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foreverinastory's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Rep: Asian coded cast, sapphic female MC with PTSD, lesbian coded female love interest with PTSD, lesbian coded female side character, side MLM couple.
CWs: Death, violence, blood, self harm, sexual assault, sexual violence, grief, war, gore, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, panic attacks, mental illness (PTSD), rape, suicide, murder, body horror, slavery, injury/injury detail, addiction. Moderate: Child abuse, child death, genocide, physical abuse, racism, consensual sexual content, suicidal thoughts, toxic relationship, vomit, trafficking, kidnapping, fire/fire injury, adult/minor relationship, misogyny, gaslighting.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Blood, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, War, Gore, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Murder, Body horror, Slavery, Injury/Injury detail, and Addiction
Moderate: Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
angstifies's review against another edition
- 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
the new introduced characters were fantastic and i was so glad this book was more “adventurous” than the previous one and after that ending i’m so exited to read the sequel!
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, War, and Sexual content
prettynerdy3's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Vomit
mehon123's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
queer_bookwyrm's review
- 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
"Fear is good. It means you care. And caring is its own kind of magic."
Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan is the second book in the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy. I loved this book just as much as the first one if not more! This book made me laugh and also destroyed my heart. It has been a while since a book made me cry, so it was time.
We pick up with Lei, Wren, and the gang after their escape from the Moon Ball. They are on a mission for the Hannos to get each of the Moon clans to ally with them against the King to take down the court. Shenanigans, adventure, and heartache ensue.
I loved the characters so much in this novel! They were fully realized people/demons with hopes, dreams, fears, and flaws. Bo and Nitta we're hilarious and had me laughing out loud, which was much needed for the seriousness of the material. Bo has my whole heart. He is my sweet boy kitty and no one can change my mind.
We see Lei struggling through her trauma recovery and Wren trying to pretend hers doesn't exist. We get some conflict between Wren and Lei this time, and it has definitely changed the way I see them (and not for the better). Wren has a "by any means necessary" attitude that is problematic.
This book broke me. I seriously cried for a good five minutes. As always Ngan does a great job of depicted trauma and trauma recovery. She's great at writing complex characters, so there isn't really solid 'bad' or 'good', except for the king. He all bad. I'm just glad the next book comes out next month, so I can't wait to see how Ngan rips my heart out in that one! 😂
Graphic: Violence, Self harm, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Blood
miabellawymer's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, War, Vomit, Violence, Slavery, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, and Alcohol
greeneggsandsam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Girls of Storm and Shadow is the sequel to Girls of Paper and Fire. The series follows a human girl, Lei, who is taken from her home to become a Paper Girl to serve the Demon King. At Paper Court, Lei learns of a plot to take on the King's rule and end his destructive reign, especially against the Paper caste.
This was a reread for me, in preparation to finally read the third and final book in the series. The character development isn't the norm, but that makes this all the more unique and worth investing in. The characters make awful choices sometimes, and we watch them go through this war accumulating even more rage and grief and guilt than they started with. The tension in the story is almost palpable, it kept me hooked.
Definitely check the trigger warnings for this series before going in (some to mention: sexual assault, violence/blood/battle scenes, self harm, mentions of sexual activity though not super descriptive).
Graphic: War, Blood, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Self harm
turtlebrainlibrarian's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism
colormehaerim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Self harm, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
abipeach23's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, War, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Vomit, Torture, Self harm, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Abandonment