Hello again everyone! I am very happy to be participating in the 2018 Wicked Reads Blogger Campaign by Penguin Teen. I was contacted by a digital publishing assistant and asked if I would partake in a spooky creative post campaign. Of course, I said yes, how could I turn it down? This was so fun and I am happy to share my post idea with you all today. Before we get started, let’s learn about the novel from which the character I will be discussing come from.
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns 
Author: Julie C. Dao
Published: September 11th, 2018 (original edition October 10th, 2017)
Publisher: Speak
Book Length: 400 Pages
Genre: Fantasy
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist), Kobo
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.
Now, let’s move on to the fun part of this post! Who would I become friends with and who would I cast out as an enemy?! I would love to list all the characters in the book, but sadly I have not finished it yet!! I am 3/4 of the way through but have a little bit left. So…here are my thoughts on the characters so far. I will update this once I finish the novel…psst tomorrow.
Characters
Xifeng: I am on the fence about Xifeng. I love her character so much and I want to say we would be friends but I am such a nice, selfless person. She is vain as well, always self-absorbed in her beauty and how it can get her anything she desires. Ugh, I would hate always being compared to that. I would want to be there when she gets what she dreams of, but at the same time, I would never know when she would turn her back on me and walk over me to get what she wants. For this reason, I have to say we would be enemies…as scary as that sounds because I would hate being her enemy.
Guma: I would for sure make Guma an enemy. Her abusive nature does not sit well with me. I was abused growing up and I do not tolerate any form of abuse, regardless of the excuse given. I would never wish such a person on anyone.
Wei: Oh Wei! I would be friends with him in a heartbeat. He is handsome, strong, protective, everything a woman dreams of in a man. He even offered to run away with Xifeng and work so that she would not have to. Dare I say more than friends?!
Ning: Ning is a sweet, obedient woman. Despite her lack of physical beauty, she has a beautiful heart. She helps those she cares about when she can. Everyone needs someone like that on their side. Ning would be a wonderful friend. Though, I would treat her as an equal rather than a lady below me.
Isao: Ugh, enemy. I disliked his character from the start. He is bitter and always makes sexist jokes towards women. I have no space for that in my life.
Empress Lihua: She is so kind and caring. Making sure her ladies are not mistreated…she really is a mother figure to them. I think we would be friends. I too am mother-like to my friends. She may seem miserable at Court but she stands strong and watches…aware of everything that is going on. So far, she is my favorite character in this story.
Lady Sun: Enemy…I cannot stand her entitled attitude. She thinks she should be given everything. She is a dishonest, snobby, selfish, hateful, spiteful, jealous…you name it. From what I saw, she will throw anyone under the bus to keep the Emperor where she wants him, that is not a person I want to associate with.
Kang: I like his character but I am so unsure about him. I just don’t completely trust him and his motives yet.
There you have it! I find that I would befriend those more similar to myself. I tend to shy away from selfish, cruel people. But honestly, I think we all do that. Xifeng would be so fun to hang out with now and then though. I can imagine how fun a night out with her would be…but my days would be spent with Empress Lihau. I think we would get along very well.
Is this a book that you might enjoy if you have not read it? Have you heard of this novel before now? If you have read it feel free to link your review below, I would love to see what you thought. Who would you be friends with? Would you become enemies with some characters in this novel?
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links.
Great fun post! Although I feel compelled to find this Wei and slap him in the face with a white glove and yell “I challenge you do a duel good sir!”
Its what men do for the ladies and I cant stand by as he tries to steal you away ???
This was a nice creative post I’m glad you shared it with us.
Haha i failed to mention this is an Asian inspired book?