In Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei is from the Paper caste, the lowest and physically weakest of the classes. One day with no warning, she is ripped from her family and taken to the palace to become a Paper Girl, a concubine of the king. She must find a way to endure and ultimately escape from her cruel path.
There is so much to like in this book! The world-building is rich and interesting, and happens at a pace that is easily consumable. The premise of the story is interesting, and coming from a Chinese background, I liked all the Asian references in here. The plot unfurls steadily, and there is even a female/female relationship. There are so many compelling characters, including the other Paper Girls, and their diverse personalities and friendships with Lei are a real highlight.
Unfortunately, I did find the main character Lei to be incredibly grating at times. She is emotional and impetuous, doing whatever she feels like at any moment without thought for consequences. Many times, due to her words or actions, bad things happen to her and those around her. But she doesn't seem to have the insight to understand that.
While I was happy to see a young adult book that includes a female/female relationship, the way it was written was extremely childish. Pretty much every scene that the two of them are in together makes me cringe from how melodramatic and overwrought it is. Lei follows the other person everywhere, crying because she thinks they are cheating on her and lecturing them on the importance of trust, while not understanding the irony of that. She gets extremely upset if the other person doesn't tell her everything she wants to know, and proceeds to make a huge fuss about it. It's so frustrating to read and feels like such a missed opportunity. Ngan could have made Lei strong, but instead she comes across as whiny and needy. Thankfully, there aren't too many scenes with the two of them together.
Even though the book was a bit uneven overall, I still really enjoyed it, especially the plot. It looks like this is the first book in a trilogy, so I look forward to reading the next one. I just hope it contains more of the awesome plot and less of the main character emoting.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
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