4.5 stars

In the sequel and conclusion to She Who Became The Sun, more forces than ever are vying for control of the empire. The eunuch General Ouyang is struggling to keep command of his army and is driven to harm himself. Zhu is intent on destroying others who would take the throne for themselves. Baoxiang is infiltrating the empire, not through military force, but by pretending to be its loyal servant and pulling threads from within.

This series is such an impressive debut. If the first book was about suffering and then grabbing power because of it, this book is about grabbing power and suffering for it. We follow so many depraved characters willing to do whatever they believe they need to secure their power - and everyone goes about it in different ways. Not only that, but they all have parts of them that humanize them, making you empathize with their struggles... and they turn around and commit war crimes. For example, Madam Zhang does some horrible things, but she also severely dissociates from her body because of the sexual and physical violence done against her; then she in turn puts herself in those positions to get hurt again because she sees that as her only way to establish power - with her body. All of these characters are so well-fleshed out and dark and thoughtful in their own ways. Each sentence they say or movement they make has several layers of thought behind it. The discussions around gender and sexuality and the performance of each were so thoroughly and expertly explored. The book is well-plotted and -paced, with lots of violence and hatred and tragedy: Parker-Chan does not pull any punches. Still, I would have liked to see more from Zhu's perspective proportionately. The shift away from her made it feel less personal, or maybe less tied to the first book. That also meant that my favorite character, Ma, got very little screen time. I also would've liked to see somewhat of an epilogue, especially because Zhu is based on a real-life historical figure.

Overall, this series promises a long and celebrated career to come for Parker-Chan. The unnumbered layers of this story make me so excited for their books to come!

Shelley Parker-Chan concludes her fantastical account of the meteoric rise of Zhu Yuanzhang in He Who Drowned the World. (The first book of the duology is She Who Became the Sun.) In Parker-Chan’s version of events, Zhu is the unloved daughter of a poor farming family who “stole” her brother’s fate after the death of all her relatives. In disguise as a boy, Zhu badgered a monastery into feeding and teaching her until they were destroyed by agents of the Yuan Dynasty. That didn’t stop the driven Zhu: she manages to fight her way to the top of a rebel army. In this concluding volume, we see Zhu’s audacity in full force as she battles the Yuan Emperor and everyone else who claims to hold the Mandate of Heaven.

Where She Who Became the Sun is a story of survival at all costs, He Who Drowned the World is more reflective (albeit bloody). We rejoin Zhu, at the head of the Red Turbans with her beloved wife Ma Xiuying, in the middle of a four-way war. Not only is she facing the Emperor’s Mongol army, she also has to find ways to ally with or defeat the army of Ouyang, a tortured eunuch formerly in the service of the Mongol ruling class, and the army of Madam Zhang, a scheming woman who uses the men in her life like chess pieces. Much of He Who Drowned the World contains reimaginings of real battles or political machinations as all the parties jockey for any advantage. Over the course of the first half, Zhu learns that she has a hidden enemy in the form of the black-hearted Wang Biaoxiang, who also wants to sit on the Great Khan’s throne.

As Zhu draws closer to her goal, the emotional stakes rise. In the first half of the story, in She Who Became the Sun, Zhu didn’t spend much time thinking about anything other than her ultimate goal of seizing power. She would fight and kill, if need be, but she never hesitated. Machiavelli isn’t around in Zhu’s world to declare that the ends justify the means but as Zhu starts to see the terrible cost of what greatness and power demand, Zhu starts to wonder about the means she’s been using. She also has opportunities to see how the unrelenting desire for revenge is eating her competition alive. And yet, how can she go back? There will be no mercy for anyone in her army, for her wife, or for herself. Zhu also holds the Mandate of Heaven and plenty of ideas about how to rule China with more justice than the Yuan ever did.

The last quarter of He Who Drowned the World puzzled me a bit. It has an entirely different atmosphere and pace compared to the first three-quarters. I don’t want to ruin anything that happens in this incredible duology but I want to register how abrupt I found the shift. I wish that the transition from battles and scheming to high emotional drama had been more than the textual equivalent of a smash cut. Other than this jarring left turn, I really enjoyed She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World. I loved what Parker-Chan did with Chinese history, bringing it to life with psychologically rich characters and beautifully described, highly detailed settings.

I’m glad to see more Asian-inspired stories appearing in the United States; I feel like my horizons have broadened to include to many more plots and characters to explore. I hope to see more in the future from Parker-Chan.

He who drowned the sun was one of my most anticipated release of the year and I was worried that it wouldn’t hit the mark for me. It did take me a while to get back into, as the pacing was a bit slower to start with. but thankfully, the last 40% or so was explosive and heartbreaking.

We get more different character perspectives in He who drowned the sun, as well as our beloved Zhu and Ouyang. I could not believe how brutal and gut wrenching some of the scene were. Xu da! I wanted to cry. The emotional understanding of the characters is a big part of this book.

The ending though…It just seemed to stop abruptly. I wanted more. This is one of those rare occasion an epilogue would have worked well as I really don’t think that ending didn’t come with more hardship on staying on the throne. Maybe I just didn’t want to leave yet.

Overall a satisfying ending to this fantastic duology steeped in Chinese history. 4.25 stars

Content warnings include: self-harm, suicidal ideation, marital rape, pregnancy loss, drowning, death (young teen), homophobia, ableist language.

I seriously have no words for this He Who Drowned the World. It was one of my most anticipated, so I went in with a little bit of pressure resting on my shoulders. I think that mindset definitely led me to the mini slump I experienced with this book, but once I was over the hump that was 50%, it was smooth sailing.

Because I only want to talk about the best parts of this novel, I'll be skipping to the 50% mark and onward. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

The level of cutthroat that Shelley Parker-Chan wrote within this book was akin to the A Song of Ice and Fire series as well as the Greenbone Saga. No one was safe, and while I expected certain deaths for sure, others left me gaping like a fish.

Ever since the first book She Who Became the Sun, I knew Xu Da would not finish alive. He was the most constant and stable force for Zhu throughout her life so far, so in the thralls of war, his death was inevitable. I honestly was more surprised by the fact that he essentially kept coming back to life and didn't die sooner. He was the original ally of Zhu's, so his unwavering loyalty even in drowning was terrifying and unthinkable. I certainly cried for him. His death marked an important change for Zhu because she feels for the first time her true lack of invincibility. Yes, she's lost her arm and nearly died. Yes, her army retreats. But she has not felt the true impact of loss, specifically from her true loved ones. Her negativity and grief were key moments, and it brought back her humanity in a wave of emotions (context: all of her scheming and murdering (child emperor specifically)).

Ouyang on the other hand was the complete opposite of Xu Da. Does his death make sense? Yes, it actually feels like I should've expected it, but I was so caught up in his POV and motivations that I didn't see where his story would lead. His only ending was death. He has zero peace by the end because he has murdered the Great Khan, but in doing so, he feels empty. Not to mention short after, he realizes his father has actually been alive the whole time, which is the worst possible revelation because he didn't need to murder ANYONE. The cameras cut to Esen. I don't think I ever felt more stunned in a scene than that. I couldn't process—much like Ouyang—and he died right after learning this.

Both of these deaths happen in a very short time frame, maybe 50ish pages or less. It IS the moment Shelley was building towards. The moment that will be ingrained in readers' minds. I do not think Zhu would have gotten to the ending she had without these two deaths and their implications for the country. It led to the ending where Zhu does not choose violence but rather shows mercy to the new Great Khan. My favorite line of the entire duology is: "But how can I make a new world if my first act within it is simply a continuation of the old? If this is to be a new beginning—I have to choose a new way to begin."

Wang Baoxiang was the surprise POV I never expected. His journey in betraying his brother Esen to working for the Great Khan to ultimately taking the mantle as the next Great Khan due to his schemings. I've always thought Ouyang and Zhu were the main foils of this duology, but Baoxiang vs Zhu or Baoxiang vs Ouyang became all that I thought about. Baoxiang reflects both of their journeys in completely different ways, but he always chooses pain, grief, and cunning. He's been hurt so much throughout his life that he wants to see the world and his foes specifically burn for it. His jealousy of Ouyang was heart wrenching to read, and his underestimating sense for Zhu led to his downfall. Those final 50 pages where Zhu and Ma are in the palace were some of the msot tense and emotional scenes of this entire duology. Honestly, as soon as the palace setting reappears (Ouyang's "retribution"/ death and onward basically), this book could not be put down. Those pages alone are top tier literature. They have gone down in my brain as some of the best political and human experiences in a fantasy novel that I have ever read. I'm still reeling from it.

Side note: At first, I was very disappointed in this book for removing Ma's POV chapters for the initial 80%, and while I still believe in that critique because she's hands down one of the best characters (such few page-time until the end), it was worth the wait to see her in action in the palace. Her decision to trust Zhu and become a mistress to Baoxiang single handedly made me feel an immense amount of anxiety and stress. Now I knew she survived in the sense that historically she is Zhu's empress, but at this point, much of the history is different, so I didn't know what to expect. Ma's intimacy and bedroom scenes with Baoxiang actually made me feel empathy for him. I was cursing his name up until those moments, and within mere pages, I was emotional. She brought this book to the epic conclusion it needed. Zhu is hardly a figure until that final chapter because Ma stole the absolute show. When Ma murders for the first time in her life, my mind trailed back to Xu Da. They both sacrificed their beliefs and humanity in a sense to get Zhu to this point. Their loyalty knows no bounds. A reminder that with power comes grief and loss.

Overall, the first 50% being slow becomes almost meaningless to me after the phenomenal last 50%. It still doesn't feel real to me that its over or that that was the ending for Zhu's quest for power.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content warnings provided by the author: self-harm, suicidal ideation, marital rape, pregnancy loss, drowning, torture (not overly graphic), child harm and death (young teen), internalised homophobia, ableist language.

I was so excited and also very nervous to pick up He Who Drowned the World?? I loved loved loved the previous book and was afraid this sequel wasn’t going to measure up, but Shelley Parker-Chan did such amazing things with this novel that all I want to do is lie down in a puddle of my own feelings.

The writing here made it so damn easy for me to get back into the world. There was such a sense of familiarity in Zhu’s perspective and I appreciated so much that the feelings of tension and danger where there right from the get go. Zhu went through quite a bit here and it was so interesting, from a character development point, to read about her journey as she went after what she wanted.

The other point of view characters were also so well written! I usually end up disliking at least one POV, but that didn’t happen here at all. Shelley Parker-Chan used each character expertly and all of them brought weight and complexity to the plot.

There were a few sad and heartbreaking moments throughout as well as some pretty heavy and gruesome ones. The tone here was a bit darker than in the previous book, but it made sense for the direction the plot was going. The ending was also excellent and really the cherry on top–and I once again appreciated that everyone’s actions had consequences.

After the ending of the first book, I was intrigued to see where we’d go in the sequel. It’s been a couple years since I first read She Who Became the Sun, so I did have to find a summary for a quick refresher. He Who Drowned the World had a slow start but a thrilling end for this immersive fantasy.

This review contains spoilers for book one.

Zhu Yuanzhang will do anything she can to seize her fate and win the emperor’s throne. However, there are many obstacles in the way, including General Ouyang, whose army is fighting its way to the capital for him to finally claim his revenge. She soon convinces him that their efforts would be better carried out together, and the two of them enter an understanding. Meanwhile, Wang Baoxiang arrives in the capital to carry out his own plans for the throne.

One of the most compelling parts of this series, to me, is the juxtaposition of Zhu and Ouyang. I always love a good foil situation, and they have that in spades. This book particularly dives into this since we get more on-page interactions between the two of them. The perception of gender aspect of their relationship added more layers to their scenes together, especially since Ouyang does not know that Zhu is not a cis man.

With more time spent around each other, Zhu sees Ouyang’s misogyny for what it really is: a rejection of the gender that is ascribed to him. Since he is perceived as feminine, he thus hates all women. Zhu, on the other hand, notes that while she also does not want to be taken for a woman, she doesn’t reject those traits. Likewise, Ouyang cannot understand Zhu’s lack of care for being a “real” man in that Zhu does not act in the way he thinks a “real” man should act.

There’s also something to say about the fact that Zhu has built up a good support system, like Ma, Xu Da, and Yuchun. She has people who would follow her anywhere, and she has to learn not to take that for granted. However, Ouyang pretty much has no one on his side, especially after killing Esen in cold blood. Even then, Esen was the only one who tried to get him but in the end always failed to understand Ouyang at his core.

Baoxiang’s character arc also deals with how others perceive his gender. Although he is not a eunuch, everyone in court shuns him for having feminine traits, as well as the rumors that he is attracted to other men. He despises that others judge him yet also leans into their revulsion and uses it to his advantage.

I don’t really know how to talk about the plot of this book without spoiling anything, which is always the difficulty of reviewing a sequel and/or series finale. While I was intrigued throughout this book, I do think that the pacing was incredibly off. I’d be really into it, and then abruptly my interest would fall away when the book became slower. This was a vicious cycle, and by the second half, I just wanted to get everything over with. It really just felt like we were having filler plot for a decent portion of the book, and that just got old for me really fast.

However, I do think this book was an engaging finale for the most part, especially in the last quarter. Although the pacing felt very unbalanced to me, I did like the character arcs and how the book ended, even if pieces of it felt rushed to me. If you enjoyed She Who Became the Sun, you’ll enjoy He Who Drowned the World although I hope you’ll enjoy the pacing of it more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy!
I thought I knew what to expect after the first of these, but this one kept me stressed out until the very end! A lot going on here, a lot of morally gray territory, a lot of suspense, a lot of ups and downs, just a LOT. The author's talent is that we take all this stress and can't put it down and are glad for it at the end. :-) This is a really propulsive series and I recommend it to anyone.

This book was an absolutely magnificent follow up to She Who Became the Sun, which was one of my favorite reads of last year. Each and every one of these characters are so well developed you can't help but root for them. The author has spoken a bit about how they believe this book is not grimdark but instead more of an internal and emotional journey, which I definitely agree with. Heed my warning, do not read the last 30% of this book in public unless you don't mind sobbing in front of others.

4.5

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

I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, with the only drawback being that I don’t typically enjoy war stories. The battle scenes and violence make sense to the story, of course, but they aren’t really my cup of tea. Strategy, however, rarely fails to keep my interest. He Who Drowned the World had all of the best aspects of She Who Became the Sun, but with a LOT of scheming and strategy in place of much of the all-out warfare! Don’t mistake fewer battles for less brutality, though, as characters sink to their lowest in order to put their plans into action. There are scenes with torture, self-harm, and assault among others, so be ready for this before you read.

This all being said, the characters and storyline were so compelling that the dark tones didn’t turn me off to the book. In fact, the writing is so vibrant and visceral that the words seemed to spill off the page. I was fully immersed each time I picked up the book, which I feel is the mark of a truly talented author!

The character arcs were thorough, and the added perspectives of newer characters added perfect tension and depth as each of the storylines were woven together. I truly felt the heartbreak, pain, and taste for revenge that many of the characters felt in this book. I loved that the author spared no expense when it came to exploring the depth of emotion felt by those who have experienced rejection and revulsion for simply existing as they are.

The consequences of the first book are also explored through each perspective, and the layering and world building were exquisitely crafted. If you’re a lover of morally ambiguous characters and tormented villains (or antiheroes), this is definitely a series you’ll want to read.

Thanks so much to Tor/Forge for this advanced copy!

So She Who Became the Sun was one of my top reads of 2021, and in retrospect, I think absolutely one of the best fantasy books to come out in the past five years. Even though the fantasy elements are relatively subtle, the characters and world-building are phenomenal, so I was THRILLED to receive an early copy of He Who Drowned the World from Tor and Netgalley. I am happy to report that this book is a strong conclusion to this series, and proves this series is a masterclass in historical fantasy writing. I was very torn as I felt like I was slightly above four stars with this book, but it didn't quite reach the heights of my five stars reads, or of the first book (though I am still BEGGING you to read the whole series), which I will explain.

My favorite character in Book 1 was Zhu. I loved the shift in her perspective and the strength of her motivations, and those qualities are still present in this book. We just see a little less of...her overall. So I think that may be just an individual comment, as other characters pop up in this book more that are still quite interesting. My other comment is simply that the pacing of some of these chapters (which are quite long) is just a little slow. I think this is because Parker-Chan is aiming for a LOT in this book.

Onto ALLLL of the positive, and there truly are a lot: this book expanded on side characters in Book 1 that are actually just as interesting as the two main characters from Book 1, and it makes the world feel so well-rounded. I was particularly drawn in by the arc of Wang Baoxiang's character, and the way that love and the desire for acceptance war with ambition and the need to be yourself.

The writing is still just...impeccable. Truly some of the best writing in the genre right now, and I will absolutely need to get my hands on whatever Parker-Chan does next because if this was just the START, then I'm truly astounded at the amount of talent. I also felt like the story came to a close in a realistic way, and the plot was well-structured.

Overall, I will KEEP TELLING YOU TO READ THIS SERIES!

!!!!!! I was terrified to read this because I thought there was no way it could live up to She Who Became the Sun but this book is INCREDIBLE. The political scheming! The oriole stalking the mantis the entire time! Wang Baoxiang’s entire deal! Zhu and Ouyang, genderqueer soulmates right up until they weren’t! This is truly a book where everyone is terrible and you understand and sympathize with their terribleness and will probably end up rooting for at least one monster. I was disgruntled by the overall lack of my beloved Ma Xiuying and then she showed up just in time to have the most important part of all. What an ending.

There's not enough Chinese historical fiction, let alone fantasy! A great book and a great ending to the duology. It kind of reminds me of The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang, and there will likely be some crossover appeal.

This is the perfect end to the perfect duology. I feel like duologies don't always land the ending, but this one did, and with a BANG. It was so good. I can't sing enough praises for Shelley Parker-Chan. Something else that is spectacular is the author's ability to take the Chinese language and its idioms and ways of speaking and be able to translate it seamlessly into English without losing the nuances of the Chinese spoken language. It might not be as noticeable to an English speaker, but the accuracy for a Chinese speaker is delightful. Additionally, the spin on Chinese history is just so fun. Reading this felt like I was being immersed in a Chinese drama with a dash of Game of Thrones vibes. This book and duology are perfect. I'm amazed and Shelley Parker-Chan is an auto read author for me at this point. So freaking good.

4.25 stars

The sequel finishing out The Radiant Emperor duology was dark, gritty, and exceeded all my expectations.

After the first book, I felt interested enough to see where the story would go. I took my time reading He Who Drowned the World to really immerse myself in the story, and that is absolutely the way this should be read. The reader is taken through multiple perspectives on every side of the race to the throne, and when these perspectives intersect it is bloody, heartbreaking, and haunting (literally). The pacing could be slow at times, but Parker-Chan adds so much atmospheric description and details to their characters that it's almost necessary. The story ended beautifully, righteously, and I'm so glad I read both of these books! I find that, even with days between me finishing this book, there are still scenes that come back to me.

I can't wait to see what else Shelley writes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've been left drowning in my pain and awe of The Radiant Emperor duology. Shelley Parker-Chan is brilliant. There is no way that I can do this book justice in a review.

It is enthralling and heartbreaking trauma wrapped up in perceived gender, expectations and internal judgement. The line between love and hate is so utterly thin that they are blurred, which creates suffering built upon pain. War is no kind matter and mercy is rarely given.

Intricate plotting that plays out between character driven POVs just has been reeling even thinking about the wins and losses experiences. The tolls due for choices are exponentially high and are paid mentally, emotionally and physically.

Reading He Who Drowned the World was absolute whiplash for my heart. This duology is dark and difficult, but so worth it if you're willing to accept an achingly haunting story.

CW: ableism, blood, gore, dismemberment, death, murder, grief, self-harm, SA, war, infidelity, miscarriage, sexism, body horror, classism, kidnapping, abuse, mental illness

If you haven't read book one or have a good sense of Chinese history, this book can be very confusing.

While I DNF'd <i>She Who Became the Sun</i> there wasn't that much that I'd missed because I know something about the history. However, scenes dragged out far too long and there was so much digression into that history (which dynasty or city or ethnic group). Plus, why add the sex in? With some serious editorial shears, this could have been a tighter read that provided an alternative Mulan story.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Wow!
A must-read for everyone who survived book one.
More wonderful writing and such an epic, detailed story.

If you've read the first book, then you know what you're getting in to with this.

It's a rough ride, so general trigger warnings for SA and rape (handled well but shown on page), mentions of rape and SA, mutilation, harm to children and minors, harm and violence towards women. There's probably more, but those were the ones that jumped out to me the most.

I'm genuinely so happy with this book. It's a really hard read--about as much as the first one--with lots of raw depictions of the horrors of war, conquest, and crappy people being in charge. As with the first book, I felt Parker-Chan did a wonderful job showcasing all of the troubling scenes without it just being trauma porn and for the sake of shock and awe.

The world building is not as much as the first book only because it's more focused on the individual locations than the larger world itself, and character development was a lot more subtle and focusing on the nuance caused by the situations at hand.

As a whole, I was super satisfied by the ending. If a little short story popped up at some point, I wouldn't complain, but the ending felt finished and wrapped up the loose ends well.

This is the very highly anticipated sequel to She Who Became the Sun, I feel like this one kind of snuck up on me, I forgot about it and then bam, it's a month before release. This author is returning to the reimagined Ming Dynasty with even more exploration of gender and power. Taking themes from that first book and twisting them into something else here. Our main character Ouyangs rage filled rampage for revenge, Situations are way more violent and tense since they are at war, and new characters appear to try to defy the on on the throne, trying to keep this spoiler free. It’s bleak, emotional and probably going to be another hit read of the year for many.

Wow, this book was an amazing read, but it was very dark. The author proves herself to be an absolutely amazing writer as I could feel the emotions of the characters and felt their agony at the decisions they made. This was a great follow up to She Who Became the Sun but wasn't quite as good as it.
A warning to readers to look at trigger warnings before reading, as this book is even more intense than the first. The book gets downright brutal at times. It makes sense due to the historical subject matter, but it still made it hard to read. It also made it hard to root for some of the characters as it was difficult to watch them justify all of the decisions they made. Which, of course, was the point. But it meant that towards the middle of the book I lost sympathy for some of the characters and found myself speeding through their passages to get back to the characters I did like. However, the author's storytelling was so engaging that I was motivated to keep reading to see how everything worked out for all of the characters. In the end, I was surprised to find myself caring about the fate of all of the characters, which is a true show of the author's masterful storytelling. She was able to get me to regain my sympathy for them when I had thought I lost it.
Overall, this was an engaging read, besides the parts in the middle that make it a little harder to get through.