Girls of Paper and Fire
Lei is a girl from the lowest caste in Ikhara, a world where women are trained to be consorts for the king. When she is chosen, she finds herself in a gilded cage with eight other girls, but she refuses to accept her fate. Instead, she falls into a forbidden romance that ignites a dangerous plot against the kingdom, forcing her to choose between her heart and the fight for justice.
A Paper caste girl with rare golden eyes, taken from her village to serve as one of the King's nine Paper Girl concubines.
One of the nine Paper Girls and Lei's closest friend from their first night together in the Hidden Palace.
A fellow Paper Girl who trains Lei in the palace's night skills and becomes the center of a forbidden romance between them.
An instructor of night skills at the Hidden Palace who watches over Lei and repeatedly intervenes when she is in danger.
One of the nine Paper Girls, sharp-tongued and openly hostile toward Lei from her first day in the Hidden Palace.
This book is the first in a trilogy. The story continues in Girls of Storm and Shadow, followed by Girls of Fate and Fury.
While the first book tells a complete arc for its main character, the overarching narrative and many character journeys continue across the entire trilogy. Readers will find a more satisfying experience by reading all three books.
Natasha Ngan drew on her own heritage as a British Chinese-Malaysian author, blending Chinese, Malaysian and other Asian mythology and culture into the world of Ikhara and its caste system.