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adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The deduction is for the slowness which did drag on a little bit in spots, not as much as the first one, but honestly I liked this one so much more than the first one! It's such a good compliment to the first one, it really rounds out a lot of stuff that's set in motion in the first one in such a great way.
I love seeing how the characters have developed and continue to develop, especially Zhu and Ouyung. I love the symbolism with the Mandate of Heaven and it's light and the drowning, and I love how the book approaches and discusses gender identity and expression throughout.
This one was also definitely much more exciting with the big battles and crazy scenes (I'm NEVER going to forgot those pickled hands or Zhu convincing her army to drown itself and be resurrected to get through the ghosts to Chu's army . They really helped keep up the pace of the book overall. Also Ouyung's ending is so freaking shocking and sad, holy f. He didn't deserve that. But I think it makes sense for the story, like it does really shake Zhu to hear about it and to realize that she could meet a similar fate in not making her own fate come to fruition. </Spoiler>
I love seeing how the characters have developed and continue to develop, especially Zhu and Ouyung. I love the symbolism with the Mandate of Heaven and it's light and the drowning, and I love how the book approaches and discusses gender identity and expression throughout.
This one was also definitely much more exciting with the big battles and crazy scenes (I'm NEVER going to forgot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Outing, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, War
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Miscarriage, Abortion, Dysphoria
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful, powerful, heartbreaking, incredible. Shelley Parker-Chan, you are a master of your craft. He Who Drowned the World was amazing!!
This book hurt so much more than the first and I can’t go too much into it without giving a lot away. Just know that the second half of this book will devastate you. I found myself with tears in my eyes consistently for the last 1/3 of the book and definitely cried at the end. What a way to wrap up a story!!!
There’s a short recap of the first novel but
less exposition/historical context at the start of the novel, which I appreciated.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Grief, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Shelley Parker-Chan has really knocked it out of the park this time. For anyone who was worried the sequel to She Who Became the Sun wouldn't be as good, or even those who were maybe not as impressed with the first book, I think you will be amazed at He Who Drowned the World.
The book has a bit of a slow start admittedly. It's tough to follow up the ending of the first book and the crazy choices the characters made. But give it a little bit of time to get reinvested in the world and characters and you'll find that Parker-Chan did an incredible job of building off of where she left off. There are more POVs than before, but I didn't mind the inclusions at all. In fact, this book made me truly appreciate Ouyang's character and his downward spiral. All of the different narrators gave such depth to the main themes of loss, ambition, and what it means to be yourself.
We see all these become more and more hyperfocused on their "fates", losing themselves and who they used to be in the process. In some ways, their fervent pursuit of the future is just an extension of their fixation on the past that they can't let go. I was fascinated and horrified with the choices these characters made, that simultaneously a character can be cruel and yet undeserving of the cruelty thrust upon them. Madam Zhang, General Ouyang, Wang Baoxiang, and even our original main character, Zhu Yuanzhang all suffer from the same oppressive forces in society and fight back in their own ways, but more often than not end up working with the society that hurt them as they try to defy it.
If you enjoy character deconstructions, character's descent into self-destruction, and examining the way that a society can hurt different people in the same way, for not belonging or acting within the expectations thrust upon them, this is the book for you.
I also just have to add that my favorite parts were when Ouyang and Zhu interacted, they ended up accidentally being a hilarious comedy duo that really lightened the darker mood of the book haha.
The book has a bit of a slow start admittedly. It's tough to follow up the ending of the first book and the crazy choices the characters made. But give it a little bit of time to get reinvested in the world and characters and you'll find that Parker-Chan did an incredible job of building off of where she left off. There are more POVs than before, but I didn't mind the inclusions at all. In fact, this book made me truly appreciate Ouyang's character and his downward spiral. All of the different narrators gave such depth to the main themes of loss, ambition, and what it means to be yourself.
We see all these become more and more hyperfocused on their "fates", losing themselves and who they used to be in the process. In some ways, their fervent pursuit of the future is just an extension of their fixation on the past that they can't let go. I was fascinated and horrified with the choices these characters made, that simultaneously a character can be cruel and yet undeserving of the cruelty thrust upon them. Madam Zhang, General Ouyang, Wang Baoxiang, and even our original main character, Zhu Yuanzhang all suffer from the same oppressive forces in society and fight back in their own ways, but more often than not end up working with the society that hurt them as they try to defy it.
If you enjoy character deconstructions, character's descent into self-destruction, and examining the way that a society can hurt different people in the same way, for not belonging or acting within the expectations thrust upon them, this is the book for you.
I also just have to add that my favorite parts were when Ouyang and Zhu interacted, they ended up accidentally being a hilarious comedy duo that really lightened the darker mood of the book haha.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, Outing
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He Who Drowned the World was a stunning conclusion to the Radiant Emperor duology. Shelley Parker-Chan’s writing is beautiful and captivating. I think she does excellent character work, I was fascinated by the major characters even if I didn’t like them. Having the four main perspectives be the four people vying for the throne was such a cool juxtaposition because they all had the same-ish goal but you really got to analyze all their differing motivations. I also really loved that the book explores how a patriarchal society can really fuck somebody up, including how it manifests in misogynistic and homophobic beliefs/practices that infests everything and everyone. It was really interesting to see that on a deeper level when we were presented with our main characters. They all experience the effects of the patriarchal society they live in differently. I especially adore the way the author explores gender in this series, how it’s not a neatly defined thing, but rather a uniquely complex experience. I thought each character’s development over the course of the story was well done, and I liked that for some, their development was a downward spiral.
I have ✨thoughts✨ about each character that I must share so here they are:
-Baoxiang was such a fascinating character bc he had such a different skill set than Zhu and Ouyang and it was interesting to see the political maneuvering of what he was doing.
Watching him grapple with his gender expression and sexuality was very interesting to read, even if it was uncomfortable at times. I thought the shift of his personality from being sharp and cunning to spiraling into grief and desperation was so chilling to read. <Spoiler>I loved how in the last section he realized that his anger and revenge did nothing to change the past, that all it was hurting was himself.
-I’m going to talk about Zhu and Ouyang at the same time bc they had such a strong connection in the book. I was obsessed with their dichotomy of how they are the same kind of person but they both make choices that alter their destiny. The idea that they were running the same parallel course but they ultimately went different ways. Ouyang’s journey broke my heart, because all he needed was for someone to show him understanding and love, that he wasn’t broken. He kind of got that with Zhu but he was so far gone that he couldn’t accept that he was deserving of those things. That in order to fulfill his revenge he also had to suffer. And Zhu, who had that same driving ambition to defeat the Khan, but instead of believing that her path was finished beyond that, she took the world and made it her own. At the end, when she made the choice that the world does not need to be harsh and unforgiving, that she could move into the future without causing anymore pain was so good, I loved that that was her conclusion. After all she went through I’m glad she decided that violence and anger could be things of the past.
I have one thing to say about Madame Zhang: her character was so excellent, I hated her like actually despised but I still felt so bad for her. she was so strong in a society that was brutal towards women and I really liked the exploration of feminine rage and the performance that women have to put on to survive in a society like this.
In regards to the plot, I thought it was really cohesive, all the different sections and viewpoints really worked to bring about the end. There were certain chapters that I thought could’ve been condensed but I still think it worked. I did think that when Ouyang killed the Khan and Baoxiang came out and revealed he was controlling everything and that Ouyang’s sacrifice was for nothing was a little underdeveloped. Like I fully believe that Baoxiang was responsible for manipulating all this and I knew that he was moving all the pieces together, but I wish we got more in his pov about this specific reveal.
While I was really happy to see that Ma had such a vital role in helping Zhu become emperor at the end, I was a little sad she wasn’t as important in the rest of the book. I really like her and how strong she is in her convictions about life and if she was involved from the start she would’ve had everyone in line 😂. And I adore her relationship with Zhu they deserved more moments together.
If you read all of this, then congratulations 😂. This duology was really well done and is definitely worth a read (it’s really brutal though so watch out).
If you read all of this, then congratulations 😂. This duology was really well done and is definitely worth a read (it’s really brutal though so watch out).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very good, though not as compelling to me as the first book, possibly because the focus is only partly on Zhu.
It was also so brutal. Whoooo. Definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. There are so, so many. I don't have a strong stomach and I made it, but I was prepared for this one to be more violent.
Still, I flew through this beast in like 2.5 days, and there were several moments where I literally gasped out loud. It was a wild ride, you guys. The ending was also pretty satisfying.
I can see myself reading first book again, but the sheer amount of gruesome suffering in this one probably won't compell me to pick it up again.
It was also so brutal. Whoooo. Definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. There are so, so many. I don't have a strong stomach and I made it, but I was prepared for this one to be more violent.
Still, I flew through this beast in like 2.5 days, and there were several moments where I literally gasped out loud. It was a wild ride, you guys. The ending was also pretty satisfying.
I can see myself reading first book again, but the sheer amount of gruesome suffering in this one probably won't compell me to pick it up again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Slavery