SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C Dao

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C Dao https://t.co/2hqAXst3O1 Short Review: 7.5 out of 10 (1/3)

— garik16 (@garik16) December 7, 2018

Short Review(cont):The Sequel to Forest of a Thousand Lanterns tells the 2nd half of this East-Asian inspired take on Snow White, w/Princess Jade following folk tales to find magical items to defeat her evil stepmother empress. Solid Fun, but not as unique as its predecessor 2/3

— garik16 (@garik16) December 7, 2018

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is the sequel to last year's "Forest of a Thousand Lanterns," which I read last month.  That book was a take on the Evil Queen/Snow White story using East Asian mythology as a background instead of a Western one, and despite a predictable ending, was an excellent version of the story.  This book takes place after a time skip and tells the second half of the story (again cribbing from Snow White along with other East Asian imagery).

The result is a very good novel, albeit one that is perhaps a little less original than its predecessor. That's perhaps a little simply due to the fact that the first book was essentially an origin story of a villain, whereas this book's protagonist is unquestionably a heroine from the very beginning.  Regardless however, it's still a well done story with some fascinating characters and a sprawling plot filled with folk tales and adventure.

Note:  Spoilers for the ending of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns are inevitable in the rest of this review.  I don't think it will affect much of your enjoyment of that book to see these spoilers, but fair warning anyway.  Still, if you're interested in this series, start with the first book before this one.  


---------------------------------------------Plot Summary------------------------------------------------
Years have passed since Xifeng became the Empress of Feng Lu, and the young Princess Jade has grown into a young woman in exile in a monastery where most of the occupants do not know who she is.  In the meantime, Feng Lu has suffered under her stepmother Xifeng's rule: Crushing taxes have impoverished the common people, secret police crush and disappear all those who dare openly dissent, and young women have gone missing over the years, with whispers that the palace is to blame.  Jade hates what is happening to her people with her whole heart, but has no interest in rule, content to live her life solely as a part of the monastery.

But when Jade is summoned to the Palace by her stepmother, her hopes of that life end immediately.  And when it becomes clear that Xifeng has made a dark bargain with the Serpent God for her power and seeks to consume Jade's heart, Jade has no choice but to take some companions and escape the Palace in search of some way to fight back against Xifeng's dark power.  The only hope is that Jade can fulfill an ancient prophecy by obtaining artifacts from all of the provinces of the Country, using a cloak of folk tales as a guide.

But Xifeng's forces, led by the sinister Kang, are hot on Jade's heels and any misstep will result in not only her doom, but the doom of the whole country before Xifeng and the Serpent God.
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Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix follows and concludes the story of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, with the story now focusing entirely upon Jade - who is obviously our version of Snow White.  But again this is not the typical Snow White story (although some classical elements are still there - the hunters, the apple, a dwarf character, etc.), and Jade's not the typical Snow White.  She's a caring young woman who wishes she was not in line for the throne and who would rather not do her duty, but she understands she has to anyway, because she can't let the suffering she sees go on.  Yet she's not just a caring young woman, but also highly intelligent - which helps her decipher the folk tales that are her guide in this story and to not make missteps that can be fatal.  It makes her a very easy character to root for, even if she is more of a typical heroine than Xifeng was in the first book.

The other characters are also well done.  Jade's nursemaid Amah works as a solid mentor figure, and Jade's other traveling companions - Wren, a young woman who wishes she could be an independent soldier like some legendary women (in a world where fighting is traditionally left to men) and is a bit barbed about the idea of being lower, and Koichi, a dwarf who wants to go on an adventure and is the love interest for Jade - are both very good.  And then of course there are the returning characters - Xifeng of course, as well as several others whose journeys are not yet complete.

The plot this time is a bit quicker than in the first book, with the revelations occurring to Jade (the reader already knowing them from book 1) by the quarter point of the book, leading to Jade attempting to do something about them from thereon and getting on with her journey.  It's a fun journey too, with quite a few surprises along the way, even if it's obvious from the start that our heroine is not going to fail at the tests before her.  The ending is also satisfying, even if there is one moment is incredibly predictable.

In short, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is a well done second half to this East-Asian version of the Snow White tale.  It may not be as interesting as its predecessor due to the perspective flip, but it's worth your time if you enjoyed the first book.