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…. 🥺

I really enjoyed this book but I felt that the marketing was not well executed and probably left some readers underwhelmed or that they picked up the wrong book. With that being said I feel the author executed this romantic thriller across time in a way that kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

A multi-timeline multi-POV darkly erotic achillean fated mates romance with elements of fantasy, historical fiction, mystery,

While a brilliant concept, I feel like either the execution fell short or genre bending books just aren't for me. There seemed to be just so much going on all the time that the actual foundation of this book, the romance between two souls that have been reincarnated so many times just fell completely flat. While I have read primarily spicy books, I usually know that going in but in this case there was an abundance of sex that pushed character development and growth of the romance firmly to the side. Coupled with the fact that the two individuals who are reincarnated time and again is left a mystery for the majority of the book, I really just didn't but into them being soulmates.

However, the prose and imagery was really pretty. I also enjoyed the beautiful Chinese culture presented through time. That one dark spicy scene with the emperor - wow! As a someone who enjoys dark romance, that scene was a really fun surprise lol

(+) speech disability rep, secondary character with prosthetic leg

DNF

For me this writing just did not work at all. I wanted to love it and kept trying again and again but had no luck with this sticking.

A reincarnation love story that spans lifetimes, this ambitious tale of connection and destiny and a true feeling follows three iterations of two men who are reborn over and over with a pull between them that cannot be denied. In the year 4 BCE, a young courtier is directed to seduce an emperor, and the two find that, despite the machinations that brought them together, they share something greater. In 1740, an innkeeper in a rural province helps a mysterious visitor, inadvertently releasing a supernatural power. In present day Los Angeles, a college student discovering his identity meets a beautiful stranger that he is inexplicably drawn to. Spanning centuries and settings (palaces, the wilderness, underground raves), these lovers find and re-find each other, always looking for a different ending and to finally be fully together.

What a refreshing romantasy! This new subgenre has really been pigeonholed into a certain type of story by the publishing/marketing industry, and I loved this breath of something new/different from that higher industry level. As for me, no matter what the marketing for it was, I simply loved it. It totally lived up to the hype I had built for it. The writing was great, in general. More specifically, the three individual stories were interwoven in a way that allowed them to swell and drop in unison, creating a grand scale show of the lasting-ness of this romance, while remaining completely unique and separate in their own character developments and plots. I’m very impressed with the way Huang was able to do both, simultaneously, without sacrificing one aspect in favor of the other.

I have to mention the sex. 🙂 It’s a correctly-marketed romantasy, so…there was, predictably, a lot of it. It was great. Such a variety and jumping right in from the start! It was transactional, with deep emotional connection, casual, under the influence (a variety of them, across the stories), with a goal/aim, brash, manipulated, shy/hesitant, transcendent, and the kind that is deeply satisfying because it comes after longing for it through almost the whole book. Oh, and lest I forget, there was some terrifying sex – I have read a lot, but I have never before read a razor blade blow job! Eeek! Anyhoo, hats off to Huang for this aspect as well.

And finally, I *must* highlight the overall vibes. This is like, take angst and bittersweet torment and make it romantic and literary with a splash of the divine. The anguish was just….so good. And ever present in the best way. And the ending!! I don’t know what I was anticipating, necessarily, but this was not it…it was so much more! It subverted *all* tropes and exceeded my expectations; drawing out that sweet agony (for eternity, maybe?!), but still somehow so satisfying! Perfect for the vibes of this story (these stories).

Oh, and the audiobook narration was a full cast (three narrators for the three stories interwoven) and each was chosen perfectly. Loved that.

This was just such a mystical reading experience. The reincarnations were so different from each other, which made for a compelling and fast set of narratives. And they were all otherworldly and sublime in their own ways. I kinda loved them all and was left both fulfilled and yearning for more. So, basically, I can’t speak enough about how much I loved Huang’s debut and I recommend it so hard!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"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?"

I really enjoyed how this book had three different timelines, two of which are period pieces. Each one was fully developed and I never felt like one of the timelines was lacking. The author did a phenomenal job at weaving the three story lines together and filling the book with beautiful representation of the gay community, both addressing the bright and darker side of the community.

I liked how this book was very sex positive and didn't shy away from talking about that aspect of gay relationships. The longing these characters felt was also beautiful. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

I REALLy really wanted to love this. However, I ended up DNFing at 60%. I really enjoyed parts of this book, the prose was wonderful and the worldbuilding was so interesting, but I kept waiting to find the "thing" that I love about it that keeps me hooked, and i just couldnt find it. I'm sure this book is so lovely for so many people, and I can see the good parts about it, but it just wasn't for me.

This is a sort of reincarnation love story that spreads across three timelines. The emperor and his lover are the subjects of the original timeline. Their love does not end well. They go on to seek each other across time. It took me awhile to get into this story.

I really really wanted to LOVE this book but I ended up feeling pretty ambivalent towards it. While the story was somewhat engaging and it was a really cool concept (the idea of these couples throughout the centuries) some of the writing was quite jarring to me and I wasn’t expecting it to be that sexually graphic. Now, that’s not a bad thing, but it did draw me out of the story when it just happened out of nowhere. I would try something again by this author but this particular book wasn’t it for me.

This was a really wonderful unique story. Ive never read anything like this before. I really enjoyed it and would recommend reading this.

This had so much potential and just ultimately fell flat. I enjoyed the world, but the plot itself felt disjointed and had too many loose threads for my liking.

This was a nicely realized book about love and the idea that love is a form of recognition in another person. The idea that these souls kept meeting and falling in love and trying to destroy each other throughout history, was interesting if not new. The queer take on these characters made it feel fresh. The link to Chinese history and mythology was interesting. For me though the best part was the modern story. It was exciting and quick and sexy. It also did the best job of demonstrating who really matters in the end, who really is deserving of our love and attention. Enjoyable read.

I loved this whimsical novel that spans time and countries. This love story is magical and full of twist and turns. This MM reincarnation romance is based party on Chinese history. It features morally grey lovers that connect across difference times and different characters. The three stories interconnect to creat a romantasy that will keep you hooked.

I throughly enjoyed this book. The writing, the characters, the cover, it was amazing well done and something I couldn’t help but read in a single sitting.

I liked the idea of this book a lot, and thought the execution was well done. I think if I knew more about the stories/people that inspired the past characters this book may have had more of an impact on me? But as it is, the story is bittersweet and an interesting twist on the reincarnated lovers trope. It was just missing something to really grab me, so this is probably a case of a me-thing than the book thing.

If this had been more accurately marketed as erotic historical fantasy instead of m/m romantasy, this would have worked better for me; however, as a result I spent the book wishing this were something it weren't. I do love the reincarnation trope and the various timelines, as it makes the story more engaging (especially the suspense in the Fox Spirit timeline), but there are threads that are dropped and ideas that should have been more deeply explored.