Review by sephiefoxx - He Who Drowned the World

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sephiefoxx 's review for:

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

5.0

adventurous dark emotional 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 Zhu would be emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it”

This may be one of the most spectacular sequels I have ever read.

I was incredibly impressed by 'She Who Became the Sun' when I read it last year - it earning its place as my favourite of the Sapphic Trifecta. But this, this went well beyond my adoration of the first book.

Every second I spent with this book, every page I read, I was hooked back into this world of complex and morally ambiguous characters. Because that is truly where this series, as a whole, thrives. This book offers a veritable feast of complex and ambitious POV characters who each hold within them a pain and grief that drives them near as much as their ambition and goals. I shed tears with these characters, I followed them through their darkest actions and their deepest wells of pain - all because of deep character writing that is honestly masterful.

This duology was simply fantastic and I will likely be crying about the second to last page for some time.

Content Warnings