First off, the blue and the red in the cover make for such a beautiful combination! It's like soo pretty on the hc <3

This book was a super interesting fantasy, and I loved the main MC so so much 🥲 her bright and optimistic determination is an inspiration okay

Also, paper magic?? This is so innovative?? Also, debating the free will of magical creatures, and the MC fighting for their physical and mental freedom?? Absolute best.

TWs - violence

-- ty to the author, the publisher and @coloredpagesbooktours for a gifted copy!

This has a wonderful magic system based on Japanese culture that was fascinating. It felt like a steampunky historical medieval Japan with massive airships and interesting monsters. At the same time though, the characters were flat, I never felt like rooting for Kurara or Himura, and the twists fell flat. It's a solid middle grade book especially suitable for fans of the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

Story: Kurara works in the kitchens of the large airship Midori. It's a thankless job for an orphan but at least she has her best friend - until the unthinkable happens and he is taken away from her. Desperate to bring him back, Kurara is willing to use her strong paper-magic crafting talent in the service of the fearsome kingdom's princess. But in order to get the princess' attention, she'll need to hone her skills. Fortunately, crafter Himura is willing to take her on.

It is frustrating to have such a great world inhabited by paper thin characters (pun intended). Kurara is yet another "all action, no brains" character that constantly says or does really stupid things - and everyone just pats her on the head for it no matter how much trouble it causes. Indeed, Kurara's poor decisions will get people killed but no one seems to have a problem with this, which is baffling. As a character, Kurara is unlikable - lacking charisma or any kind defining characteristics other than impulsive decisions. I will always prefer reading about characters who use their intelligence to quietly and efficiently get things done - but there are none of those characters here. Similarly, Himura is a cypher despite having large chunks of POV throughout the story. It was hard to want to follow either as a result.

I am unsure if I want to continue the series. It ended abruptly with a twist that was very telegraphed. But I just didn't care about any of the characters and it was hard to drum up any interest in seeing where they would go. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

A unique YA book with a very cool magic system.

Picture this you live in a flying city that is being attacked by a dragon....but that dragon is made of paper. In this story the main character is a young girl who has no memory of her past. She woke up next to her best friend, but anything before that is missing. She has the ability of a creator or someone who can manipulate paper into a variety of things. She hides this talent until she is found by another creator...and so the story begins.

On the other side there is a group of rebels who believe the sky cities should be free.

The book has two main POVs, I do wish the characters would have been more fleshed out because at time they felt a little flat. The world and magic system more than make up for that shortfall though.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin is a Japanese-inspired fantasy featuring shikigami (think the paper dolls attacking Haku in Spirited Away), references to Tanabata, and a really interesting magic system. It’s quite fast paced with shorter chapters and rotates between three POVs: Kurara, our main character, Himura, a Crafter, and Rei, who has plans of his own for their world.

I read this in about three days from start to finish. It’s very easy to become engrossed in the worldbuilding’s execution and how that plays a part in the story. Kurara’s best friend, Haru, is revealed to be a shikigami himself early on and it raises a lot of questions on what makes someone human. Kurara and Himura are both Crafters and they clash in their views of shikigami but they need each other to achieve their goals.

Another thing I really loved was how much thought went into what kind of world would have sky islands and how that would impact food, clothes, culture, etc. compared to if that same world had people who lived on the ground. The Sorabito were one of my favorite worldbuilding details besides the references to Tanabata.

I would recommend this to fans of Japanese fantasy, fans of faster-paced YA fantasy with no romance, and readers looking for a unique magic system.

“We are of stardust
Forged and formed from the heavens
Universe made flesh”

Spirited Away meets Kubo and the Two Strings Ghibli-style meets steampunk fantasy YA adventure novel featuring dragons, Origami magic, Japanese mythology and folklore, and cities in the sky.

This was a beautifully imagined and intricate world with an incredibly unique paper magic system rife with intrigue and secrets and immersive battle scenes. I loved the adventure our heroine, Kurara went through to try and her get friend back. From page one she was loyal to a fault, determined, and the way she persevered through all the challenges thrown her way had me rooting for her from page one.

While the setting, the world, and magic system were fully realized there were quite a large number of characters and many of them weren't given enough screen time that I feel as if cutting down the multitude of characters introduced would've made for a much stronger novel.

Nonetheless, this was a joy to read through and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I loved the premise of this novel -- paper monsters, Crafters who control the paper, a dark and dangerous plot that puts important people at risk. The world-building is not strong enough and I much of the first half of the novel confused and trying to get my bearings. I wasn't truly invested in the story until the 60% mark, which is really late. This is a great concept but not executed very well.

This book reads almost like it could be a Studio Ghibli movie. I could clearly picture the entire scene and its almost whimsical nature. I thought the writing, although dragged at times, was well written and paced. The characters are fully fleshed out and I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books for allowing me an arc of this book.

Rebel Skies is a fantastic start to the series. There’s intrigue, secrets, rebellion, and so much more in this first book.

Kurara is the heart of the story. She has no memory of her past life except for what her friend Haru and others have told her. The ship she worked on is attacked and she is rescued by Himura.

This is only the beginning of her journey where she must fight for herself and what she believes in. Her path is blocked by those with power, betrayal, and her own doubts and fears.

I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you again NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books for the pleasure of reading this debut novel.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Rebel Skies.

This fantasy is incredibly imaginative with sky cities, all manner of airborne ships, origami creatures, and a strong female heroine. When the airship “Rara” lives on is destroyed by a dangerous creature created by Crafters who have the ability to form and control paper, her life of servitude ends, but she also learns her best friend Haru is not who she thought he was. After joining a ship whose motley crew hunts the paper creatures to sell their cores to royalty, she discovers even more secrets. There are plenty of battle and action scenes, and so far there is no romance. The novel is clearly set up for a sequel and would appeal to upper middle graders who like action in their fantasy.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It set a relentless pace, throwing us right into the action which unfolds dynamically between POV characters Kurara and Himura, with interludes from Rei. The paper-based magic was really interesting (though I think I would have wanted a bit more structure, since Kurara seems to pick it up VERY quickly, and we only meet Crafters who are excellent and none who are mediocre; it’s hard to conceptualize how common Crafters are among the population). But more than that, I loved the theme of autonomy and personhood (which is always a fav when there are non-human sentient characters).

The goal was obviously rapid revelation of information and plot movement. Things like worldbuilding, politics, how Crafting works, side characters: these all sort of fall by the wayside.

But, luckily for me, I already got approved for the sequel, and I can’t WAIT to see where it goes from here

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I am so grateful to have been sent Rebel Skies and Rebel Fire in advance of the North American release!

I truly have no words, I felt so many different emotions going through this book. I loved how fast-paced and adventurous it was while attaching me to the characters so early on that I felt the need to finish it quickly to see where their story would go.

Kurara has no memory of her past life when all of these events start to take place and she’s solely driven by wanting to get her friend back, the most pure form of love. Along the way, she learns that shikigami, paper spirits that are usually controlled by a master, have their own souls and are their own beings with feelings and pain that the humans blatantly ignore. Kurara recognizes this and that allows her to learn so much about herself and her own power.

I would absolutely recommend this to any fantasy lover or really any reader. I found myself in tears over the storyline especially towards the end, and I think there are truly valuable lessons to be learned through these characters. I loved getting to peek into Asian culture as well, and I cannot wait to read the sequel, Rebel Fire, later this year!

**Initial Reaction**: 9

**Characters:** 10

**Setting:** 8

**Plot:** 9

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 7

**Ending:** 10

**Enjoyment:** 10

71 / 16 = 4.4375

Rounded Rating = 4.5

The start of a new magic series, centered around shikigami, wild paper spirits. Kurara has no knowledge of her past but works as a servant on a flying ship. She is skilled in making paper come alive abut must keep her origami skills a secret from the empire. When Kurara's ship is attacked, she ends up with Himura, who takes on the task of teaching her how to become a Crafter. The more Kurara learns about how to shape and imbue paper, the more she realizes something is different about her and her past. Her goal is to meet the Princess and discover the knowledge she has about shikigami. Overall, an interesting start to a fantasy series that features world building like Studio Ghibli. While the setting is well developed, the characters aren't as fleshed out and hopefully more of their background and motivations are explained in the next book.

Rebel Skies is an exciting read, perfect for Studio Ghibli fans looking for that type of awe-inspiring magic and world-building in the pages of a book.

The start of Kurara's adventure was like visualizing scenes from Spirited Away, which was wonderful and yet it made me nervous about how many similarities there would be. But the story quickly turns into it's own thing as we learn about shikigami (paper beasts), class divisions in society, and a surprising discovery by Kurara herself. We then set on a journey for Kurara to develop her Crafter skills -- people who can manipulate paper -- to impress the princess of their kingdom, who (according to her mentor) is the only person able to help Kurara with her discovery.

The story slows its pace towards the middle as we get the usual scenes of an MC meeting their crew, then short training montages, learning advanced techniques, and so on. I was never bored, but I also didn't have any urgency in returning to reading the next chapter like I have with unputdownable books. The ending picks back up the pacing and we're left with a non-resolution that I'm guessing will continue in book 2.

There were two things that didn't exactly work for me:

1) The character development remained surface level. We get their personalities front and center, and I could guess at each character's background and motives, but very little is revealed and confirmed to the reader, so I just stopped wondering at some point.

2) This one is a huge pet peeve of mine, but a villain POV is included. These often take out the mystery or the shocking surprises in the story because we literally know what's coming from the villains own POV. I always prefer an MC who works to uncover the villain, than the villain being shown to us by the author.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Rebel Skies and I'll be looking forward to the next book. This reads like a younger YA title, so I'll be interested to see how it grows along.

Wow, this was such a fast-paced read! I feel like it toed the line between middle grade and YA but with some very sad animal-esque death content?? You'll see.

I felt the side characters could have been more fleshed out, but then I guess the quick pacing would have suffered. The plot twists were really well done!

honestly, i loved the writing and plot a lot. i felt that the world-building was great and magical.

the characters, however, seemed flat to me. i didn't feel connected or care for the characters much. if the character development was better, the rating would have been a lot higher!

overall, i loved the vibes of this book and would recommend it to others. final rating: 3/5

Really interesting! I love the ghibli like vibes, and overall think this is a great intro into YA!

I love the paper magic, almost the origami art form made magic. So unique!

This book was a fun ride! It reminded me heavily of Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky mixed with the Mortal Engines books. This book is definitely appropriate for younger teens. No romantic subplot, just a girl trying to save her friend and a master teaching her how to use her powers. The violence and death is fairly low for this style adventure book.

The paper Crafting gave me Spirited Away vibes. I loved the plot twists and battle sequences. I loved the friendships the main female character made. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!

Content Warning: betrayal, murder (of beings made from paper and two humans. The human deaths happen quickly: one dies from essentially an explosion but the other has their throat sliced and blood gushing is mentioned.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Sometimes a middle grade/young adult book comes around that makes me wish that i was 14 again hyperfixating on a new book series. This book is one of them. Rebel Skies is such a fun book. It very much wear its inspiration on its sleeves - Castle in the Sky meets Mortal Engines . But Lin manages to make it completely in own with floating airships and people with really awsome origami magic.

Kirara is such a fantastic main character and the cast of characters she meets and becomes familiar with were all wonderful additions to such a lush and vibrant world.

My only big critiques of the piece is that there were certain elements of the world building that felt just a little confusing, especially the names of certain things being very similar to each other.

Rebel Skies is just a fun time and i'd gladly read the next instalment!

Thank you the author Ann Sei Lin, Penguin Random House Canada, and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be released on February 13, 2024.

Genre: YA fantasy
Subgenre: silkpunk (Asian-inspired fantasy w/ steampunk technology)

Give me flying cities and origami creatures! This book captured my interest quickly. In the first couple chapters, we’re catapulted head-first into this Japanese-inspired world as a dragon shikigami attacks the floating Midori fortress. The author does a great job painting rich, visceral images and charged action scenes.

The attack on Midori serves as the inciting incident that ejects our female protagonist Rurara along with her brother-like friend Haru out of their lives of servitude. Rurara encounters Himura, who is a crafter. Crafters wield the "magic" of this world; they can create and command shikigami creatures, part paper and part spirit. Himura and his rag-tag skyship crew hunt rogue shikigami gone mad and kill them. When Rurara hitches a ride on Himura's ship, she learns how to be a crafter herself and sets off on a quest to help Haru. Along the way, Rurara makes friends and finds out that shikigami might be more than toys and tools.

The first couple chapters and the end of the book are superb. The author crafted a stunning fantasy world with a solid premise. Unfortunately, the book's middle is wanting. We get a lot of traveling. I would have liked more relationship building so that the reveals and ending feel supported. I also would have liked fuller characterizations, as I feel that the characters are only fleshed out in so far as it serves the plot. The result is that the "villains" feel mustache-twirling and one-dimensional. Most problematically, I'm not sure that we got enough complex internal thinking from Rurara to make her background, motivations, and beliefs match up. Without strong character and relationship moments, the plot lagged in the middle with some repetitious thoughts and character beats.

The other major flaw has to do with world building. Through the course of the story, we learn that society is deeply stratified by races/classes: the imperial family, the groundlings, the Sorabito, and the crafters. These distinctions are discussed. We get the discriminatory abuse scene(s). Various characters have engrained bigotries. However, this did not feel like an organic part of the world building. In general, the book zooms into Rurara but is largely plot-heavy.

Overall, I thought this was a fun book with an imaginative, fun magic system. The world building and character work do not feel fully developed, but this is okay if you set your expectations accordingly. If I had to make a comparison, I would say this had similar plot elements to The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Steward (although Rebel Skies is shallower and lighter in tone).

3.25-3.5

Rebel Skies has a very interesting magic system and phenomenal world-building. Giving strong Studio Ghibli vibes it seems right down my alley, and it was... but also wasn't.

What I liked about Rebel Skies:

- POC representation. I always love seeing Asian representation in the media that I can relate to.

- The world-building and magical system was well thought out and immersive. Paper magic, flying ships, cities in the sky, all the makings of a Studio Ghibli film.

- Things really kicked off in climax at the end leaving me very intrigued to continue the series.

- The animal companions were by far my favorite characters in this story. The lore behind them was super interesting.

What could have worked better for me:

- I felt no attachment to the characters. Sure, I liked the main character, Kurara, but I wasn't especially fond of her, or any of the human characters.

- The pacing. For me, the middle of the story dragged. The beginning was interesting, the middle slow, and the ending was much faster-paced.

- Though I liked the ending, it didn't feel like an ending to me. Instead, it felt like this was the middle of a book that was simply split into two books. There wasn't really any resolution or an ending of an arc.

Overall, I still enjoyed my time with Rebel Skies. I think it was a good debut and am going to pick up the second book.