海角大神

In 2017, Julie C. Dao鈥檚 explosive debut novel, "Forest of a Thousand Lanterns," lit up the young adult literary scene with its blend of mythology and drama in an origin story for the Evil Queen in 鈥淪now White.鈥� Dao鈥檚 back this time telling Snow White鈥檚 side of the story in 鈥淜ingdom of the Blazing Phoenix.鈥�

I love fairy tales, and I love YA novels. So why am I ambivalent about 鈥淧hoenix鈥�? Let鈥檚 discuss.

It鈥檚 been 15 years since Empress Lihua died and ambitious Xifeng took her place. Lihua鈥檚 daughter, Jade, has been concealed in a distant monastery since she was three. As the only surviving imperial child, Jade is the last true heir of the Dragon King clan; Xifeng hasn鈥檛 been able to bear scions of her own.

Just before Jade鈥檚 eighteenth birthday, she receives a summons from her stepmother Empress Xifeng herself. Reluctantly, Jade trades the monastery for the ostentatious decadence of the Imperial Palace. There she discovers that the emperor is wasting away and the empire is falling apart under Xifeng鈥檚 iron rule.

Xifeng鈥檚 relentless attempts to solidify her position are increasingly dark and desperate. Poverty, war, famine, desolation, child labor, mysterious disappearances: the land of Feng Lu is dying along with its emperor. That shouldn鈥檛 come as a surprise for those who read 鈥淟anterns,鈥� seeing how Xifeng sold her soul to the Serpent God in exchange for power and eternal beauty. At the end of 鈥淟anterns,鈥� we were left to wonder: Was there anything left in Xifeng to redeem?

Pitted against this poisonous stepmother is diffident Jade, whose natural inclination is to disappear into the wallpaper. Consider their opposing mottoes: Jade says, "We always have a choice," where Xifeng declares, "There is only destiny, and those too afraid to seize it." How can mousy Jade hope to defeat her stepmother-empress and save the continent? She and her traveling companions must collect five legendary relics from across Feng Lu 鈥� avoiding Xifeng鈥檚 huntsman and his army of demon snakes 鈥� in order to succeed.

鈥淧hoenix鈥� has the hallmarks of an epic 鈥淟ord of the Rings鈥�-style adventure, elements of which may appeal to fellow fans of "The Adventure Zone." So why, when presented with all this excitement, this tapestry of folklore, assassins, and mythical creatures, was my ultimate reaction a 鈥渕eh鈥�?

It鈥檚 because, like Jade herself, 鈥淧hoenix鈥� follows in the footsteps of a glamorously malevolent predecessor. This is ostensibly Jade鈥檚 half of the story, but she鈥檚 constantly outshone by Xifeng. Try though Dao might, 鈥淧hoenix鈥� is Xifeng鈥檚 story just as much as 鈥淟anterns.鈥�

Let鈥檚 be clear: Xifeng has all the dark magnetism of a black hole and reading her story was unpleasant. But she is a gripping, multifaceted, compelling character.

鈥淧hoenix鈥� falters because Jade just isn鈥檛 a charismatic hero whom we love and for whom we root. She鈥檚 not as mesmerizing a character as her stepmother. To quote Kim Kardashian, Jade is "the least exciting to look at." Yes, she鈥檚 archetypically good and pure and she forces herself to face her fears. She goes up against mighty odds with powerful motives while her identity evolves. And yet she still reads as flat. We witness her character growth through clunky thought-asides and sudden spurts of filial piety.

Where 鈥淧hoenix鈥� succeeds, however, is when Dao forces readers to contend with the murky distinctions between hero, antihero, and villain. Jade is clearly the hero. What, then, does that make Xifeng, the original protagonist of this duology?

I ended up in a lengthy, literary dissection of this dilemma with my husband. What, I argued, were we to make of similar villain-as-amoral-protagonist works, such as "Maleficent" or "American Psycho"? As lead characters doing evil things, are they antiheroes?

Perhaps, my husband posited, the fault line between hero and antihero is the motive: pure vs. evil-but-understandable, like vengeance. And maybe the firmament between antihero and villain is the outcome: whether the world will be better or worse for their measures.

He brought up Macbeth, Anakin Skywalker of "Star Wars," and Illidan Stormrage and Arthas Menethil of "Warcraft," commenting, "The best villains are ones who used to be heroes, because there used to be good in them. You鈥檝e seen the fall, and that鈥檚 tragic."

That鈥檚 as good a summation of Xifeng鈥檚 character arc as I could hope to write. She鈥檚 a villain who once was a hero and we mourn the loss.

Like a meteor, Xifeng outshines every part of 鈥淧hoenix鈥� in a spellbinding and destructive explosion. Ultimately, we鈥檙e left with a clear sky and the promise of dawn 鈥� but also spots on our vision from the dazzling flash.

"Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix" isn鈥檛 for everyone. But it鈥檚 thought-provoking and, for budding writers, a potential object lesson in character creation.