Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting on
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1) by Julie C. Dao

Publication Date: October 10th, 2017

Goodreads Summary
An East Asian fantasy reimagining of The Evil Queen legend about one peasant girl’s quest to become Empress–and the darkness she must unleash to achieve her destiny.

Eighteen-year-old Xifeng is beautiful. The stars say she is destined for greatness, that she is meant to be Empress of Feng Lu. But only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant in a forgotten village on the edge of the map, Xifeng longs to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, the witch Guma, who has read the cards and seen glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future. But is the price of the throne too high?

Because in order to achieve greatness, she must spurn the young man who loves her and exploit the callous magic that runs through her veins–sorcery fueled by eating the hearts of the recently killed. For the god who has sent her on this journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.

This book has been popping up on my timeline all year, but it was only recently that I gave it any attention. You can’t go wrong with an anti-hero story. Those characters add a layer of complexity to the book, and it also makes them unpredictable. I really can’t wait to see the direction this book takes.

What’s your most anticipated book?