Publishers Weekly
★ 08/20/2018
In this rich fantasy from Ngan (The Memory Keepers), the citizens of Ikhara comprise three castes: the oppressed, fully human “Paper” class; “Steel,” a human-animal mash-up; and the reigning “Moon” caste, made up of anthropomorphic animals called demons. Every year, the Moon caste’s king claims eight “Paper Girls” as concubines. It’s an alleged honor, but when the military collects golden-eyed, 17-year-old Lei from her family’s herbal medicine shop, she’s devastated. Her father will suffer if she resists, however, and she wonders about finding her mother, also taken, so Lei relocates to the ruler’s Hidden Palace. Although she dreads being summoned to the brutal king’s bedroom, Lei finds comfort in the friendship of her fellow courtesans—particularly the secretive Wren, with whom she falls in love. Ngan’s plot is tense and tight, her action sequences are elegant and adrenaline-soaked, and her story’s stakes increase exponentially through the pulse-pounding conclusion. She champions self-empowerment while condemning classism, homophobia, and the commodification of women. What most distinguishes this book, though, is how incisively and intoxicatingly Ngan writes about love. Ages 15–up. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Girls of Paper and Fire:
A New York Times Bestseller
A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated YA Fantasy of 2018
*"Ngan's plot is tense and tight, her action sequences are elegant and adrenaline-soaked, and her story's stakes increase exponentially through the pulse-pounding conclusion. What most distinguishes this book, though, is how incisively and intoxicatingly Ngan writes about love."—Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"This glittering commercial romance has real stakes, and the lavish, intriguingly conceptualized world will capture readers. Love stories between women are still disappointingly few in fantasy, and romance and action fans alike will find much to savor here."—Booklist
"Thrust into the beauty and horror of the Hidden Palace, will this Paper Girl survive? Ideal for those seeking diverse LGBTQ fantasy stories."—Kirkus Reviews
"Girls of Paper and Fire is as lush—and brutal—as the Demon King's own court. Ngan is a stunning new talent."—Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken
"This gorgeous book is everything I want in a fantasy. 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 and co-founder of We Need Diverse Books
"Lei and Wren's romance unfolds tenderly... and their wonder at finding love in such a terrible place rings true... [All] lead[s] to a terrifically nail-biting cliffhanger, setting all the pieces in play for a combustible sequel."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Lush...a novel you need to read."—Heidi Heilig, Shondaland.com
"Ngan's story is rich, is beautiful, is devastating and magical, and one of the best novels in 2018."—Hypable.com
"Get ready to be pulled into 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
"Against a back-drop of impressive world-building, reminiscent of Imperial China, this is a riveting, thought-provoking, diverse novel of female subjugation and empowerment that should appeal to mature teens"—VOYA
"Damn... Good read, highly recommend."—Olympic-gold-winning snowboarder Chloe Kim
"Ngan's demonic world is sharp and compelling, and her Lei is my sort of heroine, attacking her (steep!) learning curve teeth-first."—E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka
"With deliciously deep world-building and a cast of fierce young women fighting to take charge of their own story, Girls of Paper and Fire cuts you deep and leaves you breathless for more." —Ashley Poston, author of Heart of Iron and Geekerella
"A beautifully written, powerful story unique against all the current YA fantasy out there. You must read this."—Joshua Khan, author of Shadow Magic
"Lei's story is gorgeously woven in Ngan's emotionally nuanced, crystalline prose. This book broke my heart, made me cry, and 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, author of The Poppy War
"Gorgeously written, gripping, brutal—a sapphic love story I couldn't stop reading."—Samantha Shannon, NYT bestselling author of The Bone Season
School Library Journal
06/01/2018
Gr 10 Up—Seventeen-year-old Lei is kidnapped and forced into sexual servitude by the vicious Demon King who rules her country. Her land has three castes: the low-status Paper caste who are fully human, high-status Moon caste or demons who are half animal in form, and middle-status Steel caste who have some animal features. Lei and her fellow Paper Girls live in a special section of the magical Hidden Palace where they are subjected to forced medical examinations, abused by their trainer, and raped by the bestial ruler. While Lei's fear and disgust at her impending assault are thoroughly depicted, her mental state afterward is less well described. Her enslavement becomes more bearable when she falls in love with Wren, a Paper Girl on a mission to kill the king, and their tender relationship provides some of the happier moments in this brutal story. Ngan grew up in Malaysia, and the setting shows the influence of several Asian cultures: the Hidden Palace resembles China's Forbidden Palace, the king forces the girls to drink sake, characters wear Malaysian kebayas and Chinese cheongsams. Lei's fate echoes those of the imperial concubines held by several Chinese emperors, as well as the "comfort women" forced to service World War II Japanese troops in Malaysia and other countries. Lei and her allies have backstories and motivations that make their situation all the more disturbing. VERDICT A deeply unsettling look at forced prostitution for mature readers of fantasy. Consider for purchase where Ellen Hopkins's Tricks and Traffick are popular.—Beth Wright Redford, Richmond Elementary School Library, VT
JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile
Narrated by Allison Hiroto, this Asian-culture-influenced fantasy audiobook follows teenager Lei as she is kidnapped from her village and forced to become part of the demon king’s harem of Paper Girls. Though living in opulence and splendor, Lei finds there are horrors awaiting her—as well as an unexpected love. While Hiroto possesses a pleasant voice, her narration leaves much to be desired. Her delivery is frequently unsuitable to the the action in the story. In particular, her performance lacks the appropriate emotion for the more intense scenes. Her slow pacing and lack of character differentiation further disengage the listener. This is a disappointing performance of what could have been a stellar production. A.L.S.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-05-15
Thrust into the beauty and horror of the Hidden Palace, will this Paper Girl survive?Ngan (The Memory Keepers, 2014, etc.) offers an amalgamation of Asian cultures set in a fantasy world reminiscent of imperial China. Individuals are separated into three castes: Moon, the ruling class that is wholly demon; Steel, who are human-demon hybrids; and Paper, the oppressed population that is entirely human. Seventeen-year-old Lei is dragged from her small village to become a Paper Girl, or concubine. Besides her long, raven hair, her only striking features are her unusual gold eyes. She reluctantly submits in the slim hope of finding her mother, who was abducted. While in the Palace, Lei lives as best she can, developing friendships and finding forbidden love in the arms of Wren, another Paper Girl, who possesses a feline elegance and is hiding secrets of her own. Lei's natural clumsiness and the requirements of learning court manners keep her out of the King's bed for a while, but sexual violence and the threat of it, though not graphically depicted, are prevalent throughout the story. Lei can be painfully naïve at times and, unfortunately, does not have fire superpowers as the title might suggest. The setup and worldbuilding are strong, but many supporting characters are unfortunately more interesting than Lei.Setting up a strong foundation for a hoped-for sequel, this is ideal for those seeking diverse LGBTQ fantasy stories. (Fantasy. 14-18)
