Review: Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan (#Ad)

I was received this eProof for free from Hodder& Stoughton via NetGalley for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Links with an asterisk (*) are Ad: Affiliate Links, which means if you make a purchase through them, I'll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan

Published: 23rd November 2021 | Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton | Source: NetGalley
Natasha Ngan on Twitter

"Don't struggle, Lei-zhi. It's time to take you back to the Hidden Palace. You're going home." The final pages of Girls of Storm and Shadow brought a jaw-dropping conclusion that had the fates of Lei and Wren hanging in uncertainty. But one thing was certain - the Hidden Palace was the last place that Lei would ever consider home. The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls would plague her forever. She could not be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren. The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever? From The StoryGraph.

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The StoryGraph | Goodreads


My other reviews of Girls of Paper and Fire Trilogy:
Girls of Paper and Fire | Girls of Storm and Shadow

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the others in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features ableism, starving, drugging, violence against women, discussion of rape and sexual assault, torture, and war.

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Review: Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan (#Ad)

I was sent this proof for free from Hodder & Stoughton for the purposes of providing an honest review.

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan

Published: 5th November 2019 | Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton | Source: Publisher
Natasha Ngan's Website

In this mesmerizing sequel to the New York Times bestselling Girls of Paper and Fire, Lei and Wren have escaped their oppressive lives in the Hidden Palace, but soon learn that freedom comes with a terrible cost.

Lei, the naive country girl who became a royal courtesan, is now known as the Moonchosen, the commoner who managed to do what no one else could. But slaying the cruel Demon King wasn't the end of the plan---it's just the beginning. Now Lei and her warrior love Wren must travel the kingdom to gain support from the far-flung rebel clans. The journey is made even more treacherous thanks to a heavy bounty on Lei's head, as well as insidious doubts that threaten to tear Lei and Wren apart from within.

Meanwhile, an evil plot to eliminate the rebel uprising is taking shape, fueled by dark magic and vengeance. Will Lei succeed in her quest to overthrow the monarchy and protect her love for Wren, or will she fall victim to the sinister magic that seeks to destroy her? From Goodreads.

Goodreads

My other reviews of the Girls of Paper and Fire Trilogy:
Girls of Paper and Fire

WARNING! I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous book in the series. Read no further if you're planning on reading this series and don't want it spoilt for you.

Rep: Malaysian characters (A high fantasy world inspired by Malaysia). No labels, but there is an f/f relationship involving the protagonist and a secondary character, and an m/m relationship involving secondary characters.

Trigger/Content Warnings: This book features vague sex scenes, inuendo, blood, vomit, discussion of rape and sexual assault, kidnap, death, murder, dead bodies - including burnt dead bodies, aftermath of a village burned to the ground, funerals, war and battles.

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Review: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Published: 10th October 2017 | Publisher: Philomel Books | Source: Bought
Julie C. Dao's Website

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute. From Goodreads.

Book Depository | Wordery | Goodreads

Trigger Warnings: This book features animal death, problematic physical and emotional abuse, problematic ableism, mention of suicide, someone being whipped, someone being stabbed, murder, and cannibalism.

Continue reading Review: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Review: This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Simon & Schuster Children's Books via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

This Lie Will Kill You by Chelsea Pitcher (eProof)

Published: 27th December 2018 | Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books  | Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Chelsea Pitcher's Website

Tell the truth. Or face the consequences.

Clue meets Riverdale in this page-turning thriller that exposes the lies five teens tell about a deadly night one year ago.

One year ago, there was a party.
At the party, someone died.
Five teens each played a part and up until now, no one has told the truth.

But tonight, the five survivors arrive at an isolated mansion in the hills, expecting to compete in a contest with a $50,000 grand prize. Of course…some things are too good to be true. They were each so desperate for the prize, they didn’t question the odd, rather exclusive invitation until it was too late.

Now, they realize they’ve been lured together by a person bent on revenge, a person who will stop at nothing to uncover what actually happened on that deadly night, one year ago.

Five arrived, but not all can leave. Will the truth set them free?
Or will their lies destroy them all? From Goodreads.

Goodreads

Trigger Warning: This book features child abuse: domestic violence; an abusive relationship: controlling, manipulating, gaslighting and stalking; bullying, violence, discussion of suicide, and suicide ideation.

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Review: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean (eProof)

Published: 8th November 2018 | Publisher: Gollancz | Source: Publisher via NetGalley Emiko Jean's Website

In a palace of illusions, nothing is what it seems.

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace’s enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete—all except yōkai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy.

Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yōkai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari’s fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yōkai outcast.

Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro, and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku in this beautifully written, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy. From Goodreads.

I received this eProof for free from Gollancz via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

Trigger warning: This book features child abuse/neglect, body shaming, and slavery.

Continue reading Review: Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Review: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (#Ad)

I received this eProof for free from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for the puposes of providing an honest review.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (eProof)

Published: 6th November 2018 | Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton | Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Natasha Ngan's Website

Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most cruel.

But this year, there's a ninth girl. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

In this lush fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most oppressed class in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards still haunts her. Now, the guards are back, and this time it's Lei they're after--the girl whose golden eyes have 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. But Lei isn't content to watch her fate consume her. Instead, she does the unthinkable--she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens the very foundation of Ikhara, and Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide just how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

Natasha Ngan's lyrical, searing, visceral fantasy, Girls of Paper and Fire, will remind us how precious freedom is--and the price we must pay to achieve it. From Goodreads.

Trigger Warning: This book features kidnap, sex trafficking, sexual assault, rape, violence, sex shaming, and animal cruelty.

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