Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress) Paperback – September 11, 2018

With its richly imagined world and wonderfully diabolic antihero, FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS is a haunting debut that readers won't soon forget.This novel is unlike anything I've ever read before and is certainly one of my favorite books I've read this year.I adore a complex and unreliable main character, and Xifeng beautifully embodies those characteristics. Dao did such a wonderful job of showing Xifeng's backstory, motivations, and human characteristics as well as the darkness lurking inside her. Xifeng might not always be a likable character, but she is an unfailingly fascinating one. Being inside her mind was such a darkly captivating experience, and I am just itching to find out what happens next in her story.The world-building in this novel is quite frankly stunning. From the richly imagined legends and mythology to the lush setting, the world of a FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS is entirely immersive and an absolute joy to read about.The plot of the story itself is very character-driven. This is truly a story of Xifeng's transformation from a naive and driven girl to a darkly powerful young woman. While there are several jaw-dropping and intense moments in the story, it isn't as action-packed as many YA fantasy novels. Instead we get focus more on the political maneuverings and character/world development. While that does mean the plot moves more slowly, Dao's writing is so decadent and provocative, I was absolutely addicted to it.There are some beautiful and heart-pounding romance scenes in this novel. These make for some lovely scenes in the story, without overpowering the overall plot. They are a part of Xifeng's character arc, but they are not the main motivation behind it, and I really appreciated that. Though Xifeng's motivations were far from pure, it was wonderful to see a female protagonist pursuing her dreams and ambitions and prioritizing those above romance.I was truly blown away by this story and by Xifeng herself. I would highly recommend this to any reader. This is such a unique story, and it truly stands out amongst the many YA fantasy novels I've read this year. I will most eagerly be anticipating the next book in the series.

I received this ARC from a fellow blogger in a fair trade. My review is honest and I was not compensated for my opinions.Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is Julie C. Dao’s YA debut! It’s an incredible origin story regarding the Evil Queen from Snow White, but in this one we get a whole new setting that’s far from the European tales we’re used to. This one takes place in Eastern Asia which really seems to fit with the story in some ways. Like all villain origin stories this one will make you see the Evil Queen in a new way, but maybe not quite in the way you’re expecting.Xifeng has been raised by her aunt to be beautiful and seen. She’s basically been trained her whole life to one day be Empress, her aunt has foretold this with the cards, yet Xifeng wants nothing more than to get out from under her aunt’s thumb. The abuse she’s suffered over the years hasn’t been easy, though in a way, it has made Xifeng the strong, capable young woman that she’s become. Xifeng already has some rebel tendencies, for she has a secret lover, Wei, who asks her to run away with him. And finally she does. Though she soon finds herself on the very path her aunt wanted her on to begin with.I quite enjoyed Julie’s take on the Evil Queen. Xifeng isn’t quite a Cath from Marissa Meyer’s Heartless, where you see goodness turned mad. Xifeng already has some selfish qualities to her, but nothing that you can truly notice right away. It’s more the progression of it all. True, at times I was sympathizing for her, especially during the cruel times with her aunt. But as the story goes on, you see her Evil Queen-ness coming to the fore. And yet, I still kinda rooted for her. Sure she’s evil, but alas, I kind of wanted to see how far she could get!There’s definitely more to this story though. There’s this kind of darkness that lives inside Xifeng. She acknowledges it more than once, so it’s significant. You think this could just be her Evil Queen-ness coming about, but it’s so much more than that! And we do get to learn more about Xifeng’s past that is the precursor for her journey.I’ll admit, I struggled with this one for a little bit in the beginning but once I overcame those first few chapters, things really got interesting. There were also these little “Easter Eggs” of the Snow White fairy tale that occasionally popped up. Things like apples and mirrors and other entities. It can be hard not to think of the Disney version of Snow White when reading and wondering what some of these little appearances might be, but just remember that there was a definite dark side to the original Snow White fairy tale and you will see in this one a dark side as well.It’s hard to really say if there was romance in this one. In a way, I say not. Xifeng’s character didn’t seem to fit the role for one looking for romance. But there are romantic interludes, so there’s that. What’s hard to remember at times that Xifeng is the Evil Queen (to be). She’s a villain, so her finding love as a teenager seems unlikely anyway, at least that’s how I saw things.The ending was decidedly good too. You pretty much know where things are going, but the execution was still done exceedingly well! I always love a fresh take on fairy tales or origin stories of certain characters. And that’s what we get with this one! Though when I checked Goodreads, it looks like there’s a sequel. Whether that one will be a direct sequel or a spinoff or maybe a different villain’s origin stories set within the same world has yet to be revealed! It’s hard sometimes to realize that information about the sequel won’t necessarily be ready with the first one!Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a remarkable story of the girl who will soon grow to be the Evil Queen. Whether you find her to be good or evil at the start is for you to decide. Xifeng is an ambitious young woman, but ambitions can be deadly when you’re the Evil Queen! A must read for all fairy tale fans and fans of character origin stories!Overall Rating 4.75/5 stars—yes that little hiccup of a start has me once again giving an awkward rating. While it was a bit of rough start, I truly ended up loving this one by the end and dying for more from Julie!!