It really allowed both their stories to shine, and Ngan to explore the struggles they faced. I really liked that this switched between Lei and Wren’s PoV for the first time, as they are apart for the first time in the trilogy. It’s fast-paced – faster than the previous two books – and extremely addictive. Not many authors manage to strike this balance and it is clear that this series is a true labour of love for Ngan.Īnd damn, the story. Another character became paralyzed, and after the first shock of everyone around them, the acceptance and love that emanated from the characters was wonderful. As someone with mental health issues, I really empathized with the wide range of responses the former Paper Girls had in the wake of Lei’s return – none of them considered lesser because they struggled.

The way she writes about trauma, abuse and disability never feels like it’s condescending or lecturing, but accepting. Natasha Ngan is a master at writing with compassion. Not only are Lei and Wren dealing with their pasts and present, but many of the side characters actively show and experience the consequences of what happens to them, and their treatment at the hands of the king. This still is the wonderful sapphic YA fantasy centred around Lei and Wren that readers have loved since the beginning, but this really dives into the themes of abuse and trauma. It took all of the themes and things I enjoyed, and went into them in more depth and detail. In fact, I loved re-reading the whole trilogy, but this conclusion to the series was the best book out of all of them. OPINIONS: I loved Girls of Fate and Fury. With the two girls torn apart and each in terrorizing peril, will they find each other again or have their destinies diverged forever? (from Hodder) The last Lei saw of the girl she loved, Wren was fighting an army of soldiers in a furious battle to the death. She could not be trapped there with the sadistic king again, especially without Wren. The trauma and tragedy she suffered behind those opulent walls would plague her forever.

But one thing was certain – the Hidden Palace was the last place that Lei would ever consider home. SUMMARY: 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.

Girls of Fate and Fury by Natasha Ngan