Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher Mantle and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Stars

Full disclosure, I didn't love She Who Became the Sun but was fascinated by the way it was telling its story and its LGBTQ+ representation - but despite that still being great in this novel I, somewhat unsurprisingly, didn't love this sequel either.

These books are full of military escapades, deadly politics and domestic strife, and I have no doubt their interpretation of history (that I'm not familiar with) is creative. But I've just found both books too dense for me to really enjoy them. I've struggled keeping track of nicknames and titles on top of the characters' actual names, and the relation of locations to each other on the map - admittedly, made more difficult by reading on kindle rather than a paperback you can flip back to the start for reference.

But I think the fantasy elements are quite a good example of why there's just a bit too much going on for me; they're so light-touch that it almost feels like magical realism and only show themselves in relation to ghosts. I love this idea - and the way it's used in the finale even more so - but you go a hundred pages between instances of it appearing at all in the world. We flip between intense periods of military strategy and war, to extended bouts of martial conflict and back again. I can see where creative license has filled in gaps in a pre-realised timeline, but I found it hard to really immerse myself in.

Credit where it's due, the fluidity and organic openness to gender and sexuality in this duology is groundbreaking and liberating, and I strongly hope Parker-Chan goes on to write more of it - but maybe a little lighter on the strict militaristic records. I'd love to be able to spend time with the characters, but these books so faithfully follow a historical timeline that I find it difficult to spend time with them over their conquests.

This duo logy is one of my all time favourites. It is dark and skin crawling in places, but I just love the main characters determination to achieve the destiny they want to achieve. It does have its moments where I'm a bit uncertain if the choices they are making are the right ones, but I trust Shelley Parker-Chan enough to keep going.
I had read this back in 2023 so the details are hazy, but I know that I was GRIPPED. I couldn't put this book down, it was glued to me.

Shelley Parker-Chan has a skill at bringing to life complex worlds. I don't have the historical knowledge of the Ming dynasty, but from various retellings, the Emperor was a formidable woman who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted.

I found He Who Drowned The World an easier read than the first book. Although there are still various similar names and places, and so many characters that it makes your head spin trying to keep up with them all, there's more unity this time. As forces combine and unlikely allies come together, there isn't so much emnity as before.

The unlikely comradeship between Zhu and Ooyung gave this instalment more emotion than before. Zhu is governed by more than just her fate: her emotions are allowed to come into play and it makes it a lot easier to be her on her side when you know she is feeling. Ooyung was a favourite from before, but seeing how the events have tormented him so makes you want to take him somewhere quiet.

I still found the novel to be quite long winded, especially the first half. There is a lot of army movements and plans coming together without seeing any of the payoff and it can make the book slow-paced. The final part, however, felt stronger. The tension was higher and there was a real sense of finality coming as some characters aren't able to make it through to the end. I'm not sure if this is because there are fewer players left in the game and those that are have converged to one place.

Although not a 5* read, I did thoroughly enjoy this. The characterisations are complex and it takes a skilled writer to give you such a deeply flawed character and make you root for them. The world-building is thorough and clearly been well-researched. It's an excellent combination of blending historical and fantasy fiction and a powerful read, even if confusing at times.

Parker-Chan does it again! Another fantastic novel and a truly brilliant follow up to 'She Who Became the Sun'. Many thanks for the ARC.

It's hard to review this without spoilers so I will only say that this book emotionally harmed me and I thanked it and asked for more please. This duology is one of the best things I've read in recent years and I will never stop recommending it to everyone.

Utterly brilliant. The second in a duology that will not let you down!

There is purpose behind every line written, so beautifully crafted it sweeps you along as the narrative unfolds.

It’s unafraid to tackle darker subjects and does so with such sensitivity. It is an epic novel that will leave you reeling!

4/5 stars! This is the second book in the Radiant Emperor series. There is a beautiful cultural journey through China. There is a historical aspect to the writing, as well as fantasy components. I especially loved how deeply developed and flawed the characters are. There were moments that the pacing felt slow, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the journey.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

He Who Drowned The World is the sequel to the sensational She Who Became The Sun (see my review for that here) and brings the story of The Radiant Emperor to an end. After the events of the first book, Zhu has an army and a mission – to ride on the capital and seize the crown. But they aren’t the only one with a target – the machinations of other players in this game start to unfold as alliances are made and broken, people are betrayed and the desire for revenge and conquest is high.

This book is brutal and dark, not shying away from depicting gritty scenes and horrible deaths. No character could be described as ‘good’, each willing to take whatever steps necessary to achieve their goals. The story cleverly shows how brute strength and battle tactics are equally important as manipulations and mental scheming in rising to the top of this combat.

With the duology based on actual historical events, it could have easily fallen into the trap of having a predictable ending and so losing the suspense of seeing who will be successful. Shelley Parker-Chan expertly navigates this, keeping the tense atmosphere present throughout and the reader doubting what they think might happen.

I think I enjoyed this slightly more than She Who Became the Sun for the simple fact that I knew a little more of what to expect in terms of writing style and approach, which threw me a little bit when I read the first book. I felt a lot more of a connection to the characters this time around and fully drawn into the world. I am excited to read the future books by this author, I love their writing style and handling of intricate stories with multiple characters and threads.

4.5* rounded up

The second half of The Radiant Emperor duology lives up to the first, providing a spectacular ending alongside a a great exploration of gender, power and revenge.

The characters are as compelling here as they were in the first book - a particular highlight was this book further exploring the dynamic between Zhu and Ouyang.

It also has wonderful attention to detail and its historical setting. My one small issue is that the description, beautiful though it was, did sometimes slow the pace and I occasionally struggled with it.

Overall though, an excellent ending to a series I definitely recommend for any one wanting dark queer historical fantasy.

I adored this. It was incredible. I have two hardcover editions I bought after reading it through NetGalley.

After rereading book one I was excited to get back into this world and see how the story would progress.
I was captivated throughout. Intrigued to see the developments. What would happen to her and if she was caught.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this arc!

This followed on from the first book and again was a little wordy so I couldn’t get into it like how I wanted to and felt myself forcing myself to read it unfortunately.

STUNNING. STUNNING. STUNNING. A fantastic sequel and a fantastic way to end the story. I loved every single moment of this and I wish it didn't have to end so soon. A bittersweet feeling.

I have tried so hard with this title but I think I am going to have to admit defeat. I've been trying to read He Who Drowned The World for months now and I have to keep re-reading from the beginning because I lose what is happening. I sort of enjoyed She Who Became The Sun and thought that book 2 was going to be more clear but I am lost and think this will have to be a DNF for me

A very dark but fitting followup. I enjoyed this one more than the first one, but still struggled with the writing style. The way the author writes traumatic events doesn't make me feel anything, but I do think the series ended well.

3.5 (rounded up)⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

I really loved She Who Became the Sun and was super excited to read this book. I think I wished this was a trilogy as I would have loved to have more of certain characters, like Ma, who I felt got left behind a bit in order to get the main action going.

It was also quite and abrupt ending, and I would have liked it to have taken a bit more time, I would have also loved a historical note at the end.

But I did really love this duology, that the characters aren’t all wholly bad or good, even those who would traditionally be heroes or villains which made for an interesting read and one that varies from a lot of book coming out at the minute, in both content, writing and characterisation.

This duology was stunning. The twists and turns, the heartbreak, the brutality, all of it. This book felt a lot darker, than She Who became the Sun and I would recommend reading the trigger warnings.

How did Shelley Parker Can make me care for characters I despised? Zhu continues her journey to become the next Great Yuan despite the obstacles in her way and the constant unlikelihood of it happening, she continues to defy the odds. It’s stuffed with sneaky schemes, politics, battles, so much blood, sex as a weapon and grief.

‘Nobody would lift a finger to change the World for us. To make a place for us. What choice did we ever have, but to do it ourselves?’

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Screaming, crying, throwing up.

I love this duology with my entire heart. Give me more books like this, please and thank you.

An amazing read that was just as captivating as the first book. I was just entranced by the descriptions of the characters and the deviousness going through the whole book. The second book is much more about court intrigues and games the it is about war strategy, but I was still interested in how this will turn out and who will have the upper hand in the end!