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Paper Dragons #2
The Rise of the Sand Spirits
R
eturn to the underwater realm
. . .
Following the infiltration of Hok Woh and possession of her friends, Zhi Ging sets out on a dangerous mission to find Reishi, the Silhouette Scout, whom she believes has been lured into a dangerous trap.
With her adorable now-phoenix Malo by her side, Zhi Ging must fight off dangerous sand spirits, power-hungry enemies and magnificent dragons if she is to save her friends and her new home in the world of the immortals.
But as secrets are uncovered and new enemies emerge, can Zhi Ging figure out who to trust? And, more importantly, how to survive?
Join Zhi Ging and return to the magical underwater realm of Hok Woh in this highly anticipated follow-up to Paper The Fight for the Hidden Realm . Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Dragon Mountain.
PRAISE FOR THE FIGHT FOR THE HIDDEN REALM
'A soaring, luminous new world ... An absolute delight!' Jessica Townsend
'An absolute feast for the senses!' Nizrana Farook
'A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic' Sinead O'Hart
'Full of magical delight' Maisie Chan
'A new classic fantasy adventure' Eoin Colfer
'An incredibly original and immersive fantasy adventure. I cannot wait to read more!' L.D. Lapinski
Following the infiltration of Hok Woh and possession of her friends, Zhi Ging sets out on a dangerous mission to find Reishi, the Silhouette Scout, whom she believes has been lured into a dangerous trap.
With her adorable now-phoenix Malo by her side, Zhi Ging must fight off dangerous sand spirits, power-hungry enemies and magnificent dragons if she is to save her friends and her new home in the world of the immortals.
But as secrets are uncovered and new enemies emerge, can Zhi Ging figure out who to trust? And, more importantly, how to survive?
Join Zhi Ging and return to the magical underwater realm of Hok Woh in this highly anticipated follow-up to Paper The Fight for the Hidden Realm . Perfect for fans of Nevermoor and Dragon Mountain.
PRAISE FOR THE FIGHT FOR THE HIDDEN REALM
'A soaring, luminous new world ... An absolute delight!' Jessica Townsend
'An absolute feast for the senses!' Nizrana Farook
'A thrillingly immersive story of courage, self-discovery, and magic' Sinead O'Hart
'Full of magical delight' Maisie Chan
'A new classic fantasy adventure' Eoin Colfer
'An incredibly original and immersive fantasy adventure. I cannot wait to read more!' L.D. Lapinski
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2025
13 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 7, 2025
This book takes up exactly where Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm leaves off. Zhi Ging learns more about her back story and strengthens friendships while continuing to deal with the bullying of her nemesis, Iridill. Zhi Ging helps the Cyo B'Ahon deal with a new threat to the world of Wengyuen. I really hope there is a third book, although this series was billed from the beginning as only two adventures.
March 15, 2025
What worked:
The book’s first half finds Zhi Ging and other Silhouettes trying to pass twelve challenges. Silhouettes are apprentices to the Cyo B’Ahon, or immortals, and the challenges require them to master twelve different disciplines including Perseverance, Recall, Concealment, and Perception. The tasks Zhi Ging and her friends face differ from what readers might expect. The story includes a bully named Iridill but Zhi Ging can’t understand why the girl’s so mean. She goes out of her way to verbally attack Zhi Ging and uses fear to manipulate others. Strange, painted yellow lines begin to appear on the walls and Iridill tries to direct suspicions in Zhi Ging’s direction. Zhi Ging fears it could doom her hopes of passing the twelve challenges and becoming a Cyo B’Ahon.
The author creates a mystical, magical setting under the sea. How many books incorporate a phoenix along with jellyfish of different sizes helping the immortals train the Silhouettes? Jellyfish assist by recording stories, carrying messages, supervising the students, and doing other tasks for the immortals. Early in the book, cut paper birds are animated and protect Zhi Ging. In the previous book, many of the Silhouettes became thralls, minions for the antagonist named Ami, and Zhi Ging now discovers they’ve been frozen into statues. The Silhouettes are protected by Cyo B’Ahon with talents in Prediction and they’re supported by battle cranes. The book’s second half shifts to a more desert-like setting and presents even more imaginative descriptions.
Zhi Ging and her mentors suspect the Matchmakers are doing some shady things. Children have been disappearing but no one is sure why they’re being targeted or where they’ve gone. The Matchmakers aggressively try to force kids to eat buns they’ve made but Zhi Ging discovers grains of sand in the middle. This detail draws Sand Spirits into the plot and opens many new questions. Sand Spirits don’t work with humans so what would make them become allies with the Matchmakers? It seems to have something to do with an upcoming ceremony. Zhi Ging learns something about her past that rocks her world and has her questioning her life. Is she the reason behind the abductions of children?
What didn’t work as well:
This book doesn’t recap the backstory so readers will need to have clear memories of what’s already happened. The setting and language are unique to the story and readers need to have a working knowledge to follow along. It can be challenging at times.
The final verdict:
You should read Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm before reading this book. Blending Chinese folklore into the story creates an imaginative adventure with memorable characters. It’s a gripping tale and I recommend you give it a shot.
The book’s first half finds Zhi Ging and other Silhouettes trying to pass twelve challenges. Silhouettes are apprentices to the Cyo B’Ahon, or immortals, and the challenges require them to master twelve different disciplines including Perseverance, Recall, Concealment, and Perception. The tasks Zhi Ging and her friends face differ from what readers might expect. The story includes a bully named Iridill but Zhi Ging can’t understand why the girl’s so mean. She goes out of her way to verbally attack Zhi Ging and uses fear to manipulate others. Strange, painted yellow lines begin to appear on the walls and Iridill tries to direct suspicions in Zhi Ging’s direction. Zhi Ging fears it could doom her hopes of passing the twelve challenges and becoming a Cyo B’Ahon.
The author creates a mystical, magical setting under the sea. How many books incorporate a phoenix along with jellyfish of different sizes helping the immortals train the Silhouettes? Jellyfish assist by recording stories, carrying messages, supervising the students, and doing other tasks for the immortals. Early in the book, cut paper birds are animated and protect Zhi Ging. In the previous book, many of the Silhouettes became thralls, minions for the antagonist named Ami, and Zhi Ging now discovers they’ve been frozen into statues. The Silhouettes are protected by Cyo B’Ahon with talents in Prediction and they’re supported by battle cranes. The book’s second half shifts to a more desert-like setting and presents even more imaginative descriptions.
Zhi Ging and her mentors suspect the Matchmakers are doing some shady things. Children have been disappearing but no one is sure why they’re being targeted or where they’ve gone. The Matchmakers aggressively try to force kids to eat buns they’ve made but Zhi Ging discovers grains of sand in the middle. This detail draws Sand Spirits into the plot and opens many new questions. Sand Spirits don’t work with humans so what would make them become allies with the Matchmakers? It seems to have something to do with an upcoming ceremony. Zhi Ging learns something about her past that rocks her world and has her questioning her life. Is she the reason behind the abductions of children?
What didn’t work as well:
This book doesn’t recap the backstory so readers will need to have clear memories of what’s already happened. The setting and language are unique to the story and readers need to have a working knowledge to follow along. It can be challenging at times.
The final verdict:
You should read Paper Dragons: The Fight for the Hidden Realm before reading this book. Blending Chinese folklore into the story creates an imaginative adventure with memorable characters. It’s a gripping tale and I recommend you give it a shot.
September 23, 2025
After rescuing the numb thralls from their mind controlling kidnapper, Zhi Ging works hard to help find a cure to revive her fellow students from their gray-eyed daze. As they slowly return to consciousness and classes, they face school exams and local bullying as well as the need to return the students who've been trapped as thralls for decades. But gray tentacles keep interfering, and it eventually becomes clear that not everything is as it seems, and Zhi Ging's power is once again the catalyst for a brutal rebellion.
I might be wrong, but I feel that this book might be a little too complex. There are a lot of storylines, and I liked most of them well enough, but the transition from one to another was difficult at times, if not bewildering. I had a hard time keeping track of characters or understanding the protagonist's motivations at times. I'm also frustrated at the way the authority figures in this book handle bullying. That gave me all kinds of bad feelings. It's clear that this book series isn't ready to be over, but I'll have to wait to see how much I want to read volume 3. It could be fun. But I hope it actually ties off some of the loose threads that have been dangling for far too long.
I might be wrong, but I feel that this book might be a little too complex. There are a lot of storylines, and I liked most of them well enough, but the transition from one to another was difficult at times, if not bewildering. I had a hard time keeping track of characters or understanding the protagonist's motivations at times. I'm also frustrated at the way the authority figures in this book handle bullying. That gave me all kinds of bad feelings. It's clear that this book series isn't ready to be over, but I'll have to wait to see how much I want to read volume 3. It could be fun. But I hope it actually ties off some of the loose threads that have been dangling for far too long.
March 10, 2025
The Rise of the Sand Spirits has an exciting, action-packed opening, but slows down in the middle when Zhi Ging returns to resume her training at Hok Woh and the focus shifts to the students recovering from being frozen, and the continued drama with Iridill. I greatly admired Zhi Ging's determination to uncover the truth about the Sand Spirits, as well as her willingness to place herself in danger to assist her friends. The strengths of this book lie in its intriguing magic, the addition of Malo, a little troublemaking phoenix, the school and the challenges that the apprentice's undergo. I found myself wanting to know more about the Floating Markets and the Chinese folklore and mythology that this story is partially based off. Finally, I enjoyed that the bullying of Zhi Ging that was present at the beginning of the book began to soften, and she began to get some answers to her questions, as well as gained insight into her past. The story ends with a huge reveal, so I would recommend starting with The Fight for the Hidden Realm. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
**A huge thank you to Banholzer PR for the E-ARC**
**A huge thank you to Banholzer PR for the E-ARC**
March 15, 2025
The first book was an easy 5 stars for me and I loved it! I reread it before the sequel came out to remember where we left off and loved it just as much the second time. This sequel was fine, but not nearly as good as the first. It felt like it was missing direction in many ways. The first book had a clear goal and the whole story felt like we were building up to the conclusion. In this book, the plot felt pieced together and more random instead of having a clear consistent build up. In addition, the emotional intensity seemed off with a lot of the interpersonal dynamics (not having consistent attention to friends/mentor being in jeopardy, not having proportionate reactions when fear for friends was resolved, etc.). Overall, it just felt less cohesive than the first book. Not bad, but not 5 stars like the first!
June 15, 2025
I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this work by Netgalley in return for an honest review.
In this second book we rejoin Zhi Ging and her phoenix Mallow. They are on the search for the missing Silhouettes and Reishi Silhouette Scout. She gets lucky and finds them and returns the underwater city and her lessons.
But will her friends ever recover from what Amy did to them
Find out in this exciting and enchanting read. The frist book was brilliant this is amazing. It took me awhile to pick it up but wow! This is turning into an epic journey.
The characters are wonderfully written and you can find things in each of them to like or hate. There's alot of clever word play and so much to love about this incredible story. Loved it and can not wait to see what happens next!!
In this second book we rejoin Zhi Ging and her phoenix Mallow. They are on the search for the missing Silhouettes and Reishi Silhouette Scout. She gets lucky and finds them and returns the underwater city and her lessons.
But will her friends ever recover from what Amy did to them
Find out in this exciting and enchanting read. The frist book was brilliant this is amazing. It took me awhile to pick it up but wow! This is turning into an epic journey.
The characters are wonderfully written and you can find things in each of them to like or hate. There's alot of clever word play and so much to love about this incredible story. Loved it and can not wait to see what happens next!!
April 1, 2025
Part of a series, this story fuses ideas from from Chinese mythology with entirely original fantasy elements to create a unique world building that transports the reader to a different realm altogether.
There is a lot packed into this story about a young apprentice Silhouette, her pet phoenix Malo, and her friends, enemies and frenemies.
There's plenty of action, a dramatic storyline, and many clever little touches which showcase the writer's imagination and activate that of the reader. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
There is a lot packed into this story about a young apprentice Silhouette, her pet phoenix Malo, and her friends, enemies and frenemies.
There's plenty of action, a dramatic storyline, and many clever little touches which showcase the writer's imagination and activate that of the reader. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
October 30, 2025
Since I enjoyed the first book, though I found the pacing a little rushed towards the end, I knew I had to come back to the second to continue the storyline.
Wasting no time, Book Two picks up where Book One left off without any faffing about. The storyline was interesting, though it did stagnate a little once we returned back to the underwater city. Characters were just as well written as in the previous book, with developments only adding to the vivid imagery of them.
Overall a great read, enjoyed it more than the first!
Wasting no time, Book Two picks up where Book One left off without any faffing about. The storyline was interesting, though it did stagnate a little once we returned back to the underwater city. Characters were just as well written as in the previous book, with developments only adding to the vivid imagery of them.
Overall a great read, enjoyed it more than the first!
June 26, 2025
I loved this book, just as much as the first. I'm only sad that I now have to wait for the third one to come out!
My favourite characters are still the animal companions, Malo and the jellyfish have my heart.
My favourite characters are still the animal companions, Malo and the jellyfish have my heart.
May 11, 2025
I forgot everything
June 2, 2025
I deleted my review by accident and I cant get it back ill wright it again later 😊🐲🐉🐙🐦🐥
June 16, 2025
This book was a little slower than the first book but offered a pleasant tie-in to things just mentioned previously. overall enjoyable, and my daughter can't wait for the next book.
August 28, 2025
i think i liked this one better than the first, as it built on the world established and raised the stakes. also love the author's note about the influences of different characters' names
eligible-in-2025
March 18, 2025Note Mark's recommendation to read Paper Dragons #1 before jumping into this one. http://buxfantasy.blogspot.com/2025/0...
June 7, 2025
It was so great to be back in Hok Woh and with Zhi Ging and the gang again. Though this book didn’t blow me away the way the first book did, I still massively enjoyed it and I just think it’s a great series.
If you (or your child) don’t remember the first book that well, I would urge you to reread it. Though I remembered things as I read on, the start has a lot of action that follow directly after the events of the last book and I was confused a bit until I remembered enough to follow it.
The added danger with the sand spirits was really interesting. Though I felt the plot was on hold a bit while we went back to Hok Woh and the school, maybe I’m just not so used to reading books for younger readers anymore! I don’t remember being so impatient for the action to happen when I was a kid, but maybe I got more enchanted in the world and what was happening back then.
This is a solid series for a 9-12 age group. Especially for parents looking to add some diversity to their child’s reading. It’s great for adults too and would be a perfect bedtime book!
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cross-posted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
If you (or your child) don’t remember the first book that well, I would urge you to reread it. Though I remembered things as I read on, the start has a lot of action that follow directly after the events of the last book and I was confused a bit until I remembered enough to follow it.
The added danger with the sand spirits was really interesting. Though I felt the plot was on hold a bit while we went back to Hok Woh and the school, maybe I’m just not so used to reading books for younger readers anymore! I don’t remember being so impatient for the action to happen when I was a kid, but maybe I got more enchanted in the world and what was happening back then.
This is a solid series for a 9-12 age group. Especially for parents looking to add some diversity to their child’s reading. It’s great for adults too and would be a perfect bedtime book!
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cross-posted to thewhisperingofthepages.co.uk
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews