Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm
Siobhan McDermott
Hodder Children’s Books

Born in Hong Kong, the author grew up with a mixture of Chinese legends and Irish folklore and she draws on these for her debut novel.

Born under mysterious circumstances, twelve-year-old orphan Zhi Ging grows up feeling different from all the others living in her village Fei Chui, but can’t understand why. So, rather than working in the treacherous post pipe to make a living, she decides to go to Hok Woh, the underwater magic training school and learn the skills to become an immortal Cyo B’Ahon. However she doesn’t pass the entrance exam but through resolve, determination and stubbornness she eventually gets an acceptance lantern giving her entry to Hok Woh where she must succeed in twelve challenges to pass her Silhouette year.

It gradually emerges that Zhi Ging has special powers but they put her into much more danger with her life being at stake on occasion as she takes on deadly enemies while in so doing she works out her own identity. Some of the candidates are eliminated for failing various trials but with help both human and magical, she gets through all twelve.

Running through the story is a thread that it’s fine to be different and several at Hok Woh – students and teachers – have a feature that makes them different. It also seems that there may be a traitor in their midst but who will it turn out to be?

With a dramatic ending, this is an unusual adventure in a superbly built fantasy world. I eagerly await the next episode, The Rise of the Sand Spirits coming in April.