Girls of Storm and Shadow is an exciting follow-up that will leave you wanting more

Girls of Storm and Shadow is a sequel that suffers a bit from being stuck in the middle of the story, but its fast pace, new characters and final twists will leave you wanting more.

Girls of Storm and Shadow, the follow-up to Natasha Ngan’s fantastic debut Girls of Paper and Fire, is an exciting story. Full of appealing new characters, wild twists and heartbreaking sacrifices, it’s a novel that’s difficult to put down once you start it.

The story, unfortunately, suffers quite a bit from being the middle installment of a trilogy, as it both begins in medias res and ends with a cliffhanger, but you’ll probably be so busy devouring it in the space of a day or two that you won’t care.

Having escaped the Demon King’s court, Lei and Wren – two former Paper Girls, women forced to serve as the King’s concubines – who are also lovers and newly minted members of the #Resistance join up with Wren’s father, a general who’s building an army to take over the kingdom. (This is actually more appealing than it sounds as her father at least wants to give humans rights in this land that’s currently run by demons and half-human/half-demon hybrids.)

Lei and Wren find themselves part of a group heading to neighboring clans to solidify support to stand against the king. And, let’s just say straight off, their journey does not entirely go according to plan.

But along the way we meet a half dozen new and interesting characters, get POV chapters from some supporting favorites from the first novel, including Aoki and Mistress Azami, and learn shocking secrets about those we thought we knew.

Girls of Storm and Shadow greatly expands the world of Ikhara beyond the castle and the Paper House, taking us to different villages and areas of the kingdom. The world of this story is so much larger than most readers likely ever expected, and this expansion brings the true stakes of Lei and Wren’s fight into much clearer focus. This isn’t just about their lives and the awful things that the king did to them. Not anymore.

Lei remains a charming heroine, throwing herself into training and the life of a resistance fighter with gusto. She’s brave and kind, and though she’s as determined as anyone else to see justice done to the Demon King, she never lets her anger or her desire for revenge strip her of her humanity and ability to care about others.

The story also does an excellent job of getting rid of most of the naivete that clung to her character in the first novel. By the end of this story, Lei is finally seeing her world – and the people in it – for what they are, and though her realization that people can and do have conflicting and/or hidden motives comes fairly late in the story, it’s nevertheless a gut punch..

Because, of course, that has to do with Wren.

Lei’s relationship with the secret magical assassin was one of the highlights of the series’ first novel, as the two discovered their feelings for one another. Their relationship continues to be a key part of Girls of Storm and Shadow, but the story does force us – and the characters – to question what everyone’s true motives are, and to ask how Lei and Wren might react if their priorities diverged.

It’s not a spoiler, really, to say that Wren is keeping secrets – her guarded nature in Paper and Fire was kind of a giveaway to that effect – but you’ll probably be surprised what those secrets actually are.

Let’s just say, I’m desperate for a Wren POV chapter at some point. She’s so closed off, even to Lei at times, that it can be difficult to have a clear read on what her motivations are. We learn a lot about that by the end of the novel, but it also feels like some of these revelations about her come out of nowhere. Here’s hoping for more clarity in Book 3.

This second installment in the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy does a great job at expanding the world of the story, and letting its heroine grow up a little bit, as she deals with the trauma that happened to her in the first novel and tries to find a way forward for herself, the people she loves, and even her kingdom. Whether her relationship with Wren is capable of surviving all of that is perhaps a bit up in the air at the moment, but it’s certainly not for lack of genuine love on either side.

This is a story about war, now, and in war everyone has to make hard choices. No character in Girls of Storm and Shadow is spared that pain, and everyone remains understandably morally grey throughout.

Where does that mean everyone will end up in the third book? The answer is anyone’s guess.

Girls of Storm and Shadow is available now.