Book #200 of 2020: Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao I wasn’t sure what to expect of a standalone spinoff sequel to the Rise of the Empress duology, whose cruel first volume of an antiheroine’s ascension engaged me far more than its softer follow-up tracking her defeat. For this new book, author …
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Book #30 of 2019: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao (Rise of the Empress #2) The first book in this East Asian-inspired fantasy duology remains a fascinating look at a complex antiheroine, but author Julie C. Dao makes the disappointing choice for its sequel to reduce that character to a more conventional …
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Book #11 of 2018: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao (Rise of the Empress #1) I have some minor quibbles about character motivations, but overall this is an impressive debut novel that retells the beginning of the classic Snow White fairy tale without ever feeling unoriginal. Partly this is due to the …
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