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
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
★ "A
masterful
reimagining of the early life of Snow White’s Evil Queen.
"—Booklist,
starred review
★ "
Lushly written
. . .
tantalizing
reading."
—Publishers Weekly,
"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 treachero's 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,
Caraval
“
Magnetic, seductive, and alluring
, Dao’s
is a lush, captivating read about desire and the lengths to which we will go to find our true destiny.”—S. Jae-Jones,
Wintersong