Natasha NganRecensioni

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Decently entertaining, though mostly predictable and at times not that driving in action. I'll probably pick up the second one, but not in a huge hurry. Oddly enough, the notes and acknowledgements at the back are what changed my mind on that.

Recommended: for a spare-time casual read
For a decently entertaining story, for a read that you can read between other more enticing books (you won't mind putting this one down for a bit)

Thoughts:
I had high hopes for the world here, with the caste system on a range of human to demon, but I felt like it didn't come into much detail besides the general plot point of the unfair system. I love the dedicated lore and explanation behind interesting world features like this, but I wanted more here. The plot itself was solidly meh for me, as it felt like not much actually happened. When things did happen, I was invested in seeing how they would play out, but it was also largely predictable so the motivation through suspense was missing.

I loved the analogies of the writing, the descriptions, the most. Every now and then, there was a gem of a line that I stopped to re-read and savor a few times. I can't always pin why they hit me so strongly, but some I just completely loved.

Two examples:
"After dinner, Lill picks a vivid orange cheongsam for me to wear to the performance, gold embroidery shimmering across the fabric. She adds a slash of vermilion paint on my lips. Then she slicks my hair back into an intricate braid, twining it with flame-colored ribbons. “Now you match the leaves,” she grins, moving back to admire her work."

"In front of me, Chenna’s thick hair falls down in its usual braid, though tonight it has been threaded with tiny silver flowers that make it look as if she’d been dancing between the galaxies, catching stars."

I'll probably pick up the second book, eventually. When I finished, I originally wasn't planning to, but after reading the notes and acknowledgements at the back, I had changed my mind. The passion that went into the story and world was enough to tip the scale for me, so authors: don't underestimate the power of what you write in those sections! At least one person reads them!

*I got this book for review and gave it 4.5 stars*

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel alot. I thought it was the prefect mix between the selection series, ash princes and such a rich world like soundless. I really enjoyed the lead characters througout this novel and like the lead in ash princess and she was such a different type of hero. I thought the world building that was inspired by Malaysia soctiey was the highlight of this novel. I wish the ending was a tad more fleshed out and that i felt immediately connected to the characters but I really loved the feelings of hope and inspiration that was the foundation of this novel. I will def be checking out book 2 when it comes out this year!

*I got this book for review and gave it 4.5 stars*

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel alot. I thought it was the prefect mix between the selection series, ash princes and such a rich world like soundless. I really enjoyed the lead characters througout this novel and like the lead in ash princess and she was such a different type of hero. I thought the world building that was inspired by Malaysia soctiey was the highlight of this novel. I wish the ending was a tad more fleshed out and that i felt immediately connected to the characters but I really loved the feelings of hope and inspiration that was the foundation of this novel. I will def be checking out book 2 when it comes out this year!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for centering a f/f relationship. More reviewing later.

3.5 ⭐️ overall I liked this one.
I wasn’t sure how a story like this could unravel but it was done good.

Bit you many though though. I’m anxious to see how Wren & Lei’s story pans out in the next book. Not sure if I’ll be picking you the next book right his, but I will eventually!

A little slow to get into and I'm still not overly invested. But its wlw and fuck yeah!½

CW: Rape

This book was a struggle to read, the first half felt slow, nothing really happened and it was a chore to read, which was a major disappointment considering how much I loved the first book.
However, I am glad I stuck with it, once it got going it was just as beautiful as the first book.
Perfectly representing the long-term affects of the kind of abuse Wren and Lei have been through which isn’t often considered in books.

This story and characters are important for those of us that can relate, and for the people coming from the same culture, struggles and trauma.
It is obvious when reading that each issue/sensitive topic is faced with respect, care and most importantly with real experience and understanding from the author. Not just someone deciding how it should feel to experience something and then how easily and quickly to recover from it.

This book also has realistic complexities in the relationships between the characters, romantically or otherwise.
I like that the relationships and healing aren’t linear, everyone has ups and downs with arguments, differences of opinions/beliefs and recover from each ordeal in different ways. With their own issues, triggers, coping mechanisms and flaws.

At times this series so far has made me laugh, tugged at my heart and really made me care for and hurt with the characters.
I’m looking forward to the next book and seeing where it takes them all





Highlights-

‘This is a language I understand. A language of pain and horror that I, too, have learned.
That too many girls have had to learn.
When Wren finally falls still, we don't move, still clinging to each other in the water, wrapped in velvet steam.
"He's alive," she whispers.
And it's not like the previous times she spoke those words today. This time, they are full of everything that simple sentence means.
The horror and realness of what we've been through. The fact that we'll most likely have to face the demon who did it to us again. Her words are haunted ones, and I feel them in my bones.
A sickening cocktail of hate and terror and shame shoots down my veins. For a moment I'm once again that frightened girl in his bedchambers, trying to drag my soul out of my body so I can pretend the hurt isn't real. That what's happening is happening to someone else, in another lifetime, another world. Not here, not now, not this, not me.
But it was me.
It was me, and it was Wren, and it was the other girls, my friends and so many more before us, and no doubt more to come.
“He’s still alive." Wren repeats, sounding so hollow and lost it breaks my heart. I wrap my arms tighter around her. Something dark unspools in the pit of my belly.
"It just means we have a second chance” I tell her, my voice cold. "For what?"
I whisper the word into her ear.
"Revenge"

***

"Wren," I say carefully, “being vulnerable isn't a flaw. It's the most beautiful thing in the world. If you were invincible, being brave would be easy. It's the fact that it isn't easy, that we have to constantly work and work at it, make ourselves believe in our own strength even when it feels like we're worth nothing, have nothing, can do nothing…. that's power. That's resilience.." I squeeze her arm.
“There is nothing stronger than people who endure the worst hard-ships in the world, and still raise their fists at the start of a new day to fight all over again.”


***

‘And for Wren, that's all she's grown up knowing. His obsession. His hatred." She spares me a sideways look.
"You're not the same. I see you, the way you fight. The way you are toward others. You're soft where they are hard. You have love when they only have hate." She squeezes my hand. "Hold on to that as tightly as you can, Lei. Because war will do everything it can to take that goodness from you. I think sometimes people forget there will be a time after all of this--for the lucky ones, at least. And when that time comes, we'll all have to live with what we have done.." She stares out at the horizon, where Merrin's silhouette has already disappeared. “And what we have left of ourselves.”

Imaginative, unique and enthralling book, lots of action, well written and lots of twists and turns in the plot.
First book in a while that really sucked me in and made me fall in love with the characters, beautifully diverse and faces a lot of serious issues well, though makes it a slightly heavy read at times.
Reminds me of the show Warrior Nun on Netflix

I wish there were more/better fanarts of Lei and Wren, this is the one I used to fill my imagination hole

Featured in the blog post: https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/01/21/a-year-of-poc-authors/

Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/10/28/villainathon-wrap-up/

The book was riveting all the way till the end. Ending was a little lackluster considering how amazing the rest of the book was. Well have to read the second and see how the while thing shakes out.

Pretty decent setup book, and it became 100% more interesting when it became queer. Pretty visceral, looming threat and acts of sexual assault throughout though, as a warning.

Where do I begin?

I appreciate that the theme of overcoming sexual assault is important to the author and many readers. I was looking forward to the theme of calling out systematic misogynistic attitudes. However, the message is buried in this poorly written book.

The characters are flat as sheets. There is nothing about how the king performs as a ruler. He's just presented as a spoiled, disgusting child, and I have no idea how he's capable of running anything. His statement that he killed his brothers to become king was just oddly glossed over like it was nothing. The demon characters just happen to unimaginatively share physical characteristics of animals that match their "goodness" or "badness," like a guard who tries to rape Lei is, naturally, a snake form, while the 11-year-old bubbly servant is a doe form. Lei is such a flat protagonist, "special" because she has literal golden eyes that make her beautiful, and she even has the awkward/clumsy trait to boot.

The worldbuilding is frustratingly unconvincing. Seriously, 8 girls are basically raped every year and society says "They're honored!"? And if they're considered honored, why are there paper cast who consider them traitors (as if they have a choice)? The girls are considered alternately volunteers or victims depending on which attitude generates the most tension for the scene. And if the selection of paper girls are supposed to show the king's respect or honor or whatever for the paper cast, why the hell do the raids exist, the complete disregard for life, the enslavement of kidnapped paper cast?

I got so mad when a character teaching Lei about sex said physical evidence of sexual arousal is your body's "betrayal" that you're feeling attraction. Physical arousal does NOT always indicate attraction or consent!!! and I'm shocked the author would write that, let alone not call it out.

The story relied so much on telling vs showing, so much exposition to explain things (which often didn't make sense or agree with previous worldbuilding) as new things happened. It completely stopped up the flow of the story.

I don't understand why this book is so popular.½

I was thinking 2 stars for this book but by the time I dragged my way to the end I had changed my mind to 1 star...I just did not like it. There's some cool stuff in there with the idea of humans and demons but mostly I focused on how boring I found everything else. The plot dragged on and on, I didn't get enough from any of the characters to actually like them, and I grew to hate the main character because of how randomly foolish she was. Yes, she's a teenager, but she would jump from learning about how to survive a delicate political situation to outbursts where she told random people her secrets and put multiple lives in jeopardy. She felt so inconsistent but not in a relatable way just infuriating. Hade me yelling at the book multiple times as she accidentally confessed to treason to people she had met like 3 times!?!

In regards to the way sexual assault was handled...I felt like the situation was taken seriously which was good, but the book also acted like the protagonist was special and admirable for fighting back against her attacker in contrast to the other girls who went along with the situation in order to survive. Her reaction can tell the reader about her character yes, but I felt like the narrative held up her reaction as the correct one and looked down on the other girls as weak because they didn't fight back, and because they followed the status qou. There's no "correct" way to handle an assault, especially in the extreme situation depicted in this book where physically resisting will literally get someone killed. Your mileage may vary on this but it made me very uncomfortable and grossed out.

Trigger warnings for rape.

This was really good and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

CW: animal death, rape/attempted rape, graphic violence

I was so excited to read this book before its release but put it on the back burner when I read some mixed reviews and also realized the kind of content. But I’m so glad my Stars and Sorcery book club decided to choose this book as our January BOTM and it has been a great experience reading and discussing this very important book.

This is the author’s debut but nowhere does the writing feel like that. The descriptions of the places that the MC travels are so vivid and especially the Hidden Palace is described so beautifully that I was surprised even I enjoyed it. If you know me at all, you are already aware that I’m actually not a fan of very descriptive stuff and tend to skim read, but the author made me like her style of writing and imagine all the places she was talking about. The story starts off a bit slow and the pacing can feel a little off initially, but it picks up once Lei reaches the palace and the training for the Paper Girls begins. We also get a unique blend of Asian mythologies, some I knew about and some unknown, but it was still very interesting to read about. This makes for some fascinating world building and I liked getting to know the various places within this world, the hierarchies and their history. I have a feeling we’ll get a chance to explore much more in the next book.

The themes of caste division, prejudice towards and oppression of the lower castes by the upper castes and the extreme violence towards women are the major undercurrent throughout the story and I felt that the author handled them all with a lot of sensitivity. As all the Paper Girls are essentially playthings for the Demon King to use whenever he wants, we see first hand the affects of rape and sexual abuse on these girls. The author deftly tells us through the story that not everyone reacts or processes their trauma the same way, each one’s PTSD manifests in a different way and every survivor has their own path to recovery. This is a story of the strength and resilience that these young girls show and how they try to take back at least some choices for themselves, step by single step.

Lei, our protagonist is very angry initially for being forcefully taken from her home and blackmailed to become a paper girl. This is where the story faltered for me a bit, but once she meets the other girls and the group dynamics are developed more, the plot became very interesting. Lei’s experience is horrific and and she struggles with her trauma, but she also finds strength in herself, in her love for her family and in her determination to never let it happen to her again. Wren is a badass love interest and I would have loved to read her POV (I hope we get it in the next book). Her relationship with Lei is a delicious slow burn and I enjoyed every moment of it. It’s also a very empowering one for the two girls because they choose to be with each other, they take control of their bodies and desires after having been violated multiple times and they find strength in each other. Aoki is another character whom I just wanted to give a big hug to, because she is naive and very sympathetic or maybe just that she is handling her trauma in the only way she knows how to - by embracing it as her choice. Blue is supposed to be the mean girl of the group but even she has her own story and reasons for being there and we can’t really hate for trying to survive. We also have Chenna, Mariko, Zhin and Zhen - each of them have their own stories and I liked every one of them. When there is such a wonderful group of girls, we naturally get a good dose of friendship, jealousy, drama and betrayal but what stood out for me was that in times of need, they all helped each other - even if it was just in subtle ways.

This is a book where the story builds up slowly, character development is given major importance and everything leads up to a very action packed climax. The content can be difficult to read, so be mindful of it if you decide to pick up this book. However, I think this is a very important YA book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a reader of YA fantasy.

I received a free ebook copy of Girls of Paper and Fire from NetGalley in exchange for feedback and an honest review.

Natasha Ngan weaves a gorgeous, heart-wrenching queer fantasy in Girls of Paper and Fire. I fell in love not only with the protagonist Lei and her cohort, but with her sensual, many colored world and its many mysteries. This is a dark, difficult read which also radiates light. Themes of sexual abuse thread throughout the novel, forming a core of the narrative, which readers should absolutely be aware of. However, if you are able to read this, I absolutely recommend it. The writing sparkles intoxicatingly, and the unexpected queer love story made my heart grow several sizes. I have never read a book quite like this one.

Interesting story! I'm glad I gave it a try. The storyline is interesting, and characters are well written.

If I had to attach a single emotion on to Girls of Paper and Fire, I would call it angry. This book is rife with twisted customs, greed, selfishness, and corruption and it was so good. But it was also heartbreaking and enraging.

The introduction of Girls of Paper and Fire gives readers just enough time to become acquainted with Lei’s life before she is torn away from it. We feel some level of her anger and fear and disgust as the world of the Paper Girls unfurls around her. There are lessons and rules and not once does Natasha Ngan glorify any of it. In books similar to this – The Selection comes to mind, though the consequences are much different – the pageantry and the “becoming a woman” are polished and presented with sparkle and glamor. Ngan does no such thing, and I’m glad for it. You can hide the situation behind love and bribery and refining and opportunity – but at the end, being a Paper Girl still means being kidnapped, enslaved, and raped.

Because of how typical tropes have taught me to think, I kept expecting Lei to give in, for the king to actually be decent. That’s the story we usually get, right? You’ll have to read for yourself to see if that’s Lei’s path. For me, I was constantly surprised… and if I’m honest, relieved by the choices Ngan made in this book. The line has been drawn between disturbing and fairytale. I hope to see other authors acknowledge it.

While we get the best feel for Lei in the early pages, so much of Girls of Paper and Fire is spent by unfolding the plot and the greater world. There is a little character development in other venues, but it is quick and just a foundation. We hear a bit more about Wren and her backstory, and there’s a really beautiful scene between her and Lei about halfway through the book, but a lot of Wren’s story is through dialogue. This is a personal pet peeve. I understand why Ngan chose to deliver information this way, but as a reader, I prefer to have information inferred rather than dumped in dialogue. Aoki and Blue had more opportunity for growth as well. I believe a lot of supporting character development was sacrificed for relationship development.

As a whole, the plot pushes forward so smoothly that I didn’t really realize the gaps in development until I had finished the book and was thinking about it later. Natasha Ngan does an incredible job of wrapping the reader up in the present. The world building was interesting and Girls of Paper and Fire has the type of story and world and stakes that are screaming for a mini-series or an anime adaptation.

Girls of Paper and Fire is well worth reading. The way this book refuses to bow to harem or pageantry tropes is marvelous, and Ngan wrote in some excellent twists. While I wouldn’t go so far to say it’s perfect, I think that the rest of the series has time to make up for my few nitpicks. I know I’m late to the party on this one, but if you haven’t read Girls of Paper and Fire yet, I recommend it.½

3.5
I liked the characters, the plot wasn't bad. AND THE ENDING WAS FANTASTIC!
But I wasn't super into this exact fantasy world. I guess, it's not the author's fault. I'm just almost never interested in courtesans and animal magic.
I'm excited to read the sequel!

Good Book, not good book - it was average for me - it was very interesting and descriptive and thought out, however, it was VERY predictable for me and with a fantasy I love being surprised!

This was a really good read! There were parts of it that was a little uncomfortable to read, hence the trigger warnings at the start of the book. So if you're planning to read this book, just make sure you know that!

The story was very intriguing to me. I found the castes system, the Ikharan universe and the whole setting of the book interesting and it definitely held my attention well. The pacing of the book was decent, I never felt like the book was going too slowly or quickly and I really enjoyed that. It was a little odd imagining the characters of Steele and Moon caste with animal traits though! I like the whole premise where the main character, Lei, has a strong stance against the whole idea of Paper caste being unfairly treated. I found her words empowering. I wholeheartedly love how Lei's relationship with Wren, another concubine of the king grew from the start of the book. I didn't find their relationship written hastily or anything like that. I also liked reading and getting to know more about the other Paper girls who are also the king's concubines too. They all had different personalities and it was fascinating getting to know the reasons behind why they were chosen, how a few of them aren't there voluntarily.

There were a couple scenes I got caught by surprise and they all made sense! I'm very glad that I didn't read or watch any reviews prior to reading this. Additionally, I started reading this knowing that the author, Natasha Ngan is of mixed race(Malaysian-Chinese and English) and it was an extra bonus to read a diverse work of characters, cultures and food! Ranging from kebaya, sari, to sticky rice dumplings and even Teh Tarik! It was really fun reading about all that as it reminds me of my own Malaysian heritage.

I'm excited to see how the sequels would bring the girls. I hope they'll be as good as this one too! Would recommend this to anyone seeking to read a diverse, queer, empowering feminist story of a girl who goes against everything that was destined for her.

This was good! A great sequel to the excellent Girls of Paper and Fire and I'm fairly satisfied with how the story flows overall.

This book continues where it left off in the first and it was slightly different in the sense that there were the additions of a few POV's which we didn't read about. I'm happy that we got a few chapters from Aoki's view, though I would've liked more? Hopefully the third book would bring back the girls from the first book. Besides Aoki, there were also chapters from the King's loyal follower, Naja, too. That was fun to read too!

I enjoyed the introduction of new characters (Merrin, Bo, Nitta, Hiro, Ketai, Caen and even the mentioned General Lova too!). With the addition of these characters, there were more moments where I find myself giggling because their interactions with each other were too funny not to.

There were a few twists that really caught me by surprise. I didn't expect them and it didn't come off as unbelievable or anything like that so that was good! Again, like the first book, I enjoyed the few inserts of Malaysian culture. Imagine my surprise at reading the word 'Alamak' suddenly coming out of nowhere! There were mentions of food too, from curry puffs to dadar. I found the mix of cultures nicely done here.

I'm sad for Lei at the end of the book, there was a whole lot that wasn't resolved between her and Wren but I'm hopeful for the next book!

Rebellious against the traditions of the Paper Girls, Lei just cannot let small things go. She is often hesitant to speak out, but she just has too much fire inside of her to become small, or to be anything but defiant in the face of tradition, even though the weight of her mother's death hangs heavy on her and her family's life might hang in the balance of her submission.

Beautiful imagery, worldbuilding and amazing are the beats of this book,.

10/10

This book is not easy. It's beautiful, compelling, and overwhelming, but not easy.

Please know, there is a warning at the beginning of the book that should definitely be heeded:
"Please be aware this book contains scenes of violence and sexual assault."

I didn't want to like this book, it was too honest and too wrenching. I didn't want to invest in it knowing there are at least two others to follow and that odds are the happy ever after was going to come with a cost. But in the end, my biggest complaint was that there wasn't enough.

The world in Girls of Paper and Fire is similar to other books I've read, there is a caste system, and the lowest caste is exploited and, well in a lot of cases brutalized, but the upper caste. But Ngan takes that basic outline and creates a beautiful and horrible world. On the surface, this book is wonderful, but if you look at the larger implications, the ways the book touches on so many topics that are relevant, especially right now, it becomes magnificent. The story and the characters are so vivid that I think everyone can relate to them on some level.

I honestly just loved this book, but again, it is not an easy read. It is an emotional journey.