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bekahbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
konvineo's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the flow of the writing in this one. It made it easy to get through, without the level being too low, if that makes sense.
I'm also a big fan of Xifeng overall. Does she some major leaps in logic? Sure, damn near all the time. But I can kind of understand her. Xifeng wants something better for herself, and she's willing to do almost everything to get there. I can respect that.
The only negative thing I found in the book was that the ending felt rushed. Suddenly, you got a whole lot of information crammed into about 3 chapters. It felt like way too much, but I guess it could have been worse.
I'm kind of curious as to whether or not the next book will follow a different perspective, since Xifeng might be too "old" for a YA fantasy by the next book... if it makes the time skip that I expect it to do.
I'm also a big fan of Xifeng overall. Does she some major leaps in logic? Sure, damn near all the time. But I can kind of understand her. Xifeng wants something better for herself, and she's willing to do almost everything to get there. I can respect that.
The only negative thing I found in the book was that the ending felt rushed. Suddenly, you got a whole lot of information crammed into about 3 chapters. It felt like way too much, but I guess it could have been worse.
I'm kind of curious as to whether or not the next book will follow a different perspective, since Xifeng might be too "old" for a YA fantasy by the next book... if it makes the time skip that I expect it to do.
emily_gaynier's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first time I've read a villain origin story where the main character shows she could be the villain through out the whole story. I haven't read very many but the ones that I have read usually have the villain be kind and sweet in the majority of the book and then something happens towards the end that changes her.
Xifeng had a darkness in her from the beginning.
I kept getting annoyed with her because she was making the wrong choices (in my opinion), but I also saw that her heart didn't want to follow the path of good and love. I hate that Wai couldn't be happy or find another.
Also Akira did not have to have that ending. I'm actually furious about that. She deserved better.
Xifeng had a darkness in her from the beginning.
I kept getting annoyed with her because she was making the wrong choices (in my opinion), but I also saw that her heart didn't want to follow the path of good and love. I hate that Wai couldn't be happy or find another.
Also Akira did not have to have that ending. I'm actually furious about that. She deserved better.
meghaha's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an East-Asian inspired fantasy by an Asian-American author, and you can really tell the difference. I didn't have to feel uncomfortable reading this which is great because you'd be surprised (or probably not at all) by how much of "Asia-inspired" books are written by white people, and there's always, always (I swear, don't talk to me about "doing your research"), this weird authorial gaze permeating those books, if not outright insensitivity and fetishization. I'm pleased that I didn't have to avoid this one, as retellings of western fairy tales and myths that take place in non-western settings and/or with POC characters are exactly the kind of stories I'm interested in reading.
For the character that is the equivalent of the Evil Queen from Snow White, Xifeng starts out surprisingly conflicted, with a strong desire to be good, even if she's vain and selfish. It's really the last fourth of the book, in which Xifeng finally gives in to the siren song of power and begins her descent into evil queen that I enjoyed most. What can I say, I like the darkness and brutality of fairytales.
I'm only a bit puzzled as to why Dao chose to write this as Young Adult Fantasy and not Adult Fantasy. Xifeng is eighteen when the book starts and in her twenties by the time it's ended and I think adult fantasy would've allowed for a longer book that was even more dark and grotesque, as an Evil Queen book should be. There's no blurb out yet that I can see for the sequel but I think, by nature of the age constraints of YA's main characters, it's going to have to be told from the viewpoint of a teenage White Jade (Snow White) rather than Xifeng. I've never found Snow White herself a particularly interesting character, so let's hope Dao finds a way to make her viewpoint as compelling and the story as savage as it was with Xifeng.
For the character that is the equivalent of the Evil Queen from Snow White, Xifeng starts out surprisingly conflicted, with a strong desire to be good, even if she's vain and selfish. It's really the last fourth of the book, in which Xifeng finally gives in to the siren song of power and begins her descent into evil queen that I enjoyed most. What can I say, I like the darkness and brutality of fairytales.
Spoiler
And I'm so gleeful she got rid of Wei because she wanted to be an all-powerful Empress and ultimately he got in the way. Typical YA romance would demand the opposite outcome.I'm only a bit puzzled as to why Dao chose to write this as Young Adult Fantasy and not Adult Fantasy. Xifeng is eighteen when the book starts and in her twenties by the time it's ended and I think adult fantasy would've allowed for a longer book that was even more dark and grotesque, as an Evil Queen book should be. There's no blurb out yet that I can see for the sequel but I think, by nature of the age constraints of YA's main characters, it's going to have to be told from the viewpoint of a teenage White Jade (Snow White) rather than Xifeng. I've never found Snow White herself a particularly interesting character, so let's hope Dao finds a way to make her viewpoint as compelling and the story as savage as it was with Xifeng.
ihateprozac's review against another edition
3.0
I adore vicious women and diverse retellings, so I really wanted to love this. But unfortunately the storytelling was too slow and around 100 pages too long. I was just booooooored.
I did really enjoy Xifeng as the protagonist, and if you liked The Young Elites by Marie Lu you may enjoy her too. She has a gradual descent from victim to villain and she’s wonderfully unlikeable and vain. She’s deliberately an uncomfortable POV to read from.
That being said, there’s a LOT of physical abuse and animal death surrounding Xifeng that I didn’t fuck with. It’s downright nauseating at times and I could’ve done with less….visceral description.
Back to the writing: each scene technically propels the story forward, but there’s a lot of waiting we do as readers when it comes to retellings. Because we generally know the shape that the story is going to take - even if the culture or protagonist is switched up - we’re always waiting for the characters to hit certain beats set down in the source text. The first act was really engaging but 80% of the book was me waiting forever for Xifeng to manoeuvre court politics to an outcome that’s already set in stone.
3 stars. I won’t be continuing on in this series because it’s just too slow for my liking. However, I did enjoy some of the magic and mythological elements, so I’d be keen to pick up other stories from Julie C Dao in the future!
TW: physical abuse, multiple animal sacrifices, gore
I did really enjoy Xifeng as the protagonist, and if you liked The Young Elites by Marie Lu you may enjoy her too. She has a gradual descent from victim to villain and she’s wonderfully unlikeable and vain. She’s deliberately an uncomfortable POV to read from.
That being said, there’s a LOT of physical abuse and animal death surrounding Xifeng that I didn’t fuck with. It’s downright nauseating at times and I could’ve done with less….visceral description.
Back to the writing: each scene technically propels the story forward, but there’s a lot of waiting we do as readers when it comes to retellings. Because we generally know the shape that the story is going to take - even if the culture or protagonist is switched up - we’re always waiting for the characters to hit certain beats set down in the source text. The first act was really engaging but 80% of the book was me waiting forever for Xifeng to manoeuvre court politics to an outcome that’s already set in stone.
3 stars. I won’t be continuing on in this series because it’s just too slow for my liking. However, I did enjoy some of the magic and mythological elements, so I’d be keen to pick up other stories from Julie C Dao in the future!
TW: physical abuse, multiple animal sacrifices, gore
ceceewing_'s review against another edition
4.0
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.
anagram's review against another edition
4.0
Xifeng grew up knowing she was destined to be the Empress of Feng Lu. Under the instruction of her strict aunt Guma, she learned that the only way to achieve greatness is to sacrifice the man she loves and embrace the darkness within her. So when she runs away from her childhood village with her lover, Wei, her real intention is to rise through the ranks of the Imperial palace and take what was promised to her by fate.
I was so, so conflicted on how to rate this book. For the first half of it, I found it tiresome, too slowly paced, and redundant, but then it picked up and I was hooked. YA novels routinely get dark, but so few of them shy away from presenting an actually problematic, morally gray protagonist. That wasn't the case with Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. All of the main characters were so complex and layered—there was Xifeng, who came from an abusive household and had to make so many sacrifices for her position, whom the reader rooted for even while she quite literally ate the hearts of her enemies. There was Wei, who was kind and loving to Xifeng but also had a bad temper and treated her like a possession. Empress Lihua, who was gentle and only ever longed for a daughter but emotionally manipulated her ladies in waiting because of it. The reader even sympathized with Lady Sun and the struggles that came with being a woman in Feng Lu while still hating her guts. The sometimes indistinguishable flaws and strengths of every character made them, and by extension, the story, feel very real.
This was only accentuated by the gorgeous descriptions of Feng Lu. From the clothes the characters wore to the settings each scene took place in, so many details were described with care and eloquence. I only wish Feng Lu's mythological system had been explored more, and that the different kingdoms would have been better developed. The worldbuilding was rich and full wherever Xifeng went, but I had trouble imagining an entire world beyond, even with the inclusion of ambassadors and foreign politics.
Furthermore, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns certainly wasn't wasted as a retelling. It is my firm belief that retellings should always explore something new about the original story, which this book definitely accomplished. Humanizing the Evil Queen without turning her into some poor misunderstood baby? Check. Exploring the negative relationships that develop between women in a world where they're constantly pitted against each other? Check again. Denying the fairy tale notion that everyone is either good or evil? Taken care of.
If you're alright with slower paced books and are sick of mindless fairy tale retellings, I would absolutely recommend Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It's bound to have the morally gray, heart-eating, slaying (get it?) protagonist you've always wanted.
I was so, so conflicted on how to rate this book. For the first half of it, I found it tiresome, too slowly paced, and redundant, but then it picked up and I was hooked. YA novels routinely get dark, but so few of them shy away from presenting an actually problematic, morally gray protagonist. That wasn't the case with Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. All of the main characters were so complex and layered—there was Xifeng, who came from an abusive household and had to make so many sacrifices for her position, whom the reader rooted for even while she quite literally ate the hearts of her enemies. There was Wei, who was kind and loving to Xifeng but also had a bad temper and treated her like a possession. Empress Lihua, who was gentle and only ever longed for a daughter but emotionally manipulated her ladies in waiting because of it. The reader even sympathized with Lady Sun and the struggles that came with being a woman in Feng Lu while still hating her guts. The sometimes indistinguishable flaws and strengths of every character made them, and by extension, the story, feel very real.
This was only accentuated by the gorgeous descriptions of Feng Lu. From the clothes the characters wore to the settings each scene took place in, so many details were described with care and eloquence. I only wish Feng Lu's mythological system had been explored more, and that the different kingdoms would have been better developed. The worldbuilding was rich and full wherever Xifeng went, but I had trouble imagining an entire world beyond, even with the inclusion of ambassadors and foreign politics.
Furthermore, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns certainly wasn't wasted as a retelling. It is my firm belief that retellings should always explore something new about the original story, which this book definitely accomplished. Humanizing the Evil Queen without turning her into some poor misunderstood baby? Check. Exploring the negative relationships that develop between women in a world where they're constantly pitted against each other? Check again. Denying the fairy tale notion that everyone is either good or evil? Taken care of.
If you're alright with slower paced books and are sick of mindless fairy tale retellings, I would absolutely recommend Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It's bound to have the morally gray, heart-eating, slaying (get it?) protagonist you've always wanted.
isabelle8794's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Animal death
_simplylornie's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this East Asian reimagining of the Evil Queen.
It was so dark and I loved it. The FMC could at times do unthinkable things, but I kept reminding myself that this was her “origin” story and all of this had to happen for a reason.
This was really good!
It was so dark and I loved it. The FMC could at times do unthinkable things, but I kept reminding myself that this was her “origin” story and all of this had to happen for a reason.
This was really good!