Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire, #1)

by Natasha Ngan

The mesmerising New York Times bestseller!

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.

'A timely reminder that, in the right hands, the fantasy genre has things to say about injustice and abuse of power in the real world' GUARDIAN

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.

• ISBN10: 1529337208
• ISBN13: 9781529337204
• Publish Date: 6 November 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

This was a most anticipated read for me as it different own voice story that yes involves some trigger issues which are warned and told about upfront which I really appreciated. These trigger issues if I had not been warned they were in the book I probably would have stopped reading it, rape, is a strong trigger for a lot of people and a story that revolves around it can be pulled off wonderfully or very badly. In this case, it potrayed very well and really implants in you a desire to see the demon king taken down and hard. Another central part to the story is a female/female relationship I think this is the first teen book I read that it really is in the heart of the story. It central to how things play out in the final few chapters of the story. I, not one to shy away from the story just for that it was beautifully portrayed and worked well in the story. I did not feel it was forced as a way to get more readers, (i have seen this happen) nor did it feel wrong. I felt the world building in this story is rich and the author has drawn from her own background to make it stand out just that more for us. I really liked the descriptions of the chariots as we arrive at the palace, the description of the food, and you felt there was a lot to see within this world. The one major drawback for me is theme of the girls with the king felt kind of boring, what really drew me more was what was gonna happen to this evil demon king, I was not interested in if any of the girls were gonna be picked and I am glad that it went away towards the end from being a bachelorette kind of story to how are we saving the kingdom from this horrendous person. I want to see how the story continues and changes from where we started.

[Kelly]

Contains themes of sexual violence, sexual assault, oppression and animal cruelty.

A Paper Girl is a prestigious title. Sanctioned by the Heavenly Father to reside within the ornate palace, sating the desire of the King as a concubine. Eight girls are removed from their villages within the outer provinces and presented to the King, families compensated by wealth and aristocratic privilege. Lei resides within the outer provinces, a remote village of Ikhara and distinguishable by her golden eyes.

Her father an accomplished herbalist within the family depository, is vigilant of his daughter. A Kingdom of societal standings, the Paper Caste are human commonalities, oppressed by the autocratic Steel Caste, a demonic human species. Seven years prior, a sentry of Steel Caste commanders inundated the small village community, igniting the pasture and farmland as they captured and massacred the Paper Caste residents. Seven years since her mother was captured. Villagers whisper of the night of devastation, the desolate pasture barren as the community prepares for an impoverished season.

Unprecedented, Lei is the ninth Paper Girl, forcibly captured to compete for favour of the King. Lei arrives at the royal province where she begrudgingly assimilates as a consort, educated by private tutors and disciplined in finesse, compliance and seduction. Residing within the palatial chateau, each Paper Girl is denied her innocence, modesty and coerced to pleasure the King by enduring sexual violence and assault. Provocation is condemned, sentenced to isolation and imprisonment.

Her endurance and fortitude are besieged as Lei scandalises the Paper Girls, challenging the King by refusing his advances. She is assaulted, her body fractured and innocence momentarily unscathed. The Paper Girls are abused, sexually assaulted and manipulated, punished for insolence. The King claims ownership of each Paper Girl, her body and independence. Girls of Paper and Fire centralises on rape culture and consent within a patriarchal society. Denied freedom and perceived as disposable vessels, aesthetically pleasing and objectified by society and the King, a sexual predator. The scenes and discussion surrounding sexual assault are confrontational, reminiscent of society within our own communities.

Within the Kingdom, male same sex sexual relationships are customary, Paper Girls are not permitted to engage with male courtiers, punishable by branding and ostracised by their family and community. The Paper Girls begin to measure their experiences through whispered secrets, they've been persuaded to believe that to become a Paper Girl is not only prestigious but that the female significance is dependant on their desirability. The King will discard each girl, bestowing upon his allies for political or societal advantage. This is the female capacity until whispers of a rebellion is encompassing the provinces begins to demoralise the enraged King.

The forbidden female romance was beautifully tender, allowing Lei and Wren to tentatively explore hope and optimism beyond the palatial confinement, an existence of equality and humanity where slavery and prejudice are abolished. Beginning with the oppressive rule of a tyrannical King. Their relationship enables each girl to experience vulnerabilities and sensitivities within the sanctuary created through compassion. Unfortunately the relationship was the fundamental aspect for the Paper Girl rebellion, rather than a sense of preservation.

Girls of Paper and Fire is a passionate and exceptional debut novel that will invoke discussion through a confrontational and intricate narrative.

[Jo]

Originally published on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Trigger Warning: This book features kidnap, sex trafficking, sexual assault, rape, violence, sex shaming, and animal cruelty.

I've been looking forward to reading Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan ever since I first heard of it; a UKYA, queer, asian inspired high fantasy? Sign. Me. Up! Unsurprisingly, it was incredible, but it was the surprises that had me completely adoring this book!

In a world of demons and humans, where demons are superior to humans, Lei is Paper caste, fully human, who lives in a small village working at her father's herb shop. Seven years ago, there was a raid on her village, in which her mother was taken from them, the grief of which Lei has never got over. This year, the soldiers are back, and it's Lei they take. Having heard rumours of her golden eyes, a General has stolen her away as a gift to the King, in order to apologise for a mistake he made, believing the King would be pleased by her eyes. Lei is to be a Paper Girl, eight girls trained to be the Demon King's concubines, the highest honour bestowed upon a Paper caste girl, but this year there is to be nine. But Lei refuses to let her life be dictated to her, and when she falls in love with one of her fellow Paper Girls, Wren, their secret relationship and embracing their love is her secret rebellion. But Lei's life at court shows her just how cruel the Demon King is, and just how terribly treated the Paper caste are. When she discovers a plot to overthrow the King, Lei realises she can't just sit back and accept her fate, but must do what she can to help, for all Paper castes everywhere.

'We might be Paper Girls, easily torn and written upon. The very title we're given suggests that we are blank, waiting to be filled. But what the Demon King and his court do not understand is that paper is flammable.
And there is a fire catching among us.' (p273-274)*

Oh my god, I can't tell you just how incredible this book is! The world building is just so lush, heavily inspired by Ngan's own Chinese Malaysian background. The food, the outfits, the decoration! It's all just so gorgeous! But there's also the people of Ikhara; the Paper castes, who are fully human, and mulitcultural humans at that; the Steel caste, who are humans with some demon qualities; and Moon caste, full demons. But in this world, the demons aren't what you would normally think of when hearing the word "demon". The Moon caste are humanoid animals. The King, for example, is a bull-form; their are aspects of his face that are human, but his nose and jaw are more bovine, he's covers is dark hair, and he has hooves. What I found really fascinating about Girls is how it took an idea we've seen in fantasy before, of a world inhabited by humans and creatures, and flipped the hierarchy on it's head. Normally, humans reign supreme, and anything "less than" or "other than" human are monsters to be killed or controlled. In Girls, the hierarchy places humans at the bottom, with Steel caste demons above them, and Moon caste demons at the top. And it's not just a class system, it's prejudice and discrimination. Two hundred years ago, the first Demon King invaded and took control of all of Ikhara, and then put everyone in their place, his own prejudice against humans putting them at the bottom. And though not every Steel or Moon caste demon are prejudiced against humans, there's a hell of a lot of them that are. Humans are nothing, they are "keeda" - worms. And because they are nothing, the demons can treat them however they want. They can raid their villages and kill their people. They can kidnap women and give them as gifts. They can dress up becoming one of the King's concubines as an honour, but the fact is you are to have sex with the King whenever he wishes, however he wishes, and you cannot say no. It is your job to please him. You are not to have sex with anyone else. You are not to fall in love. Paper castes are to accept their lot in life, and not complain about what befalls them, because doing so can lead to death. It's terrifying and it's horrific. And, to be honest, it reminded me a lot of racism and slavery. In it's way, Girls holds up a mirror to our own world and our own history, shining a light on how the privileged white treat and have treated people of colour. And it's disgusting.

'It seems that to most demons, being Paper caste already makes you less human.' (p264)*

But we have Lei. What I loved about Lei is that she is just an ordinary girl. She's not the chosen one, she's not anything special, she's just a Paper caste girl who lived in a poor village, working in her father's herb shop. A peasant whose life would have continued on at the shop, in her little village, a quiet, unimpressive life, but a life that was hers. Her life might not be something readers can relate to, but we can relate to the fact that she is just a girl, just living her life. And in that, she's all of us, she's every-girl. But then she's forced to become a Paper Girl, and her life is turned upside down. All the other Paper Girls are there because they want to be, because they've fed in to the lies about it being an honour, and they're happy to have the life of luxury they now do. But this is not Lei's choice. She never chose to become a Paper Girl, she never wanted - never wants - to have sex with the King. She is trapped, she cannot escape, and her terror is palpable. But she has people around her who get it, and are fighting their own fight.

'"[Men] have all the power, anyway."
The look Zelle gives me is sharp. "Do they? Yes, they like to think they're in charge, ordering us around and taking women for their own whenever they fancy. But is that true power? They can take and steal and break all they want, but there is one thing they have no control over. Our emotions," she says at my nonplussed look. "Our feelings. Our thoughts. None of them will ever be able to control the way we feel. Our minds and our hearts are our own. That is our power, Nine. Never forget it."' (p151)*

And Lei does choose to give her heart to another. Oh, the romance between Lei and Wren is just so beautiful! Especially given the circumstances they find themselves in. Despite the danger they would be in if anyone found out, their love is pure, and their only light in the darkness. And it's their love that makes Lei strong. It gives her something - something good, something she has now - to fight for. Her love, her choice, her freedom.

But there are also others to fight for. What she sees at the court, what she experiences, how she is treated, how the King treats his Paper Girls, what she witnessed seven years ago... at first she just wanted to get away for herself, back to her family, back to her own life. But as time goes on and she witnesses some truly horrific things, and it all just fans the flames of her anger, and she realises that she could never un-see or un-know all that she discovers at the palace.

'More than anything, I want to be free. Not just free of the palace, but free once I'm outside of it, too. How can that happen in a world where its King allows demons to do whatever they want to those they deem inferior? How can I live in happiness when I know now what happens to Paper castes all across Ikhara?' (p295)*

And this ordinary peasant girl - this every-girl, this girl of colour, this queer girl - chooses herself, chooses her love, chooses her people, and decides to take a stand. Against the King. Against the demons. Against her abusers and oppressors. Against the patriarchy. She becomes a cog in the machine that is the rebellion, and in doing so, she changes everything. I can't tell you how emotional it was - especially as sexual assault survivor - to see her take the decision to fight back. To not accept things, to not roll over, but to fight. And to me, she is us, she is fighting for us, and watching her become this resilient young woman was so empowering and so emotional. It was beautiful, and it was incredible.

I just want to briefly talk about some of the side characters. Lill, Lei's Steel caste 11-year-old maid at the palace, is adorable! She's the cutest little girl, although she is young and innocent, and doesn't realise that Lei doesn't actually want to be there, and thinks it is an honour that Lei is a Paper Girl. But she and Lei form this gorgeous older and younger sister relationship that is just to die for, and I love them! There's also the relationship that Lei forms with Aoki, one of her fellow Paper Girls. Aoki is 16, but is quite innocent and young for her age, and Lei feels protective of her. They form a really beautiful relationship, but one that is tested when Aoki starts to drink the cool-aid and believes in the King and all he does. I love Aoki, and went through such a roller coaster of emotions for her. I just wanted to take her away, give her a cuddle, and really explain things to her. But it's a fascinating and complex relationship to watch.

Girls of Paper and Fire is an absolutely fantastic high fantasy, and god, the ending! I can't say anything, but oh my god, I need book two now! I am so excited to see where the story leads in book two! Because the ending was epic, and oh my god, the next book is going to be unbelievable! I absolutely cannot recommend Girls enough; it's an absolutely amazing UKYA high fantasy, and not one to miss.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the eProof.

*All quotes have been checked against my bought final copy.

[bookishzelda]

Girls of Paper and Fire is a very unique and interesting story. I loved the world building but I struggled a little with the main character.

I thought the world and the world building for the story were amazing. As much as I didn’t not love what being a Paper Girl meant. I felt like I had a really good grasp on what the palace looked like in my mind. I also felt like the politics were easy to follow as well. Between the different cast of Paper, Steel and Moon.

So I for some reason had a really hard time picturing the Demon people. I kept thinking of the Disney version of Robin Hood. So the idea of her being a concubine for one, seemed even creepier. The book deals with prostitution and rape. There are some scenes that definitely make your heart bleed.

I couldn’t connect with Lei and I wanted to, especially because I loved Wren so much. I kind of started to want Wren to be the main MC though. There are things I liked about Lei. I understood that she was naive in the way of many things and now had to come to the palace and be thrust into something she doesn’t fully understand. How she had never really experienced certain feelings simply because she never really had the chance/exposure to do so. She was content working in her families herb shop and would eventually get around to it. As she continues on in the palace though, I felt like she doesn’t grow or change. Her naivety starts to put people in danger and that’s what bothers me. I know the things she does are not always intentional but I don’t like how she doesn’t always seem to learn from them. I do like the fact that Lei is loyal and kind. That even though she might not agree or understand with a certain friends feelings, she is still a friend to her. I can’t really put my finger on why I didn’t connect with Lei but I just couldn’t.

I loved Wren. I thought she is such a cool character and I want to be friends with her. I love how she has the fierceness to her but she also very understanding. She grew up in a different world and so she sees things in a different light than Lei. So it gives her this perfect balance for the two of them.

Aoki and Blue are too other characters that I really enjoyed. They are both complicated in their own ways. They have different reasons for being at the palace and different feelings about it. I felt both of their stories were interesting.

Despite my mixed feelings on Lei, I did really enjoy the romance. It was such a natural progression into it. Sweet and kind with both give and take.

The story is definitely unique and interesting and I love the vivid imagery it creates in my mind.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a free copy of Girls of Paper and Fire at BookCon. There was no agreement to leave a review in return; I’m doing so because I want to.

Girls of Paper and Fire is the first novel I’ve read that was written by Natasha Ngan, but I can safely say that I officially adore her writing. I’m going to have to add some of her earlier novels to my TBR list.

The cover is going to get one of my unofficial awards for prettiest cover of 2018. It’s absolutely striking. I love the color choice, the design itself, and the overall balance between the imagery and the font. It’s evocative and memorable. And frankly, it’s just plain pretty. I’m not ashamed to admit that. It’s the sort of book cover that’d get me to stop and read the description – or possibly even buy the book without reading the description (sometimes I do that because I want to be surprised, I’m weird I know).

It’s amazing how much ink this novel is getting, and it’s not even out yet. When I was at BookCon I ended up waiting in line for almost an hour to get my signed copy (worth it) and they had to turn so many people away during that time. Now it’s being listed as a best seller on Amazon (again, it isn’t even out yet!). Needless to say that I’m feeling very lucky I was able to get my copy early! Though I do feel bad that I didn’t read it sooner.

Before I get on to the book itself, I just want to say how impressed I am with how sensitive Ngan and her publisher are. There’s a warning on Goodreads, and a few other sites, which I rarely see included on other books (even ones more graphic than this one). It is very up front about the fact that there’s sexual assault in this book. I absolutely love that fact. It’s something I wish more books and publishing companies could state up front (I get that sometimes it’s a spoiler issue, but I’d prefer the warning, and I’m sure I’m not alone).



Warnings first: I already mentioned that there’s sexual assault in this novel. It’s not something that’s been kept a secret, which I appreciate. You can kind of get an idea of what’s in store just by reading the description, to be honest. The same can be said for the physical abuse that occurs. There is an animal death early on in the novel. You can see it coming though, and it’s the only one that happens.

The Girls of Paper and Fire is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel. It was impossible not to feel compassion for Lei and the rest of the girls (yes, even the ones that were acting out) and the situation they were in. I’ll admit that I had experienced some trepidation when I went to start reading, simply because I knew I was going to be in store for a heavier read…but I truly do feel that it was worth every moment.

Ngan did such a wonderful job setting up the world, the culture, and the expectations of their society. It made it feel almost too real in some ways – like I could really feel the societal pressure they were surely experiencing.

The novel itself is a rich blend of genres. There are the obvious features, such as the magic, politics (the caste systems, dealing with the courts), the culture, and more. But then there’s also some romance, intrigue, and a feeling of hope and determination that changes the tone throughout. I think that many different readers would find something to enjoy here.

I love that Ngan managed to make the eight paper girls we got to know all unique and different from one another. Even those that we didn’t get to know too well still felt like their own characters – they felt like real people. She showed their hopes, dreams, flaws, and fears. It made the whole situation they were in that much more daunting and complex. Their reasons for being there were all different, despite how similar they appeared at first.

The demon king…he’s a character that’s easy to hate. I loved hating him. It was awful seeing the horrible things he did without any thought or show of emotion, but it made me feel vindicated in my hatred of him. I’m sure many readers will agree with that sentiment. Learning a bit more about him explained a lot of his emotional outburst, though it did nothing to excuse his behavior. I’m mentioning that part because I think it was a brilliant move on Ngan’s part to let us see a bit more about him. The best antagonists are the ones where we can understand their motivations.

The conclusion of this novel makes is very clear that there will be a sequel. It’s not a cliffhanger really, but a direct tie in to what will happen next. If you don’t want to have any lose ends, so to speak, don’t read the epilogue, as that’s where it happens.

Before the epilogue everything felt decently wrapped up. There were still questions, of course, but none of them pertained to major plot points, so I’m okay with that. After the epilogue I was left with more questions, but also a confidence in that they’d be answered in the next novel. I don’t meant to be greedy, but I hope we at least get a title for the next one soon. I’d love an idea for what will come next.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[liz089]

I read it the same day I got it with my bookbox subscription (and finished it!).
I don't know, I was just in the mood for it ?
It was also just what I needed haha, some distraction from reality and insert myself in this dark, magical world. It was a very intense read and I enjoyed it very much.
Need the second novel !!!

[Amber]

I wanted to love this one as much as everyone else does, I really did, but it ended up really disappointing me for various reasons. Trigger warnings for rape and assault. Representation wise, there’s a f/f romance and the main character is gay.

The first is that I thought the plot was very generic. I’ve read this same story so many times before, and there was nothing new to make it stand out from the hundreds of other YA fantasy books out there. The main character goes from a tiny village to the palace, where she is trained to be a Paper Girl. She then hears of a rebellion, and gets involved with that. From there, you can pretty much guess how the story is going to go. Admittedly, the plot is very fast paced. I flew through it, even though it’s a longish book. But it was simple.

I did really like the main character. I thought she was super feisty and she stuck up for herself and others on so many different occasions. She didn’t have much of a personality aside from that. I mean, I don’t know anything about her likes or interests or hobbies. There probably wasn’t much time for hobbies, but still. Something could have made her stand out a bit more, ya know? She is super gay though, so there’s that.

I didn’t love the romance that developed between the main character and one of the other Paper Girls. It didn’t really develop, it kind of just came out of nowhere with the bare minimum of hints. I get that they were in an intense and stressful situation, and probably found love wherever they could, but there was no real build up or chemistry, which was disappointing. I did like the love interest as a character though. Just not the lack of connection.

This book obviously didn’t blow me away. There’s a lot of stuff to talk about for a three star book, but I’m not sure I’m going to bother reading the sequel because I feel like there are better fantasy books out there.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Girls of Paper and Fire was one of my most anticipated reads of the year! I got my copy way back in April and immediately dug in, but I quickly realized that it was not going to work for me. While there are some really interesting aspects of this book, there were just too many issues for it to be really enjoyable.

Lei is the protagonist of this story and she's from the lowest caste in her world, which is unfortunate to her since it makes her easy pickings for the king's Paper Girls. Paper Girls, in case you're wondering, are concubines and this book does not shy away from the sexual aspects.

While I'm open to sexual content when done tastefully (even in YA) I was honestly shocked by the content. There was sexual assault and rape constantly throughout this book. In my original thoughts I compared this to The Handmaid's Tale, but while The Handmaid's Tale had a point to make, I'm not sure what the point is here. Maybe I'm just missing something. In any case, there were no content warnings on the ARC, but maybe there will be on the finished copy. There definitely should.

Lei herself is an interesting character, but I didn't find her to be particularly compelling or interesting. Wren was honestly more interesting and I'd love to have known more about her! Their romance was sweet and one of my favorite parts of the book. I really wish there had been a way to write this story but in a different setting with different circumstances.

The thing I really did appreciate about Girls of Paper and Fire was the mythology and worldbuilding. I don't know much about Malaysian culture, but Natasha Ngan definitely painted a vivid picture! The demon and human races were fascinating in their diversity. The writing was lush and I couldn't help but keep turning pages despite my issues.

I think a lot of people will enjoy this book, especially if they understand what the content is before they start reading. I don't particularly like reading about sexual assault, so that put a huge damper on my enjoyment. I will definitely be giving this author another try based on her world building and writing, though.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

//Original thoughts//

Full review to come closer to release, but I just want to say I've been very conflicted about this book. I don't usually say much about content warnings, but this book definitely needs a few: for rape and sexual abuse. I'm honestly surprised this book is YA, considering the content. I haven't seen this pitched as being "like" anything, but let me just say I got Handmaid's Tale vibes and you can take from that what you will.