Girls of Paper and Fire: The sumptuous New York Times bestseller
Nov 2018 · Hachette UK
4.8star
14 reviewsreport
Ebook
384
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About this ebook
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.
'Queer girls falling in love while kicking ass and resisting oppression in a rich, magical, and Asian-inspired world. What more could you ask for?' R.F. KUANG
'Gorgeously written, gripping, brutal-a sapphic love story I couldn't stop reading' SAMANTHA SHANNON
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.
AUTHORS LOVE GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE
'Beautiful, lush, lyrical with fantastic world building and an epic forbidden romance, I devoured every word and was left desperately wanting more' Ellen Oh, author of The Prophecy series
'As lush - and brutal - as the Demon King's own court' Kiersten White, NYT bestselling author of And I Darken
'A lush, magical world, where two concubines must hide their forbidden love if they want to survive the Demon King's treacherous court. A fiery, spellbinding read' Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
'Had me completely spellbound from the first page' Lana Popovic, author of Wicked Like a Wildfire
'Queer girls falling in love while kicking ass and resisting oppression in a rich, magical, and Asian-inspired world. What more could you ask for?' R.F. KUANG
'Gorgeously written, gripping, brutal-a sapphic love story I couldn't stop reading' SAMANTHA SHANNON
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.
AUTHORS LOVE GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE
'Beautiful, lush, lyrical with fantastic world building and an epic forbidden romance, I devoured every word and was left desperately wanting more' Ellen Oh, author of The Prophecy series
'As lush - and brutal - as the Demon King's own court' Kiersten White, NYT bestselling author of And I Darken
'A lush, magical world, where two concubines must hide their forbidden love if they want to survive the Demon King's treacherous court. A fiery, spellbinding read' Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
'Had me completely spellbound from the first page' Lana Popovic, author of Wicked Like a Wildfire
Ratings and reviews
4.8
14 reviews
A Google user
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January 8, 2019
Girls of Paper and Fire is without a doubt one of the best young adult fantasy books that were published in 2018. A complex exploration of what it means to be a victim of sexual abuse set in a lush Malaysian-inspired world divided into castes - some human, some of magical creatures - and with a wonderful slow-burn f/f romance. A dark read by YA standards, but a very necessary one. Teens need this book and what it says about attraction, consent and resistance. Strongly recommended, even to those who are not used to fantasy, as the worldbuilding is easy to get into.
2 people found this review helpful
Caroline Hughes
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October 31, 2019
Totally absorbing, loved the characters, very evocative. Read it in two sittings.
Doreen Howlett
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August 7, 2019
amazing can't wait for the second book.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
Natasha Ngan is part young-adult author, part yoga-teacher, part habitual nap-taker. She grew up between Malaysia and the UK, speaking Chinese with her mother mainly as a way to talk about people without them understanding. She studied Geography at the University of Cambridge and later worked as a fashion blogger, social media consultant and freelance writer. Natasha recently moved to Paris, where she likes to imagine she drifts stylishly from brasserie to brasserie, notepad in one hand and wineglass in the other. In reality, she mostly spends her time lost on the metro and offending locals with her French.
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