Review| Girls of Storm and Shadow – Natasha Ngan

A couple of days ago I posted my review for Girls of Paper and Fire. The way that book ended I knew I needed to read the sequel. Thankfully it was a group read last month and today I want to tell you about Girls of Storm and Shadow and what I thought. Keep on reading to find out more!

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?

Review

Girls of Storm and Shadow is a sequel, so I’m not going into too much detail. I don’t wait to spoil anything for readers who haven’t read this one yet. So I’ll keep this one short, but sweet.

We start off where Girls of Paper and Fire left off and their journey hasn’t gotten any easier. I read a few reviews saying that there was no action or plot and I really feel like I read a totally different book. Our characters were constantly on the go and so many things were happening. Especially the last 100 pages were just non stop. Once again this isn’t a fun read, but it is amazing. Our characters go through so much and it’s amazing that they’re just still standing.

“Being vulnerable isn’t a flaw. It is the most beautiful thing in the world. If you were invincible, being brave would be easy.”

What Girls of Storm and Shadow did a really good job of was showing the consequences of trauma and war. All the events from the previous book have clearly impacted our main characters and the decisions they make. Of course it’s hard to read, but the author was definitely honest in the fact that you don’t get out of something like that without at least a scratch.

During this book we’re introduced to some interesting new side characters. I loved them and even more so as we got to know them. Also, this book does throw some events at you that I was never expecting. No way did Girls of Storm and Fire suffer from middle book syndrome. My only criticism is that I still really want just a bit more about the magic system. We see more of it, but I just wanted some more information or background.

“But there is one thing that is infinite: greed. The ability of humans and demons to want. To desire. To hunger after things that don’t belong to them.”

All in all, Girls of Storm and Shadow got me hooked and didn’t let me go. I already have the third and final book waiting for me to read to see how this all plays out! I highly recommend this trilogy, but like I said in my review of the first book please be aware that this book deals with a lot of difficult subjects and can be difficult for some readers.

Girls of Storm and Shadow was such an intense book, but once again an amazing story! I’ll be reading the third and final book this month. I need to know how it’s all going to end. Have you read these books? Let me know what you thought in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

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