Actual Rating 3.5

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan is the sequel and series conclusion to She Who Became the Sun, one of my favorite books of all time. Both HWDTW and SWBTS tells the story of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China and told in the most beautiful prose.

Parker-Chan has the most elegant Asian-inspired writing style that never fails to bring me to my knees. In this book we continue to follow Zhu, Ouyang, and Ma while even more full-bodied characters are introduced in the novel. This book is about the struggle and battle for power between all the characters with each of them trying to outplay and outmaneuver each other. This sequel is even more magic-heavy than the SWBTS and delves much deeper into the psyche of these extremely flawed characters.

My biggest gripe with HWDTW, was this novel felt so must less balanced than SWBTS. I loved SWBTS so much because SPC was able to create a perfect balance between militaristic strategies, romance, darkness and gore, and the slow maddening descent into immorality topped with a sprinkling of fantasy and horror.

However, in SWBTS, while I found so much to love about this book, I also did not feel like it had the balance that I was looking for and hoping to read again. In this book, I feel like balance was tipped far more into the trauma for trauma's sake rather than trauma that adds to the drama. There is a lot, and I repeat a lot of graphic rape scenes illustrated from the point of the victim. And the rape happens to multiple different characters and between different genders, and it happens over and over again. As it never was from the aggressor's perspective, the reader ends up living in the shame and the trauma and manipulation in these characters heads repeatedly, throughout the novel. Sex was used both as a tool and as a weapon so repeatedly that a lot of the times it felt unnecessary to expound on each scene it happens in.

While I do understand SPC using this as a tool to illustrate the horrors of war, especially since in history, it did happen a lot, as well as using these graphic rape scenes to drive character and plot, I do feel like the *amount* of it was unnecessary to get those points across. There were also certain times that the internal dialogue of the characters during the rape scenes contradicted each other and it became truly confusing what SPC really wanted to achieve. In this case, I feel like less is more would have been a lot more impactful in truly portraying the horrors these experienced.

Nonetheless, SPC will continue to be an auto-buy author because the world they have build and the characters they have chosen to portray are intensely complex and I do enjoy reading their writing so much.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I confess that I skimmed some of this book. The reason follows:

I loved She Who Became the Sun and was eager to read the sequel. However, after reading about a third of the book I was just about ready to quit. I hadn't realized how much Ma, Zhu's wife, had chapters and a point of view that mitigated the self-loathing, sociopathy and evil that so many other of the characters in this story personify. Ma does not have a POV chapter in this book, really. Instead, we see Zhu's blindness to the danger that she is putting the people who love her into, Ouyang's almost suicidal self-hatred after murdering his foster-brother and love, Baoxhing's determination to use the loathing that others feel for him as a weapon and his descent into loucheness, Lady Zhang's total dissociation from her body and even her emotions as she uses her sexuality to achieve her goals. It was a LOT. I did not enjoy it.

But I wanted to at least find out what happened. So I skimmed the book so as not to get too drawn into all of these horrific people's heads and it's really a damn good story. The author seems to be making the point that gender performance is not who people are. In fact, they seem to be saying that gender performance can be for all kinds of reasons other than self-expression and that people can be trapped into an appearance of gender that they do not want. I think that Zhu is the only character in this book to see gender as almost irrelevant to who she is. Ouyang feels forced into a feminine appearance and hates it. Baoxhing is seen as feminine and queer even though he is not and he decides to weaponize that misunderstanding. Lady Zhang sees her femininity as something to use as well but she doesn't seem to care about her body at all.

This ends up being a tragedy for most of the characters, which won't surprise too many readers. Even those who triumph almost never actually get any pleasure from it. Everyone gives too much away for their goals.

So going into the third book, if there ever is one, I will remember that none of these characters are worth really rooting for and I shouldn't let myself empathize too much with any of them. This author has really leveled up in this book, though. They make GRRM look like Little Miss Sunshine and they have an amazing ability to tell a story.

Took all the promise of book 1 and wrung it dry of every last drop of pain and betrayal. To see characters so deeply driven by need, ambition, desire and do whatever it takes to accomplish their goals is breath taking - and a little frightening.
The characters were so deeply real in not shying away from what they wanted, and yet: even in the midst of death, blood, and betrayal, they made choices that went against their desires as their humanity stole in at the edges despite themselves.
An absolute masterpiece.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

<b>The evil queers strike again</b>

I was really looking forward to reading the second and last installment in the <u>The Radiant Emperor duology</u> and it didn’t disappoint! I think I even liked it more than the first one.

In this second part of the series <b>the characters are fully developed</b> and are <b>trying to achieve their goals by whatever means necessary</b>. And even if they are incredibly cruel and ruthless, I still want them to succeed, which I guess is one of the author’s many abilities, to make us sympathize with characters that are somewhat evil.

This novel is <b>full of action scenes and political scheming</b>, but it is also quite <b>introspective</b> and it explores the characters’ feelings in depth. It is one of those rare books where the plot and the characters go hand in hand to drive an <b>exquisite and fascinating story.</b>

I love how we get to see more of <b>Ouyang</b> and his feelings of guilt and grief. He is probably my favourite character in the series and one of my favourite literary characters of all time. Which is surprising considering he is a misogynistic and vengeful war general! But he is so well-written and so nuanced I can’t help but fall in love with every aspect of the character.

On the other hand, we have our protagonist and hero <b>Zhu Yuanzhang</b>. Although I consider her/him to be more of an antihero or villain even; which is one of the things I love about this duology. If you ever wanted to read a really <b>good villain origin story</b>, this is it. A novel where characters will do anything to get what they want but where you’ll still love them and support them all the way.

Besides the incredible characters and the great plot, we also have the <b>well-executed gender issues and themes</b>. I had never before read a book that bends gender roles and prejudices as well as this one does.

An incredible and, might I add, devastating read that will live in my mind rent free for a very long time. I’m still not over the many things that happen in this novel, but mostly, I’m not over this duology ending! I hope the author blesses us with a new series soon.

“He Who Drowned the World” is the best possible ending for a fantastic queer duology that will leave people speechless for many years to come. <u>An instant classic and a series that will surely set a precedent for many up and coming authors.</u>

<b>5/5
Rep: queer all the way</b>

He Who Drowned the World started off super rocky for me, I felt like the pacing was all over the place and the switches between characters was very jarring.

I'm not sure if I got used to it or it got better but after the 30% mark I couldn't put it down. It became a very high stakes, exciting game of politics and revenge.

Shelley Parker-Chan does NOT hold back with her characters and anything could happen. Absolutely ruthless! A great ending to this duology and I really enjoyed Zhu's arc. She went through a lot of growth and tragedy and it all comes together.

I did not make time to read this as I realized that I had promoted book 1 to students, but hadn't read it. With all of the books I read, I couldn't justify reading both of these at the expense of others. I have heard very good things about these books so I am rating it 4 stars.

How do you review a book that emotionally devastated you? Give it five stars. Parker-Chan is a master at their craft and it's obvious how much blood/sweat/tears and care they've put into the second book of this duology. The continued exploration of gender and sexuality, as well as the societal expectations and implications of such identities. There's political intrigue and violence, but we focus so much more on deepening our understanding of the characters (HUGE plus, in my opinion) and being a witness to the pain, suffering, and longing that they endure.

I couldn't have asked for a better ending and Parker-Chan has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I will read anything they produce, and I eagerly await their next project (whatever that may be and whenever it comes to light).

She who drowned the world by Shelley Parker Chan, is one of the best endings to a duology I've ever read in my life.

We continue with the same dark and compelling historical fantasy that we had in the first book. The first book was amazingly written, and definitely have your attention. The second book took it even further. I absolutely hate up the second book to the duology.

We continue to follow the same cast of characters that we followed in the first book. The character development is so rich and the world building so flawless. The representation throughout this book felt so organic and well executed.

This is going on my shelf is one of my top reads of the year

This is about to be one of my most personal and least objective reviews, but please, bear with me here.

To start off with the good that I simple cannot deny: this is an amazingly well-written novel. It is very raw, it doesn't hold back on the pain of its characters, the character studies continued to be fantastic, the plot was interesting the whole way through, the passages and the dialogue are beautifully written.

I especially loved the fact that you got the chance to see everyone from every other person's point of view. It was the epitome of experiencing morally gray characters in fiction, because it forces you to empathize with people who, undeniably, cause an unfathomable amount of harm. When you're looking at them through the eyes of another character, they seem unnecessarily cruel. But, when you're in their own mind, everything they do simply makes sense. You understand suddenly why they must be cold and selfish and sacrificing: there simply is no other way. It showcases Parker-Chan's impressive talent, as their writing forces you to admit that your own morals and lived experiences can solidify your convictions and make you truly believe that you are doing what is right, that it is what should or must be done.

However, this is, at its core, a story about people who hate themselves, and who hate themselves specifically for their queerness, their womanhood, and the womanhood that is imposed onto them by the fact that they are perceived as women or perceived as feminine. On a personal note, I have a reached a point in my life where, finally, more than not, I love and embrace my queerness, alongside my womanhood. Therefore, I could not allow myself to fully embrace this story, because that would mean putting myself in the shoes of these characters, and revisiting that self-hatred and that disgust about my queerness that plagued me for so many years. I had to keep some distance, for my own sanity, and still, it was an incredibly difficult book to get through.

The only character in this novel that doesn't hate themself is Zhu, which explains why her chapters were the ones that I actually enjoyed reading. I dreaded every time I got to the end of one of her chapters, because I knew that meant having to re-enter another character's mindset, which was proving to be increasingly more difficult as I advanced in the novel.

I can completely understand why this book would feel so cathartic to people. I wholeheartedly recognize the hatred, not only for oneself but also for the world around you, and the desire to get revenge and to embrace the monstrosity that is imposed onto you by assumptions and stereotypes. I understand the desire to feel pain and to bask in it and I understand how this book would feel extremely validating towards all of these feelings, because, just as pretty much every other queer person, I have lived through all of it.

I don't want my personal experience and feelings to impact my review too harshly. I can see its merit and I would be hard-pressed to find something tangible to point at and say "this was not good" or "this was bad writing" or "this should have been done differently". It is exactly the book that Parker-Chan set out to write. However, it's hard for me to give a perfect score to a book that... I don't think I actually liked. I wasn't enjoying myself, in any sense of the word, while reading this.

Not to say that everything must be easy and positive for me to enjoy it. I regularly pick up and love books that are filled with violence and address very heavy topics. But with all of those books, I wanted to keep reading. I didn't want the story to end, I wanted to keep following the characters on their journey, I wanted there to be more pages and more chapters... Not with this. I wanted this story to be over with as soon as possible, which proved to be difficult considering just how thick it is.

Had I not be so razor-focused on finishing this duology and seeing the conclusion to this story, I might have DNFed it. It's not the kind of book I could ever re-read, and I'm not sure I even want to think about it after I finish reviewing it.

Nonetheless, I would recommend it. As I mentioned, this was a very personal review, and all of the negatives are elements that may actually sell you on picking this up. However, heed my warning: this is a story for people who are ready to exist in a headspace that is riddled with internalized homophobia and misogyny, with extremely negative self-talk, and with an ocean's amount of self-hatred, so powerful, it is what drives a war that spans over kingdoms. If this is something that you think you, not only can handle, but actively want to experience, I guarantee this is the perfect book for you.

This, unfortunately, falls into the category of “an excellent book that I did not enjoy on any level.”

I was well aware, the entire time I was reading it, that this is a masterpiece of a book. It was inventive, evocative, and compelling. Shelley Parker-Chan made some incredible characters and gave them wonderful arcs that took them to unexpected but entirely appropriate places. The book challenged me to think about important questions of gender, sexuality, and the price of achieving one’s dreams.

I just hated it.

Partly, the problem (which those who read *She Who Became the Sun* will understand) is that all of the primary characters are fall somewhere between absolute bastard and, at best, amoral. This very much includes our protagonist, Zhu. I am fine with morally gray characters, but when looked at in total this book’s cast was simply too bleak.

And the way the book approaches sex is rough to read. Everyone who read the prequel remembers That One Scene, which managed to be both romantic and tender. The sex scenes in this book (and they are many) are similar, but without the romance and tenderness. Sex is a complicated and powerful tool of manipulation here, and the glimpses we get that remind us it *can* be more just emphasize how tragic and disturbing most of the sex in this book is.

I don’t know if I’m going to read whatever Parker-Chan comes out with next. If I do, I’ll certainly read it a little warily.

He Who Drowned the World is the sequel to the critically acclaimed She Who Became the Sun, and it is just as good, if not better. The novel picks up where the first book left off, with Zhu Yuanzhang, now the Radiant King, having just conquered southern China and set her sights on the throne.

The novel is even more ambitious and sweeping than the first, and it explores the themes of gender, identity, power, and loss in even greater depth. The writing is beautiful and evocative, and the characters are complex and well-developed.

The novel is also much darker and more violent than the first, and it does not shy away from depicting the horrors of war and violence. However, the novel never feels gratuitous or exploitative, and it always maintains a sense of hope and resilience.

He Who Drowned the World is a masterpiece of historical fantasy, and it is sure to be a classic of the genre. I highly recommend it to fans of She Who Became the Sun, as well as fans of fantasy, historical fiction, and stories about strong female characters.

Here are some specific things that I liked about the book:

- The writing is beautiful and evocative. Parker-Chan does a masterful job of capturing the beauty and brutality of 14th century China.
- The characters are complex and well-developed. Zhu Yuanzhang is a sympathetic and relatable protagonist, and the supporting characters are also well-drawn.
- The story is suspenseful and exciting. There are many twists and turns, and I was always eager to find out what would happen next.
- The novel explores important themes of gender, identity, power, and loss in a thoughtful and nuanced way.
- The novel is a must-read for fans of historical fantasy, transgender literature, and stories about strong female characters.

Overall, I highly recommend He Who Drowned the World. It is a beautifully written, thought-provoking, and unforgettable novel.

He Who Drowned the World is an excellent conclusion to She Who Became the Sun and while by no means perfect I assume anyone who enjoyed She Who Became the Sun will be satisfied by it.

(Note while I try to avoid specific spoilers as this is a review of a sequel it’s impossible to do so without some general references)

The excellent thematic explorations of gender, societal expectations, desire and it’s relationship to suffering/sacrifice continue to be well done, threaded throughout the story in different ways through each of the characters.

Speaking of characters, for the most part I loved how Parker-Chan depicts these characters and their inevitable feeling journeys.

Zhu herself felt less like a villain protagonist and more anti-hero than I expected after the first book, yet oddly I was not at all disappointed despite having looked forward to getting to read her more as a villain.

Ooyang continues to be wonderfully complex. He is of course greatly affected by the events of the first book, yet his reactions feel very much him. I loved his journey even when I wanted to scream at him and cry for him.

Ma I found wonderful when we saw her — but I also felt she didn’t get enough screen time which weakened what could have been a much more impactful ending.

We also get two new major pov characters in this one. Wang Baoxing who is also greatly impacted by the events of the first book and is the perfect character to spend more time with in the ways he also contrasts with our main character and sheds a different light on the themes and driving events of the novel.

On the other hand my biggest criticism of the book might be in the character of Madam Zhang. There’s a lot that I did love about her inner life, but after how she was talked up in the first book I expected a lot more competency and scheming on her part, whereas I felt I kept being told she was competent but then shown the opposite.

The plot itself did not disappoint, nothing really felt forced by the plot/history nor did I ever find the pacing to lag. The book also expands on the magic in a way that I generally found quite clever and well woven in.

Overall, if you enjoyed She Who Became the Sun it’s hard for me to imagine that you won’t enjoy He Who Drowned the World.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so gender.

But hot damn, it is also so MUCH. I sometimes had a hard time picking it up because it was emotionally and mentally tiring. I think craft-wise this book can hardly be improved upon, but I only gave it 4* because I had a hard time getting into it. Definitely a page-turner, but definitely not a book that I couldn't put down.

The interpersonal dynamics in this one ratchet up to 11 real quick and stay there. The interactions between Zhu and Ouyang in particular are fascinating and definitely the star point, but the way all of the primary characters exist in their context is really great. Compared to book 1, He Who Drowned the World really digs into the idea of sexuality as a tool and a weapon, which was definitely uncomfortable, but fascinating, and very well done.

It's very heavy on military action and strategy, which is not necessarily my scene. That's the main thing that I struggled with, because I generally find it a bit confusing and not as compelling, and since the whole plot of this book was structured around the campaigns, I found it hard to stay grounded within the plot. Within the characters, absolutely. They're stellar and for all literary intents and purposes, perfect. I just did have kind of a hard time with the structure of the story around them.

I'd say that anyone who liked The Poppy War will enjoy this, since it has a similar flavour of ruthlessly ambitious female leader in a Chinese history-inspired military fantasy. This has less brutality and more focus on gender identity, though, which in my opinion is a dual mark in its favour.

Shelley Parker-Chan is going to be a star, if they're not already. It's their fate.

I love this duology and its ability to make intensely personal the political. Parker-Chan is brilliant at laying bare the internal life of the characters with all their insecurities, desires and rages. In a duology that could be purely a military adventure set in this period of Chinese history, the intimate character development in the real star of the show. And the queerness! Every character is in some way othered so that despite the outward derision of queerness is this world, it is actually the norm, perhaps reflecting our current world. I enjoy these books so much, and this is a very satisfying conclusion to this tale.

I loved She Who Became the Sun and was so excited for this sequel. The author is truly able to transport the reader into the world they are writing.

Such a dark book. At times I needed to get away from it just to soak up some light. That being said, it is a fantastic end to the duology and a must read for anyone who read "She Who Became the Sun". Definitely not a book to uplift your soul but for those who like a dark tale that is basically historical fantasy, you need to read this. When the author posts a list of warnings in her Goodreads comments you know you are in for a read that will rip you apart. Who knew such darkness abounded in the hearts of mankind. Thank you to #NetGalley#TorBooks for the eARC taht just about finished me off
#HeWhoDrownedTheWorld

Unfortunately, for me, He Who Drowned the World didn’t match the expectations set by She Who Became the Sun. Of course, it’s still a phenomenal book—it just didn’t have quite the same spark.

The characters are messy and fascinating because of it. Although my memory of the specifics of She Who Became the Sun are still a bit hazy—I struggle to believe so much time has passed since the prequel—I feel like reading He Who Drowned the World once has only allowed me to graze the surface of the characters’ intricacies. Subterfuge, political intrigue, and action are constant, and Zhu, Ouyang, Baoxiang, and others’ violence continued to shock me.

In that regard, He Who Drowned the World is a historical fiction narrative that is overwhelmingly bleak. As suggested by the content warnings, there is little respite from sexual, emotional, and physical trauma. I found it gratuitous at points, though I can’t deny that these events are essential to character development and do not solely exist for their shock value. Where the prequel’s oppressiveness coincided with bouts of optimism, He Who Drowned the World feels more akin to The Poppy War trilogy’s grimdark atmosphere.

Overall, I enjoyed witnessed each character’s suffering. It was remarkably grueling to read (again and again) but incredibly psychologically compelling. They are all haunted by self-loathing, though the consequences all manifest differently. The conversation around gender roles and the perfection of gender also permeates the narrative, albeit a bit more subtly than themes of desire, revenge, and duty.

I’ll miss these characters as much as I hope to never meet anyone like them face-to-face.

Phenomenal sequel. Parker-Chan reimagines history and makes space for queer characters in ancient China, and she does a fantastic job. The writing and storytelling are immersive and imbued with anger and vengeance, so much so that it is palpable.

After absolutely loving the first book in this duology, She Who Becomes the Sun, I was desperate to get my hands on the finale.

This book is brutal. The main protagonists are dark and unrelenting in their separate quests- for power, for redemption, and for revenge. These are terrible people who repeatedly do terrible things. The story is told from multiple POVs and it’s hard to figure out who is the bigger villain. Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is convinced of her right to rule and will do anything to accomplish this goal. General Ouyang has his own ghosts that drive him toward the Great Khan and murder. Wang Baoxiang has embedded himself within the capital and is playing a long game full of manipulation and deceit. There are other players, who use murder, sex, and coercion as tools to stay in power. And all of it leads up to a powerful, deadly conclusion that left me speechless.

The last 25% was stressful, but I couldn’t stop turning pages. I wouldn’t recommend this book for everyone- please read the content warnings. But I’m glad I finished this story.

Content notes- murder, torture, rape, mutilation, cruelty, self-harm

This story took on the difficult task of taking all the brightness of book one and showing us the shadows that inevitably form beneath without making the story or characters feel stagnant or letting them lose their ambition. Vulnerability entwined with cruelty, ambition with betrayal, and the ever-present question resurging like a heartbeat: “will it be worth it?”

Zhu has the same drive as ever, and I think keeping her as this anchor while shifting the world around her kept the story balanced. She’s cunning, willing to take steps that others would balk at, and willing to take blame and shoulder responsibility for all of it. Though she is told once, early on, “you are young enough to believe that, since you haven’t experienced loss, you will never lose” - and of course that simply must come back with a vengeance later. And my how hard that hit when it did.

Then there is General Ouyang, coming apart at the seams, slavering in his mindless desperation for revenge, to “make it all worth it” in the wake of the ending of the previous book. He is rabid with it, and it gives him a jagged edge that drags at and catches on the other characters in brilliant and devastating ways. His story is quite likely the most tragic of the lot, though none are particularly happy.

And Baoxiang who could outsmart and out-strategize everyone else in the cast, who is so gutted by his own darkness that he’s drowning in it (the title is all about him, by the way), who consistently mistakes his vulnerability for the cruelty he tells himself it must be, even as he is laid bare all the same. His story felt so much more human.

I was a little sad to see less of Ma in the story, but when she does finally take center stage, it is well worth the wait. Her empathy, freely given, provides such a good foil for Zhu and the other men.

The darkness of the story, the consequences for lives carelessly spent like so much coin, and the very real emotional center at the heart of each of our main cast cemented this one as a new favorite for me.