<i>ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

The Hand of the Sun King is the debut novel by the author J. T. Greathouse and I had a blast with it. It ticks a lot of the boxes I enjoy in fantasy and executes them in a captivating way. We have a coming-of-age story, tons of magic, action, and emotion. It talks about cultural identity, fitting in, and really discovering who you are as a person.

The story takes place in an empire that is slowly taking over the nearby lands. The empire is currently in the midst of a war with native rebels who are trying to fiercely uphold the old traditions and folklore of their people. Our protagonist Wen Alder is a young boy that is torn between the two sides of the conflict due to the aspects of his ancestry.

By day he follows the studies of his father who is a dedicated subject of the empire and whose only wish is for his son is to advance his family's position within the empire. Alder's father has him spend his days with a tutor studying philosophy and other academical subjects to prepare for an upcoming examination that is to determine Alder's position and rank for the future. By night he is sneaking out to a hidden temple where his grandmother is teaching him the old ways of his ancestors. Alder is learning about folk takes and his cultural heritage. It is there where he gets the first glimpse of the rituals invoking the magic his people had access to and where he truly develops the will to pursue power. Alder is constantly torn about his place in the world due to the contradictory nature of what he is being taught and following him on this journey is brilliant.

Throughout the journey, we visit a lot of vibrant locations and I really enjoyed the diversity of it all. The book is divided into multiple parts that are all distinctive in what they offer whether it is by location or subject matter. We are not held back to only seeing the world from the perspective of the two cultures that I focused on before but we do get an in-depth look into how other lands have to deal with the Empire. Learning about the different cultures, their rituals and their magic was fascinating. I loved the focus on self-betterment and study that this book had. Alder is always gaining knowledge during his travels and it was fascinating to see him progress. The nature of the study is also something different from a usual school scenario because it mostly happens through private tutoring sessions and philosophical arguments rather than a traditional classroom. Another aspect that is freely used is learning from actual experience which allows our character to visit different places of the world.

The writing is beautiful and at the same time fast-paced. The plot is moving on with every page and everything has a meaning to it. I know I focused a lot on the nature of the study and exploring new cultures before but the book also has a lot of conflict in it related to the ongoing rebellion. We get to see battles and sieges on both a smaller scale and a more epic one. We get to learn a lot about magic as it is deeply rooted in the identity of the people. Every nation and land has a distinct form of magic that they rely on although it has become a taboo thing with the conquering empire wishing to control the use of it. There are countless different magical archetypes. You have control over fire, making barriers, controlling the wind, transmitting information, shapeshifting and most likely many more. It makes for some really engaging moments and an absolutely explosive finale that leaves me excited for the next entry of the series.

Reading this was an entertaining time and I definitely recommend it to anyone who feels intrigued.

Thank you so much Netgalley for this beautiful arc and I loved this book beyond my expectations.

"Resistance was the only path toward freedom. "

Wen Alder is a young boy who is trained by his father since young to become a Hand of the Emperor but from her mothers side is a different path where his grandmother is a witch. He is confused to choose which path.

Soon he became a hand of the emperor like what his father designed him to be but when he paved that journey that he realize the truth and a deadly secret that holds in his choice. Is his choice wrong? Should he have chosen his grandmothers path? Through his series adventures he will have so many questions and doubts that he is time and again thrown into a pool of dilemma.

The book is adventures packed and beautiful dogma and doctrines. The world is beautifully crafted, the characters are easy to drawn to and I loved every scenes and some I could relate to my own life. Five stars!

I really enjoyed the world and characters in The Hand of the Sun King. It hooked from the beginning and I loved the relationships that Wen Alder creates. Wen Alder was a character that anyone could relate to between following family or doing what he wants for himself. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

The cover alone was enough to make me interested in wanting to read this book. I didn't know what this book was about or anything but I saw some people that like the some of the same books I do really like this one. I really did like it but not as much as some may do when they read it. The story itself is well thought out and written well. The first half or more seems pretty slow but it does pick up later nearing the second half of the story. Not that the first half was boring or anything but some may see it that way. I think some will enjoy the simple complexity in this story and the way its modeled after our own world in many ways.
I didn't love the characters and didn't really fell any connection with them but that is not something unusual for me. I am not that character driven reader who has to love each and every character to enjoy a good book. They grow on me and by the end I did like Foolish Cur more than I did at the start. The journey he goes on is not soft and easy at all. I can certainly see people enjoy reading about him though. He is far from perfect but what person truly is and that sort of is what this story feels like to me as well. He is someone who is trying to find his own path in life without being constrained by everyone's definition of who and what he should be.
The story does take a twist but then maybe will see them coming but I don't try to do that as it makes a less enjoyable reading experience. Each new story you read you go on a journey of discovery and this one was the trip. Looking forward as always to see how things progress in the future and how well this does on my reread.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for another good book. Thanks to the author as well.

I really liked the story and for me as a german it was quite easy to read, so I got the whole story.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I really liked the worldbuilding and the concept and the writing was really good, but I didn't connect with the main character. The story is about his desire for power and the powers of his mixed heritage warring, but I found myself not liking him and not really rooting for him to succeed. I put it down at about the 50% mark; I wish I liked this one more than I did!

It's been a long time since a fantasy novel was so good I rushed to goodreads after to find out if it was the beginning of a series, and I'm so glad to find this is the first of more to come. The worldbuilding done in this novel is detailed, created with obvious care and love, multifaceted while not being a burden to follow with a completely original premise and unique magic. The MC is a deeply flawed person and we get to follow his journey through life from a very young age to early 20s, watch him as he's torn between family and politically collectivist loyalties and is shaped by the trauma and losses he endures. It's unputdownable, evocative as hell, and just a really beautiful read. Eagerly looking forward to the next book!

You often hear the phrase that for writers word of mouth is essential. It was never more clear to me than with this book. The first time I heard about it was when, in one of his videos, Petrik Leo called it the best fantasy debut of 2021. Considering the amazing books we got this year, I was curious why this book earned the distinction.
Having read it, I am here to do my part in spreading the word: The Hand of the Sun King is one of the best fantasy books I've read this year.

Bare bones: Ven Adler is the son of a well-earning Sienese merchant and Nayeni woman with ties to the infamous rebels has devoted his life to studying for the highest office of civil service- to be the Hand of the Emperor. It's a position of prestige and power, but Ven is not interested in that: he wants to learn magic emperor bestows on his Hands. The magic is something he became fascinated by when as child he witnessed his maternal grandmother's wielding the native forbidden art and he felt the ripples of reality being bent to her will. But she left off to join the resistance, so his only way to knowledge is to join the elite band of emperor's sorcerers called Hands. But the gods, the empire and the resistance only care about their war and they will do their best to pull Ven into their battles.

- This is an Asian inspired fantasy novel, with specific inspiration being Imperial China, which again sounds like a too broad of a term, but I'd say it has the strongest echoes of Ming dynasty period. There is an Emperor who united under Sienese rule previously independent lands and he has a vast network of administrative and military officials who operate as extensions of his will. But there is also a fantasy version of ethnic minorities in this empire, there are multiple religions, there are philosophical debates and heroic romantic stories as different versions of learning about history and there are rebellions and complex bureaucratic governing system. We read about differences in looks, the wild folk religion of Nayeni in contrast to rigid and strict Sienese doctrine and many more. Author actually made a point not to depict Sien Empire as a monolith, but as an Empire that annexed previously independent lands with their own culture which gives his world a whole lot of nuance beyond simply adding the "Asian" flavour.
For example, in order to earn the coveted position young male members like Ven have to pass Imperial examination, a series of tests based on classical texts, philosophical debates and calligraphy skill. It's not the first time I see some form of Imperial examination in fantasy novels- The Poppy War comes to mind- but like I said, Greathouse is all about the nuance. In TPW, Rin passed the test despite working all day and not having enough time and not sleeping. In this book, Ven is incredibly smart, but it's easy to conclude that his chances of passing the tests are higher because all he did was studying for it since he was a child and his father has money to pay him a tutor. So, yes, naturally gifted, but also very much privileged.
-I was actually surprised how many times Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy crossed my mind as I was reading this novel. It's the combination of first person narration, some lyrical writing and all the emotions both authors managed to convey with their characters. You really become invested in both Fitz and Ven because you read them growing up, being in their heads, all those confusing emotions and stupid mistakes they make, first heartbreaks and reality checks. Ven is a bit more assertive than Fitz because he is ambitious, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who want that same melancholy vibe with all the feels.
-The Emperor having such an absolute position I really liked the different ways Sien asserted their will on conquered lands, not only relying on pure force. For example, the Empire gives an opportunity to anyone to enter imperial examinations, whether they come from merchant family, village or one of the conquered nations. The whole inner conflict Ven has is about the fact he doesn't think that either side of his heritage is better than the other, just different. Sienese are always open to negotiating, they bring prosperity and help the people they want to assimilate into Empire. But there are reasons behind everything they do and Ven learns it the hard way. Very much both the carrot and the stick which made the story anything but predictable.
-The name of the series, Pact and Pattern, is actually a perfect way to describe magic system in this novel. Magic is depicted as something so encompassing that it managed to grab Ven when he was just a boy and became his obsession and reason behind his ambition, it's something so grand and wild that it can only be defined by its boundaries, the thing that ground it, the thing that rein it in. The connection of magic to religion and pantheon of gods that come to meddle in their own way give this novel a mystical and fantastical vibe without taking the focus away from the Ven's story and his character development.
-This being the first book in series, I was dreading the cliffhanger ending, but Greathouse managed to round up this part of Ven's path in a satisfying way. There is so many things I am curious about: the other provinces of the Empire, Emperor's canon and witches of the old sort and I can't wait to read where author will take our characters next.
This book earned all the praise and I am really grateful to Petrik for putting it on my radar. It was an absolute pleasure.

A stunning and compelling new fantasy world is not one you expect to find these days, but in “The Hand of the Sun King” Greathouse delivers just that. It isn’t an entirely unique creation, (there is a very strong, “What if Avatar was for adults?” feeling going on), but the world building is a complex and intricate mirror of colonial expansion, empire, and the divine right to rule that has long plagued human society, interwoven with a unique series of interdependent magic systems that are simply accepted as part of life that is exciting and immediately grounded me in a very real sense of place. I’m not always a fan of coming-of-age stories, but most of this novel is not told in real-time but rather as a memory/narrative told by the protagonist, which allows him a more mature description of a teenager’s experiences, which I appreciated. The story and plot were both intense and contemplative at the same time, and didn’t always unravel as one would immediately expect. When you have a protagonist born with loyalties to a oppressive, colonial empire and to one of the indigenous natives being oppressed and exterminated by that colonizer you immediately assume they will follow the path of righteousness, and in fact in the early parts of the novel it was almost frustrating when our protagonist didn’t immediately side with those being oppressed but instead follows motives all of his own that make him question what is to be gained from either side of the fight. Greathouse skillfully leads the character to a realization of the nature of occupation, privilege, and empire throughout the novel, and it is a journey that is still ongoing as the novel comes to an end.

There is really only one primary character, though his world is populated with many secondary characters as he moves through the world of his journey, both temporally and physically. Some of the secondary characters are drawn with a broad brush, not exactly archetypes but convenient combinations of character traits that just happen to fit the situation. With that said, none feel entirely derivative, and they all do contribute to the hero’s journey in important ways. Some of them do stand out, though, as complicated and enigmatic and characters I hope to see more of as the series progresses. For some of the stock/expected characteristics of the secondary characters, our protagonist is wonderfully complicated, even to himself, constantly at war with himself as he struggles to understand how he fits in the world

Lastly, the writing is a joy to read. The world is large with a hint that we are only tasting the smallest portion of it, but the writing beautifully describes each of the landscapes and ecosystems in evocative, almost opulent detail that isn’t overwrought. The narrative is able to make temporal jumps of months and even years here and there without feeling rushed, and instead made me always want to keep moving forward, discovering more and growing with the character. The prose itself is engaging and well-crafted, the characters diverse and complicated, and the world and its magics both detailed and expansive. The novel ends at a point where revelations and stakes are both higher than ever, and I can’t wait to continue the journey to see where it goes.

I want to thank NetGalley and JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc., who gave me a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this novel.
However, it wasn't what I expected - maybe "The name of the wind" ruined me for all coming of age fantasy books ?...
I'll try to share why I was disappointed without spoiling anything.
- The characters : not very deep, often one-dimensional, with an unlikeable main characters. There are novels with unlikable characters that I adore (Rebecca, Wuthering heights for instance) so it doesn't bother me usually but here... Foolish cur was rude, spoiled, unsatisfied,... foolish ! He never learned from his mistakes and kept heading in directions that were bound to cause him trouble without any plan, just counting on the spur of the moment to escape fate. I guess it was supposed to show his cleverness, but he was just lucky.
- Unbelievable events happened, Alder was sent on an important mission without being trained for it, he thought he could hide... em... things (spoiler free review) that were obvious, the twist near the end was unbelievable too.
- He made a friend - we are told they became friends but it's not really shown. He found a lover - we are told they fell in love but why ? No idea.
The atmosphere of the book is not bad, but honestly, I don't see the difference with so many coming of age fantasy novels except that I just didn't buy it - I struggled to finish this story. For a novel with magic, I felt it lacked magic, wonder, excitement. It lacked soul. "The name of the wind" is so, so much better, a thousand times better !
I don't really understand why there is such praise about The hand of the Sun King, except that people have different tastes ? When I read other reviews, I wonder if we really read the same novel. Anyway, it's up to you to make your own opinion.

2.5
I have to say I expected more from this book. I'd heard such praise for this that I actually put off reading several other books I have on my physical TBR. Well, that will teach me not to trust everyone.
This book follows the life of Wen Alder (aka. Foolish Cur) as he moves along the political alleys and halls of this Eastern inspired kingdom. There's a lot of potential here but the thing that ruined it for me was the main character and his obvious actions, and the derivatice feel I got reading this book. You could literally see past authors and series dotted around the plot. First one that came to mind was Le Guin's Earthsea series of books.
So, all in all, not a book for me, but for someone who is not as widely ready in fantasy and who is not easily annoyed by a reckless main character this might be just the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3-3.5* I think this book had really great potential, but it kind of fell short for me. I liked the idea and the concept behind the writing and I was hooked in the beginning, but further into the story, I felt like I was stuck. There were a lot of different settings and Alder really struggled to find his identity and his calling. I thought the world building was cool, but I would have definitely wanted more context into the magic system and sometimes felt lost when I was reading about it. Everything felt super detailed too and I think the story could have benefitted from some simplicity. I did like it and I'd be curious to see where book 2 will go because I think this ending was pretty succinct. I also liked some of the secondary character such as Oriole or Atar that were introduced through Alder's journey. The book was good, I just don't think it's my usual style of fantasy.

It’s not easy to chose a reading while the book isn’t published yet, and for this one I chose badly. I actually read quite a few reviews before requesting for the book, enthusiastic ones, and believed that I was about to dive into a touching and fascinating story as « The name of the wind » by Patrick Rothfuss or « Blood song » by Anthony Ryan. Unfortunately, it was nothing like that. I read about the third of the book and decided to stop, as I was bored and the writing sufficiently homogeneous to extrapole for the rest of the story.
On the bright side the part I read was thoroughly thought, with an interesting background and a good atmosphere. But I couldn’t connect with the characters or come to appreciate them. The fact that this part of the story covers quite a few years didn’t help, but it wasn’t the only reason I didn’t care. Some efforts are made to give an edge to the main character’s personality, but not very subtly: for instance, he reacts exactly in the same (rude, immature) way with a figure of authority (once his grand-mother, twice his tutor), before being ashamed, but without learning from his mistake. The rest of the time he shows nearly no personality at all, doing only what is expected of him, longing for a futur ludicrous in my point of view. In the end he annoyed me so much that I decided to stop reading.

To serve one would be to betray the other.

ARC provided by the publisher JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc (US) and Gollancz – Orion Publishing (UK) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A well rounded compelling coming of age story; The Hand of the Sun King by J. T. Greathouse joins the list of amazing 2021 debuts.

Truthfully, I was burnt out from all the YA books I’ve read these past few months. They are all great it’s just that I was craving for something a bit heavier and complex to stimulate my mind. Requesting more ARCs (Advance Readers Copy) on NetGalley was not in the plan either because of my current feedback ratio, but I needed something new. When I saw the cover of The Hand of the Sun King, it made me feel intrigued then checked out Goodreads then turns out Petrik has read it and loved it. Which lead to me requesting the ARC then receiving it. In terms of story I did not know anything about it and the synopsis is pretty vague about it which is what I prefer. So I jumped the gun on this book by trusting my friend’s review and just went for it.

It was the only thing in the world that I yearned to understand for its own sake, not because an authority had decided that I must learn it. Once I had mastered it, it would be mine, to do with as I would. Neither bound to my father’s dreams of a restored Wen family, nor my grandmother’s for a Nayen free of the Empire.

The Hand of the Sun King is the debut and first book of the Pact and Pattern trilogy by J. T. Greathouse. It is the coming of age story following half Sienese and half Nayeni boy named Wen Alder or Foolish Cur. Since Alder was a child he has stood between two paths, the path that his father has paved for him to continue the Wen family legacy and the path of the Nayeni paved by his grandmother and uncle who rejects the empire. From a young age Alder’s father has paid for his education to prepare him for the Imperial Examination, a stepping stone for all Sienese men that will decide their status and well being for the rest of their life. Fearing that her grandson might not know the history of Nayeni people, Alder’s grandmother took it upon herself to teach him about the Nayeni and their gods. One night Alder’s took him to the Temple of Flame offering Alder to the old Nayeni gods in a naming ritual bestowing upon him a new name Foolish Cur. During this ritual Alder gets a glimpse of his grandmother’s magic, since then Alder has never looked back and sought out ways to feel the power of magic himself. Believing that a third path of magic will lead Alder to his freedom.

“If the choice is between understanding some deeper truth or fighting for a chance to make good on all the harm I have done, then I choose to fight.”

One of the most prominent things in The Hand of the Sun King is the emphasis on culture in it’s vivid, expansive, and intricate world building. With the main character coming from a Sienese and Nayeni background there are bounds to be a lot of contrasting and conflicting things. Readers will understand the importance of culture as it molds Alder to decide his fate and find within himself his true identity. Greathouse did a great job in showing the differences through Alder as he experience everything first hand all the while giving well detailed accounts. It’s as though an older version of Alder is recounting the story of his life in a book he written. This factor made the book more addicting to read as Alder’s desperation and hunger bleeds out of the page. Greathouse’s writing style fits perfectly with the first person POV, it is done in an efficient and well structured manner that it made reading the book more enjoyable. The beautiful prose and exquisite writing will surely pull readers into the story. The way Greathouse writes his prose is reminiscent to the feelings I felt reading the Shelley Parker-Chan’s prose in She Who Became the Sun, it engages you right away not letting your attention falter. Though reading the earlier chapters is a challenge for me because of the slower pacing, I admit that this problem is caused by the fact that I’ve been reading a lot of fast paced books and doesn’t have anything to do with the story at all. But the pacing does escalate slowly as Alder starts exploring other parts of the Empire outside of Nayen.


Art by Monica Wihardi
Greathouse’s characterization in The Hand of the Sun King is complex and well fleshed out. Wen Alder is conflicted young man that wants to break free from the expectations of his family members. The story spans from Alder’s adolescence years into his adulthood, I admire Greathouse for showing a consistent gradual growth in Alder as he becomes a full fledge adult. Growing up Alder is very ambitious, competitive, smart, and quick with his wits. Though Alder’s lack of patience and ego got the best of him which lead to him making some poor choices. What I find compelling is Greathouse’s ability in writing Alder’s inner conflict and eventual realization. The themes of war, loyalty, and friendship are the pivotal catalyst in Alder’s growth that is weaved skillfully by Greathouse. The relationships Alder forms with all of the people that raised and taught him also plays a part in shaping him. The three stand out relationships to me is between Alder and his grandmother, Koro Ha, and Oriole. In my opinion, they were the foundations that deeply affected Alder’s whole characterization.

It’s been a while since I read a book that solely focuses on one character’s coming of age story complete with a variety of relationship dynamics. The last time is probably when I read The Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence. I forgot how much I love stories like this and I am so happy to be reminded of it while reading The Hand of the Sun King. There are moments in Alder’s story which shows the typical struggles of a young adult after moving out of their family homes. It’s interesting to see Alder go through all the typical hardships that we all go through such as the frustrations from the boring day to day routines, making regrettable decisions, wanting to rebel against the constraints of being a bureaucrat, etc. It gives opportunity for Alder to mature as a character and learn the ways of the world to become wiser. The scene that left an impression is when Alder was dealing with loneliness and isolation of adulthood. For me the feelings of loneliness that Alder felt being by himself while travelling alone is deeply engrained within me, it is something I whole heartedly relate to.

Magic could reshape the world. Its power was undeniable. It needed no argument to bolster it, nor any faith to make it true.

In my opinion what became the highlight of The Hand of the Sun King is the magic system. Magic is the main thing that the protagonist desperately pursues and yearns for. The magic that is present in the story is a form of magic that stems from gods that existed long before the empire existed. Each nation has it’s own god that they worship that blesses magic wielders abilities that varies from controlling the elements (ex. fire, wind, thunder, water), veering, sending, curing wounds, etc. What I find fascinating is the lore surrounding the existence of magic and the gods. What bumped my rating for this book is the battle scenes! The battle scenes are explosive and intense from large scale army sequences to close contact combat it is vivid and well done that it made my hand sweaty. Personally, I was as desperate as Alder to see some action which is absent for a good 45-50% of the book. Even though The Hand of the Sun King isn’t an action packed book, as it mainly focuses on Alder’s upbringing and apprenticeship, in the few action scenes that is present Greathouse executes it wonderfully.

The feeling that the path of my life had been leading me through trial after trial toward some purpose, finally achieved.

Final thoughts, The Hand of the Sun King is another solid debut book about a character’s coming of age story filled to the brim with beautiful prose, gripping plot, and compelling characters. A magic system that is unique, complex and engrained deeply into the world shrouded in conspiracy that extends beyond the worldly issues. For a first book The Hand of the Sun King establishes the back of story of the main character wonderfully. I’m looking forward to how Greathouse will continue this epic tale of resistance and magic. I highly recommend for readers who love coming of age stories in a fantasy setting to pick up this book. I can assure you that The Hand of the Sung King has joined the ranks of amazing debut books this year and I am truly happy I picked it up. To end this review I would like to quote a writer named DJ Khaled, “Another one!”.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

A first-person narrative of Wen Alder or Foolish Cur recounting his youth, and the paths he took because he was thirsty for magic that had no limitations. He finds himself caught in a war between the Sienese and the Nayeni; his roots trace back to both. His mother’s side embraces the rebellion against the emperor, while the roots of his father’s side can be traced back to the right hand of the Emperor. And the path he chose to forge may involve the gods themselves.

The Hand of the Sun King is set in a world with Eastern influences. There are around 4 distinct locations in which the story takes place and the difference in cultures and magic are very much seen. With regards to that, I liked the worldbuilding and the magic system most of all; it was unique for me. The writing complimented this and created a really good atmosphere. The protagonist himself was a very complicated character and not always likeable; there were times I found it hard to believe in his motivations, but his character development was great. Not all characters are wholly likeable in this book, they each have their own complexities. I didn’t find that aspect to be a downside, however, I would have liked it better had there been more backstory or depth to some of them so they’d be more memorable. It’s just really hard for me to like and root for a character who is nothing more than a talking head in my mind. Plot-wise, I think this was worthy of following. I genuinely wanted to know how things would end and what else there is in store for Alder/Foolish Cur or what he has in store.

What didn’t work for me was the slow-pacing. Truly, it had more politics than action. Nothing against slow-paced books, there are some that keep me intrigued and some that make my mind wander. I had trouble keeping interested at times and my attention wavered. Another thing was the romance. I wasn’t really expecting it in this book but there is a tiny, tiny bit and it wasn’t bad per se, just not fully developed in my opinion. This alludes to another aspect in this book I didn’t like which was the lack of female characters. Where are they? Alder/Foolish Cur doesn’t interact with a lot of them in the course of the story either. I hope to see more female characters in the next books.

Overall, this was a pretty solid read. There may be some parts that I thought were rushed or much too slow, either way I’d be anticipating the sequel.

Big thanks to Gollancz and Netgalley for sending me a free copy to review.
This is a very unique read and I have a lot of thoughts. I have a feeling this review will be a very long one.

Characters
Wen Alder is an interesting character. Not necessarily one that I like, but definitely an interesting perspective to read from. He's not the most humble guy ever, has very little humility, and the moment he gets a smidgen of power he becomes an arrogant arsehole with an over-inflated opinion of his own self-worth. But as has been the case with other books, I don't need to like a character in order to enjoy them.

I think the main reason why I clashed a little with Alder at first was due to how rude he could be to people because he considered himself their better. But once he gets over himself he becomes far more tolerable and kind. The problem with Alder is that he never learns. His personality is one step forward, to steps back.

Alder spends so much time hating on the empire for invading countries and stealing their magic to add to its collection. But it's interesting to see how Alder, in his obsession with magic and understanding it, does exactly the same without realising it. He almost becomes the thing that he hates. He's the very embodiment of Empire.

Another problem with Alder is that magic makes him an arsehole. When he succeeds at magic, he deems himself above those who cannot wield it. When he fails at magic, his initial reaction is to reject help from those who cannot wield it because he deems himself above them. Basically, he just lives in a near-perpetual state of thinking himself better than everyone else. And though this should just present him as flawed and only human, really it just makes him an arsehole.

He's reasonable enough to regret the unkind things he says to people, but that never stops him from saying them, every single time. In this regard, there's no growth to his character. He never learns to just bite his tongue and not say hurtful things to the people who show him kindness, patience, and sympathy.

I don't mind a character being insufferable in the beginning so long as they grow and become a likeable character by the end. There needs to be an internal journey, and though Alder does have one, it affects his growth very little. Even at the end, after everything that's happened, he still thinks too highly of himself. In fact, many characters even tell him he thinks too much of himself but he just doesn't seem to grow from it.

Now, all this being said, the best of Alder is right at a very, very end. It wasn't until the final chapter that I was finally like yes, Alder, fucking yes. Finally! At last he did something that excited me. Until this part, I was on the fence about continuing the series, but now I definitely have to read the next one cause I finally see the potential for character growth.

Plot
This is a very quiet novel, not particularly high concept, nor big and flashy, but excellently well written and delivered. I don't normally go for these biographical 'let me tell you everything that's ever happened to me' type stories, but this is by far the most interesting and unique that I've read.

From the very first page to the last, I was fascinated by this world and its concept of magic. With the Sienese Empire invading other countries in order to steal their magic. I've never read an idea like this before and found it a very interesting take on colonisation.

And quite brutal at times. There were definitely moments that caught me off guard, reminding me that not all was peaches and roses, the hero can't always win, and sometimes that loss is devastating. This book isn't afraid to go to some really dark places.

I feel like throughout the story mini twists or information is revealed, but Alder never reacts to it which left me wondering if he already knew and I somehow missed it, or if Alder is just completely empty inside. It was weird.

Overall, this is a slow story, but by no means boring. However, by the 60% mark, I did start to wonder where the story was going and hoped it wouldn't just end up being a new The Name of the Wind. It stagnates a little around this part, lacking deeply in tension, action, and stakes. I don't need break-neck action on every page but I need something to keep me invested in the character's goals. It started to pick up and get interesting again at the 70% mark but then slows down again by about 80%. By the time the story's climax came around I just felt too frustrated with Alder to care much about what he did next.

Don't get me wrong, the plot itself is fantastic and fascinating, but Alder is such a terrible protagonist, for reasons I mentioned above, that it almost overshadows how good a story this is. There's so much I love about this book, but I'm struggling to fully embrace it but I just don't like Alder all that much.

Now, all this being said, the best of Alder is right at the very, very end. It wasn't until and final chapter that I was finally like yes, Alder, fucking yes. Finally! At last he did something that excited me. Until this part, I was on the fence about continuing the series, but now I definitely have to read the next one.

Setting
From page one we're thrown into a world of mystery. The world is immediately atmospheric and expertly laced with intricate little world-building details that intrigue.

Although this world is clearly inspired by Chinese culture, the main word here is inspired . It draws a lot from the culture whilst not leaning too heavily into it like a crutch. Every so often little details would be thrown in that challenged my perception of the world, reminding me that this isn't just fantasy China, but entirely its own world with its own culture and history. I thought it clever the way the author had laid clear foundational inspiration whilst building something wholly new and original on top of it.

The world feels very sure of itself. It knows what it is and is very well realised. If the world was a character, it would portray itself as confident, knowledgeable, and extremely well developed. In other books, I can sometimes feel the world-building holding back a little, hesitating before taking the final step to a fully realised world. But the world in this book boldly embraces it's own design, stepping into the shoes created for it and filling them very nicely without overwhelming the plot.

I know this all probably sounds really pretentious, but I don't know how else to describe it. The world here just feels really unafraid to explore itself.

Writing Style

I loved how small, seemingly unimportant details were called back on in a later chapter and actually turned out to be vital to the plot progression. Details so insignificant at the time that they would be easily overlooked, but when recalled, they made me stop and admire how clever and thoughtful the writing was. Aha moments of oh yeah, that happened. And it happened for a reason.

This novel is superbly written, I have no doubt about that. JT Greathouse certainly has a way with words. They flow smoothly the way I imagine the magic system in this book flows. It's fluid and effortless.

Final Impression
A very interesting book that I definitely enjoyed, though I did swing wildly between loving it and feeling frustrated with Alder. That being said, I'm still interested to see where it goes next, and I can only hope that Alder is a more likeable person in the next one.

HIGHLIGHTS
~every culture has its own magic
~don’t let them see your scars
~empires are always bad
~magic has rules for a reason
~break them

I don’t think Hand of the Sun King is a bad book. But gods, reading it bored and frustrated me. And maybe it’s that Sun King and I just aren’t a good fit; maybe that’s all it is. But it feels like this is the exact same story I’ve read a thousand times before, without enough of an original take to be worth the bother.

Alder is the son of a Sienese (fantasy Chinese) merchant and a Nayeni mother; the Nayeni are the newest people to be conquered by the Sienese empire, and Nayen is still not fully tamed, with pockets of resistance fighting back against the Sienese overlords. Alder’s grandmother hates the Sienese and despises her daughter for having married one, and although she takes some time to teach Alder a little bit of the Nayeni culture and magic, she leaves while he’s still a child to rejoin the resistance. But Alder’s experiences with magic drive him to learn more about it, and with his grandmother gone, his only option is to excel in the Imperial Examinations and become a Hand of the Emperor, one of the few who have access to and are taught the Empire’s magic.

And it’s all just… I just didn’t care. Objectively, Hand of the Sun King is perfectly decent; the prose isn’t beautiful, but it’s very readable; Alder isn’t a very likable character to begin with, but the first-person perspective was definitely a good choice and his character growth is great; Greathouse plays with themes of colonialism and empire and race, and I didn’t notice any missteps there.

But it was all just so predictable. I could see each twist coming from a mile away, and it’s a running joke in my friends group that I’m someone who never sees the twist coming. Hand of the Sun King follows the path of a thousand other coming-of-age stories, and although the revelations about the nature of magic in the final pages were kind of interesting, nothing else really was. I definitely didn’t think those revelations were worth the effort of reading the three hundred pages leading up to them. There isn’t even any nuance to the colonialist themes, or the nature of the Sienese empire; the empire is just bad, and it’s bad for everyone, and obviously there’s a magical conspiracy at the heart of it, wow look how much I do not care. Obviously Alder turns on the empire in the end; obviously the catalyst for this is also a love interest; obviously Alder is given a magical mentor at the end who teaches him The Secrets Of Everything. None of it was surprising, and the occasional cinematic moment with magic, or poignant scene involving his heritage, couldn’t make up for that.

Other reviewers have raved about the worldbuilding; I really don’t think it was all that special. We see three cultures throughout the book; the Sienese empire, Nayen, and An-Zabat, an oasis city in a desert. Sien is very clearly fantasy!China, so I refuse to give worldbuilding points for a culture the author copied rather than created from the ground up; and Nayen and An-Zabat we really only sketched out, not filled in in intricate detail. The magic systems individually weren’t that interesting, complex, or original – the magic of An-Zabat’s windcalling was probably the best, and we barely got to see that.

And good gods, talk about a scarcity of female characters! I am sick and tired of patriarchal empire stories. Another review of this book also mourned the lack of female characters, but with something along the lines of ‘the Sienese empire is just Like That, so it’s understandable’. Sorry, but the Sienese empire is fictional. It’s Like That because Greathouse wrote it that way. Alder never understands the strength of his mother, who remade herself into a feminine and submissive wife in complete contrast to her Nayeni upbringing; he sees this as something shameful when he finally remembers to consider his mother as a person. We get a small handful of warrior-women in Nayen and An-Zabat, but they all have extremely small roles, including Alder’s grandmother. His realisation that the empire is truly messed up happens when he falls in love with a woman – a windcaller – of An-Zabat, which happens almost at once and without any real emotional depth to the relationship, and it’s just so cliched and tired. Presumably the next book, which will most likely be set fully in gender-equel Nayen, will feature more women, but I’m not sticking around to wait for it.

The Hand of the Sun King isn’t outright bad, but it is bland; an Asian-inspired rather than Western-Europe inspired setting is not enough to save it. There are some interesting reveals about the nature of magic at the very end, but they’re not worth the slog through the rest of the book. Alder undergoes impressive character growth, but again, you have to make it through roughly half the book before he starts to develop into not-an-arse. The empire is evil without nuance. The prose is fine but nothing special. The last chunk of the book had me so bored and frustrated, despite the cinematic showdowns and big reveals, that I actually developed a migraine, which is the first time a book has ever done that to me.

I think that’s as clear as it gets: The Hand of the Sun King is not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and JABberwocky Literary Agency for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book started off a little slow to me but grew alongside of its main character into something so beautiful and enthralling. The world-building and magic system are woven into the story and are easy to follow, to picture, and to remember, and I found myself completely engrossed in the pages. That combined with the incredible character development of Wen Alder (the protagonist) who evolves with every turned page made this an enjoyable read.

I really loved, and this may sound weird, how the way the characters spoke seemed to fit the setting they were in. Oftentimes in fantasy/fantasy-esque books written nowadays it feels as though the modern and casual language spoken by the characters is out of place since this genre is usually placed in fictional lands seemingly frozen in time hundreds of years ago. Sometimes that’s a wonderful thing, it can make you connect to characters more and feel as though you could truly become a part of that world. However, I’m grateful that this book took more of a formal path with the way it’s characters speak… it made it feel as though it were written in a time long, long ago where handwritten notes were the best form of long-distance communication and hand-placed cobblestones were the best form of paving. It suited this book so beautifully.

This is a 4 star rating from me. Fast-paced yet coherent, versatile yet consistent.. If you’re looking for a new fantasy novel to read, this is definitely a great option to look into! Will absolutely be reading the books that follow this one, since it will be a series!

Out of all the arcs and debuts I've read this year, The Hand of the Sun King sits very comfortably amongst the best of them.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Gollancz for the opportunity.

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The formula of a told tale of reflection on a protagonist's younger years is not something new, this year, I've read almost two trilogies that had it, and to me personally, The Hand of the Sun King was surprisingly, the one I enjoyed the most. I say surprisingly simply because, one of those trilogies happens to be a high bar of story telling as a whole for so so many people.

In this coming of age story I get to see Alder grow up in a world that is so bound by rules, traditions and duty which is more than enough to create a huge dilemma for my protagonist as he deals with the central idea that "All that glitters is not gold" which puts him in very difficult situations for me to take with him.

Now despite the synopsis stating the differing sides of the war and such, this book is not primarily an action book, but more so about the internal struggles that Alder has to experience and overcome before he gets to know his own place in the world. That to me, was the best aspect of the whole experience because Alder is smart and a bit naive in all the awesome ways I enjoy a protagonist to be, and more importantly, he has this incrediblye thirst for knowledge and greed about the different types of magic in their world that he gets put in a lot of situations that range from interesting to horrible and makes that taken journey so much richer.

The thing that helps make it so is J. T. Greathouse's incredible world and its more than satisfying world building. The world built around the empire and its conquest meant that over the course of the first book, I got to learn so much about the world without feeling like there is anything akin to needless padding about it which comes back to how Alder is built as a character as he is as clueless as the reader to the inner workings of the world outside his small corner of their world. The gradual learning curve here with the expansion of the world is addicting, because it's so rich and distinct for every part of it that I got to see.

From the relationships between families in different cultures, the hierarchy in the court, the naming sense, the examinations, the different positions in the empire, the diverse cultures themselves that really show how huge this empire is, the different gods and how they affect the world and all the way to the different types of magic in the world. The last one was by far the best part of this for me, because like Alder, I love magic and I can be as thirsty for its knowledge when it comes to it, which now that I think about it, is probably why I liked being around Alder a lot. Thankfully, the author is not stingy with the details either, oh no, it was glorious.

Over the course of the book, I got to see three different types of magic while hearing about a fourth and I was so excited that I even pulled out a note to jot down the types, my ideas and what I believed the rules for some of them were before I reached the end and made the necessary addition or changes. The author has Alder go through a long learning journey that extends through years for some parts of this story, and because he's technically connected to more than one side of it, he doesn't necessarily only get to be confined to one area for long which I personally really enjoyed. The intricacy of the systems, while being their own distinct types was fascinating. Seeing their different application was more so and rules was even more so which made it all the more interesting to see how they are used in high stakes situations.

Although I said that the book is not a battle oriented one, it doesn't shy away from battles whenever they are in view if you will and when it comes to magic being infused with it, I was usually left at the edge of my seat just wanting to see more of it all. The author has no qualms about making things difficult for Alder, and the last part of the book shows that there is so much more pain to come moving forward in this journey which I am both looking forward to and a little bit worried as well as based on the events of the last part of the book, the plot is going to be taking a much bigger focus in the sequels.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and while there was a single part of it that I thought could potentially hinder this absolute enjoyment for me, the author literally blindsides me and makes me gasp with what he had planned to do with that situation as a whole which left me pretty awed. Now I do think that this area in particular, might come back to haunt me, but at this point the author has my full trust that he can make it work without issues.

One of the best debuts I've read this year for sure, maybe ever in my reading life and I absolutely can't wait to continue it when I am able because you can rest assured it's going to be a top priority for me!

When I first started this book..I thought wow things are moving fast and sucking me right in. Wren, as a child torn between two differing views on magic, having to figure out at such a young age which family member he should believe.. It was all soo exciting and adventurous. At about one third of the way the action short of stalled for me. It turned into a well developed high fantasy with loads of information but not in a dump it all on you in clunky paragraphs. It was a smooth story that’s still kept me interested enough to keep reading but not in that can’t put it down sort of way. I believe Wrens character developed fairly well throughout the story. His character was definitely believable and relatable. The whole story altogether was interesting, but in no way is this a quick easy read. Think of it as more high fantasy and don’t expect too much action in this first book.

I do look forward to more from this world and do recommend it to those who enjoy a slower fantasy read.