While reading Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, the predominant thought that came to my mind was that it felt a lot like reading an Asian fantasy period drama. It was a nostalgic feeling and one that warmed my heart with memories of sitting in front of a television and watching period dramas. I thought it had some of the hallmarks and vibes, and I absolutely loved it! This book obviously has a different and sometimes darker plot though. For one thing, it’s set in a secondary world, in the kingdom of Feng Lu.

There, in a small rural village, Xifeng was born. Xifeng was beautiful- incredibly so and we know because we’re constantly reminded of this face. Don’t mistake her beauty to be her defining trait though- Xifeng was well-educated in poetry, politics, and everything her aunt deems is necessary for a lady to know. She is also cunning and pretty manipulative. Her beauty is simply her advantage, an edge, a stepping stone towards her goals.

That goal is to become Empress of Feng Lu, a destiny shown in her cards everytime her aunt Guma reads them. She does show some semblance of doubt about whether or not this is for her, but overall, she does work for this to happen. It’s partly because of Guma’s prodding, but also partly because it’s something she wants for herself.

And yet, Xifeng was not a fully amoral character. Would I consider her an anti-heroine? Yes, I do. But, she was capable for caring for people. She cared for Wei (I personally don’t like him and I wish Xifeng left him earlier), Empress Lihua, and even Guma. None of these relationships ended well, of course. The destiny predicted for her was always on her mind- she can’t forget it and various forces at work won’t let her forget about it.

While this book is darker than most YA books, I don’t feel like it’s all that dark (despite the fact that there is gore in this book). It kind of disappointed me, after hearing so many things about how dark the book was. This might be just a me thing though, since I do read some adult grimdark so my perspective might be skewed. Still, it’s a very enjoyable read and definitely something I’d recommend if you want some darker YA books.

The world is East Asia inspired, with China and Japan counterparts. It’s lushly described and I didn’t have any problem imagining this world. There is a real sense of history in this world, with the Dragon Lords and the folklore with beautiful lantern imagery. There’s also some very lovely poetry and my only complaint was that there isn’t more of them.

I love Julie C. Dao’s writing. It’s poetic and vivid and easily sucks you in. I love her prose and I thought that she has such a beautiful style. The poetry in this book are also beautiful and I love them. I didn’t think it was too “purple” and it helped set the tone nicely.

For this book, I actually alternated between reading the paperback and listening to the audiobook. I enjoyed both without preference for one or the other. The audiobook is nice to listen to and hearing the poetry spoken makes the experience better. The narrator was Kim Mai Guest and I thought that she was quite good and I enjoyed her narration. If you like audiobooks, I can recommend it.

Overall, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is a sharp, fast-paced story that’s perfect for those who like their protagonists on the grayer side of morality. Will I be reading the next book? Definitely.

This review is also on The Bookworm Daydreamer