Goodreads Synopsis:
Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honor they could hope for…and the most cruel.
But this year, there’s a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.
In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it’s Lei they’re after–the girl whose golden eyes have piqued the king’s interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being a king’s consort. But Lei isn’t content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable–she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
My Thoughts: 4/5 Stars!
I don’t want an easy life. I want a meaningful one
This has been one of my most anticipated reads for the years. I could sense the importance of this book in the YA market ever since I’ve read the sypnosis motnhs ago and boy was I not disappointed by this empowering, feminist read!
From the get go, I sympathised with Lei. Knwoing how her destiny will unfold, you can’t help BUT feel for her. I thought she was a consistent character throughout the novel and never lost sight of the fact that what was happening to these Paper Girls is wrong. It’s abuse, even if some of the other girls didn’t see it that way. She was headstrong and i definately see potential for more growth in her in the next two books!
As for the other girls, Aiko, Blue, Mariko, the twins and Wren, all have differeing voices and what’s so “full -circle” about the book is the fact that these girls are all experiencing the same plight, the same entrapment and they all have either the same or opposing thoughts about their new lives. At times, Lei wonders how some of these girls don’t see how wrong it is.
I found Wren to be a character with depth. She has a secret or two and that just adds more and more layers to her. She has grown to be one of my faves too! She and Lei are a force to reckoned with.
This books deals with the heavy subject of violence and sexual assault. The author opens up about the fact that she too has experienced it and i think it was handled tremendously well in the novel. The anger, hurt and pain translated well onto the pages and was tackled delicately.
More so, the depth of the world and the history is something I did not expect. This is the authors first book but the details about the demon-like Moon caste, the mythology, the secenary, the inclusion of Asian food, clothing and language just overall added to the incredible atmosphere!
If I had to pick on any cons would be that there is a tiny bit of insta-love and the novel primarily takes place in the haram of the women’s court so I guess the author has alot more places to explore in the next book. Abit predictable at times as well.
All in all, a great first novel with a great set-up for the series. It tackles impkrtant issues that need to be addressed, especially in the YA market. Could not put this one down at all!
Major thank you to Jonathan Ball publishers for sending a review copy my way!
MOONLIGHT BOOKS 