2.5 stars

Trigger Warning: Rape, sexual assault, slavery, forced prostituion

Seven years ago, Lei's mother was taken from her.

And at seventeen, Lei is about to suffer the same fate at her mother—taken from her family by the brutal demon-warriors of the Demon King. But unlike her mother, Lei is forced to serve the Demon King directly as one of his Paper Girls, the forced human concubines for their bull master.

Lei is determined to fight back. She is determined to resist.

But how can the powerless gain power?

And what happens when love steps in the way?

Okay. So I am super conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it has all of the makings of a masterpiece. It deals with incredibly tough topics (see trigger warnings above) to include humanity, a woman's worth, ideas of consent, sexual attraction, being a literal slave without control of your own body (and the complexity of emotions of pleasure, love and attraction to your oppressors), homosexuality, systematic prejudice, and much more.

There's also a distinct Hunger Games aspect to the book, with subjected peoples (the humans) being forced to sacrifice their prized children (virgin daughters) to the slaughter (concubines for the King). The wealthier peoples polish up their daughters and consider it an honor and a way to gain whatever power they can (as worthless humans), while the poor view it as the worst thing that can happen to a person. Being a Paper Girl is both an honor and a curse, although little enough was shown of past Paper Girls to see what their life would be like later (view spoiler)

In addition to all of these issues, it is set in an ethnically diverse culture, based on Malaysia, that shows how dramatically diverse Asia is. It is also #ownvoices and features LGBT rep, two things that I was super excited about.

And yet.

There is something deeply missing in this book. I don't quite know what it is, but most of my frustration revolves around the main character, the Demon King, and the f/f romance.

Women's Love

There is a theme of women as objects throughout this book. It's explored yet not as deeply as I would have liked. While gayness is wholly embraced in this world, for some reason lesbianism is utterly taboo. Women aren't allowed to love other women—despite being segregated away from men.

In this world, women are to be solely owned and possessed by men. They might have their own spaces in the Women's Court, but it is ruled by and overseen by men (despite the female mistresses in charge of the Paper Girl training).

You'd think, in this world of such overreaching patriarchy in the suppression, objectification and segregation of women, that women would bond together and take comfort in each other.

Right?

Wrong.

There is female friendship in this story, but it revolves around men. Specifically, the Demon King.

Even Lei's relationship with Wren is overshadowed and dominated by men. They are literally the pleasurable possessions of the Demon King, and Lei is jealous of every single man Wren is near.

(view spoiler)

The Demon King

This guy was just all over the place, and gave me the skeeves about one million times mostly because of the thinly veiled beastiality aspect of a bull rutting around with human women who are slaves for his personal pleasure.

Add to the fact that he's a handsome bull and the ick factor just skyrockets.

I couldn't get past it.

In fact, I'm just gonna skip right over all of the animal-demon/human stuff because...yeah. Can't.

Aside from that, his characterization was just...everywhere. In one point he's suave and tender, in another he's laughing all over the place, and then he's filled with rage and anger. He's a caricature of a powerful dictator, but without any of the nuance that would allow him to be complex and believable in the role. Even in his monologuing of "oh poor nameless me," it just fell flat.

And his interactions with Lei was so...not believable? (view spoiler)

Lei

Ooooh this girl.

This girl.

There is literally nothing special or worthwhile about her aside from the fact that's she's pretty and has golden eyes. Aside from that, she's a whiny Isabella Swan complete with clumsiness, a snarky mouth and the Demon King's unusual and head-scratching attraction to her.

Any other character would have been flogged or cast the hell out of the Palace with a brand on her forehead for any one of her actions, but not Lei. She's special, for some reason that is definitely never actually seen on the page. She does nothing but complain (yes, I understand that she's a slave with little recourse) and bitch about her fate...a fate that actually isn't as bad as the other girls since (view spoiler)

And her lust after Wren is...disturbing to say in the least. Lei scoffs (rightly so) at the objectification of women by the men of the court, and yet does the. exact. same. thing. to Wren. I just. I dunno.

Ugh, my emotions on this book are all over the place. This was a super crazy long review and I hope that I didn't spoil it too terribly.

The thing is, this book could have been so fucking amazing. It had all of the right elements. It was just missing...I don't even know. It was missing more...connectedness.

Between the characters.

Between Lei and her thoughts/actions.

Between the world and its startlingly late additions in cultures, peoples and mythology.

I don't know if this missing something was because of the James Patterson element (this is the third JPP that I've attempted and the first I've been able to finish) or if it needed just a little more polish to really make this something amazing and special.

With all that being said, I really think that this book will mean something more to others than it did to me.

I did love the diversity and that it is #ownvoices, but the f/f relationship and many themes in the book felt underdeveloped and flat for me. I also loved Ngan's beautiful writing and the scope of this novel. There's just so, so much that was trying to be said.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I really tried to like this book, but I couldn't get past a teenager becoming a sex slave. That was a bit much to me, as well as the resulting Stockholm Syndrome relationship.

This book was incredible. I'm speechless. The richness of Ngan's Malaysian-inspired world was a welcome change from the overwhelmingly European world of most court fantasy, the love story was sweeping and epic and beautiful (and I will never complain about wlw in fantasy!), the plot kept me hooked, and the emotions were deep and cutting and heartfelt in a way that is going to make this book hard to "put down" even having finished. This is definitely one I will be putting in as many hands as possible. A truly excellent book.

For most girls in the world of Ikhara, becoming a Paper Girl is an honor but it's not for Lei. She is bitter against the King for taking her mother so many years ago and now she's been forced to become a Paper Girl, being there for the King's <i>needs</i> when he sees fit.
I had no idea what to expect from this book so it was a surprise at every turn. This story is rich in its storytelling and diverse as well. It's fantasy at its finest. The author writes her characters in such a way that it's easy to picture the different Castes. It's not your average dystopian YA book because it's so much more. You want to learn more about Lei and Wren and the different castes. You root for Lei and you begin to hate the King as much as she does. Even though the story goes to dark places, it's refreshing in the YA world where so many other stories become a by-the-numbers story. It features a F/F/ relationship that doesn't feel superficial or immature. It's surprisingly intimate as well. Part of what I liked about this story and the author is that she pushes the boundaries. She goes into detail where it's necessary and holds back where it's not. It's gorgeous (just like the cover!) and I appreciate the originality of it all. Even when the story goes to horrifying and dark places, it makes you want to keep reading. The author creates this whole culture and it feels like it's real and has been around for centuries. The only downside is that this is the first in a trilogy and have to wait for the others! It's worth the read and worth the wait.

This was a very powerful read but it does contain some very heavy topics so please go into this only if you’re in the right headspace ❤

Trigger warnings for rape, sexual abuse, physical abuse, animal abuse, loss of a loved one, mutilation.

Girls of Paper and Fire is an Asian-inspired YA fantasy story that takes place in a world with three castes: Paper, Steel, and Moon. Paper castes are the lowest and fully human. Steel are middle caste, half–human, half-demon with some animal characteristics. Then there’s the highest caste, Moon, who are demons and have full animal characteristics.

And each year the Demon King takes eight Paper girls from their homes and forces them to be his concubines. Lei is a Paper girl, and because of her beautiful golden eyes, she becomes the ninth Paper girl, which is unprecedented. While these girls are told it is an honor to serve the Demon King, Lei refuses to accept this fate.

This is a very quiet, slow-burn of a book. And it did take me a very long time to get into it. I did not fall in love with the writing, but I fell in love with Lei and Wren, and how much love and comfort they found in one another. It is so rare to find YA with f/f romance starring an all Asian cast. I know this book means a lot to so many of my friends — and to me as well. I am Southeast Asian but so rarely find books with amazing Asian rep. Girls of Paper and Fire totally exceeded my expectations regarding that!

But this book does have very dark themes such as rape and oppression. There were so many things in this book that parallels our current situation in the US such as the Me Too movement; overcoming oppression, healing from sexual abuse, reclaiming your worth, and standing up for and loving yourself. The Demon King is a prime example of a ruler who abuses his power to the fullest and wants nothing more than to “put people in their place” and punish those who do not conform to his rules.

Overall the themes in this book were difficult for me to read but it is so important and relevant. It’s a love story in times when you feel like you’ve lost everything else. But I also loved how empowering it was. I have a feeling this will have a sequel because it left things very open-ended. And if so then I hope we get to see more of the world of Ikhara.

This was a good YA fantasy book. I’m a huge fantasy fan so I was excited to read this. While the pace was a tiny bit up and down at times, enough went on to keep me on my toes and to keep reading. It looks like this is going to be a start of a series which I’m happy about.

The world is split up in a three caste system with humans being the lowest and demons on top. Lei, is a human whose beauty gets her noticed and stuck in the position of being the demon kings concubine. While supposedly an honor it is not the life Lei wants. Will she do what is expected of her or find a way to rebel?

First I do have to give a trigger warning. With what the main premise is about it should not be a surprise. There are attempted rape scenes and one actually rape scene. However, the rape scene is fade to black so it’s enough for you to know it happened but the details are not there.

I’m not the biggest fan of spec-fic books where the characters are passive. Meaning everything always happens to them. While that does happen some in this book, Lei and the other main character Wren are both really strong of heart. I would not classify them as passive which I was really grateful for.

I thought the romance was really sweet. It is a PG-13 romance but you feel the bond between them. In such a horrible world something so lovely and sweet shines through. The friendship and possibility of more were some of my favorite parts of the book.

My one complaint was the epilogue. I did not care for it. I did an eye roll with an “oh come on” after it. I think there was plenty of material for a book 2 without that kind of epilogue. It didn’t ruin the book or anything; I just thought it was a tad gimmicky.

If you are a YA fantasy fan, you will probably enjoy this book. It was a good read and I will be reading the next book for sure.

Seven years ago, Lei's quiet village life was undone when the cruel Demon King's troops snatched her mother. Now they've come for Lei. Her magnificent golden eyes get her chosen as a Paper Girl, one of eight human girls taken each year to serve as concubines for a king more beast than man. Though she is graceless and terrified of her monstrous master, she must soldier on to keep her family safe. Then she falls in love with one of her fellow concubines and the stakes soar. Though set in a world full of gods and demons inspired by Malaysian culture, its depiction of violence and oppression is regrettably topical.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan is a young adult fantasy read that again I must stress should be for the more mature audience. There are several things included in this one that deserve a bit of warning before picking it up, violence, slavery, abuse, rape along with animal cruelty.

Natasha Ngan’s world she’s created consists of three different levels to the society known as castes. First we have the Paper caste which are the lowest in the world of Ikhara, this caste consists of the humans which includes the main character Lei of the story. Then we have the Steel caste which consists of a cross between humans and demons. And then there is the Moon caste which are fully demon including the King that rules Ikhara.

Lei was born with brilliant golden eyes which set her apart from other humans and draws the attention of the Demon guards who kidnapped her away from her family to take her as an offering to the King. Every year eight girls are taken to become the Paper Girls and served up as concubines to the King but this year Lei has become number nine.

Now, the idea of a group of lower class citizens being taken is not a new one in young adult at all. This story reminded me of the darker edge of the Hunger Games being mixed into The Selection. When we have demons ruling the world within obviously things are not pretty but with the girls being taken to compete against one another for a promised better life serving the King you have that vibe of the Selection with some friendship, some cattiness and Ngan went one step further with a love interest among the girls.

Now one may ask why bother if the story is similar to others? Well, the world is certainly different and oozing with darkness so as much as I did have those reminders I still felt as if I were dropped into something new too. Lei was the new Katniss or girl on fire who didn’t want to just go along with what was expected which leads to a deeper plot as the story goes on which certainly had my interest. With the imagery and pacing being spot on I flew right through this one so I do think readers will enjoy the dark and dangerous vibe.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Girls of Paper and Fire is one of the most anticipated YA fantasy releases of the year. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and an LGBTQ+ heroine, it is a story of magic, mayhem, rebellion and young love.

Two hundred years ago, in the kingdom of Ikhara, the demon Bull King of Han took control of the provinces via the Night War. Before that, each province had its own governing system and the people of the Paper caste (fully human) were respected for the services and skills they offered. But after the war, the king’s prejudices were imposed upon all, and the people of the Paper caste became the lowest of the low. The Moon caste, made up of demons “with whole animal-demon features on a humanoid form, and complete demon capabilities” rule the empire while Steel caste “humans endowed with partial animal-demon qualities, both in physicality and abilities” occupy an uneasy space in the middle.

The years of bloodshed bred resentments and uprisings among the clans began to take a serious toll on the king’s rule. To encourage unity and prove the egalitarian nature of the king’s heart, eight Paper caste girls are selected to serve as the king’s courtesans every year, becoming known as the infamously beautiful Paper Girls. Their families are showered with gifts and wealth, the girls themselves granted a life of ‘luxury’ in the palace. Eight girls a year is a small price to pay for peace. Except this year, there is a ninth.

General Yu made a foolish mistake. He’s been demoted and needs to find a way to earn the king’s favor once more. He has heard rumors of a Paper caste girl with golden eyes and hopes that by offering this unique human as a concubine to the king, he will once more find favor in his court.

Seven years earlier, Lei’s village was raided and her mother taken. Their small town in the Northern province has not seen another attack since, and the peace has given Lei a false sense of security, so she doesn’t fully realize the Paper caste’s precarious position until General Yu strides into her father’s apothecary and demands Lei go with him. It is quickly apparent that if she does not leave willingly, he and his soldiers will use whatever violence necessary to take her. She goes with them, determined to escape at the first opportunity.

She swiftly learns that’s not an option. She also learns she has not been paying attention to the world around her. During her trip to the palace, she sees entire villages that have been burned to the ground, all the Paper caste people killed for supposed rebel infractions. Once at the capital she hears of floods, earthquakes and forest fires, as though even the land rebels against the Bull King’s rule. She watches glittery events where Paper caste people are given as party favors. And beneath it all lie the groans and grumbles of the oppressed, too scared to revolt but too abused not to dream of freedom.

Since Lei is the ninth girl – an extra taken after the usual Paper Girl selection – her introduction to the harem is met with some resistance. However, General Yu has made it clear that death will be the result of failure, that he will kill both her and what’s left of her family if she doesn’t succeed, so Lei works hard to create a place for herself and finds an unexpected bonus to her captivity; friendship with peers like Aiko – and love with the beautiful, strong and courageous Wren.

I’m no expert in Asian fantasy but this offering seems to be a fusion of the legends of several different cultures blended into an intriguing whole. Wren reminded me of the Japanese Kitsune (minus any animal features), with her feline grace and other worldly powers. She has the fox’s trickiness and strength, as well as its secretiveness and obsession. The animal-human-demon hybrids come from several different types of myths and should be somewhat familiar to readers of anime graphic novels.

This is an intense book, highlighting how little power women held in the ancient world. I loved that the author is careful to include the intrigues, gossips and power struggles amongst the concubines and how they vied for the king’s attention; and she also does an amazing job of capturing the horror of this system. The trouble wasn’t simply the way in which women were treated like property and how easily their lives could be destroyed (or eliminated) for simple mistakes, but that it pitted them against each other, keeping them from forming alliances that could overthrow the power structure. I also appreciated the author’s emphasis on the culture of rape within these confines. Lei did not, absolutely not, want to have sex with the king. He uses force to get her to comply. The scene is not graphic, but it is made clear that reluctance and refusal were not options.

Something that I found truly exceptional about the writing were the action sequences, which are perfectly utilized. The author gives them the pacing and adrenaline of a real-life fight, so that everything happens with a heart-pounding speed. They are also utilized sparingly, which makes the tale far more enjoyable. I appreciated seeing people fight, but too much of it would have left the story saturated in violence when you add in the general brutality and cruelty of the world in which the narrative takes place.

The author’s pacing is excellent, giving us a tightly woven story that moves smoothly and rapidly to its climatic, dramatic conclusion. That conclusion, by the way, leaves room for a sequel.

The author handles the sexuality in the story perfectly for the YA market. There is definite passion between Lei and Wren, but the details of their sexual encounters highlight the fact they enjoy each other physically without giving overt specifics. The love story could have used a bit of fleshing out but given that we are dealing with teenage heroines, physical desire being a large aspect of why they are together is understandable. There is definitely affection, caring and understanding between them, I just wish that had been explored that a bit more. The romance isn’t the emphasis of the book though, so it’s understandable this portion is a little weak.

The other complaint I have is that Lei herself is a rather naïve character and I felt it took her a while to recognize the dangers and horrors of the world she lived in. She isn’t very cunning and seemed to lack the survival instincts which might have made her more nuanced.

Those are very minor flaws, however, in an otherwise solid piece of fiction. Girls of Paper and Fire is a must read for anyone who enjoys a well told fantasy tale featuring a diverse cast of characters. For those with teen readers, the rape culture subject matter might mean it is appropriate for high school aged teens rather than the middle school crowd.

“Her kisses heal the parts of me that the King broke. They tell me: You are strong, Lei. You are beautiful. You are mine. And, always, most important: You are yours.”

Natasha Ngan’s Girls of Paper and Fire has been hyped — and I am here to tell you all, rightfully so. This novel takes what we know as typical YA fantasy and turns it on its head just enough to make something incredibly new and exciting. Where many novels would take the premise —a young impoverished women plucked from her quiet life to live as a ruthless king’s concubine — and turn that into a story about being thrown into thrilling wealth and intrigue, Ngan does something much different, and welcomed.

First and foremost, Girls of Paper and Fire is a love story. A sweet, slow moving love story that culminates in a relationship of vulnerability, sacrifice, and bravery. It is a also a love story between two women. In YA fantasy, that is no small thing. As a queer reader, I was moved by the normalcy this pairing was treated with, and never once felt like it was a token relationship made diverse for no real reason. Instead, it was a love story that made sense AND was queer — taking two compatible people and pushing them together for the sake of bettering one another.

More than a beautiful love story, it is also a story about female agency. At every turn, these women find ways to make choices for themselves, even in small ways, while other choices are ripped away from them. Fiercely feminist, this novel explores ideas of different types of womanhood — how bravery and strength can manifest in a woman in many different ways, some feminine, some not. It was refreshing to meet so many female characters that were all so different and full formed — Particularly, the relationship between the main character, Lei, and her friend Aoki, compels the reader to consider how to balance personal friendships with political views. Just when the reader thinks that these two ladies can no longer find commonalities, they surprise you in their caring for one another despite all else.

Ngan does an excellent job of world building, where Ikhara is a vivid painting of a place with rolling meadows and country hills as much as a place of mysterious magic and glass castles. Each person Lei mets throughout her journey to the capital provides a fresh view of Ikhara and its caste system, cleverly done and expertly sprinkled into the reader's journey. A world built on the traditions and beliefs of Asian culture is a fresh take on the YA fantasy genre, and a much-welcomed departure. Not only is this novel about women loving women, it is about women of color rising up and working towards a better world.

GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE is a great fit for readers of Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J. Maas, and Leigh Bardugo. An own voices novel that is a lush, feminist fantasy with wonderful queer representation. A slow burning romance and intense action-packed political intrigue make for a page-turning experience. A must read for any fantasy lover looking for a fresh take on the genre. TW for sexual abuse, violence, and rape.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Girl of Paper and Fire" by Natasha Ngan.
This young adult fantasy story was unique in its world-building, based on multiple Asian traditions, similar to Malaysia as the author states in her note at the end. Also unique in the demon castes that dominate over humans (or the paper caste) and often force even the highest ranking humans into sex slavery, as demonstrated in this book.
It was a powerful and difficult topic to explore--a girl, Lei, is stolen from her home to serve a bull-form king as a concubine or a paper girl. You would expect Lei either to fall in love with the king somehow or find another man in the palace to fall in love with--instead she falls in love with one of her fellow paper girls, Wren.
I've noticed in a lot of other fantasy books that queer characters are either random token side characters, or they're thrown in as an afterthought in a sequel or something. But this was purposeful, and Lei and Wren discuss their queerness and it's something they have to hide and fight for and discover about each other. I liked the realistic aspect of that, and that Ngan put it front and center in the story without making it the whole point of the story.
Also, the Asian influence on the world-building was apparent without being over-bearing. You could feel it, smell it, see it, but you weren't bludgeoned over the head with it every five seconds. Honestly, my favorite part about this book was how much care was taken in presenting the world and the characters in lush, 3-D vision. The story felt real and complete and it pulled me in right away.
Toward the last third of the book, the story kind of dragged and seemed to lose a little bit of direction, until finally the climax hit and suddenly everything ended pretty quickly. Then the epilogue took away the only solid thing Lei had accomplished. Yes, she grew as a person, she achieved things for herself as an individual, but the thing she'd done for her world? Gone. I found that really annoying and it made me frustrated with the idea of reading the sequel. Which doesn't mean I won't, necessarily, I just really hate having that accomplishment of Lei's taken away.
Overall, it was a well-written, lovely book with a well-developed world that I think is worth discovering, even if the ending wasn't my favorite.

This was SO MUCH MORE than I expected. Girls of Paper and Fire is a lush fantasy story that goes to some extremely dark places. The light amid this darkness is the central f/f romance that evolves gradually and naturally, never overtaking the political machinations and drama.

Ngan has done a number of exciting things here. Her fantasy world is heavily-inspired by her Malaysian upbringing, and the gorgeous descriptions really bring the setting to life:

It stuns me how vast the palace is. Not just a palace really, but a city—a labyrinth of streets, courtyards, and gardens, like the veins and arteries flowing through a giant creature with the King nestled at its core, its own living, beating heart.


There's echoes of The Belles in here, though I'd argue that this is a much nastier read. In this book, girls from the Paper caste (the lowest caste and fully-human) are stolen away by the royal soldiers to become the King's consorts. They are trained in obedience and seduction, waiting every day to be called to his majesty's rooms. Lei, with her strange golden eyes, is now one of these girls.

Ngan does a great job of creating the dynamics of friendship and jealousy between the girls. They are all fascinating, diverse and very different in both background and attitude to their circumstances. Some of the girls are eager to please the King; others would do anything not to be there. Aoki is an especially interesting character and some moments with her broke my heart. Even the typical "mean girl" is developed into something more over the course of the story.

There's also some really great sex-positivity and a frank portrayal of desire and passion. In a situation where the girls' consent has never been sought, consensual unions are celebrated. The main one being the central romance between Lei and Wren, which even a cold-hearted cynic like me was able to fall in love with.

And, of course, behind it all a bigger political story is taking place. Lei and the other Paper girls get dragged into a dangerous plot that puts many lives at risk, even the lives of Lei's family. It all arrives at a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax and ends with the promise of more horrors to come. I can't wait!

Content warning for rape and multiple attempted rapes (the former happens off-page but the before and after is very disturbing), one instance of animal cruelty (non-graphic) and slavery, including sexual slavery.

Quick Summary

Ever since the Demon King won the war 200 years ago humans have been oppressed. Our main character Lei was just a human girl working in her fathers herb shop when her golden eyes caught the attention of a Demon General who decides to rip her away from her home and offer her to the Demon King as a concubine in the hopes of getting back into the Kings good graces. Scarred by the memory of the day her mother was taken away by demons in a raid Lei couldn't imagine a worse fate for herself but while at the palace she ends up falling in love with another concubine. After witnessing the Demon Kings cruelty first hand the two girls decide to do something no other concubine has done before and find a way to runaway together.

My Thoughts

Lei was an easy character to connect to. She had this inspiring unbreakable spirit. Her love interests had a quiet, but fierce personality that I came to love. I thought they were both amazing. Lei forms a close friendship with Aoki, but their beliefs eventually start to clash. I think I would have prefered they stay close and for that conflict to happen with another of the concubines. It would have been nice to have at least one female friendship remain strong. I also would have liked to see all the girls team up together, but the girl on girl bullying seemed inevitable in a place where they are constantly pitted against each other. Besides that most of the girls start to care for each other and form friendships with one another.

I dont usually like captive plot lines, but despite being stuck in a situation where terrible things were constantly done to them the girls had agency and were far from being passive characters. I loved the romantic plot, but it took a while to get to that part. They spend a lot of time secluded in the Womens Court at the palace and whenever they do go out it was pretty brief. The pace wasnt as gripping as I hoped it would be, but not knowing when Lei would be called upon by the Demon King added some much needed tension. The story had a few huge moments sprinkled throughout so every time things got a little too slow something intense would happen, including the heart pounding ending that has me dying for the sequel.

This was a beautiful LGBT+ asian inspired fantasy with enchanting writing and a compelling world. I thought it was interesting how everyone was separated into three different caste. You have the humans in the paper caste, the demons in the moon caste, and the steel caste which are half human/ half demon. I loved how the demons came in all kinds of different animal forms. We get a rich culture with lots of vibrant details that made this world come to life. This book deals with difficult topics so I do want to add a trigger warning for rape and oppression because it is a big part of the story. I cant even explain how freaking excited I was when I got my hands on an early copy of this book. As a member of the LGBT+ community it means the world to me when books like this are published.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

As a fan of The Selection series, I was pretty excited to pick this book up. The blurb intrigued me and I dove into this with my fingers crossed, praying that it doesn't disappoint...

...And disappoint it didn't. Yay!

Girls of Paper and Fire was everything I hoped it would be. It gave me such Mulan / Memoirs of a Geisha vibes. (Yes, I know what you're thinking. How does Mulan fit here? I guess it's because it was Asian-inspired and one of the main characters was a badass warrior).

I'm going to try to keep this review spoiler-free because the book hasn't been released yet.

The Issues:
1. It would have been nice to have more details about Lei's past. Why does she have those golden eyes? Hopefully, this will be addressed in the next book. I found it a little difficult to connect with her in the beginning but she grew on me as I kept reading.
2. The caste system has been done before but this seemed different in that not all of them were human.
3. The ending of the book was kinda predictable but I'm pretty excited to see what happens next.

The Good Stuff:
1. The book was so beautifully written and unique. I liked that the author did an Asian-inspired story. It was refreshing.
2. The characters were great and so real! Zelle was one of my favorites.
3. I loved that it empowers women.
4. The caste system does not have only humans. Instead, there are humans, demons and a mix of the two. I liked that the demons were still somewhat humanoid in their features instead of being totally animal-like (didn't stop them from behaving like animals though).

Random Thoughts:
1. I want to see more of Aoki. I feel like she has a bigger role to play.
2. The Demon King was as vile as they come.
3. I want to know exactly what happened to Lei's mother. I felt like we weren't given the whole story.
4. Madam Himura reminded me of her (haha):
[Image]: https://thumbs.gfycat.com/DapperYoungGoa-small.gif

Favorite Quote:
'I don't want an easy life. I want a meaningful one.'

Overall Impression:
Rating - 4.5 stars
This was a great book! -- easily one of the best YA novels of 2018. I'm so happy to have not read a single disappointing book this year (so far). You guys need to read this! It's going to be a very interesting trilogy. Can't wait for the next book!

This was a beautiful & dark fantasy romance. The world was richly described and we get a little more about the history towards the end. I particularly adored the romance and this is an excellent story of kick-ass heroines making choices about their lives and bodies. I hope Ngan continues writing in this world.

Plus, check out that beautiful cover!!

I requested this book even before I read the synopsis because, my goodness, that cover is beautiful and the title is incredibly intriguing. My final rating is probably a 3.5, but I thought this needed to be rounded up.

Ngan takes some risks, but I think most of them paid off. The story is told in prose so lush, that I could practically hear the swish of silken fabric and the rustle of paper screens. The castes are artfully and lovingly described, and Ngan demonstrates more than describes, so it's easy to read. While not all the characters are fleshed out to their full potential, their hearts are all at war with the desire for love and a sense of duty and honour - and this is manifested in completely different yet understandable actions throughout the novel. Wren is my favourite character by far. I wasn't as fond of Lei, and I felt that the demon king was on the two-dimensional side.

This is a brave book. Ngan develops a tender romance between two of the paper girls while contrasting it with the brutality of the king's desires. It's not explicit per se, but the story wrestles with choice and love and sex and all kinds of gritty, yucky things. The fantasy aspects are but a thin veil over true historical practices in various parts of the world.

Ngan’s prose is so alluring. The way her words lull and create something beautiful in such a brutal story in a way gave this false sense of security while in no way hiding the atrocities these Paper Girls went through. This was a slow story, though— it took a while for the motive to take form. The underlying theme of hope was heartbreaking. Yet despite what Lei goes through, she become stronger not in spite of her circumstances, but because of them. And with the way strength is portrayed, in so many different shapes and forms, seeing her stay true to herself and still be fierce… It wasn’t hard to root for her. And the relationship was also something I was completely behind. Their relationship was just so pure and soft and they went through so many things and still managed to use their love for one another as a strength. The ending left off on such a cliffhanger in so many ways— especially and specifically some of the side characters. So many characters I want to know where they landed, how they’ll be incorporated in future books— I’m invested all the way.

Plot in a sentence: Lei is taken from her family and forced to become a Paper Girl, a human courtesan to the Demon King, but she refuses to submit to her role or to the social hierarchy than oppresses humans.

This review is based on an ARC given to me by Little Brown. This novel is due to be released on November 6th 2018.

Recommended age: 14 and up (content warning: rape)

Diversity:

LGBTQ+: Lei has a relationship with another woman.
Race: The cast is very racially diverse.

Who will love this book:

Readers looking for more good romances between women in fantasy.
Fans of Asian-inspired fantasy worlds.

What I liked about this book:

I love Lei and Wren’s relationship and their stubborn resistance to the system that oppresses them individually and humans generally.
When I first realized that this was a harem novel, I was afraid it was one of those books that humanizes and makes you fall in love with the male ruler. But Ngan does not romanticize the imprisonment and abuse of the Paper Girls, which makes it a sometimes a hard read, but also a much better one.
The demon and half demons and the history that led to the socially hierarchy is fascinating to me. I look forward to seeing how the story, and the world that Ngan has created, progresses!

If you liked this book, read: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao for another Asian-inspired fantasy starring young women and their murderous plots.

A student read this book for me. She did not like it at all. She returned the book and said she would not recommend to anyone at all.

Tl;dr: A solid but unremarkable fantasy novel that's a welcome addition to the growing but still underrepresented lgbtq young adult market

Girls of Paper and Fire is Ms. Nagan's debut, but it's being published by James Patterson's young adult line/imprint at Little, Brown and Company which is a huge boost (one can never underestimate the James Patterson effect)--because in addition to a staggeringly gorgeous cover, my guess is the marketing budget for Girls of Paper and Fire is pretty high, which honestly, yay!

Girls of Paper and Fire has pretty standard fantasy tropes-- the world it's set in is modeled on our own, blending Imperial China with a dash of feudal Japanese and other Asian cultures and mythologies for a world that's divided into three castes: paper, or human, moon, human with partial animal/demon appearance and abilities, and moon, or human appearance with full animal/demon abilities.

Lei, the mc, is paper caste, and as the novel opens she's taken from her home to be a Paper Girl, aka concubine, to the Demon King.

As you could guess, life as Paper Girl is pretty grim. I want to keep this review spoiler free so I'll just say I applaud Ms. Nagan for a honest depiction of what is sexual slavery, and for Lei's journey, which is about her finding out who she can be with only the barest of fantasy flourishes that usually grace the main character.

The supporting cast is mostly bare bones in terms of character development, which I found disappointing.

Having said that, it was impossible not to admire Wren, another of the Paper Girls, although she too neatly checked every box in the fantasy novel checklist for me. (I would have preferred for her to be a little less than perfect at everything). I also have to give a shout out to Aoki and Blue, both of whom I thought were very interesting in the glimpses were given into their internal lives (in very different ways), and who I suspect will have larger roles in later books as Girls of Paper and Fire is clearly the first book of a series

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the romance, which is a liitle too insta for me, but nicely written enough and as lgbtq romances still don't have enough representation in ya (not to mention the fact that it is most refreshing to have a clearly Asian fantasy novel not filled with white people) that's always a great thing.

Overall this a solid book, but I didn't finish it thinking "More Now!"--I was happy enough to read it, but aside from Lei, never felt there was enough there in the other characters there for me to really connect with them.

Still, there's no way both the store and the library won't be slammed with demand for this--ya fantasy is stii huge and customers want diverse books, and this provides both and has a gentle romance that will appeal to all readers.
A natural pairing(s) for is Malinda Lo's Ash and Emma Donoghue's marvelous short story collection, Kissing The Witch--yes, both are older titles (okay, very old) but c'mon, they'll be perfect!