''Girls of Paper and Fire'' is a 2018

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

novel by

Natasha Ngan Natasha Ngan (born 1990) is an English writer of sci-fi and fantasy young adult fiction. She is best known for her ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult fantasy series ''Girls of Paper and Fire''. Personal life Ngan was born in St Albans ...

. It is the first book in the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy. The book explores a forbidden romance between two girls who were picked to become one of the king's eight new concubines. The book was touted by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

as a love story between two women which is considered to be unique in young adult fantasy.

Plot summary

The novel is set the Chinese-Malaysia-inspired fictional kingdom Ikhara, in which there are three

castes A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

, Moon Caste, also called Demons, with full animal-like features on a humanoid form; Steel Caste, humans with partial animal demon features; and Paper Caste, fully human. The Moon Caste is considered the ruling caste, ruling over the others, while the Paper Caste is considered the lowest caste, often likened to objects more than people. Every year eight girls from Paper Caste are chosen as "Paper Girls" to serve the Demon King as

sex slaves Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities. This includes forced labor that results in sexual ...

. The book tells the story of Lei a seventeen year old girl who is chosen as the ninth Paper Girl. Paper Girls are not allowed to take lovers, but during her rigorous training to become a suitable Paper Girl, Lei falls for Wren, another Paper Girl. Fearing for her life after refusing the king, Lei desperately tries to find a way to escape, not only for herself, but for Wren too.

Characters

* Lei, a seventeen year old girl from the Paper caste with golden eyes, which are a sign of good luck. It is because of her eyes that she is summoned to be the ninth Paper Girl, a concubine to the Demon King. At the Women's Court Lei is trained to become a proper Paper Girl, and falls for Wren even though it is prohibited. * Wren, a Paper Caste girl chosen to become a Paper Girl alongside Lei and seven other girls. Closed off at first, she slowly starts opening up to Lei and the two begin a forbidden relationship. * The Demon King, a bull demon and ruler of Ikhara. * Aoki, one of the Paper Girls and Lei's best friend. Over her time staying at the Women's Court she develops feelings for the Demon King. * Blue, one of the Paper Girls. Daughter of one of the few

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

Paper families in the kingdom of Ikhara, she looks down on Lei and treats her cruelly from time to time. * Mariko, Blue's friend who is

banished Banished may refer to: * The punishment of being exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumsta ...

from the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

with the word 烂 (

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

: ''làn'', meaning: rotten) carved into her forehead, after her relationship with a soldier is discovered. * Zhen and Zhin, twins and Paper Girls, from one of the few aristocratic Paper families in the kingdom of Ikhara. * Chenna, one of the Paper Girls. * Rue, a Paper Caste girl who used an enchantment on herself to become a Paper Girl. After she was discovered she was banished from the palace.

Background

This novel explores topics of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...

, and the

commodification Commodification is the process of transforming inalienable, free, or gifted things (objects, services, ideas, nature, personal information, people or animals) into commodities, or objects for sale.For animals"United Nations Commodity Trade Stati ...

of women's bodies. The author herself is a survivor of sexual abuse, stating that it was important to her to introduce these topics to teens in a sensible manner, while not exploiting the (sexual) violence perpetrated for

shock value Shock value (or shock factor) is the potential of an image, text, action, or other form of communication, such as a public execution, to provoke a reaction of sharp disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions. In advertising Sho ...

Reception

Girls of Paper and Fire debuted on the

New York Times Bestseller List ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

for Young Adult Hardcover.

References

External links

* {{2010s-ya-novel-stub