Book Review : Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
August 01, 2020
"I'm want to mean something to a great deal of people. I'm tired of being no one. As Empress, i would have the right to choose for myself. Guma could not command me, and Wei would not own me"
― Xifeng ―
After posting a lot of series i finally post a normal book review just like a normal blogger do! I've been postponing to read this book for years, i got this book by subscribing Fairyloot subscription box back in 2017. I was subscribing for 6 month back then and always read the book right away after i got the book, and then i realized that i have this OCD that really annoys me if i have to wait for the next book to be released, that's when i decided to never start a book in ongoing series because the anxiety hits me hard. Anyway, enough for the rambling, let's get into the review.
Synopsis
The story follows our eighteen year old girl name Xifeng. She spent her whole life living with Guma, her cruel auntie, as she mom died young because of heartbreak and left her, the bastard daughter, to her sister. Guma believes that Xifeng will be an Empress in the future by reading her card, which Xifeng doesn't believe at first because of her background and she's from a small village.
The story start with two of them looking at the parade of the new concubine the Emperor chose. Xifeng is a beautiful girl, which she knows about it, she has a lover, Wei that in love with her and asked her to left her Guma, go to Imperial City to live with him.
The story start with two of them looking at the parade of the new concubine the Emperor chose. Xifeng is a beautiful girl, which she knows about it, she has a lover, Wei that in love with her and asked her to left her Guma, go to Imperial City to live with him.
"I'd cross the sky and bring you the moon, if you wanted me to. I would be a free being if not for you.. I've loved you since the day i first saw you."
― Wei ―
She decided to left Guma in the end and leave to go to Imperial City but not to live with Wei, but to reach her goal, to be the Empress.
"Court is a dangerous place, it's made up of power and those poisoned by it. It's like a sand pit in the desert : you can't see one until it traps you, and then it's too late. You Struggle to regain your footing, but you won't go far before sliding to the bottom"
― Hideki ―
My Honest Review
At first i have trouble with the writing style. It was hard to understand in first few chapter. And probably because of the "feeling" when i grab the book that this probably gonna be a slow read that makes me think the story is hard to digest at the first time. But the idea of the story truly intrigues me.
Xifeng definitely an unique character in comparison of the other characters i've met before. She's pretty, and she knows it. She is a grey morale-ish character. She compares almost every girl she met with her beauty or at least judge their beauty. She loves Wei but at the same time her goal to be Empress made she realized that she can't be with him and Wei is part of her fate for that great goal of hers. As she call it the "Sacrifice" she had to made in order to reach her goal.
She believes in her fates a lot, almost obsessed in my opinion about how she relates to other people and how loosing some people could crush her fate to be the Empress. She is intelligent, smart with bravery that not normal girl would probably posses. She knows how to please people in order to reach her goal, which i'd call her as a sneaky witch for that.
This book also include dark magic from the start of the book, which how Guma start with reading card that eats Xifeng's blood, teach her about maintaining her beauty, and more coming along the book while Xifeng use that dark magic. This also can be categorized as a dark fantasy you should read.
Xifeng definitely an unique character in comparison of the other characters i've met before. She's pretty, and she knows it. She is a grey morale-ish character. She compares almost every girl she met with her beauty or at least judge their beauty. She loves Wei but at the same time her goal to be Empress made she realized that she can't be with him and Wei is part of her fate for that great goal of hers. As she call it the "Sacrifice" she had to made in order to reach her goal.
She believes in her fates a lot, almost obsessed in my opinion about how she relates to other people and how loosing some people could crush her fate to be the Empress. She is intelligent, smart with bravery that not normal girl would probably posses. She knows how to please people in order to reach her goal, which i'd call her as a sneaky witch for that.
“Beware, Xifeng, of magic that comes too easily. There is a price for everything, as she learned and you, too, will learn. Some magic requires blood. Other magic requires a piece of your own self and eats away at your soul.”
This book also include dark magic from the start of the book, which how Guma start with reading card that eats Xifeng's blood, teach her about maintaining her beauty, and more coming along the book while Xifeng use that dark magic. This also can be categorized as a dark fantasy you should read.
Charming Characters
We also got the so believed as the Fool of Xifeng's fate, the one that can steal the Empress position from Xifeng which is Lady Sun, who is, i'd say, the true Cruella (yes, that Dalmation lady) in this story. She's scary, but i think she got that spotlight right.
Slow Plot
This book is not a page turner for me, the plot is going slow, that doesn't make me want to turn the next page but made me want to stop reading for some amount of time instead. By the few chapter of the ending of the book the timeline travel fast tho. The ending for this one is quite predictable.
My Verdict
I gave it 4 stars out of 5 in my goodreads account because i love the idea of Empress, The Eastern Asia based is definitely fresh and i always love dark fantasy so, yeah. Read it. I don't really like the cover tho but i love the book.
Just in case you missed it. Read also :
Just in case you missed it. Read also :
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