This review is spoiler-free!
Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan
Series: Girls of Paper and Fire #3
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: November 30th 2021 by Jimmy Patterson
Format: Hardcover, 430 pages
Rating: ★★★★☆
Find it here: Goodreads
Whoops, okay, this one is kind of late coming. But it’s here! Finally! And with this last one we can wrap up my reviews of the series! (I think? Are there any planned novellas?)
Anyway, this final book was definitely more like a 3.5 that leaned into a 4-star, but I gave it a full four on Goodreads because 1) no half stars and 2) the parts I liked, I really liked. The first book in the series remains my favorite, though, with the second book still in last.
Let’s start with the worst part of the book: the length. I legitimately had times going through it thinking, “Is this ever going to end? Can we move on? I cared at the start of this chapter and now I’m borderline zoning out and unable to retain more information.” Yeah, the good parts were absolutely worth the wait, but my god. Sometimes it was a wait. I think I can also include the end in this, because after the big climax, there was so much wrapping up to be had. I understand why there was so much wrapping up to be had, but, like. It was so much. I got so bored at one point. I understand, but also I just wanted it to be over.
Now, the best part of the book: the ending! (And also the world and the rep, but we knew that.) I actually really enjoyed the ending, to the point where I was satisfied with where it went, which isn’t always something I can say about a lot of series. Another thing I enjoyed, which is something shown in the previous two books and that I’ve mentioned before, is the way the characters handle their trauma. It’s far more believable than other books out there, where characters bounce back from traumatic events with nary an emotional scratch, and it’s also more comforting. I’ll always give a book props for treating their characters like real people, especially when they live in a world that’s not quite like reality.
I do wish there was more Wren and Lei to be had considering how much they had to go through, but I also understand why Ngan made the decisions she did, especially considering the length. I would have also liked a faster pace, but hey. I liked the book a lot all the same, so I’ll take it.
And that’s the end of the Girls of Paper and Fire series! I’m absolutely ready for whatever Ngan has coming next, and I can’t wait to read it!
Thanks for reading!
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