3.5
Girls of Paper and Fire
ByPublisher Description
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."
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.
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.
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3.5

Maggie
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Itselfie
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Destiny Oquendo
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Sasha
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“Eight human girls (called paper girls) are selected across the provinces of a South and East Asian inspired country to serve the bull king. The bull king is of the moon caste, humanoid animals believed to be more connected to the gods.
Main Character:
The main character is frustrating in the way that all teenage protagonists are (which makes her actions more believable honestly).
Romance:
The romance is sapphic but didn’t really move me much.
Message:
The narrative calling out older, “””attractive”””, powerful men manipulating younger women was SUPER refreshing. (I use quotes for attractive because the moon caste are meant to be the beauty standard in this world and would not appeal to most real life people - unless you are of a certain community (you do you).)
I will probably not be continuing the series - it’s not for me.
But if you are within the age group the book targets, I’d give it a read. Please note that there are sensitive topics and tense scenes alluding to SA. Make sure you are prepared and are in the proper head space before reading.”
About Natasha Ngan
Natasha Ngan is part young-adult author, part yoga teacher, and part habitual nap-taker. She grew up in both Malaysia and the UK, speaking Chinese with her mother mainly as a way to talk about people without them understanding. She studied Geography at the University of Cambridge and later worked as a fashion blogger, social media consultant and freelance writer.
Natasha recently moved to Paris, where she likes to imagine she drifts stylishly from brasserie to brasserie, notepad in one hand and wineglass in the other, but in reality she mostly spends her time lost on the metro and offending locals with her French.
Natasha recently moved to Paris, where she likes to imagine she drifts stylishly from brasserie to brasserie, notepad in one hand and wineglass in the other, but in reality she mostly spends her time lost on the metro and offending locals with her French.
Other books by Natasha Ngan
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