I really liked the first book and was excited to read #TheGardenOfTheEmpire.

I enjoyed it, although it felt a bit slower in pace. Feels like war and uncertainty were everywhere. Strategy and attack, with magic forces!

In general it is an enjoyable read and I’m glad there’ll be a next instalment!

I have honestly lost interest in this series. I enjoyed the first book, it wasn't mind blowing but it was a good one time read. Now, so much time has passed and I can barely get through this second book atleast for now. Who knows some day I may pick this up again but today is definitely not that day.

I had high expectations for this book knowing how much I loved the first book. I gave the previous book five stars and yet this book does not seem as worthy as its predecessor.
It had so much potential during the end of The Hand of the Sun King but in this book everything fell flat. It takes a completely different direction from what I expected. I wished that it kept to a solo perspective but instead there were POVs that I did not care about.

Another solid entry into the Pact & Pattern trilogy. While this book felt a little slower than the first book in the series, the shift from the individual story of Wen Alder to the Empire was a surprising change. I felt it worked, though because of the established relationship with Alder, it was difficult to get into the newer POVs in the book.

The end of the book did not disappoint—even though the beginning of the book was a hard sell, it was worth it, and I am excited for the last entry in the series—hopefully we will see it in 2023!

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Orion and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I am glad there is obviously going to be a third book as at 80% I was concerned how things were going to be wrapped up.

I will say I found myself more engaged with Koro Ha rather than the MC. I found the plot often plodding an repetitive.

I will wait and see what the third instalment brings but at this juncture I would say this would have been better as a duology.

ARC provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

The Garden of Empire did not live up to The Hand of the Sun King, but it is a good sequel—with issues—that also promises incredible things to come in the third and final book of the trilogy.

‘Ambition is only a failing if one cannot live up to it,’


The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse was the best fantasy debut I read and published in 2021. I loved everything about The Hand of the Sun King. And as the first book of a trilogy, I think Greathouse's debut is criminally underrated, and it deserves more readership. Knowing how much I loved the first book in Pact and Pattern trilogy, it is not an exaggeration to say that the second novel, The Garden of Empire, was one of my most anticipated books of this year. And now that I've read the book, I'm sad to admit that even though I enjoyed it, it didn't manage to live up to the quality of its predecessor. Greathouse, if you’re somehow reading this review, stop what you’re doing and browse something else.

“Arrogance buries its roots deep. No matter how we think it is weeded from us, it springs back anew, masking itself with the flower of benevolent purpose.”


Look here, even though I looked forward to reading this book, I was honestly a bit afraid of reading The Garden of Empire due to one storytelling change I heard will be taken by the author for this sequel. Unfortunately, in this case, my fear was founded. I knew before I read this book that unlike The Hand of the Sun King, which is told exclusively from the first-person perspective of Wen Alder, The Garden of Empire will utilize multiple POV characters in the narrative. Those who've read The Garden of Empire will know what I'm talking about. I have nothing against multiple POV chapters; you should know this by now. Most of my favorite epic fantasy books are told through several POV characters rather than one. But it gets much trickier when this storytelling decision is applied in the second volume and beyond when the first book of the series is told exclusively through first-person narration. In other words, The Garden of Empire was almost Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan all over again.

“Anger never motivated any pupil to the heights of success.”


For those who haven't read Blood Song or Raven's Shadow by Anthony Ryan, I'm going to give you a brief refresher. Vaelin was the sole main character of Blood Song, and he had a relatively small spotlight in the sequel: Tower Lord. Vaelin, the main character of Blood Song, pretty much became a useless supporting character in the third book: Queen of Fire. Fortunately, this degradation of the main character hasn't happened yet with the series. Wen Alder is still undoubtedly the main character of Pact and Pattern trilogy. Though I will say this, Alder became as infuriating and clueless as Fitz from The Realm of the Elderlings, a character I dearly loved, in The Garden of Empire, but more on this later. My issue with the changes to multiple POV characters is that The Garden of Empire didn't feel like it required this change.

‘You give me too much credit. As the sage Traveller-on-the-Narrow-Way writes, a sculptor is only as good as the jade in his hands.’


Alder stated in the detailed recap at the beginning of the book that this has turned into a story of an empire, which I understand and necessitate the inclusion of three other POV characters. One is an interlude character, and the other two POV characters are Hand Pinion and Koro Ha. But for about 60% of the book, close to nothing interesting happened in Hand Pinion and Koro Ha's chapters. There was a big pacing issue or a middle-book syndrome with this. There was a heavy emphasis on magic and world-building, but many explanations were told in an info-dump manner resulting in a forgettable magic system. I would've loved having a POV chapter from Atar, but nope. She barely appeared in this sequel. In the first 60% or so, practically nothing crucial happened in the story, and then everything exploded insanely in the last 100 pages. It took me a week to read the first 350 pages and then one sitting to read the final 100 pages. That should show you the fluctuating level of investment I had with The Garden of Empire. If it weren't for how well-written the prose was, I would've dropped the novel before I reached the tension-packed final quarter.

‘We can only arrive at genuine understanding by interrogating our misconceptions… There is no shame in being wrong, so long as one is able to accept correction from your teachers, your parents, and the sages.’


I've been pretty negative in my review so far, but I mean what I said that I absolutely loved Greathouse's prose. This is one aspect where I felt the quality showcased in The Hand of the Sun King remains strong in this sequel. I felt Greathouse's writing was beautiful, easy, and a joy to read. Regarding the quality of prose, I believe Greathouse is one of the best new fantasy writers. Vivid, immersive, beautifully structured, and Greathouse showed he can certainly write both melancholic and action-packed scenes. As proven in the final sequence of The Garden of Empire.

'When all things align according to their proper place, peace and harmony reign; when things fall out of their ordained position, all descends to chaos and disruption'


The climax sequence of The Garden of Empire was absolutely breathtaking. It is worth persevering to get to this point if you're struggling with the pacing of the first half. I wondered where the story was going, and by the end, I was so pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Maybe not the overall execution itself, but the result was just awesome. Not only does the brutal climax sequence escalate the scope and tension of the series, but the thrilling confrontations and ending also show big promises that the third book will be a return to greatness. Who knows, it is very likely the third book may become the best of the trilogy.

'This might be our only chance. But at what cost? You are treating lives like tools. Worse, like pieces upon a game board, to be spent and risked and lost to achieve your aims. I wonder if this is the empire’s influence on you. I hope so. Then, at least, this callousness would be but a product of the evil I already fight, rather than some evil all its own.’


After all the pros and cons mentioned so far, and how much I loved The Hand of the Sun King, I wish I could give The Garden of Empire a higher rating and more positive review. But going back to the point of Alder being reminiscent of Fitz, and also, some parts of the execution of the climax sequence, there was actually one more major gripe I had with The Garden of Empire. I have to be careful about this because this is spoilery. For the entirety of the book, Alder is convinced he was rightfully doing things out of necessity. This is a great theme, even at the risk of making Alder an infuriating and selfish character to read. I did not mind this. The issue, however, is that people around him willingly did not prevent him from doing what he was determined to do for god knows what reasons. They intentionally kept secrets from him, and in the end, Alder is called stupid and an idiot for doing what he did.

“Every great and meaningful endeavour, I reasoned, must feel impossible to those who begin it. Yet I had no choice but to begin, or else to watch the pattern of the world either remade to suit the cruel vision of the emperor or submerged into the darkest depths of violence and chaos.”


Why are things being kept from Alder for the entirety of the book? No idea. Greathouse might be saving the full revelations for book three, which (once again) makes this an incredibly frustrating trope to use. Or maybe, in the worst case, Greathouse didn't know what to do with the revelations. The bottom line, right now, the characters keeping secret from Alder throughout the book and then blaming him for his actions are just unforgivable and lazy storytelling. It's reminiscent of Fitz, but at least for Fitz, we often find out, in the same book, why secrets are kept from him. Here, it doesn't feel like something that needs to be postponed until the third book. And until I read the final book to find out, and judge for myself, whether the keeping secrets trope is merited or not, the lukewarm rating for The Garden of Empire stays.

“Every choice reshapes the pattern of the world—a heavy enough burden when those choices stood only to reshape one’s own life and the paths one might traverse. How could anyone endure a life so full of choices that shaped the paths of others?”


This review was not easy to write. In fact, I hated writing it. The Hand of the Sun King is one of my favorite books, and I genuinely wished I could love The Garden of Empire much more. I have to be truthful in my reviews. Otherwise, there's no point in my positive reviews as well. The Garden of Empire is written beautifully, but sadly, it is afflicted with infuriating tropes and the middle-book syndrome. The good thing, though, is what happened at the end of the book showcased the big potential for the third book to be the best of the trilogy. And I sincerely hope that will end up becoming a reality.

You can order this book from: Blackwells (Free International shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions | I also have a Booktube channel

The second book in the series is a more recent publication, and it picks up almost exactly where we left off. This instalment has one significant difference. We have multiple narrators, with three main ones who carry the story forward. Each narrator is based in a different role or place in the Empire and helps build a very comprehensive image of the events that occur in the book.
Wen Alder has been forced to make his choice (not much of a spoiler since it would not make sense for the series to go on otherwise). He is now the Foolish Cur and has to fight to be heard and taken seriously. His actions in the later half of the first book, as much as how he got there in the first place, count against him. His affinity for magic and the conversations he has with the Gods have put him in a special position of having a leg in multiple factions but belonging to none.
Given that many of the people who stumble upon this review may not have read the first and are only looking at this review to ensure that putting effort into getting invested in this series is worth the effort, I will not go into the particulars of who the other narrators are.
I actually enjoyed this aspect of the book since I got to know how things are situated and could see the surprises before they hit the people (sometimes). It is also interesting to see how people deal with the realities in their lives and what they believe and how far they would be willing to go for that belief.
Each individual narrative felt distinct, with their own woes but with mixed loyalties. The end goal is unclear for any of the people we encounter here, although, by the next visit, I think they will have to figure it out - given the way things ended.
The story does not take a pause in an actual cliffhanger but diverts the direction of the narrative as a whole. It is almost entirely a war story this time. Even the intermediate conversations are towards actions to be taken on the battlefield. If action is not something a reader appreciates in their fantasy, this may not be a book for them.
I am not always a big fan of action myself, but the human interactions within the world are quite fascinating to me. I think I have everyone figured out, but only the third book will tell me if I am right, and even if I am, if they will have the chance and courage to see their ideas through.



I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A stellar read that builds upon the successes of the first book and brings it's own identity into the mix. Foolish Cur defied the Empire in book one and now we discover some of the ramifications of his choices and actions - both on himself and others around him or connected to him. The magic system in here is fascinating and clever; the politics are deadly and the autobiographical style lend the series another unique selling point.

Before jumping on the second instalment of the Pact and Pattern series, I re-read the first book. Only one year passed since I read The Hand of the Sun King, but I didn't want to miss any little detail. I must admit I enjoyed the first book even more for the second reading.

The Garden of Empire started a bit slow, and the overall pacing of the book is quite uneven. I find Koro Ha's story the most gripping, the parts told by Foolish Cur were dragging on forever - except for the last third of the book -, and Pinion's chapters were reeking of depression. Yet, the world Greathouse has built is unique and intriguing, the twists leave you dumbfounded, and the structure of this second book with the alternating chapters is clever.

Events are so entwined and the characters are so complex that I may have to re-read this before the third book is out.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an Advance Review Copy.

This is a fantastic follow up to The Hand of the Sun King. The author opens up his fantasy world even more in this second book.
This book has great characters and an engrossing storyline that any fantasy reader would love.
A great coming of age story and one I highly recommend.

The first book of this series, The Hand of the Sun King, was reviewed by me in July last year. (LINK.) It finished on a cliffhanger, with our protagonist Wen Alder (also known secretly as his Nayeni tribal name of Foolish Cur), who was involved in a rebellion against the Empire and attempted to take on the Emperor at the end of The Hand of the Sun King.

Much of the second book deals with the consequences of Wen’s actions. In fact, most of this book is about consequences. Wen is having to deal with what to do next to free his family tribe from the despotic Empire determined to wipe away all traces of their past, as well as gain a greater understanding and better control of his newly-found magic powers. Despite losing a hand, (Star Wars fans, note!), Wen must again face and try to defeat Emperor Tenet – which based on his last encounter is not an easy or sensible thing to do.

Koro Ha also has to deal with the consequences of having tutored Wen Alder. Given an offer, he leaves his present post to return home to Toa Aloni and establish a new school there. Not everyone is pleased by this action. Koro’s family in Toa Aloni feel that he has picked up too many of the Southern ways, whilst others believe that the tutor who raised an Emperor’s Hand to rebel cannot be trusted and watch his every lesson.

In terms of the bigger picture, we have a concern that Emperor Tenet is wanting more than just the curbing of unrest in his Empire. Whilst most humans are content to live below the attention of the gods, there is a worry that the Emperor’s actions may have apocalyptic consequences by bringing humans to the gods attention once more. After all, the last time the gods appeared, much of the world was destroyed…



When I reviewed the first book, The Hand of the Sun King, I was impressed by the level of detail given to this Asian-inspired world. And as this is the second book, I expected the story to be raised in its consequences, which it is. There’s a lot more worldbuilding here, with a bigger view of the world and more background about the cultures of the Sienese and the Nayeni, ancient stories and the gods. The battle scenes as the book progresses are both wincingly cruel and pleasingly epic.

As you can therefore tell from this, the plot this time around is deeper and more complex. The pacing of the book is generally very good, with a fairly slow start to a real page-turner climax. Greathouse knows how to tell the tale, combining narrative drive with flashback sequences and little snippets of ancient mythology in this world of magic. This makes things seem more real, but with added magic, of course.

Most importantly, Greathouse knows how to show nuances of character. Throughout all of this, Wen is a troubled soul. He realises that whatever he does will involve rebellion, blood and death for many, This makes him very wary of making decisions, and yet at the same time Wen is aware that he must make difficult choices, if things are to change. Wen wants to bring down the Empire, because of all of its injustices and atrocities, many of which are shown here.

By contrast Hand Pinion, acting on behalf of the Emperor as an Emperor’s Hand, wishes to preserve the Empire for the greater good, even though he has issues with it. He believes, at least at first, that the only way to do this is to stop the rebellion, which means stopping Wen, who many see as the traitor that is the focus of that rebellion. There is also a personal element to this as, lest we forget, Wen also killed Pinion’s brother Oriole in the first book.

One of the elements that makes this evolving plot interesting to me is that Wen is not a perfect hero, and he does make mistakes. There are aspects of his character shown that are worrying, even disturbing, yet make Wen a richer character.

Similarly, Hand Pinion, Wen’s nemesis, who as a Hand is doing the Emperor’s bidding, is not the all-out villain he could be in a simpler, less complex novel. It would be easy to make the Emperor a Darth Vader or Palpatine style villain, but even he is shown a degree of sympathy, and there’s some interesting character development towards the end of the novel, which would be wrong of me to give away here.

In fact, the ending of the novel has some major revelations I didn’t see coming. These may alter your perception of the novel, and what you think about some of the characters may change, but they are understandable.

In short, The Garden of Empire is a worthy read for those who like their fantasy epic. I think it is one of the best fantasy series I have read recently, and is therefore worthy of your attention.

Unsurprisingly, this book is not the end of the series. Like me, I suspect many readers will want to read what happens next as soon as possible – although we have to wait! Nevertheless, I look forward to continuing the story in the next.

I really enjoyed the second half of this book because you can tell the whole book its building up to this climactic meeting with the emperor and Foolish Cur. Curs perspective was my favorite while Pinions POV was a bit underwhelming until around half way through.

I think the world building was even better in this one than in the first book but what held it back from being a 5 star read was that it took me a long time to get through the first part of it and when it switched to Kora Has POV or Pinion I would try to get back to the main characters chapters as soon as possible. But that ending has me really excited for the third book in this series!

The Hand of the Sun King was the first-person autobiographical recounting of Wen Alder’s formative years. As The Garden of Empire mentions quite early on, there is still much of Wen Alder’s story to tell, yet this is now becoming the story of an empire. This is a neat way of explaining that throughout this entry, we follow Alder’s first-person perspective again, and we also follow another handful of point-of-view perspective characters, in the third person. Alder’s former tutor Kora Ha is one of the perspectives presented, as is Hand Pinion, brother to Alder’s one-time best friend. These are both characters that readers will be familiar with from the first book, and to bolster this tale of the empire is a new character who has an untamed magic and potential that is making the Gods pay attention, in a similar fashion to the way they are acknowledging Alder’s presence and importance. The switch between first and third-person perspectives works smoothly and isn’t jarring at all. It’s seamless to the extent I only really noticed it when I was 75% through the novel.

Cover for The Garden of Empire by J.T. GreathouseThe Hand of the Sun King was presented as Alder having to choose between two sets of cultures, magics, and loyalties. Playing in the back of his mind was his competitive drive and ambition to gain the full potential of unrestricted magic that he had glimpsed so briefly and dangerously in his youth. In The Garden of Empire Wen Alder (or Foolish Cur as he’s known to one contingent) has picked and/or been forced to choose a side. He still wishes to master and understand magic’s full potential and he wants to draw his own route through the world whilst keeping those he cares about safe.

I commented within my The Hand of the Sun King review that the magic system seemed tidy and not over-complicated. It’s more of the same here, however, the cannons of magic, the different styles of power, and the way that they can be wielded are all presented as more in-depth and expanded upon. It’s at a point now that with Greathouse’s set foundations, further explanations, and Alder’s magical trials and exploits, as a reader, we understand the magic as precisely as Alder does. This is with all its potential and possibilities, yet it isn’t without its dangers and unpredictability.

I really enjoyed following Alder as a protagonist again which I guess makes me a glutton for punishment as lots of unfortunate things still seem to happen to him and those he cares about. This is taking into consideration that he’s grown and matured, and all things considered, seems to be making better choices and giving pretty good advice. Alder has traits and “luck” that are reminiscent of FitzChivalry Farseer from The Realm of the Elderlings, one of my favourite fantasy protagonists.

Alder’s point of view page time was my favourite to follow but Koro Ha and Pinion’s chapters definitely grew on me the more I read them. With Koro Ha, we see the reverberations of him tutoring someone who, unbeknown to him, would become a rebel. Through his storyline, we witness new cultures and parts of the world that weren’t shown in the first entry. With Hand Pinion’s narrative, readers are presented with the internal happenings of the empire: the opposite side of the rebellion, maybe elements of imposter syndrome when he compares himself to his brother, and someone who wants revenge. There are also many side characters who shine when they are given the limelight. Many members of Greathouse’s ensemble are an absolute joy to read about, effortlessly complimenting the main players and showcasing excellent banter, wit, and dialogue. There are a few hidden motives, mysteries, and revelations throughout too.

I rated The Hand of the Sun King with a strong 9/10 rating. I’ll award The Garden of Empire with a 7.5/10 yet I think most who enjoyed the first will find a lot to savour here too. I personally thought that between the 35%-70% mark, some chapters dragged a bit and I wasn’t glued to the pages as I had been at other points in this series. Some of these slower moments were successful though in adding quality and depth to the world-building and Greathouse’s fantasy world feels a lot more complete and organic now.

Koro Ha’s tale and another point of view narrative don’t have as much of a solid and rewarding payoff as Alder and Pinion’s do. That being said, the loose ends with regards to those characters seem very intriguing and the last 20%, in general, is superb and on par with the finest moments I’ve read in SFF so far this year. The characters and the world at the end of The Garden of Empire are almost unrecognisable from what we’re welcomed to at the start and I’m all-in for the final novel in this series, which Greathouse is hopeful will be released in 2023. I can’t wait to see what happens next to Wen Alder/Foolish Cur and how his decisions will continue to affect the empire and the world.

I received a review copy of The Garden of Empire in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to J.T. Greathouse and Gollancz.

The Garden of Empire is a great novel, it’s quite the novel indeed. It mixes first and third person very well, creating an overall arching story of perhaps an Empire that is going to fall. Specifically, the Siennese Empire is basically just a disguise for the Emperor to shield his true purpose of enmity with the Gods that we have here. Many characters from the previous novel come back and have some great entry points. Especially as we get to see more of Koro Ha, I feel that he really is the star of the novel.

The novel does have excellent descriptions, showcasing a lot of its Asian influence. I really like that a lot. It shows the rebellious powers that hate the Siennese and what they do to combat it. I think the novel did have some issues when it came to pacing as it tried sometimes in my opinion to showcase a lot of events, which isn’t bad and they are necessary to the novel. But some parts could have been trimmed down in my opinion. Nothing too note-worthy, but just felt like wanting to point out that. Then again, I disliked Hissing Cat A LOT!

That being said, I think Foolish Cur did take a step back during the novel, though it did kind of limit his character, I suppose that was a good decision. He’s not a thief/roguish character but more of a man trying to figure out his own legacy while having to deal with an uncle that dislikes him and many other characters that don’t trust him for the time being. The characters are the most vital point in this book, and J.T does a brilliant job of showcasing these characters. Honestly, it’s a great sequel, and I really recommend it!

I was kindly given an ARC of this book to read.

The Garden of Empire is a thrilling sequel to Hand of the Sun King. The magic system is still one of the most unique I've read and I really enjoyed reading about all of the magic/abilities it produces.

The characters go on quite a journey and their arcs are really satisfying for a reader. They are very grey characters and I think that's quite a main theme throughout. How many good things does someone have to do to outweigh bad ones? Likewise, if a good action causes many bad things to happen is it really good? The characters are really likable - even the 'bad' ones.

I don't want to give too much away but the twists and ending in this book were fabulous and mainly unexpected. I can't wait for the next one!!

Loved The Hand of the Sun King, this is even better and I have to recycle some of the adjective finding a way to make them stronger.
A gripping, riveting, highly entertaining, well plotted, and well told story. A page turner that kept me hooked.
A story which is epic and intimate ad the same time.
Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I absolutely loved this book! It's even better than the first one in my opinion. The character growth is fantastic. I loved following them as they learned new magic. And that ending! It almost made me wish I had waited until the next book was out to start the series. Almost.

I have already ordered the special edition from Goldsboro. I can't wait!

“This isn't a thing of the pattern, Cur,” Hissing Cat said, her voice sharp. “This is a thing of human will.”

One of the main things I've liked about The Pact and Pattern series is how Jeremy Greathouse has stayed away from the trope of the MC never really knowing how to use his magic.

There is a learning curve for Wen Alder in the first book The Hand Of The Sun King but by the time the second one starts Wen Alder/ Foolish Cur is already one of the strongest witches in the series.

And getting the three POVs with Foolish Cur, Koro-Ha and Pinion was a very interesting element that added a lot more depth to the story.

Wen Alder's story starts exactly where the first book ended. But instead of the ambitious character from the first book. He's become someone who is desperately trying to right his wrongs.

In Pinion's POV we get to see how brutal the empire truly is.

Koro-Ha's POV is probably my favorite and he has the most character development from the first book. Where he goes from a very self absorbed and selfish person who only cares about the world's luxuries. To becoming some who's willing to die in order to protect his people's history.

Where The Hand Of The Sun King was one of my favorite fantasy debuts in years. Garden Of Empire is one of the best fantasy books I've read. And which can only be topped by the third and final book in The Pact and Pattern series.

The Garden of Empire is sadly a book that did not live up to the first entry for me. The writing remains great, but I did struggle to connect to what was actually going on. While the first book was a relatively straight forward coming of age adventure with us closely following Wen Alder, then this one just increased the scope too much for me. The biggest difference is probably the addition of extra PoVs that serve to show us the empire from differing view points which multiplies the size of the cast a lot due to them all being in different places and having a largely separated story. It felt very push and pull for me - there were moments where I really enjoyed following these characters (esp. Koro Ha), but this was almost always followed by a section that I did not care much about. After a while this constant back and forth made appreciating even the good parts little difficult. Our main characters continued story was pretty solid and I liked the dilemmas regarding revolutions and rebellions although I again felt like it was a bit of a downgrade from the first book even at the best bits.