The Lost Queen - Hardcover

Phan, Aimee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593697332 ISBN 13: 9780593697337

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2025

Synopsis

Jolie Lam is an outcast until she saves the popular girl at school—propelling her into a world of eerie premonitions, ancient magic, and a fated epic battle—in this lush fantasy adventure inspired by Vietnamese lore.

“Lyrical, magical, and haunting, with a compelling protagonist full of determination and heart.”—Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Legend trilogy

“Blending true Vietnamese history and folklore with an enchanting dose of magic and mystery . . . not to be missed!”—Amber Chen, bestselling author of The Blood Phoenix

Jolie Lam, a high school sophomore in San Jose, is known for two things: her bizarre freak-out at last year’s swim meet and her fortune teller grandfather with visions of dragons and earthquakes. Friendless and ostracized, Jolie finds her 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 watches her world transform, in more ways than one.

As the two girls’ bond deepens, they unlock long-lost powers: telepathic abilities, eerie premonitions, and influence over the four elements. Which leads to a shocking revelation—one that connects them to legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam. At first, they’re thrilled by the discovery and their newfound power, but now their lives are in great peril. And so the girls must navigate dreams and portals to the past to claim immortal elements before their ancient enemies strike.

But all is not what it seems, and Jolie will need to 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 first book in an enchanting fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese history and lore, The Lost Queen weaves together tales of magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.

About this title

About the 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.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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?

Edition details

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593697332
• ISBN 13: 9780593697337
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368