Uncover a riveting story of palace intrigue set in a sumptuous Asian-inspired fantasy world in the breakout YA novel that Publisher’s Weekly calls “elegant and adrenaline-soaked.” *A New York Times Bestseller* *#1 on the Indie Next Kid’s List*
*Goodreads Best Books of November* *B&N Top Books of November* *Publisher’s Weekly Books of the Week* *Hypable Most Anticipated YA Book Releases* Top Books of November*
*Publisher’s Weekly Books of the Week*
*Hypable Most Anticipated YA Book Releases*
In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it’s Lei they’re after — the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king’s interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king’s consort. There, she does the unthinkable — she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world’s entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
Get ready to be pulled into a lush, magical world, where two concubines must hide their forbidden love if they want to survive the Demon King’s treacherous court. A fiery, spellbinding read.
Girls of Paper and Fire is as lush — and brutal — as the Demon King’s own court. Ngan is a stunning new talent.
I read Girls of Paper and Fire with very little knowledge of it, other than it’s a beloved fantasy YA. I was surprised and incredibly delighted by the love story and I’m glad I went into it blind. The only thing I regret was reading it on a plane because I was seriously bawling in the middle. Then I ran out of tissues and had to make a run to the lavatory to get more with tears streaming down my face. I’m sure it looked like something terrible had happened to me IRL. If you haven’t read Girls of Paper and Fire and want to also experience the story blind don’t read on…
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I was captivated with Wren before we even learned her name, and I was just praying that she was Lei’s love interest! If I hadn’t been in public I would’ve cheered when I knew for sure that was the direction the story was headed! The book does deal with some very dark themes and violations of many kinds, including sexual, so please be forewarned. But it was all dealt with respectfully and it felt hopeful in the end instead of bleak. I can’t wait for Girls of Storm and Shadow.
What do you get when you cross Asian mythology, demons, class struggles, forbidden romance, and feminism? This amazing book, of course!
Girls of Paper and Fire takes place in a beautifully well-developed fantasy world inspired by Asian cultures and mythology. The demonic Moon caste, marked by their animal features, is the highest, followed by the part-demon Steel cast, and finally the fully human Paper caste. The main character, Lei, is Paper caste and has spent her life in a remote village, though she is dragged into the heart of the kingdom when she is chosen against her will to be one of the king’s consorts. Yikes. It’s a pretty sucky situation overall.
The plot is a bit slow to start off and it took a while for things to start moving. Once it built up, though, it really got going. The tension and beautiful writing that I loved in this book were there the whole time, so there were never any points in which I wasn’t interested. As the story progressed, the stakes constantly heightened, making the situation more difficult and complicated for the characters and keeping me on the edge of my seat.
Some parts, however, were extremely difficult to read, given the subject of the book. Content warnings for sexual abuse, violence, and rape.
Lei, the narrator, was such a strong character. Despite the hopeless situation she finds herself in, she shows resilience and courage and determination. She is allowed to be angry and afraid and ruthless, while also being capable of forgiveness and love. The relationships she forms with some of the other Paper Girls were some of my favorite aspects of the novel, as they showed Lei’s ability to persevere in the face of despair.
Speaking of relationships, Wren is another important character who is worth mentioning. I loved the relationship that forms between Lei and Wren, watching it develop from nothing as both of them struggle with their own conflicts. I wish Wren had been fleshed out a little more on her own, apart from Lei, though I understand that it’s hard to do since the book is from Lei’s perspective.
For the most part, the writing was absolutely beautiful, lush, and descriptive, transporting me into that world. I especially enjoyed all the descriptions of food – they made me hungry! The palace is described in beautiful language, which is juxtaposed against the horrible things happening within its walls.
At times, however, I felt that things were spelled out a little too clearly, leaving little room for interpretation or subtlety. This extends to characters as well; a few characters (particularly some of the other Paper Girls) felt a little simplistic. I kept expecting more, to be surprised by them in some way, but that just didn’t happen.
In the end, though, I was fully invested in the story. I had no idea starting out that this was going to be a series, but WOW it had better be because I definitely need more after that ending!
Overall, this a beautiful yet intense book that deals with consent, the ownership of women’s bodies, power, and oppression at a time when all of these are salient issues in cultural conversations. Despite it being difficult to read at times, I came away from it feeling empowered by its message that no one own’s a woman’s body but herself.
This book had been sitting on my shelf for a couple months and I finally picked it up after a few bland reads and wow did it ever deliver. First off, THAT COVER, but even better, the story inside fully lives up to the beauty. There is incredible world building, a truly horrid oppression by an entitled, evil ruler, and of course the rich and detailed world of our main characters, the young girls chosen for the “honor” of being the kings concubines. I won’t lie, there are parts of this book that are hard to read (though it doesn’t go into detail on page due to its YA nature it’s easy to imagine the worst that they’re put through). The love story by comparison is sweet and full of hope and goodness. It makes you root for these two girls and it had me flipping pages until late into the night. A great read and I am excited to start book 2.
Following the Lunar Chronicles wasn’t going to be easy for any book I chose, but I’m actually glad I chose this one. The writing and story didn’t blow my mind, but the world-building really pulled me in. Magnificent colors, a fantastical world with creatures and beings of all sorts. And girls being brave enough to fight against The Man (or, in this case, the Bull). The budding romance also served to keep me reading. So, while I didn’t find myself all that interested in what happens next and may not get the sequel, I did quite enjoy this book.
not bad but not great either. i REALLY wanted to love this book, but in the end it just fell sort of flat for me. i felt like i was waiting for something to happen through most of the middle of the book, and i found most of the characters pretty two-dimensional.
My all time favorite book! It brings you into a fantasy world and the main character goes in a rollercoaster of emotions. I 100% recommended!
Fantasy…Not really. I don’t think there was enough in it. The healers can heal and often I forgot They had animal like features.
I didn’t understand why being a lady servant of the king would be such an honor when you could clearly see that none of the townspeople of female seemed to pleased with the thought.
This really didn’t do much for me but it did have some winning points. The relationship that built up between the girls was magnificent and I felt the bonds they shared. The mysterious aspect also caught my attention mainly the one of what happen to the mother. The other aspect was the world building which was beyond phenomenal.
I was very much looking forward to this book and is a bit of hype surrounding it, so I sat on that long ass wait list to check it out from my library. Needless to say I didn’t like this book all that much and it deserves more like a 2 star rating, I figured I be generous here.
At first I thought I was really going to get into this book. It truly seemed interesting. The glimpse of what this world looked like, the different castes, and characters. But unfortunately nothing really fleshed out into anything real interesting. The world was meh and not well described. The caste system seemed lazily done and half the time I couldn’t remember much about the steel-caste. I didn’t really understand the world and why the Demon King was in power when everyone hated him, let alone why he was taking nine concubines.
I also disliked the main character Lei with a passion. I didn’t get why she was so special, other having the eyes of demon even though she was human. Her character was dole. It seemed like she wanted to start a rebellion against the wrongness of using papergirls as concubines, but all she ever did was run off at the mouth to get herself in trouble. She did nothing this entire book was realize that she had a thing for Wren. Which brings me to the next thing, that whole relationship came out of nowhere, and I really wasn’t feeling that relationship. I was all for a F/F relationship in this book, but it didn’t work for me. Lei wanted to basically mark her territory all over Lei with anything she did and had the nerve to be mad at Wren for having secrets. The second Wren shared some things with her, Lei blurts out things she shouldn’t be saying nearly exposing them both. There are a lot of other things I can name, but we’ll stick with those things.
Trust when I say I really wanted to like this one. I stuck with it to the end even though the story progressively deteriorated for me and I was completely bored and uninterested in the story and characters. I highly doubt I will read the next book in the series.
I officially cannot stop telling people who I know love YA fantasy about this book because I dare anyone to read the first 20 pages of Nathasha Ngan’s GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE and not want to finish the whole thing.
Lei is of the lowest caste in a tiny village in a demon-filled kingdom, and is taken against her will to become a concubine of the king, all because of the golden eyes she isn’t supposed to have.
She is expected to behave. She is expected to give in. She is expected to shut off her heart and know her place.
If they really wanted that, they should’ve picked a different girl.
This was so perfectly crafted. It’s about the politics of power on every level, freedom, love, and choice.
Lei is someone a reader can’t help but keep watching. The east Asian-inspired world is fascinating and dark. The action is gasp-worthy. The love story between two women who fate brought together is beautiful and appreciated.
It’s also important to note that the scenes that could be triggering are written in a way that neither shies from the fact that women are being kept for the sole purpose of sexually satisfying a king, nor crosses the line into gratuitous or graphic.
“Riveting” is the word I’m going to stick with here. This book is riveting, and I look forward to its sequel.
Oh–and the cover? WOW. If you can see the hardcover in person, do so. Turn it so it catches the light and you can truly appreciate its burn.
This was a good book full of Asian mythology, a fight for equality, and secret romance.
The story follows Lei as she is taken from her home and forced to be a “Paper Girl” for the demon king. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat, but I found the plot to be a little predictable. Lei bonds with the other Paper Girls, including Aoki, the youngest and her best friend, and Wren, her mysterious love interest.
My favorite character was probably Wren. She was a powerful character and the strongest (I felt) representation of feminism. I wish we could have gotten to see more of her character, though — I felt like she didn’t have many flaws. Maybe we will get to see more of them in the next book, though.
I loved the writing and prose. The world building enchanted me as well. Can’t wait for the next book!
I loved this book because it told the tale of this average girl who was ripped from everything thing she knew and loved, including her family, and was taken to a horrible place. She had to fight for everything she loved and in the meantime she got to find love.
This book is AMAZING!
We have Paper Caste who are full human. Steel Caste who are part human, part demon. Moon Caste who are full demon. The King of Heavenly master is Moon Caste. Paper Caste are considered peasants, the lowest of the low, by most. After the Night War the Bull king (who was a demon) took over all of the provinces the Paper Caste were pushed aside into the dirt while the other flourished, so the King decided to take 8 Paper Caste girls every year. The King would take those 8 girls to his castle forever to do whatever he wants with them, in return he takes care of them and the families of the girls back home.
I was hooked with the first chapter of this book and read all 380 pages in one sitting, it is unputdownable!
There are demons, friendship, hatred, corruption, betrayal, magic, shamans, love, and her ready for the ending because it is NOT expected.
There is to much going on in this book. The story is truly an adventure worth taking. RECOMMENDED
First of all, this book comes with a trigger warning for sexual abuse and violence.
Please, don’t let that deter you! Girls of Paper and Fire is definitely the revelation of the year, with an intricate plot that weaves themes of self-love and identity with a beautiful coming of age story built in a well-crafted and very interesting fantasy world.
Girls of Paper and Fire introduces us to Lei, the member of an oppresed caste who is chosen to become a Paper Girl, or the equivalent of a sex slave to the king. Along with her, seven other girls get chosen, a ritual that happens every year and that once upon a time saw Lei’s mother taken away from her. Lei meets Wren, another Paper Girl, which in turn twists the story into a romantic adventure in the search for justice.
The setting of the world is beautiful, weaving elements from Asian mythology with original fantasy imagery. Ngan’s world is evocative, and it becomes an enchanting spell of scents and sights in which to root the story of these young girls.
Thematically, this book is dense, but only in the best of ways. It carves out a society in which women are objectified, and offers a very clear view on rape as a tool for power. The topic is difficult, but it is treated with genuine care and without being unnecessarily graphic. Thus, the book tells a powerful tale of male sexual violence used as a means of exerting domination, rather than as depravation or mere lust.
The girls in this book meet during a traumatic period in their lives, and find strenght in each other and in the reclaiming of their own selves, their minds and their bodies. The focus on recovering from trauma is beautiful, and it makes for character archs that build into three-dimensional stories of great complexity, and great hope.
I recommed Girls of Paper and Fire for fans of fantasy, lesbian romance, and well-crafted young adult novels with great characters.
A skilfully written story about a difficult subject. Nice characters and settings. I very much appreciated the variety of ways each paper girl responded to the situation they were in. Each one had her own journey, and the story was written very respectfully. I can’t say I entirely *enjoyed* reading the book, not because the author did anything wrong, simply because it was hard to read, knowing these issues are all too real for so many people. I’m so glad there was a ‘trigger warning’ at the start. Well done, Natasha.
This book is amazing. The writing style, the story, the characters – simply amazing. I can’t wait for more in this series.
This gorgeous book is everything I want in a fantasy. Beautiful, lush, lyrical with fantastic world building and an epic forbidden romance, I devoured every word and was left desperately wanting more.
This is a fantastic story with a main character who never gives up. The world it takes place in is unlike any other I have read, in that people are ranked in society based on how many animal-like features they have. And the best part is that two women fall in love with each other, and their genders are never a reason for why they can’t be together, even though this still takes place in a somewhat heteronormative world.
I feel like the writing was a bit inconsistent, as was the main character. It’s set in a weird world, so I wanted more exploration of that, but I never quite got it. The plot (or at least the final act of the story) was also a little flimsy, in my opinion, but I’m hoping they announce a sequel because now I need to know more.