• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 September #1
  Lan, the wealthy daughter of a government official, turns down the affection of Bao, a poor physician's apprentice, when she discovers he has been masquerading as Tam, the boy she thinks she is going to marry. She immediately feels bad when she discovers Bao's empty boat floating by her house. Inside is Bao's most prized possession—his flute. Not understanding why Bao would have left it behind, Lan decides to take it into her care and protect it. She soon learns that Bao crossed an evil witch who has cursed him, trapping his soul inside his flute until true love will set him free. One problem: he has two weeks to find that true love. Despite her fear that Bao hates her for how she treated his revelation of love, Lan sets out to help return Bao permanently to his human form. This is an intriguing Vietnamese twist on Beauty and the Beast, though readers might get the most from this love story if they have familiarity with Dao's companion series, Rise of the Empress. Grades 8-11. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Julie Dao (www.juliedao.com) is a proud Vietnamese American who was born in upstate New York. She studied medicine in college, but came to realize blood and needles were her Kryptonite. By day, she worked in science news and research; by night, she wrote books about heroines unafraid to fight for their dreams, which inspired her to follow her passion of becoming a published author. She is the author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix. Julie lives in New England. Follow her on Twitter @jules_writes.