Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I read the first book shortly after it came out and certain parts I adored, while certain parts I thought were too much for me. I was apprehensive about going into this, but was pleasantly surprised! It turned a direction in the plot I was so ready for and can't wait to read more!

<I>*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review *</i > 

★★★★★ 4.75 stars 

Picking up Lei and Wren's adventures where Girls of Paper and Fire left off, Girls of Storm and Shadow is a bold piece of brilliant storytelling. It is a tale of political warring, with shifting alliances, intrigue, complex dynamics in an empire in turmoil and the heart-wrenching choices the characters are forced to make and paths they have to travel as a result. Set in a gorgeous world, which is inspired by a mix of asian influences, we get to explore much more of this world and the clans that inhabit it than in the first book.

This instalment has a very different tone from the first book, simultaneously more humorous but also feeling much much darker. I felt myself getting much more invested in the characters, as I felt their emotions were better-explored in this instalment, which was heart-wrenching at times.

This book is packed with intriguing, lovable new characters, as well as interesting development of those we already know from Girls of Paper and Fire! Lei, who I was not entirely convinced by in the first book actually grew on me in this one!

The ethical struggles of the characters related to warfare is one major theme of this book. What means are justified to reach an end? How far should you go? How power corrupts, and the resulting transition from hero to villain are also explored here, as well as the shifts in interpersonal relationships as a result. To me, this book felt much more real than the first book in the series! 

The shifts in point of view make the narrative more interesting. The first book was written only from Lei's point of view, while this book intersperses other characters' pointe of view, which makes the plot flow much better 

However, somehow again the middle of the book (about a third)  just wasn't that gripping to me and I still would have loved more of an exploration of the religious system and mythology.

Also, due to that cliffhanger I need the third book immediately!

<b>I ENJOYED IT, BUT IS WAS SLIGHTLY UNDERWHELMING 🙃 </b>

Like with the first book I had a feeling that this was somewhat unoriginal. It had some clear Hunger Games vibes - girl becomes figurehead for resistance, girl gets a (strange) 'codename', girl doubts whether resistance is actually better than established ruling faction. Also, it had some world-building problems. Still, I enjoyed the characters, the overall direction of the story and the LGBT representation.

<b>👍 THE THINGS I LIKED 👍</b>

<u>Bo!</u>: Bo was such a bright spot in what was, otherwise, a quite dark and gloomy story. Bo was a ray of teasing sunshine that, at first, I found really annoying, but, as the story progressed, I became obsessed with!

<u>Wren</u>: I will not give away too much here, but I was really invested in Wren and the things that we learn about her and her character. It was surprising, exciting and unexpected.

<u>Direction</u>: With the way the story is evolving, the direction it is taking, I am very hopefully for the next book!

<b>👎 THE THINGS I DISLIKED 👎</b>

<u>Steels</u>: Throughout this entire book I kept thinking about the Steels! Why aren't they really a part of this story? Whose side are they on? Why are they even in this world if they play no part in it at all?

<u>Unoriginal</u>: Like I said, there were a lot of Hunger Games vibes with this book, and as soon as I picked up on it, it was hard to disregard it.

<u>World-building</u>: This was a problem I also had with the first book, which I hoped would be somewhat solved here. Sadly, they were not. I still felt like I didn't understand the world, the casts, the role of the Steels and the history of the society.

<u>Background</u>: This book introduces several new characters including three Moon casts that fight alongside Wren and Lei - Merrin (whom we met briefly in the first book), Nitta and Merrin. What bothered me was that I didn't understand their motivation for turning against their own cast and assisting the Papers. I wanted to know about their background to understand why they did this.

The perfect sequel to an amazing first book. Focused more on action, but utterly heartbreaking at parts and absolutely beautiful.