A review by lesserjoke
Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao

3.0

I wasn't sure what to expect of a standalone spinoff sequel to the Rise of the Empress duology, whose cruel first volume of an antiheroine's ascension engaged me far more than its softer follow-up tracking her defeat. For this new book, author Julie C. Dao has delivered a tender love story with a tone somewhere between those extremes: lacking anywhere near the teeth of the original novel, but still more distinctive and interesting than the glorified fetch quests of the second.

The East Asian fantasy setting remains compelling in its own right, and the replacement protagonists are sweet as they learn to examine their class and gender biases and see things from one another's point of view. The fairy-tale plot around them is simple yet effective as a backdrop for that developing dynamic, and it's fun to see some returning figures and explore a different area of their world. I wouldn't call this a necessary read for anyone, but it's a good argument for how the wider series can continue to grow beyond its initial stakes.

[Content warning for panic attacks, plague, and drug abuse.]

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