When J.T. Greathouse released The Hand of the Sun King last year, it did something that I never expected, it surprised me! The story of Wen Alder (or Foolish Cur) just clicked with me and it was one of my favourite books of last year, so when The Gardens of Empire was announced it was immediately put on my must read books of 2022.

So, I have not long ago finished The Gardens of Empire and let me tell you dear reader that this book is just pure awesomeness. I just love this Asian inspired fantasy, and yes again, JT Greathouse surprised me. This time in other ways.

The story continues the story of Wen Alder, although he has now ditched this name in favour of his given Nayeni name, Foolish Cur and has joined the revolution against the Emperor proper.

Now, before we get into talking about the book, I want to say a great big thank you to J. T, Greathouse for the synopsis of the first book at the beginning of book 2. I love it when authors do this and it helps to get reacclimatised to the world. I did reread The Hand of the Sun King prior to reading The Gardens of Empire, but the sheer fact that it is there shows that there is an understanding of his audience and he wants them to get straight back into the world that he has created.

One of the things that I adored about The Hand of The Sun king was the way that the story unfurled. It started off quite small and by the end it opens into epic magnificence, and with The Gardens of Empire, J.T. Greathouse opens the world further by adding more character points of view, and it work so well, as not only does he expand on some of the characters from the first book, but he also maintains some of the supporting characters like Atar and continues to give them a supporting role.

As I said, there are some more characters added to this one. Firstly, in the prelude, we have the introduction of a completely new character, Ral ans Urrera, who at first seems to have little bearing on the story and is presented in a series of interludes. However, this does have a bearing later on. Then, we have Foolish Cur’s former tutor Koro Ha. And finally, there is Hand Pinion, Oreole’s brother from the first book who blames Foolish Cur for his brother’s death and is hell bent on getting vengeance.

I thought this worked really well. Foolish Cur’s and Hand Pinion’s arcs are quite intertwined, and they have a direct bearing on the story, but Koro Ha and Ral’s are quite separate. However, they all do have an impact, but in different ways that you expect, especially Koro Ha’s, whose journey is really intriguing and I cannot wait to see how this arc has an effect on the wider story as a whole.

In addition to this, we get some more back story on some of the supporting characters, such as Hissing Cat and Doctor Sho, who are both quite intriguing characters in their own right.

In the Garden of Empire the world building is much more expansive, and whilst we touched on other cultures in The Hand of the Sun King, The Garden of Empire introduces us to Girzan and Tao Alon, which is explored more with the different points of view. When the story is told through the eyes of the other characters we get to see just how oppressive the rule of the Emperor is and how he has subjugated other cultures and amalgamated their culture and magics into his own canon of magic. Not only that we get to see and understand a lot more of the Emperors motivations and plans and just how expansive they actually are.

The other thing that we get more of in the book is the Emperor, Tenet himself, and rather than just being a figure of myth and legend, we see him much more up close and personal in this book. He is not just a distant figure who seems clouded in his own reputation, but he is far more human and real in TGOE.
As usual the writing is superb, In some ways it reminds me of Raymond E Feist’s Magician, and that is always good in my book as I absolutely adore this book. I think it is the focus on magic and the Asian culture that does it. Not only that, JT Greathouse displays similar complexity and depth that is in Raymond E Feist’s works, detailing everything to add to the richness of the story.

It was interesting to see more of the Gods and their motivations in the book as they have a greater part to play in this instalment, and we get to meet the pantheon and be able to discern their personalities.

For me, the first book, The Hand of the Sun King was more of a character driven novel with a steady development of plot. However, TGOE seemed to increase the impetus of the plot and the two seemed to balance out evenly with developments in both areas. We are still party to observing the inner turmoil of Foolish Cur as he tries firstly to not become an overbearance in the revolution and his uncle’s rule, but then how this develops as he struggles to become accepted in his Uncle’s army. In addition to this, Foolish Cur struggles to accept the tactics and utter devastation that the war has on his people and whether there is a great difference in the methods used by both sides as the lines that they cross become more indistinguishable.

There is still an onus on conflict, not just between the two rival factions, but also the inner turmoil of Foolish Cur as he straddles two worlds and also between the opposing rivalries of individuals and the factions.

Again, J.T. Greathouse writes fantastically rich and complex characters and I loved seeing how they developed and the prose remains both rich and elegant. The plot is masterfully executed and similarly to THOTSK, I was left with that feeling of ‘bloody hell’ at the end and have no predictions of how this story is going to conclude in the third book, but I know it is going to be MASSIVE.

The Garden of Empire is simply an absolutely amazing piece of fantasy fiction that somehow manages to expand on an already richly described world with great characters and a driving plot, and I for one, cannot wait to see how this story ends.

I received an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Orion Books in exchange for a review.

4/5 stars.

The Garden of Empire is a fantastic sequel to Hand of the Sun King. In my opinion it took everything that was good about the first book and made it better. It also took the worst part of the first book and improved it significantly.

The author expands all the already interesting magic system and fleshes it out. The magic feels much more dramatic and well used here.

The world is also developed a much more. You really get a feel for the different cultures in this world. We got a bit of Nayen, a lot of Sien and a very small bit of An-Zabat in HOTSK. Here, we get so much more about the land and people of Nayen. We also get introduced to Girzan and Tao Alon and we start to see how all these oppressed cultures actually feel about the Empire.

These new perspectives come in the form of additional POVs, which I thought were the real standout addition to the series. Adding Pinion and Koro Ha's perspectives was such a breath of fresh air and I loved their storylines.

The reason I loved their addition so much, is because after reading HOTSK, I couldn't help but hate the main character, Foolish Cur/Wen Adler. I don't know if the author intended for the protagonist to be so unlikeable, but by the end of the first book, I couldn't stand him. He was so arrogant and solely focused on learning ALL THE MAGIC. But he never really had a reason for it and was just so irritating when he couldn't do it all. Also he portrays himself as a moral and righteous person who cares about people and the different parts of the Empire when all he cares about is magic.

In TGOE, this is toned down a lot. Particularly because he finally does know ALL THE MAGIC. But I found Foolish Cur a lot more tolerable here as he was more focused on something other than himself.

I also have to note that the battle at the end of the book was really well done. And there was a great twist to it.

Would really recommend this book and The Pact and Pattern series as a whole. Hoping this book does well on release.

I loved book 1 so much. It was a fantastic debut and I wonderfully intricate story. However book 2 takes a different direction, it includes other perspectives which I just didn’t care about. I wanted it to be more like book 1 where we follow the main the character the entire time. Sad to say I didn’t enjoy this.

“We all have a moral compass, boy, though not every needle points true north. This is where your own will start to drift, if you let it”

This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of this year so a MASSIVE thanks to @netgalley and @orionbooks for the advanced reading copy – I absolutely demolished this book in two sittings.

'The Garden of Empire' follows right on from the events that occurred in the first instalment, 'The Hand of the Sun King'. Foolish Cur (Wen Alder) has now found himself going against the empire that he was taught to love and obey, in a rebellion led by his own uncle. We follow him along on this journey, where he must make hard decisions and come to terms with the path that he is now following – despite the doubts he may have.

The main difference from the first book is that we now get follow several other characters perspectives, allowing the reader to see and experience both sides of this rising war. Having the ability to see how both sides justify their actions and their own approaches to political turbulence and the rising threat of war, really adds to the understanding of them. I loved having the mixed POVs it set an incredible pace to the book, and you really felt the threat increasing as you read on. I couldn’t stop reading!

Overall, the second book of the Pact and Pattern series is a wonderful addition. Amazing multi-layered characters, incredible developed magic system and an immersive world. Honestly, I can’t wait until the third and final one now!! The countdown is on.

The Garden Empire is the second book in the Pact and Pattern series. The first book has received amazing reviews and that is why I picked it up and immeditely read the second book too. J.T Greathouse created a really amazing and complex universe. The first book was very slow but we could learn a lot of things about the world and magic system etc. The Garden Empire was more fast paced than the first book and also it has multiple POV's. I can't wait to read the next book and learn how the story continue. If you like reading unique stories, I'll definitely recommend this series.

In my review for "The Hand of the Sun King" I said that the following books in this series have a lot to live up to. If anything, "The Garden of Empire" is even better! I love the writing just as much, still think the characters are brilliant, and thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of the story. Here's hoping for much, much more from J.T. Greathouse in the future.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

The Garden of Empire by JT Greathouse is book two in The Pact and the Pattern and what a way to do a sequel. Foolish Cur, previously Wen Alder, finds that his allies in the rebellion will cross any line if it means freedom from the Empire. But he can't overcome a foe as strong as Emperor Tenet alone. Koro Ha, his former tutor, discovers the Empire is not so forgiving of those who raise a traitor and their suspicion may cost him and his people more than he can imagine. As war against the Empire rages, Foolish Cur knows there is a greater threat. The Emperor plans his own coup against the gods, and they will wreak destruction if he tries. To stop him, Foolish Cur might have to risk everything - and resort to ancient magics that could tear the world apart.

I re-read The Hand of the Sun King before this and it is clearly evident that whilst that was Wen Alder's story, this continuation will have multiple points of view as others play an important role in the events that will unfold. We are treated to different parts of the Sien Empire and lands that were only briefly touched upon before. We see different perspectives of anger and vengeance, lore and betrayal. This story has opened up wider and Greathouse does incredibly well to juggle each perspective and showing different rule. The mystery and intrigue is still intricately plotted throughout and the future of the series seems to be larger than ever before.

The characters were interesting and imaginative. The world-building unique and expressive. There is inner turmoil that deals with coming-of-age and identification as we go through each experience and Greathouse shows the ambition of this novel right from the start. The captivation of Wen's choices and vanity is further explored and we can see the blindness that he leads with in a new light. He is not a perfect character, nor a perfect person, but the devotion and complexity that he offers was one of the more interesting parts of his characters growth. Each new character was also shown to be different and that can be a hard craft to manage with such a vast array of culture.

Greathouse has an elegant way of describing landscapes and beliefs. The thoughtfulness of nature and gods is further explored but the way it was handled was more info-dumping that shown and that can hinder the experience of a beautifully crafted philosophy. There were parts where characters behaved unlike themselves just to create a thrill for the narrative and that fell short when the story needed pushed forward. The ending itself has blew this story wide open and I cannot wait to see what JT Greathouse does with the next novel.

This was a fantastic book, an amazing sequel and one I will definitely see to completion.

First of all, I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

This is the second part in a series telling the story of Wen Alder, a young witch, who is navigating the relationship between witches and gods, and between various warring human factions. The story picks up as Wen joins his uncle and starts to slowly discover and master his newfound skills, and continues to evolve around the conflict between the rebels and the emperor. In the mean time, Wen's old tutor is going through his own adventure and journey of personal growth, and a new protagonist gets introduced (though, I'm assuming most of her story will get explored in the next installment). Heavily influenced by Chinese history and culture, and Confucianism plays a strong role in the characters' lives.

Overall, I like this even more than the first book in the series. It continues to excel at describing the conflicting motivations and emotions that govern the actions of those that are born and raised between different cultures and societies. While I wouldn't call it a nuanced study of the topic, it's vivid, realistic, and infuriating in equal measure. Main reason I like these books frankly (though I personally find most if not all the protagonists despicable).

I also liked the worldbuilding and its increasing complexity. At the beginning of the first book it felt very much like a young adult novel with very roughly sketched out principles. At the end of the second book we see far more layers of complexity, nuance, emotion, and intrigue. There is another, related, angle that makes reading this book unsettling and fascinating in equal measure - it's increasingly clear that the story is told, to a large extent, through the eyes of this immature, infantile, naive, and rather silly Wen. As this (second) book evolves, it's becoming increasingly clear that the simplistic treatment of this world is a function of the protagonist's perspective, rather than objective reality.

The pacing is also excellent - it's a hard book to put down. There is enough thrill here to make you keep reading and find out what happens and why things are the way they are. The cliffhanger at the end of the book is a result of a completely unexpected twist (at least to me!), and just leaves appetite for more.

There are two reasons for the 4 start vs 5 star rating. First is personal preference - it's a great story, but while the writing and the overall cohesion of the story are great signs of a talented author, they are not yet polished enough, or coherent enough, to put up there with the best of the best. I especially find the oscillation between "young adult" and "grimdark" styles a bit jarring, but again - this is a personal preference. I'd still recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy.

Second, and perhaps most important, is the heavily nationalistic red thread that this second book makes even more pronounced. While I understand that the story is influenced by Chinese history and criticises Chinese cultural colonialism of people and societies in its environs, it also, in my mind, goes a bit too far in celebrating all aspects of tradition. It's like there are only two choices - totalitarian progress towards a unitary society and culture, or obsession with the tradition of individual cultures and avoiding progress. The criticism towards China is perhaps too on the nose (and I'm not at all saying it's not appropriate - it's its depiction in the book and role in the story I find a bit superfluous), and this obsession with preserving everything old at all costs is perhaps too extreme. Not all progress is bad, and sometimes progress can lead to traditions becoming irrelevant and inapplicable. Nothing wrong in that. A bit more nuance on this topic would have made the book come across as more mature and less petulant.

This is the sequel to The Hand of the Sun King and I was very fortunate to be once again approved for an eArc. I really liked the first volume so I was pretty impatient to read the sequel. I have to admit though that I was less thrilled by this volume, not that it was bad, far from it. The rhythm was very different as this time it followed Wen Alder / Foolish Cur on a pretty short timeframe. The other big difference is that this book was multi POV, which I liked because it allowed to learn more about other regions, their own rebellion against the Empire and their magic. It gave a better picture of the Empire, even though I was kind of lost with the geography (can't consult the map on a ereader). I was scared that this novel would finish on a big cliffhanger, but fortuntely it isn't the case. You still want to read the sequel though!

Reading the report I wrote about the first volume, I realise that not much has changed about the presence of female characters. There are some more, but not a lot and it still seems like a missed opportunity since the non sienese cultures do not cast the women apart from their societies. However, the critic on colonialism gets deeper as we can see its effects on different regions of the Empire.

I didn't really like that the main character is so powerful, much more powerful than any other witch / sorcerer (there are...two exceptions) and nothing seems too difficult for him. And the author never explains why this is the case.

Even if this volume wasn't for me as enjoyable as the first, I still want to continue this series and discover what will happen with the emperor and the gods (I didn't, of course, talk about the content of this novel to avoid any spoilers).

Rep : brown skinned people
TW : death

Foolish Cur, formerly known as Wen Alder defied the Emperor's canon and landed himself right at the middle of centuries old conflict between powers that can reshape the pattern of the world. Being a witch of old sort he becomes the only one who can challenge the Emperor and the ultimate tool Nayen rebellion needs against Sien. But every decision he makes has long-lasting consequence to people in his life and world around him and with those stakes he has to be sure he's fighting on the right side.

Another character we get insight into is Hand Pinion, brother of tragically murdered Oreole who had a role in betrayal Empire played against Ven in Greyfrost Keep. There are few chapters that teased another witch of old sorts but her presence in the novels is merely hinted and I assume she will play a very important role in the future. This is the most noticeable difference, but each pov is showing a different side of Empire's constricting rule, so it doesn't detract from the main storyline. To be honest, I wasn't sure how will this go considering Ryan did the same with The Raven's Shadow trilogy, but once I finished the book, Koro Ha's and Pinion's chapters were some of my favourite. And on that subject...
-I am a character reader. I feel like I can overlook less interesting plot and not as well imagined world-building if I like the characters. But if characters don't work, nothing works. With first person narration, coming of age aspect and inner turmoil about cultural identity Wen experienced, I can honestly say THotSK is tailor-made for a reader like me and that's why I liked it more. The second book is more fast-paced, with less introspective passages and much higher stakes and I flew through it, but I enjoyed the more intimate nature of first book more

The ending blew the story right out of the water and opened up the whole thing to a much bigger scale. It's a world-ending scenario with Foolish Cur at the centre of it and I am looking forward to seeing how he deals with Gods and his ambition in next book.

Foolish Cur, once called Wen Alder, has sworn his allegiance to the rebellion of Nayen, swearing to overthrow the empire he once served, but his pledge is met with suspicion, rather than joy. To prove his worth to his uncle, he must find a way to train new witches in the old way as quickly as possible, learning from gods and immortal beings as much as he must learn from his fellow rebels.

The second book of Pact and Pattern creates a more sweeping image of the empire than Hand of the Sun King did. Besides Foolish Cur, we also hear from his old tutor, Kora Ha, and Hand Pinion as he flees with his men back to Sienese strongholds. Through them, we get to explore a bit more of the politics of the wider empire, as well as some of the other seemingly extinct old cultures. The new viewpoints – in third person, to Cur’s first – were a great addition, keeping the book moving and allowing Cur to ruminate and philosophise whilst keeping the reader engaged and aware of the danger.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½
Genre: Fantasy
Trigger Warnings: Fantasy violence, massacre, some minor body horror,
Would I recommend this? Yes (but not without reading book 1!)
Would I read a sequel? Yes

The story follows immediately after the ending of "The Hand of the Sun King". I found this book is faster paced and more plot forward than the first one. Even though i have read these types of stories more before (rebellion against an empire by the original settlers); this series asks an important and interesting question to us.

How far will you go? What is the morality of the war? etc. Both the factions has to answer this question. I really liked the way the author takes the story to answer this too.

The world-building was excellent and the author spends a lot of time describing this. Overall, it was an enjoyable book that delved into the morally grey area of rebellions.

The Garden of Empire follows on from the Hand of the Sun King. The story follows three characters - Wen Alder (Foolish Cur), Hand Pinion, and Koro Ha. Foolish Cur's chapters are in first person, while the latter two are in the third.

Having left the Empire, Foolish Cur backs his uncle's rebellion alongside an ancient mentor, Hissing Cat, and his grandmother. The Empire wants to fight the Gods - and only Wen can use his magic and the Gods' will to put a stop to it. But his uncle's plans for seizing back their home from the brutal Empire lead to questions of morality. How far will one go until they reach the same blackness as the Empire?

Koro Ha, a Sianese teacher, is tempted back to his home by Orna Sin and his overflow of funds to open a school to educate Sianese children who might one day pass their examinations. Still haunted by Wen Alder's mistakes, Koro Ha undergoes scrutinization by the Empire who are curious about the tutor's methods that may have contributed to Foolish Cur's downfall.

A minor story running through is Hand Pinion's. A servant of the Emperor whose brother had grown up as the best friend of Wen Alder before his death. However, the three work together to build up to the sequel. As with many second instalments, this one establishes what's previously happened whilst building up to a climax, so whilst it's not action heavy, there are important plot developments.

The story is well-written. The prose are engaging and the multi-POV holds the reader's attention. I struggled with picturing many of the characters, but the world-building was excellent. The magic and witches featured in this book are unlike any I've come across in fantasy before. Overall, it was an enjoyable book that delved into the morally grey area of rebellions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gollancz for providing the e-Arc to read.

{AD|GIFTED} I'm so glad I began this series as it's quickly become a new favourite thanks to the beautiful prose and complex characters. This instalment is faster-paced and more plot-driven than the first book but still just as engaging. The tension is slowly built as these characters march towards an inevitable showdown. Nothing will ever be the same again and I'm so excited to see where the story goes next after that epic cliffhanger. An engaging and richly-detailed fantasy with lyrical prose and memorable characters.

THE GARDEN OF EMPIRE swings its scope wide, which is a great way to show off world and threat in epic fantasy. The swing here is almost a "blasting open", as it's very wide compared to the tight focus on Alder/Foolish Cur in the previous books. Two more POVs are added to this book, in third person rather than first (Alder/Cur's remains in first though.) These new narrators are Pinion (younger brother to Orien, Alder's friend from the first book who died in a campaign that Alder feels responsible for) and Koro Ha, Alder's tutor from when he was younger.

Pinion allows us to see what's happening on the other side of Foolish Cur's fight alongside the rebellion. Pinion is a Hand now, the survivor from the showdown at the end of <a href="https://sifaelizabethreads.wordpress.com/2022/05/14/book-review-the-hand-of-the-sun-king-by-j-t-greathouse/" data-type="URL" data-id="https://sifaelizabethreads.wordpress.com/2022/05/14/book-review-the-hand-of-the-sun-king-by-j-t-greathouse/">THE HAND OF THE SUN KING</a>, who is now bent on vengeance and gets tangled up with the emperor.

The other POV, as the blurb suggests, follows Koro Ha in the aftermath of Alder's betrayal. It actually takes a while to get to that aftermath (news seeming to travel very very slowly, despite the Emperor being able to mindspeak. This is another time a map would be helpful as it would help show the distances a messenger is having to travel.) Instead, this storyline is mostly about Koro Ha getting caught up in teaching pour students in his home city and dragged into a sort-of rebellion (VERY different sort of rebellion to Alder's.)

As you might be able to guess, this POV isn't as intrinsically linked to Alder/Cur's as Pinion's. The only action from the other side that impact's this one is in the previous book. None of the actions from Alder/Cur (or Pinion) in this book affect Koro Ha, or vice versa. There are also a few interludes at the start of the parts from another witch, but only three of those, I think. Alder mindtalks to one of her companions (Atar) at one point. I'm sure they will all link up in a later book, but they don't really in this.

This is one of these stylistic/narrative choices that is very personal as to whether it works for a reader or not. I'm one of the ones who prefers heavy linkage of POVs though constant, rippling actions at the very least (if not physically weaving together.) Without that, Koro Ha's sections feel a bit more like an "elsewhere in the empire" novella added in alongside the main story of Nayen and its rebellion.

The book spends a lot of its time focusing on right and wrong - in rebellion, in service. What is the best way to rebel? What should the casualty rate be like? Can and should casualties be kept down? Cur has to grapple with all that while also trying to work with an uncle and rebellion who doesn't trust him. Oh, and also try to provide magic to people without inciting the gods to war. Easy, right?

There is at least one more book to come, but that's going to mean over a year's wait for me! I got to binge the first two books back to back in April 2022, and the ending makes me want the next instalment.

3,5*

Bare bones: Foolish Cur, formerly known as Wen Alder defied the Emperor's canon and landed himself right at the middle of centuries old conflict between powers that can reshape the pattern of the world. Being a witch of old sort he becomes the only one who can challenge the Emperor and the ultimate tool Nayen rebellion needs against Sien. But every decision he makes has long-lasting consequence to people in his life and world around him and with those stakes he has to be sure he's fighting on the right side.

-This novel is a direct continuation of The Hand of the Sun King and Wen Alder's story- with one significant change. In introduction where Wen refreshes our memory of events from the first book, he informs the reader that story isn't his own any more and that others played an important role in events that will unfold. I guessed right away we will have pov chapters from other characters and I was holding my fingers crossed it's a certain teacher we saw last time at the pinnacle of Ven's career and I was right. Koro Ha gets his own arc in a different part of Sien Empire, previously independent lands of Toa Alon, Koro Ha's birth place and the home of legendary Stonespeakers. Another character we get insight into is Hand Pinion, brother of tragically murdered Oreole who had a role in betrayal Empire played against Ven in Greyfrost Keep. There are few chapters that teased another witch of old sorts but her presence in the novels is merely hinted and I assume she will play a very important role in the future. This is the most noticeable difference, but each pov is showing a different side of Empire's constricting rule, so it doesn't detract from the main storyline. To be honest, I wasn't sure how will this go considering Ryan did the same with The Raven's Shadow trilogy, but once I finished the book, Koro Ha's and Pinion's chapters were some of my favourite. And on that subject...
-I am a character reader. I feel like I can overlook less interesting plot and not as well imagined world-building if I like the characters. But if characters don't work, nothing works. With first person narration, coming of age aspect and inner turmoil about cultural identity Wen experienced, I can honestly say THotSK is tailor-made for a reader like me and that's why I liked it more. The second book is more fast-paced, with less introspective passages and much higher stakes and I flew through it, but I enjoyed the more intimate nature of first book more. There was something really captivating about Wen's ambition to learn everything there is about the magic and choices he made because of this. He has the vanity of someone who thinks he knows much more than others which makes him blind to consequences and I loved this about him. Second book shows Foolish Cur devoted to the rebellion and this goal he's aiming to seems to be other people's goal more than his. This makes his character somewhat less complex and, consequentially, less interesting to read about. On the other hand, Koro Ha coming to his own conclusions and feelings about Empire's occupation of his homeland and Pinion's slightly deranged journey were chapters where I got more of that vibe from the first book.
-Another thing that affected my enjoyment of Foolish Cur's chapters is the exposition. The first book has this very interesting dichotomy of Sien's elegant, but somewhat stifling philosophy and Nayen's wild, but somewhat disruptive belief system. And for me the whole nature of it resembled to a thoughtful comparison of Confucianism and Daoism and I was enthralled. The second book is more focused on Gods and their Pact with witches of old sorts. And I didn't mind further exploring the magic system, I just didn't like it was done through Hissing Cat's begrudging info-dumpy explanations that would always come up short until she divulges another piece of information in later chapter. It's one of those situations where you just wish a character who has all the information would just outright say it, instead of dragging it through book. Hence why the ending didn't quite work for me: because the stuff happened not just because Foolish Cur behaved true to his Nayen-given name, but because Hissing Cat didn't tell him everything for reasons.
-The ending blew the story right out of the water and opened up the whole thing to a much bigger scale. It's a world-ending scenario with Foolish Cur at the centre of it and I am looking forward to seeing how he deals with Gods and his ambition in next book.

All in all, this is a great sequel to THotSK and I enjoyed it a great deal.

My gratitude to NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest reviw.
"The Garden of the Empire" transitions smoothley from the events of the first volume "The Hand of the Emperor" by the clever employ of the main character's breef recollections. Wen Alder, who now embraced his Nayenese roots and name -Foolish Cur, often glances at his tumultous past, at his mistakes and tries to envision and create a better future fot himself, his people and in large the whole world.
If in the first volume there was only the first person narative of the main hero, here are two more important and one brief points of view. These different perspective alowed more angles into the domination - resistance conflict, giving insight into both.
There was a deep exploration and use of the magic system which captivated me, even thoug there was a slow pace for the first half of the novel.
The intensity increased after the half mark and all the previous worldbuilding explorations paid off, in my opinion.
The themes of war, injustice, the blurred lines between right or wrong were depley embeded into this narative. Adler's justifications give some intresting answers : "Yet the necessary can still be harmful. There was value in accepting fault for the flawed means required to pursue good ends."
Getting to imerse myself into "The Pact and Pattern" universe was a rewarding and anticipated experience. J. T. Greathouse's prose felt beautiful and balanced through the whole novel.
"The Garden of the Empire" is a well crafted second instalment which I reccomend after enjoing the first volume, "The Hand of the Emperor".
A bright path has been set out for the third and final instalment wich might be the crowning jewel of this trilogy.