Scan barcode
onceuponabookcase's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I was received this eProof for free from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.
I've been sitting on writing my review of Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan for a while now. It's been difficult to know exactly what to write. This isn't the kind of book where I can just talk about plot, characters, pacing, etc. like I normally would (though obviously they're brilliant, as I knew they would be going on the previous two books in the trilogy, or I'd be writing a very different review). Because this trilogy is so much more than just a story to me. As a sexual assault survivour, it's very close to my heart, and I anticipated this third and final book eagerly, but for more than just seeing how things would turn out, but also for a kind of closure, I guess. Lei has been fighting the person who hurt her, which I was never able to do, and I was looking forward to her triumphing. And I wasn't disappointed.
Before I get too much into how emotional this book was for me, there are a few other things I should touch on. When I finished Girls of Storm and Shadow, I was absolutely livid with Wren. Enough time had gone by that I had forgotten mostly why I was so amad at her, but thankfully these things were briefly covered in the book. Girls of Fate and Fury is narrated by both Lei and Wren, which I think was a very clever move on Ngan's part. I didn't finish the book having forgiven Wren for the terrible things she had done, and in some cases, continued to do, but I understood her. She has been brought up by her asopted father her whole life for the very purpose of defeating the Demon King. Her father, Ketai, is quite cold and calculated - which we knew, considering he gave Wren up to being a paper girl knowing full well she would be raped by the King - but we actually see more of what this looks like. Wren believes this is her duty, and making her father proud is almost the only thing that matters to her. She's done what she knows her father would say needed to be done. There is a bigger picture here, and defeating the King is the goal, by any means necessary, whatever the cost. Ketai had a fanatical obsession, and he forged Wren into his weapon. A lot of the things Wren did still don't sit right with me, but I understand her more. I understand why she did those things, and how she could believe there was no other choice. Still, I really don't know how certain characters were able to be in the same room as her by the end of the book.
When Girls of Storm and Shadow had ended, Lei had been caught and was to be taken back to the Hidden Palace. Girls of Fate and Fury starts with her there. I have to say I was horrified at her being caught, and was dreading the things she might go through in this book. But Lei is not who she once was. There is a fire in her, a determination to do whatever damage she can, to get out, so save her friends. Time and again, she is put in impossible situation after impossible situation, where it would be so easy just to give in to despair. But she is not alone, and there are others to protect, and her strength sees her through. That's not to say she's not fearful, or that she isn't living constantly on edge, waiting for a blow that's sure to come. Or that it doesn't take more than you could imagine to be in the presence of the King. But there is a bigger picture. While she's there, whatever she can learn could be helpful for when she gets out - and she will get out, along with the other paper girls, because you can't let herself imagine any other possibility. She is on a mission, and despite how dire her situation is, she doesn't lose sight of what they're all fighting for, and it's what keeps her going. And I was in complete and utter awe of her the entire time.
Girls of Fate and Fury is a fast paced book, and a lot goes on. It's full of action, and strategising. Characters we love return, and charcters are lost. For those who are reading just for a high fantasy story, it ticks all the boxes as the tension builds to the climax. For me, it was also hugely emotional. Because while there is this bigger picture, it's also very personal. For Lei, for Wren, for the other paper girls. It's a fight for justice, and seeing that justice handed out. I honestly cannot find the words to describe how I felt reading those final chapters. There was triumph, and anger, and vicious joy, and relief, and a hollow emptiness, and, still, the loss. But then hope and joy and love. I got to live vicariously through Lei, but healing isn't necessarily over once there is justice. Lei is getting there, though, and I'm getting there, and these books have helped immeasurably.
I'm never going to be able to fully articulate what these books mean to me. Nor can I ever thank Natasha Ngan enough for these incredible books. They ahave, internally, changed my life, and I can't give any higher praise than that.
I've been sitting on writing my review of Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan for a while now. It's been difficult to know exactly what to write. This isn't the kind of book where I can just talk about plot, characters, pacing, etc. like I normally would (though obviously they're brilliant, as I knew they would be going on the previous two books in the trilogy, or I'd be writing a very different review). Because this trilogy is so much more than just a story to me. As a sexual assault survivour, it's very close to my heart, and I anticipated this third and final book eagerly, but for more than just seeing how things would turn out, but also for a kind of closure, I guess. Lei has been fighting the person who hurt her, which I was never able to do, and I was looking forward to her triumphing. And I wasn't disappointed.
Before I get too much into how emotional this book was for me, there are a few other things I should touch on. When I finished Girls of Storm and Shadow, I was absolutely livid with Wren. Enough time had gone by that I had forgotten mostly why I was so amad at her, but thankfully these things were briefly covered in the book. Girls of Fate and Fury is narrated by both Lei and Wren, which I think was a very clever move on Ngan's part. I didn't finish the book having forgiven Wren for the terrible things she had done, and in some cases, continued to do, but I understood her. She has been brought up by her asopted father her whole life for the very purpose of defeating the Demon King. Her father, Ketai, is quite cold and calculated - which we knew, considering he gave Wren up to being a paper girl knowing full well she would be raped by the King - but we actually see more of what this looks like. Wren believes this is her duty, and making her father proud is almost the only thing that matters to her. She's done what she knows her father would say needed to be done. There is a bigger picture here, and defeating the King is the goal, by any means necessary, whatever the cost. Ketai had a fanatical obsession, and he forged Wren into his weapon. A lot of the things Wren did still don't sit right with me, but I understand her more. I understand why she did those things, and how she could believe there was no other choice. Still, I really don't know how certain characters were able to be in the same room as her by the end of the book.
When Girls of Storm and Shadow had ended, Lei had been caught and was to be taken back to the Hidden Palace. Girls of Fate and Fury starts with her there. I have to say I was horrified at her being caught, and was dreading the things she might go through in this book. But Lei is not who she once was. There is a fire in her, a determination to do whatever damage she can, to get out, so save her friends. Time and again, she is put in impossible situation after impossible situation, where it would be so easy just to give in to despair. But she is not alone, and there are others to protect, and her strength sees her through. That's not to say she's not fearful, or that she isn't living constantly on edge, waiting for a blow that's sure to come. Or that it doesn't take more than you could imagine to be in the presence of the King. But there is a bigger picture. While she's there, whatever she can learn could be helpful for when she gets out - and she will get out, along with the other paper girls, because you can't let herself imagine any other possibility. She is on a mission, and despite how dire her situation is, she doesn't lose sight of what they're all fighting for, and it's what keeps her going. And I was in complete and utter awe of her the entire time.
Girls of Fate and Fury is a fast paced book, and a lot goes on. It's full of action, and strategising. Characters we love return, and charcters are lost. For those who are reading just for a high fantasy story, it ticks all the boxes as the tension builds to the climax. For me, it was also hugely emotional. Because while there is this bigger picture, it's also very personal. For Lei, for Wren, for the other paper girls. It's a fight for justice, and seeing that justice handed out. I honestly cannot find the words to describe how I felt reading those final chapters. There was triumph, and anger, and vicious joy, and relief, and a hollow emptiness, and, still, the loss. But then hope and joy and love. I got to live vicariously through Lei, but healing isn't necessarily over once there is justice. Lei is getting there, though, and I'm getting there, and these books have helped immeasurably.
I'm never going to be able to fully articulate what these books mean to me. Nor can I ever thank Natasha Ngan enough for these incredible books. They ahave, internally, changed my life, and I can't give any higher praise than that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual violence, and Violence
Minor: Torture
Drugging, starving.queerspoons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Gore
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
lzzz004's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, War, Torture, Genocide, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Slavery, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
eviecate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
If you plan to read this series please be aware that it contains graphic violence and sexual assault. Most sites list it as YA but i would argue that it is too graphic for YA.
This series has been a rollercoaster. When this book picked up at the conclusion of the last one I was scared. The first book was, in my opinion, the most intense and with the main character going back to the site of the majority of her trauma, I didn’t have high hopes. However I found this book to be the strongest in the trilogy. By the time I read this book I already had a strong connection to the characters and found myself on the edge of my seat for the majority of it. I did have a bit of difficulty navigating Lei’s first-person POV with Wren’s third-person but I got used to it. While the second book focused on relationships this one was mainly driven by the war. I think that made it stronger however my favorite moments were when characters were vulnerable with each other. Lei and Wren’s connection to one another is where this book really shines. The way they help each other cope with their traumas is beautiful. Ngan does a really good job of making the relationship balanced and not just sidelining Wren as only Lei’s love interest. These characters have both faced intense trauma and their different coping strategies really make them feel like distinct characters. I really liked how the series ended and i felt like everything was wrapped up nicely. This book made me feel every emotion. I didn’t cry but I came close. At the end of the day this book is about women learning to cope with extreme trauma in a society that is built to tear them down. I can have respect for a dystopian fantasy that has real world implications and this one definitely did.
I really enjoyed Lei’s relationships with the other paper girls and how similar trauma has shaped them in vastly different ways. Specifically with Aoki, I found Lei’s story arc with her incredibly captivating. I wasn’t sure if they were going to repair their relationship at the end of the book but I’m glad they did. While Aoki’s character growth happens off-screen I liked seeing Lei evolve from feeling like she needs to protect Aoki to understanding that she needs to learn how to grow and take care of herself on her own. I also enjoyed how the Burdens that Wren has carried on her shoulders for her whole life has shaped her and how she had to learn how to be vulnerable with people. I do wish that the implications of Lova’s betrayal had been explored more and revealed earlier, that was a missed opportunity. Another character I found myself attached to was Blue. She has grown so much from the first book and I wish her arc was explored more. I wasn’t as attached to Wren’s crew and I do wish they experienced more growth over the course of the series. I would have loved to see more of how Bo’s death in the last book continues to affect Merrin and Nitta and how they have been shaped by the trauma they have endured. I think it also would have made Merrin’s death hurt more if he had reconnected with Wren. In general Wren’s POV was limited because it was in third person and it felt significantly unbalanced compared to Lei’s. I think it would have been better to have both be first person in order to strengthen Wren’s character.
My biggest problem with this book and series as a whole is the marketing to a young adult audience. I picked up the first novel in 2018 when it came out looking for a YA fantasy with a lesbian relationship and while it delivered on this I was shocked by the violence and sexual assault. While there is a trigger warning it is small and easy to miss. I think this marketing is a result of the author being a woman of color and the characters being 17-18 over the course of the series.
This series has been a rollercoaster. When this book picked up at the conclusion of the last one I was scared. The first book was, in my opinion, the most intense and with the main character going back to the site of the majority of her trauma, I didn’t have high hopes. However I found this book to be the strongest in the trilogy. By the time I read this book I already had a strong connection to the characters and found myself on the edge of my seat for the majority of it. I did have a bit of difficulty navigating Lei’s first-person POV with Wren’s third-person but I got used to it. While the second book focused on relationships this one was mainly driven by the war. I think that made it stronger however my favorite moments were when characters were vulnerable with each other. Lei and Wren’s connection to one another is where this book really shines. The way they help each other cope with their traumas is beautiful. Ngan does a really good job of making the relationship balanced and not just sidelining Wren as only Lei’s love interest. These characters have both faced intense trauma and their different coping strategies really make them feel like distinct characters. I really liked how the series ended and i felt like everything was wrapped up nicely. This book made me feel every emotion. I didn’t cry but I came close. At the end of the day this book is about women learning to cope with extreme trauma in a society that is built to tear them down. I can have respect for a dystopian fantasy that has real world implications and this one definitely did.
My biggest problem with this book and series as a whole is the marketing to a young adult audience. I picked up the first novel in 2018 when it came out looking for a YA fantasy with a lesbian relationship and while it delivered on this I was shocked by the violence and sexual assault. While there is a trigger warning it is small and easy to miss. I think this marketing is a result of the author being a woman of color and the characters being 17-18 over the course of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent
morgankailackerman's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
More...