I really loved Dao's Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, so I was so excited to pick this book up! I really enjoyed the authentic fairy tale vibe it had. It felt like a fairy tale I would have read as a child, but with a distinctly Asian background, which made it even more enjoyable. Little Filipina me would have died to have these books as a kid!
This book takes place in the same world as FoaTL, but is still it's own distinct story. The main area in FoaTL is more of a Chinese fantasy land, and the territory in SotCF is more Vietnamese. This alone makes the fantasy world so much better because Dao is making this huge Asian inspired fantasy world with all the different nationalities represented, and I absolutely adore it and hope she continues with more stories from Kamatsu, Surjalana, and Dagovad.
SotCF was like a retelling of The Princess and the Frog that follows Lan and Bao on a magical journey that builds up into an incredibly sweet and innocent romance. It was so endearing to watch them fall in love and even though the book was very predictable in what would happen (typical for a fairy tale retelling) I was still very much drawn into their world and their relationship. Dao does a great job of world building so that the tale still feels so distinctly its own. I loved this book and I'm really excited for more from this world!
This book takes place in the same world as FoaTL, but is still it's own distinct story. The main area in FoaTL is more of a Chinese fantasy land, and the territory in SotCF is more Vietnamese. This alone makes the fantasy world so much better because Dao is making this huge Asian inspired fantasy world with all the different nationalities represented, and I absolutely adore it and hope she continues with more stories from Kamatsu, Surjalana, and Dagovad.
SotCF was like a retelling of The Princess and the Frog that follows Lan and Bao on a magical journey that builds up into an incredibly sweet and innocent romance. It was so endearing to watch them fall in love and even though the book was very predictable in what would happen (typical for a fairy tale retelling) I was still very much drawn into their world and their relationship. Dao does a great job of world building so that the tale still feels so distinctly its own. I loved this book and I'm really excited for more from this world!