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.
Thoughts
Welcome to another waiting on Wednesday! I am dying to get my hands on a copy of Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. It already has so much buzz around it and I’ve seen a ton of five star reviews for this book on Goodreads already. It sounds like it’s going to be a heart stopping wild ride of a book and I can’t wait until release day. It also has such a stunning cover that I can’t wait to have on my bookshelves. I have a request in for a Netgalley copy of this so I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I might get approved. If not Girls of Paper and Fire is releasing November 6th from Hodder and Stoughton and I will be running out to the shops to pick up a copy then!
Middle grade normally isn’t the kind of book that I read but this sounded like such a fascinating read that I couldn’t resist. After racing through it in a single sitting I am now desperate for more of Cassidy and her best friend Jacob.
Series: The Hazel Wood #1
The first half of the book I absolutely fell in love with. I loved the mystery surrounding the Hazel Wood. Where was it located? What was really behind the gates? There were so many questions and these creepy fairy tale characters kept appearing which made me desperate for me. At this point I felt the book could easily have been a five star all time favourite read, but for some reason as soon as Alice reached the Hinterland I felt the book fell a little flat. I felt like the story was racing towards the end and Id didn’t get the opportunity to enjoy it.
Through the woods features five different stories told in graphic novel form. The art is haunting and beautiful. The stories are told in a fairy tale style, but with a much darker and chilling twist. I really liked this section:
As with the previous book the story is told in alternating chapters from Hoshiko and Ben. I really loved this narration style as you get to see how they both react to certain situations and what is happening to them when they aren’t together. Both characters are really fascinating – they come from completely different worlds but they’re both strong and determined to fight for justice.
Shadow and Bone is the kind of book that you finish and immediately need to rush out and buy the next book in the series (which I did). It’s a beautiful story full of action, romance and magic. The world building in this story is excellent, it’s gorgeously written, with a blend of magic and Russian folklore. Bardugo has created an immense world full of history and myth and the Kingdom of Ravka leaps off the page in full glory. It leads you to be completely immersed in the story and this beautiful land.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 