Natasha Ngan’s Girls of Paper and Fire is a stunning young adult novel, the first in a new trilogy, where girls show their heart and strength in a world that seeks to crush them beneath its feet. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, although this book does come with accompanying trigger warnings: There are several scenes of violence and a few scenes of sexual abuse in this novel. There is also violence against a dog. Please take care of yourself while reading this book.
Each year, eight girls from the Paper caste are chosen to serve the Demon King—both a high honor and a cruel fate. But this year, nine girls are taken instead. Lei is a young woman from a remote, rural village. Her mother was snatched by the King’s Guards when she was just a child, and now the guards are after Lei, the girl with the golden eyes. She is taken to the palace to become a Paper Girl, and serve the King. But as love blossoms between Lei and another Paper Girl, their passions and plots threaten to light a fire that may burn down the entire empire.
Girls of Paper and Fire centers around a young woman’s revelations about herself and the world around her. There are systems that keep her and her family beholden to others and oppressed that emerge from the caste system and the social prejudices that accompany it. The caste system is interestingly cultivated and claimed. The lowest caste, Paper is made up of those who are entirely human. The middle caste, Steel, is made up of those who are neither demon nor human, but somewhere in between, sharing the characteristics of both. And the highest caste, Moon, is made up of those who are fully demon—intelligent, animalistic, and strong.
The romance that builds within this novel is a classic tale of women falling in love. Amongst the political machinations of a toxic court society, two Paper Girls find each other. Their social status keeps them apart publicly, but their passion for each other grows in quiet nights and tender declarations. I didn’t enjoy how it seemed that heterosexual and m/m relationships were accepted, but f/f were not. There was enough worldbuilding in place to allow for those relationships to be accepted while maintaining the taboo that surrounded the Paper Girls and relationships without needing to suggest f/f relationships as the only negative tipping point.
Ngan’s voice is clear and her work is solid, and while it took me a bit to warm up to the main character, by the end I was definitely asking for more. The world is inspired by her own upbringing, and her descriptions are what help bring the world to life on the page. There are mouth-watering meals, beautiful clothes, and an intricate court system with unique characters.
There are some really interesting side characters that don’t get much screen time, and some of the Paper Girls really could have used some page time to get a better view of the rest of the world that Ngan sets up. Because Lei is from a rural town, it felt like it was used as an excuse to ignore most of the rest of the world. We get tidbits from just two or three other regions, but the Paper Girls come from all over, so it’s a little jarring. Hopefully we get some more of the world in the next two books!
The dynamics between the Paper Girls themselves also helps make this novel read very realistically. There is in-fighting, catty remarks, competition, friendship, and love. All the girls are unique, but could have been fleshed out more. Lei interacts with all of them, but I could have done with some more interaction between Lei and a few of the girls who get much less page-time.
Girls of Paper and Fire is a survivor narrative, about how young women can overcome trauma and violence to reclaim their own selves and bodies. Their love is an integral piece of overcoming the violence, and a heart-squeezing narrative that keeps you reading.
