Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

9 reviews

lshort1230's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book. Mostly I think it wasn't really for me - it was a bit heavier than I would like, though I appreciate the generally happy ending. The main flaw with the book is that the world building doesn't quite work, and I kept being distracted by that. At least part of the issue is that these girls are only in the harem for a year but they aren't allowed to leave the palace after and the crown compensates their family to the degree they complete to sacrifice their daughters *and* this has been going on for centuries. That aside the characters are interesting and the action is good. Choices that characters make mostly make sense. I'm happy with where the book ended and I wish I hadn't read the epilog, as it adds a cliffhanger and I have no intention of reading the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Death, Colonisation, Bullying, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape

sipnayan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Grief, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Homophobia, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Vomit, Cursing, and Trafficking

tinysierra's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Despite some of the dark content, I found the writing style easy to get through.

I enjoyed the moments that Lei founds strength in love and friendship. 

In spite of only getting a little glimpse of Lei’s family in the herb shop at the beginning, their bond and the coziness of Lei’s home came across well. 

I liked the cultures that the author set up. The world-building was fascinating. Not every character feels the same way about the situation as our main character does, so it makes them feel all the more realistic. 

The romance was cute! 

Sex work and same sex couples are stigmatized by some characters in the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Murder, and Colonisation

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape, War, Homophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Classism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Sexism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Outing, Medical content, Sexual content, Grief, War, Death of parent, Bullying, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Vomit

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

brigid_reads_romance's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

4.5

I think it’s going to take me a while to sort out how I feel about this book 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Genocide, Classism, and Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent

anaguana's review against another edition

dark emotional

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Murder, War, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Blood, Alcohol, and Animal death

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Homophobia

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

The gist 📚: Lei is taken from her village and made to serve as a concubine to the king as one of his Paper Girls. Her resolve to free herself of the situation solidifies when she falls in love. I enjoyed this book.

For readers looking for 💕: a vivid fantasy world, a harem genre story, political intrigue, fighting oppression, kick-ass Heroins, and queer romance. 

My thoughts 💭 The world is vivid and reminded me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone because of the human/demon denizins of the world. There were prominent aspects I didn't enjoy, though. The climax also didn't quite feel earned, which really took away from the whole experience for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Rape, Racism, Body shaming, and Bullying

giuliagoolia2k's review

It was just trauma porn, way too upsetting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence