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A review by bittennailbooks
The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Huang delivers a sensual love affair that spans across lifetimes, "The Emperor and the Endless Palace" inflames as much as it entertains.
The story opens into three timelines: The emperor and a clerk in the ancient Endless Palace in China, the innkeeper and the fox spirit in a small rural town in 1700's China, and a newly out med student and mysterious artist in modern day L.A. The historical timelines set the bulk of the story up as the modern day timeline converges into the conclusion. I both loved and wanted to be done this book.
The novel is highly unique with its narration fitting the eras they were set in. I simply cannot stand when there is modern prose being used in a historical fantasy, it takes me right out of the story. I found Huang writes a compelling fantastic storyline where I was really engrossed in the action and political intrigue. I was never quite sure where the story was going to end up by the end of each timeline section but didn't find myself wanting to rush back to any particular storyline either.
With its intriguing premise, I was quite tired of the spice. The repetitive and ornate language used within the sex scenes had me skimming and off-put. I never want to hear a penis being referred to as "my influence" ever again. There is no shortage on the market of synonyms to describe genitals and pleasure, this is where I took off the most ratings. Where it also lost me were the loose ends of side characters that were clearly reincarnated throughout the protagonists lifetime, what happened to them? Are we setting up for a sequel? The conclusion felt highly lackluster for the B-plot that was plowing ahead full steam. Infuriating as a reader to be left in the lurch in favour of a uninspiring conclusion.
That being said, I had fun with this read and look forward to seeing more from this author. 3.9/5 Stars.
The story opens into three timelines: The emperor and a clerk in the ancient Endless Palace in China, the innkeeper and the fox spirit in a small rural town in 1700's China, and a newly out med student and mysterious artist in modern day L.A. The historical timelines set the bulk of the story up as the modern day timeline converges into the conclusion. I both loved and wanted to be done this book.
The novel is highly unique with its narration fitting the eras they were set in. I simply cannot stand when there is modern prose being used in a historical fantasy, it takes me right out of the story. I found Huang writes a compelling fantastic storyline where I was really engrossed in the action and political intrigue. I was never quite sure where the story was going to end up by the end of each timeline section but didn't find myself wanting to rush back to any particular storyline either.
With its intriguing premise, I was quite tired of the spice. The repetitive and ornate language used within the sex scenes had me skimming and off-put. I never want to hear a penis being referred to as "my influence" ever again. There is no shortage on the market of synonyms to describe genitals and pleasure, this is where I took off the most ratings. Where it also lost me were the loose ends of side characters that were clearly reincarnated throughout the protagonists lifetime, what happened to them? Are we setting up for a sequel? The conclusion felt highly lackluster for the B-plot that was plowing ahead full steam. Infuriating as a reader to be left in the lurch in favour of a uninspiring conclusion.
That being said, I had fun with this read and look forward to seeing more from this author. 3.9/5 Stars.