JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honour they could hope for…and the most demeaning. This year, there’s a ninth. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.

Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by the royal guards, and her fate remains unknown. Now, the guards are back and this time it’s Lei they’re after – the girl with the golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king’s interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit a king’s consort. There, Lei does the unthinkable – she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world’s entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.

Girls of Paper and Fire is a YA novel by Natasha Ngan, set in a fictional fantasy world where nine girls are chosen to serve the King — they are to be his concubines.

Before the story has even begun, there are trigger warnings — Please be aware that this book contains scenes of violence and sexual assault — and an author’s note where Natasha addresses the reasons behind the story and the importance of telling stories like this. I think readers who have experienced violent pasts will appreciate these notices, and it will help them decide whether or not this is a book they would like to read.

“A high voice cuts through the quiet. It’s the girl we heard outside, Blue. She’s tall, even standing next to Madam Himura, with narrow shoulders and glossy azure-black hair, straight and smooth. Her features match the sharpness in her voice, angled cheekbones like two blades and narrow eyes shadowed with paint glinting out from beneath blunt bangs.”

Girls of Paper and Fire is a trilogy with an Asian-inspired setting, and Natasha leaves many questions unanswered to entice readers to continue with the series. Yes, there are some triggering scenes but it’s written delicately and is not too graphic. The characters discuss their feelings about what happens, and they have the opportunity to think and talk with each other about how they’re handling their situation.

17-year-old Lei is brave and outspoken, unwilling to accept her circumstances because others deem it to be an ‘honour’. She fights for what she wants, and she doesn’t want to be the King’s concubine. She wants to return to her family and she also wants to find out what happened to her mother years earlier when she was kidnapped.

Girls of Paper and Fire explores friendship and love, and the girls in the book are all very supportive and grow together over the course of the novel. Yes, there are fights and betrayals and not all of the girls are close friends, but they’re all going through this very scary situation and they come together in support of each other.

Lei falls in love with the secretive Wren, and this same-sex relationship is explored with sensitivity and authenticity. It’s heartwarming, reading about these two girls finding love and happiness when they’re surrounded by terror and threats.

“Silence, and rainfall, and Wren watching me with uneasy eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen her undone like this, so unsure. The collar of her nightdress has fallen low, exposing the swell of her breasts, and from under it her bare legs are long and glossy in the moonlight. I think of her and the wolf, what intimate moment I might have interrupted. My gut twists.”

The writing and pacing is tight and very dialogue heavy, but the chapters flow and the prose is swift. Tension builds throughout the novel right up until its dramatic climax. We’re left wanting to know more. At times, the supporting characters were more interesting than Lei, but she’s still an engaging protagonist.

I enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next instalment. This book isn’t going to be appropriate for every reader, so all I’d advise is to read the author’s note in the beginning so that you’re aware of what’s to come.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Girls of Paper and Fire
Natasha Ngan
November 2018
Hachette Book Publishers

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

Lazlo faces an unthinkable choice – save the woman he loves, or everyone else? – while Sarai feels more helpless than ever. But is she? Sometimes, only the direst need can teach us our own depths, and Sarai, the muse of nightmares, has not yet discovered what she’s capable of.

As humans and godspawn reel in the aftermath of the citadel’s near fall, a new foe shatters their fragile hopes, and the mysteries of the Mesarthim are resurrected: Where did the gods come from, and why? What was done with the thousands of children born in the citadel nursery? And most important of all, as forgotten doors are opened and new worlds revealed: must heroes always slay monsters, or is it possible to save them instead?

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor is the second and final book in this fantasy duology. The events in this book take place almost immediately after the end of Strange the Dreamer.

It’s been over 18 months since I read, loved and reviewed Strange the Dreamer for this blog. I’ve been desperate to get my hands on this sequel, and it’s been one of my favourite reads of 2018.

At the end of Strange the Dreamer, former librarian Lazlo Strange is revealed as a godspawn, a bastard child. 17 year-old Sarai has died after falling from the citadel and becoming impaled below.

In Muse of Nightmares, the reader is thrust back into the magical world of Weep and the Mesarthim, where dreams become nightmares and the godspawn want vengeance. Minya has saved Sarai’s soul so that she can live on, but she’s controlled by Minya and can’t always act of her own free will. She is at Minya’s mercy.

There were many questions at the end of the last book. What will happen to Sarai now that she has died? What will become of Lazlo and the city of Weep? What will happen to their powers? What really happened with Minya on the day that Eril-Fane slayed the children in the citadel?

“Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old. For four thousand nights she had explored the dreamscapes of Weep, witnessing the horrors and creating them. She was the Muse of Nightmares.”

Strange the Dreamer was really about Lazlo, but Muse of Nightmares is very much Sarai’s story. The blue-skinned goddess is front and centre in this book. And despite how the first book ended, she has a huge role in this sequel and her relationship with Lazlo strengthens and grows throughout this book.

We meet two new characters in Muse of Nightmares — sisters Kora and Nova. Both of them are intended to be sold by their father and married off, but they both harness very strong powers and are destined for much much more than that. We follow their journey throughout the book and as you can imagine, they cross paths with the other main characters in the story — Lazlo, Sarai and the other children.

The writing in the book is well-paced with concise sentence structure and the perfect build of tension. The story moves quite slowly but that’s not a bad thing. The reader can sense a big confrontation coming, but before we get there, we need to understand so much more about Kora and Nova and how the godspawn will seek vengeance on Eril-Fane and the city of Weep.

The character development is really strong in Muse of Nightmares. Minya holds a pivotal role in the plot, and we dive into her memories and find out more about her past and her trauma and how and why she’s transformed her army to benefit her own agenda. We come to understand her, and at times, sympathise for her.

“This was Minya’s dream. It if was keeping a secret, it was her secret, and her mind keeping it…Sarai thought that Minya must be hiding something with that blur. She needed to know what it was. She gathered her power around her. She was the Muse of Nightmares. Dreams did her bidding. They could not hide things from her.”

It’s wonderful to read a sequel that is just as good, if not better, than the original. I was invested in this book from the very first page, and this series has fast become one of my favourite fantasy series.

As Kora and Nova’s story develops and their paths cross with the other characters, tensions rise and the stakes become much higher and everything is brought to a very dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

In this sequel, love and hate, revenge and redemption, destruction and salvation all clash. It’s been worth the long wait for this book to arrive, and I highly recommend this duology to fantasy lovers.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Muse of Nightmares
Laini Taylor
October 2018
Hachette Publishers

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power… for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard is the fourth and final book in the Red Queen series, bringing the saga to a thrilling and tense conclusion.

Clocking in at 647 pages, War Storm is an epic finale full of politics, war, schemes and new allies. The pacing wavers, but the characters are fleshed out and the tension is high. If you love this series then it’s definitely worth reading War Storm because all of the loose ends are tied up and all narratives concluded.

I’ve recently created a new rule for myself when it comes to YA series, and that’s ‘I will not go back and re-read’. I pick up the sequel and start reading, and eventually I remember what happened in the previous book.

I did that with War Storm and I found it rather easy to jump back into the series, and slowly, all of the events of the previous books came flooding back to me.

“The mountains in the distance loom closer with every passing second. They look more like a wall than any mountains I’ve ever seen. Fear tries to eat at my resolve, but I don’t let it. Instead I narrow my eyes and sharpen my focus on the task at hand, leaving little room for anything else.”

Mare has definitely matured over the course of the series, and I found her internal thoughts to be much more consistent with her characterisation. She’s smart, savvy and she’s strategic.

Evangeline is probably my favourite character in the book, because you feel sympathetic towards her and so you feel emotionally invested in her storyline.

I also think the characterisation of Iris is fantastic — she’s a total badass. She puts herself first and even though she has no regard for anyone other than her family; she really helps propel the story forward and keep the reader guessing.

“The interior fort is an experiment in chaos. By now Cal will have begun his own assault, marching his battalion up and out of the tunnel system Harbor Bay is built on. It is an old city, well preserved through the ages, with deep and twisting roots. The Scarlet Guard knows them all.”

The plot is a little chaotic in the book, so you aren’t too sure where it’s headed. It’s a really long read, and the story drawn out. I think the pacing could’ve been tightened in the middle of the book, because I did feel really exhausted by the time I reached the end of the novel.

In saying that, the conclusion did feel a little rushed and quiet. I was expecting a big showdown between Cal and Maven, but after hundreds of pages of slow pacing, the final conflict in the book wrapped up rather quickly.

“The snarl of transports echoes outside the holding bunker. The soldiers must have returned, and I wonder if they managed to track down anyone in the swamps. The noise filters through the high windows cut into the concrete slab walls. The room is cool, partially underground, bisected by a long aisle dividing two rows of barred cells.”

When sequels come out so far apart, it’s hard to remember everything and if you choose not to go back and re-read like me, then you feel like you’re treading water for 100 pages just trying to remember what’s been going on up until the start of the book.

Readers will only pick this up if they’ve read the first three books in a series, but I would recommend this series to young readers who love fantasy books. Now that the series is complete, you can pick up all of the books and read everything closely together.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

War Storm
Victoria Aveyard
May 2018
Hachette Book Publishers Australia

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian is the first novel in a new YA fantasy series. It explores power, family and grief amidst the backdrop of a crumbling tyranny.

The crux of the plot is a young princess who vows revenge on the cruel man who stole her throne. She seduces the prince to aid her mission.

The plot is not unique or original, but it is readable and enjoyable. There are SO many YA fantasy series in the market at the moment, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think this one feels too different from the others. It is well-written and the characters are interesting, but I wasn’t blown away by the book. And I was unimpressed with the stereotypical tropes used in the book — love triangle being the most obvious one.

“This time, I let myself remember how my mother would sometimes let me wear her crown, how it was so big it would fall down around my neck. But while my mother’s crown was wrought from black gold and set with rubies, the one the Kaiser sends me is folded from ashes, and as soon as it is in place, it begins to crumble, streaking my hair, skin, and dress.”

Ash Princess is ripe with tension, suspense and drama. None of the characters can be trusted, and yet you find yourself invested in all of their storylines. The novel is punchy and pacy, and this launches a series that I am interested in continuing. It may not be original, but it is engaging enough to keep me entertained.

I would’ve preferred this novel if Theo had more control over her safety and her future. She needs her friends to help break her out, and it’s their determination that spurs her newfound confidence. And later in the novel, it is her allies that help her out of confinement.

Theo needs other people. She needs other people to save her.

“I’ve been dreaming of freedom every day since the siege, waiting and waiting and waiting for just this moment, when someone would take me as far away from this place as possible.”

I wanted this book to be about a young girl who takes charge and forges a new path for herself. Instead, it’s about a girl with friends and allies who help her forge a new path. She’s determined, yes, but she’s not cold or ruthless. I wouldn’t call her frightening or scary. Once she starts enacting her vengeance, she seems to be incredibly lucky. Almost too lucky.

“Through the wall, I can almost feel Blaise’s thoughts running the same path as mine. Throughout the past decade, the idea of the After has been all that’s kept me going, and i don’t have to ask Blaise to know that a part of him years for it as well. I’ve imagined my mother there, waiting for me.”

This series will appeal to those of you who love YA fantasy. It follows the usual tropes from the genre, but it is really well-written with strong prose and realistic dialogue. Despite it’s 400+ page count, you’ll find yourself tearing through those pages rather quickly.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ash Princess
Laura Sebastian
May 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Shape of Water by Guillermo Del Toro and Daniel Kraus

It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito—mute her whole life, orphaned as a child—is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore’s Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn’t know how she’d make it through the day.

Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center’s most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions…and Elisa can’t keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa’s sole reason to live.

But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming.

The Shape of Water weaves fantasy, fable and mystery. It was put together by two artists — award-winning director Guillermo del Toro and author Daniel Kraus. Scattered throughout the novel are black and white sketch illustrations by visual artist James Jean. These illustrations help give the reader a sense of vision, and they allow us to imagine this story on the big screen.

I was intrigued to read this novel after the movie won Best Picture at the Oscars. It has such an odd plot and quite a quirky romance that I was definitely keen to see what all the fuss was about.

This novel may appeal to all age groups, but it is written like an adult novel, with complex vocabulary and a dry third-person narration. The pacing is quite slow but the characters are full of depth. Given Elisa’s mutism, there isn’t much dialogue to the book. The Shape of Water is mostly prose and description.

“Man should be better than monsters.”
“Ah, but who are the monsters?”

The Shape of Water also highlights the gender inequality of the 1960s. The two main female characters are cleaners, with low-paying jobs and very little respect. The ‘important’ workers involved in the project are all men, and some of them are very dismissive towards Elisa and Zelda. The novel also explores the relationship between Strickland and his wife Lainie. She stays at home with the children, not working or having the chance to make many friends. He’s away for work, sometimes months at a time, and there is very little communication between the two.

There is a definite imbalance in each relationship. Strickland is rarely home and when he is, he doesn’t treat his wife with much respect. He’s dismissive and doesn’t understand how demanding their children are. Over the course of the novel, Lainie finds her own purpose and starts to imagine a life without Strickland.

Additionally, Zelda’s husband Brewster is useless and unappreciative of his wife. He’s demanding and he belittles her and Elisa often thinks about how Zelda would be better off without him in her life.

“Working women don’t get to scurry home and bury their faces in pillows when they’ve been yelled at. You settle your trembling hands by wrapping them around your tools and returning to work.”

The pacing is a little inconsistent. The book takes a long time to kick off — with a lot of backstory and build up — and then the final third of the book moves so quickly that I actually had to go back and reread a few chapters because I was sure that I had missed something integral.

I haven’t seen the movie, but this novel feels void of character emotion. This is supposed to be a grand love story between Elisa and the sea creature, and yet, their romance seems to blossom very quickly but behind the scenes so the reader doesn’t really witness it. And then there’s this grand plan to save the creature from his fate, and I found it quite predictable. Truthfully, I didn’t find myself hugely invested in their romance.

“Zelda kneels to pick up the punch card. Yolanda’s going wild behind her. But all Zelda hears is Brewster carrying on about how she shouldn’t trust anyone. He doesn’t know Elisa, though, does he? Of course he doesn’t. Despite their long years of friendship, Elisa’s never been to Zelda’s home, not once.”

This novel will appeal to people who, like me, want to read the book before they see the movie. It’s not my favourite novel, nor my favourite fantastical romance, but it is something rather different and the characters carry this novel just as much as the plot does.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Shape of Water
Guillermo Del Toro & Daniel Kraus
March 2018
Pan Macmillan Publishers

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