Reviews

The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu

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led's review against another edition

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challenging dark relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mastersnorlax's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Regrettably, The Veiled Throne suffered from being the first half of the story that will be resolved by Speaking Bones in 2022. It’s becoming well known that Ken Liu was unable to complete the conflict between Dara and the Lyucu within one volume and therefore split the narrative between these two books. Unfortunately, I find it difficult to believe that the author made any significant adjustments to events of these books to ensure there was a satisfactory story arc told in each. Instead The Veiled Throne feels exactly like the book was split in equal halves, resulting in an inflated buildup with no satisfactory payoff. The pacing of this book was intolerably slow which is felt intimately in the 1000 page count where multiple plot lines are introduced and developed, but often abandoned for hundreds of pages in favor of a seemingly random plot. I’m vaguely referencing the 300 pages of the cooking competition plot that severely hampered my enjoyment of this entire story. After seeing how the author intended for the events of this story to impact the larger plot I still feel like this could have been edited down or abbreviated in this book with an additional novella published separately for readers who actually wanted all this information. Usually I find zero complaints for Ken Liu’s meandering development through the exquisite exploration of this world he has painstakingly gifted us readers, but needless to say I can’t appreciate this instance without reading the final installment. Perhaps I will have to retract this entire review once I can read the fourth and final book and see how this all plays out. Unfortunately, I’ll have to chalk this one up to a miss in the meantime and add it to my list of disappointing sequels for my favorite fantasy series.

catheartofg0ld's review

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adventurous hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

the_library_of_toddy's review against another edition

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4.0

Rating: 4.5/5

The Veiled Throne is the third entry and the first half of the conclusion to Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty. The story picks up nearly immediately from the end of The Wall Of Storms and spans nearly a decade, following all the familiar faces (at least those still alive), as well as introducing new characters like Goztan, Kinri, and the Blossom Gang.

“You can't force anyone to live a story that doesn't feel true to them.”

Liu’s writing is fantastic: particularly the way he writes his characters, evoking strong emotional reactions within me (particularly a hatred towards some - *cough* Cutanrovo *cough*). The Veiled Throne continues to expand on the incredible world building of the previous books, particularly around the Lyucu and Agon.

“History is always a story retold through the present”

I did have some pacing issues in this book, particularly with the last part, with the heavy focus on the restaurant battle. I can see how this segment was about introducing the Blossom Gang and positioning pieces for the final book, however, with all of the tension going on in all the other plotlines, this almost whimsical story felt like a distraction. I found the food wars storyline was too long - it was fun for the first battle, but it started to drag for parts two and three, and ultimately this section was just less engaging than earlier parts of the book for me.

“The nature of all humankind was corrupt and there was nothing new under the sun.”

While I one hundred percent continue to thoroughly enjoy this series, for me The Veiled Throne has been the weakest book so far, but the bar set by the first two books is incredibly high and this is still a fantastic read. I cannot wait to see how this series ends in Speaking Bones (although I am bracing myself for emotional trauma if the first three books are any indication).

bigheadted's review

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3.0

This is 1,000 pages of world building. Very little plot advancement and forgettable characters. The world building is...genius? But it's 1,000 pages. That's a lot. If that's what you're looking for, you'll like this book a lot more than I did. As far as advancing the story in a series of four chonkers, this one can almost be skipped. I'm glad I mostly did this on audiobook, otherwise I'd have gone a little insane.

stormbornarchive's review against another edition

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3.0

I loved books 1 and 2 of The Dandelion Dynasty so much that this felt like being thrust in a completely different direction and forced to like what was happening. Mechanically, it’s good—everything that Ken Liu is known for is here: intricate worldbuilding, thought-provoking themes, and masterful prose. But I just couldn’t deal with it.

The pacing dragged, with too much focus on side plots that added little for me, and the emotional depth and action I adored in the earlier books felt absent. The only thing that brought me back, even briefly, was the appearance of a side character from earlier installments—a fleeting reminder of what I loved about this series. I’m just glad to be done with this one. Will I read the next book? Not anytime soon. For now, I’ll hold on to the brilliance of the first two books and move forward.