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The Emperor and the Endless Palace
“What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?”
In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue.
In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead.
And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before.
Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them.
As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love—a power that transcends time itself…but one that might consume them both.
An unpredictable roller coaster of a debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.
In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue.
In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead.
And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before.
Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them.
As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love—a power that transcends time itself…but one that might consume them both.
An unpredictable roller coaster of a debut novel, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-bending romantasy that challenges everything we think we know about true love.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2024
About the author
Justinian Huang
1 book233 followersBorn to immigrants in Monterey Park, California, Justinian Huang studied English at Pomona College and screenwriting at the University of Oxford. He is now based in Los Angeles with Swagger, a Shanghainese rescue dog he adopted during his five years living in China. THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE is his debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 444 reviews
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 3, 2023“i pounded his pink plum” oh! my bad for not seeing the erotica tag
March 10, 2024
E-ARC generously provided by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
4.5 stars. Weaving three timelines together and examining sex, obsession, and the all-consuming nature of love, Justinian Huang's The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a triumph of a queer Asian fantasy story that is as compelling as it is expansive.
4.5 stars. Weaving three timelines together and examining sex, obsession, and the all-consuming nature of love, Justinian Huang's The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a triumph of a queer Asian fantasy story that is as compelling as it is expansive.
March 28, 2024
I would like to thank Edelweiss and MIRA/HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
🍑This was some of the most erotic, lusty reincarnation stories i have read to date AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! On top of which, this book cover makes me weep because of how gorgeous it is, as it is the ultimate goal of every M/M romance lover to be able to gorge on the unabashedly erotic without having to hide their naked torso covers from babcie on the train! I'm not sorry though, Nana! Gotta find that romance trope and just LOVE IT & LIVE IT, yk! Shout out to my sis Brooke and the Tao of autocorrect we gain insight from pretty much everyday and owe the above yolo gem to lol!💎
👑Ok back to the review, which is much more of a "yaaasss queen, GET IT" flex, than a plot examining critical piece. It takes all kinds. This was the soft-historical eroticism i never knew i wanted nor needed in my life, and i'm obviously HERE👏🏽 FOR👏🏽 IT!👏🏽
✨Also, I see the comp as: The Song of Achilles meets The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue...and while The Emperor and the Endless Palace shares some last chapter similarities to the former...and the memory piece of the latter, the lyricism and narrative content/tonal quality are in NO WAY COMPARABLE!✨
Those 3 books don't even vibe the same....like AT ALL...so please don't be vitriolic and hate on this debut just because marketing splashes are engineered for google keyword searches! thank you.🥹🙏🏽
🦊2nd note: for all my M/M Romance babes out there, this story does NOT have an HEA! but in its own way, this insatiable romance will continue to endure and give that soulmate energy, because at the heart of The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a lusty tragic love story, and the pleasure pull of the bonds are in many ways, an ethereal addiction!🦊
🍑So yeah as is my wont for my reading life, i went into this blind and i could not have been happier about this surprise erotic offering wrapped up in such a pretty package lmao! I was all kinds of enchanted and most importantly, beyond gleeful every time fruit was used in the most poetically garish ways to describe the most erotic instances! And because i was simply content to go along with all the lusty fun, i did NOT think i would be AS emotionally involved by the end of this book, but i WAS! I shed some real tears for these boys who just can't seem to quit each other...even after death!🍑
🐲Quality wise, i was hooked on the flow, the passion and the true feelings, magnified by 3 timelines and the gorgeous men who lived them! I got tied up in the folkloric historical swoony spirit of this weave, as well as the earnest sweetness of River, our contemporary incarnation of one of the lovers across time! I was satisfied throughout, and while i generally hate time jumping narratives, everything about this was beautiful and enrapturing and Justinian Huang was masterful with the characterizations...all unique and fully realized expressions of their individuality, ALL WHILE BEING ITERATIONS OF THEIR PAST SELVES. I'm still floored by how much i GOT from this read.🐉
💖So YES!!! I'm very happy that THIS BOOK HIT for me, and because joy and peace and pleasure should be at the heart of all reading experience, I AM THE WINNER HERE!💖
🍑This was an easy, super satisfying sexy read, and for a debut i thought it was marvelous, well written, and hot as fk! The Emperor and the Endless Palace was all around entertaining and i'm not mad that it low-key hijacked my emotions and made me cry at the end! Overall, it's supremely pleasant to have a new author i immediately love and will autobuy in the future, and because i'm a MEGA fan of this author's flex, it is obvious that i cannot wait to devour whatever Justinian Huang serves up next!🍑
🍑This was some of the most erotic, lusty reincarnation stories i have read to date AND I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! On top of which, this book cover makes me weep because of how gorgeous it is, as it is the ultimate goal of every M/M romance lover to be able to gorge on the unabashedly erotic without having to hide their naked torso covers from babcie on the train! I'm not sorry though, Nana! Gotta find that romance trope and just LOVE IT & LIVE IT, yk! Shout out to my sis Brooke and the Tao of autocorrect we gain insight from pretty much everyday and owe the above yolo gem to lol!💎
👑Ok back to the review, which is much more of a "yaaasss queen, GET IT" flex, than a plot examining critical piece. It takes all kinds. This was the soft-historical eroticism i never knew i wanted nor needed in my life, and i'm obviously HERE👏🏽 FOR👏🏽 IT!👏🏽
✨Also, I see the comp as: The Song of Achilles meets The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue...and while The Emperor and the Endless Palace shares some last chapter similarities to the former...and the memory piece of the latter, the lyricism and narrative content/tonal quality are in NO WAY COMPARABLE!✨
Those 3 books don't even vibe the same....like AT ALL...so please don't be vitriolic and hate on this debut just because marketing splashes are engineered for google keyword searches! thank you.🥹🙏🏽
🦊2nd note: for all my M/M Romance babes out there, this story does NOT have an HEA! but in its own way, this insatiable romance will continue to endure and give that soulmate energy, because at the heart of The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a lusty tragic love story, and the pleasure pull of the bonds are in many ways, an ethereal addiction!🦊
🍑So yeah as is my wont for my reading life, i went into this blind and i could not have been happier about this surprise erotic offering wrapped up in such a pretty package lmao! I was all kinds of enchanted and most importantly, beyond gleeful every time fruit was used in the most poetically garish ways to describe the most erotic instances! And because i was simply content to go along with all the lusty fun, i did NOT think i would be AS emotionally involved by the end of this book, but i WAS! I shed some real tears for these boys who just can't seem to quit each other...even after death!🍑
🐲Quality wise, i was hooked on the flow, the passion and the true feelings, magnified by 3 timelines and the gorgeous men who lived them! I got tied up in the folkloric historical swoony spirit of this weave, as well as the earnest sweetness of River, our contemporary incarnation of one of the lovers across time! I was satisfied throughout, and while i generally hate time jumping narratives, everything about this was beautiful and enrapturing and Justinian Huang was masterful with the characterizations...all unique and fully realized expressions of their individuality, ALL WHILE BEING ITERATIONS OF THEIR PAST SELVES. I'm still floored by how much i GOT from this read.🐉
💖So YES!!! I'm very happy that THIS BOOK HIT for me, and because joy and peace and pleasure should be at the heart of all reading experience, I AM THE WINNER HERE!💖
🍑This was an easy, super satisfying sexy read, and for a debut i thought it was marvelous, well written, and hot as fk! The Emperor and the Endless Palace was all around entertaining and i'm not mad that it low-key hijacked my emotions and made me cry at the end! Overall, it's supremely pleasant to have a new author i immediately love and will autobuy in the future, and because i'm a MEGA fan of this author's flex, it is obvious that i cannot wait to devour whatever Justinian Huang serves up next!🍑
April 20, 2024
.𖥔 ݁ 2.5 stars
it was kind of camp tbh
❪ thank you to the publisher for the e-arc. ❫
it was kind of camp tbh
❪ thank you to the publisher for the e-arc. ❫
February 24, 2024
2.5 stars rounded up
Mixed feelings on this one, but it's a very specific sort of book. Erotic, gay fantasy romance with a reincarnation element? Although I would say it's definitely heavier on the sex than the romance and while I found elements of the book to be interesting I can't say I was ever rooting for a romantic pairing.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a novel that spans three timelines, reaching from the distant past into the modern day. There is court intrigue, betrayal, magic, and lots of sex and drugs. The idea is a cursed love that extends across many lifetimes, between very toxic people who are kind of immature, aren't good at being faithful to a relationship, and are sometimes abusive and manipulative. So...if I think of this as a "romance" it's not really a success for me, but as a partially historical erotic fantasy novel, it's more interesting. There's tons of drama and I think the right reader will love this. It was certainly an experience! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Mixed feelings on this one, but it's a very specific sort of book. Erotic, gay fantasy romance with a reincarnation element? Although I would say it's definitely heavier on the sex than the romance and while I found elements of the book to be interesting I can't say I was ever rooting for a romantic pairing.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a novel that spans three timelines, reaching from the distant past into the modern day. There is court intrigue, betrayal, magic, and lots of sex and drugs. The idea is a cursed love that extends across many lifetimes, between very toxic people who are kind of immature, aren't good at being faithful to a relationship, and are sometimes abusive and manipulative. So...if I think of this as a "romance" it's not really a success for me, but as a partially historical erotic fantasy novel, it's more interesting. There's tons of drama and I think the right reader will love this. It was certainly an experience! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
March 5, 2024
Despite my better judgement I did find myself perusing the reviews of this book as I spent my day running errands and listening to this story, and I can't really speak to the marketing of this book that seems to have left some of my fellow readers underwhelmed. Personally I haven't really seen this book too many places, maybe a few seconds of the author also talking about reactions to the book and that it was queer in some way that sounded messy. Either way when this popped up as a Libro Influencer pick this month I knew that I was going to have to prioritize getting to this one ASAP.
For once I stuck to that and did get to the book ASAP.
I will start this off by saying this isn't a romance. It might be getting marketed as one, but it doesn't really follow the genre conventions and so I wouldn't really sit here and argue it is one. It is a love story, but it's also a revenge tale. In some ways it also feels like a cautionary tale in the vein of the folktales that so much of this feels like an homage to.
Many of my fellow readers have discussed this book as being erotic, either as something they weren't expecting or something that detracted in some way from the romance. At times it felt like this book was being labeled as entirely erotica as though that devalued any potential literary merit. Look there's a lot of bodily fluids int his book. A lot of sex is had, but honestly the way that sex is tied into the plot and character dynamics always felt purposeful. It's not just the culmination point of a love story in a way it's also weaponized. Sure some of the euphemisms did get a little tired, but there was a way that they were tied to the era of the love story being told in the chapter that to me felt more like an extension of the world building than Huang attempting purple prose for the sake of having a strong pen game. When I say that the use of sex is weaponized at points in this novel I don't mean that int he sense it's an assault, though there are moments in the narrative that are definitively rape and other instances where consent feels like it exists more on a spectrum than clearly defined and these are things that a person can definitely feel uncomfortable reading about and I understand that.
I will say that a lot of this book exists in the land of vibes. It's not that there isn't a plot, we spend the entire book getting different chunks of the three timelines at a pretty even rate, I just wasn't entirely sure how these timelines were going to matter to me. Eventually the story did start to come together and I did value the way that the narrative was almost subverted in the end and the way it asked to rethink the narrative almost entirely.
So no, I might not have been rooting for this in the same way I'm supposed to root for a book that is allegedly a romance, but I was thoroughly enraptured by the narrative from the very first minutes of the audiobook. It's easily one of my favorite books of the year and I would not be surprised at all if I picked this up again before the year is out and I would encourage everyone to try this out for themselves when the book drops in a couple weeks.
For once I stuck to that and did get to the book ASAP.
I will start this off by saying this isn't a romance. It might be getting marketed as one, but it doesn't really follow the genre conventions and so I wouldn't really sit here and argue it is one. It is a love story, but it's also a revenge tale. In some ways it also feels like a cautionary tale in the vein of the folktales that so much of this feels like an homage to.
Many of my fellow readers have discussed this book as being erotic, either as something they weren't expecting or something that detracted in some way from the romance. At times it felt like this book was being labeled as entirely erotica as though that devalued any potential literary merit. Look there's a lot of bodily fluids int his book. A lot of sex is had, but honestly the way that sex is tied into the plot and character dynamics always felt purposeful. It's not just the culmination point of a love story in a way it's also weaponized. Sure some of the euphemisms did get a little tired, but there was a way that they were tied to the era of the love story being told in the chapter that to me felt more like an extension of the world building than Huang attempting purple prose for the sake of having a strong pen game. When I say that the use of sex is weaponized at points in this novel I don't mean that int he sense it's an assault, though there are moments in the narrative that are definitively rape and other instances where consent feels like it exists more on a spectrum than clearly defined and these are things that a person can definitely feel uncomfortable reading about and I understand that.
I will say that a lot of this book exists in the land of vibes. It's not that there isn't a plot, we spend the entire book getting different chunks of the three timelines at a pretty even rate, I just wasn't entirely sure how these timelines were going to matter to me. Eventually the story did start to come together and I did value the way that the narrative was almost subverted in the end and the way it asked to rethink the narrative almost entirely.
So no, I might not have been rooting for this in the same way I'm supposed to root for a book that is allegedly a romance, but I was thoroughly enraptured by the narrative from the very first minutes of the audiobook. It's easily one of my favorite books of the year and I would not be surprised at all if I picked this up again before the year is out and I would encourage everyone to try this out for themselves when the book drops in a couple weeks.
April 7, 2024
៚ · 📂 pre-read.
꒰ arc copy provided via publisher | 07 / 04 / 2024 ꒱
i've heard (...) interesting stuff about this (war flashbacks to “i pounded his pink plum”) but i will be giving this a chance. don't be surprised if i dnf.
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April 4, 2024what the fuck was that ending (derogatory)
full review available for members of The Library of Arden (my patreon!) now
full review available for members of The Library of Arden (my patreon!) now
January 25, 2024
I had really high expectations for this book after reading the blurb, I read a lot of danmei so a book set in ancient China with a reincarnation plot (my favorite romance trope) sounded like it would be right up my alley. I was expecting an emotional slow burn romance across multiple lives but unfortunately the execution of this story really didn’t work for me.
The story is split into three timelines: one involving the emperor and a clerk in ancient China, one involving an innkeeper and a fox spirit in China in the 1700s, and one in modern day LA. The historical timelines were much stronger than the modern timeline but the story was plagued throughout by shallow characters, wooden dialogue, and a plot that felt more like an idea than a fully realized final draft.
At no point did the relationship between the MCs feel like anything but infatuated lust. This is a very sex-forward book with no believable romance or emotional intimacy built into the story, no times that the characters actually had a connection unless they were boning (the characters even referred to it as “the true feeling” in one sex scene). And boy, those sex scenes were not fun to read. Most of the sex scenes aren’t between the MCs and there are lots of comically unsexy phrases such as “he impaled me victoriously”, “blanketing me in his meat”, or “pounded his pink plum”. The MCs feel very self-centered and immature which I found off-putting. Basically, I was rooting against their relationship and by the time a love triangle subplot became revealed I was well and truly over it. I started this book with the wrong expectations and wanted to DNF but it was an ARC so I felt obligated to read to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.
CWs: substance abuse, death, gore, ableism, sexual assault/rape, cheating
The story is split into three timelines: one involving the emperor and a clerk in ancient China, one involving an innkeeper and a fox spirit in China in the 1700s, and one in modern day LA. The historical timelines were much stronger than the modern timeline but the story was plagued throughout by shallow characters, wooden dialogue, and a plot that felt more like an idea than a fully realized final draft.
At no point did the relationship between the MCs feel like anything but infatuated lust. This is a very sex-forward book with no believable romance or emotional intimacy built into the story, no times that the characters actually had a connection unless they were boning (the characters even referred to it as “the true feeling” in one sex scene). And boy, those sex scenes were not fun to read. Most of the sex scenes aren’t between the MCs and there are lots of comically unsexy phrases such as “he impaled me victoriously”, “blanketing me in his meat”, or “pounded his pink plum”. The MCs feel very self-centered and immature which I found off-putting. Basically, I was rooting against their relationship and by the time a love triangle subplot became revealed I was well and truly over it. I started this book with the wrong expectations and wanted to DNF but it was an ARC so I felt obligated to read to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.
CWs: substance abuse, death, gore, ableism, sexual assault/rape, cheating
April 14, 2024
Probably the biggest example of mismatched marketing and book I have read recently. Also the best, because it is really very good. But it's being promoted as romantasy (as part of the title! The kobo book is titled "The Emperor and the Endless Palace: A Romantasy Novel" which, uh, no, LOL. Book marketers are shameless...) or as mm romance ("A sweeping triumph in queer romance –Booklist" and it´s not romance. Really). It's like marketers and even reviewers seem to actively not know what readers think a romance or romantasy (I am also shaky on that) is.
So this is a fantasy novel on 3 timelines, about three pairs (hints of triangles maybe) of Chinese (one Chinese-American) gay men and how they connect. It does interesting things with perspective, it pulls some surprises, the settings are interesting and I found it compulsively readable. It was not, though, what I expected, and that was fine, because it was more interesting and original than I thought it would be.
A lot of stories, particularly fantasy (particularly from writers with a fanfic background), about gay men in love or having sex with men seem to be from what I mentally call a female perspective, often with what I call Barbara Cartland like dynamics (Achilles and Patroclus, told by Madeline Miller). Maybe it's realistic, I cannot judge, but I doubt it is, and it is actually a bit tiresome, like authors just want to recycle old fashioned relationship dynamics, but if they make both MCs men, bingo, automatic modernity, and immunity from criticism by women readers. This, and it might be the reason for the negative reactions to it, is totally not mm romance for people who loved The Song of Achilles or Red, White & Royal Blue, the sex is much more disconnected from love, people have sex with multiple people including transactional sex, lots of drugs and debauchery (but I would not classify this book as erotic either). It was romantic, in scope, yearning, description of feelings, but not what most readers consider romance. If I am dodging saying if it has an HEA .
Flaws: the ending feels rushed, a few things are little explained, including how the earliest lifetime was resolved, maybe some characters in two of the lifetimes needed a bit more character development (though they might have been kept more remote for surprising reader potential). The first timeline is a romanticized, simplified take on Chinese history, and going by Wikipedia, it's very very simplified and I do not know how I feel about it even if the author is of Chinese ancestry.
And a totally annoying thing, and I will be a bitch about it, and will be whenever this book is mentioned, the stupid italics. The dialogue that is taking place in Mandarin is all in italics (all dialogue in two of the timelines), while dialogue taking place in English (and a couple times in Cantonese) is conventionally portrayed. I hated it, hated it. The reader can guess that in two of the timelines they are not speaking English (and the dialogue does convincingly portray the flavour of a different language), and in the modern timeline, the author specifies lots of times, besides the italics, which language is being spoken. UNNECESSARY USE OF ITALICS and I will forever bitch about that.
Not sure how to rate this. It's flawed, yeah (even when not judged by being a bad example of the genre it's being marketed as), but it's cool as fantasy, fresh and vivid, and really good at so many other things. 4.5 stars, not sure which way to go. A lot of the low ratings seem really stupid, and I feel like balancing that but 4 might be more objective because indeed structure and flaws and character definition.
So this is a fantasy novel on 3 timelines, about three pairs (hints of triangles maybe) of Chinese (one Chinese-American) gay men and how they connect. It does interesting things with perspective, it pulls some surprises, the settings are interesting and I found it compulsively readable. It was not, though, what I expected, and that was fine, because it was more interesting and original than I thought it would be.
A lot of stories, particularly fantasy (particularly from writers with a fanfic background), about gay men in love or having sex with men seem to be from what I mentally call a female perspective, often with what I call Barbara Cartland like dynamics (Achilles and Patroclus, told by Madeline Miller). Maybe it's realistic, I cannot judge, but I doubt it is, and it is actually a bit tiresome, like authors just want to recycle old fashioned relationship dynamics, but if they make both MCs men, bingo, automatic modernity, and immunity from criticism by women readers. This, and it might be the reason for the negative reactions to it, is totally not mm romance for people who loved The Song of Achilles or Red, White & Royal Blue, the sex is much more disconnected from love, people have sex with multiple people including transactional sex, lots of drugs and debauchery (but I would not classify this book as erotic either). It was romantic, in scope, yearning, description of feelings, but not what most readers consider romance. If I am dodging saying if it has an HEA .
Flaws: the ending feels rushed, a few things are little explained, including how the earliest lifetime was resolved, maybe some characters in two of the lifetimes needed a bit more character development (though they might have been kept more remote for surprising reader potential). The first timeline is a romanticized, simplified take on Chinese history, and going by Wikipedia, it's very very simplified and I do not know how I feel about it even if the author is of Chinese ancestry.
And a totally annoying thing, and I will be a bitch about it, and will be whenever this book is mentioned, the stupid italics. The dialogue that is taking place in Mandarin is all in italics (all dialogue in two of the timelines), while dialogue taking place in English (and a couple times in Cantonese) is conventionally portrayed. I hated it, hated it. The reader can guess that in two of the timelines they are not speaking English (and the dialogue does convincingly portray the flavour of a different language), and in the modern timeline, the author specifies lots of times, besides the italics, which language is being spoken. UNNECESSARY USE OF ITALICS and I will forever bitch about that.
Not sure how to rate this. It's flawed, yeah (even when not judged by being a bad example of the genre it's being marketed as), but it's cool as fantasy, fresh and vivid, and really good at so many other things. 4.5 stars, not sure which way to go. A lot of the low ratings seem really stupid, and I feel like balancing that but 4 might be more objective because indeed structure and flaws and character definition.
March 28, 2024
I loved the writing in this! It bounces around between 3 very different time periods - modern day, the 1700s, and 4 BCE, and the men who are caught up together through reincarnation and their doomed efforts to break the cycle.
The blurb calls this a “romantic thriller” and I think that’s a great description. I don't understand where I have seen people calling this romantasy - because it's not, or saying it's erotica - because it didn't feel that way to me? And using both of those terms in regard to this book I feel like misrepresent and mislead someone potentially checking out this book. Yeah there is sex early in this book, and the language used to describe it differs from present day to 4BCE, but just because there is some explicit sex - and really, it's not even THAT explicit, like.....I didn't read this thinking it was erotica. (Honestly, I'd give more warning to possible content with consent and violence before explicit content warnings lol)
It’s sexy, queer, has so much Asian pride and love, has morally grey characters, nine tail foxes, Chinese history with the cut sleeve emperor, and honestly I'm still thinking about this one after finishing it, so it sticks with you. I loved it. I absolutely loved how we had a mix of Chinese history, then one more steeped in folklore and myth, and then a present day story all in one. Cannot wait for more from this author!
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb calls this a “romantic thriller” and I think that’s a great description. I don't understand where I have seen people calling this romantasy - because it's not, or saying it's erotica - because it didn't feel that way to me? And using both of those terms in regard to this book I feel like misrepresent and mislead someone potentially checking out this book. Yeah there is sex early in this book, and the language used to describe it differs from present day to 4BCE, but just because there is some explicit sex - and really, it's not even THAT explicit, like.....I didn't read this thinking it was erotica. (Honestly, I'd give more warning to possible content with consent and violence before explicit content warnings lol)
It’s sexy, queer, has so much Asian pride and love, has morally grey characters, nine tail foxes, Chinese history with the cut sleeve emperor, and honestly I'm still thinking about this one after finishing it, so it sticks with you. I loved it. I absolutely loved how we had a mix of Chinese history, then one more steeped in folklore and myth, and then a present day story all in one. Cannot wait for more from this author!
I received an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 14, 2024DNF pg 100
This isn’t really what I expected it to be so I’m putting it down for now. Obviously not the books fault, I’m just not sure if it’s something I want to read. I’m going to wait to see what my friends think.
This isn’t really what I expected it to be so I’m putting it down for now. Obviously not the books fault, I’m just not sure if it’s something I want to read. I’m going to wait to see what my friends think.
March 25, 2024
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with and e-ARC and Libro.fm for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review!
This is probably my most anticipated debut of the year, and I'm so pleased to say that it exceeded every expectation. I do want to start out the review by saying that I know this is being marketed as a romantasy, and I have to say, I do feel like the marketing of this book is a bit misleading (which is entirely on the publisher, and absolutely no fault of the book or the author whatsoever). I will say straight off the bat that while I believe this is widely marketed as a fantasy romance/romantasy, I would not personally categorize it as a romance at all, seeing as it does not follow the genre conventions of a romance (namely, it does not have a HEA/HFN). It does have fantastical elements, but I would say that it leans more heavily into the folklore vibes than magic fantasy, if that makes sense. Overall, this is a pretty hard book to categorize, and I love that about it, but it does make it difficult for me to try and figure out who exactly I think it's for.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is, at its core, a love story that follows two people who are connected by the red threads of fate - their connection spans multiple lifespans, and they are re-incarnated and fated to find their way back to each other in every lifetime. We follow this love story through three lifetimes in particular. The first (chronologically), is a re-imagining of the love affair between Emperor Ai and Dong Xian, and a loose retelling of the origin of the term, "cut-sleeve". In the second timeline, we follow an innkeeper who encounters a nine-tailed fox and enlists the help of a doctor. In the present-day timeline, we are following River, a med school student who meets a mysterious stranger at a rave.
There really isn't much of a plot besides just seeing how their love story ends, and how all the different pieces of each timeline comes together, but in my opinion, that is the beauty of this story. It's a quick read, and incredibly captivating. It takes a while to get into the book, but once it gets going (about 60% of the way in), it does not slow down. The book never overstays its welcome, and by the end, I find myself very satisfied with how everything played out.
I don't usually dedicate a whole paragraph to sexual content in my reviews, but I've seen some people describe this as an erotica, and I can't say I necessarily agree with that. There is a lot of sex in the book, but none of it feels unnecessary, nor is it particularly explicit. Many of the sex scenes are very short (we're talking a few sentences/paragraphs), use mostly euphemisms instead of explicit/direct language, and are not very graphic at all. Your mileage may vary on this, but I'd personally call this a steamy book, but not necessarly very spicy, if that makes sense at all. All that to say, I don't feel like the sexual content detracts from the book in any way (which seems to be something that other reviewers feel), and I think that calling it an erotica does it a disservice in the sense that someone specifically looking for an erotica will likely be disappointed. That aside, I will say there are instances of sexual abuse/questionable consent, so do keep that in mind in case that is a trigger for you.
I don't really know what else I can say about this book that won't spoil the reading experience for you, because I feel like that was part of the sheer joy that I had coming out of this book. I went in expecting one thing, but got something entirely different, in a way that I never expected but very much needed. I love the way Huang is able to evoke the feeling of being told a folktale, especially in the past timelines, and the writing is honestly just so good.
I guess in the end, I'd say I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes being taken on a ride by the author, and is open to trusting the author to know exactly where to take this story, even if it's not necessarily where you'd anticipate it go. If you enjoy melancholic love stories, folktales, but also a dash of intrigue, I think you should give this a go. I expected a fun fantasy romance, but instead, I got an unapologetically queer, thought-provoking piece of fiction that just truly can't be placed into any closed box, and it's one of those books that reminds me why I love reading.
This is probably my most anticipated debut of the year, and I'm so pleased to say that it exceeded every expectation. I do want to start out the review by saying that I know this is being marketed as a romantasy, and I have to say, I do feel like the marketing of this book is a bit misleading (which is entirely on the publisher, and absolutely no fault of the book or the author whatsoever). I will say straight off the bat that while I believe this is widely marketed as a fantasy romance/romantasy, I would not personally categorize it as a romance at all, seeing as it does not follow the genre conventions of a romance (namely, it does not have a HEA/HFN). It does have fantastical elements, but I would say that it leans more heavily into the folklore vibes than magic fantasy, if that makes sense. Overall, this is a pretty hard book to categorize, and I love that about it, but it does make it difficult for me to try and figure out who exactly I think it's for.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is, at its core, a love story that follows two people who are connected by the red threads of fate - their connection spans multiple lifespans, and they are re-incarnated and fated to find their way back to each other in every lifetime. We follow this love story through three lifetimes in particular. The first (chronologically), is a re-imagining of the love affair between Emperor Ai and Dong Xian, and a loose retelling of the origin of the term, "cut-sleeve". In the second timeline, we follow an innkeeper who encounters a nine-tailed fox and enlists the help of a doctor. In the present-day timeline, we are following River, a med school student who meets a mysterious stranger at a rave.
There really isn't much of a plot besides just seeing how their love story ends, and how all the different pieces of each timeline comes together, but in my opinion, that is the beauty of this story. It's a quick read, and incredibly captivating. It takes a while to get into the book, but once it gets going (about 60% of the way in), it does not slow down. The book never overstays its welcome, and by the end, I find myself very satisfied with how everything played out.
I don't usually dedicate a whole paragraph to sexual content in my reviews, but I've seen some people describe this as an erotica, and I can't say I necessarily agree with that. There is a lot of sex in the book, but none of it feels unnecessary, nor is it particularly explicit. Many of the sex scenes are very short (we're talking a few sentences/paragraphs), use mostly euphemisms instead of explicit/direct language, and are not very graphic at all. Your mileage may vary on this, but I'd personally call this a steamy book, but not necessarly very spicy, if that makes sense at all. All that to say, I don't feel like the sexual content detracts from the book in any way (which seems to be something that other reviewers feel), and I think that calling it an erotica does it a disservice in the sense that someone specifically looking for an erotica will likely be disappointed. That aside, I will say there are instances of sexual abuse/questionable consent, so do keep that in mind in case that is a trigger for you.
I don't really know what else I can say about this book that won't spoil the reading experience for you, because I feel like that was part of the sheer joy that I had coming out of this book. I went in expecting one thing, but got something entirely different, in a way that I never expected but very much needed. I love the way Huang is able to evoke the feeling of being told a folktale, especially in the past timelines, and the writing is honestly just so good.
I guess in the end, I'd say I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes being taken on a ride by the author, and is open to trusting the author to know exactly where to take this story, even if it's not necessarily where you'd anticipate it go. If you enjoy melancholic love stories, folktales, but also a dash of intrigue, I think you should give this a go. I expected a fun fantasy romance, but instead, I got an unapologetically queer, thought-provoking piece of fiction that just truly can't be placed into any closed box, and it's one of those books that reminds me why I love reading.
March 31, 2024
→1✰
dnf at 16%
my toxic trait is requesting arcs only for the cover
dnf at 16%
my toxic trait is requesting arcs only for the cover
March 20, 2024
Give me a story about soulmates who are fated to find each other in different timelines, and I know I'm going to be obsessed with it. And this was no different, I absolutely loved it.
It was very different from what I expected, and it took a long time before I was able to make sense of the story and connect all three timelines together. But the pay off was sooo good and so entirely worth it. Because of that, I think this will be really fun for me to reread as well.
I absolutely adore stories that show how queer people have always been here and always will be, and I found this story to be very touching because of that. We went so far back in time, and it was incredible to find out the earliest timeline is actually based on real people from history.
It was very different from what I expected, and it took a long time before I was able to make sense of the story and connect all three timelines together. But the pay off was sooo good and so entirely worth it. Because of that, I think this will be really fun for me to reread as well.
I absolutely adore stories that show how queer people have always been here and always will be, and I found this story to be very touching because of that. We went so far back in time, and it was incredible to find out the earliest timeline is actually based on real people from history.
February 28, 2024
The Emperor and the Endless Palace was deliberately set aside to read in February as part of a loose theme of romance inspired books. I love folklore, historical romance, star crossed lovers, doomed scenarios. Anything with a hint of romance: I'm there for tame 1980's Mills and Boon to intricate tales that balance hardcore sex with controlling mind games.
I feel cheated that I didn't get to read "A sweeping, supernatural romance, ENDLESS PALACE is a story of folklore and tradition, of danger and betrayal, of lust and, ultimately, eternal love. From ancient China to modern Los Angeles,"
I wanted to read the book that the blurb of The Emperor and the Endless Palace described. What I got instead was a book with characters of the same name and similar basic facts (there are three time lines), essentially a poorly interpreted fanfic of a great plot.
I was subjected to a never-ending series of terrible stilted sex scenes, interspersed with a loose plot of a love triangle over 3 time period. There was too much detail provided in the sex scenes. I can't call it romantic relationships because no connections were built in any time period, it was instant lust and the most cringe worthy descriptions. And not enough details in character development and motivation. Why did I have to step outside of the page to Google "cut sleeve" or the Han Dynasty? Folklore, magic or superstition can only cover up so much and is of no use where there are gaping holes in plot and undeveloped characters.
I dislike giving hard reviews of books because I know that writing isn't easy, it's very personal and authors invest a lot into crafting a book. I generally prefer to point out the elements that I enjoyed and minimise the parts I didn't like as much. rather than spending ages saying how much I'm annoyed by this, that and the other in a book. In this instance all I can say is that the folklore was interesting. I feel misled and very much aggrieved by everything else.
The marketing of this book is drastically off and bears very little resemblance to the story inside the very pretty cover.
..."asking what true, queer love is... and what it costs." It told me nothing about queer love and was a depiction of thoughtless, selfish people who prioritised themselves at the expense of others. This wasn't love in action. Love doesn't lead to abuse, destruction and death time after time.
And to be clear the reason why The Emperor and the Endless Palace is 1 star from me isn't because of the subject matter: Gay, Asian, folklore or quaintly categorised as 'spicy'. It is because irrespective of the blurb, I didn't like it. I hated the plot structure of a different timeline each chapter as each chapter conveyed very little (towards developing the plot and explaining the mystery) and was deliberately ended on an artificial cliffhanger. The characters were immature, unlikeable and the plot deliberately vague.
If I wanted to read about hate f*cking, poor dialogue and characters doing random nonsensical things, that would be an intentional choice, it shouldn't be foisted on me. The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a straight up bait and switch. If I'd paid for this, I would demand my money back with interest for time wasted, plus pain and suffering endured in the reading of it. It is an example of the very reason why we have the Trade Descriptions Act.
My thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I feel cheated that I didn't get to read "A sweeping, supernatural romance, ENDLESS PALACE is a story of folklore and tradition, of danger and betrayal, of lust and, ultimately, eternal love. From ancient China to modern Los Angeles,"
I wanted to read the book that the blurb of The Emperor and the Endless Palace described. What I got instead was a book with characters of the same name and similar basic facts (there are three time lines), essentially a poorly interpreted fanfic of a great plot.
I was subjected to a never-ending series of terrible stilted sex scenes, interspersed with a loose plot of a love triangle over 3 time period. There was too much detail provided in the sex scenes. I can't call it romantic relationships because no connections were built in any time period, it was instant lust and the most cringe worthy descriptions. And not enough details in character development and motivation. Why did I have to step outside of the page to Google "cut sleeve" or the Han Dynasty? Folklore, magic or superstition can only cover up so much and is of no use where there are gaping holes in plot and undeveloped characters.
I dislike giving hard reviews of books because I know that writing isn't easy, it's very personal and authors invest a lot into crafting a book. I generally prefer to point out the elements that I enjoyed and minimise the parts I didn't like as much. rather than spending ages saying how much I'm annoyed by this, that and the other in a book. In this instance all I can say is that the folklore was interesting. I feel misled and very much aggrieved by everything else.
The marketing of this book is drastically off and bears very little resemblance to the story inside the very pretty cover.
..."asking what true, queer love is... and what it costs." It told me nothing about queer love and was a depiction of thoughtless, selfish people who prioritised themselves at the expense of others. This wasn't love in action. Love doesn't lead to abuse, destruction and death time after time.
And to be clear the reason why The Emperor and the Endless Palace is 1 star from me isn't because of the subject matter: Gay, Asian, folklore or quaintly categorised as 'spicy'. It is because irrespective of the blurb, I didn't like it. I hated the plot structure of a different timeline each chapter as each chapter conveyed very little (towards developing the plot and explaining the mystery) and was deliberately ended on an artificial cliffhanger. The characters were immature, unlikeable and the plot deliberately vague.
If I wanted to read about hate f*cking, poor dialogue and characters doing random nonsensical things, that would be an intentional choice, it shouldn't be foisted on me. The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a straight up bait and switch. If I'd paid for this, I would demand my money back with interest for time wasted, plus pain and suffering endured in the reading of it. It is an example of the very reason why we have the Trade Descriptions Act.
My thanks to Edelweiss for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2024
This book opened up my mind in so many ways I didn't even come to think of. The writing and scenery was medium/quick paced, which means it's easy to get to each chapter and section. I found myself more often than not doing the "one more chapter" dance, which is always a great sign.
I'm not going to just save I loved this book.. because the thing is, I did love it, but there is so much more ingrained about how I felt towards this story. I felt, joy, love, endeared, scared, fascinated, confused, frustrated, and gutted by this book. To feel this range of emotions is a testament to the story-telling and as well that, is a big plus.
I'm not going to just save I loved this book.. because the thing is, I did love it, but there is so much more ingrained about how I felt towards this story. I felt, joy, love, endeared, scared, fascinated, confused, frustrated, and gutted by this book. To feel this range of emotions is a testament to the story-telling and as well that, is a big plus.
April 13, 2024
BRO THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOOOOOOD. I FEEL LIKE THIS BOOK FILLED A WHOLE THAT IVE BEEN MISSING RECENTLY. It just had everything i could possibly want out of a story like this. I just. Chefs kiss. I wish i could reread it again for the first time cuz i dont think i appreciated it enough. I need to take my time with it. Also everyone is this book was unapologetically horny on main. Would recommend 💯💯💯💯
March 12, 2024
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes; this in no way influences my review.
Content notes:
This book is such an experience! Multi-timeline books are always one of my favorites because it takes careful reveals and points of contact to make them tie together, and this book definitely managed that! I spent two-thirds trying to piece together who was who across each lifetime, and I love how it stayed with a cyclic nature of reincarnation where the connections of lives keeps replaying previous roles. I’m not familiar with Chinese history, so it took me a while to realize who Dong Xian was, but when I realized this was a retelling/reimagining with the emperor who originated the cut sleeve euphemism, it was like a mind-blowing moment. This was just really good, and so intense in so many ways. I had trouble putting it down once I got pulled in, and I couldn’t wait to see how each of the lives would play out. And that ending! It feels so open while firmly finishing this story. I was utterly enthralled and can’t wait for others to have a chance to read this twisty reincarnation story.
Content notes:
This book is such an experience! Multi-timeline books are always one of my favorites because it takes careful reveals and points of contact to make them tie together, and this book definitely managed that! I spent two-thirds trying to piece together who was who across each lifetime, and I love how it stayed with a cyclic nature of reincarnation where the connections of lives keeps replaying previous roles. I’m not familiar with Chinese history, so it took me a while to realize who Dong Xian was, but when I realized this was a retelling/reimagining with the emperor who originated the cut sleeve euphemism, it was like a mind-blowing moment. This was just really good, and so intense in so many ways. I had trouble putting it down once I got pulled in, and I couldn’t wait to see how each of the lives would play out. And that ending! It feels so open while firmly finishing this story. I was utterly enthralled and can’t wait for others to have a chance to read this twisty reincarnation story.
April 2, 2024
Disclaimer: I received a review copy for free via Netgalley, and am voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts. Many thanks to Harlequin Romance/Mira Books for the opportunity!
My immediate thought when reading this was Cloud Atlas meets specific Chinese history (Emperor Ai of Han) and mythology with lots of gay sex, and that stayed true for a majority of my read. 😂 I enjoyed all of the different POVs, and feel like I had one fave timeline in the grand scheme of things. I must admit I got lost with the plot at some points, but appreciated the journey nonetheless. 👀
My immediate thought when reading this was Cloud Atlas meets specific Chinese history (Emperor Ai of Han) and mythology with lots of gay sex, and that stayed true for a majority of my read. 😂 I enjoyed all of the different POVs, and feel like I had one fave timeline in the grand scheme of things. I must admit I got lost with the plot at some points, but appreciated the journey nonetheless. 👀
Read
March 4, 2024Very gay and I was invested in the millennia-spanning story… but there’s no HEA.
I would categorize this as an erotic fantasy novel but not as a fantasy romance/romantasy.
Quite a bit of abuse/manipulation on page and something that reads a lot like stalking. Lots of drug use, often mixed with sex that is sometimes not consensual. I don’t think the book can be tucked neatly in any category, which will make it harder to find its audience. I had fun most of the time but was disappointed by the way things resolved (or didn’t) at the end.
Oh and the sex descriptions were really… something.
I would categorize this as an erotic fantasy novel but not as a fantasy romance/romantasy.
Quite a bit of abuse/manipulation on page and something that reads a lot like stalking. Lots of drug use, often mixed with sex that is sometimes not consensual. I don’t think the book can be tucked neatly in any category, which will make it harder to find its audience. I had fun most of the time but was disappointed by the way things resolved (or didn’t) at the end.
Oh and the sex descriptions were really… something.
April 12, 2024
After letting impressions settle a bit, this is still 4 stars for me. It has some debut-author roughness and I think the conclusion could have been stronger, but I'm always glad to see a story that feels distinctively fresh.
Marketing and reviews are divided on whether this is romance/ romantasy or not. According to a strict genre capital-r Romance definition, I'd argue no: this is unquestionably a story about two lovers who are drawn to each other in every lifetime, but those lifetimes aren't "we live a long, peaceful life with a happily-ever-after each time". There's real love here, and some absolutely beautiful scenes full of tenderness and grand gestures, but there's also anger and betrayal. I did find myself fascinated by these characters, though, especially in the first and last timelines (I didn't dislike the middle one, per se, but it left me with more unanswered questions than the others). These men are well-drawn and messy, full of both doubt and desire in a way that lands as very real.
To get a sense of the story's tone, especially in the present day, check out this great interview with the author. I appreciated the vivid writing about imperial China, but my favorite settings were the present-day scenes of circuit parties or the Songkran water festival in Thailand. Huang has a real eye for detail and for writing a vivid queer community that is concerned with celebration rather than just navigating homophobia.
The sex scenes may be one make-or-break element of the story for some readers. Personally, I think they're great: these characters have a lot of sex, and it's a matter-of-fact part of their lives. If you're a romance reader who's bothered by the romantic leads having sex with someone other than the main partner, this book may not be for you. These men have casual/ social sex with other people-- it doesn't detract from their relationship, and for me it was a good buildup of romantic tension as they circle closer to each other throughout these timelines. Some of the language is also quite flowery, especially during the ancient imperial China timeline, where the narrator often calls his penis his "influence": for more on that historical detail, check out this review. This is another area that worked for me, in large part because it helps set these timelines apart by having these characters think in different language styles-- just be prepared for that at the start.
For me, the main issue was one of narrative structure that makes the end seem a little rushed. The course of events in the oldest timeline shape the star-crossed lovers' lives in future lifetimes, but .
Content warnings: moderate; .
//
4 stars for me. What a richly drawn, compelling book-- these characters feel real and messy. No disrespect to previous books I've loved, but it's a delight to read an m/m story by a queer Asian man instead of a white woman writing fanfic-flavored white men. There are some occasional pieces of stiff dialogue, and I think the story needed 30-50 more pages for a few elements to really breathe, but overall I enjoyed myself and am interested to see what Huang does next. RTC.
Marketing and reviews are divided on whether this is romance/ romantasy or not. According to a strict genre capital-r Romance definition, I'd argue no: this is unquestionably a story about two lovers who are drawn to each other in every lifetime, but those lifetimes aren't "we live a long, peaceful life with a happily-ever-after each time". There's real love here, and some absolutely beautiful scenes full of tenderness and grand gestures, but there's also anger and betrayal. I did find myself fascinated by these characters, though, especially in the first and last timelines (I didn't dislike the middle one, per se, but it left me with more unanswered questions than the others). These men are well-drawn and messy, full of both doubt and desire in a way that lands as very real.
To get a sense of the story's tone, especially in the present day, check out this great interview with the author. I appreciated the vivid writing about imperial China, but my favorite settings were the present-day scenes of circuit parties or the Songkran water festival in Thailand. Huang has a real eye for detail and for writing a vivid queer community that is concerned with celebration rather than just navigating homophobia.
The sex scenes may be one make-or-break element of the story for some readers. Personally, I think they're great: these characters have a lot of sex, and it's a matter-of-fact part of their lives. If you're a romance reader who's bothered by the romantic leads having sex with someone other than the main partner, this book may not be for you. These men have casual/ social sex with other people-- it doesn't detract from their relationship, and for me it was a good buildup of romantic tension as they circle closer to each other throughout these timelines. Some of the language is also quite flowery, especially during the ancient imperial China timeline, where the narrator often calls his penis his "influence": for more on that historical detail, check out this review. This is another area that worked for me, in large part because it helps set these timelines apart by having these characters think in different language styles-- just be prepared for that at the start.
For me, the main issue was one of narrative structure that makes the end seem a little rushed. The course of events in the oldest timeline shape the star-crossed lovers' lives in future lifetimes, but .
Content warnings: moderate; .
//
4 stars for me. What a richly drawn, compelling book-- these characters feel real and messy. No disrespect to previous books I've loved, but it's a delight to read an m/m story by a queer Asian man instead of a white woman writing fanfic-flavored white men. There are some occasional pieces of stiff dialogue, and I think the story needed 30-50 more pages for a few elements to really breathe, but overall I enjoyed myself and am interested to see what Huang does next. RTC.
March 18, 2024
This is an exuberantly weird book that is simultaneously confusing, hilarious, and heartfelt. It follows three men in three different times: He Shican in 1740s China; Dong Xian in 4 BCE China; and River in present day California. He Shican is an innkeeper who is approached by a 9-tailed fox; Dong Xian is an ambitious member of the court at the Imperial Court who uses his sexuality to ply information from the men around him; and River is a med student who recently came out and is spending time sowing his wild oats. It's not much of a spoiler to say that the three men are connected in some metaphysical way, as are their lovers.
The book is a real experience, especially Dong Xian's portions. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but the way he embraces his sexual escapades combined with his willingness to be manipulated by wilier members of the court makes his third of the book something that has to be experienced.
Would I have loved a less ambiguous ending? Sure! As it stands, though, the book gave me enough hints for me to construct my own satisfying head canon for what happened and what happens next. If you're looking to read something truly different, this knocks it out of the park.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
The book is a real experience, especially Dong Xian's portions. He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but the way he embraces his sexual escapades combined with his willingness to be manipulated by wilier members of the court makes his third of the book something that has to be experienced.
Would I have loved a less ambiguous ending? Sure! As it stands, though, the book gave me enough hints for me to construct my own satisfying head canon for what happened and what happens next. If you're looking to read something truly different, this knocks it out of the park.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
March 2, 2024
Review: 5 ⭐️
Thank you, Harper Collins, for a copy of the physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Quote:
What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?
How would that change the way you look at each stranger, knowing that they could be the epic romance across all of your lifetimes
Danggg, this book is something...I love and hate the book simultaneously.
Firstly, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is - it's so eye-catching and contains hints about the stories taking place. It's also a play on the term "cut sleeve," developed during the Chinese dynasty, and the author used it in this story.
For a debut novel, this is well-written. Told from 3 different lifetimes, it can get very confusing, but the author's writing style makes the book easy to follow. The author has a penchant for minor cliffhangers in every chapter, drives me crazy, and makes the book so darn good!
The story takes place in three different timelines: (first) an emperor and a lowly clerk, (middle) an innkeeper and a fox spirit and (last) an artist and his muse Considering there are three lifetimes to follow, you either jump ahead by two chapters to know what happens in that current life or anxiously read the next chapter and suffer through my cliffys! Oh, and the fun guessing you will do among the 3 POVs to figure out who is who!
While this was marketed as an epic romance spanning lifetimes, I found the love story a little flat as it felt like "fate" or a string of coincidences seemed to intervene on their behalf. And when they are together, the love is destructive, obsessive, terrible and tragic - it put me into a bit of an emotional wringer! Because I love fairytale endings, I tend to hate this type of love, but it works amazingly for this story. Hence, the love and hate relationship with this book. If you expect an everlasting love that transcends through time and hope, stay awayyyy!
I highly recommend it if you are looking for an Asian reincarnation take on the “cut sleeve” concept, a tragic affair and multiple POVs in different lifetimes done amazingly right. As for standard Danmei readers, I ask that you read this with an open mind as it isn't like a typical Danmei book, even if the summary feels otherwise.
Thank you, Harper Collins, for a copy of the physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Quote:
What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?
How would that change the way you look at each stranger, knowing that they could be the epic romance across all of your lifetimes
Danggg, this book is something...I love and hate the book simultaneously.
Firstly, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is - it's so eye-catching and contains hints about the stories taking place. It's also a play on the term "cut sleeve," developed during the Chinese dynasty, and the author used it in this story.
For a debut novel, this is well-written. Told from 3 different lifetimes, it can get very confusing, but the author's writing style makes the book easy to follow. The author has a penchant for minor cliffhangers in every chapter, drives me crazy, and makes the book so darn good!
The story takes place in three different timelines: (first) an emperor and a lowly clerk, (middle) an innkeeper and a fox spirit and (last) an artist and his muse Considering there are three lifetimes to follow, you either jump ahead by two chapters to know what happens in that current life or anxiously read the next chapter and suffer through my cliffys! Oh, and the fun guessing you will do among the 3 POVs to figure out who is who!
While this was marketed as an epic romance spanning lifetimes, I found the love story a little flat as it felt like "fate" or a string of coincidences seemed to intervene on their behalf. And when they are together, the love is destructive, obsessive, terrible and tragic - it put me into a bit of an emotional wringer! Because I love fairytale endings, I tend to hate this type of love, but it works amazingly for this story. Hence, the love and hate relationship with this book. If you expect an everlasting love that transcends through time and hope, stay awayyyy!
I highly recommend it if you are looking for an Asian reincarnation take on the “cut sleeve” concept, a tragic affair and multiple POVs in different lifetimes done amazingly right. As for standard Danmei readers, I ask that you read this with an open mind as it isn't like a typical Danmei book, even if the summary feels otherwise.
Read
January 13, 2024This was the quickest book I decided to dnf, it isnt that bad, i think the book just not for me. BUT everyone who love Asian-based fantasy. Please give it a chance to dive in.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Justinian Huang for sending me Advance Reader Copy
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Justinian Huang for sending me Advance Reader Copy
April 17, 2024
Call me a Traditionalist but if you’re gonna do the whole epic romance through different lifetimes trope then I do not want to hear about drug-induced orgys in an LA nightclub
March 4, 2024
[4.5/5 stars]
4 BCE - an ambitious courtier has a secret mission; 1740 - a lonely innkeeper seeks a rare medicine to help a mysterious visitor; present-day LA - a college student has a familiar feeling when meeting a beautiful stranger.
Rumors, magic, betrayal, scheming,... Huang plunges one into the alluring world driven by equally engaging POVs and infused with the nine-tailed fox tale that helps flavor the story. These are flawed men, whose soul collides through lifetimes, trying to reach the ultimate destination. The characters' life are inextricably tied to the turns of fate and in a journey of finding themselves, their unsaid feelings are fed by ambition and devotion.
There is plenty of court drama that will please lovers of Chinese historical dramas 宮廷劇 (like myself) and elements of Chinese culture/history such as medicine, artifact, Han dynasty and ancient texts (iconic Chinese poems) offer a plot with great capacity to fascinate. The author doesn't hold back at giving jarring moments by boldly tackling on the concept of 'cut sleeve' 斷袖. The slow pacing (until 50%) will demand readers' patience and undivided attention to figure out the character's connection, which I thought is the immersive aspect of this fantasy. The amount of sex scenes that seems to build up the romance might feel excessive for some and the ending is well-done, even if several questions remain (I would recommend buddy read this book).
With captivating prose that easily transports readers, THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE is a queer love story about people trying to find their way back to each other. This book is a genre-bending debut about true love that invites one to have a fun reading experience - hilarious and with a great dose of twists.
[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Mira books . All opinions are my own ]
4 BCE - an ambitious courtier has a secret mission; 1740 - a lonely innkeeper seeks a rare medicine to help a mysterious visitor; present-day LA - a college student has a familiar feeling when meeting a beautiful stranger.
Rumors, magic, betrayal, scheming,... Huang plunges one into the alluring world driven by equally engaging POVs and infused with the nine-tailed fox tale that helps flavor the story. These are flawed men, whose soul collides through lifetimes, trying to reach the ultimate destination. The characters' life are inextricably tied to the turns of fate and in a journey of finding themselves, their unsaid feelings are fed by ambition and devotion.
There is plenty of court drama that will please lovers of Chinese historical dramas 宮廷劇 (like myself) and elements of Chinese culture/history such as medicine, artifact, Han dynasty and ancient texts (iconic Chinese poems) offer a plot with great capacity to fascinate. The author doesn't hold back at giving jarring moments by boldly tackling on the concept of 'cut sleeve' 斷袖. The slow pacing (until 50%) will demand readers' patience and undivided attention to figure out the character's connection, which I thought is the immersive aspect of this fantasy. The amount of sex scenes that seems to build up the romance might feel excessive for some and the ending is well-done, even if several questions remain (I would recommend buddy read this book).
With captivating prose that easily transports readers, THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE is a queer love story about people trying to find their way back to each other. This book is a genre-bending debut about true love that invites one to have a fun reading experience - hilarious and with a great dose of twists.
[ I received an ARC from the publisher - Mira books . All opinions are my own ]
Read
March 11, 2024content warnings: sexual assault, dubious consent, drug use (sometimes without full consent), exploitation of power, fantasy violence, blood, infidelity
First and foremost, marketing this book as romantasy is deeply disingenuous. The bulk of my issues with the book are likely the result of expectation disparities. The marketing is doing this book a disservice. The book does not hit traditional romance beats, and its two core relationships—these cursed soulmates—appear to exist more due to outside forces’ orchestration than actual “true feeling” connection. One pairing is toxic, while the other obsessive. Both are more warning than aspiration. The narrative is cruel, with several plot-integral sexual assaults, some of which are twisted into consent because “welp I’m aroused, so might as well I guess.” Which… ???
SA scenes aside, even some of the consensual scenes gave me the ick. Not only do they often suffer from ridiculous word choices and bonkers tone changes that contrasted with the rest of the book and took me out of the story, they are overshadowed by a looming toxicity. In the moment, the early scenes feel gratuitous, and my initial impression of the book was that it was more genre fantasy with random erotica-esque bits thrown in. After finishing the book, I would not classify it as erotica either, as I don’t find this particular brand of lubeless sex to be erotic, even when consensual. Overall, to me, the consensual sex scenes did not meaningfully or uniquely further the plot or character development. Boning for the sake of boning is boring imo, but ymmv.
There are four characters across three timelines, and for simplicity's sake I'll use the names from present day: Joey, Calvin, River, and Winston. Joey and River are one possible couple, Calvin and River are another possible option, and Winston is just chillin' like a villain.
The relationship elements fall flat for me. It’s hard to trust that Joey and River have what they call “a true feeling” when there’s so much manipulation, chaos, and overall Problems. It felt like the worst example of “show don’t tell” as the showing contradicted the showing. The emphasis on revenge and political machinations makes the book feel more cautionary folklore rather than romantasy. Which is fine, but maybe don’t market it as romantasy.
River and Calvin are also an unsuited pairing. Idk how allo relationships work, but I'm not sure that sexual assault in two of three timelines would manifest the stunning portrayal of eternal, fated love that the book things it does. Other reviews have mentioned that this is the first in a series, in which case cool beans. I think this book needs it.
I am always dubious of reviews that focus on character rather than ~what the book means~, and I do worry that I’m so bogged down in ThE pUbLiShEr DeCeIvEd Me that I’m missing the point of the book. Perhaps the point is that we must write our own stories rather than failing to learn from the past, “yearning [for the] splendor of these old love songs.” It could be that lust is not love. Maybe it’s that “many truths in this world are dangerous.” But when the epigraph is “Let me lose my mind. It’s the only way to love”, I’m not sure that the book says anything beyond “obsessing to the point of toxicity is love.” And I just fundamentally disagree.
Nevertheless, this book is technically quite good for a debut. The prose is, in spots, beautiful. Referring to their past lives as “many fractured reflections” is fucking art. The metaphors and motifs are on point (with exceptions for “pink plum”s that sent me running for the hills). There are some editorial and proofreading issues that I’d expect to be worked out between ARC and publication, but the three disparate narratives are woven together well enough. I think it’s hard to tell a tragic tale thrice over without exhausting your readers, and this book skirts the line between interest and enervation. The structure shines when one chapter from Timeline A segues pristinely into the next chapter in Timeline B. Those moments ameliorated the frustration I had with every chapter ending on a cliffhanger only for the book to yeet me 1000 years into the future.
The breadcrumbs and foreshadowing are also relatively well done, and the ultimate reveal is pretty clear at the appropriate point. Some moments made my brain go brrr! I just wish the book's marketing would match its contents. People deserve to know going in that a book's plot centers on sexual assault and toxic relationships. Genres come with expectations, and people shouldn't be surprise attacked.
At least the cover is gorgeous! It pulls in so many details from the book, including the cut sleeve, the fox-spirit, and the peaches.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
First and foremost, marketing this book as romantasy is deeply disingenuous. The bulk of my issues with the book are likely the result of expectation disparities. The marketing is doing this book a disservice. The book does not hit traditional romance beats, and its two core relationships—these cursed soulmates—appear to exist more due to outside forces’ orchestration than actual “true feeling” connection. One pairing is toxic, while the other obsessive. Both are more warning than aspiration. The narrative is cruel, with several plot-integral sexual assaults, some of which are twisted into consent because “welp I’m aroused, so might as well I guess.” Which… ???
SA scenes aside, even some of the consensual scenes gave me the ick. Not only do they often suffer from ridiculous word choices and bonkers tone changes that contrasted with the rest of the book and took me out of the story, they are overshadowed by a looming toxicity. In the moment, the early scenes feel gratuitous, and my initial impression of the book was that it was more genre fantasy with random erotica-esque bits thrown in. After finishing the book, I would not classify it as erotica either, as I don’t find this particular brand of lubeless sex to be erotic, even when consensual. Overall, to me, the consensual sex scenes did not meaningfully or uniquely further the plot or character development. Boning for the sake of boning is boring imo, but ymmv.
There are four characters across three timelines, and for simplicity's sake I'll use the names from present day: Joey, Calvin, River, and Winston. Joey and River are one possible couple, Calvin and River are another possible option, and Winston is just chillin' like a villain.
The relationship elements fall flat for me. It’s hard to trust that Joey and River have what they call “a true feeling” when there’s so much manipulation, chaos, and overall Problems. It felt like the worst example of “show don’t tell” as the showing contradicted the showing. The emphasis on revenge and political machinations makes the book feel more cautionary folklore rather than romantasy. Which is fine, but maybe don’t market it as romantasy.
River and Calvin are also an unsuited pairing. Idk how allo relationships work, but I'm not sure that sexual assault in two of three timelines would manifest the stunning portrayal of eternal, fated love that the book things it does. Other reviews have mentioned that this is the first in a series, in which case cool beans. I think this book needs it.
I am always dubious of reviews that focus on character rather than ~what the book means~, and I do worry that I’m so bogged down in ThE pUbLiShEr DeCeIvEd Me that I’m missing the point of the book. Perhaps the point is that we must write our own stories rather than failing to learn from the past, “yearning [for the] splendor of these old love songs.” It could be that lust is not love. Maybe it’s that “many truths in this world are dangerous.” But when the epigraph is “Let me lose my mind. It’s the only way to love”, I’m not sure that the book says anything beyond “obsessing to the point of toxicity is love.” And I just fundamentally disagree.
Nevertheless, this book is technically quite good for a debut. The prose is, in spots, beautiful. Referring to their past lives as “many fractured reflections” is fucking art. The metaphors and motifs are on point (with exceptions for “pink plum”s that sent me running for the hills). There are some editorial and proofreading issues that I’d expect to be worked out between ARC and publication, but the three disparate narratives are woven together well enough. I think it’s hard to tell a tragic tale thrice over without exhausting your readers, and this book skirts the line between interest and enervation. The structure shines when one chapter from Timeline A segues pristinely into the next chapter in Timeline B. Those moments ameliorated the frustration I had with every chapter ending on a cliffhanger only for the book to yeet me 1000 years into the future.
The breadcrumbs and foreshadowing are also relatively well done, and the ultimate reveal is pretty clear at the appropriate point. Some moments made my brain go brrr! I just wish the book's marketing would match its contents. People deserve to know going in that a book's plot centers on sexual assault and toxic relationships. Genres come with expectations, and people shouldn't be surprise attacked.
At least the cover is gorgeous! It pulls in so many details from the book, including the cut sleeve, the fox-spirit, and the peaches.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
April 1, 2024
One of the first things I said to Justinian Huang at his book event in Toronto was “I know just looking at this book that it’s going to be one of my 5 star reads!” And who doesn’t love being right?
First of all, I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Second of all, that ENDING!!! Now I’m left wishing for more - so there better be book #2!
This book started off with a bang (in more ways than one)! And it had me in its grip till the very last page. Romance, steam (major 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️), intrigue, betrayal, an epic villain, reincarnation, Chinese folklore & history, fantasy, twists, turns, even a few tears. This book has it all for me! I loved all 3 timelines. And couldn’t stop trying to puzzle out how it all fits together. I loved Justinian’s writing style but above else, he possesses a key component that makes me fall in love with someone’s writing - he’s a great storyteller!
The Emperor & The Endless Palace is already one of my favorite reads of 2024!!! And I will not shut up about it!
If you are looking for something different, something spicy and extremely engaging, you will not want to miss this one! I urge you to have a closer look at this book’s gorgeous cover as you read and you will have a better idea of some of the details mean!
Biggest of thank yous to HTP Books, HarperCollins Canada, Mira Books & Justinian Huang for this reading treat in exchange for an honest review!
First of all, I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Second of all, that ENDING!!! Now I’m left wishing for more - so there better be book #2!
This book started off with a bang (in more ways than one)! And it had me in its grip till the very last page. Romance, steam (major 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️), intrigue, betrayal, an epic villain, reincarnation, Chinese folklore & history, fantasy, twists, turns, even a few tears. This book has it all for me! I loved all 3 timelines. And couldn’t stop trying to puzzle out how it all fits together. I loved Justinian’s writing style but above else, he possesses a key component that makes me fall in love with someone’s writing - he’s a great storyteller!
The Emperor & The Endless Palace is already one of my favorite reads of 2024!!! And I will not shut up about it!
If you are looking for something different, something spicy and extremely engaging, you will not want to miss this one! I urge you to have a closer look at this book’s gorgeous cover as you read and you will have a better idea of some of the details mean!
Biggest of thank yous to HTP Books, HarperCollins Canada, Mira Books & Justinian Huang for this reading treat in exchange for an honest review!
April 1, 2024
What did I just read
Okay back with the full review. This book had very little sense of plot. It seemed that the author wanted to write a homoerotic novel with three characters who continually meet each other in different timeline through reincarnation and he certainly did that....but it was so just not good. The characters had very little substance, the plot was confusing, the ending did not satisfy at all...Im not usually so harsh but literally how did this book get published.
Okay back with the full review. This book had very little sense of plot. It seemed that the author wanted to write a homoerotic novel with three characters who continually meet each other in different timeline through reincarnation and he certainly did that....but it was so just not good. The characters had very little substance, the plot was confusing, the ending did not satisfy at all...Im not usually so harsh but literally how did this book get published.
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