A review by dragonwriter
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Zhu is getting ever closer to her destiny, but she is not the only one wielding Heaven’s Mandate. There are others in the race to claim the throne from the Great Khan. Ouyang has no mandate, only the honor-driven sense of revenge for his father’s murder and family’s disgrace. Baoixiang seeks revenge against Ouyang for the murder of his brother, but he’ll use his father’s court to get it, luring Ouyang in with his own vengeance. General Zhang has Heaven’s Mandate, but his will to use it is linked to his mistress, his brother’s wife, Madam Zhang. With so many players on the board, each one willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, who will have the will and strength to see the game through to the end? 

 

It was rough seeing all the sacrifices Zhu, Madam Zhang, and Baoixiang made to accomplish their goals. Each one lost someone they loved, and they had to decide if what they wanted was really worth the cost. Madam Zhang suffered the most, I think, but her talk with Zhu was quite poignant. Zhu told her that she was too willing to serve and grovel before a man rather than take the opportunity to lead herself, even though she was more ambitious and clever than General Zhang (or her husband, Rice Bucket, who’s name cracked me up something fierce!) Madam Zhang’s rejection of Zhu’s point was painful, especially since Zhu was absolutely right. Ma was the real hero in the end, though; sacrificing herself to Baoixiang to get Zhu the opening she needed to win, and then talking Baoixiang into surrendering! She was awesome! But I really liked Zhu coming up to the edge of what she would sacrifice, the heaviest cost she would pay, and really having a look inside herself to weigh what she wanted with what it cost. It was a wonderful conclusion to a powerful duology!