"The Emperor and the Endless Palace" by Justinian Huang intertwines the romantic lives of two men across three distinct time periods in a romantasy novel that diverges from traditional romance conventions. In 4 BCE, a palace clerk becomes embroiled in palace intrigue by being enlisted to seduce the young emperor. Then in 1740 CE, an innkeeper is sought out to aid a young man on a quest for a mystical medicine. Finally, in the present day, the narrative explores the experiences of a newly-out young man in Los Angeles and a mysterious artist connected to a powerful billionaire.

The novel unfolds with an intriguing premise of these men being destined to fall in love in each lifetime, creating a cycle of undying love and heartbreak across centuries of time that challenges the norms of romantasy as a genre. However, despite the ambitious concept, the execution falls short of expectations. The story takes time to engage the reader, and while it is clear the narratives are connected in some way, these connections between the three timelines don't begin to click until about a third of the way into the novel.

The explicit sexual content, while not inherently problematic, feels detached due to underdeveloped character connections. The lack of emotional investment in these characters made the erotic scenes feel voyeuristic rather than an opportunity for the reader to engage sympathetically with the characters’ emotions. Additionally, the novel's ending was unsatisfying; it lacks the necessary emotional weight for the intended resolution.

The plot would have benefitted from more “show, not tell” and world-building to anchor the fantasy elements in the real-world setting readers are familiar with. The supporting characters, like Calvin, also demand more development to give them more purpose within the narrative. The villainous characters, such as the Dowager Empress Fu, Commander Jujun, and Winston Chow, likewise lack the necessary threat level to elevate the stakes, and their motivations are not sufficiently explored.

While "The Emperor and the Endless Palace" offers an interesting concept, its execution suffers from underdeveloped characters and a plot that fails to provide sufficient reasons for the reader to care about the unfolding events. As a debut novel, there is potential for the author's writing skills to evolve with time, and future works may benefit from a more refined approach to character development and plot intricacies.

NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing provided an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I think the author wove together the 3 timelines in an interesting and clever way, especially in the final act. Love the concept of reincarnation and doomed fated soulmates. Since we do have 3 storylines, it took a bit longer to get fully invested and I actually would have like to spend a bit more time with these characters, especially Calvin and Garden in the modern day timeline, but I think Justinian's writing was better suited to the tone and feel of the historical storylines overall. They were magical and moving and had me tearing up at the end.

This book was super intriguing, and I have been thinking about it literally non- stop since I finished it. I really enjoyed it while reading it, and I was very caught up and invested in all 3 timelines. But then the ending felt very abrupt and left me with way more questions than answers. Initially I felt unsatisfied with the ending; however, I have since learned that this is anticipated to be a trilogy. I think my enjoyment of this book will sway depending on how the study continues, evolves, and concludes.

The more I think about it though, and process everything, the more it makes sense and the more I appreciate it.

One thing that threw me off near the end was the narrator plot twist; it made it hard for me to remember who was who in the various timelines.

Overall, this book was intriguing, enthralling, and gripping - I absolutely devoured it. I hope the planned sequels eventually see the light of day, and I hope we get answers to all the mysteries (and of course I hope those answers are satisfying!). I am impatiently waiting updates!! I loved this author’s writing style and how he weaved the various timelines together!

I want to be careful with my words because I would hate to spoil one moment of The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang. The novel is ambitious, interweaving different timelines, incorporating both folklore and ancient history, but always celebrating queer Asian culture. In some ways, the book initially reads as highly accessible. The overt use of peaches and plums - at first glance, is a lazy reference to modern emoji use. Seemingly low-hanging fruit (sorry for nothing). However, the ‘bitten peach’ is actually an homage to the courtly romance of Miza Xia and Duke Ling, which has since become a symbol of gay love in Chinese culture. This is just one example of how thoroughly steeped the novel is in intersectional cultures. Huang does not explain or signal references but rather puts the onus on the reader to delve deeper into the rich underlying context. In doing so, Justinian Huang skillfully manifests the enduring constancy and exquisite beauty of queer Asian love.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review- and it was very close to a 5 stars for me. The writing was mesmerizing. We follow three different stories about three men throughout time, each having relationship struggles and soulmate-like partners. Each story follows an Asian male, and shines the light on being gay within the Asian community. I did not feel that any one story was more involved than another, and I was always happy to pick up the next viewpoint after coming to a critical place in another one (a hard feat- I usually have favorite and least favorite viewpoints).

My one critique, and the reason that I cannot give 5 stars, is that the ending felt a little rushed. I understand the idea that not all of the storylines were supposed to be buttoned up perfectly, but I felt there was an overarching story mentioned in River's POV (Not particular a spoiler: origin of bracelet), that I was hoping to witness first hand in another viewpoint. Although the reader is left feeling fulfilled by the story, and still gripped by the plot twists. I wish there was one or two more chapters to close all the loops opened by each storyline.

Regardless of that point, I loved this story and will absolutely be picking up the next novel by Justinian Huang!

⚠️CAUTION YOU MAY NEED GLOVES BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS EXTRA SPICY⚠️😂

Wow, what a debut from Justinian Huang! I laughed, I cried, I screamed...I'm furious at the ending but I loved this book so much. A heartbreaking story of love transcending time and space, The Emperor and the Endless Palace drew me in. Huang did an excellent job with the different time periods - at first it was a little bit strange for me to switch from 2000 years ago to the current day, but I honestly loved that and he did a great job with it. I think this was such a fun read and now I need something to soothe my sad, dead heart.

Truly unlike anything I have read before.
This was a beautiful tale of two men's souls finding each other over 2,000 years.

There were times when I was confused but in a good way! This was beautifully written and such a fun ride. It is spicy, it is gay and will make you want to be in love.

I will say, I could have done without the art heist and the phrase "pink plume".

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a multi life time spanning love story and fantasy novel whose full impact will still be settling on a reader days after they have finished reading.

What Worked for me
1. I was promised a gay love story that would break my heart to the same level that song of Achilles once did and that promise was delivered on.
2. Use of a first person POV allowed me to easily immerse myself within the story.
3. whatever ending I was expecting it wasn't that .
4. The writing style was so evocative that it was beautifully painful at times.

What didn't work as well for me

1. the core love story felt at times like it has some unneeded toxic elements to it
2. The focus being heavy on the more sensual elements of the relationships formed was almost distracting from itself in places. (I know that sounds weird but I'm trying for a non spoiler review friends)
3.I want more. I am so impressed by how much the author fit into such a small space of words but I desperately crave more which I suppose should really be a positive.

Who I Would recommend this story for

If you are a reader of adult fantasy craving a book focused on the love of two men and how said love transcends even the power of death this is the right place.

I loved this book so much. The multiple timelines was something that served this story well. The book was also very well-written and the characters were fleshed out. I felt almost every emotion I could while reading this book. This story-telling was amazing and that was what was able to bring all those emotions to the forefront.

Despite the high goodreads rating no one bothers to mention that by the first chapter the MC has had 3 sexual encounters, one being underaged. It is not giving “our souls knew each other from a different life” and how stereotypical to hook up in a forest / park… I’m 15% in and all I can think about is how off handed the beginning was.

I love getting to see Asian men be the stars of a romantasy. I was expecting more fantasy that romance, but was pleasantly surprised by how authentic it feels and how real the spicy scenes are. The author writes in such an engaging manner overall that the book is impossible to put down as you try to discover how the three timelines weave together and clues start popping up pretty quickly!

This book opened up my mind in so many ways I didn't even come to think of. The writing and scenery was medium/quick paced, which means it's easy to get to each chapter and section. I found myself more often than not doing the "one more chapter" dance, which is always a great sign.

I'm not going to just save I loved this book.. because the thing is, I did love it, but there is so much more ingrained about how I felt towards this story. I felt, joy, love, endeared, scared, fascinated, confused, frustrated, and gutted by this book. To feel this range of emotions is a testament to the story-telling and as well that, is a big plus.

Beautifully written, somewhat of a fever-dream and emotionally devastating, but I would not market this book as a romance as it fails to have a HEA or even a HFN, and that was disappointing to me as a reader because it did not meet that criteria. A sweep-you-up tragic love story but not a romance.

If you can get past the beginning of the book which is overly full of erotica and debauchery— for my tastes (which is smattered throughout the book )-and focus of the underlying story based around historical china and reincarnation and souls finding each other over many time periods— this aspect was quite interesting and the characters when not having lusty sex were quite intriguing. Originally , I was drawn to this book as the cover was gorgeous and the title and storyline sounded intriguing — I also like to vary my book genres and falls under LGBTQ+. This book was also highly recommended by a bookclub I am part of. This story takes places over 3 time periods and finding one’s love over different lifetimes 1. The emperor and lowly clerk 2. An innkeeper and a fox spirit ( love that this fairytale aspect as was added ) 3. His artist and his muse — often the author leaves you hanging at the end of chapter of what will happen next making you feel the need to keep pushing forward through the next chapter/ timeline to find out what happens with another couple . All the timelines were interesting and I definitely wanted to know the characters outcome. Though this type of love story wasn’t my style as it was too focused on lust and erotica throughout for my taste- I think the writing was quite good and descriptive writing was well done— for a debut novel. it’s best to go in to this book with an open mind as it won’t be what you expect .

thank you SO much to HTP and net galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Let's start with the positives--beautiful cover, soulmates trope, MLM representation, three time periods! All such cool premises and I WANTED to love this so much.

I am unfortunately having to DNF it. The format is a little wonky on my kindle, for starters, and makes the reading experience a bit weird! The font got a bit messed up and there are no chapters.

Within the first 7-10 pages, there were 3 sex scenes--and I wasn't expecting erotica so soon!! I do not mind smut, but when expecting the soulmates trope and being promised something along the levels of Song of Achilles, and receiving chapters with no love and all smut, I was disappointed. I won't lie.

Overall, I think this book just wasn't for me. The writing was alright, but my expectations were incredibly high and they fell pretty flat.

This was a tale of love, destiny, and the eternal quest for connection across multiple timelines. Through intricate storytelling, the novel explores the concept of soul recognition and the enduring power of love that transcends lifetimes. It felt like a blend of romance, fantasy and historical fiction all combined together which made for an interesting take. I found it hard to completely lose myself in the story.

3/5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

Sadly this book if a DNF for me. I think the cover for this book is beyond gorgeous. The blurb for this book made it sound really interesting, but I just couldn’t get into it. I loved the fox spirit part at the beginning of the book, but it kind of lost me after that. I think I had a very different idea of how the story would go. I just wasn't jiving with the style of writing in this book. I’m guessing I’m just not the right reader for this book.

Thank you, Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Quote:
What if I told you that the feeling we call love is actually the feeling of metaphysical recognition, when your soul remembers someone from a previous life?
How would that change the way you look at each stranger, knowing that they could be the epic romance across all of your lifetimes

Danggg, this book is something...I will say that I love and hate the book simultaneously.
Firstly, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is - it's so eye-catching and contains hints about the stories taking place. It's also a play on the term "cut sleeve," developed during the Chinese dynasty, and the author used it in this story.

For a debut novel, this is well-written. Told from 3 different lifetimes, it can get very confusing, but the author's writing style makes the book easy to follow. I will say that the author has a penchant for minor cliffhangers in every chapter, which drives me crazy and makes the book so darn good!

The story takes place in three different timelines: (first) an emperor and a lowly clerk, (middle) an innkeeper and a fox spirit and (last) an artist and his muse Considering there are three lifetimes to follow, you either jump ahead by two chapters to know what happens in that current life or anxiously read the next chapter and suffer through my cliffys! Oh, and the guessing you will do among the 3 POVs to figure out who is who!

While this was marketed as an epic romance spanning lifetimes, I found the love story a little flat as it felt like "fate" or a string of coincidences seemed to intervene on their behalf. And when they are together, the love is destructive, obsessive, terrible and tragic. In short, this is the kind of love I hate, but it works amazingly for this story. So, if you expect an everlasting love that transcends through time and hope, stay awayyyy!

Highly recommend if you are looking for a solid take on the “cutsleeve” concept and multiple POVs in different lifetimes done amazingly right.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for providing the e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up

I'm still unsure how to feel about this book. On the one hand, it's a well-written book with a premise that immediately caught my attention. I don't often come across stories with star-crossed lovers who are destined to meet across multiple lifetimes, even though I've been craving for it for so long. And a queer one, no less?!

“Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them.”

There's just something about stories where fate tethers one person to the other; the aching for the missing piece that would not make sense until it suddenly clicked one day when you real se you've found your soulmate. The yearning for something, for that someone that is beyond your own understanding and the way your soul will always long for its other half, in this life and the next. It is in itself a trope that is poetic and beautiful and bold, where you completely devote your whole heart and soul for this other person.

“As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love-a power that transcends time itself...but one that might consume them both.”

But alas, this book did not deliver. What the synopsis promises as “undying love” turns out to be an instant, lustful, unfaithful infatuation. To me, the beauty of the soulmate trope isn't at all about instant attraction, but rather the gradual realisation that you've fallen so deep, the revelation of everything you have done for each other and would continue to do and it is what your destiny has led you to in all the millions other possibilities—especially when you've lived and met in another lifetime. You can't convince me the characters here are destined for each other when one can't even stay faithful, and the only thing tethering them were baseless instant attachment.

If there is one way to describe the main character, it's this quote from the book itself. Note that it's from the ARC so there may be differences in the published version.

“Dong Xian may be handsome but not as much as he is stupid, they all said, and his self-serving ambitions are only rivaled by his depraved sexual addictions.”

Dong Xian and his reincarnations just can't keep his thing in his pants, he let it lead and make all his decisions for him. Now I'm not going to slut-shame him for being promiscuous, but I draw the line at cheating. Especially after he said all those supposedly romantic words to his lover about forever and eternity, it's so revolting. Plus, if you were wondering if there is any mystery behind all these; the curse, the inexplicable meeting across lifetimes—don’t expect anything, those all amounted to nothing and concluded in a bland, unsatisfactory ending.

The writing, thankfully, saved the book. I love how the author used distinct voices, dialogues, and narrations appropriate of the time period. I also love how the author has interwoven the origin of the cut-sleeve emperor and his love for his male lover, Dong Xian. The cut-sleeve scene might be the only moment I felt touched by the romance in this book.

In conclusion, 2.5 star for the plotline and characters, but extra one star for the writing (and the pretty cover).

I had really high expectations for this book after reading the blurb, I read a lot of danmei so a book set in ancient China with a reincarnation plot (my favorite romance trope) sounded like it would be right up my alley. I was hoping for an emotional slow burn romance across multiple lives but unfortunately the execution of this story really didn’t work for me.

The story is split into three timelines: one involving the emperor and a clerk in ancient China, one involving an innkeeper and a fox spirit in China in the 1700s, and one in modern day LA. The historical timelines were much stronger than the modern timeline but the story was plagued throughout by shallow characters, wooden dialogue, and a plot that felt more like an idea than a fully realized final draft.

At no point did the relationship between the MCs feel like anything but infatuated lust. This is a very sex-forward book with no believable romance or emotional intimacy built into the story, no times that the characters actually had a connection unless they were boning (the characters even referred to it as “the true feeling” in one scene). And boy, those sex scenes were not fun to read. Most of the sex scenes aren’t between the MCs and there are lots of comically unsexy phrases such as “he impaled me victoriously”, “blanketing me in his meat”, or “pounded his pink plum”. The MCs feel very self-centered and immature which I found off-putting. Basically, I was rooting against their relationship and by the time a love triangle subplot became revealed I was well and truly over it. I started this book with the wrong expectations and wanted to DNF but it was an ARC so I felt obligated to read to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC.

CWs: substance abuse, death, gore, ableism, sexual assault/rape, cheating