Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
"You could only hurt that much — hurt enough to turn the whole world into a reflection of your pain and misery and despair — if you had, once, loved."
I had the absolutely unreal honor of being able to read this before publication thanks to NetGalley.
He Who Drowned the World absolutely spits in the face of the idea that a sequel cannot live up to the original. Not only does it absolutely live up to She Who Became the Sun, but it manages to do the oft-unheard of — stick the landing on the ending.
When I first read She Who Became the Sun, I was most struck by how effortlessly and magnificently Parker-Chan managed to entwine queerness with the character's arcs and narratives. While those themes certainly still hold true here, I found I was most struck by the fact that it was no longer queerness that was the driving force of the narrative — it was grief and womanhood. This novel is a journey about ghosts and how your actions and the people in your life will haunt you even if you cannot see them. This novel is an exploration into how having power within an established system can ultimately come to nothing because it is still only power within a cage.
I don't know what I expected to find in this novel because I was so thoroughly blown away by She Who Became the Sun. But it certainly wouldn't have been this wonderful gem filled with hope and despair in equal measure. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy and read it all over again.
I had the absolutely unreal honor of being able to read this before publication thanks to NetGalley.
He Who Drowned the World absolutely spits in the face of the idea that a sequel cannot live up to the original. Not only does it absolutely live up to She Who Became the Sun, but it manages to do the oft-unheard of — stick the landing on the ending.
When I first read She Who Became the Sun, I was most struck by how effortlessly and magnificently Parker-Chan managed to entwine queerness with the character's arcs and narratives. While those themes certainly still hold true here, I found I was most struck by the fact that it was no longer queerness that was the driving force of the narrative — it was grief and womanhood. This novel is a journey about ghosts and how your actions and the people in your life will haunt you even if you cannot see them. This novel is an exploration into how having power within an established system can ultimately come to nothing because it is still only power within a cage.
I don't know what I expected to find in this novel because I was so thoroughly blown away by She Who Became the Sun. But it certainly wouldn't have been this wonderful gem filled with hope and despair in equal measure. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy and read it all over again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder
There are certainly a lot of heavy themes, but in my opinion they are handled with care.
adventurous
challenging
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
"But the most dangerous person in a game is the one nobody knows is playing"
Unflinching, visceral, and a howling sequel that blows any possible sequel slump into dust. Parker-Chan's return to the re-imagined Ming dynasty was my most anticipated read this year and it did not disappoint! We return to the fight for the throne as Zhu and Ouyang find themselves on a level playing field, and Wang finds a double-edged sword alliance with the reigning emperor, favored consort, scorned empress with his own sword up his sleeve.
Thumbs up: I had to pace myself with this book. The exploration of sex, gender, power, and sexuality were nothing short of mastery.
- Ouyang's rage-filled rampage for revenge consistently brings him failure time and time again. It isn't until he sees Zhu's unabashed belief in fleshing out other's skills (not a commonly masculine leadership trait) that he starts to feel some kind of embodiment and de-construction of his own gender.
- Although women were not given formal power, Parker-Chan does an incredible job at showcasing that power comes from playing your opponent, not the board.
- I will be crying about Ouyang's storyline for the rest of my natural born life.
- "Heaven can't take you from me, I refuse, I refuse"
Thumbs down: It's been awhile since I read "She Who Became the Sun" but I am still not 100% clear about the mandate, how it works, and its relationship to the ghosts. It may be more of a reader error than a writing one but maybe give the first a re-read before you pick this one up.
Was it a nail biter? I will remember this book on my deathbed, 5 stars.
Unflinching, visceral, and a howling sequel that blows any possible sequel slump into dust. Parker-Chan's return to the re-imagined Ming dynasty was my most anticipated read this year and it did not disappoint! We return to the fight for the throne as Zhu and Ouyang find themselves on a level playing field, and Wang finds a double-edged sword alliance with the reigning emperor, favored consort, scorned empress with his own sword up his sleeve.
Thumbs up: I had to pace myself with this book. The exploration of sex, gender, power, and sexuality were nothing short of mastery.
- Ouyang's rage-filled rampage for revenge consistently brings him failure time and time again. It isn't until he sees Zhu's unabashed belief in fleshing out other's skills (not a commonly masculine leadership trait) that he starts to feel some kind of embodiment and de-construction of his own gender.
- Although women were not given formal power, Parker-Chan does an incredible job at showcasing that power comes from playing your opponent, not the board.
- I will be crying about Ouyang's storyline for the rest of my natural born life.
- "Heaven can't take you from me, I refuse, I refuse"
Thumbs down: It's been awhile since I read "She Who Became the Sun" but I am still not 100% clear about the mandate, how it works, and its relationship to the ghosts. It may be more of a reader error than a writing one but maybe give the first a re-read before you pick this one up.
Was it a nail biter? I will remember this book on my deathbed, 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy