Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix
Ratings4
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings4
Average rating3.3
This fairy tale retelling lives in a mystical world inspired by the Far East, where the Dragon Lord and the Serpent God battle for control of the earthly realm; it is here that the flawed heroine of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns finally meets her match. An epic fantasy finale to that breathtaking and dazzling story. Princess Jade has grown up in exile, hidden away in a monastery while her stepmother, the ruthless Xifeng, rules as Empress of Feng Lu. But the empire is in distress and its people are sinking into poverty and despair. Even though Jade doesn't want the crown, she knows she is the only one who can dethrone the Empress and set the world right. Ready to reclaim her place as rightful heir, Jade embarks on a quest to raise the Dragon Lords and defeat Xifeng and the Serpent God once and for all. But will the same darkness that took Xifeng take Jade, too? Or will she find the strength within to save herself, her friends, and her empire? Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with breathtaking pain and beauty, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is filled with dazzling magic, powerful prose, and characters readers won't soon forget. Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this page-turning read. Praise for Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix: “There aren’t many authors who could so precisely undo their first book with their second, but it is this clever unweaving that shows Dao’s brilliance and skill. With heart-stopping action and wonderful new characters, this is not a sequel to be missed.” —EK Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author “A lush, enchanting tale of magic, myth, and absolute courage. At once gorgeously woven and deliciously gruesome, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a thrilling end to a series that feels like a classic in its own right.” —Natalie Mae, author of The Kinder Poison “Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the stunning counterpoint to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. A refreshing take on the classic heroine, and an adventure of stories nestled within stories, this is a book fairytale lovers will tuck among their most beloved treasures.” —Emily X.R. Pan, New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After “Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix broke my heart and filled it, all at once. In the process, Julie C. Dao has turned a well-worn tale into something thrilling and new. Ornate, tender, and magical. I could not put this book down.” —Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night and Crown of Thunder “Beautifully written and masterfully told, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix feels at once timeless and entirely new . . . I loved it with my whole heart.” —Margaret Rogerson, New York Times bestselling author of An Enchantment of Ravens “Utterly brilliant in every way, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the perfect follow-up to Julie C. Dao’s debut. This is the dark fantasy I've been waiting for, and I can't get enough!” —Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Give the Dark My Love "A grand adventure for fans of fairy tales, fables, and legends coupled with the vibrant history of Chinese dynasties."—Kirkus Reviews * "A top purchase for most fantasy collections." --School Library Journal, starred review
Series
2 primary books3 released booksRise of the Empress is a 3-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2017 with contributions by Julie C. Dao.
Reviews with the most likes.
This is the sequel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, and where Forest was about the rise of the Empress - or the evil stepmother from Snow White - this book is solidly about Snow White. Or Jade, in this case. I enjoyed Forest, but Kingdom is spectacular! It's hard to like Xifeng in Forest, where she continually makes the decisions that drag her deeper into the evil god's clutches. Jade, however, is sweet and determined and loyal and good. She is easy to love, and worthy of it. We see a few characters from the first book coming back to help Jade in her quest, and I loved seeing how they had grown in the intervening years.
I do feel like the romantic storyline was kind of shoehorned in. Jade falls in love with no real reason for it. We don't see what's so fantastic about her love interest, he isn't shown as doing anything outstanding, he's just kind of there and the first male person she's spent time with. I get why he fell in love with Jade, Jade is amazing. He's just so bland. So that felt a little odd.
I did enjoy the magic cloak and the quest and the final battle. The scene between Ming and Xifeng at the end was absolutely heartbreaking and made me love Ming even more. He might be my favorite character from both books.
Bottom line, this is an excellent sequel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, and I think it's better than the first book. You could probably read it without reading Forest, but some of the reveals won't mean nearly as much, and you'll miss all the background that makes Xifeng so interesting.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
This book feels like pure suffering, which makes me sad because of how much I loved [b:Forest of a Thousand Lanterns 33958230 Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress, #1) Julie C. Dao https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496338822s/33958230.jpg 53186285]. Xifeng was an interesting protagonist, but even though I knew Jade would be nothing like Xifeng, she still ends up boring me to tears and I had to put the book down repeatedly just so I can find the motivation to keep up with her.First of all, it takes like 40% of the book just for the main plot to start. Before that, it feels like a really long introduction. So once Jade gets out of the palace it should be more interesting, right?N O P E.The rest of the book, aside from the finale and epilogue, is filled with Jade's journey and folktale-based side quests, and they all feel so rushed and forced. It's like reading an RPG event progression list. Done with side quest #1, time to move on to take side quest #2, and so on. It makes the pacing feel really, really weird, and yet somehow there was still room to squeeze in some romance that is on the level of sweetness that'd give you toothache.Okay, I understand this is a Snow White retelling and so Jade needs a prince who can wake her up with his kiss when Xifeng inevitably screws her over, but it still feels really forced. The journey part noticeably got cut to make room for the romance, which ends up making both feel lacking instead.Also, Jade. She is such a ball of everything that is good and nice, and that is the main reason of me not enjoying the story too much. There were attempts to give her depth as a person when she feels rage towards Xifeng and her lackeys, but still when it comes down to it, she's just... so pure, so good, so kind-hearted it's kinda annoying. This is like a story of The Chosen One that I might've enjoyed in a classic RPG, but not here. And not when the protagonist is a Disney Princess.I read this for Xifeng, and finally saw that Xifeng got a fitting (albeit anticlimactic) end to her story. That part was nice. The rest I didn't enjoy.
