“Lyrical, magical, and haunting.”—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A heroine like no other, ancient magic unleashed, a fated epic battle--the first book in an enchanting YA fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese lore, weaving magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
Jolie Lam, a high school sophomore in San Jose, is known for two things: her bizarre freakout at last year’s swim meet and her fortuneteller grandfather with visions of dragons and earthquakes. Friendless and ostracized, Jolie's life takes a dramatic turn for the better when she saves the school's it-girl, Huong Pham, during a haunting vision of her own. Taken under Huong's wing, Jolie's world transforms, in more ways than one.
As Jolie and Huong's bond deepens, they unlock long lost powers: telepathic abilities, fluency in Vietnamese, and eerie premonitions. This leads them to a shocking revelation: they have ties to legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam. While a thrilling discovery, it also sets them on a perilous journey.
The girls must navigate dreams and portals to piece together their past lives and reclaim their immortal elements before their ancient enemies strike again. But all is not what it seems, and Jolie must determine friend from foe, truth from lie, and ultimately right from wrong in this battle for all she loves and the fate of the world.
THE MYTH OF TWO SISTERS There were two sisters. They were partners, queens, warriors who liberated Vietnam from the Han dynasty. They united coastal and mountain villages, appointed women to lead their army, and ruled their country for three years, until the ruthless Han invaders squashed their rebellion. Refusing to surrender, the sisters jumped off a cliff and drowned in the Hàt Giang River. But their legacy endured to inspire a nation. That is what people like to believe. Other versions say they were beheaded or slaughtered in battle, that they vanished from the sky or turned into stone statues. The same finale: they died, they died, they died. This is what we used to believe. There is so much more to this story. Shall we begin?
"Lyrical, magical, and haunting, with a compelling protagonist full of determination and heart, The Lost Queen had me from the first line. "—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A fearlessly told epic tale with a gleaming modern edge. Aimee Phan brings an enthralling legend to brilliant life, exposes and explores the tangled bonds of sisterhood, and does it all with the mesmerizing power of her sharply honed prose. I am now impatiently awaiting the sequel.”—Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
“Blending true Vietnamese history and folklore with an enchanting dose of magic and mystery, The Lost Queen is a contemporary fantasy that is not to be missed! Aimee Phan has woven a wonderfully inventive and beautifully heartfelt story that centers family, friendship and legacy—one that will leave readers entranced.”—Amber Chen, bestselling author of Of Jade and Dragons and The Blood Phoenix
"Inspired by Vietnamese folklore, culture and history, The Lost Queen is full of spells and magic, wonders and adventures. A captivating new book from one of my favorite authors, Aimee Phan."—Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, international bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child.
★ “Phan paces the action and information reveals impeccably, keeping the suspense going without losing the emotional weight of the story. Give this to anyone who likes isekai, myth-in-modern-times novels, or just stories with a protagonist who has to pick through layers of memory, love, and hate to figure out how to act on the right thing.”—BCCB, STARRED REVIEW
“Phan blends contemporary and historical settings with just enough magic (and dragons) to reach numerous readers.”—Booklist
Aimee Phan was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two books for adults, We Should Never Meet: Stories and the novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. She has received fellowships and residencies from the NEA, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Djerassi and Hedgebrook. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Time, USA Today and CNN.com among other publications. Aimee teaches as an associate professor in writing and literature at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and resides in Berkeley, California with her family.
View titles by Aimee Phan
“Lyrical, magical, and haunting.”—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A heroine like no other, ancient magic unleashed, a fated epic battle--the first book in an enchanting YA fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese lore, weaving magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.
Jolie Lam, a high school sophomore in San Jose, is known for two things: her bizarre freakout at last year’s swim meet and her fortuneteller grandfather with visions of dragons and earthquakes. Friendless and ostracized, Jolie's life takes a dramatic turn for the better when she saves the school's it-girl, Huong Pham, during a haunting vision of her own. Taken under Huong's wing, Jolie's world transforms, in more ways than one.
As Jolie and Huong's bond deepens, they unlock long lost powers: telepathic abilities, fluency in Vietnamese, and eerie premonitions. This leads them to a shocking revelation: they have ties to legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam. While a thrilling discovery, it also sets them on a perilous journey.
The girls must navigate dreams and portals to piece together their past lives and reclaim their immortal elements before their ancient enemies strike again. But all is not what it seems, and Jolie must determine friend from foe, truth from lie, and ultimately right from wrong in this battle for all she loves and the fate of the world.
Excerpt
THE MYTH OF TWO SISTERS There were two sisters. They were partners, queens, warriors who liberated Vietnam from the Han dynasty. They united coastal and mountain villages, appointed women to lead their army, and ruled their country for three years, until the ruthless Han invaders squashed their rebellion. Refusing to surrender, the sisters jumped off a cliff and drowned in the Hàt Giang River. But their legacy endured to inspire a nation. That is what people like to believe. Other versions say they were beheaded or slaughtered in battle, that they vanished from the sky or turned into stone statues. The same finale: they died, they died, they died. This is what we used to believe. There is so much more to this story. Shall we begin?
"Lyrical, magical, and haunting, with a compelling protagonist full of determination and heart, The Lost Queen had me from the first line. "—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A fearlessly told epic tale with a gleaming modern edge. Aimee Phan brings an enthralling legend to brilliant life, exposes and explores the tangled bonds of sisterhood, and does it all with the mesmerizing power of her sharply honed prose. I am now impatiently awaiting the sequel.”—Nova Ren Suma, New York Times bestselling author of The Walls Around Us and Wake the Wild Creatures
“Blending true Vietnamese history and folklore with an enchanting dose of magic and mystery, The Lost Queen is a contemporary fantasy that is not to be missed! Aimee Phan has woven a wonderfully inventive and beautifully heartfelt story that centers family, friendship and legacy—one that will leave readers entranced.”—Amber Chen, bestselling author of Of Jade and Dragons and The Blood Phoenix
"Inspired by Vietnamese folklore, culture and history, The Lost Queen is full of spells and magic, wonders and adventures. A captivating new book from one of my favorite authors, Aimee Phan."—Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, international bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child.
★ “Phan paces the action and information reveals impeccably, keeping the suspense going without losing the emotional weight of the story. Give this to anyone who likes isekai, myth-in-modern-times novels, or just stories with a protagonist who has to pick through layers of memory, love, and hate to figure out how to act on the right thing.”—BCCB, STARRED REVIEW
“Phan blends contemporary and historical settings with just enough magic (and dragons) to reach numerous readers.”—Booklist
Author
Aimee Phan was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of two books for adults, We Should Never Meet: Stories and the novel The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. She has received fellowships and residencies from the NEA, MacDowell Colony, the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center, Djerassi and Hedgebrook. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Time, USA Today and CNN.com among other publications. Aimee teaches as an associate professor in writing and literature at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and resides in Berkeley, California with her family.
View titles by Aimee Phan
