Books

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

  • Jan 18, 2021
  • Julie C. Dao
  • 131 responses.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl s quest to become Empress and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny Eighteen year old Xifeng is beautif

  • Title: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
  • Author: Julie C. Dao
  • ISBN: 9781524738297
  • Page: 175
  • Format: Hardcover

    • An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl s quest to become Empress and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.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 foAn East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl s quest to become Empress and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.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.

    • Unlimited Forest of a Thousand Lanterns - by Julie C. Dao
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    Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

    About "Julie C. Dao"

    1. Julie C. Dao

      Thanks for checking out my page I do not check messages or friend requests here, so please visit my website if you d like to get in touch Julie C Dao juliedao is a proud Vietnamese American who was born in upstate New York She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite By day, she worked in science news and research by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is her debut novel Julie lives in New England Follow her on Twitter jules_writes.Julie is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.

    131 Comments

    1. Beware, Xifeng, of magic that comes too easily There is a price for everything, as she learned and you, too, will learn Some magic requires blood Other magic requires a piece of your own self and eats away at your soul 4 1 2 stars In short Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an East Asia inspired fantasy in which a young woman chooses ruthless ambition and power over the love of a hot guy Halle freaking lujah.I should probably say this is not for readers who must like the protagonist in order to en [...]

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    2. I adore an anti heroine story, and Julie C Dao achieves this with flying colors in a lush, richly developed fantasy world of myth, monarchy, and magic Xifeng is an unusual and wonderfully complex protagonist of ambitious agency I couldn t stop reading about her journey Go pre order this beauty immediately.

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    3. I totally missed the memo that this was an anti heroine story, so I had a stupid grin on my face while everything unfolded I love anti heroines when their journeys are heartbreaking, yet completely understandable with clear motivation And this whole thing was so well done Your beauty is all you are, and all you have Your only weapon First of all, the East Asian magical world is straight up gorgeous The rich, detailed worldbuilding and strong writing made the whole atmosphere super vivid But my a [...]

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    4. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a dark and gruesome, East Asian fantasy about Xifeng, a beautiful peasant girl who has always been told that she is destined for greatness Xifeng is raised by her abusive aunt Guma who longs to fulfill Xifeng s destiny, the cards have predicted They show Xifeng s future full of power and as Empress, but with great power comes great sacrifice and difficult obstacles to pass Sick of her aunt s abuse, Xifeng ceases the opportunity to run away with her lover, Wei, an [...]

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    5. Guys This is my book and I am over the moon joyful that I get to share it with you all next year The story combines everything I love strong women and the complex relationships that shape them the struggle between choice and destiny a lush palace setting and handsome, brooding men and a powerful, dark, tortured heroine I think of as a combination of Wu Zetian the first and ONLY ruling Empress of China , Anne Boleyn, and Scarlett O Hara.Please follow my blog and Twitter for the latest updates on [...]

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    6. October 2017 Fairyloot Box We got two books I added a link to all of the stuff in close up under the picture CLOSE UP PICTURES

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    7. Full review postedI don t think this book is TERRIBLE, I just think that the synopsis DECEIVED me and I ve faced too much betrayal from my loved ones books to continue being a victim to such treachery I m lying, I clearly never learn since I keep reading kasie west booksPros this gonna be short oops Asian setting its pretty gruesome, so if you re into that it might appeal to you I guess um girl power but done like sneakily so youre not sure if the characters are evil villainous pieces of trash o [...]

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    8. WrensReads Review An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl s quest to become Empress and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.How could I not fall under the spell of this book HOLY BATMAN I cannot express how beautifully dark this book is This book is a typical folklore fairy beautiful and hypnotizing and just brings you in with your words but it s super creepy and probably going to kill you Xifeng is a victim of abuse Her aunt took her in [...]

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    10. She was special, with every bite, every stream of blood spurting from her ravenous mouth She was a monster, a bride of the darkness, and she rose to face her destiny as though it were the blood red sunrise of a new day.This book is so gloriously BRUTAL One word of warning, this book is certainly not for faint hearted, if you want a glint of hopefullness and happiness then go away because this book is certainly not for you Forest of thousand lanterns follow the story of 18 year old s Xifeng s ris [...]

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    11. She was a monster, a bride of the darkness, and she rose to face her destiny as though it were the blood red sunrise of a new day Ok ok I finally have time to write a review I d like to start off with a big loud pterodactyl screech that might convey how unique and amazing this book was I am thoroughly impressed The entire plot was so well thought out and the characters were beautifully written even if some of them were brutal as hell yeah I m looking at you Xifeng Basically, I loved it.Essential [...]

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    12. This was definitely slow to start, but I m already absolutely dying to read the second book I was invested in this book because I knew the main character was supposed to be ruthless, and I was not misled in any way If you re looking for an origin story that s dark and twisty, this one is fantastic.

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    13. HOLY FREAKING CRAP THIS This is the Evil Queen origin story of my dreams I was lucky enough to get to blurb this fabulous debut, and here s what I said Searing and intense, Dao s debut is an outstanding character exploration of fairytales most enduring and enigmatic characters the Evil Queen Equal parts lush and devastating, this is a tale that will grab you by the throat I want to add a little here because I haven t read a story like this in awhile This book is catty Murdery Cliquey It s mean [...]

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    14. Let no one stand in your way If they face you, your beauty will entrap them If they turn away, you will stab them in the back Chalk up Snow White retelling from the POV of the wicked queen, set in imperial China to the list of things I never knew I needed Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is so vindictive and brilliant and and blade edged in its message She touched her face This is how a woman plays the game It makes men weak and forget they make the rules She becomes the player and they the pawns F [...]

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    15. In weakness, you find your strength It takes no small amount of courage to open yourself up Spoiler Free Review Holy shit this was amazing I have no idea what to think when I went into this but not THAT Firstly it s partly a re telling that has set up the second book perfectly, then we have an anti heroine which I didn t even know about , it s dark and twisted but so gripping The progression of the book moved at a gradual pace, nothing seemed to be rushed Not only this the writing was so well do [...]

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    16. Five starring in advance because Julie is fabulous, her writing is fabulous, and diasporic authors have EVERY RIGHT to pen Asian inspired fantasy without being cut down or degraded for it.

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    17. rubs temples I really wish I liked this because I was really looking forward to this, but, I m sorry friends, I was not a fan and at most, it was ok First, I found the worldbuilding weird Indeed, it is Asian inspired, but I felt liked what made it Asian inspired was superficial and inconsistent I don t believe that the story should embody an essentialist notion of Chineseness Asianness , but it should be consistent, immersive, and rich which it was not I couldn t get invested in Xifeng as an ant [...]

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    18. I ve been watching a K drama called Empress Ki, so now, I can t help but imagine Xifeng as Ha Ji won and Emperor Jun as Ji Chang wook 3 Hahaha, I m such as helpless fanboy xD

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    19. 3.5 starsAhhh, this was a pretty solid debut novel, and a great start of a promising series Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an East Asian retelling of the Evil Queen s origin story before she became Snow White s stepmother, and it is everything I wanted it to be.First of all, SHE DOESN T BECOME EVIL BECAUSE OF A DUDE I love my villains and I am a sucker for a good origin story, but my main pet peeve is when a female villain becomes evil because a guy wronged her Sure, there s a guy in here, but [...]

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    20. Cover Reveal Good old Asian vibesBut re reading the synopsis and seeing, she must spurn the young man who loves her Me Wait, does she love him too OMG am I gonna be heartbroken again by another tragic love story Ugh my heart is not ready It just makes me so happy when I see Asian protagonists because I saw so few of them growing up Now with books getting a little and diverse, I get to see them often, and it is just so nice.

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    21. I cant say I was too surprised by how this story gripped me from the first chapter Ive heard nothing but amazing things about it The setting and culture were beautifully vivid and lush I also thought the writing was fantastic I wasnt sure if I was still into retelling but after reading this wonderful East Asian evil queen retelling I have hope there still some great ones out there.I probably would have finished it in a couple days had it been an egalley Im so used to reading ebooks that switchin [...]

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    22. 3.5 Stars What s this A book review It can t beAfter taking a 3 or 4 month break from reading I finally decided to pick up a book and it feels good to be back in the reading mood I m not normally a fan of retellings, but this is definitely the best one I have read I tend to stay clear of them, but I m always drawn to an eaten inspired fantasy setting and then an anti hero main character as well I mean how could I resist Ultimately these were the two features I enjoyed most about this book The se [...]

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    23. I am ALWAYS down for a YA fantasy and doubly down for one that draws inspiration from historic things like the Silk Road and East Asian cultures Also, I have a weird love of journey books This one literally journeys ACROSS NATIONS Like, YES PLEASE And you KNOW what comes with a story based on a trade route cutting through Asia DELICIOUS FOOD Don t even get me started on a retelling of the Snow White Fairy tale from the evil queen perspective Ugh, salivating for this As an Asian girl growing up w [...]

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    24. Cards laid, prophecy spooled, again and again, realm of magic, rise of darkness, and though foretold completely astonishing layered consequences.My exact feelings while lingering on the last page were Dark, twisted, still the magnificently interlaced era of never ending enchantment Metaphorically, the characters fasten together as pearls of a necklace with political thread dripping the blood Smashed Yes, completely I am Once upon a time There existed the confined darkness with the prevailing amb [...]

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    25. Oh, y all are in a real treat with this one OFFICIAL BLURB Magnetic, seductive, and alluring, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a lush, captivating read about the lengths to which we go to find our true destiny.

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    26. 5 stars I went in this book totally blind I did not even read the synopsis The book was part of my first ever Fairyloot box and I remembered seeing good reviews everywhere The monthly Fairyloot topic was villainous Obviously there would be a villain but who would play the role I looked at the synopsis only after having finished the book and I m glad I did not read it sooner as it tells lots about the story Now the plus side is that I m not too limited in my review for fear of spoiling the fun Ye [...]

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    27. It always amazes me when there are actual problematic books out there The Black Witch, the Continent, Sad Perfect, anyone and POC choose to shoot down other POC Racism, seriously You realize the author is East Asian and the publisher used the term to show the book s non European and point to a different general area of the world SMH Sounds a lot to me like that Wattpad 1D fanfic chick screaming because the author is Vietnamese She went off the rails lying about being a sensitivity reader and try [...]

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    28. I m lucky to have read this ms already, and I know y all know how stingy I am with 5 stars, but THIS BOOK, oh how it deserves all FIVE dazzling luminous stars Yes, I am friends with Julie, but read for lots of friends and rarely do I put up a starred review, and rarer still FIVE starsUST ME, you want this fantasy on your MUST HAVE list With lush, gorgeous prose without ever being overwritten , this book is atmospheric and haunting with layered, complex characters and themes It s much than a twi [...]

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    29. 5 Words Family, power, magic, control, love.I am IN LOVE This book was excellent and far surpassed my expectations It was everything I didn t know I wanted.I loved the writing, the story, the descriptions, the characters, the manipulation and deceit and control.I can t wait to read on I managed to nab this from the book trade shelf at YALC, trading away The Bunker Diary and holding the beautiful green proof with glee I hadn t heard anything about this until after I had finished reading it, but t [...]

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