Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

Title: Kindom of the Blazing Phoenix
Author: Julie C. Dao
Publisher: Philomel Books
Publication date: November 6, 2018
Pages: 384
Source/format: e-ARC//Publisher

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

This fairy tale retelling lives in a mystical world inspired by the Far East, where the Dragon Lord and the Serpent God battle for control of the earthly realm; it is here that the flawed heroine of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns finally meets her match. An epic fantasy finale to the Rise of the Empress novels.

Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as Empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn't want the crown, she knows she is the only one who can dethrone the Empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all. But will the same darkness that took Xifeng take Jade, too? Or will she find the strength within to save herself, her friends, and her empire?

Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with breathtaking pain and beauty, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is filled with dazzling magic, powerful prose, and characters readers won't soon forget.

Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this page-turning read.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the second book in the Rise of the Express duology. Readers don’t necessarily have to read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns prior to Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix. Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a companion novel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. While Forest of a Thousand Lanterns centers around Xifeng’s journey to becoming Empress, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix focuses on Jade, Xifeng’s step daughter, who is the only one that can take back the throne of Feng Lu.

Julie C. Dao does it again with an entrancing retelling. Although the novel is not as dark and wicked as its predecessor, it still carries the charm of a twisted fairy tale. Of course the world building is fantastic! It's chock full of descriptive details and readers are sucked into the story. Dao's writing provides an immersive ride for her readers.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix delves into the power struggle that Xifeng is trying to hold on for dear life while Jade tries to pry away the throne from Xifeng. Jade has been sent to a monastery for most of her life living humbly and as an equal. The novel begins at the monastery where Jade is summoned by the Empress.

Jade is on a quest to locate relics ala Harry finding the Deathly Hallows or Horcruxes. These Dragon Lord artifacts are the key to help bring Xifeng down. The one who finds all five relics, one for each kingdom, will bring peace back to Feng Lu. Just like how Harry Potter finds the Hallows because he does not seek to use the power to escape death, Jade finds the relics because she does not seek power of the throne. Dao weaves folklore such as The Crane Maiden within the retrieval of each relic. Each folktale teaches Jade important morales to stay alive and to succeed.

Dao pens two strong women who have different motives and desires. Xifeng has worked her way up from a nobody to someone who holds the power and who is feared. She learned the ways to work her way up to Empress, however, at a dark price. Jade, who is royal by blood, doesn't want the crown but she is the sole person who can defeat Xifeng. She takes charge and stands up to her stepmother. While Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is toxic, poignant and power-hungry, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is lighter, full of love and friendship and is emotionally charged. Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the Yang to Forest of a Thousand Lantern's Yin. The two make a whole and make a wonderful balance.

Jade has won over many friends like Amah, Wren, Shiro and Koichi. Her humble life has lead her to become the princess that everyone hopes will be Empress one day. She sees everyone as her equal unlike Xifeng. As Xifeng relies on destiny, Jade relies on the power of choice. This is very similar of how Voldemort and Harry's relationship lines up. Their destinies are entwined and one must destroy the other.

If you love fairytale retellings with a twist and a twinge of darkness, I highly recommend reading Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix and Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. Dao has created a phenomenal fantasy world where Snow White and the Evil Queen collide with East Asian setting, creating a unique storyline.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Launch Party Recap

I was ecstatic to attend Julie Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns launch party at Porter Square Books on Thursday, October 12th. I got out of work early so I could venture to Cambridge and still had time to catch dinner before the event.

Julie's launch party is probably the best launch party I've attended. From her homemade photo booth frame to themed cupcakes and drinks, she really set the bar high. Even her brothers helped out with handing out raffle tickets, holding up the photo frame to taking photos. Her mother is the sweetest too. She helped out with setting up the sweets and drinks and even sewed cute fleece snakes.

The #FOTLParty was a blast and a half. Hands down best book launch party! I am loving @juliecdao's dress! 😃🏮 🐍 🌸 🎉 🎆 #JulieCDao #JulieDao #ForestOfAThousandLanterns #YALit #launchparty #PorterSquareBooks #SnowWhiteRetelling #EvilQueenRetelling #RiseofTheEmpress #bookrelease #philomelbooks #latergram

A post shared by Nicole Moy (@nicolecmoy) on Oct 12, 2017 at 5:32pm PDT

Julie started the launch with a reading from her book and then answered questions from the audience. It was wonderful to hear about her writing and publishing journey. It took her ten years to get a book published. Julie's passion is in writing but her father didn't want her to pursue a writing career. So Julie majored in pre-med and biology. However, she felt like she lost herself in college and was unhappy. Julie ended up returning to what she loves doing.

When she first acquired an agent, the manuscript she was working on was a topic that wasn't going to sell well. Later on, her proposed idea about writing about a world of women of kingdoms fighting for the throne became Forest of a Thousand Lanterns which took 5 weeks to write and 1.5 years to revise. She had this idea since she was 13-years-old. Her ideas poured out of her as she transferred everything on paper. Julie said the hardest part of writing is to put a envisioned story on paper but the revisions are probably the toughest. Julie is a Type A and plots a lot prior to writing.

Julie describes the book as dark and and bold just like her writing career. She wanted to have an all Asian world with an Asian cast. She wanted to see herself in a book! She did a lot of research on imperial life and some of her inspiration came from the epic Chinese dramas her mom used to watch. Julie wanted elements of Snow White to be fresh and original in her novel. She twisted and bended the elements to make it her own with the apple, mirror and the Evil Queen wanting Snow White's heart. Julie calls her copies of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns her horcruxes. They are part of her soul!

Julie told the audience a few teasers about the next book. The draft is done and the series is a duology. The next book is about Snow White when she is about 17-18 ready to reclaim the throne! Julie's favorite character is Ambassador Shiro. The second book was harder to write because she had a fixed deadline. There is more pressure and the acting of putting words and ideas on the page is harder when there is a time crunch. Her third book will either be set in the same world as Forest of a Thousand Lanterns or it will be a standalone.

How awesome is this #FOTLParty? Love Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by @juliecdao! #ForestOfAThousandLanterns #JulieDao #JulieCDao #SnowWhiteRetelling #EvilQueenRetelling #bookrelease #launchparty #YALit #SerpentGod #Xifeng #RiseofTheEmpress #philomelbooks #PorterSquareBooks

A post shared by Nicole Moy (@nicolecmoy) on Oct 12, 2017 at 3:47pm PDT

When Julie talked about YA, she mentioned that YA is finding out what you want and who you are. It's about becoming who you are meant to be and what the universe wants you to explore. Julie provided advice to aspiring writers. Write about what you love. And make sure you have a good writing community to support you.

In terms of diversity in Hollywood films being based on a novel, Julie mentioned that it's important to be true to the story. The representation on film is starting to become more diverse than before.

Thank you so much to Porter Square Books, Julie Dao and her family as well as Philomel for making this launch party a success! Also, it was nice to see Ellie again and to hang out with Janella and Christy. I love going to book events to celebrate authors, books and talk everything bookish with book friends!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Title: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
Author: Julie C. Dao
Publisher: Philomel Books
Publication date: October 10, 2017
Pages: 384
Source/format: Publisher//ARC

Rating: ☆☆☆☆1/2

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

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 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.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Xifeng lives in a village with her abusive and sometimes cruel aunt. Fated by the cards to be Empress of Feng Lu, Xifeng lets out the darkness deep within her out. However, her evil and cunning thoughts can be deadly.

Because Xifeng follows her destiny of greatness, she ends up missing out on the finer parts of life. She is blinded by the fact that she can live a wonderful life with Wei, who ultimately would do anything for Xifeng. I absolutely adore Wei and it pained me to see Xifeng always coming up with excuses when Wei told her to run away with him or when he asked for her hand in marriage. Unfortunately, Xifeng is hungry for power and not for love. Even though Xifeng can be ruthless, she finds a friendship with Kang, a eunuch at the Imperial Palace, which I find good for her since she needs to have someone that she can sort of trust.

Julie Dao has created many characters with multi-faceted personalities. The character development for Xifeng is well written. So much happens to the young lady that I cannot even fathom going through at such a young age. She blossoms overtime from a child who doesn't know how to please her aunt, Guma, to a dynamic and persuasive lady. Mythology is woven into the narrative along with a retelling of the Evil Queen of Snow White with an East Asian twist.

When the tengaru queen tells Xifeng that the destiny is true that she can become Empress, she also warns Xifeng of the sacrifices that Xifeng will have to make. The tengaru queen also mentions that there is one person who shall bring salvation and one who will bring destruction. Which will Xifeng be?

Xifeng is an ambitious anti-heroine and she reminds me of Adelina from The Young Elites series by Marie Lu. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an intoxicating dark fantasy novel for fans of the Evil Queen in Snow White and for fans of Levana from the Lunar Chronicles. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns starts off as a tame retelling but it morphs into something deceitful, scandalous and downright wicked.