Moonset Dreams

This story is a young adult sapphic fantasy that takes place in the Kingdom of Ikhara, a land where humans are the lowest class – the Paper caste. Demons – part human, part animal, rule over them. In Ikhara, every year, eight girls are chosen to become consort to the Demon King, a position that is considered to be an honor – but perhaps not in the heart of the eight girls that are chosen. They are called the Paper Girls.

The protagonist, Lei, a girl from a remote village, is chosen to be a ninth Paper Girl after rumors of her golden eyes spread across the kingdom. She is brought to the castle and is trained to become a consort to the king. While there, Lei falls in love with another Paper Girl, a forbidden romance that could bring about her doom… or the the king’s.

I loved this book. I was unsure when I saw what it was about, but Natasha Ngan delivered a story that was empowering and feminist. I was surprised that this book is considered YA, since the topic is so heavy, although it is not graphic. Warning: It does explore the topic of sexual violence. (Although, again, she does NOT romanticize it.)

Despite the heavy subject matter, this book is fun, exciting, and contains a fair amount of humor. I read this in a matter of days. The characters were all interesting, and it was neat to see their backgrounds unfold. Ngan makes you wish for the best for all of the Paper Girls, even when they act not so nice.

What I liked most about this book was Ngan’s writing style. Her words flow together so beautifully that sometimes it feels like reading poetry. I felt like she put me right into her world. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series and more of her books.