Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest of a Thousand Lanterns | 2017 | Julie C. Dao | Buy |
| 2 | Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix | 2018 | Julie C. Dao | Buy |
| 3 | Song of the Crimson Flower | 2019 | Julie C. Dao | N/A |
Rise of the Empress is Julie C. Dao’s debut trilogy, published between 2017 and 2019. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns opens with Xifeng, a young woman whose ambition and dark magic set her on a path toward the imperial throne. The novel drew attention for its morally complex protagonist and its lush, East Asian-inspired world-building.
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix shifts to a new heroine who must confront the consequences of Xifeng’s rise, while Song of the Crimson Flower tells a connected story of love and sacrifice. The trilogy earned praise for bringing East Asian folklore into the YA fantasy conversation with stories that don’t shy away from moral gray areas.