What a beautifully written story. The world of the past came to life on these pages, and the story itself—three interwoven timelines—felt fablelike and original. While there were certain characters I liked more than others (River was my favorite), all were compelling. The book felt like an experience in the best way.

What if our souls actually recognized each other from encounters in our past lives? In present day Los Angeles, a college student, River, meets a handsome stranger, Joey, at a party. In China in 4 BCE, the youngest son of a minor court official, finds himself falling for the emperor. In 1740, an innkeeper finds himself helping a mysterious stranger and his grandmother. These three timelines collide in the most intriguing manner as debut author, Justinian Huang, weaves a tale of magical realism. There is quite a bit of on the page sex, but the intersection of the three timelines was beautifully crafted. The one disappointment I had was the ending felt abrupt. I would be curious to see if a sequel is planned. I would like to see what happens to all of the characters and maybe learn about their lives in other eras.

This book was excellent. I enjoyed the lore and the different characters very much. I loved how the book was written from three different perspectives.

This book grabbed me by the throat from the very beginning and wouldn't let me go. I was completely engrossed in the intertwining storylines and mysteries and with each new revelation I was only more and more hooked until I had breathlessly finished the entire thing in record time. Though I was left with many questions in the end, some clearly intended by the author and others perhaps not, the experience of reading this novel was one of such thrill and excitement that I have not felt about a book in a very long time. An absolutely captivating mix of historical, paranormal, and romance.

This book will take you on the journey of three lifetimes! I finished this book yesterday and I'm still gathering my thoughts about it. The way the three timelines were interwoven made for a compelling read that made me want to keep going back to the book. I love how the prose reflected the time period and how each timeline showed a different obstacle to their relationship.

It's certainly a genre-bending romantic thriller, as advertised. Fans of xianxia, fantasy, mystery, and romantic suspense will enjoy this book.

I will return with my full review closer to the publication date per the publishers instructions as outlined on their approval preferences.

The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a stunning achievement. If that’s not enough to get you to read this (I warn you - tragic, without a single happily ever after involved) romantic epic, then take this into account: it’s almost certainly going to be on my best of year for 2024.

In 4 BCE, jaded, social-climbing courtier Dong Xian is called upon by a murderous princess to seduce the new young emperor Liu Xin, but it turns out they have something secret, magical – and deadly – in common.

In 1740, solitary innkeeper Shican sets out to help the mysterious Jiulang find a medicine which will end a terrible curse, only to find himself intrigued by more than the mission.

In contemporary Los Angeles, college student River meets handsome stranger Joey. River can’t understand why he feels so drawn to Joey – until Joey reveals that they share a magical secret. For not only have they been reincarnated over many lifetimes, Joey is the only one who remembers that fact, knows they are soulmates, remembers their fox spirits - and he seeks to break that curse, lifetime after lifetime.

This is heartbreaking and filled with the brio of life and sex and death, and there’s never really been anything like it. It takes a while for the book’s three narrative mysteries to interconnect and unravel, but when they do, it is masterful.

Despite the lack of HEA/HFN, this is a beautifully romantic book – it’s not at all soppy, and it’s going to make you stop and stare at least once as you read it. The main characters are flawed people, interesting people. And the magical systems are excellently wrought.

I can’t tell you much more about the story because I’d risk revealing its secrets, and that’s the last thing I want to do. Just know this: The Emperor and the Endless Palace is enthralling and romantic and gory and shattering. It’s definitely a hit.

Note: this story contains harm to animals and on-page animal death.

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is called upon to seduce the young emperor — but quickly discovers they are both ruled by blood, sex and intrigue. ~ In 1740, a lonely innkeeper agrees to help a mysterious visitor procure a rare medicine, only to unleash an otherworldly terror instead. ~ And in present-day Los Angeles, a college student meets a beautiful stranger and cannot shake the feeling they’ve met before.

Across these seemingly unrelated timelines woven together only by the twists and turns of fate, two men are reborn, lifetime after lifetime. Within the treacherous walls of an ancient palace and the boundless forests of the Asian wilderness to the heart-pounding cement floors of underground rave scenes, our lovers are inexplicably drawn to each other, constantly tested by the worlds around them. As their many lives intertwine, they begin to realize the power of their undying love—a power that transcends time itself…but one that might consume them both.

This book is an emotional roller coaster and packs a huge emotional punch. Love that transcends time and place, what pulls us to each other, is so powerful the universe weaves our stories together. Wow. Fantastic, sometimes messy (deliberately so), a beautifully written story. I will be looking for more from this debut author in the future. Amazing!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

"The Emperor and the Endless Palace" by Justinian Huang is a genre-bending romantic thriller that spans across different timelines and explores the themes of love, fate, and reincarnation. The novel weaves together multiple stories set in different eras, all connected by the threads of destiny and the enduring power of love.

In the year 4 BCE, an ambitious courtier is tasked with seducing the young emperor, leading to a tale of blood, sex, and intrigue. In 1740, a lonely innkeeper becomes involved in a mysterious quest for a rare medicine, setting off a chain of events that brings about otherworldly terror. In present-day Los Angeles, a college student encounters a beautiful stranger, feeling an inexplicable connection that transcends time.

The narrative explores the concept that the feeling we call love is actually a form of metaphysical recognition, where souls remember each other from previous lives. The central characters, reborn lifetime after lifetime, find themselves drawn to each other amidst the complexities of different worlds and timelines. The novel delves into the challenges and tests faced by the characters as they navigate their interconnected lives and the power of their undying love.

"The Emperor and the Endless Palace" promises to be an unpredictable and captivating debut that challenges conventional notions of true love, blending elements of romance, fantasy, and thriller across diverse settings and time periods. The novel invites readers to explore the mysteries of fate and the enduring nature of love that transcends the boundaries of time itself.

This book is such an experience! Multi-timeline books are always one of my favorites because it takes careful reveals and points of contact to make them tie together, and this book definitely managed that! I spent two-thirds trying to piece together who was who across each lifetime, and I love how it stayed with a cyclic nature of reincarnation where the connections of lives keeps replaying previous roles. I’m not familiar with Chinese history, so it took me a while to realize who Dong Xian was, but when I realized this was a retelling/reimagining with the emperor who originated the cut sleeve euphemism, it was like a mind-blowing moment. This was just really good, and so intense in so many ways. I had trouble putting it down once I got pulled in, and I couldn’t wait to see how each of the lives would play out. And that ending! It feels so open while firmly finishing this story. I was utterly enthralled and can’t wait for others to have a chance to read this twisty reincarnation story.

This is a really strange one, but I enjoyed my time with it! I'm finding it a little difficult to pull my thoughts together, since the book is quite jumbled (intentionally so), splitting itself between three time periods and three lifetimes. We follow the same two characters as they reincarnate and inevitably fall in love anew each time—the intrigue comes from the how, when, and why. The writing is absolutely beautiful (and distinct within each time period, too, which I loved), so in that sense, the book is a delight to read. Something about the characters didn't really sit with me, unfortunately; I maybe wanted longer chapters to allow for more time with each set of characters at once, since the smaller chunks often made it hard for me to connect with them and their individual plights. The pacing is also kind of weird—glacially slow at times, but the ending goes by so quickly that it's a little hard to follow. I was honestly a little bored until maybe halfway through, at which point the book starts kicking itself into high gear, and I stopped wanting to put it down. So I've got my issues with this book, but I still can't help but recommend it anyway; it's fun and frantic and weird in a way I've never quite seen a book be weird before.

A courtier is called to seduce the younger emperor. An innkeeper helps a visitor but unleashes a terror. In modern LA, a student meets a stranger and feel a sense of deja vu. Six stories but all intertwined...

A book worth the time to read! Terrific characters and terrific plot. Really enjoy the historical portion especially.. I like the subtle romance throughout the book. An interesting book...

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and Justinian Huang for my ARC copy,

This book introduces us to six men across three lifetimes and three historical periods, all repeating the same love story. In Han Dynasty China, a courtier navigates a tumultuous royal court while growing closer to his king. In 1700s Chine, an innkeeper navigates an encounter with a beautiful, mysterious man who is a nine-tailed fox. And in modern Los Angeles, a previously straight-laced medical student goes on a surreal adventure, falling in love with a mysterious foreign stranger.

I would best describe this book as being Cloud Atlas meets Song of Achilles, with strong themes of Chinese mythology and queer Asian identity. Would definitely recommend it to fans of authors like Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow), and Nghi Vo (The Empress of Salt and Fortune), Shelley Parker-Chan (She Who Became the Sun) and Natasha Pulley (The Kingdoms). I loved watching the different timelines converge, and the way the author gave little pieces of information at different points give the reader clues. My favorite POVs were River's and the Han dynasty setting. I think that this was a really great debut for Justinian Huang and I am looking forward to future books.