This was an interesting concept for a story. The book was well written and very enjoyable. The characters well formed, and I loved the historical details woven throughout the story as well.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. So as much as I enjoyed the unique story, I felt the overall tone of the book was very slow and the story was disjointed as a result of that and the narration switches by chapter. I really wanted to get into this book but had a hard time focusing and keeping interest because it felt like the story was dragging along.

The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King ended up being a very different book than I expected and had some great messages! This would make a great bookclub book. There are themes about how woman are mistreated and taken advantage of by men across cultures and across eras, there’s a bit of learning about the Japanese Occupation of China during WW2 and the subsequent Civil War, parts of history I doubt many of us really know about. Don’t worry, this is not a WW2 book. A little insight into immigrant life here in the states. I really liked the themes of communication and the analysis of digital communication versus the good old fashioned pencil. There was a really valid point made about the importance of real connection with people and how technology impacts that.
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Taken with the urge to write letters that has come out of The Correspondent this year, this book seemed to be part of a theme that is causing a new pattern of hand written letters that I am loving!
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Thanks to @NetGalley and @WilliamMorrow for the ARC given to me in exchange for an unbiased review.
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The Phoenix Pencil Company is a moving and beautifully crafted debut that blends magical realism, historical fiction, and contemporary themes with grace and emotional depth. Allison King tells a multigenerational story that explores memory, identity, and the way the past continues to shape the present.

The novel follows Monica Tsai, a college student working on a tech startup that connects people through anonymous journal entries. When her grandmother Yun begins losing her memory to Alzheimer’s, Monica sets out to uncover her family’s hidden past. A single pencil—crafted decades ago by Yun’s family’s now-defunct company—leads Monica into a world of "Reforging," a magical ability that allows people to relive memories written in pencil. Through this power, Monica dives into Yun’s secret past in wartime Shanghai, uncovering a story of survival, betrayal, and the enduring bonds of family.

The historical sections are rich and immersive, and the magical element of Reforging feels emotionally powerful rather than fantastical. King writes about grief, guilt, and legacy with nuance, and the contrast between analog memory and the digital age is handled with subtle insight. Monica’s modern storyline adds a thoughtful reflection on generational connection, tech ethics, and what it means to remember—and to forget.

While the romance subplot and tech startup angle feel slightly underdeveloped at times, the novel’s emotional core is strong, and the writing is elegant and impactful throughout.

**Perfect for fans of: The Midnight Library, Everything I Never Told You, thoughtful historical fiction with light magical elements, intergenerational family stories with a strong emotional pull

This story is a unique and poignant debut that lingers long after the final page. Highly recommended.

Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres, thus, The Phoenix Pencil Company is firmly in my wheelhouse. Beginning in World War II China, Meng and Yun learn of a special power that the females in their family possess. When the government learns of their skill, the women are forced into a life of espionage first in China, then in Taiwan, and later in the United States. As Yun loses her memory in old age, her American granddaughter strives to learn more about her grandmother's past and is surprised by the realizations. I enjoyed the novel, but a detailed author's note providing historical context would have elevated the story and heightened my appreciation of it. Read if you enjoy: historical fantasy, Babel, Asian history, spy stories

Very well-written, this books shows us a grandmother’s sorry growing up in flashbacks and the granddaughter trying to navigate her own life. Strong relationships and family ties make up the plot.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC for this book! I loved the story - I am a very fond of a grandparent story and this one was great! Such an interesting well told story. I will never look at a pencil the same way again. Great read - highly recommend.

A fairly good read that felt a bit too long at times. The stories seemed to drag on in parts. Interesting plot overall but would have liked to have learned more about Monica in the end. Her story seemed glossed over compared to that og her Grandmother.

This book just didn’t work for me. I like reading about different generations of a family tree, but I found the story to be convoluted and jumbled. Also, the book is way too long and confusing. I had a difficult time keeping track of all the various characters. The writing was fine, but overall, this book left me disappointed.

Thank you @netgalley and @williammorrowbooks for a copy of the book!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It's a great mix of many elements:

📝duel timelines
📝wartorn family drama set during the WWII era
📝grandma vs. granddaughter
📝magical elements
📝family traditions
📝fixing past regrets
📝traditional vs. modern communication

The story gets the reader thinking about how much is too much information to share in the digital age, and how do the stories we choose to record shape our views of the past.

There's one stylistic choice the author made with the pencils that was a bit 👀though.

Bottom line: A @reesesbookclub pick that will get you thinking!

A multigenerational historical fiction novel told in alternating timelines: the present day-Monica dealing with her aging grandparents and especially her grandmother with Alzheimers-alternating with 1940s Shanghai from the perspective of her grandmother(Yun) and her cousin Meng.
Magical realism-the family gift of “ reforging pencils”- serves as the means of communication. The historical fiction- the Japan -China war and then the internal struggle between the Nationalists and Communists was for me the best part of the book.
It was also interesting to watch the development of Monica from a shy introverted computer nerd as she matures on an emotional and physical level. A good read

I knew from the *moment* I saw the publishing announcement for this book that I'd NEED to read it. Obviously as the owner of a pencil company I adored it, but also because it's a one-of-a-kind, beautifully-written story from Allison King that I can't stop thinking about.

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

It's an epistolary, alternating timeline, cross-generational family saga about software developer Monica and her grandmother Yun, who engage in the act of remembering and recording histories that transform their lives and their relationships. It's got page-turning magic and emotional depth. It's beautifully crafted and deeply resonant.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for the e-ARC (and William Morrow for the physical ARC) in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE PHOENIX PENCIL COMPANY is out now!

3.5 Stars, rounding up.

This debut novel from Allison King was very well written and has characters you can't help but feel for. The story revolves around several generations of a family and their magical abilities, being told in two different POV's, Monica's and her grandmother, Yun's, as Yun begins facing the inevitabilities of aging and Monica's desire to reunite her grandmother with her estranged cousin, Meng.

I wasn't 100% certain how to feel about the magical pencils, as there was no real explanation on how this ability came to be, but it was still a charming point in the story and was a decent point of magical realism, as it feels like something that genuinely could happen in the real world, albeit a little farfetched, but that's the point of magic!

The romantic subplot was fairly well done and incredibly sweet, with a very sudden and unexpected twist in the third act. The resolution of this twist wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but we all want a sweet ending in a book and for the characters to have a HEA. I honestly could have gone without this subplot, but it did prove to be useful plot device to explain other parts of the story.

Thanks a ton to NetGalley for early access to this novel!

Interesting book. I enjoyed some of but at times I grew bored. I know others have liked it but sometimes certain books just aren’t for me.

I love pencils and am picky about them (Palomino Blackwing is my favorite) so I this title intrigued me. The Phoenix Pencil +ompany was run by women during WWII and the Chinese revolution. This is their story as discovered by Monica Tsai. When coding whiz Monica wants to do something nice for her grandmother, Yun, by tracking down the cousin she’d left behind when she fled Shanghai. The cousin, when found, sends Yun a gift, a pencil. Now we add in the magical power of reforging a pencil, a way to draw out the words and more that the pencil recorded.
This is a power that women in Monica’s family possess.

Special pencils, stories to be told. China, Taiwan, Boston/Cambridge. This is a dynamic story, one that pushes your imagination but also roots you in history. So many felt emotions- joy, sweet moments, anger, frustration, worry, sadness. I truly didn’t want to put this down. Well developed characters, a steady pace. Alternating journal entries, a smart way to tell this story. I cannot praise this enough, fellow-readers you need to add this to your TBR list, but don’t wait too long to get started!

Monica's grandmother is slowly losing her memories. She wants to contact her cousin, whom she grew up with in Shanghai during World War 2. Grandmother's family ran the Phoenix Pencil Company, whose pencils were used to spy.

This was nice. I loved the switching of POVs, and I liked that it was in letter format. Monica and her grandmother both felt like they had distinct voices in their chapters. They were great characters, and I liked being in their heads. My favorite part was the historical parts in Shanghai and Taiwan! However, it was difficult for me to stay engaged with the story, and I felt myself putting the book down often.

Thank you to NetGalley, Allison King and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King. A magical experience!
This debut novel of family relationships and the magical ability to of reforging pencils to bring the memories they contain back to life. Part historical fiction, part magical realism, there is much to think about as you fly through the pages. Enjoy!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Physical

Quick Plot Summary:
College freshman Monica Tsai is a coding genius and a bit of a loner, deeply connected to the grandparents who raised her. When her grandmother Yun begins to lose her memory, she starts recording the tragic story of their family's magical legacy and her own survival through two wars in China.

My Thoughts:
A multi-generational, historial fiction and magical realism novel all in one! This story immediately gets your attention! I can't even believe this is a debut because the writing and the structure was so perfect. The story is told in epistolary format, so entirely in letters! One timeline and POV is from Yun who is now suffering from dementia and is recalling her youth in the Shanghai International Settlement. Of which I knew nothing about. It was so immersive I had to google if it was a real thing and it was! Because of this storyline I feel like I learned so much about the second Sino-Japanese war. Our other POV is Yun's granddaughter Monica and I loved seeing her coming-of-age arc. There is also a touch of magical realism that really adds to the story and depth of our characters. I can't spoil it for you here so you're just gonna have to read it to find out but YES it does involve magical pencils. I also deeply related to Monica's sense of duty towards her grandparents and their immigrant story. There are also timely conversations on the power of storytelling and data privacy and even a sweet little romance subplot. I think this story really has something for everyone and can't wait to see what this author puts out next!

I wish i liked it but i couldn't get behind the writing unfortunately i was struggling to follow the story though the attempt to dabble in different genre was interesting. learning about the history of china was good but as of the characters i couldnt get invested in them. netherless i can see the talent of the author and will follow the next book