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.
"Just because something is true, doesn't mean it is good."
Justinian Huang's The Emperor and the Endless Palace is inexplicably marketed as a romantasy, but it's more than that and it's not that at all. It is romantic, in the truest sense of the word, but it's not a romance: it's a story about love and lust, obsession and revenge. We follow three apparently unrelated storylines, ranging from the distant past in Imperial China to the present, but realize very quickly how these storylines are related. One could say that it's obvious, since it's right there on the blurb, but the way the story is told makes the beauty of it, and it surprises with a few well-placed twists that stun and confound and yet, seem inevitable.
Everything moves like clockwork, every lingering question is answered. The author paints with deft strokes the life at Court of an ambitious clerk, the life of a restless innkeeper in the woods, the life of a present-day gay man coming to terms with his orientation; and the characters breathe to life, with all their contradictions. The reveal of the tangled web of lust and love, of the way the circle of reincarnation drives the characters' lives, is done beautifully.
The prose really is incredible. The narration is vivid, and quite explicit, with unforgettable imagery. There are quite a few sex scenes, and each is described with metaphors suited to the time, which I found very clever. There's quite a few quotes from ancient poetry, and the author seamlessly works in folk tales and real history to make a grand tale of unbridled passions and toxic behavior.
The story presents some triggering scenes of sexual assault.
The Emperor and the Endless Palace is a gorgeous cautionary tale.
✨ 5 stars
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