Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Review

**Thank you to the PENGUIN GROUP and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review. 5 beautiful stars!!! I seriously cannot get over how amazing this book was. I don't even know where to begin honestly. This has got to be one of my all-time favourites for this year. To get a clearer idea of what I mean, let me elaborate further. Firstly, I loved how Julie Dao melded Asian elements with the retelling of the story of the Evil Queen. The origin story, in itself, was phenomenally depicted. It was atmospheric, bloody, gory and very dark. I liked how she didn't water it down to make it palatable for a YA audience. The worldbuilding was gorgeous from Xifeng's humble beginnings to the opulent setting of the Kingdom of the Great Forest. The world was very immersive and I loved reading about all the intricate details from the fine clothing to the more grimmer parts. I also loved the history of the world and the aspects regarding the various Kingdoms, the gods along with the culture. Everything was beautifully explained which gave the book an enchanting feel. Secondly, I loved the story of Xifeng. As the MC, we see the atrocities she faces and how she tries to overcome them. However, we also see the conflict she faces as she turns to her evil ways. The book is centered around beauty, envy, and revenge. I liked how the author delved deep into how the character dealt with these issues and how her upbringing influenced her actions. From the outset, we can see that Xifeng craved a sense of belonging but the antagonists in her life from her Guma to other minor characters molded her into the person she would become. Although she has a strong personality, her misconceptions of beauty and her blindness to her destiny sees her making some seriously dark choices. However, I really enjoyed reading how her character devolved into the Evil Queen. Thirdly, I also enjoyed how the romance was portrayed as well. The focus was more on destiny and character development. So, that aspect was rather fleeting and not at the center of the novel. But from Xifeng's relationship with Wei, we can a better image of who she is as a person. There's a girl there who is capable of loving but the thirst for power seems to outweigh this. The emotive language in the story is very raw. Thusly, the character of Xifeng becomes even more relatable. However, the element of love holds a deeper meaning and is meshed with the sense of belonging and being accepted. The book also picks up on abusive relationships and bullying. These scenes can be quite distressing, however, they were essential in revealing Xifeng's overarching story. Lastly, the way in which the court politics was mentioned was also extensively detailed. As a reader, we get a vivid picture of how things really happen. The book is based on the darkest nature of people and shows how the actions of a few can have devastating effects on the psyche of another. The novel has plenty of action and sentimental moments as well. The plot reveals and devices were shocking but made story progression natural. The structure of the novel, on the whole, made for an easy read regardless of its heavy topics. Julie Dao is a wonderful wordsmith and storyteller. I relished every word in this book. I most definitely look forward to reading the sequel to see how Xifeng's story unfolds. I would recommend this book to lovers of YA fantasy and those who love novels with a darker edge.

#darkfantasy #fairytale #retellings #youngadult #Asianinspired #JulieDao