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zephonsacriel 's review for:
Girls of Paper and Fire
by Natasha Ngan
I finished a while back, but after months and months of reflection I have decided to write why I love this book so much.
When comes to fantasy, whether adult or YA, I've just been keeping it at arms length (unless it's urban fantasy). Not a lot I've read in fantasy really drew me in either because the world building was boring, character arcs and interactions left a lot to be desired, the magic system pale, or even the main plot just not grabbing me. [b:Inkmistress|32610537|Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars, #0.5)|Audrey Coulthurst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519934146s/32610537.jpg|53193454] was the one exception to this because of Asra's personality and introvertedness (something I deal with) and it's careful handling of bisexuality, the first book of the original series didn't grab me. But now, I can add Girls of Paper and Fire to that exception list.
While not perfect, this book is a great step in the right direction for fantasy. It wasn't just the Asian-themed world or the f/f relationship at it's heart, although Lei and Wren's relationship was beautifully done. It was the fact that Lei was a simple, peasant girl pulled into a turbulent world that was not her own. Lei endures enforced courtly life, sexual assault, separation from her remaining family, a bloody uprising, and loss. That is what I miss in fantasy: A character who isn't a prince or princess, some court mage, or scholar but a regular person who gets dragged into a threat that they have to fight against and will become stronger because of that. That is the true journey! Yes, I'm sure there are other books out there that do this but I haven't read or heard of them.
I believe Ngan handled the sexual assault respectfully and well. Again, Lei and Wren's relationship was well-paced and structured; the descriptions of their love-making is not explicit although their certainly something that isn't found in too many YA books. Fight scenes are descriptive and flow well. What stops the full five stars is simply because I think that some of supporting characters were not as well-developed as the central ones.
I eagerly await November for the next book.
When comes to fantasy, whether adult or YA, I've just been keeping it at arms length (unless it's urban fantasy). Not a lot I've read in fantasy really drew me in either because the world building was boring, character arcs and interactions left a lot to be desired, the magic system pale, or even the main plot just not grabbing me. [b:Inkmistress|32610537|Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars, #0.5)|Audrey Coulthurst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1519934146s/32610537.jpg|53193454] was the one exception to this because of Asra's personality and introvertedness (something I deal with) and it's careful handling of bisexuality, the first book of the original series didn't grab me. But now, I can add Girls of Paper and Fire to that exception list.
While not perfect, this book is a great step in the right direction for fantasy. It wasn't just the Asian-themed world or the f/f relationship at it's heart, although Lei and Wren's relationship was beautifully done. It was the fact that Lei was a simple, peasant girl pulled into a turbulent world that was not her own. Lei endures enforced courtly life, sexual assault, separation from her remaining family, a bloody uprising, and loss. That is what I miss in fantasy: A character who isn't a prince or princess, some court mage, or scholar but a regular person who gets dragged into a threat that they have to fight against and will become stronger because of that. That is the true journey! Yes, I'm sure there are other books out there that do this but I haven't read or heard of them.
I believe Ngan handled the sexual assault respectfully and well. Again, Lei and Wren's relationship was well-paced and structured; the descriptions of their love-making is not explicit although their certainly something that isn't found in too many YA books. Fight scenes are descriptive and flow well. What stops the full five stars is simply because I think that some of supporting characters were not as well-developed as the central ones.
I eagerly await November for the next book.