julie c. dao – The Nocturnal Fey

[PH Blog Tour] Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao ARC Review + Giveaway

Erika — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 04:00:03 +0000

Title: Kingdom of The Blazing Phoenix
Series: Rise of the Empress #2
Author: Julie C. Dao
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: November 6th 2018
Format: ARC
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
ISBN13: 9781524738327

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 the Rise of the Empress novels.

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.

REVIEW

WHAT A JOURNEY!

These are the only words that left my mouth after reading Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix.

I already expected the vast contrast between Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, and Julie C. Dao’s first book, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It was like day and night, and I mean it in a really good way.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns came with mostly dark and gory vibe in it, considering that it is a reimagining of the Evil Queen. On the contrary, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is filled with colors and extravagant visuals, and otherworldly adventures that will always leave you on edge.

Read: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao Book Review

Ancient East Asian setting

I’ve said this a lot of times on many of my book reviews that features any historical setting, but I will keep saying it. I love historical settings and I specifically love Asian historical settings the MOST!

I used to only watch historical Korean dramas or what they call Sageuk dramas, but early this year, I got so interested in Chinese dramas which led me to explore more, and there I found myself falling in love with Wuxia dramas – literally translated as “martial heroes” – or adventures of martial heroes in ancient China. It is basically like the Chinese version of Sageuk dramas, but more flying and martial arts.

If you love Wuxia, you’re going to fall head over heels with the Rise of the Empress duology. Not only with the premise, but also with all the political substance and fantasy adventures.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix also reminded me of Fushigi Yuugi. Princess Jade was on her quest to find different relics in order to defeat our dear Xifeng, just like how Miaka was on her quest with her celestial warriors to find the Shinzaho artifacts in order to summon Suzaku, the phoenix guardian.

Likely so, there are plenty of magical and supernatural events in this journey.

Related article: Four Celestial Emblems (Chinese mythology)

Far Eastern inspiration

Well, to be very honest, I know nothing about the folktales of the Far East, but reading this book made me do a lot of research. And when I say a lot, I really mean A LOT. I dedicated hours of reading tales, as well as historical backgrounds of different East Asian empires. It was crazy fun!

This one is basically the tale of the Dragon Lord and the Serpent God’s battle to overtake and control an empire. Again, I know nothing about Far Eastern folktales, but one this is for sure – you’ll get to picture some amazazzing dragon and celestial guardians.

A fun adventure

I really love Asian fantasy adventures, and I specifically love those that are meant to be read in a very detailed and leisurely manner like you’re in an adventure as well.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix can either be read fast, because YOU. JUST. CAN’T. STOP. Or you’ll read it leisurely – like I did – because you want to absorb each and every detail of the goddamn book!

Not only that, but also because this book imprints a very scenic imagery in my head that I can’t help but do sketches on my ARC while reading.

So behold….

SPOILER ART

The crew

There’s no fun adventure without good companions. With Princess Jade on are her loving and trustworthy friends, Wren and Koichi. The chemistry between the three is immeasurable. Along the way, they also gathered additional companions that completed the journey.

I always tend to lean on having a supporting character as my favorite on most of my reading cases because many supporting characters are usually the level-headed and most likable ones. But with Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, there’s no doubt that Princess Jade is my favorite among the troop.

Princess Jade is calm and collective; she’s smart and she thinks before doing something rash or irrational. When she first met Xifeng, I always applaud her for her logical and rational behavior while around Xifeng. And even with her kind and demure nature, she has her inner kick-ass spirit.

AND I LOVE THAT.

Final verdict

Having Jade was a total 360 degree turn from our wicked Xifeng. I had a love and hate relationship with Xifeng and just rightfully so. If I am to read a book with anti-heroine, I must be given something that really screams “ANTI-HEROINE”, and Xifeng is definitely THAT unforgiving one. Having Xifeng’s dark and profoundly malevolent nature through and through has highlighted Jade’s pure and virtuous moral standards.

It’s that great.

Also, compared to Forest of A Thousand Lanterns, I personally think that Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a lot easier to read. It can be because FoaTL has an unconventional premise (in a good way!) to it, or maybe simply because Dao’s writing has tremendously improved.

Either way, Julie C. Dao has succeeded into taking me in an extraordinary adventure, and that’s all that matters.

PS, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a companion novel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. It can be read even without reading the predecessor book.

Disclaimer: The Royal Polar Bear Reads and I organized a PH blog tour for Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix. I received an ARC from Penguin Random House International in exchange for an honest review in participation for blog tour. This doesn’t affect my opinion of the book in this review in any way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie C. Dao

Julie C. Dao (www.juliedao.com) is a proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York. She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite. By day, she worked in science news and research; by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is her debut novel. Julie lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes..

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

November 5th
Erika – The Nocturnal Fey (Review)
Rafael – The Royal Polar Bear Reads (Review)
Soleil – Queen Soleil (Review)

November 6th
Jennilyn – Rurouni Jenni Reads (Review)
Erica Mae – Living a Hundred Lives (Review)
Jen – Jen D Bibliophile (Promo post)

November 7th
Camille – Camillea Reads (Review)
Bianca – The Ultimate Fangirl (Review)
Vivian – Vanilla Angel Pages (Promo post)

November 8th
Myrth – Cliste Bella (Review)
Jenny – Levicorpvs Blog (Review)
Dani – dmcireads (Promo post)

November 9th
Shaine – Wanderer in Neverland (Review)
Leslie – Bibliophilekid (Review)

November 10th
Joel – Descendant of Poseidon Reads (Review)
Jon – Wander with Jon (Review)
Karina – Afire Pages (Promo Post)

Tour organized by The Royal Polar Bear Reads and The Nocturnal Fey

The post [PH Blog Tour] Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao ARC Review + Giveaway appeared first on The Nocturnal Fey.

PH Blog Tour Sign-Up: Kingdom of The Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao

Erika — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 16:00:23 +0000

Title: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix
Series: Rise of the Empress
Author: Julie C. Dao
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Pages: 384

Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this page-turning read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julie C. Dao

THE BLOG TOUR

The Royal Polar Bear Reads and I have partnered with Penguin Random House to host a PH blog tour for Julie C. Dao’s forthcoming book, Kingdom of The Blazing Phoenix.

The tour will run from November 5th to November 10th 2018 with two (2) review blog stops, and 1 to 2 promo stops each day. Physical copies will be sent to reviewers prior to the tour date. You must agree to the terms and conditions upon signing up to the tour. This includes shouldering shipping expenses, taking extra care of the copies, posting on time, sharing on social media and including the giveaway Rafflecopter on your post (check complete details on the sign-up form).

This is open to Philippine-resident book bloggers only. There will be a total of twelve (12) review stops and eight (8) promotional stops for the tour, including my blog and Raf’s. There’s no guarantee in having a spot since there’s only limited stops and physical copies. If you’re not chosen, please don’t get discourage because there will be more blog tours in the future.:)

The sign-up will close on September 23rd or until there are enough sign-ups.

For interested bloggers, fill up the form below.

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BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

November 5th
Erika – The Nocturnal Fey (Review)
Rafael – The Royal Polar Bear Reads (Review)
Soleil – Queen Soleil (Review)

November 6th
Jennilyn – Rurouni Jenni Reads (Review)
Erica Mae – Living a Hundred Lives (Review)
Jen – Jen D Bibliophile (Promo post)

November 7th
Camille – Camillea Reads (Review)
Bianca – The Ultimate Fangirl (Review)
Vivian – Vanilla Angel Pages (Promo post)

November 8th
Myrth – Cliste Bella (Review)
Jenny – Levicorpvs Blog (Review)
Dani – dmcireads (Promo post)

November 9th
Shaine – Wanderer in Neverland (Review)
Leslie – Bibliophilekid (Review)

November 10th
Joel – Descendant of Poseidon Reads (Review)
Jon – Wander with Jon (Review)
Karina – Afire Pages (Promo Post)

The post PH Blog Tour Sign-Up: Kingdom of The Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao appeared first on The Nocturnal Fey.

PH Blog Tour: Forest of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao [Review + PH Giveaway]

Erika — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 05:31:57 +0000

Title: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1)
Author: Julie C. Dao
Genre: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult
Publisher: Philomel Books
Release Date: October 10th 2017

* BLURB *

An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

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.

* Buy Links *

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Book Depository

* REVIEW *

Disclaimer: This is part of the PH-based blog tour for Forest of a Thousand Lanterns that I have organized . Huge thanks to Penguin Random House International for providing a copy for review. This didn’t affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Don’t get fooled by the cover. Because behind the vibrant color and pretty cover, is a dark and twisted tale that will keep you under the spell.

With so much fuss and excitement surrounding Forest of a Thousand Lanterns pre-release, I was afraid that I might end up not liking it, being mainstream and all. To be very honest, I was a little skeptical when I picked this book. I’ve never really read a full-blown anti-heroine novel before. But I’ve always wanted to read a story told from the point-of-view of a villain. Like a real, cunning, and unforgiving villain.

And ya’ll! Julie C. Dao certainly didn’t disappoint with her Evil Queen reimagining! This is nothing like anything I have read in recent years.

Forest of A Thousand Lanterns tells the story of Xifeng (pronounced as SHE-fung), an eighteen-year-old beautiful lady from a poor town. She lives with her aunt, Guma, who reads her cards and tells her what the future has for her. Her stars say that she’s destined for something big, and that’s to be the Empress of Feng Lu. At first, Xifeng didn’t believe her aunt’s readings about her future. But she later decided to fulfill this destiny, at first for her aunt, but eventually for herself. This is where her story begins.

I want to mean something to a great deal of people. I am tired of being no one. As Empress, I would have the right to choose for myself. Guma could not command me, and Wei would not own me.

I love so many things about this book.

From the East Asian historical setting (I will talk a lot about this later), to the plot, and the characters. BUT I also hated some things about it, and in a good way. You know, this is an anti-heroine novel. So, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to loath Xifeng – an anti-heroine – at some points for her villainous and ruthless deeds. But at the same time, I love her in a lot of ways. Does that make any sense? I HATE HOW MUCH I LOVE HER.

I have no words for Julie C. Dao’s writing style. It was a bit slow for me at first, but after a few chapters, I can hardly put the book down. Reading this book will give you a great feeling of lush. Her words are super rich and very exquisite.

Isn’t’ it better to give up a fraction of your freedom to gain tenfold in happiness, even for a short time?

I personally love watching Sageuk Korean dramas – these are the k-dramas set in the historical period of South Korea. And I love reading mangas set in the historical Chinese and Japanese Imperial and feudal periods. I find East Asian historical periods highly fascinating, so when I found out that Forest of A Thousand Lanterns is in East Asian historical fantasy setting, the excitement just doubled.

I mean, East Asia? Historical period? Fantasy?

By this time, I already know that I will be blessed with an amazing world building. Julie C. Dao proved how right I am! The imperial setting and the Great Forest were exceptional. It was really like watching an East Asian historical movie or drama. Even the descriptions of clothes, the ornaments, and the accessories on people – these are all on point. The world-building is highly rich and luxurious.

The characters

Cast of characters were mentioned at the beginning of the book before the story, and there are plenty of them. However, some of these characters are nearly non-existent in the actual story. Like the 2nd, and 3rd princes. This is probably the only main drawback for me – the share of exposures of the characters.

While I love how focused the story is to Xifeng and her ways to achieve her goals, I think some characters also have a lot of potential to be included more in the picture. And I hope that it will happen in the next book. But overall, I love how diverse, and complex the characters are. I love how Xifeng made a great deal of development from a normal town girl, to a ruthless one she aimed to be.

Kang is a bit more predictable character, but he is very effective and important to the story. He actually reminds me of the popular Game of Thrones eunuch, Lord Varys, for some reasons. It might be only me though. Lol

She was a monster, a bride of the darkness, and she rose to face her destiny as though it were the blood-red sunrise of a new day.

Truly dark one.

One of the things I love the most in Forest of A Thousand Lanterns is how Julie C. Dao made it possible to beautifully merge extravagance and gore in one picture. Yes, GORE. There are gory scenes in this book, and Julie C. Dao didn’t restrain for all its glory.

Overall, I made the right decision to start with this book upon getting into some anti-heroine reads. Is it worth it? Totally! I am so happy that I chose this book for the first ever blog tour that I’m hosting. It is such an honor. Truly. I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK.

The ending of this first book is not really a cliffhanger. But it’s an ending that will still make you look forward for the next book. A lot. So, this is me right now.

* About The Author *

Julie C. Dao (www.juliedao.com) is a proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York. She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite. By day, she worked in science news and research; by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is her debut novel. Julie lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.

Author Links

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