Book Title: THE LOST QUEEN
Character Name: Jolie
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
I live with my Ong Noi (Grandpa) and Ba Noi (Grandma.) My mother died right after I was born, and my dad took off when I was little, so it’s always just been me and my grandparents. They’re really great. My Ba Noi is the best listener. Ong Noi is a fortuneteller, he comes from a long line of psychics from Vietnam, which used to be really cool to tell people, but not recently, because his readings have been getting a little out there, so people think he’s crazy now…
What was your greatest talent?
I am a really fast swimmer! I used to be on the swim team. Other than that….when I was little, I used to do these things…I had amazing balance and could walk along brick walls, or even rooftops. I’d never fall. Flowers would grow when I asked them to…the rain would stop if I told it to…..but that hasn’t happened for years. And now I wonder if I just imagined it!
Biggest challenge in relationships?
It’s hard for me to trust people. I used to have two best friends, but they pretty much ditched me before the start of high school.
Where do you live?
I live in San Jose, California. It’s Silicon Valley, where most kids dream of starting their own tech companies and becoming billionaires. It takes less than an hour to get to the beach, which I love. Lately we’ve been having more earthquakes and thunderstorms that have been making people nervous. It’s probably because of climate change.
Do you have any enemies?
Well, my ex best friends aren’t super happy with me… Sometimes I get a sickening feeling that everyone at my school hates me, but maybe I’m paranoid? Like this dread… I don’t know why I would be such an enemy. It’s not like I am such a big threat or anything…
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
San Jose is boring, but okay. I get why my grandparents moved here. They like being in a community that has other Asian and Vietnamese immigrants. The food is really good! I wish the people here weren’t so obsessed with making money. It’s like all they talk about, like there’s nothing else you can do in life to have meaning in it…
Greatest disappointment?
I wish I had gotten to know my mom. I don’t have any memories of her. We don’t even have any photos of her, so I don’t know if I even look like her.
Greatest source of joy?
Okay, so this is a weird story. We were swimming in PE class, and I helped this girl after she collided with another classmate and nearly drowned. I don’t think she even knows my name, but I know hers. Huong Pham. One of the most popular girls at her school. Anyway, afterwards, she thanked me and gave me this little smile goodbye, and for some reason, it made me really really happy. Like the happiest I’d ever been in a long time. I have no idea why.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
Okay. So the reason why I lost my two best friends is over something that happened at a swim meet, the last swim meet I ever competed in. And it wasn’t even my fault. I wasn’t even fully conscious, but they said I acted crazy. Screaming that these dragons in the sky were coming for us. They even caught it on video, and of course it went viral around my school. So people think I’m crazy. But I’m not…
What keeps you awake at night?
I used to sleep well, but lately my dreams have been waking me up. Actually, they’re more like nightmares. I don’t always remember them. I don’t really want to. The one I can remember was me trapped in a volcano and I couldn’t get out. If I think about it too much, I get scared. I don’t want to become like my Ong Noi. Or for people to think I’m like him. He used to be such a wonderful person, really wise and observant. He always gave the best advice. And now everyone thinks he’s some demented old man…but they’ve been about Vietnam, a country I’ve never even been to. So I don’t know why I’m dreaming about it.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Well I’d like my former best friends to stop spreading gossip about me. We’re not friends anymore, I get it. You don’t have to pile it on with lies. They act like I did something against them, when all I want is for things to be cool. I know they will never forgive me. I just want them to leave me alone.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
I want to help my family. I don’t like seeing my grandparents suffer, not after all they’ve done raising me. I wish there was something I could do. Ong Noi seems to only be getting worse, seeing things that no one else can see, and Ba Noi is so upset about it. Maybe there is a reason for my nightmares. Maybe they’re connected to what is happening with Ong Noi. I have to find out.
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.
Young Adult | Fantasy | Coming of Age [Penguin Young Readers Group, On Sale: May 6, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593697337 / eISBN: 9780593697344]
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.
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