Allison King is an author to watch. This debut novel was historical fiction, literary fiction, and magical realism all in one.

Monica lives with her grandparents, who raised her. Her grandmother was just diagnosed with dementia, and her grandfather can't take care of her on his own. She postpones her return to college, because she can't imagine being anywhere else.

She has an internship with a start-up that wants to take Internet searching and social media one step further. It wants to use social media entries and personal journals to help people connect. Monica uses it to search for her grandmother's cousin, who had been like a sister to her when they were children in Beijing. Their mothers ran the Phoenix Pencil Company and waited for their husbands to come back from WWII.

The story jumps back and forth in time from Monica's story to her grandmother Wong Yun's story. The pencils feature strongly in the story, but I'll let that be the mystery it ought to be when you read this! I thought the book started slowly, but it did pick up as I got further along.

The characters have flaws - big ones - but they are still loveable and definitely relatable. I recommend this book for anyone who loves family stories, historical fiction, and doesn't mind a little splash of magic.

Though the writing was excellent, the story did not hold my attention. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me.

This one unfortunately didn't capture me as I had hoped. While I really enjoyed the historical story line here, I couldn't connect. It felt very slow and there was a lot going on. I think because I read another book so close to this one that also touched on similar themes and time periods, I found myself not as intrigued here. I did end up pairing this with an audio book copy that I purchased myself in hopes it would grasp me and I did love the narrators but it was just so slow and I found myself not wanting to continue. I'll absolutely try to pick this one up again in the future as I did purchase a copy but it needs to be spaced apart from other historical fiction for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for a review!

This book covered a lot of subjects I knew nothing about... and I enjoyed learning more about each of them and at the same time it took me forever to get through. I just didn't feel compelled to find out more very quickly. It will definitely be a favorite for some but it didn't pull me in as much as I hoped it would. I did adore Monica's relationship with her grandparents but I wanted her to have more depth, she just wasn't a compelling protagonist for me.

I love a book that gives me a peek at other cultures and The Phoenix Pencil Company does just that. The two main characters, Monica Tsai, and her grandma, Yun, share more than jus genetics. They share a magical connection through reforging pencils that bring to life the words written by them.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Monica’s technological wizardry with Yun’s low tech pencil making process. The two were able to bridge generational differences through storytelling. And what a story it is. This sweeping narrative takes us from WWII era Shanghai to modern day America. Hidden family secrets emerge along with stories of espionage and intrigue.

I’m a big fan of magical realism, but struggled a bit with the way it was depicted here. There’s a bit of a romance and an Alzheimer’s storyline that made the novel a bit busy for me.

Thank you to William Morrow and Libro.fm for the advance copies. I appreciated the opportunity to do an immersive read. The eARC helped keep timelines and characters straight, while the ALC added a degree of cultural authenticity to the experience.

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King is a book about family, acceptance, learning about and cherishing the past. Monica’s dedication to her grandparents is heartwarming. She wants to do something special for her grandmother’s birthday, which leads to quite a story. When by accident some information about Monica’s life is discovered by her grandparents, love and understanding are on full display. Adding to this story is the mystical ability of pencils. The power of the pencil is fully explained and helps beautifully to tie together all the elements of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who simply enjoys a good read. In fact, I have already recommended it to members of my book club.

This debut novel is a wonderful blend of history, family relationships, technology and a bit of magic. Toss in some romance, and you have a very unique story, Through writing/journaling, family stories are re-told, history is revealed, and relationships forged and mended. Two timelines are involved - 2018 technology in Boston and California, and WWII in Shanghai, plus the civil war that came after.

Timely - how much of our data is out there being farmed? - and touching - can two deeply estranged cousins reconnect late life?

This is an oversimplification of a truly unique story.

“The Phoenix Pencil Company” is the story of a college aged young woman named Monica living in Boston as well as the story of her grandmother who grew up in China during WWII. And it’s about the power of stories and the magical powers that women in their family have.

I really admire the creativity that author Allison King brought to this story. The plot is unique, unlike anything I’ve read before – fantasy, historical fiction, and a little romance all mixed together. Plus some thoughts on the risks and rewards of tech and social media.

My only complaint here is that the plot felt a little more developed than the characters themselves. And there was one aspect of the plot (the less painful method of ‘reforging’) that just felt totally out of left field to me.

But readers who like the sound of fantasy + historical fiction will really enjoy this book, especially those with any interest in learning more about China during WWII or the post-war battles between communists and nationalists.

This book started slow but WOW what a clevel concept. History, magical realism, messy families -- this one packs a punch! Thanks to Allison King, the publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and share my thoughts.

Allison King’s debut novel 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘹 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 is a multigenerational family saga told from the points of view of a granddaughter and grandmother. In 2018 in the northeastern United States, Monica is an engineering student whose work in a university research project—part journaling tool, part search engine—helps her locate a long-lost relative. In late 1930s and 1940s Shanghai, Yun and her cousin Meng come of age during World War II and the civil war and work alongside their mothers for the mysterious family business. Both accounts are told in an epistolary format and explore the importance of human connection, the dangers of commodifying communication, and the power of storytelling. I found the dialogue and prose stilted at times and the pace a bit too slow for my liking, but overall this is an interesting novel with an unraveling family mystery and a dose of magical realism. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to Williams Morrow for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨ Book Pick Highlight ✨
The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King

Monica Tsai is a shy computer science student, sparking up a connection between past and present when she helps build a program called EMBRS, meant to link people through their stories. But the real magic? The family secret of “Reforging” pencils — a power inherited from her grandmother, Yun, that lets you pull memories from graphite and blood.

Wartime Shanghai + family secrets + magic + tech = a story that feels ancient and urgent all at once. If you love generational stories, mysterious powers, and the way our past shapes us (even when we can’t remember), this one’s for you. 😌✍️

4 stars

Allison King’s debut novel The Phoenix Pencil Company was an interesting read that turned out to be nothing like what I expected when I first picked it up. This is one of those books that I would call a “genre mashup” where several different genres – historical fiction, contemporary fiction, light fantasy with touches of magical realism, and even a dash of romance – are woven together to form a compelling story that not only kept me engaged from the beginning, but also continually surprised me with the various directions that the narrative took.
One of the unique aspects about this story is that it is a dual timeline narrative (alternating between past and present), but told in an epistolary format from both first person and second person point of view. The present timeline, written in the form of blog-like journal entries, is told from the perspective of Monica Tsai, a reclusive twenty-something computer engineering student whose two main joys in life are coding and spending time with the beloved grandparents who raised her. When Monica returns home to Cambridge, Massachusetts during the summer of her freshman year in college, she discovers that her grandmother Wong Yun, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s – a discovery that sets Monica on the path of not only reconnecting her grandmother with her long lost cousin Chen Meng, but also unearthing a long-buried family secret: the magical power of Reforging words written with the pencils created by her family’s Phoenix Pencil Company. The historical timeline is told from the perspective of Monica’s grandmother Wong Yun, written in the form of a “letter” to her cousin Chen Meng, through the Reforged pencil which Yun uses to preserve her memories. In this past timeline, we are transported back to late 1930s Shanghai, China, during World War II, as Yun recounts her childhood working with Meng at the family’s Phoenix Pencil Company. With the historical timeline, one of the things I appreciated was the depth of coverage in terms of the historical events on the Asian front during WWII. Indeed, when it comes to novels set during this period, the mainstream familiarity with WWII is traditionally from either the European or the American perspective – from the Chinese perspective however, WWII actually started when Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, which officially launched the Sino-Japanese War and ultimately, Japan’s occupation of various parts of China in the late 1930s when the story’s historical timeline begins. The timeline also covers the period immediately after WWII, with the Chinese civil war in which the Nationalists and the Communists fought for control of China, resulting in the formation of a separate government in Taiwan.

Of course, as a fan of historical fiction, I found the “past” timeline more interesting story-wise, but from a character perspective, the “present” (contemporary) timeline definitely won hands down. I absolutely loved the relationship between Monica and her grandparents – their interactions were so genuine and moving that I was nearly brought to tears more than once, especially during those moments when the characters would find themselves at a crossroads, trying to reconcile the aspects of their culture (for example, the emotional restraint and reticence that is a common trait in Chinese culture) that was in conflict with the reality of their life experiences and situations. I also found it especially refreshing that the novel centered on the Chinese American experience without following the usual immigrant narrative. Instead, it highlighted the significant role of grandparents – a perspective that is deeply important, yet often overlooked.

With that said, there was some “science-y” stuff related to Monica’s profession – coding and tech terminology, specifically – that went completely over my head, but luckily, this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

King’s strong debut is a genre-defying, heartfelt tale that explores family, culture, identity, and sacrifice, while also providing thoughtful insight on contemporary concerns related to the use of technology, data privacy, and consent. While some aspects of the story may require a little bit of patience to get through, the emotional resonance of the characters’ relationships as well as the unique narrative format make this a worthwhile read that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

Moncia is a self-proclaimed recluse. Away from home with her grandparents, she spends most days on her computer. Journaling and coding for a program to help connect strangers online. She worries about her grandma, Yun. Yun survived two wars in China before coming to live in the United States. Yun has a cousin that she has been estranged from for years. When a chance connection in Monica's program leads her to a mysterious match, she discovers that her grandma has a long lost secret.

A family history, with a little magic thrown in.

The flashbacks were great/educational. And the discussion of social media/personal stories felt very timely.


The story itself fell flat at the end.

This is a beautifully woven story about storytelling and belonging across multiple generations. It sparks a lot of reflection questions on the stories we choose to share and owning our narrative and thoughts. The spice was a little oddly placed but overall, I really enjoyed the entire book.

this book was reviewed in 2024 on Day Drinking with Authors

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SPOILER: I did not finish this book, my review is not complete.

This book has so much promise, but I think I read it at the wrong time. It felt like a slog. But just know, I am not a magical realism fan most of the time. Also, reading on Kindle vs. listening probably affected my experience as well. I got this as an ARC from NetGalley. I got 27% through, and decided to put it down and come back when I'm more in the mood. It did not feel like a summer read to me, so I will try again in the fall/winter.

What I have read so far is well-written, and for the right reader, I can see this book being unputdownable. I am not that reader, which makes me sad.

I started off really intrigued by the characters and the direction the story seemed to be heading, but partway through it took a sharp turn into fantasy that just didn’t work for me. The shift caught me off guard, and from that point on, I struggled to stay connected to the characters or fully engage with the plot. The magical elements felt more like a distraction than a natural part of the story. While some readers might enjoy that genre-blending surprise, it ultimately pulled me out of the experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King (@reesesbookclub pick) is a magical and heartfelt story that blends historical fiction and magical realism so beautifully. A woman uncovers her family’s secret gift—drawing memories from pencils—which leads her to her grandmother’s past in wartime Shanghai.

This is a multi-generational story full of family, hidden histories, and the delicate balance of past and present. I adored the Shanghai and US settings and how seamlessly the timelines wove together. It felt both sweeping and cozy at the same time.

The audiobook was phenomenal—with narrators Carolyn Kang, Jodi Long, Sura Siu, and Crystal Yu bringing so much depth to the story. If you’re an audio listener, I highly recommend going that route.

There’s a mild sapphic romance, a little spice (not teen-appropriate, but fine for YA+), and a lot of heart. I love a genre-bending read, and this one definitely delivered.

💭 Favorite quotes:
📖 “The only thing that really matters is the people in our lives, and how we treat them in this moment in time.”
✏️ “The thing you need to know about pencils is that their hearts remember.”

Great magical realism in The Phoenix Pencil Company and I was hoping to figure out how all four women were all connected, so satisfied once I figured it out. I loved how age and time can really make you think that things don’t have to be so serious and you can ultimately find it in your heart to forgive someone. Monica’s grandmother, Yun, really tries her best coming to America, wanting a better life to bring her parents with her but realizing that things don’t always go to plan.

Yun and Meng survive in the only way they know how, making sure that no one else around them has to suffer what they did and hoping for an easier life than 60 years prior. I was just amazed by the points of view and how different and believable all four women sounded. I really wanted to know more about Louise and her history with her parents, glad she wanted to find ways to preserve stories!

I fell in love with how non-judgmental everyone was towards Monica and Louise’s relationship. The phoenix in their arms when they reforged the pencils was so cool, I could imagine how each tattoo/scar looked different on each woman. I can picture this being a movie, please let’s make it happen!

Huge thank you to Allison King and Harper Collins for the opportunity, such a great novel.