Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix

By: Julie C. Dao

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

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 Lanternsfinally 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.

*Includes a Bonus PDF of the cast of characters

Praise for Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix:

"A grand adventure for fans of fairy tales, fables, and legends coupled with the vibrant history of Chinese dynasties." --Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Forest of a Thousand Lanterns:

"A richly developed fantasy world coupled with an ambitious antiheroine of complex agency, this story shines and surprises at every turn. Julie C. Dao is a talent to watch."--Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites

* "This novel will trap readers in a lush, dangerously dark, and often beautiful world from which they will want no escape."--Booklist, starred review

* "A fascinating examination of destiny, responsibility, and how choices shape a person."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Rich in detail and full of gore and blood, this dark novel will satisfy Game of Thrones fans."--School Library Journal

"Dark, lush, and intense, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns draws you into a world filled with mystery and intrigue. . . . A stunning debut!"--Cindy Pon, author of Wantand Serpentine

"An enchanting debut with a powerful and ambitious lead."--Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost

"Magnetic, seductive, and alluring, Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a lush, captivating read."--S. Jae-Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong

"Equal parts lush and devastating, this is a tale that will grab you by the throat."--Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

"Julie C. Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is delicious, addicting, and breathtaking, a book you fall into from the first page to the last. Her rich world is thick with wonder, intrigue, and delightful darkness."--Dhonielle Clayton, author of The Belles and coauthor of the Tiny Pretty Things series

Absolutely lives up the first

PLEASE READ

I LOVED the MC in this story.
In the first book, we see the rise of Xie Fung and for me, I actually came to like her a lot even though she was slowly getting twisted. In this book, we see exactly want Xie Fung wanted and how the court has completely ruined her from what she used to be and the snake god messing with her. In the end, I still loved her character.

'Now, the MC, her two friends, and their search for artifacts, I love some quest stories, and I fully enjoyed the adventure they went on and the problems that had to face, especially with those damn snakes and the head eunuch.
I hated Xie Fung, though still loved her because of the love I had for in the first book and I don't think I could actually dislike her...
Jade was a wonderful, strong MC for the story.

The narrator was so lovely, as always.

A Lush Part 2 of Snow White Reimagined

Between the utter gorgeous prose and the masterful reading by Kim Mai Guest, this was a book I was hard pressed to leave. Who needs to work or sleep anyway? Every character is so prefectly crafted you fall in love with every one; every character is full of nuance and dimension, even if that character only appears for a short time. Not a single word is wasted in this story and Ms. Guest's reading makes you feel every last one.

Not as good as book 1 but still ok

I love Forest of a Thousand Lanterns! It was one of my favorite books last year. So I went into this one with high expectations. Sadly, I thought it was kind of boring in comparison. It read like a side quest in an rpg. It also read MUCH younger than FOTL. I would feel comfortable giving this to a middle grade reader, so I'm also not the intended reader for it. That said, the imagery was gorgeous! Julie Dao is terrific at world building! I think my main problem was the plot. I never questioned that the main girl would Do The Thing. It was just a matter of how. The characters were a little flat too. Everyone was all the way good or wall the way bad, without the depth that FOTL had.
If you have a reader who is too young for FOTL, give them this one until they mature enough for FOTL, which is significantly darker. If you read FOTL and were hoping for more of the same, you might be a bit disappointed. I hate to say this because I love Julie Dao and follow her on Twitter. I know she worked really hard for this one. It just didn't resonate with me the way I wanted it to.