I REALLY enjoyed 'She Who Became the Sun.' It was slow burn, had a lot of world and character building, but did have a dark side.

You need to read book one to get the full experience for 'He Who Drowned the World.' This book follows some familiar characters in a new journey as Zhu sets her sights on becoming Emperor.

This book is brutal. I really appreciated that the author was so forthcoming with trigger warnings, as they are plentiful. Be sure to do yourself a favor and read over them.

Very dark and shocking end to a wonderful series. The tonal shift in this novel is enthralling and at first feels harsh but eventually makes sense.

This sequel to SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN is much darker than the first book. In fact it reminds me of a Chinese version of Game of Thrones, with lots of political machinations, betrayal, blood, torture, and destruction, and ghosts instead of dragons. The characters are very complicated and most of them are not particularly likeable, but there are exceptions that redeem the story in the end. There is plenty of action and plot twists to keep the reader invested, although there's so much death and destruction in the middle that it's hard to keep going. Those who do will be rewarded, but this is not a simple book to read. I think it is worth it, but there were definitely times when I had my doubts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for letting me read this incredible sequel a couple months early. I have been excitedly waiting for the sequel to She Who Became the Sun since I first finished reading the book--especially because I didn't realize it wasn't a stand-alone when I first read the ARC of that one about two years ago. When I saw the sequel was coming soon, I started to telling people I recommended the book to that the sequel would be out soon, so if they wanted to try an interesting "genderqueer historical fiction set in Mongol-ruled China with fantastical elements" it would be a great time to do so because they wouldn't have to wait long for the sequel. I also ran to NetGalley to get my hands on an advanced copy.

Now, I'll admit, it took me a bit to get it into this one, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's been so long since I read the first one. After struggling to even get through the first chapter for a bit, I eventually found a summary of She Who Became the Sun, and once I read that and had a refresh on who all the characters were and what had happened in the plot before, I was ready to go. Once I started to get into the book, it didn't take me long to remember why I'd loved the first one. The characters are all so deliciously complicated. It wasn't odd for me to find myself rooting for a character and wanting them to fail a page later. Zhu, Ouyang, Baoxiang, and Lady Zhang are all trying to carve a place for themselves out of the world, to build a future that they can feel comfortable imagining. And the thing is, I want them to be able to have those futures--I want Zhu to create this bright new world; I want Ouyang to avenge his family; I want Baoxiang to find peace; I want Lady Zhang to find happiness--but I don't like the things they do in order to achieve these ends. It makes me nauseous, it makes me sad, and it's just too raw and real. In short, the characters make me feel a little insane, and I love it.

If you enjoyed She Who Became the Sun, you definitely need to read the sequel. If you haven't picked up the first book yet because the sequel wasn't out and you weren't sure if the duology as a whole would be worth the time, I can assure you they are. In fact, if Shelley Parker-Chan ever decided to continue this world and write more about what comes after He Who Drowned the World, I would not be opposed.

1000/10 Thank you tor books and NetGalley for the ARC. This book dares to answer the question: what if Game of Thrones was a billion times more queer and doesn’t suck at the end? Absolutely loved this sequel. Beautifully written with perfect pacing. It’s been a while since I stayed up super late not wanting to put a book down but this was it.

Note, there are a lot of content warnings with this one including but not limited to: self-harm, rape, domestic violence, existing 600 years before SSRIs were invented

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

In the sequel to She Who Became the Sun, Zhu Yuanzhang is celebrating beating the Mongols, but she wants more. She desires to become emperor. However, there are other players who also desire the throne that might be stronger than Zhu.

This is one that you definitely need to read the first book to understand! However, fans of the first book are sure to love this one!

This one is really explosive and unexpected. Lots of great character building and interaction. Glad for the duology format.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC (as well as the physical ARC) of He Who Drowned the World in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year after reading the first book last year and being absolutely destroyed by it. I fully can’t describe how much the Radiant King duology means to me. He Who Drowned the World is a much darker companion and I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings before reading (Shelley has them listed on their Goodreads account or you can DM me!!).

While She Who Became the Sun (SWBTS) was a story of desire and how one’s world can be shaped by the sheer will of those willing to do what it takes to achieve their means, He Who Drowned the World (HWDTW) was a story of suffering, especially at the hands of those previous desires. Once again this book like its companion, shows the harsh realities of war and violence against oneself and others. Yet, the world is crafted in such a way that you are drawn to it, almost like our characters.

This has some of the best written prose I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. It’s dark, beautiful, and unforgiving. Just when you think things are taking a turn for the better, something horrible happens. It’s immersive, I even felt sick to my stomach at times with just how much suffering our characters go through.

This story truly shows how people who were always destined to lose in their world, took their destiny and changed it by their own force. Our main characters don’t subscribe to any specific gender norms and have on page revelations as they move through their lives.

HWDTW is a worthy follow-up and finisher to this series. One of the things I love most about duologies is that it cuts out the unnecessary slump that trilogies often suffer from. This book was a knife to the throat from the get-go and I feel really lucky that I was able to read this early. To end the review, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:

“I claim my place…and if the pattern of the world refuses to let that place exist, I will change it”.

Sequels tend to be rather disapointing or just plainly mediocre. But that did not happen with this book; dare I say I liked it more than "She Who Became The Sun". Since it had to with war, especially its most cruelest parts, it was hard to read at times, especially to see the outcome of some of the characters and how their decisions have specific outcomes.

Character-wise, we are spectators of their growth and their development, for better or for worse. Zhu was probably the character who changed the most, which is natural since they are the MC, but at times I questioned their decisions. Just because they wanted to fullfill their destiny, which is completely understandable, given their tragic past, but at times I thought that they didn't even think of the repercussions of their arctions. On the ohter hand, even though they made calculated decisions, they most of the times hurt others loyal to them. Nonetheless, they weren't overwhelmed by grief when it engulfed them; instead they pushed through, like a true leader.

My second favorite character, for whom I had mixed feelings for in the fisrt book, was definitely Ouyang. After Esen's death, he was completely distraught, and as it is mentioned in the book "Since Esens's death there was never a moment without pain". He's second-guessing his past actions, something that it's defintely a new side of him, since we saw him being sure of himself. He comes closer to Zhu, becomes their ally, and then he feels betrayed by them. And I was devastated seeing his end, because General Ouyang deserved better.

I could literally talk about hours for this book, but in general, thank you Shelley Parker-Chan for the trauma. Definitely read it, the publication date is on August 22! Thank you NeGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Brutal, bloodthirsty and absolutely brilliant !
Zhu might have started out with nothing but she’s come a long way not only to have something but to be someone and now she faces her greatest challenge but she knows she cannot do it alone. Zhu does make hard decisions but trust me those around her are frequently capable of vile, treacherous acts that will sicken even the hardest stomach.
The plot is an epic one , full of vile characters, perversions and just downright awful people capable of terrible deeds in order to stamp on others less fortunate. Yet it’s amazing how the author grips her audience because honestly it’s a story that just pulled me in. Greed, political machinations, power hungry characters all feature but it’s the sheer depravity that shocks and as crazy as this sounds it’s compelling and absolutely fascinating.
Yet ironically it’s the characters that just rise up in the readers mind demanding attention. Ok I admit Zhu is our “heroic” protagonist but even she is morally ambiguous but pit her against a twisted heartbroken brother (or two!) or set her a seemingly impossible challenge and she just comes through . A society that definitely needs a shake up , a story of love lost and sometimes willingly thrown away but most of all a story I will not forget .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Truly a masterpiece of a duology. The plot and characters made the story move fast and kept me on my toes. The pain each character felt rationalized their actions and made for great character depth and character interaction. If you had any doubts don’t and read this book.

I was physically incapable of putting this one down. I was mad when I had to do other stuff besides read it. This is an absolutely stunning follow-up to its predecessor, but you definitely have to be in the right mindset to read it - there is so! much! pain! That's what the entire book is about - pain, and what it does to people. But such a satisfying ending for almost everyone (except for Ouyang, no spoilers but OH OUCH MY HEART!!! MY ACTUAL HEART).

Shelley Parker-Chan utterly knocks it out of the park with this phenomenal sequel to 'He Who Became the Sun'. This fantastic queer fantasy historical book takes the themes, ideas and characters of the first book and somehow brings them to an even richer, deeper place. I'm beyond excited for more people to have the chance to pick this book up.
I will suggest to readers that they look up content warnings for the story before reading, like many similar books depicting times of warfare there may be scenes that are upsetting to some readers in particular the attitudes of men towards women. This is definitely something treated as a bad thing by the text but assess your own comfort level before reading.
My favourite aspect of this story was the exploration of gender. Those who have read book one will know it doesn't shy away from the nuances and complexities of the gender spectrum and this book is no different. In this instance I appreciated seeing more characters grappling with the rigidity of the societal construct and it was fascinating to draw parallels between characters that I wouldn't have considered particularly similar to one another. I now have to go back and reread book one to see if those similarities were there beforehand too.
I cannot comment on the more historical aspects of this story as I do not know this period well enough but, like book one, this book did make me want to learn more about the period which is always a sign of a good historical (inspired) book to me.
The complication of a history-based story is that it never feels like it ends - because history of course does not actually have clear delineations of when things start and end - so I found myself entirely ready for another book despite the fact that this is a duology. I personally don't see that as a negative, always leave them wanting more, but some who prefer a strong sense of closure may want to bear that in mind.
Overall I would not only recommend this book to those who enjoyed book one, I would also use the fact that it is just as exceptional as book one to persuade all those who have yet to get to 'She Who Became the Sun' to pop off to the bookshop and grab themselves a copy today!
My rating: 4 stars
I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

This was a much darker read than book one. It meant I took a bit longer to read it as I had to pause at times. Still incredibly well written and four stars.

This was an excellent follow-up to She Who Became the Sun. I wish I had been able to read them back-to-back, but I did not re-read the first book before starting this one. Nevertheless, I feel like this book refreshed me well enough on the important events of the first book. We pick back up with our characters who are seeking their destinies, all of whom are seemingly willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. As a reader I continually and naively hoped that the characters wouldn't do the supposedly necessary things that they had committed to, but I knew that of course they were going to. The conflicts were weighty, the tragedies were heart-rending, and the ending of the duology was fitting and satisfying.

She Who Became The Sun is one of my favorite books ever. It was a delightful surprise so I'm very happy that the second installment in the duology is equally fantastic. All the stars!

Wow. I'm not even sure where to begin. I am a huge fan of She Who Became the Sun and had no idea if the sequel could live up to it. It does. Building on the dramatic, historical story of the first book, He Who Drowned the World is an incredibly compelling sequel that should not be missed. This story is filled with a wide range of characters, all with different motivations, gender identities, backgrounds, and desires. Having such a wide range of characters helps make the story feel incredibly real and compelling. Somehow Shelley Parker-Chan manages to weave together a vast array of stories that, without spoiling anything, all tie together in the end. I would highly recommend He Who Drowned the World to anyone who enjoyed the first book. It is a unique, and often dark, take on history that has a good blend of interesting characters and a highly compelling plot. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for providing me with an ARC.

I really loved She Who Became the Sun, but He Who Drowned the World manages to outpace the first novel with an expanded POV cast, a tighter emotional core, and all the politicking and genderqueer dynamics that made the first novel so unique. This novel MOVES! Whether it's from one battle to the next, the conquering of a territory, or the heart-wrenching betrayal, Parker-Chan never lets up on the throttle. I suppose that's the nice thing about a duology: you can cut the fat on the middle book of a trilogy.

Zhu, Ouyang, and Wang Baoxiang all return with a few added characters to round out the cast from the first novel. Where new characters are added, their perspectives may seem at first to be at a remove from the rest of the goings-on, but rest assured that they're all neatly tied together towards the novel's end. There were many twists and turns throughout the story, but what made them land so effectively was the bleeding heart at the centre of each betrayal. Parker-Chan writes the internal emotional states of the characters with real resonance, even if it does dovetail into melodrama that's a touch too rich for me at times.

Here too is the rich and nuanced portrayal of gender fluidity, sexuality, and identity. As a cis-gendered white man I'm not the best person to say that a novel is representative, but what I appreciate here is the lived experience of the characters who struggle with social norms, expectations, and still manage to thrive or despair depending on the character. Zhu in particular manages to inhabit a world that is neither entirely male or female and succeed in part because of that distinction. I read most often to see a world and internal world that isn't my own, to broaden my horizons. In that sense, the novel succeeds immensely, but to someone struggling with their identity I think that this type of book will resonate.

Though I'm sad to see the end of this series, I'm totally on-board for whatever comes next from Parker-Chan. I exchanged a few messages with the author (so cool!) while reading the novel and I'm excited to see what they do with a a story that doesn't feel so bleak. With that said, while the novel is quite dark, it ends on a high and inspirational note. If you know your history, you already know where the story will end, but the journey is well worth the experience.

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel.

I must first start by thanking NetGalley as well as Tor books for my eArc in exchange for my honest review.
Mesmerizing! Full of conflict, drive, and sacrifice. Though I enjoyed the first book more, I cannot wait to get to the conclusion. A wonderful epic story that is worth every page you read.