The intricate plot pays off, and the characters are multifaceted. Ultimately, the story underscores the importance of self-acceptance and the damaging effects of societal rejection and self-hate, particularly regarding gender identity. It powerfully portrays how internalized bigotry can wreak havoc on individuals and society.

This is what sequels are all about. Shelley Parker Chan returns and He Who Drowned the World is an epic continuation of what she began. It's one of the best stories in modern fantasy.

A breathtaking, sweeping historical drama with stunning characterization. He Who Drowned the World is a worthy follow-up to the first book in the series, and a fitting conclusion to the often-tragic journeys of its clashing protagonists.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Shelley Parker Chan really knows what they're doing. This historical duology is amazing. I am already reeling from He Who Drowned the World. The twists and turns Chan takes are so unexpected, but so refreshing. There were moments I never saw coming (which says something in a historical retelling).

Chan knows their history, but also knows how to make complex characters. The three main protagonists of this book are handled so deftly, moving throughout their machinations. There are moments when you almost want one to win, or one to finally realize their failings, but Chan does such a good job at knowing that they are human at the end of the day.

This book is an epic fantasy of an amazing caliber. I truly had to soak in the writing at all times while reading it. I will admit that it took me far longer than I expected to read it, but I was happy to let it slowly consume my life as I wove throughout the tale.

If there was any negative feedback, I would say that it was sorely lacking one of the best characters from the novel in any main position, and that was disappointing considering it was one of the only other women who was a main character. It was sad to not see her as often as I would like.

The first book was a very good read. I loved the politics, history, and exploration of gender and identity that the book dived into. The sequel felt a bit lacking in some departments. I wasn't as attached to the characters and the political goings-on like I was in the first. I think that most would enjoy this sequel for what it is but I just didn't mesh with it as much as the first.

DNF @ 16% - I absolutely LOVED ‘she who became the sun' but found myself not at all engaged with the characters and story in HWDTW. SPC's writing is absolutely incredible and I love the worlds they seek to build, this book just did not deliver for me and that's entirely personal. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

This was, unfortunately, a DNF from me. The previous book was not my favorite, but I was engaged by Parker-Chan's exploration of gender and sexuality in a low-magic alternative version of Ancient China. I just never felt like the characters rang true, and they ultimately felt like pawns in service to the themes and plot rather than fully fledged people. I picked up this second book excited to see what else Parker-Chan had to say, and it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. I know there are many readers that love this book, but it just didn't pop for me.

He Who Drowned the World concludes The Radiant Emperor duology that began with She Who Became the Sun. The first book was so brilliant that when it came time to read the sequel, I postponed it for months in fear that it wouldn’t live up to the first. I shouldn’t have worried.

In the second book, Zhu Chongba, the orphan girl turned a boy monk who assumed her brother’s destiny along with his name and gender, has become the Radiant King, Zhu Yuanzhang. But she has a long way to go to defeat the Mongols and becoming the emperor. She has the Heavenly Mandate, but she isn’t the only one and the fight for the throne is fierce.

A battle after a battle follows. Zhu Yuanzhang is outnumbered, but she is resourceful and she has an unexpected—and unwilling—ally, the eunuch general Ouyang who is driven by his need to revenge his father and kill the Great Khan. The two are mirrors of each other, in their destinies and the perceived wrongness of their bodies, but only Zhu is willing to accept it.

The journey to the throne is difficult and unexpected. The death of the Great Khan isn’t what Ouyang imagined, and the Great Khan Zhu has to face isn’t who she thought he would be either. But after all the death and sacrifices, after believing she would do anything for her destiny, Zhu learns in the end that there is a sacrifice she isn’t willing to make.

This was a great book. It’s heavy on war campaigns and court intrigue, which aren’t my favourites, but the attention is always on the characters, which makes everything interesting. The contenders for the throne aren’t nice people and some of their fates are well-deserved, but the reader still feels sympathy for them. And after disliking Ma in the first book, she rose to be my favourite.

Nevertheless, this wasn’t the mind-blowing experience of the first book. Zhu Yuanzhang has assumed her role as a man so thoroughly it doesn’t cause any internal problems for her, not even when she has to pretend to be a woman. She even thinks of herself as her unlike in the first book.

But she isn’t quite as single-minded as in the first book either, driven by fear of being found out. She grows with her experiences, and learns to question the sacrifices and her destiny, which culminates in the perfect final scene. Had it gone any other way, I would’ve been seriously disappointed. Now I can imagine that as the first emperor of the Ming dynasty she would’ve been both fierce and compassionate.

“But if you were determined to want the impossible, there was a better way to get it. Zhu thought with amused defiance: Change the world, and make it possible.”

Thank you as always to Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for providing my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ll start by saying that “She Who Became The Sun” is my favorite book, and nothing will change that, this is with a heavy heart that I give this book a low rating.
The first 30% of Drowned are amazing it's afterwards that things start to go wrong.
I spent the whole book gaslighting myself into thinking I liked it but if I’m real with myself I didn’t have a fun reading experience.

It's not you, it's me? This book is not bad, the writing is still immaculate, the trajectory of the plot makes sense, and the characters have evolved in a way that matches their personalities.
But I didn’t find the greatness, the divine, the big confrontational war that characterizes book 1.
Everything happens with spy missions and important character-changing decisions/actions are not developed which gives a hushed and flat tone to the narrative in every POV.
If I have a word for this book it would be « anti-climatic ».

I’m disappointed that we saw almost nothing of Ma, the way book 1 ended set her to be a big decision-maker for the future of the kingdom and in Zhu’s handle of the war. She was barely here… Ma stopped functioning as a moral check, Zhu just did what she wanted.

Also, this book is more graphic and gore. In my opinion for no reason. I could have done without the repeated self-harm scenes.

"He Who Drowned the World" by Shelley Parker-Chan is the sequel to "She Who Became the Sun" and the final book in "The Radiant Emperor" duology. The book picks up shortly after the events of the first book with the newly renamed Zhu Yuanzhang exultant as the Radiant King. However, Zhu's ambitions don't stop there and are now fixed firmly on the emperor's throne together with other ambitious players. Meanwhile, her old enemy the haunted eunuch Ouyang may be the key ally to achieving her ambitions, but is Zhu willing to pay the price?

This is a powerful finale to the duology with an enormous amount of character development that builds on the very firm setting of the first book. The first book was an incredible novel exploring motivations like unfettered ambition and revenge, with the characters making decisions often seemingly against their own interests to pursue their ultimate goals. This book is a significant gear shift, and the decisions that the characters made in the first book begin to catch up on them. Zhu's cheerful certainty against all odds, however, remains infectious. I also really enjoyed the character Wang Baoxiang who was equal parts pitiful and brilliant, and also willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

I really enjoyed this book and that it took the characters in a different direction, however it didn't always have the same punchiness and surprises of the first book. I also felt that sex in this book was treated in a very challenging way: never for mutual enjoyment or love, but always either transactional or non-consensual.

A strong finish to the duology with great character development, if not quite as spectacular as the first.

This book was a difficult one for me. I enjoyed the first book and was really looking forward to the second one. I liked the plot, the world of the story, and how I could never predict what was going to happen next. And of course, I loved Zhu as a character. and her character arc. What didn’t work for me was several of the other characters and some of their emotional descriptions. There was a lot of telling as opposed to showing. At one point, I thought it was just me, but after reading the word “pain” several times on the same page, I searched how many times it was used in the book. It was used 301 times. There were lots of other words used over and over again (i.e. hurt, hate, desire, pleasure, fear, anger, etc.) when characters were expressing their feelings that made the writing a little dry and repetitive for me, to the point where it distracted from the story. It also made some of the character POV’s come across as one-dimensional.

While, this book didn’t completely work for me, I am still glad I read it. It was a cohesive story overall, and I appreciated the ending.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting my acces to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I unfortunately didn't get around to this one prior to publication, so read the completed physical copy instead.
Unfortunately, this one was a bit of a letdown for me after falling head over heels for the first one.
I can now understand so of the difficulties people were having at connecting with book 1. I didn't have any of those in book 1 but definitely had a harder time with its sequel.
Part of it is a greater amount of pages being dedicated to a character I personally didn't like reading from all that much. Therefore those chapters would always slow down my pacing.
However, in general I feel like I just wasn't as engaged and didn't feel as great of a need to keep on reading as I had previously.
The book did have it's moments definitely. There is a whole section where the book was yoyo'ing with my emotions, which can be bothersome, but I actually appreciated it was able to get such a strong investment out of me in that section.

"He Who Drowned The World" is a tour de force that earns every one of its five stars. Building upon the brilliance of its predecessor, "She Who Became the Sun," this novel catapults the reader into an exhilarating narrative filled with expanded perspectives, a tightly woven emotional core, and the intricate interplay of politicking and genderqueer dynamics.

Parker-Chan's storytelling prowess is on full display as the plot hurtles from one captivating battle to another, navigating territorial conquests and heart-wrenching betrayals without ever easing up on the throttle. The duology format proves its worth, allowing the narrative to maintain a relentless pace while avoiding the pitfalls that often plague the middle books of trilogies.

The return of beloved characters like Zhu, Ouyang, and Wang Baoxiang, along with the introduction of new and equally compelling additions, ensures a well-rounded and engaging ensemble. Initial perspectives that may seem distant seamlessly converge towards the novel's conclusion, delivering a satisfying narrative cohesion.

Twists and turns abound in the story, each one landing with profound impact thanks to the bleeding heart at the center of every betrayal. Parker-Chan excels at crafting the internal emotional states of characters, although occasionally verging on rich melodrama. Yet, this emotional intensity only serves to deepen the connection to the characters and their struggles.

In bidding farewell to this series, there is a tinge of sadness, but the prospect of what comes next from Parker-Chan leaves me eagerly anticipating more literary brilliance.

An alternate history of the founding of the Ming dynasty, He Who Drowned the World shifts between four tragically ambitious figures willing to pay any price to materialize their destiny, whether that’s revenge on the empire or crowning themselves the ruler of it. They pursue these goals with unshakeable inertia, doing endlessly cruel and sadistic actions with only the occasional doubts as to whether happiness could be possible if they chose a different path.

This is a relentlessly brutal sequel, and there’s a hopelessness that weighs heavy throughout the book. But Parker-Chan’s penetrating ability to bring empathy and nuance into even the darkest corners of humanity sparks an undeniable connection with these characters, whose self-destructive natures would otherwise be too hard to bear witness to. He Who Drowned the World is a dark and difficult read, yet Parker-Chan’s prose is so brilliant, her character work so complex, that I still found myself sad to leave this world behind.

On the heels of She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World is epic! The intricate plotting and story writing of Parker-Chan is impressive. If you yearned for more of the strategy, empowerment, and sexual exploration at the end of Book 1, Book 2 definitely delivers on all fronts.
It takes historical fantasy to a higher level with complex power moves and character building. Loved this series and sad it's over.

I recommend the audiobook format to enjoy this read as the narrator is fantastic.

A really great conclusion to an amazing duology. The writing is very clear and descriptive and the plot progression is well paced. The themes in this series and the use of contrasting elements and its relation to history is just so well done. These books are a new all-time favourite of mine and I'm looking forward to whatever Shelly Parker-Chan writes next.

In this sequel, the intricate alliances and conflicts between the various characters add layers of depth to the narrative. Parker-Chan deftly explores the similarities between Zhu and Ouyang, portraying them as two sides of the same coin living outside societal gender norms. The journey of self-discovery, freedom, and the struggles faced by these characters resonates with a nuanced portrayal of queerness. The narrative takes unexpected turns, offering a mix of brutality and sensuality that sets this series apart, promising an unapologetic exploration of the queer aspects of queerness. In its entirety, He Who Drowned the World not only lives up to the intensity of its predecessor but exceeds expectations, making it a remarkable and recommended read.

4.5 stars

He Who Drowned the World is a heart-wrenching study of grief, power, and pain that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the first page.

Shelley Parker-Chan is a master of making me sympathize with vicious characters. Both Zhu and Ouyang return as main POV characters in this installment. I love that we got to see more of them together in this book. Their banter was so entertaining and they played off of each other really well. Their perspectives on each other provide valuable insight into their characters. Ouyang’s character arc in this book made me incredibly emotional.

Baoxiang’s POV was a terrifying and fascinating addition. I love how his presence in the capital added some court politics to the story. His subtle scheming provided an interesting foil to Zhu and Ouyang’s military campaign. He is such a complicated character to read from. As the reader you want to be able to sympathize with him, especially as you uncover the depth of his pain and rage. But we encounter his POV at the point where he has been drowned by his grief and pain so you can never truly root for him even as your heart breaks.

I love how the three storylines wove together. Witnessing ripples of one character’s actions brush against the POVs of other characters created the perfect amount of tension and suspense. All of the characters in this book are rich and complex providing unique perspectives on how pain, power, and grief can change a person.

He Who Drowned the World is a phenomenal sequel and, overall, an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the duology. For 80% of the book, I was certain I would give this five stars, however, two moments towards the end left me feeling conflicted.

This is a book about war and vicious people doing whatever it takes to claim their fate, therefore, I do not think it is a spoiler to say that characters die. However, there are two deaths in this book that just did not have the weight and impact I expected them to have. When I read the scenes I felt like I had been robbed of certain interactions or developments that I had been waiting for. And in a way it works. This feeling of missing out on something reflects the fact that lives are being ended prematurely in these scenes. But as the reader, I feel a bit unsatisfied. Moments that happen in the last part do work towards providing a more satisfying ending.

I cannot believe that I am saying this, but I almost think that this duology should have been a trilogy. I say this because the ONLY part of He Who Drowned the World that I did not like was the last 80 pages (basically all of part three). Both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World have relatively slow pacing as the characters arrange pieces to enact their complicated plans. In contrast, part three of HWDTW moves at a breakneck speed as we see a new plan formed and executed and characters going from strangers to close. Because of this I honestly think the last 80 pages of this book would have made a thrilling third book. The beginning of part three has a line that would have been the perfect cliffhanger ending to this book (I don't know why I would want that but it would have been awesome). Obviously, there would need to be a lot more content added to develop 80 pages into an entire book. But, additional scenes and a slower timeline honestly would have made Zhu’s final plan a lot more believable to me.

Getting into the specifics of what I think could have happened would involve a lot of spoilers. But to be vague I have two main complaints with part three. First, it relies almost entirely on a character that was basically absent from this book and is barely even mentioned outside of the few scenes they appear in. They may be an established character in the duology but I personally think it was a strange shift for them to suddenly be incredibly important at the very end. Second, the ending relies on a bond formed between two characters that felt unbelievably rushed—especially considering who one of the characters is. I would have loved to see this bond built up over an entire book and it would have made the ending even more emotional.

It was unfortunate that a book I was loving so much didn’t quite stick the landing. But at the end of the day, this is 80 pages of a 500-page book and it barely impacted my enjoyment. Overall, I think this is a phenomenal conclusion to the duology.

Reviewed on my blog:

The follow-up to Parker-Chan's excellent debut She Who Became the Sun, a fantasized fictionalization of the overthrow of the Mongol rule of China and rise to power of the first Ming emperor, continues very much in the vein of the previous novel. Peasant girl turned gender-bending monk turned rebel general Zhu Chongba—now styling herself Zhu Yuanzhang—continues her press towards the Mongol capital, her rise fueled both by a keen strategic mind and an unwavering belief in her own destiny. Unlike the previous volume, however, Zhu takes a step back in the second half of her story, ceding center stage to two other characters from the first novel. Eunuch general Ouyang, whose decades-long quest for revenge came to fruition in the previous novel when he destroyed the Mongol family who had killed his father and brothers, is on his way to the capital, planning to complete his revenge by killing the emperor. Wang Baoxiang, the last surviving member of the same family, also makes his way to the capital, allegedly to take up an administrative post, but really to set in motion a clandestine plan to claim the throne for himself.
The three characters end up in shifting configurations of alliance and enmity as the race for the throne nears its climax. But the shift in protagonist duty also changes the novel's tone. Zhu's matter-of-fact narrative voice, which regards with equal equanimity the magnitude of the task she has set herself and the overwhelming odds she frequently finds herself facing—and then disarming with increasingly involved and entertaining schemes—gives way to the high melodrama of Ouyang and Baoxiang's stories. Both men are tormented by the roles they played in the betrayal and death of Esen, Baoxiang's brother and Ouyang's best friend (with whom he was also in love), and have resolved on their current courses of action as a form of self-destruction. Ouyang intends to die as soon as he kills the emperor, while Baoxiang conceives of his plan as a form of psychic suicide, destroying everything good about himself in the hope of drowning out his guilt. The result is clearly rooted in the Chinese historical soap operas that have inspired this entire duology, but even readers less embedded in that genre will appreciate the effectiveness of Parker-Chan's character work. Without ignoring either character's overwrought self-pity, or the horrific acts they commit in pursuit of their goals, they make you feel how trapped both men are by pain and guilt.

As in She Who Became the Sun, the key to this retelling of the story is gender, both the damage caused by rigid gender roles, and the opportunities offered by queering gender and sexuality. At the root of Ouyang and Baoxiang's emotional turmoil is both men's failure to embody perfect masculinity—the one because of his mutilation; the other because of his scholarly interests and flamboyant personal style—and the hostility and violence they've encountered in response. Even characters who embody gender perfectly, however, are frustrated by the results. A new point of view character, Madame Zhang, plays the demure, self-abnegating wife while cannily advancing the careers of a succession of male partners, only to have them discard her once the power she secured for them is in their hands. Relationships often defy clear-cut definitions. Despite not being attracted to men, Baoxiang decides to play up to the public perception of him by seducing the emperor's son, and discovers an unexpectedly meaningful bond; Ouyang and Zhu briefly forge a powerful, albeit nonsexual, intimacy. In the end, however, most characters in the novel are defeated by social expectations, by their own self-loathing at being unable to live up to them, and by a system designed to benefit only a select few. Only Zhu, who fully integrated her fluid gender identity in the previous book, is able to nimbly evade the traps of gender that constrain every other character, playing up her femininity in one moment, her masculinity in another, in a way that maximizes her power and opportunities.

Most of these ideas about gender and queerness, however, were explored already in the previous volume. If He Who Drowned the World adds something on the thematic front, it might be the debate between Zhu and her wife Ma Xiuying over where to draw the line in her ruthless pursuit of power. The various factions in the novel are stunningly cavalier about violence and collateral damage—Baoxiang betrays those who trust him to their deaths, Ouyang is utterly indifferent to the death and suffering of his soldiers, Zhu's strategizing allows for everything from the sacrifice of allies to arson in a crowded city, and that's before you even get to the villains. Ma and Zhu spend much of the novel discussing the necessity of these choices. Is it possible to go too far in pursuit of one's destiny? Is it possible to hold back in an all-or-nothing conflict? Ultimately, however, this debate is unconvincing. It allows for satisfying conclusions to Ouyang and Baoxiang's stories, but only because we always knew that they weren't going to be the winners in this particular game of thrones. Zhu, whose story is about rejecting the path laid out for her, was nevertheless always aiming to take over the system, not change it, and the suggestion at the end of the novel that she might do so feels rather flimsy (especially if you read about the character's historical inspiration). Happily, Parker-Chan remains a skilled and effective storyteller, and despite this wobble at the end, both the plot and characters make He Who Drowned the World an engrossing read, and a worthy conclusion to the previous volume.