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A review by orionoconnell
Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao
adventurous
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? Yes
4.5
<b> Content Warnings: </b> Violence, War, Drug Use / Abuse, Death, Grief / Loss, Sensual Content (nonexplicit), Nudity.
Well, this one knocked it out of the park. I'd love to say there are remnants of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mulan in this one but to be honest, I'd say while Dao's Universe started as a Snow White retelling, by this point it's entirely her own, and for the better. I adored Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Xifeng with all of my heart. Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix broke me in two. I was worried that this one wouldn't live up to the incredible world-building and character arcs I've come to know and love. I didn't have to worry. The characters were incredible, and while the story featured some throwbacks to the former two novels - this one was made clearly about the main characters with a unique journey and additional worldbuilding we hadn't seen before. It was absolutely enchanting and the character growth trajectory was flawless as ever. Dao is incredible at keeping the plot interesting and keeping you guessing at a few things until the very end, and this was no exception. There were a few ways the end of this could have gone and I think she chose the perfect one. This book sealed the deal that I will be reading every book that Julie C. Dao writes. While many authors have a strength in world-building or in character-building, it often sways heavily in one direction - but this author has created a perfect combination which are always the most immersive stories. This was lovely to read.
Well, this one knocked it out of the park. I'd love to say there are remnants of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mulan in this one but to be honest, I'd say while Dao's Universe started as a Snow White retelling, by this point it's entirely her own, and for the better. I adored Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Xifeng with all of my heart. Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix broke me in two. I was worried that this one wouldn't live up to the incredible world-building and character arcs I've come to know and love. I didn't have to worry. The characters were incredible, and while the story featured some throwbacks to the former two novels - this one was made clearly about the main characters with a unique journey and additional worldbuilding we hadn't seen before. It was absolutely enchanting and the character growth trajectory was flawless as ever. Dao is incredible at keeping the plot interesting and keeping you guessing at a few things until the very end, and this was no exception. There were a few ways the end of this could have gone and I think she chose the perfect one. This book sealed the deal that I will be reading every book that Julie C. Dao writes. While many authors have a strength in world-building or in character-building, it often sways heavily in one direction - but this author has created a perfect combination which are always the most immersive stories. This was lovely to read.