in this fantasy series opener, from the magical school under the sea whose jellyfish carry messages and whose tutors ageshift from (apparent) middle-age to children when surprised.. I loved the Fui Gwai, the evil spirit roaming the realms and taking possession of people, particularly the failed students. The story has a lot of the tropes and beats you'd expect from a magical school fantasy: the protagonist of unknown parentage despised by all but who naturally has the most magic, the devoted quirky friends she quickly makes, and the arch-rival from her home town, a bully and a liar determined to destroy Zhi Ging even after she saves her life.
However much of the world didn't make sense to me. How students were selected for the school, what they were taught (if anything), and who or what would grant them immortality if they passed all 12 trails.. The immortals didn't seem to have a purpose in the world (I have no idea why any of the provinces would pay them a cent). They were also really uncaring. With all the resources at their disposal, they didn't even investigate the claims that the Fui Gwai existed, even when it took failed students from under their noses. They were also very unobservant, the antagonist was obvious from early on (once you learn how to spot a thrall). I couldn't picture the place Zhi Ging grew up in. She breaks into the Lead Glassmaker's office to read his post with no real purpose and despite being caught, there are no consequences. Yet the threat hanging over her because she looks different is that she will be sent to clean the postal tubes, long glass tunnels where young cleaners regularly die. With all the magic in the world, why is there no better system of cleaning them? Why does nobody object to this? The story ends in a cliff-hanger too, which was disappointing.
These things may not be an issue for most people, and I suspect future books will develop this world a lot more. The overall story arc is probably really strong, but I needed more of it in book one.

A fresh take into a very saturated genre, especially of recent times.

Though the start was slightly slow, with a lot of world building and character introduction, it soon fell into an intriguing plotline of what the main character could become and what she would learn to get there.

The story ends quite abruptly, where it felt a little rushed to leave setup for a second book. However, overall it was a very pleasant read and I look forward to more of it!

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review

I was drawn to the book by it's cover. The amazing dragon who looked half like a ghost and half as if he was made of gold ...and the girl he was wrapped around as she stood high in the mountain surrounded by mists.

I had to know and then I read the blurb here we are . We meet that young woman, Zhi Ging, trying to do something she knows she shouldn't.

But as an outcaste in the village she calls home she only wants to be accepted. To finally find her place and maybe learn about her past. To do this she is desperate to become a Silhouette.

But even as she gets her wish things are not easy and not all is as it seems in the beautiful underwater city Hok Woh.

This story is a hero's journey. It's filled with wonder and magic and lore. I have truely adored this read and can't wait to see what happens next. This is one to watch!

Currently struggling to get into this book. I’ve started it a few times and will continue to try. Loved the idea of it but the start is not engaging me as I’d like. Will update review if this changes.

A beautiful book that shows the authors live for the culture she grew up in with some stunning world building and amazing ideas for unique ways of magic.

That being said, some of the writing is a little rough and could do with some polishing up. I enjoyed the story and hated the bully, Iridill. I look forward to finding out what happens next.

A fantastically, fast-paced fantasy series is launched with a strong and brave female warrior at its helm.

Zhi Ging is a 12 year old orphan raised by a wise elder called Aapau in the province of Fei Chui. Fei Chui is full of magical glass smiths and the Lead Glass Smith's daughter, Iridill, has taken a strong dislike to Zhi Ging. Endless taunts and clashes born out of a fear that Zhi Ging is a better contender for the coveted position of Silhouette, training with Cyo B'Ahon, ageshifting immortals.

When Zhi Ging is forced to say goodbye to her beloved Aapau, she finds out that the Silhouette chosen to attend the mystical underwater training school, Hok Woh, to become immortal is none other than Iridill. The Lead Glass Smith has chosen his own daughter and Zhi Ging is devastated and desperate to escape the clutches of the glass smiths. When scout Reishi comes along to collect Iridill, Zhi Ging proves her worth and in a previously unheard of move, Reishi takes her to Hok Woh as second Silhouette.

When she arrives at the school, the challenges start with a vengeance, you don't get to be immortal just by turning up for registration! Something sinister called the Fui Gwai is lurking and an undercurrent of malevolence is sweeping through the school and the Cyo B'Ahon are divided. Can Zhi Ging use the hidden powers held in the golden threads of her skin to keep her friends safe and find out who or what the Fui Gwai really is.

This book moves at an extraordinary pace and we would be lying if we said we found it easy to follow. The first few chapters needed plenty of focus in order to work out what was what but then once we got to grips with the wonderful, luminous characters, we were all in and we raced through it.

Zhi Ging is a true warrior and a great lead character, the type not often seen in books which acts as great inspiration. Her true heart is proven over and over when she shows kindness and compassion in the face of adversity and enemies but she is feisty and full of energy which differentiates her from the flock. We were frustrated (in a good way) when this book ended on such a huge cliffhanger and we are ready and waiting for the next one already!

Now, if we could just pop to Hok Woh and find out how to get our hands onto a jar of that Crease Cream to do a bit of ageshifting ourselves, that would be dreamy.

We recommend this for children age 9-14 who are fans of Casander Darkbloom, Nevermoor and Dragon Mountain.

A very enjoyable book in this category which has become quite saturated recently. I will recommend it for our stocks.

This is so much fun. Incredible world building - detailed without being overwhelming and so cinematic - and the cast of characters are wonderful. I was completely hooked and couldn't wait to find out what was happening, but also hugely enjoyed the incidental scenes giving us more of an insight into daily life as a Silhouette. Will be recommending far and wide!

It has magic and a school, but this felt less Rowling and more Prattchett, with lots of magical elements thrown to you in a chaotic way; but while that's a praise in his books, it's not in this instance. I feel this novel needs polishing. The purpose of the book seems to be to introduce you to this universe, since it finishes when things start to happen, but after 350 pages I was left with more questions than answers about it, I feel lost in this world.

It would benefit of an explanation of the different realms and what each does. I found the school system nonsensical, sometimes there doesn't seem to be a distinction between alumni and teachers; you join the same class doesn't matter when you start; and the tests are the same regardless of your level, for some their last test is the same than for others the first one, someone that's there for a year fails a test that people that have been there less than a week pass? Do they learn anything in that school? Also, what's the purpose for society of this immortal beings? What's their skillset, beside age-shifting, how are their powers used to help society?

It still has good elements to it and looks like a good bit of work was done in building this universe, so although three stars is possibly generous, two stars would feel too harsh.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of my honest review

The characters are well rounded and believable. Zhi Ging’s character has been extremely well thought-out and her back story has significant repercussions for the plot which was good to see.

The world building was magnificent throughout the book. Siobhan McDermott uses all the sense to create stimulating descriptions to provide the reader with an evocative picture of the floating market, the dragon boat races and I could imagine the corridors and various classrooms of Hok Woh vividly.

Events happen really fast especially as we reach the climatic ending. I hardly had enough time to breath. For some this may be overwhelming but for me I thought it was brilliant. I like the feel I am in the thick of the action and do get bored when reading meandering prose, so The Fight for the Hidden Realm was ideally paced for me.

The character name explanations at the back of the book made me laugh. I was impressed at the amount of thought Siobhan McDermott had put into it. However, I believe it has confirmed my suspicions on who the other conspirator is. Now I have to read the second book in the series to see if I am right.

Ideal for readers who love fantasy adventure.

I LOVED this book! I slowly got into it and then it completely hooked me. I was hanging off every chapter and I grew to so love all the characters. The concept and story was just stunning and I’ve already said it, but I’ll say it again: I loved it!

Following Zhi Ging, we’re introduced to the world with her, of Silhouettes, mystery magic, trials and new friendships. All the elements of the story were just done so well and it made for an effortless and enjoyable read. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen and honestly had no idea how it was going to conclude!

I raced through it in a few days and now I want my own Malo. The cutest little sidekick and he made a great addition to the story. And oof, after that ending I am definitely invested and can’t wait to see how the story develops!