Unfortunately , I didn't enjoy the whole story .
I loved the writing style , but , it wasn't enough to get me hooked .
The characters and the plot weren't that interesting .

The biggest charm of this book is the vibe. The writing, the world-building and setting, with the type of characters created a very specific and quite a unique vibe. I immediately picked up on it in the beginning, and it stayed until the very end. The Vietnamese names added to the charm as well.

The thing I liked the most was the character development. Both our main characters, Bao and Lan, go through so much and grow in the story. It’s very clearly seen. We also get to see what changed their thinking, and how they mature in their decisions and in emotional reactions. I’m always pro-character development and hence, I really enjoyed it.

The story was pretty good as well. While I wasn’t overly fond of the plot, it was enjoyable because of the characters. The overall idea was good, but I just couldn’t like the plot all that much, especially in the middle of the book.

But, with all of these good points, I didn’t like the book much. And the reason is the pacing. The pacing felt so off. It was slow, then suddenly very fast, back to slow and draggy, and would pick up pace again. It went like that for the entirety of the book, and I was annoyed. A consistent pace matters so much to a story, especially when it’s fantasy. Because it wasn’t consistent and gave me whiplash, I couldn’t enjoy the book.

OVERALL

The characters were great but the pacing. That just ruined it for me, unfortunately. One thing I’m glad about is that the author kept this as only one book. Perhaps the pacing was so because it’s only one book. Too much story to tell? I’m not sure. But I am glad that the story ended here.

Considering it’s only one book, for fantasy, it’s pretty good. There’s a good story, great characters, and a specific vibe.

If you’re in the mood for fantasy, but don’t have the patience for a series, you can pick this one up.

When I started reading this book, there were few obvious themes appear, which was great but I was also almost sure I wouldn’t like the female main character, Lan and would be very conflicted about her role and personality in the story. HOWEVER, after the romance sparked between Lan and Bao, the male main character who had fallen in love with Lan since their childhood, I fell in love with the characters.

Julie C. Dao has this amazing writing style that would immediately draw one into her tale. There was something so magical with how Julie strings those words and spin them into a beautifully written story. I was also drawn to the romance between Lan and Bao. I live for their journey, little teasing and their little gestures, which slowly building up to a cute love story.

One of the main themes in the story was obviously feminism, whereby back in the days, women’s sole purpose was just to be married off and they couldn’t even choose their own spouse, as everything was decided by the family. There is also a theme on the differences between the nobleman and the poor ones. There’s obviously a huge gap in between them and the poor ones were always being mistreated.

Overall, I really enjoyed the magical, dark and mysterious journey of Lan and Bao discovering the truth and I adore the chemistry between the two as well as other characters.

Song of the Crimson Flower centers two souls with love forlorn and bound by a curse.

The maiden Lan who has been devoted most of her life to becoming the perfect bride to her childhood love Tam who eventually deserted her to be free from filial. Physician apprentice Bao, who confessed his true intentions for Lan and his secret connection to the boatman who visits in the night to offer songs, poetry, and devotion. With broken a heart, Lan cruelly rejects Bao who flees and returns cursed, trapped in his prized flute.

Regretting her previous actions, Lan vows to aid Bao break the curse and in their quest they might pull tensions tighter in the spread of an unusual disease whose cure might just be the trigger in the looming war between kingdoms. Will Lan and Bao find true love to undo the spell or will blood magic ruin everything in its wake?

What initially grabbed my interest on Song of the Crimson flower was that it’s an Asian-inspired fantasy which the book community really wanted more of and this is a well-crafted tale indeed. It strung familiar concepts often depicted in Asian-epic dramas and made more interesting where the reader gets to interpret their own versions based on the narratives offered.

Julie C. Dao employs decent world building. I enjoyed the descriptions of the river-folk community, its households, the inhabitants, and their ways. I liked how Dao slowly ushered as in the larger geography of this world through conversations and encounters. I never liked books that want to immediately let the reader be an expert of the world by providing all the details. I better jive with window writers than those who fully open doors.

Song of the Crimson Flower is my first book from Dao and I am fully aware that it plays in a larger world spanning the Rise of the Empress duology. There were mentions of past and current empresses as well as a serpent god and I may have not taken full advantage of the narrative by not reading those prior. I might have connected better with the characters if I felt how these things that occurred in the past affected them more intimately. Nonetheless, this book could still be read on its own and I still very much enjoyed it.

This book’s mettle is in the pockets of tales of the individual struggles. I love how the book portrayed the characters’ individual plights: women being treated in household permanence, primed to be claimed as brides; where glory is perceived in lineage and financial brawn; or the grueling pressure of living up to family legacies in the expense of one’s true desires. One heavy theme in Asian cultures are pre-determined marriages set in tradition or superstition where the pairing should be auspicious, blessed by the gods, lest not be pursued. It is great to see these predicaments unfold and play out in the grander scheme of things. Fantastical these may be; they still ripple similar sentiments in the present contemporary times.

I find Lan and Bao’s romance endearing. I am not usually a fan of romance in books but this one I liked because of the little nuances in Lan’s acknowledging that she might have also been paying attention to Bao ever since and Bao rediscovering her passionate adoration for Lan while dealing with the obstacles they both have to face. To be honest, I was not really set to like them but their dynamic grew on me.

"People make mistakes, Bao thought.
Hearts get broken, but somehow we forget the pain. Or choose the chance of happiness in spite of the pain."

Amidst complex political dances, there is this question of morality to one’s cause nestled in this book. The surge of the bloodpox, its origin, and potential cure were factors exploited by people who may have noble intentions but obscure kindness in their wake, wreaking havoc to everything in its path. It teaches us that the end does not justify the mean and I quote Friedrich Nietzsche, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you“.

In hindsight, I would have loved more magical elements presented. There were also instances that the book dragged especially at the first few chapters. Notwithstanding, this is still a book I thoroughly enjoyed. If you want romance, friendships, adventure, and hope – – – Song of the Crimson Flower awaits you.

While this book went in a direction I did not initially expect, the result was a well rounded, heart warming tale of what it means to be yourself, and to be loved for that completely. I really felt like this was a book that any one could enjoy, regardless of what style of plot unfolding they prefer. Song of the Crimson Flower is the perfect in between book. It is short, fast paced, and simple. With it's lovable characters and intriguing storyline, be sure to pick this one up as your next read.

I had seen this author all around my bookstagram and now I know why! Wonderful writing, unique storyline and characters that speak to your heart!!! I am so excited to read more from this author!!!

This story was different in tone from the first two Rise of the Empress books, but it had its own appeal. It’s a lot quieter, in my opinion, but not in a bad way. It’s a beautiful story about the power of love, both familial and romantic.

One of the major themes of the book is the discrepancy between expectations and reality when you’re infatuated with someone. Both of the main characters, Bao and Lan, deal with a painful awakening when the person they admired turns out not to be the person they imagined in their head. In the aftermath of this pain, the two begin to learn what love with substance looks like.

The relationship between Lan and Bao goes through a lot of change throughout the story. It starts out as a one-sided infatuation on Bao’s part, and there is a rift between Lan and Bao because Bao helped Lan’s crush deceive her. There’s a very tangible awkwardness between the two as they begin their journey, but gradually, the two are brought closer together not only by their shared quest to break the curse on Bao but a openness to giving the other person a chance. It’s a very subtle and tender relationship that touches the heart.

I really liked Bao’s character. If you’re looking for soft boys, Bao is a perfect example. His defining feature is his kindness and compassion for others, which shows in his work as a physician’s apprentice. He’s also a romantic who loves music and poetry and expresses himself through these things. One of his greatest desires is a family and a place to belong, making him a very sympathetic character.

By contrast, Lan comes off as a bit spoiled and naive at first, but she becomes more likable as the story progresses. Though she may not have any extraordinary magic or fighting skill, she does have a good heart and is willing to do what she must to help Bao.

Besides the romance, another of the engaging aspects of the story is the exploration of family ties. Bao starts off not knowing any of his blood relations but later learns his mother is still alive and waiting for him to reunite with her. However, his desire to connect with her and be loved by her conflicts with his own sense of morals after learning her history and her current activities (I won’t spoil what exactly she’s doing, but it’s not pretty). He has to make some tough choices about his family’s legacy.

While Song of the Crimson Flower is a companion novel to two other books, it does work as a standalone. I personally think reading the Rise of the Empress duology first will make for a deeper appreciation of the book because it includes some supporting characters whose backgrounds are explored in the original duology. Plus, if you read this book first, there will be some spoilers since it takes place after the events of the original duology.

Another spectacular fantasy novel by Julie C. Dao! A more laid-back and straightforward atmosphere but still taking in different elements that are just right to keep me absorbed from start to finish.

It felt like there’s a lot more room for more story to tell, but at the same time it didn’t feel lacking in a way. Somewhere in the grey area of wanting more and feeling already satisfied with how it wrapped up.

A great companion novel to read if you can’t get over with the Rise of the Empress universe (I mean, who would?!). Also a new addition to your Asian-lit list!

Disclaimer: Thank you to The Nocturnal Fey, The Royal Polar Bear Reads, Penguin Random House International for organizing the International Blog Tour and providing me a review copy of the book.

For the fact that this is an Asian Fantasy Literature with a magic sprinkle in it - yup, count me in! I could not believe that this amazing fantasy book is a stand-alone while all this while it always has a continuation of the story. Nonetheless, I have a wonderful time reading the Song of the Crimson Flower. Let me tell ya - it was a fantastical reading where you can read in one or two-sitting. Now, I'm questioning myself for why I did not pick up the author's first two books. Not to worry because that will be on top of my TBR as soon as I get my hands on both books.

When I step into this fantasy world, I knew that this book will be my favourite book of the year and it is indeed, true. I like the whole progress of this story throughout this book. The plot is simple. Not to heavy and not complicated at all which you will easily get into the story right away. The way the author describes the detail of the story, the world-building, and the characters are very meticulous which makes me easy to imagine the whole situation and I am so happy to be able to dive into that world. Definitely, remarkable.

"Love isn't waiting for someone to remember me. Love isn't dreaming about them all alone. Love is walking together, forgiving each other, finding common threads in the lives we want." Julie C. Dao, Song of the Crimson Flower.

In Song of the Crimson Flower, we can see the progress of love between Bao and Lan from only one-sided love to finally, the love grows in each other hearts. Although, Bao has been hurt badly from Lan's words and decided not to ever appear in front of, Lan again but little did he know, he will be embark a journey together with Lan after Lan knew about the curse on Bao and she wants to help Lan to break the curse also it was a way for her to mended for what she has done towards Bao. Because of the curse, Bao will find the truth about his family, love from the people around him and friendships also the dark secret about the dangerous illness.



Overall, the story has been written really by the author. The pace was wonderful, not to slow but not to fast either, the progress from all the characters is amazing. It was a heartwarming and poignant story that I did shed a tear when reading it. It has given a strong impact on me as a reader and has a beautiful message from the story. In short, I really enjoy reading and for sure, recommend you to read this book too.



Here are some quotes I found from Song of the Crimson Flower that I loved;

"One day of rest is worth it if it means you can work for years longer."

"...because he reminded her that she was worthy of love."

"Hearts get broken, but somehow we forget the pain. Or choose the chance of happiness in spite of the pain."

This was the very first Julie Dao book I read and I was instantly hooked. I actually didn't know that this is a part of the Rise of the Empress series. Fortunately this can be read as a stand-alone since this is a companion book.

For Lan, Tam is the perfect guy. That is why it really hurt her when she finds out that he's been lying to her. She turns all her anger towards Bao, the guy who has done nothing but to love her. She has said awful things to him that makes him leave the town to forget her and start a new life. Bao meets a legendary evil witch on his way who cursed him and trapped his soul in his flute. He has two weeks to find someone who truly loves him in order to break the curse. Lan finds the flute she knows belongs to Bao and learns about the curse. She then agrees to help Bao to end the witch's curse.

Bao is the kind of character that you'll love right away. He is kind-hearted and down to earth. Lan, on the other hand, is someone that you have to get to know more for you to like. She's quite naive on what is truly happening around her because she is so focus on Tam and their wedding. I really liked how her character developed throughout the story and how she eventually redeemed herself.

We get to meet other important characters as well that I think play some huge parts in the first two books. There were enough details about them which can be considered as spoilers specially if you are like me who haven't read the other books. It was fine though because it just made me more curious about the whole worldbuilding the author has built. I'll definitely read Forest of a Thousand Lanters and get a copy of Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix.I thought the romance in this book was very affectionate and sweet. Bao and Lan were able to get to know more about each other throughout their journey. Aside from the romance, there were also other intriguing subplots in this book such as a deadly disease called bloodpox and some political issues.

One of my few concerns was about Mistress Vy's character. It felt like it's lacking in depth. She's a very interesting character but there were just few scenes of her in this book considering she's the antagonist. A battle was also mentioned in the story so I was expecting for it towards the end but it didn't really happen. I wasn't asking for a bloody and action-packed battle. Just some actual scenes are enough.

Overall, Song of the Crimson Flower was a simple, quick and short read. I recommend it if you're looking for an East Asian-inspired (specifically Vietnamese) fairytale with great character arcs, superb writing, and engaging storyline.

I read this as part of a blog tour. I really enjoyed this refreshing and sweet story. Aside from the romance it touched on a lot of themes like ethical research, economical disparity, family ties, effects of war on a society — I think these are actually what made this a 4⭐️ read for me. I would have loved a bit more magic (I felt like it was only just that one spell at the beginning and then some visions) but still worth the read 👍🏻

Full review at bit.ly/PPcrimsonflower

I would like to thank Rafael of The Royal Polar Bear Reads, Erika of The Nocturnal Fey, and Penguin Random House International for hosting and INTL blog tour and providing a review copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.



After reading the first two books of the author, I can say truly say that Julie C. Dao never fails to entertain me with her stories. I enjoyed the villain origin story of Xi Feng, went on a quest with princess Jade, and now fell into a fairytale-like romance that defies all storms and deepens with the test of time.

If I were to describe this novel in one word, I would say that this book is simple. There are no flashy dragons, save-the-world adventure, nor actioned-packed fighting. Instead, I was brought into the lives of two individuals of different standing in a society whose fate intertwine because of a curse. The story follows Lan, a daughter of a wealthy nobleman, whose dream was to marry the man of her dreams. Everything seemed to go according to plan, except her fiance kept delaying their wedding date. When her childhood friend, Bao, confessed his love to her, she cold-heartedly rejected him, even leaving him with hurtful words. Devastated because of what happened, Bao left hastily to forget his feelings for Lan. However, he crossed paths with an evil witch, who cursed Bao. When Lan felt remorse for her action towards Bao, she was willing to do anything to make amends to him, even when it meant helping him lift the curse, no matter what the consequences were..

Julie did a great job narrating a love story that is both romantic and innocent at the same time. I like how pure and undemanding Bao’s love for Lan is. Even when he got hurt, his feelings did not waiver, and as he knew Lan, his love for her grew deeper. I also like how there is a subplot about a mysterious illness that had been plagued the villagers and its connection to Bao’s past. Lastly, aside from the love story, this book also emphasized how “the end does not justify the means.” We sometimes overlook things as long as the outcome favors us. Even when you think that what you are doing will result in a greater good, but the methods use overrule moral limits, the outcome itself is tarnished already.

It is no doubt that Bao is my favorite character in this novel. He is not just a love interest. His pure heart stands out even when Lan isn’t around. He has qualities that make him feel like a real person. I mean, my heart would definitely melt when a boy such as Bao made a song for me. On the other hand, Lan is a character that grows on you. It was hard for me to like her first, because all she thought about was to get married. She also did some things I did not like at all. However, she learned and admit her mistakes, and most importantly, she wanted to correct her mistakes.

The only issue I had in this book is how the mysteries and connections were revealed. I think it would have been executed better to make a strong impact on readers. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this novel.

Overall, Song of the Crimson Flower by Julie C. Dao is a simple, yet entertaining read. If you’re looking for a book to read in one sitting, this is definitely for you!

3.5 stars!

First, a huge thank you and shout-out to Pinguin Random House International, the author Julie C. Dao and Netgalley for providing me with an E-Arc of the Song of the Crimson Flower!

Immediately when I started reading this book, a warm, fuzzy and familiar feeling fell over me. The same feeling I get when watching a Disney movie. This book read so much like a Disney movie with an Asian twist, in all the best ways possible.


We start off with our Herione, Lan. She's a highborn and wealthy girl, and her parents are setting her up with a perfect match for their perfect little girl. But not everything goes as planned, and when our lowly born Hero Bao confesses his love to Lan she lashes out at him.

The story takes off from here. I am not going to say too much about the plot, because one of the weaker points of this book was definitely the predictability of the plot. The less you know, the better!

That being said, the predictability didn't take away from the story, just like it wouldn't in a Disney movie. I really enjoyed seeing the relationships between the characters blossom, and definitely had a few 'I'm melting!' moments. To illustrate:

'Shyly, Bao moved one of his hands to her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with infinite tenderness. '

What I loved the most however, were both Dao's writing style, which was descriptive without becoming too flowery, and the amazing worldbuilding. I felt like I was in a medieval Vietnamese setting, and the mentions in between of Serpent Gods and the traditional clothing the characters were wearing painted a vivid and immersive picture of this world.

This story was really empowering. We had our heroine, who broke away from her loving but overly protective parents, who had already set out a path for a sweet girl like her to follow. The story was still very realistic for the historical time we are in. The portrayal of humans and how nobody is perfect also very much contributed to this.

Lastly, I would like to highlight the amazing villains Dao creates. I don't want to spoil anything here so I am being vague, but her villains are multilayered and just morally grey enough that I feel very conflicted about them.

This book has already been released at the time of writing, and I highly recommend you pick it up at your local bookstore!

I never got around to reading Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, and it’s been a little over two years since I read Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. However, you could honestly read this book as a standalone. Song of the Crimson Flower was absolutely stunning, a beautiful tale of the powers of real love.

Honestly, just the first page of the glossary had me in tears; reading all these Vietnamese names, ones that my family members have and ones that I encounter often, in a fantasy was so powerful. Thank you, Julie, for writing a gorgeous ownvoices Vietnamese-inspired fantasy! I also loved how this one still feels a bit Western because the intersection of being Vietnamese-American is very much a mix of Vietnamese and Western culture.

The plot was enthralling. You can’t help but be pulled into Feng Lu, a world of magic and mischief. Bao and Lan are going on a dangerous adventure to cure Bao of his curse and find his family, even if they shouldn’t be found. There’s an awkwardness between them because they’re connected by the curse, but Lan had just harshly turned Bao down after he professes his love for her.

Except, the thing is, Lan really isn’t a bad person; she was caught off guard because she had just found out that the man, who she thought was in love with her, wasn’t. Over the years, she’s built up a fantasy version of him in her head, and Bao has done the same with Lan. Both of them operate of faint imitations of love, infatuation really, because they don’t actually know the person they thought they loved. They grow to realize that the versions of people we create in our heads aren’t necessarily the ones we want and definitely not who these people actually are.

This character growth is so amazing; to realize the falsehoods of love when approached by the real thing is such a strong message. Going along with this, the romantic development stole my breath away with the longing of it all.

The prose is gorgeous as well! Julie has really grown as an author, and I loved her beautiful and more succinct writing in this book. The prose laid out a soft and gentle tone, one that gives the book a quiet beauty and emphasizes its message of love.

Song of the Crimson Flower was a gorgeous read that really shows how you can’t be in love with a person if it’s just the version of them you’ve made in your head. I loved the characters and their arcs, as well as the romance. Even if you haven’t read Dao’s other books, don’t let it stop you from picking Song of the Crimson Flower up as soon as possible!