This book was well written, with great characters, the plot was pretty good, though I feel like Blue could have had more development, and rather than stay the mean girl, become nicer.

Such an addictive read!
Why I loved this novel:
• Strong females.
• Monarchal System that’s deteriorating.
• The way in which the novel was written, it was engaging and enticed me to read more.
• Back to the characters; there was an ache for what the Paper Girls had to go through, the unfairness of it all, however there was still that sense of hope for Lei to go unscathed.
• An LGBTQI+ relationship that doesn’t feel forced into the storyline.
Why I didn’t love this novel:
• The abusive and sexist monarchal system (definitely needed for the storyline but wow did it bring up so many intense emotions).

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book!
i loved the concept of girls of paper and fire!!! it’s an awesome start to a ya fantasy series and it’s so refreshing to see a new take on the genre. the diversity is so great and it made me emotional seeing some of my favourite tropes in the ya fantasy genre actually applied to a wlw couple for once!! the fact that it’s set in an asian-inspired fantasy world as opposed to the usual european setting is really cool too. the writing is very easy to engage with and i’m really looking forward to learning some more about the characters’ backstories in the next books. i’ll definitely be continuing on with this series!
the only negative worth mentioning is that i would not recommend this book for anyone who is uncomfortable with or who is triggered by sexual assault. there are themes of this throughout the book and two specific instances which i personally found difficult to read, though they were not described in graphic detail. if you’re unsure about whether or not you’d be able to cope with this feel free to message me for more information.
aside from that, i would definitely recommend this book and hope that it gets the success it deserves!

ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Girls of Paper and Fire is book one in a new series that would suit lovers of A Court of Thorns and Roses. Unlike ACoTR, the lead character is queer and features a f/f romance. Storyline can get quite heavy at times which is why I’m also adding a trigger warning for sexual assault. But for all that, it’s actually an easy read.

Overall - I really enjoyed this book, but I had some issues with the pacing for a good chunk of the book. I kept asking how much time had passed, one day, a week, two months? And Lei seemed to flip=flop a bit between being stubborn and being a bit of a flighty, scared child (which she is, and is supposed to be)
But the writing was clear, succinct, descriptive and drew me in right away.
This is also the first book I've read start to finish within 12 hours for months. It's THAT good.
Apart from the pacing thing, I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Well well, this was a delight! I was hooked from the very first page, even with the <spoiler>what I considered totally unnecessary and violent death of the dog. Why did I think it wasn't needed? Because Lei never thought of Bao again. If you wanted to kill the dog to show how awful the King's men really were, perhaps she could have mourned him a little? Anyway, you all know me and animal deaths just don't get along. Hn. </spoiler>

Anyhow, apart from that, I adored the writing, the plot, the romance. This is a violent book however, and it doesn't shy away from things like murder and rape. There are going to be people upset by this I think (rightly so) so there's the warning in case you aren't sure of reading it. But the romance is a beautiful, slow burning one and I just wanted more of their screen time together. <3

I received the eARC obviously, and I think there will be some changes made. I think this because they forgot to take out some of the editing notes and comments between the editors and the author! (oops?) so I think I'll read this again when it's released properly and see if that makes any difference haha

This is already on plenty of people's radars, and I can honestly say it deserves it. It's a beautiful yet graphic book and it's obviously the start of a series. I can't wait to see where this goes and well, it's so pretty! Four stars.

I seem to have a problem with the James Patterson Presents novels. I didn’t like Stalking Jack the Ripper either and this one was just okay. I was hoping it would be amazing as that’s what I’d heard but it just didn’t get there for me unfortunately. The writing was good but I just couldn’t connect with the story.

Maybe I’ll give it another go later.

Girls Of Paper and Fire was an amazing read. It introduces the reader to a unique and complex world. The book is for fantasy for sure, but it is introduced in a unique way. In this world, demons exist and they are in the shape of animals. The world is split into three types of castes, the Moon caste which re people who are fully demon, the Steel caste which are people who are partially demon and partially human, and the Paper caste who are fully human.

The book follows Lei, who is from the Paper caste, which is also the poorest caste. While she is a Paper, she has golden eyes but no one knows why she would, but it's implied it has to do with her being born on New Years. She lives with her father, as her mother is missing, but one day she is chosen to be a concubine for the king, her eyes playing a role in this. Only Paper castes are chosen to be concubines, and only eight are chosen each year. But Lei being the ninth makes her stand out.

I really loved this book overall. I did find it slow at times but the story gets more intense the more you get into it. I think it's worth it in the end, and this book is clearly setting you up for the next two books. It's really worth it in the end and it gets really intense.

I loved Lei as a character. She really grew so strong emotionally throughout the book and I'm excited so see her grow even more. I also loved her romance with Wren. It's forbidden for the king's concubines to take their own lovers, and that creates this really tense and forbidden romance between them. They also had good chemistry, and I liked that it was this solace of sorts for Lei while being in a situation she didn't want to be.

I'm really excited to see where this story goes and where Lei as a character goes too.

I received this book as an ARC through netgalley - thankyou to the publisher for allowing me to read this book early!
Girls of Paper and Fire has a great premise, and I loved that it is an Asian inspired fantasy - something we don’t see enough of! Something else we don’t see enough of is F/F romance, and this book has a great one! I really enjoyed the originality of the world, with the Paper, Steel and Moon castes. The writing flowed beautifully and made this a hard book to put down!
Reasons I docked a star: at times I felt the pacing was a bit off, and I also felt like the plot meandered in places with no clear direction. Also some things were touched on but not described particularly well, I would have liked to know more about ‘The Sickness’ for example. Overall though this was an entertaining and original read and I look forward to the next book in the series!
3.75 / 5

Oh wow, is this book close to my heart.

First off, I know there’s a trigger warning but to strongly reiterate: there are scenes of sexual assault and rape in this book. Please don’t read this novel if that is especially triggering to you.

Girls of Paper and Fire is a fantasy novel based in a world where there are three castes; Paper, Steel, and Moon. Our POV character Lei is a human girl who struggles against the oppression shown against the Paper (human) class but works in her father’s herb shop, both still reeling from Lei’s mother being taken from them seven years ago. But Lei isn’t meant for an easy life, and her golden eyes catch the attention of a general trying to win back the favor of the King, causing her to be dragged away from her father and taken to the palace as a nominated Paper Girl (essentially concubines for the King).

It would be hard not to connect to Lei as a narrator, or even just as a character- she’s funny, clumsy, and has a sharp tongue. The horrifying environment that she is forced in to makes it impossible not sympathize with her, and she still manages to be kind even to those who are less than pleasant to her.

While I loved the entire book, the last hundred pages were, for me, the most gripping. The inevitability of Lei’s circumstance and the tension of events occurring within the palace make this part of the novel the emotional and dark fantasy that it truly is.

Also, I was probably the only one in the world who didn’t realize this was a f/f fantasy novel, and my delight at the events that unfolded… I can’t even begin to describe my happiness. Our love interest, Wren, has her own problems to deal with and a vault of secrets inside her head. She’s mysterious and alluring and beautifully written. The romance is so delightfully angsty and is such a slowburn that I was squealing at even the slightest interactions between the two.

And now here I am, waiting for book 2 and book 1 hasn’t even been officially released yet. I hope it’s as captivating and horrifying as this one was. Thank you, Natasha Ngan, for this beautifully diverse and complicated novel.