Forest of a thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

Original Instagram post: July 27, 2021

Ready to sound off! When I say morally grey, you say… 

Be honest. You said Kaz Brekker. But… would you believe me if I told you, Xifeng makes him look like a saint!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns came highly recommended by a friend as a retelling that she couldn’t stop thinking about. And I tell you, booksties, I can’t stop thinking about it either.

I don’t want to say too much because, though I knew this was a retelling, I just picked it up without any additional information so I didn’t know exactly what fairytale this was playing with. WHEN I FIGURED IT OUT… it was a perfect reading moment. I don’t want to take that away from anyone. What I will say is that Xifeng is one of the most complex characters I have encountered. I could understand all of her reasoning, and disagree with all of her actions, and STILL root for her. 

I love that the world of Feng Lu is inspired by East Asia. It made the retelling very special for me, which isn’t any kind of surprise.

❖

I also highly recommend the audio book. Kim Mai Guest is an excellent narrator.

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