Julie C. Dao

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie Dao is an East Asian fantasy that is loosely based on the fairy tale of Snow White. In this version we meet the young girl who is going to become the evil queen. Xifeng has been raised by her aunt with one destiny in mind, to go to the capital and enchant the Emperor and become his Empress. She feels that she is destined for greatness but first she must embrace the darkness inside of her.

She becomes a waiting lady to the current Empress who looks upon show more her as a daughter. Through magic and trickery she manages to kill the current two favorite concubines of the emperor, she eats their hearts and the magic this generates enhances her beauty and she develops a craving for blood. Although she doesn’t kill the current Empress, she stands aside while her friend and assistant slowly poisons her.

This is the first book of two and ends with her marriage to the Emperor and her crowning as Empress. She feels that she has reached her destiny and her future is secure. She doesn’t spare a thought for the young daughter, White Jade, that the first Empress has left behind.

Combining this fairy tale with the mythology of the East has generated a twisted, exciting tale. Xifeng is full of dark jealousy and a craving for power. She is obsessed by her beauty yet at times I found her quite sympathetic. She is under the control of a very dark god who requires nothing less than absolute power and control. I am looking forward to the second book as I am sure it’s going to get darker and nastier. show less

Literary Merit: Excellent
Characterization: Excellent
Recommended: Yes
Level: Middle or High School

I had a feeling when I first picked this book up that I would really like it, and it certainly did not disappoint! In the Author’s Note at the end, Dao mentions being heavily inspired by both Disney and classic fairy tales, and I think it really shows in this work. While reading, I caught many references to classic fairy tales, which almost felt like little Easter eggs for fairy tale nerds like show more myself. The book also focused on a strong female friendship, which I thought was excellent, and kept me wanting more as I read.

Broken Wish focuses on a few characters, but begins with a friendship between a young woman named Agnes and a witch named Mathilda. The year is 1848, and Agnes and her husband have just moved to the small town of Hanau, Germany, where they hope to make a new start. Agnes is quick to befriend the local witch Mathilda, but soon realizes that the witch has been completely ostracized by the other members of the town for pulling several pranks on those who have harmed her. Mathilda, learning that Agnes wishes to have a child, offers to give her a potion to help her conceive, but asks for her continued support and friendship in return. Agnes’s husband, however, fears they will also be ostracized by the townsfolk, and begs his wife to end the friendship as soon as she takes the potion. Agnes reluctantly agrees, and eventually Mathilda moves deep into the North Woods where normal humans dare not to tread.

As punishment for her broken promise, Agnes’s daughter Elva discovers she has powers of her own at a very young age, having the ability to peer into reflective surfaces and see the future. Though her parents have begged her to hide her magic for fear of what the townspeople will do to her, Elva shares this knowledge with her fiancé Willem, who appears to accept her for who she is. When Elva discovers the letters Mathilda wrote to her mother, she seeks out the witch in the North Woods to make amends... and to ask for the witch’s help in controlling her fledgling powers. Will their friendship be enough to break the curse on Elva’s family, or will doom and gloom follow wherever they go due to Agnes’s broken promise?

Like I said before, this book is full of fun references to fairy tales, from the glass coffin at the end of the book to the bright red shoes and enchanted mirror that Mathilda give to Elva. While I’ll admit I’m not an expert on fairy tales, I picked up on quite a few little Easter eggs throughout, and loved that this book felt like reading a classic fairy tale. While it initially seems to be historical fantasy (based on the 1800s German setting), I was relieved to see that no actual history plays a part in the story. The Grimm brothers are mentioned briefly near the beginning of the story, but this book requires no previous historical knowledge to properly understand, which I appreciated.

I also loved the strong theme of female friendship throughout, as YA is a genre in which more female friendships are desperately needed. While Agnes eventually chooses popularity over her friendship, Elva forms a deep bond with Mathilda, strengthened by the way they are both judged and ostracized from society for their magical abilities. While Elva is able to blend in by hiding her powers, Mathilda refuses to do so, choosing to be herself rather than conforming to societal norms. In this way, much of this story seems like a feminist take on fairy tales, as one woman chooses to be independent while the other sees the best in everyone. Both characters are strong in their own ways, and form a sort of “opposites attract” friendship throughout the story.

Another thing this story handles well is the romance. While I initially rooted for Willem and Elva, Willem slowly reveals his true colors as the story progresses. Continuing with the feminist theme, Willem turns out to be using Elva for her abilities, threatening to out her to the entire town if she refuses to marry him and go along with his “circus scheme.” Willem, like the rest of the people in this small town, view any woman who is different as a dangerous threat, reminiscent of real historical events like the Salem Witch Trials. In the end, Elva stands up for herself, realizing that not everyone in her life has the best intentions as she previously thought. As a whole, the story focuses much more on the family relationships and friendships Elva develops than the romance, which is a refreshing change in fantasy YA.

Speaking of familial relationships, I found Elva’s relationship to her younger brother Cay to be extremely sweet and touching. Cay is extremely supportive of his older sister, viewing her magic as a gift and wanting to help her explore it further. Throughout the book, he expresses interest in finding a magical wishing well to improve their situation, while also begging Elva to share her secrets with him. In the end, it is fear for Cay’s safety that leads Elva to break her own promise with Mathilda, setting off a chain of events that alter the entire story. This utter devotion to family was both realistic and touching, and I love that a lot of the focus was put on this aspect of Elva’s life. Cay is living proof that someone who is different can find unconditional love, and I’m excited to see where his story leads in future books.

Though Elva’s ultimate fate is a tragic one (though I hope this might change in future books), I admired her decision to take matters into her own hands and shape her own destiny. In the end, both she and Mathilda choose to be unapologetically themselves, though they do so in different ways. Mathilda prefers to self-isolate and keep to herself, while Elva longs to use her abilities to help people and walk among society. Elva takes a lot of agency in her own life throughout this story, which is awesome to see from a female character living in the 1800s. While I hope Mathilda and Cay are able to resurrect her in future books, I found her arc to be extremely satisfying, and love her as a strong female character. The story appears to be hinting at more, as this is the first in a series, so I will wait with baited breath to see where this story goes next.

I would recommend this book to fans of both fantasy and fairy tales, especially those who love strong female protagonists and healthy female friendships in literature. It’s fun, well-written, and suspenseful, and I found myself really rooting for these characters as the story progressed. Best of all, this book is devoid of any foul language or sexual content, making it a good pick for younger teens as well. I look forward to seeing what Julie Dao writes next, as this book was a delight from beginning to end. show less

TW: physical abuse

In short, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is the origin story of the evil Queen from “Snow White,” set in an East Asian inspired fantasy world. So if a YA fantasy with a complex anti-heroine at it’s center sounds like you’re sort of thing, then you should really read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns.

Xifeng is beautiful, and she knows her appearance is her most important attribute. For her aunt tells her that she has a destiny: Xifeng is to become Empress, and her beauty show more must be her way to the top. But her path to the top will require more than just a pretty face. Xifeng must draw upon her determination, wits, and a dark magic taught to her by her aunt that requires her to eat the hearts of creatures she kills. Will Xifeng succumb to the darkness within her?

While I ask that as a question, the answer is fairly obvious once you realize the fairy tale origin of the book. There’s an inevitability to Xifeng’s moral fall that doesn’t make her story any less compelling. I love a good antiheroine, and unfortunately they’re all too thin on the ground. Xifeng is a wonderful addition, and if I was rewriting my list of best SFF antiheroines, she’d make it on there. She’s sort of like Diora from Michelle West’s Sun Sword books but gone to the dark side. The way she’s weaponized hyper-femininity is really interesting.

I did wish the book had more positive relationships between women, but I also understand why it didn’t. This is a villain’s origin story about the evil queen of Snow White. Of course she doesn’t get along with other women. They’re all in competition for “fairest of them all,” at least in Xifeng’s mind. Given that this is a first in a series, I’m hoping that we’ll see more friendships between female characters in other books. I have no illusions; I’m sure Xifeng will be the villain of the sequels, and it will probably be painful to watch.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns isn’t super fast paced, and there’s not a whole lot of action. The events of the story are more subtle, barring some heart eating that is. For all that, I still had a hard time putting it down. There’s something captivating about this book. It’s obvious that Xifeng will fall to her darkest impulses, but the entire time I was rooting for her to fight it and become the person I thought she was capable of. It’s really impressive that Dao’s achieved this level of characterization and got me to invest so strongly in Xifeng.

Least you think Xifeng and her character arc are the only draw to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, the world building was splendid as well. Dao creates a world that draws upon East Asian cultures, and she brings it vividly to life. After the opening chapters, the story eventually finds its home in the women’s quarters of the imperial palace, a luxurious setting that I actually haven’t seen much of in fantasy fiction (perhaps surprising, perhaps not). Anyway, I can tell Dao put a lot of work into the creation of the world, and I can’t wait to see how she expands it in the sequels.

Because I’m certainly going to be reading the sequels. How could I not? Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was such a strong start, and I’d love to see where Dao takes the rest of the series.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page. show less

This story is for readers who want to see a MC slowly succumbing to the dark side. Xifeng is a poor, beautiful girl who has a terribly toxic relationship with her aunt, Guma. It’s tough to see how manipulative her aunt is, but it’s the push she needs to start her journey. I won’t lie, it’s somewhat entertaining to see how Xifeng begins to pull the puppet strings of those around her. She starts playing chess with anyone who gets in her way.

I’m on the fence on whether I want to read show more the next book. Keep in mind, the beginning of this story is rather slow, and we get introduced to some characters who barely have any presence yet we’re supposed to feel for them. But I enjoyed my reading experience so far. show less