For fans of:
- A Song to Drown Rivers

"The Emperor and the Endless Palace" follows three storylines across centuries. The first timeline is in 18th century China and follows a reclusive innkeeper as he encounters a beguiling young man who begs the innkeeper for help. The second story line is in 1st century China and lets us see through the eyes of an opportunistic man, looking for ways to raise his status in the Endless Palace. Finally, we have a young man in LA as he leaves the closet and begins to explore his identity as a gay man. Each of these protagonists are flawed, however, you cant help but root for them on their journeys to find love.

this book includes:
- LGBT LA party culture
- LGBT love
- Chinese folklore
- an ancient curse
- a nine-tailed fox you may recognize as a gumiho, huli jing, or kitsune
- an exploration of Chinese dynasties and political machinations
- TW. Drug Use & Coercion

This book creates such a lush world. Each of the three independent storylines has its own complex settings and dynamic characters, and it is exciting to watch all three stories progress. It's an unapologetically gay page-turner. This book is NOT a romantasy. I see it being advertised as a romantasy, however, I feel this is a misrepresentation. It is a bit of historical fiction, a bit of folklore, and a bit of literary fiction. Other than the nine-tailed fox, there are no fantastical or paranormal elements. I wouldn't even call this a romance. It is a story about love and how it exists across time and space, but not a romance per se. If you are looking for a fully romance, this is not it.

HOWEVER, it is still a great book. Beyond the failed advertising, I really enjoyed this book. It really drew me in and I was eager to read it. I liked the way that readers are given 3 completely independent storylines and forced to ponder the meaning of each story and how the 3 may intertwine. It has a unique writing style, using italics any time the characters speak in Mandarin, and is well written. The book's central theme is about unfinished business, so the ending was sooo frustrating, but I like that the author stuck to the theme.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Justinian Huang, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to review this book. This review is also available on my GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

This book is beautiful steeped in Chinese mythology. The romance is lovely. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did.

Thank you to Harlequin for the arc. It did not affect my opinion at all.

This was really cool! I know very little about Chinese mythology and history and this was such an interesting way to learn about it.

There were several things that I liked about this book, but ultimately this was not the book for me.

I enjoyed the overlapping story crossing 3 lifetimes, though it took me a few chapters to get into the rhythm. Each story added more layers to the history of the lovers, from the initial story in 4 BCE to present day.

The present day story with River and Joey was my favorite. I really enjoyed River’s vibe, and I liked Calvin as well.

There are a lot of mystical elements, especially in the middle story in 1740, as well as a lot of intrigue and deception. I was never sure who was who, or who to trust.

This book is classified as romantasy, which is a newer classification and I’m not sure of the parameters, but I definitely would not call this a romance, mainly due to the very open ending without an HEA.

While I enjoy spicy books and have no issue with explicit sex scenes, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of indiscriminate sex in this book, especially in the 4 BCE storyline. I felt like there was so much build up and sex with other people, that the relationship between the two main characters was completely skipped. In almost every lifetime, the relationship between the couple who are supposed to be destined to be together seems to take second place to the intrigue.

Even though this wasn’t the perfect book for me, it may be just right for someone else. So if you like intrigue, fantasy, and MM erotica set against an ancient Chinese background, this book might be for you.

Disclaimer: I received a DRC through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! Thank you for the early copy. I thought this author had beautiful prose, I would definitely read more from them.

Ok this was awesome, such well developed characters and an interesting plot! I was engaged from start to finish with the story.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was a great read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

This book was not for me. I have been trying to like romance but I quickly learning that it isn't the genre for me. but this was interesting enough that I finished the book. Not for me but would recommend

The Emperor and the Endless Palace captivates with its exploration of queer friendships and wild sexual behavior, sparking both curiosity and concern.

This novel tells the story of reincarnated lovers—one who remembers and the other who must be reminded. The integration of the fox spirit and its dual characteristics is fascinating, maintaining the reader’s interest. Huang effectively uses time as a backdrop for the lovers' interactions, enhancing the narrative’s depth.

The book intricately explores queer masculinity, eroticism, and the eternal nature of desire through the lives of two souls destined to find and lose each other across lifetimes. Huang’s vivid and cinematic storytelling, influenced by his screenwriting background, creates lush, evocative settings and grand setpieces. Transitions between timelines are seamless, maintaining narrative coherence and engagement. Clever use of perspective adds depth and complexity, enriching the intertwined fates of the protagonists.

Huang's candid and celebratory portrayal of queer eroticism challenges societal stigmas and offers a refreshing perspective on male desire. His depiction of love is unapologetically physical, immersing readers in the intense relationships of the central characters. Overall, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a noteworthy debut, offering a unique addition to contemporary speculative fiction.

“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?”

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor—but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue.

How queer this book was, with friendships and wild sexual behaviour that made me curious and concerned.

A story of reincarnated lovers, one who remembers and the other who must be reminded. The incorporation of the fox spirit and both sides of its characteristics was interesting and held my attention. Using time as a setting for how the lovers came together and interacted was done well.

This novel intricately explores themes of queer masculinity, eroticism, and the eternal nature of desire through the lives of two souls destined to find and lose each other across lifetimes. Huang’s storytelling is vivid and cinematic, drawing from his screenwriting background to create lush, evocative settings and grand setpieces. The transitions between timelines are seamless, maintaining narrative coherence and engagement. The use of perspective is particularly clever, adding depth and complexity to the story as it explores the intertwined fates of the protagonists. The exploration of queer eroticism is candid and celebratory, challenging societal stigmas and providing a refreshing perspective on desire between men. Huang's depiction of love is unapologetically physical, immersing readers in the intense relationships of the central characters. Overall, The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a noteworthy debut, offering a unique addition to contemporary speculative fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of this book.

It was "a nice to read book" but nothing exceptional. I had hoped more of the plot. A bit confusing how the story unraveled. The different timelines I liked. But did I need to find out that all characters had to be the very same persons at the end? Others might disagree.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book about 20% in. I was so, so excited for the premise but it ended up not grabbing me. I hope that this is a personal issue and that one day I will be able to come back to it and enjoy it, because I think this is an incredible concept and seemed like it would've been really good if I could get into it, but it wasn't doing it for me. I will try again one day.

This mulit-period saga is written in language that flows and ebbs like a river. The passion of all 3 main characters and their counterparts are amplified and underscore by this beautiful language, as we experience them all coming into their own, and navigating the life changing occurrences that they each encounter. It also highlights the hidden dangers of a soulmate, and features a few spicy scenes.

Wow! What a storyline! The Emperor and the Endless Palace is one of those that will stick with me for a while. I had a good time learning about the slightly fictionalized end of the Han Dynasty, and was quite curious how the three timelines were going to connect. I did struggle to place which character is the reincarnation of which in each timeline, and ended up having to write it out, and I thought it was quite sneaky of the author to have two of the lines be one person's POV, only for the third to be in another's POV. It was hard for me to reset once that was given away. But overall, it was a very lovely and very gay book. I probably won't be handing this one to my mother.

What a powerhouse of a book.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace has three storylines running through it: one in 4 BCE, one in 1740, and one in present-day. All three stories seem to follow characters with striking similarities to each other but the connection isn’t immediately clear. So I will not make the connection here because a learning it in real time is incredible.

This is so outside the norm of books I usually read, but wow wow wow. This story doesn’t have an HEA, which is usually the rule for a romance book, but this book is so much more than a romance book.

This is a love story and those don’t always end happily the way we think “happily” means.

I read this book months ago, and when I tell you that I still think about specific scenes and moments and just the emotion behind it… Justinian Huang wrote something really powerful with this book. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

This didn't work for me personally. The pacing was off and I had trouble connecting with the characters and the writing style. Ultimately I was unable to finish it. It may work for other readers and the synopsis does sound really good, but sadly, it just didn't end up being my type of read.

I saw a review before I read this saying to go into it expecting no plot, just vibes and smut, and you'd have a good time. So, I set my expectations in hell and marched onwards.

And honestly? I think it helped; there ended up being parts of this that I very much enjoyed. The 4BCE timeline was definitely the strongest of the three, with the court intrigue and scintillating descriptions of the endless palace and its grounds. The smut was also pretty good, though I will never be able to unhear "I pounded his pink plum" or "forest of meat" (referring to an orgy) and those phrases will haunt me to my dying day. Also why were they having sex in mid-air? Twice?? There was no logical reason for that to happen. The pacing was also really good throughout the modern day and 4BCE timelines and there was enough mystery to keep me hooked.

But sadly, the narrative issues overshadowed the good things. The 18th century timeline didn't captivate me and the fantasy elements in this era felt muddled and poorly exposited. The plot twist with the doctor wasn't given its due in terms of drama or tension, so it just came across as an underwhelming moment in a timeline that was already struggling with cohesion. I also think this book could have benefited from being told in chronological order, rather than the three timelines running concurrently (though I can understand why the author made that choice).

My main issue was the fact that we didn't get the same POV during each timeline. But it comes across as though we do for the first half of the audiobook. So, when it turns out that River, in modern day, and the courtesan in 4BCE aren't the same person, it really threw me off.

The novel would have worked better if there was one POV and it was the same character throughout each reincarnation - even better if he was the one that remembered their past lives. Because it didn't make sense to me that River remembered nothing and Joey remembered everything when River was the one with abilities and heaven's blessing in their previous lives. Surely it would have been more logical to have River remember and then try and convince Joey of everything? For maximum impact, there should have only been one character who remembered each lifetime all the way through.

As a result of the switching POVs, the story gradually loses cohesion as it progresses, made worse by the anticlimactic present day ending. You're telling me that River just walks away and decides never to see Joey again? After all those lifetimes of losing each other? For a satisfying ending, we either needed a clear HEA or for one of them to die, and the cycle begin to begin again. For me, the book should have ended with the final present day scenes, not by returning to the 18th century timeline. It made the last scene feel tacked on as an afterthought and the whole ending seemed like a disservice to what the book was trying to do - set up this great love story that had spanned hundreds of years and many lifetimes. So yes, some good things, but a lot of things that could have been improved by editing and different narrative choices.

Starting off by saying this book was one of a kind! Reading this love story that spans across lifetimes took me through so many emotions. The only reason I’m giving this a 4 ⭐️ is because of the erotic nature of the story. It’s not really my cup of tea but the emotions behind the characters kept me hooked.

The story spans across mortals and immortals where the two main characters find each other across lifetimes through their undying love for each other. The characters and premise was wonderfully done. I’ve truly never read a story like this before. The attraction, phew! That’s really something. It’s electric but hauntingly sad at the same time. I love how the author envisions love through life times especially giving light to LGBTQ representation. I really want a happy ending for them, it’s just too much to bear 😭.

If you enjoy M&M romance with a touch of magic, supernatural elements and multiple lifetimes, this will really keep you hooked. There’s a lot of intimate scenes and the plot itself is rather erotic so make sure you are ok with them beforehand. A debut worth exploring.

Ps: if you read the book I urge you to read the author note. It actually made me cry…. 🥺