PAPER DRAGONS

In this series-opening debut, an orphan girl has one year to prove herself worthy of immortality, despite the uncertain nature of her powers and the outside forces threatening the whole community.

Though she’s been raised among the Glassmiths since she was a baby, 12-year-old Yeung Zhi Ging has always been different. Now that her guardian is in her Final Year, Zhi Ging is doomed to be put to work doing the hazardous job of cleaning the underwater glass letter-delivery pipes until she drowns. That is, unless she can become her province’s next Silhouette. Silhouettes train in 12 skill areas, which help them protect the provinces and become immortal. Zhi Ging travels to the immortal realm along with her rival, Iridill, the daughter of the Lead Glassmith. From lessons to dragon boat races, Zhi Ging must fend off Iridill’s false accusations that she’s deliberately misusing magic. But Zhi Ging’s odd powers and their connection to old stories may be key to saving the immortals and her new Silhouette friends from a supernatural menace. The mix of school-based drama and episodic adventures meanders back and forth while building to a shocking climax. Classic themes of finding friendship and one’s own identity are refreshed by a Hong Kong–inspired fantasy setting that’s filled with jade, gold, glass, and mythological creatures. While Zhi Ging’s exploits follow familiar beats, the worldbuilding will appeal to readers hungry to explore new worlds.

A solid contribution to the magical boarding school genre.