Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (1887)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
40x40

Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated Girls of Paper and Fire in Books

Jan 26, 2019  
Girls of Paper and Fire
Girls of Paper and Fire
Natasha Ngan | 2018 | LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
A fresh YA fantasy
Natasha Ngan created a fascinating world in GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE, it was complex and yet not difficult to grasp a hold of. It is a world of castes, paper, moon, steel and demon, with the Demon King at the head. Lei is paper caste, the most lowly of the castes but there is something special about her, her eyes. She is kidnapped and brought to be one of the honoured paper girls that the king gets to choose and bed for a year as he wishes. A grim life for a 17 year old.

This is a tale of politics, war, oppression, slavery and fear. Lei embarks in a journey from fearful new paper girl to a young woman who has a streak of fearless bravery, almost foolish at times. The land of the Demon King was colourful and diverse, the descriptions were excellent and my mind supplied all the mental pictures that I needed. The characters were a range of sweet, fiery, plain mean and evil.

The diversity elements of this book were fabulous. I welcomed the relationship between Lei and Wren and yet sometimes I struggled to connect with their coupling because the chemistry lacked a little something. This being a first in the series, I am hoping for more of a a build in the relationship between these two. The sisterly relationships of the paper girls were almost like a high school corridor with the resident mean girl, Blue. In addition, I loved to hate the Demon King, he really was vile.

This had both a sense of completion and an “oh heck, what” moment at the end. I am definitely looking forward to catching up with these characters again and finding out what happens in this world.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
  
40x40

Dee (0 KP) rated Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1) in Books

Mar 12, 2021  
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)
Laini Taylor | 2011
6
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Minor spoilers ...

This started out so well. It was incredibly magical - secret doorways on earth, which took the main character Karou, into a shop where her chimeara 'family' resided. Karou has little knowledge, being human, about her own origins or how she ended up in the care of Brimstone, the shop's custodian. All she knows is that he collects an endless supply of teeth (which she is often sent to pick up from around the world - the shop's doorway acting as a portal that deposits her anywhere on earth). There is a second door within the shop, which Karou is not allowed near and she has no idea what lies beyond it. Messages are sent to her via a crow-like creature. So far, so mysterious. It reminded me a little of Narnia or The Adventures of the Wishing Chair / Magic Faraway Tree. Oh, and if that's not enough - the teeth are used to help grant wishes (ranging from minor to major).

I'm a big fan of dual-world/magic-portal books. However, as the novel went on it became less intriguing. It slips into the sort of insta-love that is ten-a-penny in YA fiction. Also, I just felt that the 'big reveal' of what was behind the second door was a bit of a letdown. And the whole war between angels and chimera felt somehow jarring and unimaginative. I feel mean-spirited saying this, but the dynamic and world-building just didn't capture my imagination. The layering of the back-story also felt a bit forced and I started to find it dull.

I suppose the real test of the first book in a trilogy (as this is) is whether the reader can't wait to pick up the next instalment. Personally, I'm not sure I would bother. A shame, really, as it started out so well.