Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

24 reviews

richy_qu33r_readzz's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Racism

anais201717'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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A YA fantasy with lesbian characters ? Like yes very much, sign me in !! 
Although you should know for me the main theme of this book is rape and it's consequences so you should definetely be aware of that !

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Racism, Slavery, and Rape

cgibson25's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Blood, and Racial slurs

morganraine's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Police brutality

sweetchocolatez's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Violence, Torture, Racism, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Death, Blood, Medical content, Bullying, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcohol and War

garfield_furby's review

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Racism, and Sexual assault

brooke_chis's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

It was good. The writing was great. I just don’t usually read such dark looks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Rape

poppywarphan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Characters: 5/10
Enjoyment: 6.5/10
Plot: 6/10
Worldbuilding: 5/10
Writing: 8/10

This might as well have been a standalone. But it's not because of that extra page at the end. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm invested enough to read any further installments.

The idea was good, the execution not so much. The worldbuilding wasn't really explored. The plot and writing were simplistic. That's not a bad thing, but on one hand it read as a book for younger teens, on the other hand though it discussed mature themes. There's rape. It's not graphic, but there nonetheless. If there's anything that triggers me in books, its sexual assault.  The girls are taken as mistresses and must have sex with the king against their will. Yes, they don't object, but it's either that or be killed.

The characters were underdeveloped. The king as a villain was just stupid. He's evil. OK, and? That's it? The paper girls were pretty indistinguishable. Aside from Aoki and Blue whose personality was being a bitch. The relationship between Lei and Wren didn't really have any foundation. It was pretty much just lusting and attraction.

Now, what I did like was what was done with Aoki's character. Not that I like what happened to her, but the book highlights how easy it is to fall victim to an abusive man. Aoki is the youngest out of the paper girls and naive. The king makes her feel special, so she starts having feelings for him. I like how it pointed out (although in a pretty juvenile way) that such a relationship is, in fact, not good (side-eyeing all the romance books that romanticize toxic relationships). Aoki is probably the most nuanced compared to the other two-dimensional characters.

Overall Girls of paper and fire wasn't a terrible book, just underwhelming. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Rape, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Confinement, Sexual violence, and Body horror

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Racism, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Classism, Bullying, Death, and Genocide

kristakp's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This book didn't draw me in as much as I thought it would, and I personally didn't find the plot to be all that interesting. The main romance didn't feel earned to me, I didn't get the full sense of yearning because I didn't feel like the characters were fleshed out enough for me to feel the yearning. (I did have a conversation with a friend about whether my feelings were the result of my lack of experience with sapphic books or if it truly is these characters, and I hadn't come to a conclusion about it.) 

I understand why the author went there, but it was still a surprise

that the king brutally raped Lei after Lei initially ran away. I was unsure whether the author would fully take it there, and I'm not sure how I feel about the decision made. I think it was definitely the harder, more adult decision.

 

I knew from about 40% through the book that I probably wouldn't be continuing on with the series afterwards. The world didn't lure me in although the writing was good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Lesbophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, and Slavery

karapillar's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Rape, Child abuse, Body shaming, Blood, Racism, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, Torture, Stalking, Slavery, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, Physical abuse, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gore, and Gaslighting