I didn’t expect to be writing a second instalment to this post as I am a very stubborn reader, but I’m tired of being in a reading slump all the time, so I’ve started being a savage. Well, not completely because if the book is short I will push to the end, but if it’s bad from the start or has inappropriate content, I will put it down.
Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan
I put off reading this book for literally years and I’m now thinking my subconscious knew something I didn’t. This book is horrible. The writing isn’t bad but there are so many mentions and vivid descriptions of sexual assault, it was actually very disturbing. I understand why it’s part of the story as the main premise is about the abuse of power, but I wish it wasn’t.
I did make it almost halfway through, so it’s the furthest I’ve ever gotten through a book before DNF’ing it, but I put it down to start an ARC and I actually don’t have the energy to pick it up again. I’d been reading it for weeks and didn’t even add it to my Goodreads, so that wasn’t a good sign.
I wouldn’t say there were any glaring issues with this book, but I found it very boring. You may like it, or it may already be one of your favourite books. Wasn’t for me though, sorry!
Synopsis: Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class 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 whose golden eyes, whose rumoured beauty has piqued the king’s interest.
Over weeks of training in the opulent but stifling palace, Lei and eight other girls learn the skills and charm that befit being 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 and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.
The Cherished by Patricia Ward
Normally I’d say that this book wasn’t for me, but you might like it, but this one has racism and poor mental health representation, so I don’t think anyone should read it. I honestly couldn’t believe what I read in just 20 pages or so. From what I could make out, the premise of this book was they thought the main character’s dad had schizophrenia and was a danger to his kid as a result but turns out he’s a fae or something? I don’t actually know because I only read about 9% but my god what a horrific idea. I don’t even want to talk about the racist content because my god, where is the need? I don’t get it.
I’m not even going to include the synopsis as this book doesn’t deserve any promotion past the fact that it is awful and shouldn’t have been published in the first place. The cover is gorgeous though, which is an absolute shame.
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