“Forest of a Thousand Lanterns” follows Xifeng, a peasant girl with exceptional beauty and great destiny. Her witch aunt Guma groomed, disciplined and taught her poetry, history and other ways of the aristocrat, as preparation for her future. A part of Xifeng doubts her foretold great destiny but another part wants to believe it. One day, while being fed up with her aunt Guma’s beatings, the part of Xifeng which believes fate won over and she decides to run away with her lover, Wei. Together, they chase their luck in the Imperial City.

Xifeng’s character is a re-imagined origin story of one of the most iconic fairy tale villains, the Evil Queen. As a villain in the making, Xifeng is not intended to be likable at all but she will grow on the reader just the same. She never lets people who step on her get away with it. When people underestimate her, she does every thing in her power to prove them wrong. The Feng Lu Empire is a man’s world but Xifeng gets to do a little smashing of the patriarchy in the end. Murky morality aside, she is a strong character for sure.

I like how Xifeng’s character takes the reader to an exploration of the concept of freedom. A large chunk of the book is about Xifeng starting to figure out her way to being free and her own person. There is this thought Xifeng had earlier in the book where she questions if running away with Wei is the freedom that she wanted after being finally free from Guma’s clutches: “When had she gone from being Guma’s possesion to Wei’s?” Hey Wei, dude, don’t mess with this girl, she can think for herself. And then there was this instance when she killed small animals for their hearts to heal a scar in her face. This ritual had always upset Xifeng before when Guma made her do it but when she does it on her own volition, there is this hint of triumph in Xifeng. I had goosies when it dawned on me that she was upset in sacrificing animals before not because she thought it was wrong but more of because she was being forced to do it.

Being on top has become Xifeng’s idea of ultimate freedom. Xifeng one by one discards any thing (poverty, love) and any one (there are murders, gasp!) she thought would suppress her from ascending the ranks of the Imperial court. She totally becomes out of touch from herself, even succumbing to an evil spirit so she can ensure the fruition of her goals. Am I giving away too much plot here? Sorry, I just cannot stop with too much pleasure in discussing all things Xifeng. Just as I told you, she grows on the reader.

The book’s world-building is not that defined yet. I hope it gets more enhanced on the sequels. The Feng Lu Empire appears to be vast but I experienced only a glimpse of it. Aside from Xifeng’s travel from her obscure village to the Imperial City, most of the story’s setting is limited inside the city of women, which is a place she cannot leave as a court lady. There are still a lot of people (the Five Tigers, the Crimson Army, the royalty of the other Kingdoms) and places (Kamatsu, Surjalana, Dagovad) mentioned that I hope to meet and visit in the next book/s.

The supporting characters are serviceable but aside from maybe Aunt Guma and Empress Lihua, they are mostly broadly written. There is a distinct lack of humor that I know is not really required but could pick up on the unexciting bits of the book. The pacing is a little uneven with the first parts going slow and steady day by day, week by week and then rushing to year by year on the last parts, using casual birth and death of periphery characters to indicate the passing of time.

Strangely enough, I am willing to let go of these little flaws and jump right into the next book in the series. I just want to bear witness to the terrible things Xifeng has in store for the Feng Lu Empire. I also can’t wait to meet the Snow White equivalent of the series, although I believe I’ve already saw her briefly in this book. I hope she becomes a formidable foe to Xifeng. “Forest of a Thousand Lanterns” is a confident set-up piece for a book series, with a strong anti-heroine at its front and center. It delivered a promising origin story and an excellent character study for Xifeng whom we all know is bound to unleash her reign of terror in the future. I don’t know about you, but until someone proves to be a worthy adversary to her, I’ll be standing here holding a sign: U DA BADDEST & DA FAIREST, XIFENG!

A beautiful story. I love the language used, lyrical and rich, describing everything so well I could see it all.
I was surprised here and there - I don't want to give too much away, but some of the characters managed to surprise me, twists I didn't see coming. I love it when a book can surprise me like that.
I'm not sure how to feel about Xifeng. She wanted to better herself, I can understand that, but some of the lengths that she went to... I'll be thinking about this one for a while. I hope there's going to be a follow up.
A couple of times the transitions seemed awkward, although maybe that's a function of reading on Kindle and it will be clearer in the finished book. Particularly near the end, when there's a large time skip I had to figure out from context.
Overall, though, I adored this book and I've found a new favourite author.

"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."

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was probably one of my most anticipated Fall releases, because the summary promised me so many elements I loved: an anti-heroine, a West Asian setting and a retelling of the Evil Queen. I went into it with great expectations and it definitely delivered.

This novel had a fascinating world-building and Dao's writing, both beautiful and evocative, definitely strengthened that. It pulled me right into her world and I was amazed at every turn. I would really love to discover new places in this world, but I'm pretty sure that's not the plan, as it's mostly set in a palace. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns intertwined Asian mythology elements with a retelling of the Evil Queen, and I totally fell in love with it. I really, really need to read more YA books with Asian mythology elements. It was quite a pre-Snow White retelling and I really loved that, because learning about how villains became who they are is so much more interesting: they're flawed, complex and make all the wrong choices (with their reasons). I'm really hoping that the sequel will be a Snow White retelling from the point of view of the Evil Queen. *fingers crossed*

I have to admit that while I was very curious about the way this novel was taking, it was quite predictable in the beginning, because it was about a girl going to a palace, but once we moved past that, it was such a gripping story and I devoured it. Luckily, when it was a bit slow, all the other elements made up for it. It was quite a dark story at times but it totally fitted who the main character was as well as the atmosphere of the novel.

Moreover, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a perfect example of: 'you don't have to love a character to love the book'. The protagonist of this novel, Xifeng, is an anti-heroine. At the beginning of the story, it seems that she is in love, that she might run away with her lover, but she doesn't. She chose to accomplish a destiny she apparently didn't want, even if it means she has to use people, be selfish and do immoral actions. She starts as an insecure and abused girl to become a girl who knows what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it. She's an amazing anti-heroine and I was in awe. In a way, Dao chose to use the trope of the Chosen One but twisted it: while Xifeng is the heroine of her own story, she will be the villain for the rest of the characters.

Something else that I really liked and wasn't expecting: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a critique of a patriarchal system. The world it is set in shows that men are considered superiors, are the ones governing, when women have to stay home or to be content with being concubines for the ones who are in the palace. Xifeng's lover himself, Wei, only wants for her to stay home with him, because that's what he's been taught and what he believes in. Yet, at some point in the story, a character mentions another country where it's the other way around, it's more of a matriarchy. Yet, concubines manipulate men into getting what they want and some of them even influence the government. The world this novel is set in shows that patriarchy is seen as the model, but that it isn't right, and that both men and women are equally capable and I loved that the author decided to do that. There are so many fantasy worlds with patriarchies that are never questioned, a lot of sexism, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Overall, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was a very good debut and I'm already anticipating its sequel. It is a villain origin story about an anti-heroine who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, set in a fascinating world where patriarchy is the rule and yet, women prove men wrong daily.

Xifeng knows that she is destined for great things - it's written in the cards, and the cards don't lie. They do however show you an alternative path and Xifeng has to choose which road she would rather walk down; The one of obscurity and happiness or that which requires her to be cloaked in darkness on the way to becoming the most powerful woman in the world.

Xifeng's journey starts out with so much hardship that you are praying for her to leave her Guma behind and make a way for herself despite the darkness that is stirring within her, a darkness neither she nor the reader yet fully understands. Once those shackles come free her journey from there pretty much sky rockets as she makes a name for herself within the palace and takes steps towards her destiny.

The only problem with this is that... well she takes steps towards her destiny. Everything that happens is told to us in the beginning... and then it happens. There is very little resistance with destiny and so as enjoyable as this book was - there was no real element of surprise in the plot.

From the beginning I was a fan of Xifeng's dual characteristics, both sweet and kind, yet poisonous and manipulative. Her conflicting personalities are so different from many other characters in the genre and so as a reader you wrestle with whether or not you are rooting for her to succeed. The escalation of her character from midway takes a dramatic turn which I found bold and unique in it grotesqueness, if not a little sudden.

I really enjoyed this book, I love Asian inspired stories as they have a way of weaving in their own myths and are so culturally different from westernised societies that it automatically makes the world ten times more alluring. As this was a cover read I didn't realise it was a re-imagining/ retelling of the Evil Queen until I had finished which in retrospect made the story even more clever.

I do however hope the story won't be dragged out into anything more than a duology, as events have been set up wonderfully in this first book, and now all we need is for them to fall.

I love fairy tale retellings, especially those starring an antihero. Although I am about as white as they come, I ache for diversity. This was a fabulous freshman novel. I can't wait to read more!

I have been a huge fan of villain stories for the longest time. Whether it be a short retelling / re-imagining, or a series that’s entirely centered on how a villain came to be, I am honestly all for it. There’s something about the concept that screams justice, and revenge, and I find that these kinds of stories often have amazing character build-up that almost always leaves me wanting more. And I’m proud to say the same of Julie C. Dao’s debut novel, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns.

The first thing that I want to tackle in this review is the luscious and lyrical writing style. I’d like to be dramatic and say first and foremost that one of the aspects that I immediately fell in love with is how the author was able to put heart and emotion into every page that she’s written. Every chapter that helped to tell Xifeng’s story is filled with strong sentiments that helped me let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding when I read it. It’s been a while since I read a fantasy story that is as moving as this one, and I’m glad I stumbled upon a debut, as I love supporting new authors that would like to make their first “mark” in literature.

I also adored how the author made each of the characters equally relevant to the story. Personally, it’s hard for me to get into a book that has too many characters, whether they be major or minor ones. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to follow through with a story that seems a little too overcrowded, but that certainly wasn’t the case in this book. Every single character played a vital role in order for Xifeng to become the Empress of Feng Lu. I love how even if some of the characters were minor ones, they still had their share of the spotlight, helping the readers get to know them very well within a few scenes, chapters, or pages.

Another impressive aspect that I wanted to focus on is the positive Asian representation that this book was able to pull off. When I saw this book’s synopsis which says “An East-Asian fantasy re-imagining of The Evil Queen legend…”, I was automatically sold! I’m on an endless journey trying to find diverse books by diverse authors, and I am so utterly impressed with this one. The festivals, the environment, the delicacies, whether they be sweet or savory, they all gave me a brief glimpse of what life could be like if I ever find myself in a place like Feng Lu. And I have to say, it definitely got me excitedly daydreaming. Which is a good thing, obviously.

And as for the ending, I love how it left a few unanswered questions for readers (which I won’t share so as to keep this review spoiler-free, don’t worry.) which opened up tons of details to anticipate in the sequel. I know this might sound contradicting coming from a reader who hates cliffhangers, but I was actually pretty satisfied with how this story ended. Yes, I wanted answers to some of my questions, but I respect the story and the series enough to wait for the sequel, even if it’ll be treacherous. I’m saying this because there are tons of fantasy books out there that don’t end as impressively as this book does. It definitely satisfied me, and I’m pretty sure a lot of readers will be satisfied with it as well.

“Exquisitely written and filled with endless wonder, magic, and aspiration, Xifeng’s story in Forest of A Thousand Lanterns will have readers on the edge of their seats waiting in anticipation to know the lengths a determined young woman would go to just to see her dreams realized. Even if it means losing the things she hold close to her heart. It’s filled with ambition, lyrical narration, characters that are easy to root for, and a concept that is as captivating as it is alluring. Easily one of my 5-star reads this year so far.”

For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S3TO...

In the re-telling of the origin story of the Snow White's evil queen Xifeng is a beautiful commoner who is lured by the promise of her destiny to do whatever it takes to become the new empress even if it involves dark magic and murder.

After reading the description I had high hopes for this book and they were almost completely met. First, this is a debut novel and based on that it is quite well done. The mythology and the descriptive writing help advance this beyond a normal first book. However, the character never felt completely developed and I never felt like I actually got to know any of the character or care about them. I will keep reading the series for the interesting take on the original fairytale.

I really support this new trend of Snow White retellings (so much better than the Peter Pan trend of 2015) and I really wanted to like this book, I really did.

I would read two or three pages and then get distracted by a different book that appealed to me more. It just wasn't able to capture my attention as much as I would have liked.

And it just wasn't my thing. I'm not really in to anti-heroes, as much as I'd like to be, and even though at times I don't mind reading violence, I'm just not at a place right now where I can read a lot of it.

I'll probably pick this back up again in the future, when I'm looking for a good high-fantasy novel to read. But for now, I'm done with Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. I would recommend it to high-fantasy fans.

Xifeng is the anti-heroine you love to hate. Once I got past the first one hundred pages (oh, they dragged), the story really picked up. The examination of what a young woman, without a lot of opportunities, would do to pursue her destiny was thrilling and horrific. It begs the reader to ask: what would the reader do in her place?

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 the cover instantly drew me. Despite my fear of snakes, I was interested.

Confession - After about a day I had to cover the cover. The snake looks terrifyingly real and it was making me feel all kinds of sick and weirdly anxious.

I could not put this book down. Once I started, I was addicted and reading at every opportunity. I loved the story and quickly fell in love with Xifeng and the world she inhabited. The settings are gloriously rich, the writing truly beautiful.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is twisting and dark and haunting and utterly, utterly compelling. It is an exquisite debut, an irresistible commentary on the power of beauty and the lengths people will go to to keep it.

The beauty of this world is fading all too fast through the cruelty and thoughtlessness of men.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Julie C Dao for my copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is the debut novel from Julie C Dao and the first in the series Rise of the Empress. There is a rise in Eastern Asian fantasy fiction at the moment but I think it’s safe to say that with this debut Julie C Dao is leading the pack. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is one of the most gripping, engaging and heart stopping novels I have read across any genre.

The main character Xifeng is the perfect anti heroine. Like many others I become tired of storylines involving the little poor girl who gets noticed by the handsome prince and finds herself elevated and rescued. Xifeng is the opposite, she uses her beauty to become brutal, unrelenting and fearless as she scratches her way to the top and what she views as her destiny, not caring who she steps on, on the way up. She fully embraces the darkness inside her with barely any hesitation. She knows what she wants and doesn’t really care how she gets it.

The writing is absolutely lush, and the story itself makes this novel impossible to put down. There’s a small part of you that cries out for Xifeng to find redemption but a larger part, is secretly relishing her ruthless personality. Woven in with myth, magic, legend, God’s and monsters, what’s not to like?

Xifeng is a poor young girl, schooled by her aunt Guma who does nothing but whip and abuse her and force her towards what she sees as Xifeng’s Destiny to become Empress of all Feng Lu. But there is something else influencing Xifeng. A darkness inside her which her aunt cannot protect her from, a darkness that sees Xifeng’s destiny as it’s own. Xifeng travels to the Imperial City, determined to achieve great things, no matter what the cost.

I literally cannot wait for the second instalment in what is promising to be a fantastic new series!

It was quite interesting. I liked the idea of the evil queen plot, but I felt the pacing of the story was a little off. In the end I did quite enjoy it but the pacing and plot needed some work.

My Review:

I read the synopsis but it was only upon reading this book did I know that it is an anti-heroine book. I have always been curious about the story of Disney's Villains. In one of the books I own, The Evil Queen was considered as the most evil of them all because she didn't have any reason to be evil but she is anyway.

And so, I devoured this retelling of her story in 2 days not only because I was curious but also because Julie C. Dao wrote it in a way that it would hypnotize you to not stop until you finish it.

The main character of the story, Xi Feng experienced pain early on in life, but in truth, I believe that it is her faith in magic and fate that truly sets her to have the courage to go out of the comfort and familiarity of the little village she grew up in.

Reading FoaTL feels like watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but not. It has the essence of the classic story but as well as the gory details that the other version doesn't have.

What an amazing experience reading this book was. What a sad realization it is for me that I'd be waiting for it's next installment.

But nevertheless, bravo to Julie C. Dao, for writing an awesome anti-heroine book.

3.5 Stars
This book was an amazing retelling of the origins of the Evil Queen in the Chinese East-Asian style! I loved the setting although the plot was a little slow and slightly boring at times. Xifeng has undergone abuse under the hands of her aunt, Guma who had shaped who she was. The main character was a great anti-hero who I loved with her scheming, her strengths and weaknesses and all in all her story which is fit for a dark queen 👑.

Xifeng has her own strength and it showed via the alluring writing style and her beauty.

This book was everything that I enjoy in a fairy tale retelling. Its fairy tale roots are recognizable, but there's enough new and original to keep me intrigued. This was very dark, darker than I normally like, but because this is from the POV of the woman who becomes the Evil Queen, the darkness totally works.

I had always wondered why exactly the Evil Queen asked the Huntsman for Snow White's heart. Just because she could? This story paves the way for that request to make a lot more sense. It won't be any less evil, in fact it will still be creepy and wrong, but it will make sense.

I look forward to the next book in the series.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was a tough book to review, mainly because I was initially so excited about the synopsis, but the closer it got to the release date, the more I felt like I (for some reason) wasn't going to enjoy the book? And I'm not sure why, but I feel like this biased me a bit, causing me to go in it with lower expectations.

Yet when I started reading, I was in for a surprise since I had no idea that this was about an anti-heroine. I remember when the cover reveal happened, I was like, “how is the cover NOT a beautiful scene of a thousand lanterns, you know, like in Rapunzel?” Clearly I was in the wrong, because that image would have not fit with the story at all. But yes, the main character being classified as an anti-heroine is awesome, but she wasn't really the anti-heroine I had in mind.

The story revolves around Xifeng, who’s completely taken advantage of by her aunt (Guma). Her aunt emphasizes the importance of physical beauty and court manners all for a prophecy that may or may not be true. She tries to turn Xifeng into someone she is not, all for the sole possibility that Xifeng might one day be empress. After a falling out with her aunt, Xifeng runs away and escapes with her boyfriend, Wei.

The both of them end up in the Imperial City, where Xifeng finds a way to join the court. Since ladies-in-waiting cannot have outside relationships, she leaves Wei behind. To me, the motivation behind this made no sense. For one, Xifeng loves (or I supposed loved) Wei, but she immediately abandons him in order to fulfill her aunt’s dream. But then, since when did her aunt’s dream become her own dream? There never was any mention of her desperately wanting power or riches. I suppose it could be that she just simply wanted to be better than everyone else, yet her love for Wei seem stronger (even though Wei was an asshole)?

Xifeng also starts forgiving and appreciating everything her aunt did for her. Maybe to the point of even loving her. Even though I kind of get this, her aunt’s actions were so extreme and almost unforgivable. Even without being present, Xifeng’s aunt still found a way to manipulate her thoughts.

The rest of the book focuses on Xifeng’s slow climb up in rank. She serves and puts up with the emperor’s primary concubine, gets in the Empress’ good graces, befriends the eunuch Kang, the one person who truly likes her as a friend. In order to become empress and fulfill her aunt’s dream (?), she needs the emperor to like her. In other words, Xifeng has to get with this man who potentially might be a lot older than her, since she's only about 17 (18?) years old.

The plot definitely picked up during the second half of the book, only because that's where all the killing starts! Well, all the action is. But anyways, I enjoyed that much more than just seeing how she worked her way up in rank.

In the end, I did warm up to Xifeng, even though I had no idea what her motivation was for all of this. I do want to read the next book, as I’m curious to see how magic will play a role in the series.

3.5 stars

The minute I heard about Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, I knew it was going to be a must-read! This debut novel from Julie C. Dao combines the culture of Eastern Asia with the whimsy of a fairytale, and it is incredible. Centered around Xifeng, a rare beauty with a promising destiny, the story allows the reader to join Xifeng as she follows her path towards becoming the Empress of Feng Lu. In order to achieve her goal, Xifeng must go through heartbreak and horrors alike - and decide, in the end, whether or not her destiny is worth the sacrifices she's going to have to make.

I'm thrilled to be able to say that Forest of a Thousand Lanterns lived up to and, dare I say, surpassed the expectations I had before going into it. It was like reading a fairytale, complete with the whimsy, charm and darker undertones of the classic fairytales I read over and over as a child. But it was also an epic fantasy novel all on its own, complete with political intrigue, complicated relationships and impossible magic that reeled me right in from start to finish. In addition to an already wonderful story, I also loved the settings, brought to life by the vivid details of locales, clothing, food and culture.

The one thing I was slightly hesitant about was Xifeng herself. How would I fare with a character who might not necessarily always choose the course that I thought best, who might even stoop to doing *gasp* unlikeable, terrible things? Well, let me tell you, it was all too easy for me to root for Xifeng and her success despite the many things that I didn't necessarily approve of. She's an ambitious girl who chases her deepest desire and won't let anyone or anything get in her way, no matter what she has to do. I admired her just as much as I feared her! I can only conclude that she was deliberately written to be a character you could both feel for and be terrified of, and in that respect, Dao really toed the line successfully.

In case you were wondering, I adored Forest of a Thousand Lanterns! I enjoyed Xifeng's story, her ambitious journey to get the results she desired. The writing is mesmerizing, the story immersive and it is, without a doubt, a well-constructed, well-told tale. I'm really pleased I enjoyed it as much as I expected to, and I truly look forward to reading the companion sequel (and anything Julie will be writing in the future!)

This was an amazing, dark magical book, full of both darkness and light with a powerful message <3 I really enjoyed it, readers won´t be able to put the book down once they start to read it. Xifeng was a very determined and strong character who knew what she really wanted in her life. She made hard decisions to be where she wanted to be but at the same time, I could perceive how vulnerable she was, how she really struggled to get there and how much she cared for others deep inside. The ending was amazing, I really loved it because it ended with love and hope, I can´t wait to read the next book!