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A review by luluwoohoo
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
He Who Drowned The World Shelley Parker-Chan (co-read with audiobook narrated by Natalie Naudus)
☀️☀️☀️⛅
▪️The final book in this historical duology is much darker and more confronting than its predecessor, leaving no character unharmed in the battles for the throne
▪️The plot was well balanced between the multiple perspectives, and I enjoyed getting new characters perspectives in this installment, though Ouyang is still my favourite. The focus on characters who within this world are otherwise overlooked or written off created a powerful statement which was mostly successful in its resolution, particularly where the narrative didn't shy away from having some characters arcs end painfully. Where I was disappointed was the way Zhu's story ended up lacking the unique interest of perspectives like Ouyang and Wang Baoxiang, whose arcs were more unpredictable and filled with tension, and also how little presence Ma had until the very end
▪️I enjoyed Parker-Chan's prose more this time around - listening in part to the audiobook may have assisted with this - though I still found it sometimes a bit too generous - on occasion it would have been more effective to let the reader fill the gaps rather than emphasizing certain themes as much as they were
▪️I was a little disappointed by the ending - not it's content, which was ultimately satisfactory, but the speed at which it ended and how little time we had to savour the final victory for Zhu. For the relatively drawn out plot, I wanted to relish in the finish more than we did
▪️ Overall I believe this book was more successful than She Who Became The Sun with it's political intrigue and dark themes ramped up, but it still never managed to become a story I couldn't put down; I do commend Parker-Chan for their clear intentions and unflinching examination of their characters, which was the strongest part of the series.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
▪️The final book in this historical duology is much darker and more confronting than its predecessor, leaving no character unharmed in the battles for the throne
▪️The plot was well balanced between the multiple perspectives, and I enjoyed getting new characters perspectives in this installment, though Ouyang is still my favourite. The focus on characters who within this world are otherwise overlooked or written off created a powerful statement which was mostly successful in its resolution, particularly where the narrative didn't shy away from having some characters arcs end painfully. Where I was disappointed was the way Zhu's story ended up lacking the unique interest of perspectives like Ouyang and Wang Baoxiang, whose arcs were more unpredictable and filled with tension, and also how little presence Ma had until the very end
▪️I enjoyed Parker-Chan's prose more this time around - listening in part to the audiobook may have assisted with this - though I still found it sometimes a bit too generous - on occasion it would have been more effective to let the reader fill the gaps rather than emphasizing certain themes as much as they were
▪️I was a little disappointed by the ending - not it's content, which was ultimately satisfactory, but the speed at which it ended and how little time we had to savour the final victory for Zhu. For the relatively drawn out plot, I wanted to relish in the finish more than we did
▪️ Overall I believe this book was more successful than She Who Became The Sun with it's political intrigue and dark themes ramped up, but it still never managed to become a story I couldn't put down; I do commend Parker-Chan for their clear intentions and unflinching examination of their characters, which was the strongest part of the series.
"It was the time of night that babies were born and people died, when the dark seemed endless and the idea of a morning a cruel fantasy that not even a child could believe."