I loved Girls of Paper and Fire, and was eager to finally pick up the second book. Girls of Storm and Shadow was brilliant, as delightfully queer and utterly emotional as its predecessor.

All of the characters, main and side alike, were complex and the dynamics among them were well-developed. I especially liked the main ensemble, as their conflicting personalities made for some top-tier banter.

My favorite part of the novel, hands down, was Lei and Wren’s relationship. They’re adorable and perfect for each other and so help me, I love them so much!!! The first half of the book was full of cuddles and pet names and general soft sapphic content that I’m absolutely here for.

Unfortunately, in the second half there’s some conflict between them. Arguably, it’s better for the plot that way, blah blah blah, and Ngan did handle it all well, but I’d like my girls to just be happy together, please and thank you. One thing I will say is that the ex drama felt unnecessary; I liked said ex as a character, truly I did, but I was annoyed literally the moment that tidbit of information was revealed. Props to Ngan for not dragging it out, but also.....did it really need to be there in the first place??

Moving past that, I enjoyed seeing more of the world of Ikhara. The clans and their territories were fascinating to me, as each was so unique. I liked the Cloud Palace even though the White Wing was a bit standoffish. The Cat Clan’s desert home was plainer in comparison, but I enjoyed the brief peek into their hearty, close-knit lifestyle.

I‘ll keep this brief, as it’s out of my lane, but Ngan did a great job tying certain events from book one into book two’s narrative. By that, I mean that Lei and Wren’s trauma, as well as the themes of sexual assault so prevalent in Girls of Paper and Fire, were not brushed aside or forgotten. Each girl carries her trauma in a different way, and there are several scenes that discuss the effects of it on them.

Oh, and that ending? When Girls of Fate and Fury isn’t out yet? Cruel. I’ll be eagerly (read: desperately) waiting for the final book, that’s for sure.

All in all, I really enjoyed Girls of Storm and Shadow. It was just as spectacular as the first book in the series, even though I did rate that one higher. I’m not entirely sure why, except that between January 2019 and now my review style and personal rating methods have changed significantly. Anyway, if you liked Girls of Paper and Fire and are in the right headspace for this book, I highly recommend it.

Representation:
• Both protagonists are sapphic girls of color
• Said protagonists are in a relationship (love that for them and me)
• All other human characters are POC and there are some queer side characters (among both humans and demons)
• Two side queer relationships

CW: discussions of sexual assault & trauma, blood, violence, war, death & murder, grief

To conclude, here’s one of my favorite quotes:
”Wren, being vulnerable isn’t a flaw. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. If you were invincible, being brave would be easy. It’s the fact that it isn’t easy, that we have to constantly work and work at it, make ourselves believe in our own strength even when it feels like we’re worth nothing, have nothing, can do nothing... that’s power. That’s resilience. [...] There is nothing stronger than people who endure the worst hardships in the world, and still raise their fists at the start of a new day to fight all over again.”

(Directly after the above quote Wren says, ”You do realize you’ve just described why I love you?” and my heart might’ve exploded because they’re SO CUTE I CAN’T HANDLE IT.)