Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Emperor and the Endless Palace

Thanks to Harlequin for the free copy of this book.

- I found THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE to be a gorgeous and frustrating book. The concept is fantastic and romantic, but the execution left something to be desired.
- I loved this conception of fated mates, weaving in ancient mythology, welding this magic with the glitter of modern circuit parties.
- However, we jumped so quickly between timelines that the relationship didn’t actually have much space to grow beyond us just being told that they were drawn together. Any actual reasons or chemistry were absent.
- Some plot threads kind of disappeared, side characters reappeared or didn’t without much logic, and I’m honestly not sure what was happening in the final scenes.
- Side note: I see so many reviews hating on the euphemism “my influence,” but I thought it was funny, lol.

Content Warnings

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Much more sex than I had expected, but this was a fantastic reimagining of the Cut Sleeve story (featuring classic characters like Huang Jiulang and Dong Xian, as well as a third present voice) that takes you across centuries.

Told from three perspectives, we see the characters journey through three reincarnations with you guessing a bit on who's who and why. With masterful storytelling, the narrative is addictive and heady, fitting the toxicity and greediness of the romances well.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that this story was fast-paced, full of both budding romance and toxic love, a little mysterious, and a bit magical. Some character arcs surprised and dazzled me, while others felt like a betrayal (in the best kinds of ways). This book didn't feel like a debut, especially because of the writing. The Emperor and the Endless Palace is so well-crafted, and the stories so intricately tied to each other, that you won't want to look away!

TW: sexual content, death, injury detail, alcohol consumption, infidelity, sexual assault, drug use, drug abuse, homophobia, animal death (not dog), ableism; mentions rape, death of a parent, cancer, vomit

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

eBook gifted via Edelweiss by MIRA via HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

More...