IF I CANNOT INSPIRE LOVE, I WILL CAUSE FEAR! ----- What was the last villain origin story you read? ----- Excerpts from my review: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is an engrossing read, with a darkness that prevails, that you won't want to put down! Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is not a story of good triumphing over evil, but of a character's downward spiral into darkness. This is a story for those who love dark fantasy and a 'villain' story. Xifeng comes from a home that is full of physical and emotional abuse. While you feel for her, Xifeng makes terrible choices, uses people, lies, and more. Truthfully, Xifeng makes one horrible decision after another to get what she wants, which is a feeling of power and safety. While I do understand "spurn the man who loves her", I also feel like Wei doesn't truly love her, or have a healthy love for Xifeng. I can see true affections Wei has for Xifeng, but can also see some qualities just as poisonous as the abuse of Xifeng's 'guardian'. I felt there was a great cast of characters, and quite a few of them are morally grey and deplorable, with very few who are truly genuine and decent. The writing style is very easy to read and held my attention very well. I felt the plot flowed smoothly, and didn't have any moments that dragged. I felt the world-building was done quite nicely. Some scenes were quite colorful and atmospheric. Forest of a Thousand Lanterns was unexpected in how it unfolded, and the plot truly kept me on my toes, with Xifeng's unpredictability. There are severely potentially triggering events. There is a scene(s) of detailed physical abuse. There are grotesque and bloody elements to the story. There is nudity. So while this sounds like a truly horrible story, the author made this story work. Overall, I found Forest of a Thousand Lanterns fascinating and well-written.

Posted by Zoë at 2023-03-05 06:38:59 UTC