Book Overview
Uncover a riveting story of palace intrigue set in a sumptuous Asian-inspired fantasy world in the breakout YA novel that Publisher's Weekly calls "elegant and adrenaline-soaked." In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after -- the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest. Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she 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.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0316561355
ISBN13:9780316561358
Release Date:October 2019
Publisher:Jimmy Patterson
Length:416 Pages
Weight:0.97 lbs.
Dimensions:1.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"
Age Range:15 to 17 years
Grade Range:Grades 10 to 12
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
A Beautifully Crafted World
Published by Velena , 1 year ago
A great start to the epic trilogy. Lei is a strong female lead and the world is beautiful yet horrifying - a finely crafted world with gorgeous asian inspiry that is sure to keep you hooked. I felt a little disconnected from the main relationship, as one pines super obviously and the other's affection felt dull then sudden – but other than that, it's a great read.
Such a great story!
Published by Alex , 4 years ago
This was my first time reading a book with an LGBTQ+ character in it and I fell in love. This story line is so amazing along with each and every character. They really do bring the story to life. I also really love that fact that the setting is based in a fantasy-like Asia (at least I think it's based off Asia). Gay characters, demons and magic, and Asia?! I couldn't have asked for more!
Beautiful and Terrifying All At Once
Published by Naomi , 5 years ago
A story about a beautiful palace and the lovely courtesans who live there, a palace filled with good food, beautiful dresses, and stretches of lovely, colorful gardenscapes overflowing with sweet smelling flowers. Heaven on earth, right? But there's a great darkness living in the center of the palace. The King.
The king who graciously allows the Paper Girls to live there and serve him.
Sometimes a beautiful palace is really a prison in disguise. Sometimes the sweetness of rich, decadent foods, is really a sickening distraction.
If you want to know the terror in reading lush descriptions of a prison disguised as paradise, get this book.
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