Quirky Cat
Girls of Fate and Fury is the third and final novel in Natasha Ngan's Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy, and yes, I have been putting off reading it. I just couldn't bear the thought of saying goodbye to these lovely characters. Plus, I think it is only natural to be worried about how the series would end. However, I did finally get over myself and sit down to read it. Was it worth it? Yes.
Last we saw, Lei and Wren had been torn apart by war. One is still on the battlefront, while the other faces a very different sort of battle. Ultimately, both of their paths will help decide the fate of everyone they know and love.
Lei is back in the Hidden Palace and not of her own volition. Yet taking her here may have been the gravest mistake the king has ever made, for he has put her exactly where she needs to continue the revolution.
“They can take and steal and break all they want, but there is one thing they have no control over. Our emotions. Our feelings. Our thoughts.... Our minds and hearts are our own. That is our power, Nine. Never forget it.”
Wow. Just wow. If I was looking to leave a three-word review, I would stop right there. I feel like I am very much still processing the events of Girls of Fate and Fury. Was it the ending that we all deserved? Yes. Was I ready for any of it? Probably not? But that didn't stop me from reading it (well, it didn't stop me for long).
Let's start with the obvious: Girls of Fate and Fury is split into two perspectives. Yes, that's right! Wren's perspective takes center stage. Or at least, she splits the stage with her love, Lei. That was a delightful change of pace.
Including Wren's perspective show a totally different side of the war. After all, while Lei is the heart behind the revolution, Wren is the driving force. They're two sides of the same coin, tackling the same problem from different directions.
In other words – I really enjoyed seeing Wren's side of things. It made for a stark contrast in what was going on in Lei's side of things. However, I'll admit that some cliffhangers (at the end of chapters) made me very anxious to get back to one perspective or the other. It certainly made it easier to just stay put and keep reading.
“Even demons are no match for Paper Girls with fire in their hearts.”
It's been two days since I finished Girls of Fate and Fury, and I'm just sitting here trying to think of what else I want to say. That ending was...everything? It somehow wrapped up everything that needed to be covered, but it did so in such an elegant way.
There were times when the conclusion felt rushed, but at other times I would have done anything to see the story go on a bit longer. That feeling is perhaps a bit ironic since Girls of Fate and Fury has the longest epilogue I've seen in a while (several chapters worth). I appreciated that time, however, as it meant the story didn't end the second the battle did. Sometimes we really do need to see the fallout, as opposed to leaving it all to our imagination.
I'm happy that I finally sat down to read Girls of Fate and Fury. Part of me wishes that I hadn't put it off. The rest of me is happy that I waited until the time was right, as I was in the perfect mood to read this story.
Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
