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verbosevespertine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I’m a sucker for fairytale retellings, and while Forest of a Thousand Lanterns/Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix isn’t exactly a fairytale retelling, there’s a lot of the elements that draw me to one. The importance of knowing your folktales, the lessons they impart, the roots they may have in your actual history, and the modern relevance they may still have - I love when a story intertwines these elements without bonking you over the head with them.
lizzyg21's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
betsyjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emleemay's review against another edition
2.0
*sigh* It's never as fun reading about the good guy.
It's a real shame that this sequel is so slow when [b: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns|33958230|Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1)|Julie C. Dao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496338822s/33958230.jpg|53186285] was so freaking good. It's also a shame to see the focus go from the amazing evil complex villain that is Xifeng, to rightful Empress and all-round good girl, Jade.
[b: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix|32605122|Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress, #2)|Julie C. Dao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522159918s/32605122.jpg|53186304] sees Jade now at adolescence after being raised in a monastery. Xifeng has called her back to the city - likely with some nefarious scheme in mind - and Jade will, of course, set about to reclaim the throne that is rightly hers. This is not a spoiler; the duology is a Snow White retelling after all.
Neither Jade nor her quest are anywhere near as interesting as Xifeng and her rise to power. For one thing, the book takes over a hundred pages to get to the main plot, with the set-up establishing Jade as someone who is so mindlessly good as to be almost irritating. Then we find ourselves on a quest to retrieve five magical relics from fairy tales in order to summon the Dragon Guard, a heavenly army said to bring peace back to Feng Lu.
This part is heavily-padded with references to the fairy tales in question and various mini adventures. Sometimes I enjoy stories within stories, but here it felt like filler. As if there wasn’t enough of a plot so the author created lots of mini plots to prolong the story. And I just really dislike journey books. I've said this before, but it almost always feels like an attempt to extend the time between two significant plot points. Just get there already!
I missed that fiery bizatch Xifeng and her nastiness. I missed the court politics. I missed having a protagonist who was bad and yet sympathetic. Jade is so boring in comparison. I would still recommend the first book, but I don't feel it's necessary to move onto this second. You probably know how it ends anyway.
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It's a real shame that this sequel is so slow when [b: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns|33958230|Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1)|Julie C. Dao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496338822s/33958230.jpg|53186285] was so freaking good. It's also a shame to see the focus go from the amazing evil complex villain that is Xifeng, to rightful Empress and all-round good girl, Jade.
[b: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix|32605122|Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress, #2)|Julie C. Dao|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1522159918s/32605122.jpg|53186304] sees Jade now at adolescence after being raised in a monastery. Xifeng has called her back to the city - likely with some nefarious scheme in mind - and Jade will, of course, set about to reclaim the throne that is rightly hers. This is not a spoiler; the duology is a Snow White retelling after all.
Neither Jade nor her quest are anywhere near as interesting as Xifeng and her rise to power. For one thing, the book takes over a hundred pages to get to the main plot, with the set-up establishing Jade as someone who is so mindlessly good as to be almost irritating. Then we find ourselves on a quest to retrieve five magical relics from fairy tales in order to summon the Dragon Guard, a heavenly army said to bring peace back to Feng Lu.
This part is heavily-padded with references to the fairy tales in question and various mini adventures. Sometimes I enjoy stories within stories, but here it felt like filler. As if there wasn’t enough of a plot so the author created lots of mini plots to prolong the story. And I just really dislike journey books. I've said this before, but it almost always feels like an attempt to extend the time between two significant plot points. Just get there already!
I missed that fiery bizatch Xifeng and her nastiness. I missed the court politics. I missed having a protagonist who was bad and yet sympathetic. Jade is so boring in comparison. I would still recommend the first book, but I don't feel it's necessary to move onto this second. You probably know how it ends anyway.
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jacktardis's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lesserjoke's review against another edition
3.0
The first book in this East Asian-inspired fantasy duology remains a fascinating look at a complex antiheroine, but author Julie C. Dao makes the disappointing choice for its sequel to reduce that character to a more conventional villain's role and center her much less interesting stepdaughter instead. The broad strokes of the narrative aren't surprising -- it is a Snow White retelling, after all -- but the evil queen's downfall could have been told in the same nuanced way as the previous novel rather than being the result of someone else's bland quest to collect magic artifacts here.
There's nothing especially awful about this concluding volume of Empress Xifeng's story, but there's also not much to recommend it for anyone who loved her debut.
There's nothing especially awful about this concluding volume of Empress Xifeng's story, but there's also not much to recommend it for anyone who loved her debut.
noel729's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
estanceveyrac's review against another edition
3.0
This is not a masterpiece.
I wish I was younger, knew less & marvelled more easily. I would have enjoyed that book a little, maybe. It's not a disservice to say this book is formulaic. It follows the steps, follows them quite well. But it's hollow. There is nothing of any substance here.
I made myself finish the book because I've given up on so many books recently. I got to practice my speed reading, but I still morn the time it took for me to finish this book...
I wish I was younger, knew less & marvelled more easily. I would have enjoyed that book a little, maybe. It's not a disservice to say this book is formulaic. It follows the steps, follows them quite well. But it's hollow. There is nothing of any substance here.
I made myself finish the book because I've given up on so many books recently. I got to practice my speed reading, but I still morn the time it took for me to finish this book...
rynflynn12's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jnishi's review against another edition
5.0
4 1/2 stars! Much like Dao's previous book, this one was beautiful. I do agree that at times Jade seemed too good and sweet but it didn't detract from the plot at all. I loved fiery Wren and Ahmah and the entire world Dao created around folktales. It drew me in and kept me there. It was fast paced and excellently crafted and I would've read it way faster if I hadn't been battling a cold and falling asleep so easily...because of the dang cold and not this novel.