Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

By: Julie C. Dao

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

The Wrath and the Dawn meets Snow White and the Huntsman in this dark and mystical East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress.

"A richly developed fantasy world . . . Julie C. Dao is a talent to watch."—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her.

Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high? Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with both breathtaking pain and beauty, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns possesses all the hallmarks of masterful fantasy: dazzling magic, heartbreaking romance, and a world that hangs in the balance. Fans of Heartless, Stealing Snow, and Red Queen will devour this stunning debut.

Praise for Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"A richly developed fantasy world coupled with an ambitious anti-heroine of complex agency, this story shines and surprises at every turn. Julie C. Dao is a talent to watch."—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites

★ "A masterful reimagining of the early life of Snow White’s Evil Queen."—Booklist, starred review★ "Lushly written . . . tantalizing reading."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Rich in detail and full of gore and blood, this dark novel will satisfy ‘Game of Thrones’ fans."—School Library Journal
“A stunning reimagining of the Evil Queen. Filled with treacherous courtesans, dark magic, terrible choices, and bloody hearts, Julie Dao’s exquisite take on this classic villain rises far above the average retelling.”—Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval

“Magnetic, seductive, and alluring, Dao’s Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a lush, captivating read about desire and the lengths to which we will go to find our true destiny.”—S. Jae-Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong

Great if you love political climbing stories!

If you love stories about people scraping their way through the political machinations of a monarchy, this is wonder. Beautifully written and told. Set in a Chinese influenced nation with rich folklore and mythological beings playing into the main action. This story is ultimately not my cup of tea, but that is no knock on the quality of this story. The performance is fantastic and i really enjoyed the reader.

A thrilling epic fantasy intertwined with political intrigue and Asian folklore.

I was very pleasantly surprised by how thrilling this story is! Could not stop and finished the book within 2 days. Starting book 2 immediately! The best books are those that prompt me to create the visual world in my mind’s eye. The narrator was also excellent voicing various characters. Highly recommend!

Wow. Just wow.

Such a massively entertaining story. Based (?) on Snow White, it was fun trying to see which characters would be which and Ms. Dao does a fantastic job of investing you in every single character even with all the twists and turns and even after you figure out who the "bad" guys are.

I so cannot wait for the sequel.

The narrator does a great job with all the different characters. Even tho she doesn't have even close to a "masculine" voice she pulls off every character with just inflection and great character acting.

Can't wait for book 2!!!!

I loved this book. The story slowly unfolds and reveals the twisted underbelly of what greed can do a person's soul.

Gripping, Dark, and Lovely!

The best flawed character that I couldn't stop rooting for. Then, I felt guilty that I rooted for her and wanted someone to stop her. And then I thought, yes this is her destiny, let her succeed. And then... Yes, this was a story that had my emotions all over the place. Gripping. Dark. And lovely...indeed!