All week long, Penguin Teen has been unveiling five game-changing novels hitting the shelves over five weeks in the fall. With today's final reveal, y'all's fall reading lists will basically be set, right? RIGHT.
When I think of game-changers, I think of things that haven't t been done before. Something that sets a trend, that blazes a trail. So Julie C. Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns def. fits the bill of a game-changer.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress Book 1) by Julie C. Dao
Publication Date: 10 October 2017
The Wrath and the Dawn meets Snow White and the Huntsman in this dark and mystical East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl's quest to become Empress.
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.
Set in an East Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with both breathtaking pain and beauty, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns possesses all the hallmarks of masterful fantasy: dazzling magic, heartbreaking romance, and a world that hangs in the balance. Fans of Heartless, Stealing Snow, and Red Queen will devour this stunning debut.
I MEAN. "Sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed", say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? I'm going to need to read more of this ASAP. Fortunately for us all, here's an excerpt from the book!
Photo credit: Jonathan Dao
About the Author:
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.
You totally want to read the rest of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns now, don't you? Not to mention the rest of the Penguin Teen Game-Changers titles once you find out what they are, TRUST. Well, one lucky reader's going to get a head start on them, because Penguin Teen's giving away a set of all the titles in this campaign!
Enter for a chance to win one (1) set of Penguin Teen’s Game-Changers ARCs (ARV: $0).
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 12:00 AM Eastern Time on May 15, 2017 and 12:00 AM on May 22, 2017. Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about May 24, 2017. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Check out the rest of Penguin Teen's Game-Changers!
May 15: Brittany’s Book Rambles
May 16: The Young Folks
May 17: The Fandom
May 18: SuperSpaceChick
May 19: Forever Young Adult
Do you have any questions that you'd like to ask Julie C. Dao or any of the Penguin Teen Game-Changers authors? Submit 'em in the comments below and FYA HQ might be able to get them answered during BookCon!