Imatge de l'autor

Julie C. Dao

Autor/a de Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

10+ obres 1,301 Membres 37 Ressenyes

Sobre l'autor

Inclou aquests noms: Julie C. Dao, C. Dao, Julie

Sèrie

Obres de Julie C. Dao

Obres associades

Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For (2023) — Col·laborador — 26 exemplars

Etiquetat

Coneixement comú

Data de naixement
20th century
Gènere
female
Nacionalitat
USA
Lloc de naixement
New York, USA
Llocs de residència
New England, USA
Agent
Tamar Rydzinski [literary]
Jon Cassir [film/TV] (CAA)
Biografia breu
Julie C. Dao is a Vietnamese-American author for teens and children.

Membres

Ressenyes

A solid debut and part one of a duology (I accidentally started this series by reading the followup novella that takes place AFTER both whoops). Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is the origin story for the evil queen in what I assume will be a Snow White retelling, and she is a compelling character who grows in ruthlessness over the course of the novel. I was surprised to see that Xifeng and the world of the Great Forest seems to be Chinese inspired when the author is Vietnamese American, but I got more of that from [b:Song of the Crimson Flower|43911067|Song of the Crimson Flower (Rise of the Empress #2.5)|Julie C. Dao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552924855l/43911067._SY75_.jpg|53186311] (speaking of that book, am now a little squicked over the age gap between Wei and Wren but oh well I guess, if he's the huntsman).

Going to start on [b:Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix|32605122|Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress, #2)|Julie C. Dao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522159918l/32605122._SY75_.jpg|53186304] shortly
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Marcat
Daumari | Hi ha 22 ressenyes més | Dec 28, 2023 |
This second half of the Rise of the Empress duology fits more neatly into the Snow White beats, though it also borrows from Asian folktales such as The Crane Wife during the course of McGuffin collection.

I liked this, and read most of it over the course of the weekend.

(also maaaaan we seem to look to teenagers/young adults for leadership often, huh, but maybe that's part of the genre)
 
Marcat
Daumari | Dec 28, 2023 |
Whoops, thought I was picking up a standalone when it's really the third book set in a fantasy universe. This seemingly takes place 8 years after the previous one though ([b:Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix|32605122|Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress, #2)|Julie C. Dao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522159918l/32605122._SY75_.jpg|53186304]), and characters from the other two feel more like worldbuilding backstory so when I get to those, maybe they'll feel like interesting prequels.

Song of the Crimson Flower feels a little like mixing the mistaken identity from Cyrano with the prideful declaration followed by remorse to lovers of Pride & Prejudice, needing to solve a curse like Princess and the Frog with a dash of Legend of Korra's estranged gray-haired sisters (except less kid friendly). I know, it's possible to consume media without comparing it to others but Tropes Aren't Inherently Bad and there's a comfort in finding familiar beats. Short and sweet, I really liked this.

Definite hooks for future installments as well (or let dangling threads be dangling threads idk)
… (més)
 
Marcat
Daumari | Hi ha 7 ressenyes més | Dec 28, 2023 |
A unique anti-hero tale set in a beautiful, Eastern Asian inspired backdrop. I loved the premise of the book, and I very much enjoyed the story, for the most part. I've been looking for good Eastern-inspired fantasy for a good while, and this fit the bill quite nicely.

Gorgeous cover and writing, and lush, vivid descriptions make you feel like you're really there in Feng Lu with our villains and heroes and heroines. Made me envision being in ancient China during the time of the dynasties, and facing their mythical spirits and creatures and lore. The love story was tragic indeed, and I did feel terribly sad for the protagonist and her love interest (although, very refreshing to read a story in which the FMC spurns love for power!)

The story moved very slowly for the first half, then sped up quickly in the second half. The final 75% is where it got really interesting, IMHO. Another small issue I had was that I felt like everything was just too easy for the protagonist, as the entire story is pretty much revealed by way of prophecy in the beginning. No surprises and everything plays out as planned. I also never felt any sort of tension, or that she was ever in danger at all, instead thinking, "Oh, she'll just get through this", whenever something bad happened.

The book is written in third person, through our protagonist's POV. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable, unique read. The author is very talented and I would definitely read the sequel, if there will be one!
… (més)
 
Marcat
galian84 | Hi ha 22 ressenyes més | Dec 1, 2023 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
10
També de
1
Membres
1,301
Popularitat
#19,740
Valoració
3.8
Ressenyes
37
ISBN
49
Llengües
2

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