A review by booksthatburn
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, by Julie C. Dao

Did not finish book. Stopped at 32%.

I know this is an anti-hero story, setting her up to be the villain of the sequel, but I detested the main character and just couldn't keep going. Her relationship with Wei feels built on nothing but having been near each other. They have no chemistry and it seems like they barely even talk. I like it when characters have good reasons to try and do a bad thing, but this seemed like she's determined to make terrible decisions in order to live up to what her abuser wants, knowing that Guma was abusive. I don't like any of it and I'm stopping.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Physical abuse, Injury/injury detail, Animal death, and Death

Moderate: Sexism and Misogyny

Minor: Ableism, Excrement, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, War, and Sexual content