What a fascinating and well-executed debut! I was impressed by so much of this book - the entirely Asian cast, the alternating POVs, the lush and beautiful worldbuilding. I really enjoyed the adaptation of the legend of the cut sleeve, because as much as I've heard about it over the years, I never really sat down and learned about the history behind the legend. Now I really want to learn more!

I also am not usually the type of person that likes multiple stories being told simultaneously, but the way THE EMPEROR AND THE ENDLESS PALACE pulls it off and ties everything together at the end was extremely well done. The disparate perspectives told in disparate timelines don't make much sense at first, but as the story moves along and you begin to notice the patterns, it's super fun and very rewarding.

This book felt like a warm hug; a nonjudgmental celebration of being queer. More than that, it's a love story that transcends gender in a way I don't usually see written in queer romance - not once did I feel like these two characters were having to justify their love for one another. Definitely mind the tags if you haven't already, because the erotica tag is definitely well-earned! But I am very glad I picked this one up, and can't wait to see it on shelves.

A titillating examination of the intersection between lust and love, definitely more love/revenge story than romance, set against the compelling backdrop of the most effusive gay emperor of the Han dynasty. I'm a sucker for folk tales (especially queer Asian ones, let there be more) and enjoyed the lyrical prose that chronicled the emperor and innkeeper narratives.

My main gripe was that this writing style didn't translate too well to the present-day story, which didn't really feel like it went anywhere or pushed the boundaries of the overall conceit of reincarnation. Can a book have plot twists if it doesn't quite have a plot? I'm not sure, and it felt like the present-day story was building toward a reveal that never happened, perhaps with Calvin.

I still enjoyed the book overall, just more as a character study than as a novel. I'd read more from this author!

This is a mind trip of a story set in three timelines with 3 different men, Dong Xian in 4 BCE a simple but ambitious man, Shican in 1740 an innkeeper who is kind to possibly the wrong person, and River in present day Los Angeles who is newly out and gets caught up in a crazy situation. The connections between the three timelines develop as you read and the characters are not necessarily loveable, but deeply flawed men whose love is complicated.

There is a lot of spiciness of the male/male variety and also a great deal of the characters are acting under the influence (in all three timelines). Because of this, there are several dubious consent situations and a scene where consent is not given (it is interrupted). This book is marketed as romantasy, but I would put it squarely under fantasy with romantic plotlines.

The twists and turns that this story takes is crazy and is not for everyone (but no book is). This book is very much rooted in Chinese myths and history and reads a lot like the epic mind trip movies that came out of China in the 1990's. I really enjoyed it, but I can see that the style of writing is very different than most American/European centric fantasies and could be very off putting for readers. If you like the cultivation genre (xianxia fantasy) books that have been coming out in English recently but wanted something that moved faster, then this book could be for you.

Thank you to Harlequin/MIRA for the review copy, all opinions are my own. My physical copy is on it's way.

This book is truly one of a kind. I can't think of anything else that's like it - reincarnated lovers rooted in the legend of the Cut-Sleeve Emperor mixed with the mythos of fox spirits, plus all the layers that are built on top of the premise. For those looking for a HEA, please be warned: this is not genre romance. The book centers the romance, but it doesn't follow the guiding tenet of the romance genre. The book is bittersweet, as many Sino-based stories are. I appreciate the author for being true to his vision and letting the story be what it is.

That said, I really enjoyed all the drama, the magic, and the historical fantasy vibes. It's not often we get to see the LA gay scene as a setting for fantasy, and the book delivers. I did not think there was too much sex, and I didn't think it was that graphic. The idea of reincarnation, of walking the same paths over and over again, threads through the book, tying the ending back to the beginning. Time is an infinite loop, and so are these two lovers.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for March 30th (will likely be featured very soon afterwards because of physical pre-order arriving as well)
Blog Post goes love March 27th
Will be featured on March Reads Pt 2

**TL;DR**: No HEA - so perhaps not for everyone but I loved this fantastical romance through the ages.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a unique and deeply magical story of two men, trapped in a loop of reincarnation. Over 2000 years they find and loose each other and over the course of this novel we watch them through three lifetimes to find out how and why. There is no HEA here, so for my more traditional romance readers, I don’t recommend going in for one. The ending is bittersweet but also holds promise - I would most definitely read a sequel but I’m also happy with where this ended.

Current day we follow River as he goes out after a one night stand, to a club where he meets Joey. The two have a magnetic attraction, and seem unable to escape each others orbit. Meanwhile we follow two other timelines, two other lives of River and Joey. One is the story of a young man and the Emperor of the Endless Palace in Ancient China, the other is the story of a young fox spirit and an innkeeper in China during the 18th century. These stories always end similarly, with death or loss, but are also filled with love as River and Joey seek, loose, and find each other over the course of our present day story.

I also have to warn that this one is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of sexual content, very casually. Drug use is common in two timelines, and attempted sexual attempt happens at least once. In addition there is some very graphic infidelity on page which may make others uncomfortable. For all that, I loved this story. Nothing felt wasted or used poorly. Everything served a purpose and was needed for the story. I highly recommend it for my more adventurous romance reading friends, I loved it so much I can’t wait to have my hands on my pre-order.

5 out of 5 peaches

A love so strong it lasts for lifetimes.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang is his debut novel and is a twisty love story. This story follows the various lives of a man who inevitably meets the love of his life. Death and being reborn doesn’t stop their love, but is there something that can?

I really like the concept of an endless love that continues over lifetimes! Like, no matter what, you end up finding each other one way or another and it could be in any form. This was my first time reading a MM romance and at some points I couldn’t get into it, but as a whole I liked it.

I don’t think this subgenre of romance is going to be my go to any time soon, but I appreciate a fresh take on romance and relationships. Another thing that stuck out to me and that I loved is the historical aspects. The fact that it’s multiple time periods and they all express not only different times but also places in Asia. That’s always a super fun read!

Sometimes it did get a little confusing while keeping up with each timeline and flipping between them, but as a whole it’s laid out very well.

If you are looking for a MM Asian romantasy that’s super extra spicy, then this is perfect for you! There’s also historical aspects, bipoc characters, multiple timelines, a bit of a thrill and mystery in the mix as well as fated love and mythical creatures.

Other books like it: To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods, The God and the Gumiho

*This was an honest review for a complimentary copy of The Emperor and the Endless Palace from Justinian Huang via NetGalley

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is one of the strangest books I’ve read, not fitting neatly into any one box, and in all honesty, it’s a bit hard to decide how I feel about it. It’s certainly fascinating and has a particular vibe, even if everything transpired differently than I might have expected.

Between the three different timelines, each has a distinct feeling to it. In 4 BCE, following the courtier Dong Xian, everything becomes more and more surreal as time progresses. It’s almost absurd what’s going on, in a decidedly uncomfortable and creepy way. The chapters set in 1740, with innkeeper He Shican, are more straight-forward in the fantasy genre, with a fox spirit and an unusual medicine to be procured. Things unfold surprisingly, but it doesn’t have the same darkness. Then the parts following River in present-day Los Angeles feel more like a work of noir. He’s attending raves (circuits?) and going to parties hosted by a billionaire and seeing really weird statues. There are drugs and nighttime activities and a general feeling of unease.

A recurring theme between the three timelines is of sex as power. This comes up the most strongly and frequently in the parts set in 4 BCE. Yes, there are numerous scenes depicting sexual encounters, always between men. However, it’s not shown via a glamorous or romantic lens. Instead, it usually comes across as unsettling and uncomfortable. It’s voyeuristic, about power, and sometimes escalates to assault or rape. It’s not fun!

Even so, there is a sort of love story at play here. It feels like a spoiler to say it, but it’s in the official summary, so I guess it’s fair game: There is a theme of reincarnation and fate. Deciphering who’s who might be a challenge, and there’s an antagonist thrown into the mix. But even with this ill-fated love story, I wouldn’t call The Emperor and the Endless Palace a romance. It’s been marketed as a romantasy, but… it just doesn’t have the right elements to qualify as a romance in my opinion. It’s too dark, it has totally different beats, and it doesn’t have the most conventional ending for that genre.

And speaking of the ending (don’t worry, no spoilers)… I need someone who’s read the book to talk to, because I have complicated feelings about it. Is it a satisfying ending? Is it what I wanted? What I expected? I couldn’t say, but I could use a book club to discuss this with!

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a genre-defying novel that achieves a very particular vibe throughout. It’s creepy, and it has recurring themes and symbols throughout (like peaches and jade), but it also highlights gay men in historical China and in present-day Los Angeles. It’s engrossing, if unsettling. It’s worth the read, but don’t expect an HEA romantasy!

The Emperor And The Endless Palace by Justinian Wuang it’s just like Christmas 1984 when I wanted a Cabbage Patch doll so badly and then something happened and I thought I was going to get it and whind up getting a doll called the flower pot doll basically the same but bad in so many ways after reading the summary for this book I could not wait to read it it was so good yesterday it was finally the day to get to it and within the first 10 pages I will sadly contemplating DNFing this book. They have phrases in the spot I never want to hear again nor do I think will I be eating plums. I love a great romance and I don’t care if it’s between two women a man and a woman or a man and a man because love is sweet in any color but OMG… OMG that was way too many sex scenes in the book. Usually I will skim past the sex scenes but when doing that I would land on… the next sex scene not to mention they make the guys in the book some of them seem almost predatory but I won’t waste much time giving a review for this but I didn’t like it… Well I didn’t like all the sex scenes and that is mainly what makes up the book. I tried so hard to get through it but sadly it is a Knogo I think next time maybe put that this is fantasy erotica because nowhere in the summary does it say that. Just like in Christmas of 84 when I opened up the very last present and it was Christina my Cabbage Patch doll who I loved for years I’m going to go and open up another book and hopefully it will be the love story it says it is. I do want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This cover was misleading...but also not? I didn’t expect this book to be downright filthy (an interesting surprise but not one I’m mad at lol). How Justinian Huang managed to write a true-to-history, historical, reincarnation-based, queer romance, AND it’s smutty??? I will never understand. But I couldn’t put it down.

A few of my friends and I all were lucky enough to receive advanced copies, and when I tell you that we were rabid, texting each other while reading and FaceTiming while we. poured over academic articles to check the timelines and learn more about a history we hadn’t known... It’s a masterful skill to be able to write a love story that makes you want to research just to have a fuller grasp or one last look at the characters you learned to love. I haven’t done so since I read Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller--when I was researching Patroclus and Achilles in Greek mythos. And before that, when I researched the sapphic history of vampires because of Carmilla.

The story itself was beautiful and well-detailed for a shorter novel, and I’m excited to see the author grow in his craft as he creates new stories. I definitely think he’s one to watch!

Thank you for the ARC of this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC. I had a absolute awesome time reading this book. The writing was absolutely beautiful. This book is a erotic fantasy written in beautiful prose that is a love letter to gay Asian men. This book is very GAY AND I LOVE IT! This is a reincarnation romance as well with an amnesia aspect tied in as well. The spicy bits are definitely diet dark romance with a sprinkle of dubcon. I highly recommend this book, it kept me engaged the entire time, the historical aspect is based on a true story of Emperor Ai from the Han Dynasty as well. I finished this book in 2 days and just absolutely loved it.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Justinian Huang for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. After picking it up and putting it down over the course of a few weeks I decided to DNF it.

I was excited to read this book because the plot seemed so interesting. It’s marketed as a romantasy but unfortunately I don’t think thats what it is. I wish there was more fantasy aspects woven in aside from the fated lover being reincarnating and finding each other again across three different time periods. The folklore was interesting but it was just taking too long for it to actually dive into it. I wouldn’t say this book is romance, more lust filled and toxicity (which I wouldn’t mind if the characters were at least interesting).

The characters just seemed to all blend in together, from the main characters to the background characters they just fell a little flat for me. It was nothing about their personalities that made me care about them or helped me get invested into the story.

The world building is done well. The author is definitely able to set a scene and I could visualize everything described. The amount of spice in this story took me by surprise and while I love me a spicy scene I just wish it was intertwined with more romance.

My favorite time line was within the palace walls with the politics at play but once we were transported to the other ones I just completely lost interest.

While this wasn’t for me I will still recommend people give it a try. If you like time jumps, spice and don’t mind the fantasy being on the lower side and the romance being more lust driven then it may be for you.

So not only is the cover one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, but I had a blast reading this book. It was something new from what I have read previously, but I just had a delight reading it. It is heavier on the sex than the romance, but knowing that going in it is not much of an issue.

Know that this is heavy on the sex and light on the romance. Set over three timelines, it's all about finding a soul mate and, to be honest, deeply toxic relationships. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It wasn't what I thought it would be and while it wasn't for me, I'm sure there's an audience that will enjoy it greatly.

I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

I really had to sit with this one for a while to see exactly how I would rate it. I really enjoyed a lot of the elements of it, the doomed romance, the three timelines, the idea of reincarnation and souls finding each other again. I liked the characters and their dynamics with each other and the way that despite each timeline being its own unique thing - the story transcended that. (Which I know is the point but I liked how it was done here.) I found myself when I was taking breaks from reading, or had to stop that I was thinking about it quite a bit while I was not reading it. And while it was "sex forward" I didn't honestly think it was in excess. (I have read some of the things smuttok recommends, if you would like my credentials.)

Each timeline felt episodic, and when I would hit the end of one chapter, I was immediately right back into another timeline, without having to catch up or trying to figure out or remember what was going on. It was like braiding three different colored strands together, unique strands, seamless flow.

I found that my favorite timelines were the ones in the past, while I least connected with the modern day timeline. There was also a twist later in the book (I don't want to give away spoilers) That while very unexpected, was hard to un-train my brain from thinking in the assumptions I had previously for more than 75% of the novel. --but that may just be a me thing.

Being a cis/het white woman, I do not presume to know the male BIPOC queer experience, but I recognize the vast importance of representation in promoted works. And this was the first entirely Asian represented queer novel that I have personally read. And I hope to see a lot more publicized from that arena (at least here in the U.S.)

Thank you, thank you to the publisher for the free physical ARC of this book, it was fun to read, and all of my opinions are my own!

In 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier seduces the young emperor. In 1740, an innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor get a rare medicine, unleashing an otherworldly terror. In present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before. These two men meet across different lifetimes, reborn to meet again. Each time, they're tested by the worlds around them. Eventually, they realize their love can transcend time but could consume them as well.

The book opens with tales on how fox spirits can gain immortality alongside how He Shican discovered he is of the cut-sleeve persuasion. (From historical tales of the noble that cut his sleeve to leave bed rather than wake his lover.) We meet the couples in each timeline: Dong Xian is the courtier in the Endless Palace asking about a new potential influence on the Emperor even though the country's beloved princess was told to kill herself for crossing the Dowager Empress. He Shican built a new inn out of the way of most traffic and offers to help introduce Jiuliang to a renowned doctor. Med student hopeful River meets Joey at a rave when ecstasy doesn't agree with him.

The three lifetimes in this novel are interconnected, progressing alongside each other. We think we know who River is from the first set of lovers, and what the relationship is going to be within the second. The connections between the men shift and change with the different lifetimes, as well as who Remembers the past. They're trying to break the cycle of mistakes made in the past, where obsessive love ultimately destroyed the relationship. It's a story within a story within a story, about love and family and connections everywhere. It definitely tugged at my heart as I read; these disaster boys love each other so much, enough to defy convention, yet it isn't enough to dull the capacity to hurt each other, too. Very lyrical and beautifully written, with side characters that also enhance the drama in each lifetime.

This pleasantly surprised me! I also flew it was super fast paced. Once I got into the three different time periods I was super intrigued by the characters and their stories!! Also a few things caught me off guard which I always enjoy in a book! The ending was a little ambiguous which was my only complaint haha but I did receive this as an arc so the final copy may be different!

First off, I really want to thank Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Second, I unfortunately have to say that I DNFed this book at 44% and I feel terrible about giving it a 2 star rating because I know that a lot of work went into this story. However, I honestly thought about it sooner but there is so much potential and the concept is really cool. It is definitely a fated mates trope and uses 3 different settings throughout history. The part that I couldn’t do is the questionable consent/potential SA that was occurring in the book, specifically at the point that I stopped. I really would have liked to finish it because I liked how the story was going, but it was kind of unsettling to read for me personally.

Have you ever had the pleasure of discovering a book that you believed was perfect, but when you read it, it turned out to be even more fantastic than you could have imagined? You wish you could rewind time and relive the pleasure of reading it for the first time. If you can relate to this feeling, then I'm afraid this book might not be the one for you.
I was ecstatic when Netgalley granted me access to this book. Years ago, I was captivated by Suzanne Weyn's 'Reincarnation,' a story that still holds a special place in my heart. Its message has lingered with me, resonating deeply. Naturally, I had high hopes for 'The Emperor and the Endless Palace,' given its shared theme with 'Reincarnation.' However, my anticipation was met with disappointment. Despite the promise of delving deeper into the star-crossed lovers' past and present, the story failed to deliver. The book, despite its enticing description, was ultimately a letdown, an empty shell of what it could have been.
I feel that what went wrong with the story is the author's fixation with sexualizing every special moment. Of the three timelines the book is split into, my favorite period was 1740. I would skip everything else to read about that specific timeline. However, when I was enjoying it the most, the timeline would switch to either present LA or 4BCE, and in those, the sexual atmosphere would take away all the meaning from the plot.
Everything about the story revolves around sex, even the main characters' feelings; if there were any chance for a special moment, it would build just to end in sex. And let's be honest, this is not the romantic type of sexual encounter; this is the brutal and vulgar type where every word exchange is tasteless. On top of that, there is a scene where I believe the main characters were practically kids, and while nothing was explicitly said, the scene did leave me with a foul taste because kids should never, under any circumstances be sexualized!
Overall, I started this book with the wrong expectations and wanted to give up many times, but since it was an ARC, I felt obligated to finish it. I probably won't read anything else from this author.

The blurb for The Emperor and the Endless Palace had me intrigued, and I was so excited to delve into a queer historical fantasy with (hopefully) interesting world building and reimagining of folklore. This is not that book.

What it is, is an erotic tale of three interconnected settings with hypersexual characters with no real understandable chemistry and descriptions of sexual escapades that are definitely a….stylistic choice. (“…pounded his pink plum” within the first 30 pages, I mean REALLY.)

Towards the end I didn’t even care about the relationships being built because they were so vague and unappealing. If you are looking for erotica for erotica’s sake…I mean, even then this probably isn’t for you because a lot of the “spicy” scenes are unemotional, almost clinical in their descriptions. I agree with another reviewer on GoodReads that this feels like fanfiction of a much better book. There is so much wasted potential here it’s almost upsetting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for access to this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel—it’s so important to shine a light on Chinese queer history/folklore as it’s largely unknown in the West and actively suppressed in China itself. And it’s also important to me to uplift queer BIPOC authors writing queer stories about their own culture/heritage.

And…wow. I was completely won over by this interpretation of the romance between Emperor Ai of Han and Dong Xian as pawns in a political game. The novel expertly weaves three timelines together, ending each chapter on a cliffhanger that made me fly through the pages. I was also totally drawn in by the tension and mysteries in the plot, especially trying to guess who had reincarnated into who in each timeline. The twists and turns were deeply satisfying and left me eager to see where the story would go in a sequel.

I know publishing wants that romantasy money, but I believe calling this novel a romantasy does it a disservice. It’s not a danmei romance, nor is it intended to be one. I would call this a queer, speculative literary novel that examines the boundary between love and obsession. It’s so hard to speak in detail about the main relationship without going into spoilers, so all I’ll say is: This novel is romantic, but don’t expect it to be a genre romance novel. It’s about messy queer Chinese men navigating their relationships with each other, and it’s an homage to queer Chinese history and queer Chinese stories.

I will say that I found the flowery/euphemistic writing during the sex scenes to be jarring rather than poetic, some of the dialogue during the present-day timeline felt a little wooden rather than conversational, and I didn’t really appreciate the use of the word “triggered” as a joke in one instance. But other than that, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for fantasy novels inspired by China’s queer traditions.