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A review by camryndaytona
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
How do you make Dong Xian and Emperor Ai boring?
Seriously, I didn’t even realize it was supposed to be them at first, because it was so out in left field. By the time I realized it was hinting at being Dong Xian and Emperor Ai, my response was not “oh how exciting!” I was thinking something more like “oh please no, don’t do this to my boys.” (For those who don’t know: Emperor Ai of Han and his lover Dong Xian are the source of the phrase “cutsleeve” which is used as a euphemism for gay men in Chinese.)
So other than making one of the most famous love stories in Chinese history into some sort of one sided, unhealthy, drug-fueled infatuation, how was it? Bad.
The plot only sort of made sense, and was mostly fueled by sex and drugs. Now, I’m not a prude, and I don’t mind on screen sex or drugs, but when the book is only a few hundred pages long, you shouldn’t sacrifice half that length for drugs trips and weirdly written sex scenes.
Everyone was on drugs, and when they weren’t on drugs they were acting like they were on drugs. They weren’t interesting drug trips, they more like edgy-emo-teen drug trips. And speaking of the drugs, Opium wasn’t introduced to China until the 18th century, which is about 18 hundred years before the characters had something that seemed suspiciously like opium. And speaking of historical inaccuracies, the plot line about the Mandate of Heaven was weirdly constructed. If the Mandate of Heaven Seal was found in the 21st Century, it would be under more security than the Declaration of Independence. There’s no way anyone could have stolen it during a Gala.
I was so excited for this book. I preordered it the moment it was announced, and I read it as soon as it arrived. And yet it was an incredible disappointment. There was so much potential (the only reason I gave it any stars) and yet it was sacrificed in the name of drugs and debauchery. The characters were so unlikable, the weird magic was never fully explained, and the ending was rushed and unsatisfactory.
Seriously, I didn’t even realize it was supposed to be them at first, because it was so out in left field. By the time I realized it was hinting at being Dong Xian and Emperor Ai, my response was not “oh how exciting!” I was thinking something more like “oh please no, don’t do this to my boys.” (For those who don’t know: Emperor Ai of Han and his lover Dong Xian are the source of the phrase “cutsleeve” which is used as a euphemism for gay men in Chinese.)
So other than making one of the most famous love stories in Chinese history into some sort of one sided, unhealthy, drug-fueled infatuation, how was it? Bad.
The plot only sort of made sense, and was mostly fueled by sex and drugs. Now, I’m not a prude, and I don’t mind on screen sex or drugs, but when the book is only a few hundred pages long, you shouldn’t sacrifice half that length for drugs trips and weirdly written sex scenes.
Everyone was on drugs, and when they weren’t on drugs they were acting like they were on drugs. They weren’t interesting drug trips, they more like edgy-emo-teen drug trips. And speaking of the drugs, Opium wasn’t introduced to China until the 18th century, which is about 18 hundred years before the characters had something that seemed suspiciously like opium. And speaking of historical inaccuracies, the plot line about the Mandate of Heaven was weirdly constructed. If the Mandate of Heaven Seal was found in the 21st Century, it would be under more security than the Declaration of Independence. There’s no way anyone could have stolen it during a Gala.
I was so excited for this book. I preordered it the moment it was announced, and I read it as soon as it arrived. And yet it was an incredible disappointment. There was so much potential (the only reason I gave it any stars) and yet it was sacrificed in the name of drugs and debauchery. The characters were so unlikable, the weird magic was never fully explained, and the ending was rushed and unsatisfactory.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail