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megsbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Every year, eight beautiful girls are chosen to be Paper Girls to serve the king. It is supposedly the highest honour a girl from the Paper Caste could hope for. Lei is a member of the Paper Caste, the lowest class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, and she is still dealing from the trauma of losing her mother 10 years ago when she was taken away by the royal guards. One day, the royal guards show up again, only this time, it is Lei they have come for, as she is the girl with the golden eyes. She has been chosen as a Paper Girl.
“I don’t realize it until I speak it. And it’s different from the times I’ve said it before, or the way I’ve hoped it, as if dreaming something enough could birth it into being. I know it now with a certainty that has fitted into the lost core at the heart of me, as hard and angular as my hope was soft and shimmering. The King will not have me.”
There has been so much buzz around Girls of Paper and Fire for months. I initially requested a physical copy months ago and heard nothing. I kept seeing reviews and got a teeny tiny bit jealous. Then, it came up on NetGalley, YAY! So, I read this on holiday while I was chilling around the pool and read it in A SINGLE DAY.
Natasha Ngan is a skilful and imaginative writer. The world she creates is unique and immersive and dark and is full of demons and magic. She creates a really intricate system and I also enjoyed the look into the delicate politics of the world. Girls of Paper and Fire follows Lei as she is taken from her home to become a Paper Girl, a sex slave for the demon king.
Lei was a formidable protagonist, and one of the best things about this book is that, initially, Lei didn’t really have a goal and she wasn’t really fighting for anything but her self and her own survival. Which then leads to some incredible character development throughout the second half of the novel.
So, while Lei is trying to survive and she meets Wren, a fellow Paper Girl, and they fall in love. It is a forbidden romance as those who serve the King as Paper Girls are forbidden to have other partners. Together, they fight for their freedom, for themselves, each other, and for everyone else. It was a really great slow-burn romance and a really great story.
Overall, Girls of Paper and Fire is a tense, fierce, and imaginative read about fighting for what you believe in. It is about survival, love, and hope. A book that I would highly recommend, especially for fans of fantasy. I do, however, want to give a trigger warning for sexual assault and rape.
Every year, eight beautiful girls are chosen to be Paper Girls to serve the king. It is supposedly the highest honour a girl from the Paper Caste could hope for. Lei is a member of the Paper Caste, the lowest class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, and she is still dealing from the trauma of losing her mother 10 years ago when she was taken away by the royal guards. One day, the royal guards show up again, only this time, it is Lei they have come for, as she is the girl with the golden eyes. She has been chosen as a Paper Girl.
“I don’t realize it until I speak it. And it’s different from the times I’ve said it before, or the way I’ve hoped it, as if dreaming something enough could birth it into being. I know it now with a certainty that has fitted into the lost core at the heart of me, as hard and angular as my hope was soft and shimmering. The King will not have me.”
There has been so much buzz around Girls of Paper and Fire for months. I initially requested a physical copy months ago and heard nothing. I kept seeing reviews and got a teeny tiny bit jealous. Then, it came up on NetGalley, YAY! So, I read this on holiday while I was chilling around the pool and read it in A SINGLE DAY.
Natasha Ngan is a skilful and imaginative writer. The world she creates is unique and immersive and dark and is full of demons and magic. She creates a really intricate system and I also enjoyed the look into the delicate politics of the world. Girls of Paper and Fire follows Lei as she is taken from her home to become a Paper Girl, a sex slave for the demon king.
Lei was a formidable protagonist, and one of the best things about this book is that, initially, Lei didn’t really have a goal and she wasn’t really fighting for anything but her self and her own survival. Which then leads to some incredible character development throughout the second half of the novel.
So, while Lei is trying to survive and she meets Wren, a fellow Paper Girl, and they fall in love. It is a forbidden romance as those who serve the King as Paper Girls are forbidden to have other partners. Together, they fight for their freedom, for themselves, each other, and for everyone else. It was a really great slow-burn romance and a really great story.
Overall, Girls of Paper and Fire is a tense, fierce, and imaginative read about fighting for what you believe in. It is about survival, love, and hope. A book that I would highly recommend, especially for fans of fantasy. I do, however, want to give a trigger warning for sexual assault and rape.
brrhrr's review against another edition
Was a bit too dark for me, but the world building was nice.
ellieeee_roseeee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
adellel's review against another edition
3.0
First, amazing cover. It completely draws you in. A+ on that.
However, I’m not sure the story really captured me. I liked it enough. I wanted to see what the romance was about, I wanted to see if the king would be good or evil.
I don’t think I felt the love story like many other said that they did. I’ve heard amazing things, but to me, it didn’t have that build or even this “power” about it.
As for the king, the author really did a great job of portraying him so you would hate him.
Will I read the next book? Probably. I may need to see what happens next, and hopefully, something will “click” for me.
However, I’m not sure the story really captured me. I liked it enough. I wanted to see what the romance was about, I wanted to see if the king would be good or evil.
I don’t think I felt the love story like many other said that they did. I’ve heard amazing things, but to me, it didn’t have that build or even this “power” about it.
As for the king, the author really did a great job of portraying him so you would hate him.
Will I read the next book? Probably. I may need to see what happens next, and hopefully, something will “click” for me.
andyourstruly's review against another edition
2.0
It's very well possible that this is another case of Not Being the Target Audience, but I really did not enjoy this book. I was looking forward to a Sapphic romance set in an East Asian-inspired backdrop, and ... I kind of got that. The world in which the story takes place does indeed have some cool cultural notes, but honestly, in this our Lord's year of 2024, there are so many books that do it better that I wasn't really falling over myself reading it.
Moreover, the thing that stands out to me the most three years later is how disparaging the protagonist is of girls who made different choices than her, or were at peace withsleeping with the emperor . Every take felt extremely milquetoast, but again, it's YA, so who am I to criticize it for being unsubtle and relatively direct?
The romance was also really uninspired and felt like more of the same with sapphic romances: two women fall together for no real reason except proximity and the jump the femme one gets in her lower stomach when the butch one, uh, exists.
If you're looking for a book with strong Asia-inspired worldbuilding and an okay sapphic romance that also has a cool plot, I really recommend Priory of the Orange Tree. And not this book, at all.
Moreover, the thing that stands out to me the most three years later is how disparaging the protagonist is of girls who made different choices than her, or were at peace with
The romance was also really uninspired and felt like more of the same with sapphic romances: two women fall together for no real reason except proximity and the jump the femme one gets in her lower stomach when the butch one, uh, exists.
If you're looking for a book with strong Asia-inspired worldbuilding and an okay sapphic romance that also has a cool plot, I really recommend Priory of the Orange Tree. And not this book, at all.
starrysheep's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-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
3.0
temporary_escaper's review against another edition
3.0
I am speechless... this was so close to 4 stars for me. I’d say it was a 3.5 ⭐️ The one thing that was hard for me to get past was my imagination straying towards Kung Fu Panda? I don’t know
booktreasuresau's review against another edition
4.0
The cover is one of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t seem very detailed at first, but while reading the book behind it you’ll notice more and more how perfectly it resembles the story.
I also absolutely love the colours. It’s been love at first sight.
Well, the writing style is somewhat different. The sentence structure is a bit off and sometimes confusing. Therefore it’s not an easy and quick read. Though after a while, I got used to it and started to enjoy the story.
Although the first third of the book is quite dragging, I understood at the end that it was necessary. There’s just not too much happening in that part, except for Lei being taken and her journey to the palace.
Though after this part, I really liked the book. It is different from everything I’ve read before and especially in the last third there’s a lot of action going on. And that end, oh the end! It put me through the emotional wringer and left me all riled up.
This story is full of emotions, heartache, courage, secrets, and intrigues. And though there are huge differences between the races (castes), there are also friendships and alliances to be found.
I definitively love the idea of this story and am curious what book #2 will have in store.
First, you’ll meet Lei. She’s the protagonist of this book. Most of the times, I really liked her. She is stubborn, resistant, and pretty much never does what she’s told. She’s also got courage and hope. Though sometimes, I just want to shake her.
Then there’s Wren. And gosh, she’s amazing! She’s fiere, powerful, beautiful, secretive. But she’s also kind, protective, and has a heartbreaking goal. And through all of that, she’s mostly alone. Wren is my most favourite character in the whole book.
Of course, you’ll also come across the bad guys. And sometimes the really bad ones are the ones you’d least expect.
After some issues in the beginning when it came to the writing style, I really came to like this story. It might not be my most favourite book but I’m still looking forward to read book #2.
I also absolutely love the colours. It’s been love at first sight.
Well, the writing style is somewhat different. The sentence structure is a bit off and sometimes confusing. Therefore it’s not an easy and quick read. Though after a while, I got used to it and started to enjoy the story.
Although the first third of the book is quite dragging, I understood at the end that it was necessary. There’s just not too much happening in that part, except for Lei being taken and her journey to the palace.
Though after this part, I really liked the book. It is different from everything I’ve read before and especially in the last third there’s a lot of action going on. And that end, oh the end! It put me through the emotional wringer and left me all riled up.
This story is full of emotions, heartache, courage, secrets, and intrigues. And though there are huge differences between the races (castes), there are also friendships and alliances to be found.
I definitively love the idea of this story and am curious what book #2 will have in store.
First, you’ll meet Lei. She’s the protagonist of this book. Most of the times, I really liked her. She is stubborn, resistant, and pretty much never does what she’s told. She’s also got courage and hope. Though sometimes, I just want to shake her.
Then there’s Wren. And gosh, she’s amazing! She’s fiere, powerful, beautiful, secretive. But she’s also kind, protective, and has a heartbreaking goal. And through all of that, she’s mostly alone. Wren is my most favourite character in the whole book.
Of course, you’ll also come across the bad guys. And sometimes the really bad ones are the ones you’d least expect.
After some issues in the beginning when it came to the writing style, I really came to like this story. It might not be my most favourite book but I’m still looking forward to read book #2.
krrrllllbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75