Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix

Rise of the Empress, Book 2

By: Julie C. Dao

Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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 listeners won't soon forget.

Fans of Stealing Snow, Red Queen, and The Wrath and the Dawn will hungrily devour this pause-resisting audiobook.

*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)

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Julie C. Dao (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix broke my heart and filled it, all at once. In the process, Julie C. Dao has turned a well-worn tale into something thrilling and new. Ornate, tender, and magical. I could not put this book down.” (Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Beasts Made of Night and Crown of Thunder)

“A lush, enchanting tale of magic, myth, and absolute courage. At once gorgeously woven and deliciously gruesome, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a thrilling end to a series that feels like a classic in its own right.” (Natalie Mae, author of The Kinder Poison)

“Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the stunning counterpoint to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. A refreshing take on the classic heroine, and an adventure of stories nestled within stories, this is a book fairytale lovers will tuck among their most beloved treasures.” (Emily X.R. Pan, New York Times best-selling author of The Astonishing Color of After)

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.