Zephyr Thomas

This charming slice-of-life fantasy book was a real treat to read. Instead of focusing on big, physical, life-or-death stakes, Paper & Feathers studies the daily life and customs of its characters, and the marvelous intricacy of their fantasy world. I felt immersed in the worldbuilding almost from the very beginning, and enjoyed following the main character's journey to a very satisfying conclusion.

I am a big fan of all of Zephyr Thomas' writings, but this book is my favorite. The main show more characters in Paper & Feathers had struggles and problems that I found very relatable, like searching for one's true identity and discerning a marriage partner. I would recommend this book to people seeking a well-written, literary fantasy book with intricate worldbuilding, compelling characters, small-scale conflicts, and beautiful imagery.

Paper & Feathers was restful, refreshing, and thought-provoking in the very best way - definitely deserves 5 stars! show less

The story is cute. I enjoyed the take on mystical powers, and I appreciate the clean, faithful fiction. The book could use some professional editing. One major thing I noticed was there were a lot of unnecessary details. In a story, it's important that every detail has a purpose or else it gets bogged down. Much of the book dragged on, even the parts that were meant to be thrilling. I also felt the characters didn't feel quite real in many places. They said things real people wouldn't say show more and acted in ways real people wouldn't act, which hurt the believability of the story. In order for readers to believe the fantasy part, they need to be able to believe the characters and the world. (One note about the world: it wasn't clear at first how far in the past it occurred. It referenced both cell phones and VCRs and it took me awhile to realize it was the early 2000s or perhaps 2010s.) show less

It took me a little while to get into the book, but once I did, I enjoyed it! It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but that turned out to be a good thing. The world-building is incredibly creative and unique. However, the pacing is on the slower side, so that might be something to keep in mind if you prefer faster-moving stories.

I received an early reviewer copy of this book and the below review is based upon that version of the text. There is the potential for this to be an interesting idea, but the execution didn't hit the mark for me personally as a reader. While the author has gone into great detail about all the different characters' races, this seems to be at the expense of the plot and the pace. Characters who are only met in passing and don't add to the real progress of the main events of the story are show more described in great detail leaving me overwhelmed. Combining this detail with the description of the surroundings and a wealth of spirits, who were a constant presence in many different forms throughout but didn't really do anything in terms of the story itself, the main characters and the actual story are somewhat lost. The first half of the book focuses on introducing characters and settings. The main 'change' event happens about halfway through the book with a character who passes through briefly and then vanishes again until shortly before the end. The event changes the main character Ahlden, but no real exploration of the change and the 'why this' or the feelings and character development behind it is undertaken. Even the resolution of the event is left as a superficial outcome that isn't explored. I wanted to like this more than I did. show less