Thank you to Allison King, HarperCollins Publishers, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review (unpaid).

A beautiful, multi-generational story about love and lies.

The story follows two story lines. The first story is of Meng and Yun, cousins in China during the war. Working at thd phoenix pencil company. The second story follows Monica who is Yuns granddaughter who is trying to connect the two women that were separated when they were teenagers. I really wished the story explained more about why Monica was raised by her grandparents. Overall it was an interesting story.

This story follows a family of women with the gift of making pencils but also taking in the stories/messages written by those pencils along with the ability to Reforge the stories onto paper for others to read.

The Phoenix Pencil Company is a debut novel that spans generations and continents. The characters change and grow, and there is also a tangential love story. The plot, while simplistic, was hopeful and original. True to the culture and timeline, the story echoes the question, "who owns your story and who will tell it?"

I overall loved the story. I gave it 3 stars and not 4 b/c of one character - Louise. I felt like there was a lot unanswered about this character and wished some of the unanswered parts of her background and her connection to one of the characters had been explained more in depth.

This wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the author's writing style. I started this book too many times to say. I had to force myself to complete. I'm sure others will enjoy this.

What choices would you make to survive foreign invasions and years of Communist regime? Do we have a right to share someone's story in the interest of an expanded history, or does the story belong to the person that lived it? These are just some of the questions that Allison King explores in The Phoenix Pencil Company. This work of historical fiction is written through blog posts, letters and journal entries entirely. The story follows cousins Ming and Yun, separated after World War 2, and continues through Yun's granddaughter, Monica. King's characters are well-developed and the reader feels for difficult decisions the character make and feels for challenging experiences.

Forgive my brief, steam-of-consciousness review - I became a mom to beautiful identical twin girls in June, so life has been a whirlwind ever since! While I’m still able to get some reading in, putting together coherent words for a review is much more difficult than it was a couple of months ago :)

I was really intrigued by the premise of this one when it first came onto my radar - while it was a unique and entertaining read, the novel as a whole didn’t quite work for me as well as I’d hoped. The story is told from two different POVs, following young coder Monica and her grandmother, as Monica slowly starts to learn about her family’s past. While I loved the history lesson of experiences in China during WWII, I never really grasped the magic piece (particularly the “second way” of reforging – just, why?) and found it harder to root for the characters than I anticipated. There’s a love story element that I struggled with a bit in the end. I think much of the reason I found it hard to connect with the larger story is that there were too many unanswered questions for me – did Louise have a family connection to Shanghai? What happened to Monica’s mom? I was also thrown by feeling like the messages about memory and sharing stories were mixed. I didn’t dislike it as a whole, but it felt much more YA than I usually enjoy and I ended up skimming a bit to finish it since I wasn’t nearly as invested as I’d hoped to be.

I did really appreciate the unique storytelling here though, and will certainly keep an eye out for what this author does next! Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I appreciate the concept that a pencil could possibly hold memory of the words written using it but the way that those memories are retrieved freaked me out more than a little. That said, I loved the connections these women shared and the epic saga that unfolded throughout this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance review copy.

This started so strong for me. First, I was dazzled by the gorgeous cover, then immediately fell in love with the characters and the premise. But it fell off for me as the story got more drawn out. The chapters alternated between Monica and Yun and they both did a lot of thinking and not a lot of doing. Monica’s indicision baffled and frustrated me. As it progressed, I got bored and skipped a few chapters. I struggled to get my mind around the magical element in the story and had the hardest time picturing what was going on. What I did like is the relationship between the grandmother/granddaughter and the exploration of the power of stories, but, unfortunately, this Reese’s Book Club pick fizzled out for me.

I loved how Monica was able to learn her family's history and rebuild connections when she felt so alone as her grandparent's health deteriorated.

Overall this struck me as a tale about who gets to tell your story and privacy. As so many of us have huge digital footprints these days, it hits deeply.

I love a good genre mash-up, and this debut novel, inspired by the author's grandparents and their pencil company, is that. Magical realism, historical fiction, multi-generation family drama, and romance blended into a dual timeline narrative make for a pageturner of a plot. I am very particular about fantasy/magical realism being blended into a realistic story, but Allison King has made it work. I enjoyed learning more Chinese history through my reading of this one, as well as the very relevant consideration of data privacy. Bravo to this first novel!

A beautifully written, heartwarming story about creativity, resilience, and rediscovery. With rich characters and a nostalgic love for craftsmanship, this novel reminds us that even the simplest tools—like a pencil—can spark profound change. I was drawn to the sense of loyalty Monica had for her grandparents. They had taken care when she was abandoned by her parents and now as her Grandmother faces a major health issue, Monica is right there to provide the support she needs. Learning her Grandmother's story through the aid of a pencil adds mystery and a bit of fantasy to the story. Highly recommend.

A heartwarming and thoughtful story about resilience, creativity, and the power of second chances. The characters are authentic and relatable, with struggles and dreams that pull you in from the first page.

Allison King weaves a narrative that blends personal growth with a touch of romance, making it a satisfying read for fans of contemporary fiction with emotional depth and hope. 3.5 ⭐️

This was a beautiful exploration of a time in history we don't really hear much about, at least I haven't anyway. I really thought the structure of the book was interesting too -love me a dual time line! So much fun!
I liked both storylines, but I think if I had to choose it would be the one in the past. The idea of a pencil giving up its secrets with a magical power was very interesting to me. I always enjoy reading books with magical realism. I loved the exploration of communication, what we decide to share, what is shared without our consent, and what it means to post online.. This book was really different but I still really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy it just as much! Happy reading y'all! Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher and Author for allowing me to read this arc for my honest review.

"Take my words, take my heart, they are yours always. Even as my mind fades, I give my story to you, you who know in the same way that I know, their power. I have lived mine, and you have lived yours. That our stories can be together now, for this moment in time, is a gift. That they can help another two girls move forward with their lives— that is the greatest power of all."

I don't think it was surprising to anyone that women could have an ability to absorb stories and bleed them out (or used as an intelligence tool). It would never be the men: they would never know when to keep their mouth shut and not out anyone. Two sisters did exactly that. They produced pencils that can store memories, be the carrier pigeon between two sides of a war, teach their young (and not teach in some cases). All they wanted to do was to protect their families, their country, and innocent people. While doing so, they were exposed to horrors of the times.

Just like not being able to take the time back or unsay the things you once said, imagine how cautious you would be knowing the pencil you are using recording everything hits the paper. You won't be hiding the dairies but the pencils. But also it would take away the uncertainty of the memory and potential loss and confusion come with the passing time. Just like every super power, it would be a double edged sword waiting for good hands to grab it. And they are those good hands holding the pencil in this story

Such an interesting read! I really enjoyed the historical connection to present day which combined to help tell the importance of the "story" each of our lives tell ~ good and bad. While it was a little fantastical for my usual preference, the characters and storyline held my interest and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would overall. I give it 4.25 stars and do recommend! Thanks NetGalley for this sneak peek!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this title. I also purchased the audiobook myself, and ended up listening to the majority of the book. The audio version is fantastic, in particular, the narrator for the grandmother. King has crafted an original debut that alternates between the viewpoints of a close grandmother and granddaughter as well as alternating between modern times and grandmother's memories of growing up in an ever-changing China at war. Highly recommend picking up this audiobook as a not so typical historical fiction that blends fantasy and intergenerational relationships.

I liked the historical fiction part of this book but found the "reforming" techniques too sci-fi for my taste also this book seemed to go on and on and could have used tighter editing. I had a hard time finishing this book. It started off interesting but did not have much of a present day plot. It felt like it tried to be too many things. It was a historical fiction/sci-fi/YA/romance.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and think it was a strong debut, but there were also some things that just didn't work for me either. The story jumps between two time periods - the Chinese Civil War (focused on two cousins and the family pencil factory in Shanghai) and modern day Boston where Monica Tsai is living with her grandparents (her grandmother being one of the cousins from the flashback). There's a strong magical realism element where the family legacy is that the women have the ability to "Reforge" the words that have been written from their pencils, by interacting with the lead in the pencil. This is sort of where the book didn't work for me -- the mechanisms by which the women are able to Reforge the words from the pencil (let's just say it involves some tender skin, and some pain or pleasure to draw out the words). Every time the Reforging is mentioned and described I found myself flinching a bit. I also had some questions about Louise's character. I never really understood how she got involved with the family in the story, and was she introduced as a non-family member so there could also be a sapphic element in the novel? Maybe combining a modern day romance PLUS a family history story with the magical realism elements was one too many things. Regardless, it was a fun and creative read, and I can definitely see it being adapted for tv or film one day.

Thank you to William Morrow Company and Netgalley for the digital arc.
I chose the Phoenix Pencil Company because of the Chinese setting, and the time frame. A second reason was the use of the reforged messages in espionage, first in WWII and then during the Chinese Civil War. The start of the book had me completely invested, but for some reason the story itself seemed to slow down in the middle, and it never regained momentum. The emphasis on dialogue and inner dialogue---what the characters were thinking - were often redundant and slowed the story. That said, my favorite character was the grandfather. Even though he was a Chinese immigrant and had experienced much of the wartime ordeals between the Communists and the Nationalists, he didn't seem to suffer from the angst. The themes and symbolism of communication, privacy, and family histories, were first rate.
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*The Phoenix Pencil Company* by Allison King is a beautifully crafted debut that blends nostalgia, mystery, and quiet resilience. Set against the backdrop of a once-thriving family business, the story unfolds with warmth and grace as characters confront the past while navigating the complexities of legacy and identity. King’s writing is thoughtful and evocative, with rich details that bring both place and emotion to life. It’s the kind of novel that invites you to slow down, reflect, and savor each page—a tender, compelling read that stays with you.