I have to admit I was a bit excited when I saw that this book was a “Jimmy Patterson” selection. I received this book in one of my bookish subscription boxes, and let’s be honest, it has a powerful and eye-catching cover. I had a hard time putting this book down. I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next book in the series.
A word of caution: the author says it in the beginning, but I will also say it: it his book does have scenes that mention and/or depicting violence and abuse so if these are trigger points, please be careful. The scenes are not too graphic that I felt I needed to skip over a whole section, but know that it’s there since sensitivities are varying. TWs: violence, abuse, sexual assault.
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In the land of Ikhara, there is a three-caste system: the lowest Paper Caste who are completely human form; the middle caste called Moon whose people are half human with some animal-demon physical characteristics; and the highest of the caste, Steel, who are more animal-demon humanoids. A young girl named Lei is torn away from her family by the guards of the Hidden Palace, only to become a Paper Girl, a personal courtesan to the Bull King. Most of the Paper Caste sees this as an honor, since the usual process only selects the prettiest 8 girls from across the land. However, Lei possesses something that one of the guards, trying to get back on the king’s good side, could not resist: her golden eyes. However, she seems to share the same fate her mother did, who was also torn away from her family when Lei was a child. Lei wants nothing to do with this destiny put in from of her, but has to comply to keep her family safe.
At the palace, Lei fights an internal battle between resisting the Paper Girl courtesan life, and bonding with the other girls in this twisted fate. [I appreciate Ngan’s authentic portrayal of Lei’s struggle. There are plenty of situations where we as women don’t like our circumstances, and we struggle between not “rocking the boat” and not compromising our integrity. It’s always a difficult situation, and this book relays the authenticity of it.] To make the situation worse, in order for Lei to plan overthrowing the Bull King, she must blend in and keep up with her lessons. She must keep any suspicion off her to keep her family safe. History lessons, dance lessons, meditation, manners, and even special night-skill lessons for how to please the king.
Through all Lei’s lesson’s, the author also gives a truthful portrayal of a seventeen-year-old girl: Lei is coming into her own, but let’s face, there are always those embarrassing moments of growing up. You throw that on top of her pristine lessons and I couldn’t help but think of another strong young (Disney) girl who was also being primed to be a perfect woman.
[This is the only scene that I connected between this film and the story. While both tales portray a young girl looking to change her fate, the stories are quite different from each other. Although, I couldn’t help but think that most headmasters seem a bit uptight. 😀 That and I often tie things to Disney stories. 😊] Back to the story.
Inner struggles are a re-occurrence throughout the book, but I liked how each unfolded at different times. Lei herself is fighting several: starting off with the struggle to save her family while not losing her own voice; uncomfortably finding her place within the Paper Girls (Remember the pressure of sizing yourself with the rest of the girls in high school?); and the one that reveals itself later is her love for a fellow Paper Girl. A forbidden love because A) her purpose is only to serve the king, B) loving another girl is unorthodox. Their love is new, pure, and still a bit on eggshells as they get to know each other. As Lei meets the rest of the Paper girls, she also learns what their own troubles are. Some lay their hearts and emotions on their sleeves, while other deeper issues are only revealed in a stolen moment.
As the story goes on, Lei discovers she isn’t the only one who wants to uproot the king from his position. There is an extremely secretive coup, and she wants in. Adding in intelligence and fight training shouldn’t be a big deal on top of the rest of her lessons, right? 😊 The New Year celebration is their target date, and also Lei’s eighteenth birthday. Will she be ready?
My only gripe is about the importance and meaning behind the “fire” within Lei. I was truly hoping for a more physical manifestation, but I’ll settle with a metaphoric prophesy fulfillment. So I am hoping these were more like embers and we’ll see Lei’s bigger fire in the next book. She’s got fire though, don’t get me wrong. As the series unfolds, I am excited to see Lei’s personal growth and her journey in discovering all that she is capable of. I am also interested in learning more about the different clans and their histories. There’s not much more I can say on that without it being a spoiler.
In conclusion: I relished the fluidity of Ngan’s story-telling. It wasn’t choppy or abrupt, and easy to pick up if you set it down for the moment. I felt as if I was listening to her read it to me. I truly enjoyed this story and the world Ngan has created. I highly recommend it to those looking for fantasy and magic tale that is not the traditional-medieval-wizards era. Her next book in the series, Girls of Storm and Shadow, is definitely on my list.