The Wrath and the Dawn meets Snow White and the Huntsman in this dark and mystical East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress.“A richly developed fantasy world . . . Julie C. Dao is a talent to watch.”—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young ElitesEighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined … Elites
Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her.
Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high? Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins–sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.
Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with both breathtaking pain and beauty, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns possesses all the hallmarks of masterful fantasy: dazzling magic, heartbreaking romance, and a world that hangs in the balance. Fans of Heartless, Stealing Snow, and Red Queen will devour this stunning debut.
Praise for Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
A Junior Library Guild Selection
“A richly developed fantasy world coupled with an ambitious anti-heroine of complex agency, this story shines and surprises at every turn. Julie C. Dao is a talent to watch.“—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites
★ “A masterful reimagining of the early life of Snow White’s Evil Queen.“—Booklist, starred review
★ “Lushly written . . . tantalizing reading.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Rich in detail and full of gore and blood, this dark novel will satisfy ‘Game of Thrones’ fans.”—School Library Journal
“A stunning reimagining of the Evil Queen. Filled with treacherous courtesans, dark magic, terrible choices, and bloody hearts, Julie Dao’s exquisite take on this classic villain rises far above the average retelling.”—Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
“Magnetic, seductive, and alluring, Dao’s Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a lush, captivating read about desire and the lengths to which we will go to find our true destiny.”—S. Jae-Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong
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This is a fantastic fairytale retelling on Snow White. But not Snow White herself, no! On the Evil Queen.
We need more books with anti-heroes and villains, honestly. This book rocked it.
This is a retelling and while retellings aren’t usually my favorite types of reads, I think Dao did something original and interesting by looking at the origin of the “evil queen” from the Snow White tale and crafting a new kind of villain by making us empathize with her. The Far East elements are fantastic and fresh.
Great 2 book series!
What a fantastic take on a fairy tale legend. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns offers readers a unique spin on an old tale following one young girl from the country with beauty and eyes set for the throne of the Kingdom of Feng Lu. However, her journey is fraught with danger and darkness trailing the way and tempting her at every corner.
There’s so much conflict in Xifeng as she seeks greatness while battling the darkness within her, the darkness that threatens to change her, and not for the better. The conflict that drives her internal narrative is captivating because it makes her more human, it presents an in-depth look at who the future evil queen was and her journey to the dark path. However, the path is not accessible for the darkness, Xifeng challenges it when she can, her motivations changing from selfless to selfish ever so slowly. Moreover, to watch it unfold, it draws the reader into the story; it makes the reader pity her as they watch her slow descent into darkness. It is utterly riveting in the way it tells the story, how it lays out the choices, Xifeng faces the paths that are before, and every opportunity she has to turn her back on the darkness. It is compelling and unique in the way it operates and creates Xifeng’s voice in the story making her a complex character.
Characterization aside, the story is also enthralling. The East Asian elements that mirror the original fairy tale are fantastic to read and follow. These traits give the story a freshness and make the story interesting because so much of that culture and folklore seeps through the pages and adds new elements and dimension to an otherwise familiar tale. However, the twists and turns, the way the culture in the novel resonate off the pages and creates the images and magic, is so entrancing. From the magic mirror to the Huntsman, the way the gripping quality of writing and Dao’s love of her culture make the story a fresh new fairy tale.
It is a vibrant and complex new take on a tale readers are already familiar with strong characterization, scene structure, and magical imagery to keep the reader spellbound.
This book was strange. Not necessarily in a bad way, but strange nonetheless.I have to say, I really don’t know how to feel about it. I finished it last night, but put off reviewing until today because I am still blinking like an owl and doing that “what the heck was that” wide eyed stare.
The first book in any fantasy series always contains a lot of world building that can bog down the reader a bit. In this work, the world Julie Dao builds a beautiful world based on Eastern Asia. The descriptions of colors and natural influence bring the setting vividly into focus. I very much enjoyed the attention to detail in description. There is quite a bit of political intrigue in this book. Makes perfect sense because it is the story of a peasant girl clawing her way to power.
Xifeng is an anti-heroine in every way. She is willing to do anything to reach her goals. Though she is aware (at least) of the moral dilemmas she faces, she usually overcomes her reservations quickly. I found her, at times, thoroughly reprehensible. Not because she was willing to lie, cheat, steal, and murder to reach her goals (I expected that), but because of her immaturity and stupid decisions. Obviously the book does begin when she is quite young, she grows and matures in every way throughout.
Towards the end of the book, Dao skips large amounts of time in a way that seemed a little awkward. No hint as to what was going on in the interim. I understand why it was necessary to the plot to skip ahead, but it felt a bit jarring.
Overall, I am interested in the story. I probably will read the rest of it as it comes. If you are looking for a unique new fantasy series, give it a try.