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The Radiant Emperor #2
He Who Drowned the World
How much would you give to win the world?
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.
But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband―and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.
Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history―and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.
All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…
Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.
But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbor in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband―and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.
Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history―and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.
All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear…
486 pages, ebook
First published August 22, 2023
About the author
Shelley Parker-Chan
6 books4,290 followersShelley Parker-Chan (they/them) is an Asian Australian former international development adviser who worked on human rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights in Southeast Asia. Their debut historical fantasy novel She Who Became the Sun was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. Parker-Chan is a previous winner of the Astounding Award for Best Debut, and the British Fantasy Awards for Best Fantasy Novel and Best Newcomer. They have been a finalist for the Lambda, Locus, Aurealis, Ditmar, and British Book Awards. They live in Melbourne, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,335 reviews
September 8, 2023
This is by any metric a 5 star read. An incredible feat, especially for a sophomore effort.* The plotting is intricate and pays off in spades, the characters are complex and driven (many are wonderfully subversively queer), both the battle scenes and the intimate emotional scenes will have you holding your breath in fear and anticipation. It is absolutely spectacular.
It is also relentlessly brutal. Perhaps we will stay away from "grimdark" as Parker-Chan rejects that genre categorization, as is their right, but OMG I have never read a grimmer, darker, more depressing book full of terrible people doing terrible things to one another. (This book takes the phrase "hurt people hurt people" to a whole new level.) There is not a single moment in the first 95% of the book where someone is moved by kindness or decency. There is sex but it is all manipulative, there are alliances, but they are desperations based on lies, there is torture and murder and self-harm and sadomasochism and sexual violence and characters who not only wallow in but celebrate their debasement and cruelty. And it was all hard to read. Sometimes I could not read more than a scene or a chapter without taking a break to go outside and feel some freakin sunshine, because there isn't any in this book until, perhaps the last 5%, and even that's questionable until the last paragraph - I am not kidding. Which is to say, it does end on a slightly more uplifting note. But only after it had dragged me through the muck of the darker side of humanity. (Next up, I'm reading a cozy romance or something and no one can stop me.)
It is to Parker-Chan's credit that they write with such skill and mastery that I *felt* all that horror. They truly can capture emotion in such a striking way and satisfying way, but, god, did I ask to feel all that? Maybe I did. lol. But please heed the TW list they provide in their own comments here. I would also rate this very adult. This is for 18+ for sure.
Anyway, if the worst thing I can say about a book is that it brutalized my soul and made me seek the sun and, well, appreciate that I wasn't part of a court in imperial China, then you're probably good. Enjoy. Just pack a defibrillator, a supersized box of tissues, and an emotional support beverage. You're gonna need it.
*I am a huge fan of the first book in this duology, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN. Go read it now!
It is also relentlessly brutal. Perhaps we will stay away from "grimdark" as Parker-Chan rejects that genre categorization, as is their right, but OMG I have never read a grimmer, darker, more depressing book full of terrible people doing terrible things to one another. (This book takes the phrase "hurt people hurt people" to a whole new level.) There is not a single moment in the first 95% of the book where someone is moved by kindness or decency. There is sex but it is all manipulative, there are alliances, but they are desperations based on lies, there is torture and murder and self-harm and sadomasochism and sexual violence and characters who not only wallow in but celebrate their debasement and cruelty. And it was all hard to read. Sometimes I could not read more than a scene or a chapter without taking a break to go outside and feel some freakin sunshine, because there isn't any in this book until, perhaps the last 5%, and even that's questionable until the last paragraph - I am not kidding. Which is to say, it does end on a slightly more uplifting note. But only after it had dragged me through the muck of the darker side of humanity. (Next up, I'm reading a cozy romance or something and no one can stop me.)
It is to Parker-Chan's credit that they write with such skill and mastery that I *felt* all that horror. They truly can capture emotion in such a striking way and satisfying way, but, god, did I ask to feel all that? Maybe I did. lol. But please heed the TW list they provide in their own comments here. I would also rate this very adult. This is for 18+ for sure.
Anyway, if the worst thing I can say about a book is that it brutalized my soul and made me seek the sun and, well, appreciate that I wasn't part of a court in imperial China, then you're probably good. Enjoy. Just pack a defibrillator, a supersized box of tissues, and an emotional support beverage. You're gonna need it.
*I am a huge fan of the first book in this duology, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN. Go read it now!
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April 26, 2023Even though this list may look confronting, I should say: I don’t write grimdark (in the sense of fantasy with extreme, explicit violence, such as Game of Thrones).
In terms of violence, I think of both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World as roughly equivalent to the Asian historical dramas on Netflix: you'll see some splatter during fight scenes, but rarely full-on gore. Torture is mostly implied. However, Drowned is substantially darker in tone than She Who Became the Sun and contains one moderately detailed depiction of sexual violence. I have to stress that it is not a young adult book!
I choose not to warn for the specific content of consensual sexual encounters between adults.
Please feel free to contact me via my website contact form (not here on Goodreads, which I won’t be checking) if you feel it would be helpful for me to list additional warnings.
In terms of violence, I think of both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World as roughly equivalent to the Asian historical dramas on Netflix: you'll see some splatter during fight scenes, but rarely full-on gore. Torture is mostly implied. However, Drowned is substantially darker in tone than She Who Became the Sun and contains one moderately detailed depiction of sexual violence. I have to stress that it is not a young adult book!
I choose not to warn for the specific content of consensual sexual encounters between adults.
Please feel free to contact me via my website contact form (not here on Goodreads, which I won’t be checking) if you feel it would be helpful for me to list additional warnings.
October 11, 2023
although i really enjoyed and felt actively engaged while reading ‘she who became the sun,’ i suffered a major disconnect with the concluding sequel.
its unfortunate because SPCs writing is just as exceptional as ever. and the fantasy elements set in a intriguing place and period of time are a real high point of the story. but there is just something about this second half of the duology that failed to keep me interested.
maybe its because this installment focuses more on the war of wits and mental fortitude rather than the war of strength and strategy that was present in the first book? i have no idea, but the subject matter just wasnt that enjoyable to read about for me personally.
not a terrible book by any means, i just didnt like it as much as ‘she who became the sun.’
↠ 2.5 stars
its unfortunate because SPCs writing is just as exceptional as ever. and the fantasy elements set in a intriguing place and period of time are a real high point of the story. but there is just something about this second half of the duology that failed to keep me interested.
maybe its because this installment focuses more on the war of wits and mental fortitude rather than the war of strength and strategy that was present in the first book? i have no idea, but the subject matter just wasnt that enjoyable to read about for me personally.
not a terrible book by any means, i just didnt like it as much as ‘she who became the sun.’
↠ 2.5 stars
March 14, 2024
actual rating: 4.5 stars
February 18, 2024
ARC provided by Tor! (thank you so very much!)
She Who Became the Sun ★★★★★
favorite 2023 publication <3 truly this duology is everything to me
trigger and content warnings: war, colonization, grief, death, murder, self harm, homophobia, f slur, vomit, torture, slavery, fire, captivity, blood, bullying, sexual assault - grey area, sexual abuse, drowning, claustrophobia, infidelity, feet binding, needles, ptsd, harm to children, kidnapping, child death, brief animal abuse mention, animal cruelty - wing clipping, poisoning, forced abortion, suicide mention
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May 21, 2023
Reading She Who Became the Sun, I repeatedly felt the urge to grab the main characters by the collar and yell, “for the love of god, get some fucking help”. The sequel excited no such compassionate impulse in me; instead, I was left wondering if bathing in holy water would be a viable solution to exorcise the monsters summoned by Shelley Parker-Chan.
There is no other way to put it: most of the characters in this novel are straight up demonic. There is villainy, and then there is Wang Baoxiang. I have never before read a fantasy book that could have so easily been a product of Dostoevskij’s imagination. The main cast members constantly one-up each other in terms of cruelty and depravity; just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse, someone shows up with a jar of pickled hands and you lose another shred of faith in humanity. I’d truly like to know what the author was going through while drafting this, because despite her claim that she doesn’t write grimdark, He Who Drowned the World very much reads like grimdark to me. It’s not so much that the violence is especially graphic, it’s that there is almost no respite from it.
The tone is markedly more somber than in the prequel, and the narrative is permeated with a sense of oppressive hopelessness and despair. I can already tell that the main criticism readers will level at this book is that it’s too depressing and cruel. While I understand where this sentiment comes from, I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly bothered by the turn things took. While the story could have come off as voyeuristic trauma porn in the hands of a less skilled writer, Parker-Chan managed to craft such three-dimensional and compelling characters that I found myself morbidly fascinated by their horrifying descent into madness.
It helps that the plot is fast-paced and action-packed, full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Despite knowing from the beginning how the series would end—this is, after all, a retelling of the first Ming emperor’s ascent to power—I could never predict what was going to happen next; in fact, I realized at one point that I had fifteen pages left in my e-book and the story hadn’t wrapped up at all. I think it’s truly a remarkable feat to keep one’s readers guessing until the last chapter of a five-hundred page tome.
What really made the book so enjoyable for me, however, were the characters. While the protagonist Zhu is definitely morally ambiguous, her antagonists reach such hellish levels of perversion that she almost seems like a well-adjusted human in comparison. I was captivated by their tragic arcs, their Machiavellian schemes, and their supremely twisted relationships with one another. Ultimately, this is a story about the value of self-acceptance and the devastating consequences of social rejection and self-hate, particularly in relation to gender identity and expression. I think the author effectively showed how self-loathing and bigotry can destroy not just the individual, but society as a whole.
This won’t be a book for everyone. If you like your characters to be at least partially redeemable, you might be better off skipping it. It was, however, a book for me. At the end of the day, I am a simple Wuthering Heights fan who incessantly gravitates towards tormented villains doomed by the narrative.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.
There is no other way to put it: most of the characters in this novel are straight up demonic. There is villainy, and then there is Wang Baoxiang. I have never before read a fantasy book that could have so easily been a product of Dostoevskij’s imagination. The main cast members constantly one-up each other in terms of cruelty and depravity; just when you think it can’t possibly get any worse, someone shows up with a jar of pickled hands and you lose another shred of faith in humanity. I’d truly like to know what the author was going through while drafting this, because despite her claim that she doesn’t write grimdark, He Who Drowned the World very much reads like grimdark to me. It’s not so much that the violence is especially graphic, it’s that there is almost no respite from it.
The tone is markedly more somber than in the prequel, and the narrative is permeated with a sense of oppressive hopelessness and despair. I can already tell that the main criticism readers will level at this book is that it’s too depressing and cruel. While I understand where this sentiment comes from, I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly bothered by the turn things took. While the story could have come off as voyeuristic trauma porn in the hands of a less skilled writer, Parker-Chan managed to craft such three-dimensional and compelling characters that I found myself morbidly fascinated by their horrifying descent into madness.
It helps that the plot is fast-paced and action-packed, full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Despite knowing from the beginning how the series would end—this is, after all, a retelling of the first Ming emperor’s ascent to power—I could never predict what was going to happen next; in fact, I realized at one point that I had fifteen pages left in my e-book and the story hadn’t wrapped up at all. I think it’s truly a remarkable feat to keep one’s readers guessing until the last chapter of a five-hundred page tome.
What really made the book so enjoyable for me, however, were the characters. While the protagonist Zhu is definitely morally ambiguous, her antagonists reach such hellish levels of perversion that she almost seems like a well-adjusted human in comparison. I was captivated by their tragic arcs, their Machiavellian schemes, and their supremely twisted relationships with one another. Ultimately, this is a story about the value of self-acceptance and the devastating consequences of social rejection and self-hate, particularly in relation to gender identity and expression. I think the author effectively showed how self-loathing and bigotry can destroy not just the individual, but society as a whole.
This won’t be a book for everyone. If you like your characters to be at least partially redeemable, you might be better off skipping it. It was, however, a book for me. At the end of the day, I am a simple Wuthering Heights fan who incessantly gravitates towards tormented villains doomed by the narrative.
Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.
Want to read
August 20, 2023I'm 10% into it and while I'm not ready to officially DNF it... it's going on the pile of shame!
Shelved as 'dnf'
August 20, 2023i won't even go into it
July 8, 2023
TW: Self harm, Rape, Torture, Miscarriage
Zhu, The Radiant King, finds herself feeling unstoppable after her victories and wants to crown herself emperor. But she won’t just have to go against the reigning dynasty but also others who have designs on the throne. Zhu realizes she can’t go it alone and makes an unlikely alliance with someone who is more like her than he realizes. But no one vying for the throne realizes that there is someone who lurks in the shadows with their own designs to rule and is much closer to claiming the throne than anyone else. As they’re all willing to do whatever it takes to rule, who will have to sacrifice the most, and who will emerge victorious?
This is truly a work of epic historical fantasy. This sequel still focuses on familiar characters while expanding its reach throughout the empire on a larger scale. It had a much different feel to its prequel, which I ended up not preferring. Zhu’s POV was weaker in this read as it was more focused on her building up followers and running between different points or on intense bouts of action. I enjoyed the parts of Baoxiang’s POV that were more intrigue-driven subterfuge, but his sections quickly became too graphic for me.
I personally disliked how sexually explicit this book was and how often it happened. While I do acknowledge that these parts played an important role in the characterization and plot throughout the book, I would have preferred them to be more off-page and/or much less graphic. It reached a point where it felt more gratuitous and less relevant, which detracted from my enjoyment. This was mostly the case in Baoxiang’s sections, and much of his internal dialogue about the sexual interactions contradicted each other to the point where I was confused as to his actual wants/desires. I disliked how muddied his characterization became, especially as it didn’t seem like this was done on purpose.
I loved how complex this work was and appreciate how well the author combined so many elements and moving parts to create a compelling conclusion that didn’t feel forced. However, this book was just so drastically different from the first one in ways I didn’t prefer that it didn’t wow me in the same way. I do still recommend this read and it was a satisfying conclusion, although don’t go into it expecting a similar read to the prequel. My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 22, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Zhu, The Radiant King, finds herself feeling unstoppable after her victories and wants to crown herself emperor. But she won’t just have to go against the reigning dynasty but also others who have designs on the throne. Zhu realizes she can’t go it alone and makes an unlikely alliance with someone who is more like her than he realizes. But no one vying for the throne realizes that there is someone who lurks in the shadows with their own designs to rule and is much closer to claiming the throne than anyone else. As they’re all willing to do whatever it takes to rule, who will have to sacrifice the most, and who will emerge victorious?
This is truly a work of epic historical fantasy. This sequel still focuses on familiar characters while expanding its reach throughout the empire on a larger scale. It had a much different feel to its prequel, which I ended up not preferring. Zhu’s POV was weaker in this read as it was more focused on her building up followers and running between different points or on intense bouts of action. I enjoyed the parts of Baoxiang’s POV that were more intrigue-driven subterfuge, but his sections quickly became too graphic for me.
I personally disliked how sexually explicit this book was and how often it happened. While I do acknowledge that these parts played an important role in the characterization and plot throughout the book, I would have preferred them to be more off-page and/or much less graphic. It reached a point where it felt more gratuitous and less relevant, which detracted from my enjoyment. This was mostly the case in Baoxiang’s sections, and much of his internal dialogue about the sexual interactions contradicted each other to the point where I was confused as to his actual wants/desires. I disliked how muddied his characterization became, especially as it didn’t seem like this was done on purpose.
I loved how complex this work was and appreciate how well the author combined so many elements and moving parts to create a compelling conclusion that didn’t feel forced. However, this book was just so drastically different from the first one in ways I didn’t prefer that it didn’t wow me in the same way. I do still recommend this read and it was a satisfying conclusion, although don’t go into it expecting a similar read to the prequel. My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 22, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
June 10, 2023
5/5
Nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. To make a place for us. What choice did we ever have, but to do it ourselves?
This is a masterpiece. I have never encountered a book so visceral, I have never before encountered a book that bleeds.
She Who Became the Sun is one of my favourite books of all-time and I just hoped beyond hope that He Who Drowned the World would live up to it. It is everything I could ever have possibly dreamed and more. This is my book. I am tethered to this story like it is my centre of gravity, I can't imagine a world without having read it. There has never been a book so perfect.
Shelley Parker-Chan writes so effortlessly, their construction of such a complex and riveting narrative is astounding. I am in such awe of their talent. You can feel the weight of the labour and the love that was put into this novel, yet it also reads like we're flying across the pages. Every detail is so vivid and steeped in emotion. The scenes spill off the page, creating such vibrant images as we dance between each word. There is clear intention behind every sentence that allows us to feel the raw emotional weight of every line. It is beautiful writing and even more beautiful storytelling.
Each character plays such an important role in the story and I found the addition of new perspectives to be so interesting. Each one brought something completely different to the story, yet Parker-Chan controlled all of these narratives with such refined skill, spinning these webs together, drawing parallels and contrasts, twisting each moving part until every action became bigger than what it was. In linking these characters together through this narrative, their every action became enlarged into the vastness of the question, what does this mean for the others? The links and subversions added upon this duology's themes created such a fascinating opportunity for exploration. He Who Drowned the World took everything that She Who Became the Sun said and delved deeper.
The core themes perpetuated in The Radiant Emperor duology have always been desire and suffering. If She Who Became the Sun was the focus on desire, He Who Drowned the World is the focus on suffering. She Who Became the Sun explores grasping the intent of desire with both hands and claiming your fate, it is the hunt for greatness, it is about the strength it takes to become great, it is the knowledge that you will do anything and suffer anything to achieve that greatness. He Who Drowned the World explores the consequences of greatness, it explores loss and pain and suffering to newer heights, and with savage glee tears apart the clarity of our understanding of suffering into something more warped, it questions whether the suffering that has been endured for greatness is worth it.
This is where He Who Drowned the World strides in larger steps than She Who Became the Sun (as perfect as that book also is). Its focus on suffering and on pain is where this book shone even brighter. We are tortured by the shifting moralities of the main characters, by the new ambiguity around how much suffering is worth the ultimate goal of greatness. We witness these characters driven to madness by their pain, we witness their suffering as it eclipses their hope, we witness them despair and cry and break. There are many ghosts that haunt the characters of this story, there are many torments that the world wounds them with, but the most fascinating element of this discussion around pain is when we witness the pain the characters inflict upon themselves.
Ouyang reaches into this place of pain to shield himself from a greater wound weeping inside of him. He is haunted by his duty, by his need for revenge. He drives himself onwards, against reason, running headfirst to his end. He wants to achieve this vengeance and have it be done, he wants this gaping wound inside of him to stop flowing out blood, he wants to reach the end before his pain bleeds him dry. He wants everything that he's done to get there to be worth it.
Another character overwhelmed by this pain is Baoxiang. Baoxiang's pain spills out of him and drowns the world in its darkness, it is a poisoning pain with a bitter touch. It is an uncontrollable pain that Baoxiang cannot recognise for what it is. He cannot recognise it for grief.
This shared pain these two characters are plagued by pulls very evocative parallels, but it proves these character's differences more. We see the biting edge of a pain that is weaponised against the world and we see a maddening one that is sure to be their doom.
In Baoxiang we find an incredibly interesting perspective. What is so brilliant about these characters is that even if you dislike them, they are still riveting to witness and to explore.
Baoxiang believes that through his pain he will find something worth its suffering. He believes, like Ouyang believes, like Zhu believes, that what he endures now will be worth it later. But his experience is immensely different to theirs and adds a whole new layer to the fascinating conversation this duology has around gender.
Baoxiang wields his effeminacy against the Mongol Empire and its warriors like a sword. He becomes the things they think of him, as we have already seen in the first book. He shrouds himself in the worthlessness that they perceive of him. He performs the role that they have given him.
What is so vital to understanding Baoxiang's character is to understand his hatred. He hates the way they view him, he hates the way they discard him, he hates that they find him worthless. But what he hates more is the hypocrisy he views. They condemn him because he is no warrior, yet their own true warriors are more like what they think of him than he is. He finds the secrets some of the great warriors keep indistinguishable from his own experiences and treatment. He hates their blindness, he hates their desire. He proves to us here how much his hatred infects every move he makes. And even when we start to unravel this hatred and glimpse his grief, it is an inescapable burden that he carries across his back as his pain turns in on himself and consumes him. There is a point where, after swallowing the world, the only thing left for his darkness to swallow is him.
Baoxiang is only one part of a very detailed and nuanced discussion of gender and queerness throughout these books, but a new layer that I thought was added in this story was the layer of perception. I found the element of perception hidden all throughout this book and what intrigued me most about it was the questions that it ended up asking. Whose perception truly matters? Is a thing real because it is perceived to be so or does another person's perception not matter at all to the truth of one's being? What then is the answer to whether love is real if only one person can perceive it? There is so much rich ground to cover here that I cannot without giving too much away, but I found these elements of the story so engrossing as I tried to pick apart every different angle that was uncovered.
What enriches the already ingenious conversation on gender (alongside this addition of perception) is that of performance. We see performance used in Baoxiang's perspective as he fits into the role they have decided for him, we see it in Zhu's perspective as she plays into and adjusts the world's perceptions to achieve her end, we see it in Madam Zhang and her porcelain surface, as well as in so much more.
Madam Zhang brings a new aspect to this in her performance. In her perspective, we witness how she uses her own body—detached from her mind—to wield other people's desires against themselves. We see sex used as a tool to discuss these elements of desire, body, performance and gender. Madam Zhang is so disconnected from the pain of her body that she becomes unfeeling, she controls her body as you would a clockwork toy and winds herself up again for her next performance. She is conniving because she has to be and she so desperately desires more of the world but her options and perceptions of her possibilities are limited.
She is a porcelain doll, perfectly broken and made up again, all smooth surfaces without cracks and without scars. She need only apply another coating of makeup and slip into the appropriate façade. It is her means for survival in a world that does not care if she survives it.
Ultimately, The Radiant Emperor duology focuses on a collection of different characters who are all people that the world does not want to win. It shows us their brokenness, it shows us how fractured and desperate and damaged they are and asks us to root for them anyway.
I claim my place. And if the pattern of the world refuses to let that place exist, I will change it.
Zhu and Ouyang have always been the most interesting to me. In She Who Became the Sun we see their similarities discussed alongside their vast differences, but in this book we are allowed to see their connections in an even sharper light. We are allowed the clarity of their sameness, the ache of their joint wounds and sorrows, we feel the reverberations of that string pulled taut that binds them. And so it is with even greater betrayal that we see the jagged edges of their differences once more.
This dance between them is so riveting because it is so visceral. We are as connected to them as they are to each other and so we root for this connection to hold true, for it to mean something, for it to forge a new path—a path that we can follow them down.
Zhu reckons with the themes of desire and suffering the most throughout the duology as this is, after all, her story. But she struggles more with desire's demands in this book than she ever has before. We know as well as she does that 'desire is the cause of all suffering,' and that 'the greater the desire, the greater the suffering, and now she desired greatness itself,' but how much is too much for Zhu to bear?
Have you ever thought that it might not be worth it?
Alongside these characters we go through devastating losses and haunting realisations, we are left shocked and speechless. Shelley Parker-Chan always knows the most harrowing ways to wrench our hearts straight from our chests. (I will, in fact, be demanding emotional reparations!) It's an agonising, all-consuming masterpiece of a book and you will not regret picking it up.
I absolutely devoured this story, I couldn't get enough of it and never wanted to stop reading! I cursed my body for needing sleep. I have never loved a series so unfalteringly, there is truly nothing that compares to it. My love for the characters is so exceptionally strong (Xu Da steals my heart as always) and I cannot exaggerate how viscerally I relate to them and how heart-breaking this book truly was. One thing I can say with absolute certainty is you guys are not prepared for this one!
I'm astonished to find that it's over. I need a million more books set in this time and about these characters, complete with Parker-Chan's lush prose and evocative themes. I could go on and on about this book forever! When I next reread I'll do a spoiler review with all my increasingly rambly thoughts.
Parker-Chan has secured their place with great surety as one of my absolute favourite authors, I will clamour for any scraps of writing they deign to give us. My life has been fundamentally changed with this duology and I am just honoured that I got to experience it.
Shelley Parker-Chan has not only created an exceptional piece of literature through their immersive and explosive storytelling, but has transported us through time into a world where we are as desperate and as ravenous as the characters themselves. It is always a shock to look up and discover that I am no longer inside the pages.
Perhaps in your next lives, or the ones after those, or in a thousand years, you'll find each other again, and the world will be different. Perhaps next time, you can have the courage.
I do want to issue a warning that this book is a lot darker than She Who Became the Sun so please look up the content warnings (I'll have them listed on my Storygraph) and read with care!
Thank you Pan Macmillan and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. To make a place for us. What choice did we ever have, but to do it ourselves?
This is a masterpiece. I have never encountered a book so visceral, I have never before encountered a book that bleeds.
She Who Became the Sun is one of my favourite books of all-time and I just hoped beyond hope that He Who Drowned the World would live up to it. It is everything I could ever have possibly dreamed and more. This is my book. I am tethered to this story like it is my centre of gravity, I can't imagine a world without having read it. There has never been a book so perfect.
Shelley Parker-Chan writes so effortlessly, their construction of such a complex and riveting narrative is astounding. I am in such awe of their talent. You can feel the weight of the labour and the love that was put into this novel, yet it also reads like we're flying across the pages. Every detail is so vivid and steeped in emotion. The scenes spill off the page, creating such vibrant images as we dance between each word. There is clear intention behind every sentence that allows us to feel the raw emotional weight of every line. It is beautiful writing and even more beautiful storytelling.
Each character plays such an important role in the story and I found the addition of new perspectives to be so interesting. Each one brought something completely different to the story, yet Parker-Chan controlled all of these narratives with such refined skill, spinning these webs together, drawing parallels and contrasts, twisting each moving part until every action became bigger than what it was. In linking these characters together through this narrative, their every action became enlarged into the vastness of the question, what does this mean for the others? The links and subversions added upon this duology's themes created such a fascinating opportunity for exploration. He Who Drowned the World took everything that She Who Became the Sun said and delved deeper.
The core themes perpetuated in The Radiant Emperor duology have always been desire and suffering. If She Who Became the Sun was the focus on desire, He Who Drowned the World is the focus on suffering. She Who Became the Sun explores grasping the intent of desire with both hands and claiming your fate, it is the hunt for greatness, it is about the strength it takes to become great, it is the knowledge that you will do anything and suffer anything to achieve that greatness. He Who Drowned the World explores the consequences of greatness, it explores loss and pain and suffering to newer heights, and with savage glee tears apart the clarity of our understanding of suffering into something more warped, it questions whether the suffering that has been endured for greatness is worth it.
This is where He Who Drowned the World strides in larger steps than She Who Became the Sun (as perfect as that book also is). Its focus on suffering and on pain is where this book shone even brighter. We are tortured by the shifting moralities of the main characters, by the new ambiguity around how much suffering is worth the ultimate goal of greatness. We witness these characters driven to madness by their pain, we witness their suffering as it eclipses their hope, we witness them despair and cry and break. There are many ghosts that haunt the characters of this story, there are many torments that the world wounds them with, but the most fascinating element of this discussion around pain is when we witness the pain the characters inflict upon themselves.
Ouyang reaches into this place of pain to shield himself from a greater wound weeping inside of him. He is haunted by his duty, by his need for revenge. He drives himself onwards, against reason, running headfirst to his end. He wants to achieve this vengeance and have it be done, he wants this gaping wound inside of him to stop flowing out blood, he wants to reach the end before his pain bleeds him dry. He wants everything that he's done to get there to be worth it.
Another character overwhelmed by this pain is Baoxiang. Baoxiang's pain spills out of him and drowns the world in its darkness, it is a poisoning pain with a bitter touch. It is an uncontrollable pain that Baoxiang cannot recognise for what it is. He cannot recognise it for grief.
This shared pain these two characters are plagued by pulls very evocative parallels, but it proves these character's differences more. We see the biting edge of a pain that is weaponised against the world and we see a maddening one that is sure to be their doom.
In Baoxiang we find an incredibly interesting perspective. What is so brilliant about these characters is that even if you dislike them, they are still riveting to witness and to explore.
Baoxiang believes that through his pain he will find something worth its suffering. He believes, like Ouyang believes, like Zhu believes, that what he endures now will be worth it later. But his experience is immensely different to theirs and adds a whole new layer to the fascinating conversation this duology has around gender.
Baoxiang wields his effeminacy against the Mongol Empire and its warriors like a sword. He becomes the things they think of him, as we have already seen in the first book. He shrouds himself in the worthlessness that they perceive of him. He performs the role that they have given him.
What is so vital to understanding Baoxiang's character is to understand his hatred. He hates the way they view him, he hates the way they discard him, he hates that they find him worthless. But what he hates more is the hypocrisy he views. They condemn him because he is no warrior, yet their own true warriors are more like what they think of him than he is. He finds the secrets some of the great warriors keep indistinguishable from his own experiences and treatment. He hates their blindness, he hates their desire. He proves to us here how much his hatred infects every move he makes. And even when we start to unravel this hatred and glimpse his grief, it is an inescapable burden that he carries across his back as his pain turns in on himself and consumes him. There is a point where, after swallowing the world, the only thing left for his darkness to swallow is him.
Baoxiang is only one part of a very detailed and nuanced discussion of gender and queerness throughout these books, but a new layer that I thought was added in this story was the layer of perception. I found the element of perception hidden all throughout this book and what intrigued me most about it was the questions that it ended up asking. Whose perception truly matters? Is a thing real because it is perceived to be so or does another person's perception not matter at all to the truth of one's being? What then is the answer to whether love is real if only one person can perceive it? There is so much rich ground to cover here that I cannot without giving too much away, but I found these elements of the story so engrossing as I tried to pick apart every different angle that was uncovered.
What enriches the already ingenious conversation on gender (alongside this addition of perception) is that of performance. We see performance used in Baoxiang's perspective as he fits into the role they have decided for him, we see it in Zhu's perspective as she plays into and adjusts the world's perceptions to achieve her end, we see it in Madam Zhang and her porcelain surface, as well as in so much more.
Madam Zhang brings a new aspect to this in her performance. In her perspective, we witness how she uses her own body—detached from her mind—to wield other people's desires against themselves. We see sex used as a tool to discuss these elements of desire, body, performance and gender. Madam Zhang is so disconnected from the pain of her body that she becomes unfeeling, she controls her body as you would a clockwork toy and winds herself up again for her next performance. She is conniving because she has to be and she so desperately desires more of the world but her options and perceptions of her possibilities are limited.
She is a porcelain doll, perfectly broken and made up again, all smooth surfaces without cracks and without scars. She need only apply another coating of makeup and slip into the appropriate façade. It is her means for survival in a world that does not care if she survives it.
Ultimately, The Radiant Emperor duology focuses on a collection of different characters who are all people that the world does not want to win. It shows us their brokenness, it shows us how fractured and desperate and damaged they are and asks us to root for them anyway.
I claim my place. And if the pattern of the world refuses to let that place exist, I will change it.
Zhu and Ouyang have always been the most interesting to me. In She Who Became the Sun we see their similarities discussed alongside their vast differences, but in this book we are allowed to see their connections in an even sharper light. We are allowed the clarity of their sameness, the ache of their joint wounds and sorrows, we feel the reverberations of that string pulled taut that binds them. And so it is with even greater betrayal that we see the jagged edges of their differences once more.
This dance between them is so riveting because it is so visceral. We are as connected to them as they are to each other and so we root for this connection to hold true, for it to mean something, for it to forge a new path—a path that we can follow them down.
Zhu reckons with the themes of desire and suffering the most throughout the duology as this is, after all, her story. But she struggles more with desire's demands in this book than she ever has before. We know as well as she does that 'desire is the cause of all suffering,' and that 'the greater the desire, the greater the suffering, and now she desired greatness itself,' but how much is too much for Zhu to bear?
Have you ever thought that it might not be worth it?
Alongside these characters we go through devastating losses and haunting realisations, we are left shocked and speechless. Shelley Parker-Chan always knows the most harrowing ways to wrench our hearts straight from our chests. (I will, in fact, be demanding emotional reparations!) It's an agonising, all-consuming masterpiece of a book and you will not regret picking it up.
I absolutely devoured this story, I couldn't get enough of it and never wanted to stop reading! I cursed my body for needing sleep. I have never loved a series so unfalteringly, there is truly nothing that compares to it. My love for the characters is so exceptionally strong (Xu Da steals my heart as always) and I cannot exaggerate how viscerally I relate to them and how heart-breaking this book truly was. One thing I can say with absolute certainty is you guys are not prepared for this one!
I'm astonished to find that it's over. I need a million more books set in this time and about these characters, complete with Parker-Chan's lush prose and evocative themes. I could go on and on about this book forever! When I next reread I'll do a spoiler review with all my increasingly rambly thoughts.
Parker-Chan has secured their place with great surety as one of my absolute favourite authors, I will clamour for any scraps of writing they deign to give us. My life has been fundamentally changed with this duology and I am just honoured that I got to experience it.
Shelley Parker-Chan has not only created an exceptional piece of literature through their immersive and explosive storytelling, but has transported us through time into a world where we are as desperate and as ravenous as the characters themselves. It is always a shock to look up and discover that I am no longer inside the pages.
Perhaps in your next lives, or the ones after those, or in a thousand years, you'll find each other again, and the world will be different. Perhaps next time, you can have the courage.
I do want to issue a warning that this book is a lot darker than She Who Became the Sun so please look up the content warnings (I'll have them listed on my Storygraph) and read with care!
Thank you Pan Macmillan and Tor Publishing Group for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
July 10, 2023
the last 40% was the most stressful reading experience ive ever had. and i loved it
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December 12, 2023
4.5 stars
He Who Drowned the World is a heart-wrenching study of grief, power, and pain that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the first page.
Shelley Parker-Chan is a master of making me sympathize with vicious characters. Both Zhu and Ouyang return as main POV characters in this installment. I love that we got to see more of them together in this book. Their banter was so entertaining and they played off of each other really well. Their perspectives on each other provide valuable insight into their characters. Ouyang’s character arc in this book made me incredibly emotional.
Baoxiang’s POV was a terrifying and fascinating addition. I love how his presence in the capital added some court politics to the story. His subtle scheming provided an interesting foil to Zhu and Ouyang’s military campaign. He is such a complicated character to read from. As the reader you want to be able to sympathize with him, especially as you uncover the depth of his pain and rage. But we encounter his POV at the point where he has been drowned by his grief and pain so you can never truly root for him even as your heart breaks.
I love how the three storylines wove together. Witnessing ripples of one character’s actions brush against the POVs of other characters created the perfect amount of tension and suspense. All of the characters in this book are rich and complex providing unique perspectives on how pain, power, and grief can change a person.
He Who Drowned the World is a phenomenal sequel and, overall, an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the duology. For 80% of the book, I was certain I would give this five stars, however, two moments towards the end left me feeling conflicted.
This is a book about war and vicious people doing whatever it takes to claim their fate, therefore, I do not think it is a spoiler to say that characters die. However, there are two deaths in this book that just did not have the weight and impact I expected them to have. When I read the scenes I felt like I had been robbed of certain interactions or developments that I had been waiting for. And in a way it works. This feeling of missing out on something reflects the fact that lives are being ended prematurely in these scenes. But as the reader, I feel a bit unsatisfied. Moments that happen in the last part do work towards providing a more satisfying ending.
I cannot believe that I am saying this, but I almost think that this duology should have been a trilogy. I say this because the only part of He Who Drowned the World that I did not like was the last 80 pages (basically all of part three). Both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World have relatively slow pacing as the characters arrange pieces to enact their complicated plans. In contrast, part three of HWDTW moves at a breakneck speed as we see a new plan formed and executed and characters going from strangers to close. Because of this I honestly think the last 80 pages of this book would have made a thrilling third book. The beginning of part three has a line that would have been the perfect cliffhanger ending to this book (I don't know why I would want that but it would have been awesome). Obviously, there would need to be a lot more content added to develop 80 pages into an entire book. But, additional scenes and a slower timeline honestly would have made Zhu’s final plan a lot more believable to me.
Getting into the specifics of what I think could have happened would involve a lot of spoilers. But to be vague I have two main complaints with part three. First, it relies almost entirely on a character that was basically absent from this book and is barely even mentioned outside of the few scenes they appear in. They may be an established character in the duology but I personally think it was a strange shift for them to suddenly be incredibly important at the very end. Second, the ending relies on a bond formed between two characters that felt unbelievably rushed—especially considering who one of the characters is. I would have loved to see this bond built up over an entire book and it would have made the ending even more emotional.
It was unfortunate that a book I was loving so much didn’t quite stick the landing. But at the end of the day, this is 80 pages of a 500-page book and it barely impacted my enjoyment. Overall, I think this is a phenomenal conclusion to the duology.
Thank you Tor for the eARC
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
He Who Drowned the World is a heart-wrenching study of grief, power, and pain that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the first page.
Shelley Parker-Chan is a master of making me sympathize with vicious characters. Both Zhu and Ouyang return as main POV characters in this installment. I love that we got to see more of them together in this book. Their banter was so entertaining and they played off of each other really well. Their perspectives on each other provide valuable insight into their characters. Ouyang’s character arc in this book made me incredibly emotional.
Baoxiang’s POV was a terrifying and fascinating addition. I love how his presence in the capital added some court politics to the story. His subtle scheming provided an interesting foil to Zhu and Ouyang’s military campaign. He is such a complicated character to read from. As the reader you want to be able to sympathize with him, especially as you uncover the depth of his pain and rage. But we encounter his POV at the point where he has been drowned by his grief and pain so you can never truly root for him even as your heart breaks.
I love how the three storylines wove together. Witnessing ripples of one character’s actions brush against the POVs of other characters created the perfect amount of tension and suspense. All of the characters in this book are rich and complex providing unique perspectives on how pain, power, and grief can change a person.
He Who Drowned the World is a phenomenal sequel and, overall, an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the duology. For 80% of the book, I was certain I would give this five stars, however, two moments towards the end left me feeling conflicted.
This is a book about war and vicious people doing whatever it takes to claim their fate, therefore, I do not think it is a spoiler to say that characters die. However, there are two deaths in this book that just did not have the weight and impact I expected them to have. When I read the scenes I felt like I had been robbed of certain interactions or developments that I had been waiting for. And in a way it works. This feeling of missing out on something reflects the fact that lives are being ended prematurely in these scenes. But as the reader, I feel a bit unsatisfied. Moments that happen in the last part do work towards providing a more satisfying ending.
I cannot believe that I am saying this, but I almost think that this duology should have been a trilogy. I say this because the only part of He Who Drowned the World that I did not like was the last 80 pages (basically all of part three). Both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World have relatively slow pacing as the characters arrange pieces to enact their complicated plans. In contrast, part three of HWDTW moves at a breakneck speed as we see a new plan formed and executed and characters going from strangers to close. Because of this I honestly think the last 80 pages of this book would have made a thrilling third book. The beginning of part three has a line that would have been the perfect cliffhanger ending to this book (I don't know why I would want that but it would have been awesome). Obviously, there would need to be a lot more content added to develop 80 pages into an entire book. But, additional scenes and a slower timeline honestly would have made Zhu’s final plan a lot more believable to me.
Getting into the specifics of what I think could have happened would involve a lot of spoilers. But to be vague I have two main complaints with part three. First, it relies almost entirely on a character that was basically absent from this book and is barely even mentioned outside of the few scenes they appear in. They may be an established character in the duology but I personally think it was a strange shift for them to suddenly be incredibly important at the very end. Second, the ending relies on a bond formed between two characters that felt unbelievably rushed—especially considering who one of the characters is. I would have loved to see this bond built up over an entire book and it would have made the ending even more emotional.
It was unfortunate that a book I was loving so much didn’t quite stick the landing. But at the end of the day, this is 80 pages of a 500-page book and it barely impacted my enjoyment. Overall, I think this is a phenomenal conclusion to the duology.
Thank you Tor for the eARC
Links to my TikTok | Instagram
January 29, 2024
You ever get so sucked into a book that you don’t wish to come up for air? That was literally my experience while reading this even though it felt like I was being flayed alive and dragged through the mud because HOLY HELL this book did a number on me! The ending was bittersweet but nothing short of heartbreaking. I’m going to need a lifetime to recover from that.
None of the main characters are particularly likable, nor do they have a single good bone in their body, except maybe Zhu. But even then, some of the things she did had me raising my eyebrows more than once. Despite that, I was rooting for her to win because compared to Ouyang and Baoxiang, she was considerably better. Even though her path to meet her goal was bloody, she was determined to make a world where no one is shunned or ostracized for who they are.
Unlike Zhu’s chapters, there was so much sadomasochism in both Ouyang’s and Baoxiang’s that it was hard to read at times. They were both deranged and did some very unhinged things, but Baoxiang was on whole other level. Regardless of that, I was still attached to them and deeply invested in their stories. Both of their relationship with pain and grief was very similar yet different. Ouyang wore his anger on his sleeve, and he was so consumed by grief that he couldn’t find an outlet to express it other than resorting to self-harm. His self-loathing and thirst for vengeance for his father’s death was further explored as well. He was a strong and complex character, but unfortunately he was also a raging misogynist. I acknowledge the justification behind his hatred for women but it’s not something I can easily overlook.
On the other hand, Baoxiang bottled up his anguish by feeding into the delusion that he was seeking revenge on [redacted]’s ghost. He used cunning and cleverness to get rid of his enemies without ever lifting a finger. He manipulated those around him and when he had to face the consequences of his actions, he too, debased and tormented himself as a form of “punishment” and momentary release from guilt.
Even the side characters were morally black and did questionable things. The only level-headed ones were Ma and Xu Da, especially Ma. She held tight to her compassion and kindness even when the people around her lacked them. Ma was a good example of someone who didn’t let go of her femininity or deemed it as a weakness. Both her and Xu Da showcased the brighter aspect of humanity in a book filled with terrible people doing horrible things.
I didn’t do a reread of SWBTS before this came out, so I was fully relying on my memory to help me remember important events and such. I’m glad the book had a short summary on what happened, so it was a little easier for me to catch up. HWDTW is much darker and violent than its predecessor because the theme surrounding sorrow and revenge took center stage. The plot twists were super unpredictable and shocking that I had several jaw-drop moments. I wish the last chapter had been longer because there was no epilogue and I wanted to know more of what happened after the end.
Overall, it’s a graphic and genuine portrayal of how effortlessly a person can allow grief to overpower and crush to gratify one’s pain for some level of pleasure and contentedness. Much praise to the author for masterfully dissecting the characters’ persona to get to the crux of who they are, and the driving forces that moved them. The writing is so good that the characters’ emotions bleed out from the page, and make you feel as if you’re experiencing them personally. The story along with its dynamic characters will linger in my mind for days (probably even weeks) to come. At this moment, I can’t even think of picking up a new book because I’m not ready to move on just yet. I’d give this book 10 stars if I could because it deserves nothing less than that!
None of the main characters are particularly likable, nor do they have a single good bone in their body, except maybe Zhu. But even then, some of the things she did had me raising my eyebrows more than once. Despite that, I was rooting for her to win because compared to Ouyang and Baoxiang, she was considerably better. Even though her path to meet her goal was bloody, she was determined to make a world where no one is shunned or ostracized for who they are.
Unlike Zhu’s chapters, there was so much sadomasochism in both Ouyang’s and Baoxiang’s that it was hard to read at times. They were both deranged and did some very unhinged things, but Baoxiang was on whole other level. Regardless of that, I was still attached to them and deeply invested in their stories. Both of their relationship with pain and grief was very similar yet different. Ouyang wore his anger on his sleeve, and he was so consumed by grief that he couldn’t find an outlet to express it other than resorting to self-harm. His self-loathing and thirst for vengeance for his father’s death was further explored as well. He was a strong and complex character, but unfortunately he was also a raging misogynist. I acknowledge the justification behind his hatred for women but it’s not something I can easily overlook.
On the other hand, Baoxiang bottled up his anguish by feeding into the delusion that he was seeking revenge on [redacted]’s ghost. He used cunning and cleverness to get rid of his enemies without ever lifting a finger. He manipulated those around him and when he had to face the consequences of his actions, he too, debased and tormented himself as a form of “punishment” and momentary release from guilt.
Even the side characters were morally black and did questionable things. The only level-headed ones were Ma and Xu Da, especially Ma. She held tight to her compassion and kindness even when the people around her lacked them. Ma was a good example of someone who didn’t let go of her femininity or deemed it as a weakness. Both her and Xu Da showcased the brighter aspect of humanity in a book filled with terrible people doing horrible things.
I didn’t do a reread of SWBTS before this came out, so I was fully relying on my memory to help me remember important events and such. I’m glad the book had a short summary on what happened, so it was a little easier for me to catch up. HWDTW is much darker and violent than its predecessor because the theme surrounding sorrow and revenge took center stage. The plot twists were super unpredictable and shocking that I had several jaw-drop moments. I wish the last chapter had been longer because there was no epilogue and I wanted to know more of what happened after the end.
Overall, it’s a graphic and genuine portrayal of how effortlessly a person can allow grief to overpower and crush to gratify one’s pain for some level of pleasure and contentedness. Much praise to the author for masterfully dissecting the characters’ persona to get to the crux of who they are, and the driving forces that moved them. The writing is so good that the characters’ emotions bleed out from the page, and make you feel as if you’re experiencing them personally. The story along with its dynamic characters will linger in my mind for days (probably even weeks) to come. At this moment, I can’t even think of picking up a new book because I’m not ready to move on just yet. I’d give this book 10 stars if I could because it deserves nothing less than that!
October 3, 2024
It's not you, it's me? Plenty of my friends loved this, including Stefanie. Zana made me feel better for not liking this series.
As the author is non-binary and Chinese Australian, I will look to future works and hope those click with me instead. A gender bent Mulan retelling sounded exactly up my alley, but as we keep seeing, perhaps retellings aren't for me.
What was it about this series that didn't work for me? I go back and forth with enjoying Zhu's storyline. I don't like Ouyang's chapters. I know this is about the Mongolian takeover of China, but it feels very disingenuous toward the Mongols.
I think I'll take a break from Tor. It doesn't seem to be working out.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
As the author is non-binary and Chinese Australian, I will look to future works and hope those click with me instead. A gender bent Mulan retelling sounded exactly up my alley, but as we keep seeing, perhaps retellings aren't for me.
What was it about this series that didn't work for me? I go back and forth with enjoying Zhu's storyline. I don't like Ouyang's chapters. I know this is about the Mongolian takeover of China, but it feels very disingenuous toward the Mongols.
I think I'll take a break from Tor. It doesn't seem to be working out.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
October 3, 2023
“The most dangerous person in a game is the one nobody knows is playing”.
When I finished reading She Who Become the Sun (#1) I was hesitant to try the second book of the duology. I felt everything the author wanted to do was already done; the world had been presented and the characters had already stopped being shocking-only a bit frustrating because of how predictable they were. Although I had several minor problems with the execution, the emotional complexity of the three main characters was interesting enough not to make me regret giving this a try.
While She Who Became the Sun was slow and focused on a couple of characters, He Who Drowned the World quicken the pace and raised the stakes higher and higher until the only thing you could do was keep reading. I loved how every new circumstance was solved in a completely new fashion, making you curious about what they were going to come up with next instead of bored by the constant battles. It would have been even better if I could be worried about the outcome too, but at least I could appreciate the journey.
One of my main complaints about book one was how Zhu always getting what they wanted hindered the story. Not only did Zhu’s winning streak continue in this book, I also had to suspend my disbelief during some parts. There are few things I hate more than seeing how the author is moving the threads to give us a dramatic twist instead of a more fitting but slightly less emotional one, but I’m aware other readers would actually appreciate that.
“Nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. To make a place for us. What choice did we ever have, but to do it ourselves?”
The three main characters have in common that they come from being nothing. Whether they had a more comfortable childhood or not, the people around them didn’t see any potential in their talents. Whether it was because of their genre, physique or abilities, they weren’t considered ‘men enough’ to be able to become something in life. It was the lack of faith they suffered what made them want to reach for the impossible.
You are following characters that have little to no morals, yet somehow you care about them, feel along with them and wish for their dreams to become real. Zhu was old news for me, I didn’t have any expectations for them as a character and I didn’t quite buy the way the author made them slightly change at the end. Our sad lover boy with angry issues had a more interesting arc but, at the end of the day, he was another poor boy whose fate consisted in constant agony. My favorite was the scholar angry for revenge. I don’t know how well done the other characters were but, I can assure you, this one was a masterpiece. I feel I was seeing a darker version of myself-had I suffered everything they went through. Yet they were the one I couldn’t see coming, the one I was always looking forward to visiting because their constant resistance to feel was more fascinating to me than the lack of empathy of the other two.
The trigger warnings are plenty-you can check them out on the author’s review-but I missed the commentary, the lesson behind all the traumatic scenes we went through. Yes, it’s amazing how ambition can change one’s life but where is the impact of always putting yourself first, of always choosing to be great no matter what you had to sacrifice? Did the winner really deserve everything they ended up with? There was a scene where they were asked to choose between someone dear to them and winning, but in the end the choice was made for them-almost in a copy and paste version of another scene in book one.
It doesn’t make sense to me, how it can be so dark and grim at times, yet unable to make the characters cross the last limit. I had a similar problem with Kings of Paradise; if you are going to write something that screams grimdark* you need to be able to stick to it and write battles where you don’t know who is going to win before they begin.
Overall, He Who Drowned the World has a taste for the dramatic I don’t share but the last part was addicting enough to leave me with a positive memory. So, while I had several minor problems, this is a series any new author should be proud of. I would recommend this duology to someone who is used to Western fantasy and wants to change scenery, likes when books start very slow-paced and character-driven and get more and more complex the more you read and appreciates having some very dramatic scenes.
⚠️I wouldn't recommend picking up this series if you are looking for high fantasy since this reads more like historical fiction with some magical realism.
Thank you so much Charles for buddy reading this one with me. It was quite an interesting one to analyze!💛
*the author doesn’t like the characterization of 'grimdark'
↬The Radiant Emperor:
1. She Who Became the Sun: 3.75 stars
2. He Who Drowned the World: 3 stars
November 6, 2023
3.5 ⭐️
“But Zhu would be the emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it.”
I got on a lot better with this sequel than I did with book 1. Mainly because I was better prepared for all the politics and battle talk.
There were still a lot of names (often the same character with two names) but ultimately I loved watching Zhu fight for what she truly wants and taking down anyone in her way.
She gives zero fucks and it was so satisfying at times to see the take downs she delivers. The theme of gender is still super strong In here which I find so interesting.
I remained interested throughout and loved the end. I will be looking out for future books by this author.
“But Zhu would be the emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it.”
I got on a lot better with this sequel than I did with book 1. Mainly because I was better prepared for all the politics and battle talk.
There were still a lot of names (often the same character with two names) but ultimately I loved watching Zhu fight for what she truly wants and taking down anyone in her way.
She gives zero fucks and it was so satisfying at times to see the take downs she delivers. The theme of gender is still super strong In here which I find so interesting.
I remained interested throughout and loved the end. I will be looking out for future books by this author.
Want to read
February 18, 2022I was ready for this since 8 months ago 🌞
August 19, 2023
On my blog.
Rep: Chinese & Mongolian cast, nonbinary lesbian mc, lesbian li, gay mcs
CWs: rape, torture, gore
Actual rating 3.5
Galley provided by publisher
It is with heavy heart that I write this: He Who Drowned the World did just not live up to expectations set by She Who Became the Sun. This was a good book, to be sure, but it never quite reached the heights of the first. Call it second book syndrome, if you will, although perhaps this only applies to me. Perhaps everyone else will have an entirely different experience. Who can say.
First of all, I would like to say that I really appreciate that this book opens with a reminder of what happened in She Who Became the Sun. In broad strokes, of course, but enough for me to dust off my memory of it after two and a half years. More books should do this! It helps so much!
I will do my best to be non-spoilery in this review, and hopefully that’ll be quite simple, because a lot of what I have to say I can say in reasonably vague terms. Let me start with this: I did really like this book still. Despite my brain’s best efforts (wtf brain), I enjoyed it! I didn’t love it quite to the extent that I did the first book, for reasons which I might briefly theorise on, but I still enjoyed reading it.
As before, the characters are compelling. Mostly, the POV characters are a mess, with perhaps Zhu the only one who you might say has her shit together, and this is probably what makes them so fascinating to read about. I want to put them under a microscope and examine them deeply. In terms of their arcs though, I would have to admit that Baoxiang’s was the only one which I was truly interested in. Zhu’s arc I found a little boring, to be frank, and mostly it seemed aimed at keeping her away from the capital before the rest of the plot had been laid out (this could be cynical of me, I know). Ouyang’s was not that much more interesting, tethered for the most part as it was to Zhu’s. Baoxiang was, for the bulk of the book, what kept me reading (this sounds harsh but. Yeah). His dynamic with the Third Prince was probably the highlight. My theory for all of this was that I found Esen and Ouyang the most compelling part of the first book so, without Esen, what am I left with? That and the fact that Zhu and Ma really do not get much time together in this. Ma herself barely features, which disappoints me greatly.
So let me talk about the plot progression for a bit. As I said, Baoxiang’s is what kept me reading. Zhu’s, in contrast, seemed to be a plotline that was simply there to flesh out the book at points. I don’t know if this is what happened with the real life Zhu Yuanzhang, but it kind of bogged the book down at points and there were several times I thought that the sole reason for an event was simply to stop Zhu reaching the capital too early since, at that point, the book would have been over. On top of that, it felt as though a certain character had a lot of power and it wasn’t entirely clear when they got it. Even more so, it’s not clear why other characters decided to tether themselves to this character, since they hadn’t exactly had power of their own up until the start of the book. And neither did they seem to be particularly good at talking others into believing in them. But, I suppose, I might suspend my disbelief a little here. Perhaps I am nitpicking overly.
I can’t shake the feeling that, if I had been able to read this one immediately after the first, a lot of the emotional beats would have hit more. Not that I was unmoved by the end of part two, but it did feel like this was the emotional crescendo when the plot itself hadn’t yet finished. As such, the final part of the book, instead of being a build up to an explosive ending, was a bit drab and overly extended.
However, as I said, I’m probably nitpicking here. Undoubtedly, people who loved She Who Became the Sun will love this one just as much. It’s fascinating historical fiction, with a compelling cast, and I can’t wait to see what Shelley Parker-Chan has to offer next.
Rep: Chinese & Mongolian cast, nonbinary lesbian mc, lesbian li, gay mcs
CWs: rape, torture, gore
Actual rating 3.5
Galley provided by publisher
It is with heavy heart that I write this: He Who Drowned the World did just not live up to expectations set by She Who Became the Sun. This was a good book, to be sure, but it never quite reached the heights of the first. Call it second book syndrome, if you will, although perhaps this only applies to me. Perhaps everyone else will have an entirely different experience. Who can say.
First of all, I would like to say that I really appreciate that this book opens with a reminder of what happened in She Who Became the Sun. In broad strokes, of course, but enough for me to dust off my memory of it after two and a half years. More books should do this! It helps so much!
I will do my best to be non-spoilery in this review, and hopefully that’ll be quite simple, because a lot of what I have to say I can say in reasonably vague terms. Let me start with this: I did really like this book still. Despite my brain’s best efforts (wtf brain), I enjoyed it! I didn’t love it quite to the extent that I did the first book, for reasons which I might briefly theorise on, but I still enjoyed reading it.
As before, the characters are compelling. Mostly, the POV characters are a mess, with perhaps Zhu the only one who you might say has her shit together, and this is probably what makes them so fascinating to read about. I want to put them under a microscope and examine them deeply. In terms of their arcs though, I would have to admit that Baoxiang’s was the only one which I was truly interested in. Zhu’s arc I found a little boring, to be frank, and mostly it seemed aimed at keeping her away from the capital before the rest of the plot had been laid out (this could be cynical of me, I know). Ouyang’s was not that much more interesting, tethered for the most part as it was to Zhu’s. Baoxiang was, for the bulk of the book, what kept me reading (this sounds harsh but. Yeah). His dynamic with the Third Prince was probably the highlight. My theory for all of this was that I found Esen and Ouyang the most compelling part of the first book so, without Esen, what am I left with? That and the fact that Zhu and Ma really do not get much time together in this. Ma herself barely features, which disappoints me greatly.
So let me talk about the plot progression for a bit. As I said, Baoxiang’s is what kept me reading. Zhu’s, in contrast, seemed to be a plotline that was simply there to flesh out the book at points. I don’t know if this is what happened with the real life Zhu Yuanzhang, but it kind of bogged the book down at points and there were several times I thought that the sole reason for an event was simply to stop Zhu reaching the capital too early since, at that point, the book would have been over. On top of that, it felt as though a certain character had a lot of power and it wasn’t entirely clear when they got it. Even more so, it’s not clear why other characters decided to tether themselves to this character, since they hadn’t exactly had power of their own up until the start of the book. And neither did they seem to be particularly good at talking others into believing in them. But, I suppose, I might suspend my disbelief a little here. Perhaps I am nitpicking overly.
I can’t shake the feeling that, if I had been able to read this one immediately after the first, a lot of the emotional beats would have hit more. Not that I was unmoved by the end of part two, but it did feel like this was the emotional crescendo when the plot itself hadn’t yet finished. As such, the final part of the book, instead of being a build up to an explosive ending, was a bit drab and overly extended.
However, as I said, I’m probably nitpicking here. Undoubtedly, people who loved She Who Became the Sun will love this one just as much. It’s fascinating historical fiction, with a compelling cast, and I can’t wait to see what Shelley Parker-Chan has to offer next.
September 11, 2023
"nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. to make a place for us. what choice did we ever have but to do it ourselves?"
4.5/5
this book gave us tragic furious vengeful villainous hopeful compassionate queer people, how could i not love it (and hate it).
he who drowned the world shows the desperation and rage of people pushed to the fringes of society and absolutely refusing to be rendered inferior. the sheer ugliness and brutality of these characters burst out from every page in a way that's both painful and strangely cathartic. in real life, most marginalized people have no choice but to swallow the everyday hurt and violence and keep going, so it's strangely satisfying to read about people who feel every inch of their fury and injustice and throw that horror back into the world that rejected them simply for being who they are.
"he was the eclipse that sucked the light and life out of the world. he was the moon eating the sun, and it was his racing shadow that stole the life from the world below."
don't get me wrong though, this book is incredibly hard to read. its bleakness and hopelessness gets so extreme at one point almost bordering on nihilism that i wanted to stop reading. but the author's writing is so gripping you simply cannot look away. and i'm glad i didn't because there is a delicate thread of hope for a better future running throughout the novel that slowly gets stronger towards the end. i loved the ending so much, it was (almost) worth going through the wringer for.
the plot itself was so well executed - the political machinations, the scheming, the betrayals, all the good stuff. there's also a brilliantly haunting battle sequence that kinda took my breath away - shelley p. chan is actually pretty great at action scenes and i'm gonna need more of that from their future work.
zhu yuanzhang was a fantastic main lead with her gritty determination and outlandish plans. ouyang and madam zhang's POVs had me feeling pity and understanding but also frustration and anger. ouyang is a pretty memorable character in just the utter tragedy of his existence. ma xiuying was a breath of fresh air (and maybe i wish she had better choices).
as for wang baoxiang - he's the star i fear, my insane unhinged wrathful fave. this was truly his book. the painful doomed sibling relationship of him and esen is one i won't be forgetting anytime soon.
i'm gonna miss this deranged cast but i'm also relieved to be free of them (and to imagine them being free too somehow).
July 28, 2024
I liked it but couldn't love it as much as 'She Who Became the Sun'.
March 31, 2024
Le premier tome m’avait plu sans être vraiment un coup de cœur absolu mais que dire de ce deuxième tome qui a été un vrai coup de cœur. Je ne pensais pas l’aimer autant.
Pour moi le point positif de ce roman ce sont les personnages et je l’avoue j’ai un faible pour l’abject Wang Baoxiang à qui j’ai décerné le titre de meilleur antagoniste de tous les romans de fantasy que j’ai lu. Il donne toutes ses lettres de noblesse au terme machiavélique. Toutes les trahisons qu’il commet toutes les humiliations qu’il subit en font un personnage terrifiant et terriblement complexe. Le jeu d’échec qu’il met en place avec Zhu m’a fasciné.
Madame Zheng m’a aussi beaucoup touchée lorsqu’elle n’arrive pas à pleurer la mort de son amant une femme ambitieuse qui a perdu toute trace d’humilité que dire de sa vengeance avec son mari sinon chapeau bas madame.
Enfin Zhu elle qui dès le début du roman va aller chercher ce destin et va perdre beaucoup de choses peut-être la meilleure partie d’elle-même le sacrifice qu’elle exige de Ma m’a bouleversée.
Une saga épique si vous êtes fan de game of thrones ou des rois maudits foncez !!!!!
Pour moi le point positif de ce roman ce sont les personnages et je l’avoue j’ai un faible pour l’abject Wang Baoxiang à qui j’ai décerné le titre de meilleur antagoniste de tous les romans de fantasy que j’ai lu. Il donne toutes ses lettres de noblesse au terme machiavélique. Toutes les trahisons qu’il commet toutes les humiliations qu’il subit en font un personnage terrifiant et terriblement complexe. Le jeu d’échec qu’il met en place avec Zhu m’a fasciné.
Madame Zheng m’a aussi beaucoup touchée lorsqu’elle n’arrive pas à pleurer la mort de son amant une femme ambitieuse qui a perdu toute trace d’humilité que dire de sa vengeance avec son mari sinon chapeau bas madame.
Enfin Zhu elle qui dès le début du roman va aller chercher ce destin et va perdre beaucoup de choses peut-être la meilleure partie d’elle-même le sacrifice qu’elle exige de Ma m’a bouleversée.
Une saga épique si vous êtes fan de game of thrones ou des rois maudits foncez !!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2021
my soul and body are ready for this book
March 25, 2024
how is this duology the author's DEBUT?!
August 7, 2023
4.5/5
wang baoxiang… i can’t fix you and i don’t want to fix you. keep being exactly the way you are
wang baoxiang… i can’t fix you and i don’t want to fix you. keep being exactly the way you are
December 19, 2023
3.5 stars. This is really a hard book for me to rate, there are parts of it I adore, but also there are parts that got me thinking, wait a sec, that's how the plot gonna go? That is why I refrained from rating it after reading it the first time. But then it became a BR in WBTM so I thought oh great now I have people to bounce ideas with. And so I reread this. I think the second time around, my first gut feeling of "okay, this is a three or three and half star one" proved to be correct. I still loved the parts that I fell in love with, and I still disliked the parts that annoyed me.
First of all, the characters. The book delves deep into its characters' minds - as well as the first one- so if you want something to be more fast paced and not spending too much time reading what people are thinking, maybe this is not a book for you. But, if you enjoy getting immersed, even in the thought process when a character experienced physical stimuli (no, not just sex) and how it affected their personalities, reaction to others, and sometimes even getting an expanded vision of self, then this is your book. I think for many of its POV characters, the author did a great job.
Secondly, plot and character choices. I won't get into much details but for a book that is basically a war of five combatants, you could expect battles, espionage, combat missions, as well as political maneuvers. The later took the lion's share. Which is my favorite part, I think. Wang Baoxiang has been a favorite of mine in this book because his chapter that focuses on palace intrigue are rather riveting. I think it is no wonder some readings became Team Baoxing when they read this book. Madam Zhang is another POV that I enjoyed reading; in palace cdrama you might find characters that look like her, but oftentimes they are painted as one-dimensional villain. Here, the depth of her characterization and remember, the thought process, are almost delicious to read. And then we have the main character, Zhu. I was okay with Zhu in the first book, but in the second book I grew kinda annoyed with her. I think she is one of the worst planner ever, but got lucky due to circumstances and support system. She and Ouyang (who I did like reading about in the first book) were kind of frustrating to me. As for the ending, I definitely wished for another one LOL
One more thing that I forgot to write earlier about is that the book might be better as a trilogy, or the third part (the last part) of the book could be longer, with proper build up and intrigues and more battles. The second part ended with more bang than the ending of the book itself.
Thirdly, the setting. I think it is fantastic effort to retell the founding of a dynasty especially since Chinese history is so vast and complex. I wish there are more books like this, or even translation of older ones, if you will. I can just imagine the sets, the landscape, the cities etc, visually I want this book to be made into an anime like Ooku or Blue Eyed Samurai. (Sorry, I don't have reference on palace/historical donghua). That would be awesome. So yeah, Shelley, if you have offers on adaptation, please do take it ^^
All in all, despite my rating for this part, this is REALLY good duology that I would recommend.
First of all, the characters. The book delves deep into its characters' minds - as well as the first one- so if you want something to be more fast paced and not spending too much time reading what people are thinking, maybe this is not a book for you. But, if you enjoy getting immersed, even in the thought process when a character experienced physical stimuli (no, not just sex) and how it affected their personalities, reaction to others, and sometimes even getting an expanded vision of self, then this is your book. I think for many of its POV characters, the author did a great job.
Secondly, plot and character choices. I won't get into much details but for a book that is basically a war of five combatants, you could expect battles, espionage, combat missions, as well as political maneuvers. The later took the lion's share. Which is my favorite part, I think. Wang Baoxiang has been a favorite of mine in this book because his chapter that focuses on palace intrigue are rather riveting. I think it is no wonder some readings became Team Baoxing when they read this book. Madam Zhang is another POV that I enjoyed reading; in palace cdrama you might find characters that look like her, but oftentimes they are painted as one-dimensional villain. Here, the depth of her characterization and remember, the thought process, are almost delicious to read. And then we have the main character, Zhu. I was okay with Zhu in the first book, but in the second book I grew kinda annoyed with her. I think she is one of the worst planner ever, but got lucky due to circumstances and support system. She and Ouyang (who I did like reading about in the first book) were kind of frustrating to me. As for the ending, I definitely wished for another one LOL
One more thing that I forgot to write earlier about is that the book might be better as a trilogy, or the third part (the last part) of the book could be longer, with proper build up and intrigues and more battles. The second part ended with more bang than the ending of the book itself.
Thirdly, the setting. I think it is fantastic effort to retell the founding of a dynasty especially since Chinese history is so vast and complex. I wish there are more books like this, or even translation of older ones, if you will. I can just imagine the sets, the landscape, the cities etc, visually I want this book to be made into an anime like Ooku or Blue Eyed Samurai. (Sorry, I don't have reference on palace/historical donghua). That would be awesome. So yeah, Shelley, if you have offers on adaptation, please do take it ^^
All in all, despite my rating for this part, this is REALLY good duology that I would recommend.
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](https://cdn.statically.io/img/i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
September 15, 2023
I am a broken husk of a person.
The twists. The turns. The epicness of this book.
What a sophomore novel. What a masterpiece. Literally in awe right now.
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
The twists. The turns. The epicness of this book.
What a sophomore novel. What a masterpiece. Literally in awe right now.
I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review
May 7, 2023
My review of He who drowned the world.
Disclaimer: I got sent this on netgalley from Tor Publishing Group for a review but my thoughts and feelings are my own.
I read She who became the sun, last year and I was highly looking forward for the next one that comes out later this year.
The story hooked me like the first one and altough there is many characters it didn't feel confusing to read. The historic and action packed story felt epic, intriguing and very human. The characters in this book will stop at nothing or no one to get what they want, however cruel the situation might be. The characters are violent and ruthless but at the same time they show a lot of other emotions on the page such as grief, abanoment, selfdoubth and others which made the story feel very real.
But I will point out a containt warning on self harm.
Disclaimer: I got sent this on netgalley from Tor Publishing Group for a review but my thoughts and feelings are my own.
I read She who became the sun, last year and I was highly looking forward for the next one that comes out later this year.
The story hooked me like the first one and altough there is many characters it didn't feel confusing to read. The historic and action packed story felt epic, intriguing and very human. The characters in this book will stop at nothing or no one to get what they want, however cruel the situation might be. The characters are violent and ruthless but at the same time they show a lot of other emotions on the page such as grief, abanoment, selfdoubth and others which made the story feel very real.
But I will point out a containt warning on self harm.
September 5, 2023
If I could give this a million stars, I would.
October 5, 2023
This book had its moments where I thought I was going to like it, but in the end, the story was too miserable to be even be considered remotely enjoyable. There was at least a hopeful quality to the first book where it looked like things could still turn around and give a angsty, but somewhat happy ending to this series? We know this duology is about a certain someone becoming the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. That’s not a secret so we know who lives. Despite the major betrayal and death at the end of the first book, I was still naively hopeful more people would live by the end of book 2.
However. This story relishes on delivering blow after blow, causing destruction and hurt just because it CAN? I would say from roughly the 15% mark to the halfway point (50%), the story was intriguing and getting better? Like, it wasn’t a chore to read. But it promptly went downhill from there and only got worse. I did cry reading the last chapters, but was it just happy tears that I was finally done with these books?
My major problem with this book is that it is VIOLENT. Like, aggressively violent in a way that it didn’t have to be. I know the author says they don’t write grimdark on their Goodreads post for this book and it appears they don’t consider this book to be one, but if this is not grimdark, WHAT IS? I’ve read fantasy books people regularly recommend as grimdark, and this goes out of its way to make you feel so much worse than anything I’ve read before. This book makes me feel utterly miserable and even repulsed at times. This book is violent for violent’s sake and it didn’t have to be this way.
The rest of this review will contain MAJOR spoilers. Because there are things I want to talk about, including certain plot points and certain character deaths that happen in this book. If you don’t want to read any of that, stop reading this review right now.
Content notes include homomisia, ableism, bullying, self harm (burning one’s skin, cutting, reopening wounds), self hate, misogyny, body dysphoria, mentions of foot binding, mentions of starvation, animal cruelty, torture (whipping, mentions of skinning someone alive, mentions of boiling someone alive), domestic violence, rape, murder (including children), miscarriage, death, suicide, dismemberment (cutting out tongues, eyes, hands, and fingers), and drownings.
This book starts in the year 1356. This book does start with a kind of recap for the first book, so that might be helpful for someone who needs a refresher on everything that’s happened thus far put into matter of fact terms. I do feel like there is a bit of disjointedness in reading these books back-to-back though because the start of this book is quite cold and takes awhile to find its stride? Like it lost the pacing and the energy of the first book and it took time to find a foothold again. I honestly should have taken this as my first sign to bow out of this book, but I was somehow determined to finish it.
Zhu Chongba, now Zhu Yuanzhang, is the one character who is always in great spirits. She has the Mandate of Heaven and feels as if it is her fate to rule one day, so whatever choices she makes in the here and now are just part of her fate and she knows she will come out victorious. This gives her an air of recklessness and self confidence that regularly baffles others around her, but it also makes soldiers follow her into battle. Because as long as she believes it, how can they not win? We see Zhu with Ma mostly only at the beginning of this book, and then again at the end. Ma is very much the love interest, and Zhu does love her so that’s sweet I guess? I just expected more between them in these books since people keep pushing the sapphic romance as the big selling point. There is sapphic romance but it’s just…there.
If anyone wants to end this series on a happier note, may I suggest this AU fanfic on AO3 called One Day, In a Thousand Years by Garden_bug. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s short, and it’s the happy ending in an alternate timeline we deserve.
However. This story relishes on delivering blow after blow, causing destruction and hurt just because it CAN? I would say from roughly the 15% mark to the halfway point (50%), the story was intriguing and getting better? Like, it wasn’t a chore to read. But it promptly went downhill from there and only got worse. I did cry reading the last chapters, but was it just happy tears that I was finally done with these books?
My major problem with this book is that it is VIOLENT. Like, aggressively violent in a way that it didn’t have to be. I know the author says they don’t write grimdark on their Goodreads post for this book and it appears they don’t consider this book to be one, but if this is not grimdark, WHAT IS? I’ve read fantasy books people regularly recommend as grimdark, and this goes out of its way to make you feel so much worse than anything I’ve read before. This book makes me feel utterly miserable and even repulsed at times. This book is violent for violent’s sake and it didn’t have to be this way.
The rest of this review will contain MAJOR spoilers. Because there are things I want to talk about, including certain plot points and certain character deaths that happen in this book. If you don’t want to read any of that, stop reading this review right now.
Content notes include homomisia, ableism, bullying, self harm (burning one’s skin, cutting, reopening wounds), self hate, misogyny, body dysphoria, mentions of foot binding, mentions of starvation, animal cruelty, torture (whipping, mentions of skinning someone alive, mentions of boiling someone alive), domestic violence, rape, murder (including children), miscarriage, death, suicide, dismemberment (cutting out tongues, eyes, hands, and fingers), and drownings.
This book starts in the year 1356. This book does start with a kind of recap for the first book, so that might be helpful for someone who needs a refresher on everything that’s happened thus far put into matter of fact terms. I do feel like there is a bit of disjointedness in reading these books back-to-back though because the start of this book is quite cold and takes awhile to find its stride? Like it lost the pacing and the energy of the first book and it took time to find a foothold again. I honestly should have taken this as my first sign to bow out of this book, but I was somehow determined to finish it.
Zhu Chongba, now Zhu Yuanzhang, is the one character who is always in great spirits. She has the Mandate of Heaven and feels as if it is her fate to rule one day, so whatever choices she makes in the here and now are just part of her fate and she knows she will come out victorious. This gives her an air of recklessness and self confidence that regularly baffles others around her, but it also makes soldiers follow her into battle. Because as long as she believes it, how can they not win? We see Zhu with Ma mostly only at the beginning of this book, and then again at the end. Ma is very much the love interest, and Zhu does love her so that’s sweet I guess? I just expected more between them in these books since people keep pushing the sapphic romance as the big selling point. There is sapphic romance but it’s just…there.
If anyone wants to end this series on a happier note, may I suggest this AU fanfic on AO3 called One Day, In a Thousand Years by Garden_bug. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s short, and it’s the happy ending in an alternate timeline we deserve.
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