A good but brutal book! I loved it, although I must admit, I have never want to see a character die so much (well, since Game of Thrones).

Some amazingly strong females in a poor situations, interesting take on how different people would react in certain situations.

This should shape up to be a good series!

I wanted to love this one as much as everyone else does, I really did, but it ended up really disappointing me for various reasons. Trigger warnings for rape and assault. Representation wise, there’s a f/f romance and the main character is gay.

The first is that I thought the plot was very generic. I’ve read this same story so many times before, and there was nothing new to make it stand out from the hundreds of other YA fantasy books out there. The main character goes from a tiny village to the palace, where she is trained to be a Paper Girl. She then hears of a rebellion, and gets involved with that. From there, you can pretty much guess how the story is going to go. Admittedly, the plot is very fast paced. I flew through it, even though it’s a longish book. But it was simple.

I did really like the main character. I thought she was super feisty and she stuck up for herself and others on so many different occasions. She didn’t have much of a personality aside from that. I mean, I don’t know anything about her likes or interests or hobbies. There probably wasn’t much time for hobbies, but still. Something could have made her stand out a bit more, ya know? She is super gay though, so there’s that.

I didn’t love the romance that developed between the main character and one of the other Paper Girls. It didn’t really develop, it kind of just came out of nowhere with the bare minimum of hints. I get that they were in an intense and stressful situation, and probably found love wherever they could, but there was no real build up or chemistry, which was disappointing. I did like the love interest as a character though. Just not the lack of connection.

This book obviously didn’t blow me away. There’s a lot of stuff to talk about for a three star book, but I’m not sure I’m going to bother reading the sequel because I feel like there are better fantasy books out there.

Verdict: A beautiful and difficult tale.

With a book like this, I think it’s important to point out that it’s not for everyone. It explores the theme of sexual abuse in a way that’s unavoidable, unskippable. The scenes aren’t graphic, but the emotion is, or at least it felt like that to me. Please bare that in mind before reading.

Lei is part of the Paper cast, meaning she’s human from head to toe, unlike the power and magical chimera-like casts that are afforded the better status in Ikhara. She’s taken from her small village and made into one of the chosen eight concubines of the bull king. Unlike the other concubines, Lei refuses to submit to the 'honour' of being a Paper girl.

When I heard this was a fantasy novel inspired by Asian culture, I had to have it. Asian mythology has inspired my own writing, so I couldn't wait to sink into this tale, and the world building definitely delivered. The premise is dark, yes, but it's real and raw and honest. Some parts were difficult to read, but I felt the author was respectful of the many different ways abuse can affect a person.

To me, Lei was the perfect lead for this story. We all know we'd struggle in a situation like Lei's, and many would be too scared to do anything about it, and so it's cathartic to read about someone who risks it all to stand up for themselves, even though it’s not the smartest thing to do.

The best thing about this book is the imagery. The language is both beautiful and haunting. There are plenty of lines to gush over, while others cut to the core. I would definitely read another book by this author for the writing alone.

My only quibble was the pace. It set off like a firework, one of those ones that shoots up high and then nothing; it does not bang. The plot seemed to get stuck in a queue where I always knew what was going to happen a few chapters later, and that made it frustrating to read at times. However, the plot tumbles and dives, rises and twists, so although there was an element of predictability, there was enough going on to keep me going on.

Okay, another slight nugget of criticism was that I struggled to squeeze any personality from our second leading lady, Wren. I knew her story but not her, and while Lei's emotions were like suns burning in the sky, Wren was more like a spoon: useful…but not much else to say there. Part of the problem was there were a lot of characters, and I felt more intrigued by Aoki’s Stockholm-esk syndrome, Blue’s family struggles, and Madam Himura’s past as a Paper girl. I know eight is a lucky number in some Asian cultures, but it was a bit ambitious to squeeze in that many characters, and it was hard to feel attached to anyone but Lei.

So would I read book 2? Maybe. I'm more in love with the author's writing and inspirations than this particular story.

Source: With thanks to the publishers via NetGalley.com.

I adored every minute of this book. From the very start you are thrown into this Asian inspired world with people and animal demons. I absolutely loved the world building from describing the food and fashion to the caste system of people and demons. There are some upsetting scenes in this book as it deal with issues of sexual assault and rape as well as violence and racism. The characters are really great and interesting with many different personalities and backgrounds. Overall a really great start to a series!

This was a DNF for me! :(
No reflection on the story because I was really looking forward to this plot. The writing is good, the characters interesting however I am in a bit of a reading slump so just did not pick it back up after getting to 35%.

I will try again but for now it was a DNF.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me the ARC of this book.

I really loved this book - it isn't a storyline that I have come across before! A young girl who was abducted from her family because of a crazy tradition her kingdom has - once a year the king gathers 8 young girls form around the kingdom to become his concubines. Lei, repulsed by this, even more so as her mother was abducted 7 years before, decides from the beginning she is not okay with this and so when she is abducted, she defies the king in every way she can. Even if she gets punished for it.

This book obviously deals with rape and sexual abuse but it is written and dealt with in a very careful and honest way. You can see and understand the views of everyone involved, the abuser (though actually I can't understand his reasoning for it, but can anyone?), the victim who wants to fight back, and the victim who unfortunately can be very naive when it comes to this.

The story plot also was so intriguing and I just couldn't put this book down! My only quarrel is the love interest. Lei meets Wren and it is clear that they will eventually become a beautiful couple, but they go from barely talking to each other to Lei suddenly becoming very jealous and outright heartbroken whenever Wren does something. Especially when it is outside of Wren's control. Like Lei literally becomes mad and angry for no good reason - she doesn't even know Wren at this point and yet it's like her whole life depends on Wren. After they fall in love, yeah of course I can totally understand. But the beginnings of their love was very sudden and messy and I just didn't like it because it didn't flow!

I loved this story otherwise, and I can NOT WAIT until the sequel comes out, which I hope will be soon! I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone because of the messages within this book!

Wow... Just wow... I am completely and utterly blown away by this novel. I managed to snag a copy at YALC in the summer and the day after YALC, I went straight on holiday to Malta, so naturally, I thought that would be the perfect place to take Girls of Paper and Fire and to relax by the pool and read it.

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after--the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king's consort. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable--she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

Can I just say that I have been waiting for this book to come out FOR SO LONG! This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2018, and originally, it wasn't going to come out in the UK til 2019, but the publisher pushed it forward to November, so that it would be released at the same time as the US. I just feel so lucky to have got an ARC because I don't think I could have waited much longer to read it!



“I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.”
― Natasha Ngan, Girls of Paper and Fire



AND THE ARC WAS A FLOPPY PAPERBACK WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED!

Anyway, onto the actual book...

The beginning felt a little bit slow to me. It was basically the journey that Wren made to the castle. There was drama at the beginning as well, when Wren was being taken away from her home, but the journey to the castle dragged a little bit. It kind of reminded me of he journey that the main character in Uprooted took.

Now, I just say this right now because people definitely need to know: there is A LOT of sexual assault that happens in this book including rape. These parts were so hard for me to read and I didn't know that there were going to be scenes like this in there, but at least now I can tell you so that you're prepared! I think the overcoming of the sexual assault that the paper girls went through is at the core of this book. Every girl suffers, and every girl tries to put on a brave face and tell everyone that they're okay, but underneath, you know that they are torn up inside because of what they are being made to do.



“I know what it means to dream about the past.
To dream about things you have loved, and lost.”
― Natasha Ngan, Girls of Paper and Fire



Even though some of the characters were very bitchy, I really liked all of them. Every single character such as Blue and Aiko were really fleshed out and sometimes, they didn't feel like side characters because of how well they were written.

Once we got over the whole 'journey to the castle' thing, the plot became really interesting. It was a slow burning plot, don't get me wrong, and it didn't really kick off until the last 100 pages or so, but the build up towards the ending had me on the edge on my seat (or pool lounger?), because of Ngan's beautiful writing. Her writing style is just so gorgeous. It's not exactly purple prose like Wicked Like a Wildfire or The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, but the descriptions of the world and the characters make you feel like you're actually in the story which is one of the many things that I couldn't get enough of when I was reading this.

And of course, how could I write this review without talking about the AMAZING romance. Wren and Lei are just perfect together and I love them both so much. Wren has definitely become my new fictional crush. I love how supportive she is of Lei. Wren helps Lei through absolutely everything, physically and mentally and THAT'S the kind of relationship that I love to read about. The only thing that made me sad was that Wren was kind of pushed to the side at the end of the novel so that Lei could have her shining moment, but that's something that I can definitely move past. I can't wait to read more about this romance in the second book (which I didn't think was even going to be a thing until I got to the end!)



“Instead of disappearing, she makes me feel reappeared. Reimagined. Her touch shapes me, draws out the boldness that had been hiding in my core.”
― Natasha Ngan, Girls of Paper and Fire



Speaking of the ending... OH MY GOD! It was explosive and it had me completely shook. That's all I'm going to say about that. But I thought that Girls of Paper and Fire was a standalone fantasy novel, and when I got to the end, I thought 'it CAN'T be! IT JUST CAN'T BE A STANDALONE! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!' And sure enough, a couple of months later, I went onto Goodreads, and noticed that next to Girls of Paper and Fire it said that it was book one in a series. I WAS SO HAPPY!

I can't wait for the sequel and even though I love how Natasha Ngan is posting snippets of it on her Twitter, it just makes me even more restless because I need it in my life right now.

If you haven't read this book already, you have to. You just have to.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Trigger warnings: sexual assault and rape, death.

DNF
Reason: too many of my triggers.

I am absolutely gutted to be DNF'ing this! GOPAF was one of my most anticipated books of 2018 and I was lucky enough to receive an ARC through NetGalley. Unfortunately, this book is too triggering for me in terms of the subject matter it deals with. I didn't know at the time of requesting it, but this book deals heavily with sexual abuse, rape and graphic violence.

If I knew that these triggers were part of the book, I would never have requested it. As much as I want to support this book and hype it up, I am not able to continue for personal reasons. But I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for future releases by this author as it's so rare to come across an own voices Asian inspired fantasy with LGBTQ+ characters!

I honestly think this book would have been amazing, I have seen nothing but great reviews and from what I did read, the world building, writing style and character development were brilliant.

3.5 stars

“We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we’re given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the demon king and his court do not realise is that paper is flammable”

Each year, 8 Paper Girls are chosen to serve the King. However, this year there is 9, the ninth being Lei. Serving the King is regarded as the highest honour they could hope to achieve within their lowly caste, but is it really? A cruel regime, a forbidden romance and an evil Demon King ; Girls of Paper and Fire delves into a world of which you can only understand if you are part of it.

Before picking this book up please be aware of the trigger warnings as some parts of this book are extremely raw.

This book stands out from all other fantasy books I have read so far, as it has built a world that I definitely do not want to be part of. I did enjoy reading this book, however I did struggle with some of the topics which made me realise the need for the trigger warnings at the beginning. I enjoyed the easy writing style that Natasha Ngan adapted during this book and I managed to devour this in 24 hours. I did however feel like something was missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I definitely wanted more from this book. I really did love the romance, both characters really resonated with me. There’s a death in all fantasies, so I don’t feel like this is a spoiler, but this one disappointed me, I feel like it was a cop out by the author which is something that really irritates me with certain fantasy stories. The ending however improved this book for me and I was left surprised and wanting to know what happened next. I will definitely be picking up the next book, as the ending left me wanting more.

Can we just appreciate the existence of this book for a bit? Asian inspired fantasy – yes! Demons and part-demons and humans awkwardly co-existing – yes! Harem politics, machination, and intrigue – yes! F/F fantasy – yes! I’ll say again – F/F FANTASY! There are so many things I loved about this book before I even opened it. I’m so glad that YA is embracing fantasy more diverse fantasy. I’ve always wondered what would happen if in one of these harem stories some of the concubines just decided not to bother with the king, but found love with each other, and well, now we know.

A great testament to any book is when you are reading the set-up before the initial crisis that spurs the plot on, and you would be perfectly happy just to read about the characters’ everyday lives if that crisis never came. I felt this way about Lei’s home, where the book opens. Lei works in her family’s apothecary shop with her father and their employee (/adopted family member) Tien, who is part cat. In this world, there are the Paper caste, who are wholly human, the Moon caste, who are wholly animalistic demons, and the Steel caste, who are in between – mostly human, with some animal traits. The backstory is set up effortlessly, and I could quite happily have watched the small-town interactions between different castes play out as Lei mixed herbs for her customers.

But alas for her, she is soon captured and presented to the king, a powerful demon who takes a harem of eight beautiful young Paper women each year. Lei is the unprecedented ninth girl, and she wants no part in it – except that the king’s court may hold the answers to the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. Lei was a wonderful character – the book is written in first person from her perspective, and her voice is so clear and unique that you instantly fall in love with her spirit. She’s kind as well as brave, and she’s also hurting. She’s wonderful to read.

When Lei meets the other Paper girls, you get to see a real breadth and depth of characters. I love when you can see worldbuilding so clearly through little differences in people’s behaviour – it hints at their upbringing, and shows you glimpses of a world beyond the storyline. Lei’s budding relationship with Wren, her fellow Paper girl, was gorgeously handled, and felt so natural and realistic. It is quite a quick realisation of love, due to the circumstances, but it felt well-explained (and definitely wasn’t insta-love!). I look forward to seeing how they get on in the sequel!

There are trigger warnings at the front of the book for sexual violence, and without too much of a spoiler, it’s fairly obvious that this is directed at the Paper girls, particularly Lei, by the king. I didn’t find it graphic, and I thought it was extremely necessary to the storyline – it always seems a little bit of a cop-out where a heroine is able to escape before she has to sleep with her captor, or even kill him in bed, thus protecting her innocence (looking at you, The Hundredth Queen). It’s as if it’s saying that a heroine must stay pure in order to stay our heroine, and I kind of hate that. Lei is a victim of rape, but she’s still the Lei we love, and it’s so amazing to watch her pick herself back up and decided that no, she will not be made a victim. It’s powerful and necessary – but take care of yourselves first and foremost. Message me if you need to know what pages to avoid.

Girls of Paper and Fire is such an important step for YA fantasy to take. It’s women wresting back control of their lives from the patriarchy and refusing to be forced into moulds. It’s fantastic. I loved it. I need you all to read it right now. An obvious five out of five stars.

In the end I gave Girls of Paper and Fire a well-deserved 4 stars.

At times it was not an easy read - the things Lei and the other girls go through are things no person should ever have to - but it was an important one. The content warning at the start was necessary, while also not taking away from the story or spoiling it. This book is vital not only because of its inspiration from Asian culture and mythology, but also because of the relationship between Lei and Wren, another of the Paper Girls.

Overall, I felt that Girls of Paper of Fire was a strong and well-written fantasy debut. The worldbuilding was well developed, with a rich history, mythology, and geography. The idea of the different castes - Paper, Moon, and Steel - was fascinating, especially with the concept of humans and demons. There were parallels to human societies in this caste, certainly, but it also felt original, as did Wren and the others' desire for a world where all three castes could live together.

Lei's desire to fight back, as well as the moments of unease, made her a well-rounded and likeable character, and I loved reading about her friendships with the other girls (girls supporting girls is always my absolute JAM) and when her friendship with Wren turned into something more I was over the moon (because girls loving girls is even more my jam). She was strong in spite of all this, and in spite of all she had been through and learned, and I cannot wait to see how her character continues to develop in the next novel.

The last few chapters of the book - as well as that epilogue! - left me eager for more. I am interested to see where the rebellion will lead, and the part that Lei and Wren will play in it all.

I would recommend Girls of Paper and Fire to anyone who enjoys a well-written fantasy novel, whether YA or adult, especially those who enjoy reading a refreshingly feminist novel from an own-voices writer. I would also warn anyone who might be affected by the issues addressed in the novel to tread carefully, but if like me they are able to make it through the more difficult parts, they will find themselves pleasantly surprised.

Girls of Paper and Fire was released in November and so it is available to read now! If you enjoyed my review and would like to find out more, please don't hesitate to check the book out or read it for yourself!

Girls of Paper and Fire was such a good read. We follow Lei who is a member of the paper caste. Every year the king calls upon eight girls of the paper caste to become paper girls otherwise known as his concubines. But it is decided a ninth girl will join them. This of course would be Lei. This is very unusual but there was something that the king saw in her, which he was intrigued with. Her beauty and her golden eyes, though she was blessed with those, may have been her downfall in this instance. Beauty is usually blessed but this may be her curse. The King is such a tyrant and so expects his paper girls to be etiquette trained when coming to see him. Lei must go through a series of lessons to learn how to be a proper lady. These girls then find comfort in each other because of what they are going through. They become friends even though some are somewhat jealous of Lei for being the ninth girl. They are forbidden to seeking love and comfort in the arms of another man. But they didn’t mention a woman. Though love is forbidden, Lei finds love in Wren, a handmaiden. But Wren is up to something. Lei must decide between love and duty.

4 out of 5 stars.

I struggled a bit with this book. I loved the description and it should have been right up my reading street but I had to force myself to keep picking it back up.
It just didn’t grip me like it should have done. It’s likely me not it, I can see why this was marketed as for fans of Laini Taylor (who I’m a huge fan of) it had a lot of similar elements but it lacked that magic ‘spark’ Laini’s books have.
Worth a try if you like fantasy books but ultimately not one I loved.

Ok I had reservations about this book because however you slice it, a story in which the MC is chosen (not a request) to be part of a harem needs to be very carefully handled to avoid tropes like ‘MC falls in love with abuser’ or normalising sex trafficking or adding another layer of permissiveness to rape culture – ‘it’s yielded with pleasure when taken by force’ sort of thing. However Ngan never dresses up what’s happening as anything except very wrong and abusive. This is a gritty fantasy novel and does contain sexual assault but never for titillation purposes. Lei – the MC – is a good lead and her relationship with Wren another girl from the paper caste is brilliantly well done. All in all this is an excellent YA novel, if a bit shaky in places. Still highly recommend.

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I went into reading this one with minimal expectations, sounded good but wasn’t really expecting much as I have read so much fantasy this year, and most of it has been a mixed bag. The premise was interesting enough as was the Malaysian inspired premise – but reading in the blurb protagonist chosen to be part of a king’s harem and does the unthinkable – falls in love with someone else.

Initially there was a bit of eye rolling on my part and a guess – oh she’s going to fall for some guard or male servant or a prince who’s going to wind up helping her some way. Did I ever get a surprise on that department!

I found myself absolutely loving this book. I had started reading by ebook review galley, to find this was the book of the month in my Fairyloot subscription box and got a signed edition with the prettiest cover and pink sprayed edges. This is one of my top ten books of this year.

Trigger warnings – sexual assault. There is actually a warning for this on the inside cover of the hardback.

The world building is rich and well developed, in this fantasy there are three castes – Paper, the lowest caste, the humans, Steele – half human, half demons - the middle cast – these people have demoneseque features and powers. Moon caste are the highest – complete demons form. The demon form is usually some sort of animal basis.

The heroine Lei lives a hard but happy life in her village with her father in his shop, they are both Paper, they live with her father’s assistant, a Steele class lady who has worked there as long as Lei can remember and is like family to them. Lei’s mother disappeared 10 years ago, taken by a demon army.

Every year a number of girls are chosen (read taken) by the Demon King’s army to be Paper Girls – the King’s Concubines – it’s not a request if you’re chosen. Lei finds herself taken by the army, she has unusual gold eyes – goddess touched – which earns her the army chief’s attention and he takes her thinking he can gain favour with the king.

Lei’s world is shattered. Lei has a strong voice and is fiery and determined. She was a brilliant lead, full of personality and promise, without being overly head strong or making stupid decisions and rash actions. She’s naturally completely against being a Paper Girl but figures once she’s at the Imperial Palace she might be able to find out what happened to her missing mother.

Paper Girls for this year’s crop have already been chosen so Lei’s addition is unusual. Her goddess touched gold eyes make her a viable option. Some of the girls there have been training for this for years and are from high class families, and your typical mean girls. Others are colder and more remote, and one girl is nice and friendly, if very naïve.

Lei reluctantly starts to settle into life at the Palace – an elevated life of culture and learning. The girls have a maid who helps them, and lessons, it’s very exclusive and luxurious – but there’s something quite oppressive about it as well. As there is always the threat of the reason why they are there – to serve as concubines to a demon king who doesn’t care if this is something the girls want or not.

The girls have to attend various Court events after they are presented to the King. The King makes his choices and one by one the girls are called on to perform their duties. The reactions they have after their night with the King is different for each girl. It’s very uncomfortable to read about.

The King is a young man, very handsome, but brutal, a bully, he has moments where you think there might be more to him than a cold ruler who has very little thought for anyone else other than what he wants. But just as quickly as you get that glimpse – something happens and he’s horrible again. And gets worse and worse throughout the novel.

While regular Paper Girl life is going on Lei finds herself becoming enamoured with one of the other Paper Girls. This is one the best slow burn romances I’ve come across in a long time. It’s so so slow but the build of anticipation is brilliant as Lei gets to know the girl, Wren. Wren was one of the ones who was cold and dismissive at first, but Wren is as mysterious as she is beautiful. Lei’s yearning comes through so vividly, as she tries to figure out her ceilings, worrying about waiting for her own turn with the king.

As the romance slowly blossoms, Lei starts learning some of Wren’s secrets. The plot starts picking upwards the end. There’s a few mysteries and some plot twists and a good burst of action towards the end. And a really WTF cliffhanger at the end. Just when you think everything might actually be okay… of course it’s not!

I can’t find enough words for how much I loved this book. There’s not much more I can say without being overly spoilerly about the overall plot. It’s hard to read in some places and deals with some serious issues. It gets uncomfortable. Other places it’s beautifully written with a moving romance, and some lovely female friendships.

I can’t wait for more of this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for approving my request to view the title.

This review will go up on my blog, Foxes and Fairy Tales, on 9 6 Jan 2019
https://foxesfairytale.wordpress.com/2019/01/06/review-girls-of-paper-and-fire

It's been a month since I read Girls of Paper and Fire book and I've upped and downed my rating for it about a dozen times. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'm tempted to 5-star it but there were a couple of things that just niggled at me and it's gradually crept down to a four. I think part of the problem is that this was one of my top five most anticipated books of 2018, and I maybe just didn't get the suckerpunch love I was expecting and hoping for.

What I loved.

The Paper girls. I really liked how varied the girls all were, and how -- even the girls which were very different personality-wise from the protagonist -- were written with a certain level of respect (e.g. the aloof and catty Blue, or sweet but gullible Aoki. As Lei grew to appreciate all the girls, I felt like we got to understand their different viewpoints and strengths. I loved that untimely there were so many female characters supporting each other, but that there was also some strong opposition.

I thought the culture of rape and the oppression the Paper girls faced from just about every angle was incredibly well handled. Although there are a few scenes which toe the line on graphic-ness, the assault scenes and sexual coercion never felt played for shock value or titillation. Ngan uses what Lei is going through to hammer home her points and in ways which felt like it fitted the story she was telling.

What I disliked.

I don't know... I just felt like most all of the characters (not so much Lei, but yes... even her occasionally) just came off as a little flat and shallow in terms of personality. I didn't really like we really dug into them. And, as a result, I found it difficult to really care about what Lei and Wren were trying to achieve, or to really care about the plight of the Paper Caste in society.

This book did a lot of things really well -- it gets massive points for creativity and for ambition -- so although I didn't adore it the way I expected to, I'm still really eager to see what Ngan has planned for the sequel.

Unfortunately a promising start and an unexpected romance were let down by a disappointing ending. It’s not bad, in fact the writing and world building are very good, it’s just not as special as it so easily could have been.

I have to confess despite being very excited to receive a copy of Girls of Paper and Fire from NetGalley I put off reading this. I’ve been a little down on the genre and had a feeling this would be the typical YA fantasy with all of the usual tropes. Poor girl plucked from obscurity and sent to live in the palace of an evil dictator who discovers she has a special ability or skill she can use to save the world (all while falling in love with her soul mate). But, while it does wander into this kind of standard pattern there is something a little bit different about it and I found the start in particular intriguing. The prologue immediately drew me into the story and there were some early hints that this could head in an unexpected direction.

I hadn’t read much about the story, and it’s safe to say what I had read I’d forgotten, so I had no idea why there was so much buzz around this book. It didn’t take long however to figure out that the something special was the romance. It’s pretty obvious from the blurb that main character falls in love with someone she shouldn’t but who she falls in love with was completely unexpected and for me was the highlight of the story.

The rest of the story is a little bit slow at times but I found there was more or less enough to hold my attention. I can’t say Lei is a new favourite character, she’s a little frustrating but other than that I didn’t have any particularly strong feelings about her either way. With the exception of Wren, there’s not really a lot to say about the other characters either. I thought they were a little underdeveloped and occasionally wandered into cliched. There’s the mean rich girl, the naive and innocent best friend and the evil villain. It’s all a little bit predictable, all that is with the exception of Wren who absolutely fascinated me. She sets herself apart from the other girls and gives very little away. It’s difficult to tell whether she’ll be a friend, enemy or something else entirely and I loved that uncertainty.

I also really liked the world building and the class system the author created and thought her descriptions of both place and people were incredibly vivid. I loved the idea of this huge big palace with very distinct districts within it all protected by magic. I would however have liked to see more of this magic and the shamans who can wield it. For a fantasy it’s pretty light on this and there’s very little on the magic system despite it being important in the world… which takes me on to my final point, that ending.

This book feels like a slow build to an epic conclusion. There are lots of hints and premonitions that something incredible is going to happen and that Lei will be central to it but while there is a big finish it fell a little bit short of expectations. It’s probably my own fault for building it up and imagining what it could be that makes Lei so special but it was all a bit of a let down. It is the first book in a trilogy so no doubt the really epic stuff and the big reveals are being saved for later books but it would have been good to get something to tide us over.

Overall therefore a promising start but not as spectacular as I hoped it would be.

I went into this blind and it took my weeks to finished, purely because I just stopped reading anything for a few weeks. But soon as I picked it back up I devoured it.

I expected the typical YA fantasy trope of girl falls for the villain or even a love triangle but I was pleasantly surprised that neither happened.

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.

Trigger Warning: This book features kidnap, sex trafficking, sexual assault, rape, violence, sex shaming, and animal cruelty.

I've been looking forward to reading Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan ever since I first heard of it; a UKYA, queer, asian inspired high fantasy? Sign. Me. Up! Unsurprisingly, it was incredible, but it was the surprises that had me completely adoring this book!

In a world of demons and humans, where demons are superior to humans, Lei is Paper caste, fully human, who lives in a small village working at her father's herb shop. Seven years ago, there was a raid on her village, in which her mother was taken from them, the grief of which Lei has never got over. This year, the soldiers are back, and it's Lei they take. Having heard rumours of her golden eyes, a General has stolen her away as a gift to the King, in order to apologise for a mistake he made, believing the King would be pleased by her eyes. Lei is to be a Paper Girl, eight girls trained to be the Demon King's concubines, the highest honour bestowed upon a Paper caste girl, but this year there is to be nine. But Lei refuses to let her life be dictated to her, and when she falls in love with one of her fellow Paper Girls, Wren, their secret relationship and embracing their love is her secret rebellion. But Lei's life at court shows her just how cruel the Demon King is, and just how terribly treated the Paper caste are. When she discovers a plot to overthrow the King, Lei realises she can't just sit back and accept her fate, but must do what she can to help, for all Paper castes everywhere.

'We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the Demon King and his court do not understand is that paper is flammable.
And there is a fire catching among us.' (p273-274)*

Oh my god, I can't tell you just how incredible this book is! The world building is just so lush, heavily inspired by Ngan's own Chinese Malaysian background. The food, the outfits, the decoration! It's all just so gorgeous! But there's also the people of Ikhara; the Paper castes, who are fully human, and mulitcultural humans at that; the Steel caste, who are humans with some demon qualities; and Moon caste, full demons. But in this world, the demons aren't what you would normally think of when hearing the word "demon". The Moon caste are humanoid animals. The King, for example, is a bull-form; their are aspects of his face that are human, but his nose and jaw are more bovine, he's covers is dark hair, and he has hooves. What I found really fascinating about Girls is how it took an idea we've seen in fantasy before, of a world inhabited by humans and creatures, and flipped the hierarchy on it's head. Normally, humans reign supreme, and anything "less than" or "other than" human are monsters to be killed or controlled. In Girls, the hierarchy places humans at the bottom, with Steel caste demons above them, and Moon caste demons at the top. And it's not just a class system, it's prejudice and discrimination. Two hundred years ago, the first Demon King invaded and took control of all of Ikhara, and then put everyone in their place, his own prejudice against humans putting them at the bottom. And though not every Steel or Moon caste demon are prejudiced against humans, there's a hell of a lot of them that are. Humans are nothing, they are "keeda" - worms. And because they are nothing, the demons can treat them however they want. They can raid their villages and kill their people. They can kidnap women and give them as gifts. They can dress up becoming one of the King's concubines as an honour, but the fact is you are to have sex with the King whenever he wishes, however he wishes, and you cannot say no. It is your job to please him. You are not to have sex with anyone else. You are not to fall in love. Paper castes are to accept their lot in life, and not complain about what befalls them, because doing so can lead to death. It's terrifying and it's horrific. And, to be honest, it reminded me a lot of racism and slavery. In it's way, Girls holds up a mirror to our own world and our own history, shining a light on how the privileged white treat and have treated people of colour. And it's disgusting.

'It seems that to most demons, being Paper caste already makes you less human.' (p264)*

But we have Lei. What I loved about Lei is that she is just an ordinary girl. She's not the chosen one, she's not anything special, she's just a Paper caste girl who lived in a poor village, working in her father's herb shop. A peasant whose life would have continued on at the shop, in her little village, a quiet, unimpressive life, but a life that was hers. Her life might not be something readers can relate to, but we can relate to the fact that she is just a girl, just living her life. And in that, she's all of us, she's every-girl. But then she's forced to become a Paper Girl, and her life is turned upside down. All the other Paper Girls are there because they want to be, because they've fed in to the lies about it being an honour, and they're happy to have the life of luxury they now do. But this is not Lei's choice. She never chose to become a Paper Girl, she never wanted - never wants - to have sex with the King. She is trapped, she cannot escape, and her terror is palpable. But she has people around her who get it, and are fighting their own fight.

'"[Men] have all the power, anyway."
The look Zelle gives me is sharp. "Do they? Yes, they like to think they're in charge, ordering us around and taking women for their own whenever they fancy. But is that true power? They can take and steal and break all they want, but there is one thing they have no control over. Our emotions," she says at my nonplussed look. "Our feelings. Our thoughts. None of them will ever be able to control the way we feel. Our minds and our hearts are our own. That is our power, Nine. Never forget it."' (p151)*

And Lei does choose to give her heart to another. Oh, the romance between Lei and Wren is just so beautiful! Especially given the circumstances they find themselves in. Despite the danger they would be in if anyone found out, their love is pure, and their only light in the darkness. And it's their love that makes Lei strong. It gives her something - something good, something she has now - to fight for. Her love, her choice, her freedom.

But there are also others to fight for. What she sees at the court, what she experiences, how she is treated, how the King treats his Paper Girls, what she witnessed seven years ago... at first she just wanted to get away for herself, back to her family, back to her own life. But as time goes on and she witnesses some truly horrific things, and it all just fans the flames of her anger, and she realises that she could never un-see or un-know all that she discovers at the palace.

'More than anything, I want to be free. Not just free of the palace, but free once I'm outside of it, too. How can that happen in a world where its King allows demons to do whatever they want to those they deem inferior? How can I live in happiness when I know now what happens to Paper castes all across Ikhara?' (p295)*

And this ordinary peasant girl - this every-girl, this girl of colour, this queer girl - chooses herself, chooses her love, chooses her people, and decides to take a stand. Against the King. Against the demons. Against her abusers and oppressors. Against the patriarchy. She becomes a cog in the machine that is the rebellion, and in doing so, she changes everything. I can't tell you how emotional it was - especially as sexual assault survivor - to see her take the decision to fight back. To not accept things, to not roll over, but to fight. And to me, she is us, she is fighting for us, and watching her become this resilient young woman was so empowering and so emotional. It was beautiful, and it was incredible.

I just want to briefly talk about some of the side characters. Lill, Lei's Steel caste 11-year-old maid at the palace, is adorable! She's the cutest little girl, although she is young and innocent, and doesn't realise that Lei doesn't actually want to be there, and thinks it is an honour that Lei is a Paper Girl. But she and Lei form this gorgeous older and younger sister relationship that is just to die for, and I love them! There's also the relationship that Lei forms with Aoki, one of her fellow Paper Girls. Aoki is 16, but is quite innocent and young for her age, and Lei feels protective of her. They form a really beautiful relationship, but one that is tested when Aoki starts to drink the cool-aid and believes in the King and all he does. I love Aoki, and went through such a roller coaster of emotions for her. I just wanted to take her away, give her a cuddle, and really explain things to her. But it's a fascinating and complex relationship to watch.

Girls of Paper and Fire is an absolutely fantastic high fantasy, and god, the ending! I can't say anything, but oh my god, I need book two now! I am so excited to see where the story leads in book two! Because the ending was epic, and oh my god, the next book is going to be unbelievable! I absolutely cannot recommend Girls enough; it's an absolutely amazing UKYA high fantasy, and not one to miss.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the eProof.

*All quotes have been checked against my bought final copy.