Girls of Paper and Fire

I got this book because I was craving some diversity in my fiction catalogue, both in ethnicity and sexual orientation. So off of online recommendations, I decided to give Girls of Paper and Fire a chance, and I was not disappointed! I love the way the author narrates the journey of the main character as she goes from a timid, fearful girl to a young woman hell bent on rebelling against a society that has taken so much from her, and yet still tells her that her life and her body are not her own. The setting really puts me in the mind of “Memoirs of a Geisha” another of my favorite books, but with a strong dose of fantasy. I also enjoyed the romance element as it was not overly sappy like most romantic YA novels tend to be. This is not just a story about falling in love. It’s a story of hope and finding strength to fight against those who oppress you. I saw that this book was considered pretty offensive by a lot of people which comes as no surprise. I mean demons, lesbians, and sex? OH MY! I’ve read much more graphic scenes of violence and sexuality in plenty of other YA novels. Heck, “Lord of the Flies” and “Touching Spirit Bear” were MUCH more violent and I read those in middle school! In fact the author doesn’t really go into extreme detail during the brutalization of certain characters, preferring to skip ahead to directly after these things take place similar to other YA novels. And being that I know plenty of young teens have experience abuse in various forms; I believe this book could be more empowering than triggering given the fire and hope that the main character carries within herself and never truly loses hold of. If you’re sick of reading the same old boy meets girl books that are usually about as racially diverse as a country music concert then I suggest you give this book a try. Be open minded and allow yourself to be carried away into Natasha Ngan’s story of the girl who will light the world on fire.

I admit it, when I saw the cover for Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan I wanted to read it…I almost didn’t care what the story was going to be about. Well…that’s not true but that cover is sooo pretty. With that said, this story was everything I hoped it would be!Lei lives in Ikhara, a world where class rules everything. As a member of the Paper caste, she and her family are oppressed and have lived with the trauma of seeing her mother ripped away from them by the royal guards. Now, having heard a rumor about a paper girl with golden eyes, the royal guards are back, and they aren’t leaving without Lei.The world Ngan has created is not a pretty one. There are three castes and they are what dictate how everyone engages with one another. The Paper caste is the lowest - They are fully human and do not have any demon abilities. Just above Paper is the Steel caste. This group is made up of humans with partial animal-demon qualities…both physical and ability. The highest caste, Moon caste, is fully demon and has whole animal-demon features. All castes are ruled by the Demon King.Every year, 8 beautiful girls are chosen to be Paper Girls who come to the palace to serve the King. It is supposed to be an honor and some of the girls absolutely believe this to be true but for Lei, it is her worst nightmare. She never had any intention of being in this role and when she is forced to join the girls who were chosen his year, she dreams of the day she can escape. As she trains to serve, she finds out quickly which of the girls she can trust and which she can’t. I thought the friendships Lei built with Aoki and Wren were believable. Of course, there is always a girl who just has to antagonize everyone else and you will very quickly learn who she is and while I get her dissatisfaction with the hand she has been dealt, she is definitely not justified in taking her anger and frustration out on Lei.Lei’s relationships are what help balance this story out. By getting to spend time with Lei and the girls, they become more than the Paper Girls forced to serve the king. With that said, there is still a whole host of things that are wrong with what these girls are forced to do. The king may be handsome and powerful, but he is for sure not a good guy and no one learns that more than Lei.First, Madam Himura was a piece of work. Other than having control of the girls, I couldn’t understand her motivation behind treating the girls the way she did…of course, she is from the highest caste so that had a lot to do with it but from the second she was introduced, she was mean and abrasive.Second, when I say serve the king, I mean in every way. These girls have no choice and over time, it is apparent even Aoki has constructed a world in her head that allows her to feel ok with what is happening. I won’t say too much about this, but the way Ngan reflects the evolution of Aoki’s feelings seemed realistic and made me want to dive into the pages just to shake her.As the story progresses and each girl gets called, Lei struggles with her fate and doesn’t know how she will be able to just go along with everything when it’s her name on the piece of paper. While she is waiting, she trains and goes along as normal, but she also does the unthinkable – she falls in love. Because this is forbidden, it puts her in a dangerous situation, but it also motivates her to find a way to get out of her current situation. When she is called, Lei can’t just go along with what the king wants and when she fights, the punishment is severe.It is safe for me to say that Lei and the king have a contentious relationship. She makes him doubt himself and his power and that isn’t something that sits well with him. When she doesn’t just let him control her, he takes his frustration out on her and she definitely suffers for it.There isn’t too much more I can tell you without ruining the story, so I am going to stop here. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic read. It has interesting characters, an engaging story, and danger around every corner. Definitely check this one out and I will be waiting over here for the next book Ngan writes.

Girls of Paper and Fire is about a girl who is chosen to be one of the concubines for the demon king. However, she falls in love with another concubine. This Asian-inspired fantasy has excellent world-building and different kinds of Asian cultures represented in the world of Ikhara. The prose are gorgeous, lush, almost melodic in a sense. Girls reminds me of how music builds in a piece, like Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers. Yes, the music starts out nice and soft, but it completely envelops you by the final section. By the end of the book, I wished there was more to read because I wanted nothing more than to live in this world for even three more pages. (Luckily, it’s a trilogy!) Despite the dark undertones and the political overtones of how men abuse their power, I found Girls to be an extremely hopeful book. In the face of adversity, the main character is able to find healing through love and friendships.If you’re like me (read: in love with food), then you’ll swoon for the descriptions of all the food. I also greatly appreciated it because food is so huge in Asian culture. (Of course I’m generalizing, as there are many different Asian cultures, but I’ve found that most Asian cultures revere food.) Don’t read this book on an empty stomach, or at least have a myriad of Asian food are your disposal; you will want to eat ALL THE FOOD. Girls of Paper and Fire is an extremely important book, like how Natasha tackles dark issues with care. It highlights the importance of inner strength, and the ability to find hope in the worst circumstances. Yes, it’s an important book; it’s also a damn good book. From the writing to the characters, the plot and the setting, Girls of Paper and Fire is the whole package.

I now have to buy the rest of the series because I'm fumyingnto know more. Highly recommended

Sehr gut

alles in orde

A beautifully written page turner. The world building is incredible and the dramatic tension is intensely high. I would highly recommend.

Sebbene il mio inglese sia penoso, il libro è scritto in modo semplice per cui fruibile anche da chi non è abituato, come me, a leggere in lingua originale. La trama non è la più originale del mondo, si vede lo spunto da altri libri ma è scorrevole, personaggi ben fatti e ti viene subito voglia di leggere il secondo. Per cui 5 stelle!