

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns: A Rise of the Empress Novel
By:
Set in the mystical Far East, this reimagining of The Evil Queen legend is about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress—and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.
ISBN: 9781524738297
JLG Release: Jan 2018
Series:
Rise of the Empress
Sensitive Areas:
Violence: Mild Violence, Sexual Content: Strong Sexual Content/Themes, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Alcohol Abuse, Violence: Graphic Descriptions, Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes, Violence: Strong Violence, Social Issue: Cult/Occult
Awards & Honors
Booklist Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Older and Middle Readers: 2018
Booklist Top 10 Books for Youth 2017, First Novels
New York Public Library Best Books for Teens 2017
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Booklist*, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly*, School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The first volume in the “Rise of the Empress” series, Dao builds the world of Feng Lu, five kingdoms ruled by the Dragon Lords through their earthly descendants. Xifeng is raised by her aunt Guma in desolate poverty. Guma instills in the child that she’s meant for greater things than being a simple peasant. Xifeng has courtly mann The first volume in the “Rise of the Empress” series, Dao builds the world of Feng Lu, five kingdoms ruled by the Dragon Lords through their earthly descendants. Xifeng is raised by her aunt Guma in desolate poverty. Guma instills in the child that she’s meant for greater things than being a simple peasant. Xifeng has courtly manners and an education that will enable her rise to rule the kingdoms. Guma practices dark magic and welcomes the Serpent God who will lead Xifeng to greatness. The girl leaves her village for a life in the palace and must learn to balance cruelty with intelligence. Rich in detail and full of gore and blood, this dark novel will satisfy “Game of Thrones” fans. The magical elements are few and slow to develop in the beginning; the setting and unfolding of the plot is based in East Asian storytelling and drama. Uneven writing is confusing in chapters, but the reimagining of the Evil Queen story will entice fans of anti-heroine journeys. VERDICT Violent and gory descriptions place this strong choice on high school crossover to adult fantasy shelves.—Pamela Thompson, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso, TX
Book Details
ISBN
9781524738297
First Release
January 2018
Genre
Fic
Dewey Classification
F
Trim Size
9" x 6"
Page Count
384
Accelerated Reader
Level 6.4; Points: 17;
Scholastic Reading Counts
N/ALexile
Level 840L
Format
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Philomel
Potentially Sensitive Areas
Violence: Mild Violence, Sexual Content: Strong Sexual Content/Themes, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Alcohol Abuse, Violence: Graphic Descriptions, Sexual Content: Mild Sexual Content/Themes, Violence: Strong Violence, Social Issue: Cult/Occult