This was a great sequel to an already great book, and a satisfying ending to this series. This book somehow manages to raise the stakes, with more and more contenders for the throne coming out of the woodwork and beginning to make their move. Zhu's wit and confidence helped her tremendously in the first book, but here we see a different side, where it's less one-sided victories and more of a struggle, with some losses. Fighting a multi-sided battle is difficult, and the author did a great job of showing Zhu's struggle with that while still retaining her strong character. There were more perspectives in the narration this time, with several chapters showing events that are outside of Zhu's knowledge, which helped to fill out the world and reinforce how big the fight for the throne had gotten. The end came as a surprise to me in how things were handled, but it was satisfying and a good way to end things. My major complaint is that Ma didn't feature nearly as much as I thought she would, until the very end. I felt like there was lost potential there, but with so many storylines to juggle, it's not a surprise that something fell to the side.

This was one of my more anticipated reads for the summer, after very much enjoying the first book that came out last year. After the masterful showing that was ‘She Who Rides the Storm,” it was a pretty sure thing that this book would rise to a similar level. However, I wasn’t quite prepared for exactly how dark this book turned out to be.

Again, right from the start, it’s clear how much talent this author has. The characters are all fully fleshed out, flawed individuals whose motives and choices are as frustrating as they are realistic. The stakes are also often incredibly high, making some of these choices all the more tortuous to read about. Throughout it all, the descriptions and style aspects of the writing are solid and clear, sucking the reader in, even as they may wish they could step back a bit.

When researching a bit for this review, I saw that the author had written on Goodreads mentioning that she doesn’t consider this book grimdark. In the same note, she referred to “Game of Thrones” as grimdark, and one gets the sense that she was likely trying to differentiate her book from that one, a series that has been criticized by some for being overly graphic in its depictions of violence. Now, I understand trying to differentiate your own book, but I also don’t think that authors are the true arbitrators of what subgenre their own book falls within. Yes, this is her opinion, and no one can deny her that. But subgenres like grimdark exist for the readers, not the author. They are there to allow readers to have a broad understanding of what sort of book they are picking up. And, by any understanding of the term grimdark, this book is definitely that.

Without exaggeration, about 90% of this book is made up of horror after horror. The hopelessness and terror of these situations is pervasive throughout the book. And the descriptions being as crisp and vivid as they are, the reader will find no respite from looking right at all of these awful things unfolding before them. Honestly, this book checks off markers on the grimdark list in an almost aggressive manner. And this isn’t a negative thing! People do enjoy grimdark, and I can appreciate it as well. “The Poppy Wars” often fell into this category, and I loved the heck out of those books. But to try to deny that this is grimdark is honestly doing a disservice to readers and setting up unwitting readers to be unprepared for the type of story they are going to be reading. Even from the first book, this one is markedly more dark and difficult to read.

All of this to say, that my actual reading experience of this book would probably put it in the 7 range for rating. It was a hard book to get through, and I wasn’t fully in the right space to want to read something that was this dark for almost the entire read. But, I also recognize the overall quality of the book and writing, so I’ve bumped up my rating. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this one. But, yes, this is, in fact, grimdark fantasy.

Rating 8: Brutal and relentless, the strengths of this book are also the parts that make it such a challenging, but worthwhile, story.

(Link will go live Aug 23)

I do not know how to start this review.

There was sooo much going on which at times was a bit jarring. But I really did appreciate getting somewhat of a better understanding of characters and their motivations.

This book was constantly on 100. Characters dying and betrayals and pregnancies and dead people and more dead people and more dead people.

I just felt the ending left me wanting…more? Something different perhaps? After the 70-80% I could pretty much guess where the book was going and although the ending was deserved, the journey felt a bit…lacklustre.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I always enjoy reading about Zhu & Ouyang.

My feelings towards this book are wrapped in so much grief I almost didn’t realize I loved it.
It’s such a rare feeling to be so invested and heartbroken over the way a story is told, that its own gaping wounds start to make you feel like one yourself.

I loved this book just as much as the first one! I am so excited to see what else Parker-Chan writes, and I will definitely sell this one just like She Who Became the Sun!!

TW: Self harm, Rape, Torture, Miscarriage

Zhu, The Radiant King, finds herself feeling unstoppable after her victories and wants to crown herself emperor. But she won’t just have to go against the reigning dynasty but also others who have designs on the throne. Zhu realizes she can’t go it alone and makes an unlikely alliance with someone who is more like her than he realizes. But no one vying for the throne realizes that there is someone who lurks in the shadows with their own designs to rule and is much closer to claiming the throne than anyone else. As they’re all willing to do whatever it takes to rule, who will have to sacrifice the most, and who will emerge victorious?

This is truly a work of epic historical fantasy. This sequel still focuses on familiar characters while expanding its reach throughout the empire on a larger scale. It had a much different feel to its prequel, which I ended up not preferring. Zhu’s POV was weaker in this read as it was more focused on her building up followers and running between different points or on intense bouts of action. I enjoyed the parts of Baoxiang’s POV that were more intrigue-driven subterfuge, but his sections quickly became too graphic for me.

I personally disliked how sexually explicit this book was and how often it happened. While I do acknowledge that these parts played an important role in the characterization and plot throughout the book, I would have preferred them to be more off-page and/or much less graphic. It reached a point where it felt more gratuitous and less relevant, which detracted from my enjoyment. This was mostly the case in Baoxiang’s sections, and much of his internal dialogue about the sexual interactions contradicted each other to the point where I was confused as to his actual wants/desires. I disliked how muddied his characterization became, especially as it didn’t seem like this was done on purpose.

I loved how complex this work was and appreciate how well the author combined so many elements and moving parts to create a compelling conclusion that didn’t feel forced. However, this book was just so drastically different from the first one in ways I didn’t prefer that it didn’t wow me in the same way. I do still recommend this read and it was a satisfying conclusion, although don’t go into it expecting a similar read to the prequel. My thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published August 22, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for grating me access to this eARC!

He Who Drowned the World follows the story of Zhu, Ouyang and the rest of the characters after the events that happen in She Who Became the Sun. Situations are way more violent and tense since they are at war now, and new characters appear to try to defy Zhu on her way to the throne.

I finished this book last night and I still don't really know what to say.
But ok, I will start by talking about the characters: This book is full of character development! We get to see Zhu explore different scenarios, where she starts to question everything she had fought for until now. We also get to see moments when some of the other characters get to slowly realize thing without really wanting to accept them. The whole book is a path of self-discovery and opening their eyes to a new reality of the world.

The new characters are extremely interesting. Both of them kept me wanting to know more about their lives, because they are such complex characters that you just want to keep reading what is in their minds. That being said, I really missed Zhu many times. Like, I know it's good we get more insight from the other characters, but at some point I was like, "where is Zhu?" and she would come back 30 pages after. I also missed Ma a lot.

Now, about the pacing of the story and the story in general: I really liked this book's pacing at the beginning. We are preparing for war, we come and go, battle after battle, mission after mission. We have deep moments when the characters openly (or as openly as these characters can) talk about their feelings and that's good and understandable. But then we get to the last part of the book...and everything starts happening SO FAST. It threw me off, because when this change happens, everything that happens starts to feel...too vain? Like, we stop getting deep into things, we just see them in the surface, and then everything is just too convenient. But what gets me more in the nerves is that, when something BIG happens almost in the last 20%, the characters just keep going. There isn't a moment of impact, nor enough time for the reader to assimilate it. I mean, I get it, that's how it is in war, but I really wished there were more reactions to this event.
And I didn't feel fully satisfied with the ending. I would have loved an epilogue! But also, I didn't like that some things were left so unsolved! I was happy, but I also expected some extra pages at the end.

That being said, in general, I really enjoyed this book, and in general this duology is spectacular and you should totally give it a try!

I REALLY enjoyed 'She Who Became the Sun.' It was slow burn, had a lot of world and character building, but did have a dark side.

You need to read book one to get the full experience for 'He Who Drowned the World.' This book follows some familiar characters in a new journey as Zhu sets her sights on becoming Emperor.

This book is brutal. I really appreciated that the author was so forthcoming with trigger warnings, as they are plentiful. Be sure to do yourself a favor and read over them.

Very dark and shocking end to a wonderful series. The tonal shift in this novel is enthralling and at first feels harsh but eventually makes sense.

This sequel to SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN is much darker than the first book. In fact it reminds me of a Chinese version of Game of Thrones, with lots of political machinations, betrayal, blood, torture, and destruction, and ghosts instead of dragons. The characters are very complicated and most of them are not particularly likeable, but there are exceptions that redeem the story in the end. There is plenty of action and plot twists to keep the reader invested, although there's so much death and destruction in the middle that it's hard to keep going. Those who do will be rewarded, but this is not a simple book to read. I think it is worth it, but there were definitely times when I had my doubts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for letting me read this incredible sequel a couple months early. I have been excitedly waiting for the sequel to She Who Became the Sun since I first finished reading the book--especially because I didn't realize it wasn't a stand-alone when I first read the ARC of that one about two years ago. When I saw the sequel was coming soon, I started to telling people I recommended the book to that the sequel would be out soon, so if they wanted to try an interesting "genderqueer historical fiction set in Mongol-ruled China with fantastical elements" it would be a great time to do so because they wouldn't have to wait long for the sequel. I also ran to NetGalley to get my hands on an advanced copy.

Now, I'll admit, it took me a bit to get it into this one, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's been so long since I read the first one. After struggling to even get through the first chapter for a bit, I eventually found a summary of She Who Became the Sun, and once I read that and had a refresh on who all the characters were and what had happened in the plot before, I was ready to go. Once I started to get into the book, it didn't take me long to remember why I'd loved the first one. The characters are all so deliciously complicated. It wasn't odd for me to find myself rooting for a character and wanting them to fail a page later. Zhu, Ouyang, Baoxiang, and Lady Zhang are all trying to carve a place for themselves out of the world, to build a future that they can feel comfortable imagining. And the thing is, I want them to be able to have those futures--I want Zhu to create this bright new world; I want Ouyang to avenge his family; I want Baoxiang to find peace; I want Lady Zhang to find happiness--but I don't like the things they do in order to achieve these ends. It makes me nauseous, it makes me sad, and it's just too raw and real. In short, the characters make me feel a little insane, and I love it.

If you enjoyed She Who Became the Sun, you definitely need to read the sequel. If you haven't picked up the first book yet because the sequel wasn't out and you weren't sure if the duology as a whole would be worth the time, I can assure you they are. In fact, if Shelley Parker-Chan ever decided to continue this world and write more about what comes after He Who Drowned the World, I would not be opposed.

1000/10 Thank you tor books and NetGalley for the ARC. This book dares to answer the question: what if Game of Thrones was a billion times more queer and doesn’t suck at the end? Absolutely loved this sequel. Beautifully written with perfect pacing. It’s been a while since I stayed up super late not wanting to put a book down but this was it.

Note, there are a lot of content warnings with this one including but not limited to: self-harm, rape, domestic violence, existing 600 years before SSRIs were invented

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history—and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

In the sequel to She Who Became the Sun, Zhu Yuanzhang is celebrating beating the Mongols, but she wants more. She desires to become emperor. However, there are other players who also desire the throne that might be stronger than Zhu.

This is one that you definitely need to read the first book to understand! However, fans of the first book are sure to love this one!

This one is really explosive and unexpected. Lots of great character building and interaction. Glad for the duology format.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the eARC (as well as the physical ARC) of He Who Drowned the World in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year after reading the first book last year and being absolutely destroyed by it. I fully can’t describe how much the Radiant King duology means to me. He Who Drowned the World is a much darker companion and I highly recommend checking out trigger warnings before reading (Shelley has them listed on their Goodreads account or you can DM me!!).

While She Who Became the Sun (SWBTS) was a story of desire and how one’s world can be shaped by the sheer will of those willing to do what it takes to achieve their means, He Who Drowned the World (HWDTW) was a story of suffering, especially at the hands of those previous desires. Once again this book like its companion, shows the harsh realities of war and violence against oneself and others. Yet, the world is crafted in such a way that you are drawn to it, almost like our characters.

This has some of the best written prose I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. It’s dark, beautiful, and unforgiving. Just when you think things are taking a turn for the better, something horrible happens. It’s immersive, I even felt sick to my stomach at times with just how much suffering our characters go through.

This story truly shows how people who were always destined to lose in their world, took their destiny and changed it by their own force. Our main characters don’t subscribe to any specific gender norms and have on page revelations as they move through their lives.

HWDTW is a worthy follow-up and finisher to this series. One of the things I love most about duologies is that it cuts out the unnecessary slump that trilogies often suffer from. This book was a knife to the throat from the get-go and I feel really lucky that I was able to read this early. To end the review, I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:

“I claim my place…and if the pattern of the world refuses to let that place exist, I will change it”.

Sequels tend to be rather disapointing or just plainly mediocre. But that did not happen with this book; dare I say I liked it more than "She Who Became The Sun". Since it had to with war, especially its most cruelest parts, it was hard to read at times, especially to see the outcome of some of the characters and how their decisions have specific outcomes.

Character-wise, we are spectators of their growth and their development, for better or for worse. Zhu was probably the character who changed the most, which is natural since they are the MC, but at times I questioned their decisions. Just because they wanted to fullfill their destiny, which is completely understandable, given their tragic past, but at times I thought that they didn't even think of the repercussions of their arctions. On the ohter hand, even though they made calculated decisions, they most of the times hurt others loyal to them. Nonetheless, they weren't overwhelmed by grief when it engulfed them; instead they pushed through, like a true leader.

My second favorite character, for whom I had mixed feelings for in the fisrt book, was definitely Ouyang. After Esen's death, he was completely distraught, and as it is mentioned in the book "Since Esens's death there was never a moment without pain". He's second-guessing his past actions, something that it's defintely a new side of him, since we saw him being sure of himself. He comes closer to Zhu, becomes their ally, and then he feels betrayed by them. And I was devastated seeing his end, because General Ouyang deserved better.

I could literally talk about hours for this book, but in general, thank you Shelley Parker-Chan for the trauma. Definitely read it, the publication date is on August 22! Thank you NeGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Brutal, bloodthirsty and absolutely brilliant !
Zhu might have started out with nothing but she’s come a long way not only to have something but to be someone and now she faces her greatest challenge but she knows she cannot do it alone. Zhu does make hard decisions but trust me those around her are frequently capable of vile, treacherous acts that will sicken even the hardest stomach.
The plot is an epic one , full of vile characters, perversions and just downright awful people capable of terrible deeds in order to stamp on others less fortunate. Yet it’s amazing how the author grips her audience because honestly it’s a story that just pulled me in. Greed, political machinations, power hungry characters all feature but it’s the sheer depravity that shocks and as crazy as this sounds it’s compelling and absolutely fascinating.
Yet ironically it’s the characters that just rise up in the readers mind demanding attention. Ok I admit Zhu is our “heroic” protagonist but even she is morally ambiguous but pit her against a twisted heartbroken brother (or two!) or set her a seemingly impossible challenge and she just comes through . A society that definitely needs a shake up , a story of love lost and sometimes willingly thrown away but most of all a story I will not forget .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Truly a masterpiece of a duology. The plot and characters made the story move fast and kept me on my toes. The pain each character felt rationalized their actions and made for great character depth and character interaction. If you had any doubts don’t and read this book.

I was physically incapable of putting this one down. I was mad when I had to do other stuff besides read it. This is an absolutely stunning follow-up to its predecessor, but you definitely have to be in the right mindset to read it - there is so! much! pain! That's what the entire book is about - pain, and what it does to people. But such a satisfying ending for almost everyone (except for Ouyang, no spoilers but OH OUCH MY HEART!!! MY ACTUAL HEART).