Wednesday, 14 November 2018

Girls of Paper and Fire - Book Review

by Natasha Ngan

What is it about:




TW: violence and sexual abuse.

What did I think of it:
*spoiler about love interest*

So I'm going to give a spoiler about the love interest, because it was what made me interested in this book. Lei falls in love with one of the other Paper Girls. I loved how this romance unfolded, and rooted for both of them to be able to be together, and to escape their gilded prison and the king.

I also really loved the interaction between all the girls. There is friendship, jealousy, competition. I liked how Ngan showed the different ways people can react to the same situation depending on background, character, and things like that.

The setting and the worldbuilding was beautiful. It is inspired by Eastern cultures and Ngan's writing painted a clear picture of the opulence of the palace, which starkly contrasted with the small village Lei grew up in.

I was a little annoyed by Lei being special as she isn't part of the normal selection, but gets added to the girls at the last minute. For a while it even looked like she was one of those special YA heroines who are so special that they miraculously manage to escape the horrors that happen to all the other girls around them, but luckily Ngan didn't make that mistake.

The violence and sexual abuse was handled well I think. There were some brutal scenes, but the abuse was mostly kept of page and mentioned instead of shown. Still I can advice to stay clear of this book if you're easily triggered.

All in all I loved this book and was hooked from the start to the end. The way the end was written makes that it can be read as a standalone, but it also makes me eager for the sequel. You bet I'll keep an eye out.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful (YA) Fantasy read.

Buy from bookdepository

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