Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For |
2023 |
Buy |
Rise of the Empress Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Forest of a Thousand Lanterns |
2017 |
Buy |
| Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix |
2018 |
Buy |
| Song of the Crimson Flower |
2019 |
N/A |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Song of the Crimson Flower |
2019 |
Buy |
Team Chu Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena |
2023 |
Buy |
| Team Chu and the Epic Hero Quest |
2023 |
Buy |
| Team Chu and the Wild Ghost Chase |
2024 |
Buy |
The Mirror Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Broken Wish |
2020 |
Buy |
| Shattered Midnight |
2021 |
Buy |
| Fractured Path |
2022 |
Buy |
| Splintered Magic |
2023 |
N/A |
Julie C. Dao writes young adult and middle-grade fantasy drawing on East Asian folklore and mythology. Her debut series, Rise of the Empress, began with Forest of a Thousand Lanterns in 2017 and retells the origin story of the Evil Queen against a backdrop of imperial courts, dark magic, and moral ambiguity. The trilogy continued with Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix and Song of the Crimson Flower.
Dao has also written for The Mirror series — a collaborative Disney project with Broken Wish, Shattered Midnight, Fractured Path, and Splintered Magic — and the middle-grade Team Chu series, which began in 2023. Her twelve books span from 2017 to 2024 across fantasy, adventure, and contemporary middle-grade fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Julie C. Dao written?
Julie C. Dao has written twelve books across five series.
What was Julie C. Dao's first book?
Julie C. Dao’s first book is Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, published in 2017.
What is Julie C. Dao best known for?
Dao is best known for the Rise of the Empress trilogy — Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (2017), Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (2018), and Song of the Crimson Flower (2019) — a YA fantasy series that retells the legend of the Evil Queen through the lens of East Asian mythology.