“Sometimes I think Xifeng’s the only one who knows what women are capable of, and that’s why she’s on that throne. I don’t agree with anything she’s done, but she believed in herself, and that’s what’s missing in me. If I don’t believe in myself, why should you? Why should my people?”
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao is the finale to the Rise of the Empress Duology. Eighteen years have passed since the ending of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, and Princess Jade, last descendant of the ancient royal family and only heiress to the throne, has been raised in a monastery, banished by her stepmother, the Empress Xifeng. Jade’s nursemaid, Amah, treats Jade like her own granddaughter, and weaves for Jade stories full of morals and lessons and magic. When Jade is suddenly summoned back to the capital, she has no illusions; she knows that her stepmother wished for her own child to become heir, and that her father wanted the same. Regardless, Jade returns to the royal family, treading carefully amid the glittering ornate of the palace and the poverty and despair at the edges of the city. She quickly understands that Xifeng is the true power controlling the country; Jade’s father is merely a figurehead, slowly wasting away. Careful investigation and chance encounters reveal to Jade that not only is Xifeng poisoning the emperor, she is also a consort to a dark master, the Serpent God, and a worker of twisted magics to maintain her beauty and strength. Despite having never wished to sit on the throne, Jade decides that she must overthrow her stepmother and take on the burden of the crown herself to save her people. Aided by friends, ghosts, and celestial spirits that live in the forests, Jade hunts down the artifacts to raise the Dragon Lords to defeat Xifeng to save her country, while coming to terms with the path set out for her by the conditions of her birth, her late mother’s blessings, and a prophecy told years ago by a bitter old woman to a young Xifeng. A prophecy that is now being realized with the introduction of the adversary who may snatch the position of Empress from under Xifeng’s nose.
“The lion knows not to doubt the mouse, for size does not betray strength.”
Once again, Dao draws you into the wonderful realm of this lovely Snow White retelling. This time following the intended heroine, Jade is shown to be humble, kind, and happy with a simple life, seeking power simply to use her rightful position to help her people. After experiencing Xifeng’s journey firsthand in the previous novel, you get to see who she has become through an untainted set of eyes, a proper look at how the events of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns have changed a simple young woman seeking her fortune into a power-hungry tyrant, silver-tongued and dangerous. Jade’s journey is mystical, with flowing language describing the lands she travels to, the people she meets, and the trials she faces in order to overthrow her cruel stepmother. She is protected by the wishes of her dead mother, a kind empress. She is empowered by the stories and truths given freely to her by Amah, her grandmother in all but blood. Most importantly, Jade grows and steps into the role she was always meant to take, the role in which she saves her country from the beautiful enchantress who got lost to the dark while trying to follow her own fated destiny. You read about pain, sorcery, and the pure strength of devotion, and learn that sometimes, your greatest asset is your ability to be kind to others.
“She was thought too gentle to rule, but perhaps they were all wrong. Perhaps gentleness is necessary to temper a ruler’s ruthlessness, and not weakness at all.”
