A review by happyeverabigail
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang

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

5.0

I went into this thinking it would be fantasy but it actually feels more historical fiction and fairytale with a caveat that one POV is in modern times which was such a fun voice to break things up. If you are unfamiliar with Chinese dynasties this never gets in the weeds with presumed background knowledge of details, I felt like everything was described well and the pace moved at a steady clip. 

There is an overarching air of mystery. One of the POVs is more fairytale than the others so switching back and forth I could tell there was going to be some kind of connection but I really just had to sit back and let this book happen to me. 

Some things that may be helpful to know going in: this is on page intimacy but this is not a romance, and there is consensual intimacy but several SAs or implied SA. I never felt that they were gratuitously written and most fade to black but it can be hard to read when you really care for these characters and feel that continued tension throughout this story. I understand their purpose just wanted to share the CW. 

I felt like the author had such a control over their writing. I’m looking forward to future works by them! I looked forward to what was going to happen next on this journey and felt truly immersed every time I picked this book up. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings