Title: Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire, #1)
Author: Natasha Ngan
Pages: 400
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 6th November 2018
Blurb from Goodreads:
Each
year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the
king. It's the highest honour they could hope for...and the most
demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's
made of fire.
Lei is a member of the Paper
caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten
years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate
remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei
they're after - the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty
has piqued the king's interest.
Over weeks of training in the
opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the
skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, Lei 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.
My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book
in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton
and NetGalley*
Lei
lives in a land with different castes, some human, some demon with
animal-like attributes.
Lei
is human and in the lowest caste, the Paper caste.
Years
ago, Lei's mother was taken in a raid and when soldiers once again
come to her village, it is Lei herself who is taken. The soldiers
heard rumour of a human girl with golden eyes and take her to the
king's palace to become a Paper Girl, one of nine girls who will
spend a year as the king's concubines while learning the skills
needed to fit in at court, and giving the king whatever he wants.
While
at the palace, Lei falls in love, but not with the king.
Can
Lei keep her forbidden romance a secret?
Can
she escape a life she doesn't want?
I
was really excited to read Girls of Paper and Fire, but also hesitant
because it isn't often that I enjoy hyped books as much as everyone
else. Unfortunately, this was one of those occasions.
Lei
and Wren were my favourite characters. I liked them both and found
them interesting.
The
setting was intriguing, as was the idea of demons that were
human-like but had animal characteristics like cat ears or scales.
The
plot was interesting but I wasn't hooked.
There
were times when I found myself getting angry on behalf of the Paper
Girls because of how the king treated them.
I
liked the romance but it wasn't one of my favourites that I've read.
I
am intrigued to see what happens in the sequel but it's not something
that I will go out of my way to read.
I
am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.
Overall
this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.
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