Charming, Enlightening, Hilarious // REVIEW: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Title: Norse Mythology
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her. 
From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.

 

There are some books that just take you by surprise, and for me, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology was one of them!

I’ve always been interested in the different kinds of mythology, especially Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse. My interest and love for Norse grew with the Thor movies (which I now know aren’t fully accurate?) and after watching Thor: Ragnarok (three times in theatres) it’s become something of a new obsession.

Still, I don’t read much of either non-fiction or short story collections, but it was Neil Gaiman AND Norse Mythology and so, when Bloomsbury India offered me the chance to read their newly published (gorgeous and shiny) paperback edition, I jumped.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       If there was one thing I didn’t expect this book to be, it was funny. There was so much humour involved in the retellings of these myths and it really made me fall in love!

“There were things Thor did when something was wrong. The first thing he did was ask himself if what happened was Loki’s fault.”

~

“Your head,” said Brokk. “If we win this contest, we get your head, Loki. There’s a lot of things going on in that head of yours, and I have no doubt that Eitri could make a wonderful device out of it. A thinking machine, perhaps”

2.       The book was enlightening. I LOVED learning more about Thor, Loki, Odin, Ragnarok, how the world came to be, their children, their cunning and bloodlust and EVERYTHING else. It was an in-depth collection of some of the most fascinating tales in Norse Mythology that Neil Gaiman brought to life.

3.       There were SO MANY interesting tales in the books, and facts I didn’t learn in the movies including:

-          Where Thor got Mjollnir from, Fenris (the huge wolf we see in Thor: Ragnarok) and where he came from, Loki’s shapeshifting, the real foretold Ragnarok, how the Nine Realms came to be and I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

4.       There was also a short story where Thor had to dress up as a bride and IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING I’VE EVER READ. It totally made my day.

5.       Let me just end by saying that (because who doesn’t judge books by their covers. Or endpapers, if you’re hardcore) this new paperback edition is STUNNING. I love the shine, the art AND the endpapers and I can’t wait for more from Neil Gaiman.

A true Norse Masterpiece that is enlightening, just the right amounts of funny and an overall heartfelt collection of stories that will make you smile. 4.5 stars.

Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre, and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandmanand novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book. He has won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The Graveyard Book (2008). In 2013, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was voted Book of the Year in the British National Book Awards.

Are you a fan or Norse Mythology, or any kind of Mythology?
Do you have any books/ TV Shows/ Movies you'd recommend to a Mythology Junkie like me?
Are you a fan of the Thor series by Marvel? Which oart was your favourite?
I look forward to hearing from you!

A New All Time Favourite // ARC Review: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk

Title: Blood And Sand
Author: C.V.Wyk
Publication Date:January 17th 2018 
Publisher: Tor Teen (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 2 of the Blood and Sand Duology
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan Intl (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: FORGED IN BATTLE...FROM THE DUST OF THE ARENA...A LEGEND WILL RISE
The action-packed tale of a 17-year-old warrior princess and a handsome gladiator who dared take on the Roman Republic―and gave rise to the legend of Spartacus...
For teens who love strong female protagonists in their fantasy and historical fiction, Blood and Sand is a stirring, yet poignant tale of two slaves who dared take on an empire by talented debut author C. V. Wyk.
Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire―an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves.
Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.
Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end―and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus...
The story continues in Fire and Ash, coming in 2019 from Tor Teen. 

WELL HELLO NEW ADDITION TO MY FAVOURITE BOOKS EVER LIST.

Let’s be honest – you can hear all kinds of GREAT things about a book through hype or from your favourite reviewers, but everybody’s reading experience is personal. Which is why, despite ONLY having read four and five star reviews about Blood and Sand, I was a little skeptical going in. (I’m skeptical about everything, though. #PessimistLife)

And yet, C.V. Wyk’s debut novel BLEW MY MIND and had me SERIOUSLY INVESTED in her characters and at the edge of my seat, waiting for more.

Which reminds me, IF SOMEONE COULD KINDLY HAND ME THE SEQUEL NOW, IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED. HONESTLY.

Let’s break this down. MY THOUGHTS:

1.       The pace of this book was STUNNING. It was fast paced but not brutal and there was never a dull moment. I loved who C.V. Wyk unravelled and created this world, made us fall for her characters and their need to be free from their chains and IT WAS SUCH AN INSPIRING, WONDEROUS, BRILLIANT STORY.

2.       I ABSOLUTELY LOVED ATTIA AND HER WARRIOR SPIRIT. She was truly an epic, unafraid, weapon wielding badass who let absolutely NOTHING stand in her way and nothing dampen who she was. Her pain was raw, her healing from her tragedy was beautiful and GOD SHE WAS JUST SUCH A WONDEROUS CHARACTER TO FALL IN LOVE WITH.

3.       This book was set in Rome and there were Gladiator brothers, scandals, politics, slaves and everything FELT SO AUTHENTIC AND YET, there was no brutality, making this book suitable for younger readers as well. Also, SPARTACUS WAS FEMALE. THIS BOOK HAD A FEMALE BADASS REBEL AND UGH IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.  

 

4.       The fierce undefeated gladiator, Xanthus, who is also the Champion of Rome was an ADORABLE MUFFIN AT HEART and it took me all of one chapter in his point of view to fall for him. I LOVED HIS PEACEFUL SPIRIT, HIS LOYALTY and most of all, HIS RESPECTFULNESS TOWARDS ATTIA. Yes for boys in literature that show that nothing is MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONSENT.

5.       The ending, the last scene and WHAT IT ALL MEANS FOR BOOK TWO was mind blowing. I also don’t THINK that a certain aspect of the ending will remain in book two and I’m really hoping for that.

6.       The only minus point to this book was the AMOUNT OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS (like Xanthus’ gladiator brothers) that were introduced so fast, I didn’t get to know them and I BARELY remember their names. (There was a dude with ‘a’ and another with ‘I’? I don’t KNOW?)

Should you read this book?! YES. RIGHT NOW. GO. READ. IT.

An absolute masterpiece from a debut author that will make you fall in love, make you hope, leave you in awe and inspired by it's wonderful cast. 5 GLOWING, SWORD SHAPED STARS.

C.V. Wyk is the author of BLOOD AND SAND, debuting from Tor Teen in winter 2018. Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Wyk now resides on the east coast along with a precocious mini poodle and demanding guinea pig. 

In her not-so-spare time, she enjoys playing MMORPGs, kayaking, coding, hiking, staring listlessly at blank walls, and nursing a totally healthy coffee addiction. 

Find Wyk online at www.cvywyk.com.

What are some of your favourite historical fantasies?

Blood and Sand is already the SECOND Roman Inspired fantasy I've read this year and I've LOVED both of them. 

Do you have any more recommendations for me?

Whatt have some of your favourite 2018 books been?

 

An Enchanting and Immersive Fairy Tale Retelling // REVIEW: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Title: The Bear and The Nightingale (Winternight #1)
Author: Katherine Arden
Publication Date: January 12th 2017
Publisher: Del Rey Books (Penguin Random House)
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 1 on 3 of the Winternight Trilogy
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Google Books

Blurb Description: NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A magical debut novel for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman's myth-rich fantasies, The Bear and the Nightingale spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

“I am only a story, Vasya.”

I had heard GREAT things about this book before I dove in. Some of my favourite humans in the book world told me that it was intriguing, magical and that it would suck me in and when I finally picked it up, I was SO EXCITED for all the wonder it would hold.

The Bear and the Nightingale is an enchanting and spell binding Russian fairy tale retelling with a witty, courageous protagonist, magic, family and death and I LOVED IT.

My only problem with this book was the pace for three-quarters of it – The Bear and the Nightingale was JUST SO SLOW. Especially during the middle parts when the novelty of the world wore off, I feel like the book itself had stagnated, with nothing at ALL happening. I’ll go into it in more detail below.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       Katherine Arden’s writing was SPECTACULAR throughout the course of the book. I was in awe of her ability to bring Russia, winter and magic come to life through her ever changing viewpoints. It was lush, enchanting writing and this story wouldn’t have worked without it.

2.       I fell in love with Vasilisa Petrovna and her courage, her need to be independent and her fiery loyalty. She knew what was right and fought for it and she had such a big heart. It’s so difficult to explain her as a character because she feels real to me and I can’t do her justice. She was a genuine, headstrong girl who believed in herself and in the simple magic all around her.

3.       The pace of this book for the first three quarters was SO SLOW. I usually understand why the beginnings of books are so slow but when everything happened with Father Konstantin, his icons, and Vasilisa’s stepmother, I still enjoyed the book as a whole, but I really had to push through to reach the end. I wish all the events happened at a better pace than they did because then this book would have been a definite five star.

4.       LET’S JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY THAT IS THE COVER OF THIS BOOK. I’ve been reading it for days and I’ve haamd it for months and I’M STILL IN LOVE WITH IT.

 “Nothing changes, Vasya. Things are, or they are not. Magic is forgetting that something ever was other than as you willed it.” 

5.       I loved Vasya’s family, especially Alyosha. I feel like we didn’t get to see enough of her other siblings – Kolya, Olga, Sasha and her half-sister, Irina – but I did love the understated bond between all of them. I loved Alyosha and his silent protectiveness about his sister most of all.

6.       The last hundred or so pages of this book (from the start of part three, really) were ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. I adored where the story progressed, the fairy-tale brothers that were really introduced and everything else about it. It was delightfully charming and I loved it.

It did take me more than my usual time to get through this book, not because I didn’t love it but because it was a slow paced book.

The Bear and the Nightingale was a fascinating, immersive book that really transports you into the world Katherine Arden has created and keeps you entranced. 4 stars. 

Born in Texas, Katherine attended Middlebury College, where she studied French and Russian literature. She has lived abroad in France and in Moscow, and is fluent in both French and Russian. She has also lived in Hawaii, where she spent time guiding horse trips while writing The Bear and the Nightingale. She currently lives in Vermont.

What are some of your FAVOURITE Fairy Tale Retellings?

Have you read The Bear and The Nightingale and it's sequel? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM?

I'd absolutely love to hear from you <3!

 

Jane Austen's Stories in Contemporary Pakistan // ARC REVIEW: Austenistan by Laaleen Sukhera

Title: Austenistan
Author: Laleen Sukhera
Publication Date: December 6th 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone!
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Kobo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Heiress Kamila Mughal is humiliated when her brother's best friend snubs her to marry a social climbing nobody from Islamabad. Roya discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her and ends up on a blind date on her wedding day. Beautiful young widow Begum Saira Qadir has mourned her husband, but is she finally ready to start following her own desires? 
Inspired by Jane Austen and set in contemporary Pakistan, Austenistan is a collection of seven stories; romantic, uplifting, witty, and heartbreaking by turn, which pay homage to the queen of romance who lives on among us

Like almost every girl who has the book, I fell in love with Mr. Darcy, from the widely acclaimed Pride and Prejudice novels at the age of fifteen. Even when it was well past midnight, my friends and I would watch and re-watch the movie, the TV show and the web series. In short, we were – I am – obsessed with anything Jane Austen, predictably Pride and Prejudice.

When I got the email from my favourite Bloomsbury Publicist saying that an advance copy of this BEAUTIFUL book was coming my way, I jumped with joy.

If you haven’t heard of Austenistan just yet, it’s a collection of short stories inspired by Jane Austen’s stories from 200 years ago set in modern day Pakistan and it is all kinds of Desi and BRILLIANT.

Let’s divide this story wise:

The Fabulous Banker Boys

This gorgeous book is a Pride and Prejudice retelling and I am SO GLAD that it came first. Though it is initially told from Jane’s (Jahan’s) mother’s point of view, it quickly changes to Jane’s and it is EVERYTHING. This story only encompasses the scene when Mr. Darcy and Jane’s Pakistani alter egos meet but I STILL LOVED IT.

Begum Saira Returns

I honestly don’t know how much I liked this story. I loved the feminist element that this story contained with a 40 year old widow trying to live her life without her husband as she re-enters the social scene. And yet, the ending left me feeling odd and I wish that it had been a little longer

Emaan Ever After

A BEST FRIEND ROMANCE! YAY! I absolutely loved this book, with Emaan and Haroon being such different, fun characters and the whole story in general. It really brought out career satisfactions and have I mentioned that BEST FRIEND ROMANCE IS MY ACHILLES HEEL OF ALL TROPES? Gaah I loved it.

The Mughal Empire

THIS WAS MY FAVOURITE STORY IN THE ENTIRE COLLECTION, HANDS DOWN. It was all about a scorned woman who had spent her whole life knowing that there was one man she wanted and then he ran away and married someone else while her brother married that girl’s sister. It was a powerful story about career, love and your expectations of people and I loved every minute of reading it. This particular story is already one I know I’ll re-read.

The Autumn Ball

I don’t really know how I felt about this story, being nineteen and not in the middle of a marriage where my husband doesn’t seem to care anymore, but I loved the intense writing anyway.

Only The Deepest Love

This story fell somewhere in the middle for me as well. It was a good enough tale and yet, I failed to connect with any of the characters. I did love the fact that there was gay representation, or rather, how gay people are forced to live in Pakistan because not many books talk about it out here.

On The Verge

The premise of this story definitely excited me, but I was left a little put off by the main character at the end of it. How DO you fall in love with someone you’ve never met or looked at, and then claim you’ve given up on love after he (OBVIOUSLY) didn’t meet your expectations? It showed promise but at the end of the day, it fell flat.

Honestly, I REALLY loved reading this entire collection of Jane Austen stories. I could tell the love each writer had for the original Jane Austen Characters as well as the Pakistani versions that they created. Austenistan a lovely collection of stories that lived up to its promises and brought to life Jane Austen’s works in contemporary Pakistan. 4.5 Stars!

Laaleen Sukhera is a British Pakistani writer and media professional and the founder of the Jane Austen Society of Pakistan. She is the Editor and one of seven contributors of Austenistan, an anthology inspired by Jane Austen and set in contemporary Pakistan, published by Bloomsbury India in December 2017 and forthcoming from Bloomsbury UK and Bloomsbury USA in 2018.

Based in Pakistan, Laaleen works as a magazine editor and a communications consultant for international development, heritage, and branding. She was recently profiled in The Times (UK), Vanity Fair Italia, and  1843 magazine, and is currently being interviewed by the British Council, the BBC, and NPR. On the occasion of Ms Austen’s bicentennial death anniversary, Laaleen was quoted in The Atlantic and The Economist as an authority on the subject. She has appeared as a literary panelist and speaker on women’s issues at events in South Asia and the United States. Her upcoming literary appearances for Austenistan include the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2018 and the Times Lit Fest Bangalore, 2018.

Are you a Jane Austen fan? Are you JUST AS Obsessed with Pride and Prejudice as I am? 

Who is your favourite character from her books!

If it's Mr. Darcy please do let me know and I'd LOVE to fangirl with you in the comments!

 

A Strong Female Cast // ARC Review: Girls Made of Snow And Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Title: Girls Made Of Snow And Glass
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan  International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Frozen meets The Bloody Chamber in this feminist fantasy reimagining of the Snow White fairytale
At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone—has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.
Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do—and who to be—to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.
Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything—unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

Use the words ‘feminist,’ ‘fairy tale,’ and ‘retelling’ AND YOU KNOW THAT I WILL BE A READER OF THAT BOOK, REGARDLESS OF ANYTHING ELSE.

After Frozen (GO SISTER POWER!) the new Cinderella movie came out, I was so disappointed that it wasn’t more… feministic. I expected Disney to have seen the pure joy that women around the world faced when true love’s kiss didn’t mean Prince Charming’s and to have changed Cinderella, but it was the absolute same as before. *continues weeping*

In any case, it was after that that I began STRONGLY BELIEVING that all Fairy Tales SHOULD BE MORE FEMINISTIC so that little girls will grow up knowing how to be strong, independent women.

And so when I first read the description of Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass, I KNEW I WOULD HAVE TO READ IT. And when I got approved to read an advance reader copy, I was OVER THE MOON.

Surprisingly, this book took me a really long while to get through. The book was slow paced and filled with introspection and I found myself skipping the long LONG descriptions that came after a few exchanges between characters.

Let’s break this down:

THINGS I REALLY LIKED:

1.       A FEMINISM AND LGBT FILLED FAIRY TALE RETELLING: Did you get all of those words? A FEMINIST. LGBT. FAIRY TALE. RETELLING. Really, can you ask for more? I already read one Snow While retelling earlier this year, Forest of A Thousand Lanterns and I LOVED IT for its Asian cast and anti-heroine but this one WITH MAGICAL POWERS SOUNDED JUST AS GOOD. I was so happy that this book turned the traditional fairy tale into a feminist book because WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THAT?

2.       STRONG FEMALE CAST: Most of the book was centred around strong female characters trying to find their way or themselves, and I loved it. Mina (the Queen/ Stepmother), Lynet (the Princess) and even Nadia were all characters that were so well done.

THINGS THAT REALLY COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

1.       THE PACE: THIS BOOK WAS VERY SLOW. It took me days and days to get through it purely because of how utterly slow paced it was. Like I mentioned before – there just wasn’t much HAPPENING in the book and it was filled with introspection from both Lynet and Mina about the SAME THINGS.

I found myself skipping parts of the inner monologues as I got to the latter half of the book because they were the SAME and I wasn’t learning any new information from them

I honestly felt that if the pace of this book had been different, the book itself would have been so much more enjoyable.

2.       DID I ALREADY SAY THE PACE?

3.       T-H-E -- P-A-C-E:

And that’s it. I absolutely love what Melissa Bashardoust’s book did for feminism in fairy tales considering HOW MUCH we need it, but I would be giving this book a lot higher of a rating if the book was faster paced. 2.75 stars.

Melissa Bashardoust (pronounced BASH-ar-doost) received her degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where she rediscovered her love for creative writing, children’s literature, and fairy tales and their retellings. She currently lives in Southern California with a cat named Alice and more copies of Jane Eyre than she probably needs. Girls Made of Snow and Glass is her first novel.

As much as I appreciate you all, I'm not active on Goodreads, so if you'd like to get in touch, please see the contact page on my website above. Thanks and happy reading!

Wow! My second Snow White Retelling Review this week! :O

What's your favourite fairy tale, and what's your favourite retelling of that fairy tale? 

Do you think that faity tales, especially ones with Princesses should have a more feminist touch to it?

I'd love to hear from all you lovelies! 

 

An Unpredictable, Diverse and Dark Fantasy // ARC Review: Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C Dao

Title: Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1)

Author: Julie C Dao

Publication Date: October 10th 2017

Publisher: Philomel Books (Penguin Random House)

Part of a Series?: Yes, 1 on 2 of the Rise Of The Empress Duology

I Got A Copy Through: PRH International (THANK YOU!)

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress--and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.
Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng's majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?
Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins--sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute. 

When I heard people raving about this Diverse Reads book on Twitter, and after reading the synopsis I IMMEDIATELY added to my wish list. Julie Dao is such a sweet person and it just made me want to immerse myself in her world more.

In A Few Words: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was a dark, lush fantasy that will make readers root for an anti-heroine that we grew up hating. It was gorgeous, powerful and filled with diversity. I couldn’t recommend it more.

Let’s break it down:

WRITING:

Julie Dao’s writing was impressive. While the beginning of the story was slow, it was the writing that kept me at it. It wasn’t overly complicated writing, but it still had this gorgeous flow that kept you hooked. In the more intense scenes (no spoilers) that come later in the book, it made me feel what Xifeng felt. Her hopes, her desperation, her need to be something better than everybody else.

It’s the kind of writing that makes you believe and it doesn’t get any better than that!

IDEA:

If you don’t know, this book is a reimagined re-telling of Snow White. I’m not going to spoil anything, but this book IS NOT the tale you heard as a child, hence the word RE-IMAGINED. It was a very dark and different perspective on the story, and since I’m a dark and twisty person always searching for the worst boy and most cunning girl in books, THIS WAS MY CUP OF TEA!

PLOT:

FOTL started off slowly. I put it down a few times, but I would recommend you to keep at it until Xifeng reaches the capital because THAT’S WHEN IT REALLY PICKS UP. After she enters the palace, and a world filled with romance, politics, betrayal and making it ahead is when the books really picks up. Xifeng is a classic manipulator, plotter both subtle and effective and it was SO GOOD.

I loved how destiny, ancient stories and otherworldly powerful beings played a role in this just as much as the Emperor, Empress and other members of the palace.

It was SO WELL plotted out, and I’m so excited for the second book.

CHARACTERS:

I initially didn’t get Xifeng. She seemed to be this oh-so-beautiful girl who wanted to be good and pious but was secretly conspiring to achieve a foretold destiny that would involve her being the OPPOSITE of good and pious.

But then, as she accepted that the girl she was trying to be couldn’t exist in the life she wanted to make, I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER. She was ruthless, unafraid to get what she wanted and yet cared so deep. She didn’t want to be just another name forgotten by the sands of time and I RESPECT THAT SO MUCH. I especially loved the ending of her story because GO ANTI HEROINES.

Since the whole story was told from Xifeng’s point of view, I didn’t get to know the other characters much but they were ALL stunning secondary characters. I liked Lady Sun’s evil machinations, the Empress and her kind heart and Emperor Jun’s ability to see both brains and beauty. I didn’t like Wei, but then I always knew I wouldn’t.

CONCLUSION:

If you’re looking for that unpredictable, diverse and dark fantasy book, go throw this book to the TOP of your TBRs and Wish lists. Forest of A Thousand Lanterns will have you spell bound with its intense writing, captivated by its ruthless main character and in love with the world you’ve been transported to. 

Julie C. Dao (www.juliedao.com) is a proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York. She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite. By day, she worked in science news and research; by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is her debut novel. Julie lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.

Julie is represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.

Who is your favourite Disney Princess and what are some of your favourite Non-Disney Fairytales?

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