I got this book for really cheap. I’d seen the title around here and there, and didn’t have very high expectations. James Patterson Presents is a banner that has so far had not so great books inside it. With Girls of Paper and Fire, though, I was pleasantly surprised!
Lei is kidnapped from her family to be a concubine to the king and gains the title of Paper Girl whether she wants it or not. As she grows accustomed to her tasks and lives in fear of the king calling on her to perform the duties she was kidnapped for, she falls for another one of the Paper Girls.
It has to be said that the book has heavy themes of sexual assault. I think it’s handled mostly well, with very little of the assault itself happening on the page unless she escapes, and focusing the attention squarely on her reaction to it. There’s other bits of brutality that are much more explicit, such as the murder of the dog that happens in chapter 21 or the other Paper caste people who step out of line.
The world is interesting in that it actually feels Chinese. There’s a lot of touches, particularly in the terminology and the rituals that are used, that really evoke the feeling of the culture. Even in how the demons are described, something about it just feels very Chinese. I’m not sure why. It may be that I’m Thai, or that I grew up with a lot of Chinese friends, but it feels very authentic even as a fantasy world.
I will say that the middle sags and can be skimmed, though, and there’s some character issues. Besides Lei, no one changes so much as you learn more about their context. With a cast this large it’s understandable, but I was hoping for at least a few of them to get actual arcs.
Overall, I enjoyed it. It’s definitely worth a read, particularly if you find the hardcover for as much of a discount as I did.
- Which amounts to nothing, the dog is not significant, it’s murdered to heighten the tension [↩]