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Review: Girls of Paper and Fire

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Review: Girls of Paper and FireTitle: Girls of Paper and Fire

Author: Natasha Ngan

Rating: 5 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson / Jonathan Ball Publishers

Date Published: 6 Nov 2018

Goodreads Description: Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honor they could hope for…and the most cruel.

But this year, there’s a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it’s Lei they’re after–the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king’s interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king’s consort. But Lei isn’t content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable–she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Spoiler FreeSpoiler Free

Let me start off by saying that this is the best book of 2018, hands down. We got a lesbian love story without any of the usual tired tropes. The love between Lei and Wren happens so naturally, so beautifully, I fell in love with Wren along with Lei. I’ll talk about the characters later, but I just want to compliment Ngan on how beautifully detailed and fleshed out all of the characters were, even those we didn’t get to see very often.

The whole setting of the book is beautiful as well. The Asian setting isn’t done a lot in fantasy, but it definitely works. Ngan painted such vivid pictures of Lei experiencing her surroundings I could almost see and smell Ikhara myself. The pacing was solid and there was always something going on. The action scenes were beautifully crafted and easy to follow.

The book raises awareness of a lot of modern issues as well, such as slavery, abuse and rape. Lei most certainly does not have an easy life, as most women do, and I love the fact that the book does not shy away from harsh topics.

CharactersCharacters

“I don’t want an easy life, I want a meaningful one.”

That quote perfectly sums op Lei, the main character. She’s such an emotionally strong character, I envy her. She lost her mother at a very young age and got dragged away from her home to become a sex slave, yet she always remained true to herself. A female protagonist doesn’t need to be physically strong to be a “strong” character. She’s fully aware of her emotions and doesn’t try to suppress them or ignore them. She works through her emotions and stays strong. I love this girl.

Even though I love Lei, Wren is my favourite. It was so much fun to fall in love with her alongside Lei. Ngan’s writing completely pulls you in and Wren is an amazing character. She’s physically stronger than Lei, and I think that’s what makes them the perfect couple. Watching Lei crawl into Wren’s heart was beautiful and I will protect both of these girls with my life. Who do I have to sell my soul to for the second book?

I’m begging Ngan to keep their relationship solid. I don’t want an on again/off again romance, one of them leaving to protect the other, any of the typical YA romance tropes. For once I want a healthy relationship between two people who actually communicate with each other. PLEASE.

SpoilersSpoilers

I had no idea how the plot of this book would unfold. I did not see it coming that Wren was there to assassinate the Demon King. In the end, Wren gets called back home because her mother passed, leaving Lei to be the one to murder the King. That felt slightly convenient to me, almost like the plot needed to get Wren out of the way, but it still worked. Wren and Lei now think that the Demon King is dead…but he isn’t. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

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23 thoughts on “Review: Girls of Paper and Fire”

  1. I gave this 5 stars as well! I absolutely adored it and almost threw the book across the room at the end. THEY CAN’T LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THAT!

  14. Great review, I keep on hearing amazing things about this book but Ialso heard there is a scene with a disturbing animal death in this book and there’s where I drew the line I can’t read a book with animal abuse at all so I have to give this book a pass for the time being. Maybe one day I will read it but as of right now I won’t be checking it out anytime soon. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

    1. Ah yes, there was an animal death in the beginning. I think it sets up the high stakes of the book, but it wasn’t nice to read at all.

  18. This is such a great review, I am intrigued to read the story now! I love the quote “I don’t want an easy life, I want a meaningful one.” This sounds like my kinda book! Thank you for sharing your thoughts <3 xx

    Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com

  19. Pingback:My 2018 Reading Challenge: 30 Books - Your Words My Ink

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