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A review by fadingapple
He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Shelley Parker-Chan brings an amazing historical fantasy once again! The brutal world of tragedy, culture, beauty, politics, intrigue, and ambition is just as vivid and heart-wrenching as the first book. The characters are still flawed, unique, nuanced, complicated, and real to a fault. But, my complaint from the first book was even more prominent in this sequel - there are so many characters with similar names and places and motivations and relationships to keep track of.....it made it hard to follow along at times. That's why this is only a 4 star instead of a 5, but it was still amazing.
Parker-Chan brings forth a strong ending to an amazing duology. I never knew exactly what was going to happen, who would survive (spoilers, a lot of people die), and who would succeed. I laughed, I cried, I was so confused I didn't know what my own name was - and man was it enthralling.
This series is heavy and complicated - it's not for the feint of heart or those that was to fully relax while reading. But, it is intricate and beautiful and tragic and thoughtfully executed. You'll find yourself immersed in the themes of ambition, fate, gender, sex, sexuality, expectations, and loyalty. The reader gets a front row seat to how the smallest of actions can have a gargantuan impact on not only your life, but everyone's. Be prepared to ask yourself - how far am I willing to go for what I want, would I go even a fraction as far as the characters?
I would caution readers that the changing of POV and intensive list of characters and locations can become confusing, especially because the changes often happen mid-chapter. Context clues are enough throughout to keep you interested and informed, but there were times where something was referenced and I felt like I was missing a connection. But, I still loved the story and wasn’t confused in the end, even if I worry I may have missed a few enhancing details.
I highly recommend this book and author to any historical fantasy lover!
Shelley Parker-Chan brings an amazing historical fantasy once again! The brutal world of tragedy, culture, beauty, politics, intrigue, and ambition is just as vivid and heart-wrenching as the first book. The characters are still flawed, unique, nuanced, complicated, and real to a fault. But, my complaint from the first book was even more prominent in this sequel - there are so many characters with similar names and places and motivations and relationships to keep track of.....it made it hard to follow along at times. That's why this is only a 4 star instead of a 5, but it was still amazing.
Parker-Chan brings forth a strong ending to an amazing duology. I never knew exactly what was going to happen, who would survive (spoilers, a lot of people die), and who would succeed. I laughed, I cried, I was so confused I didn't know what my own name was - and man was it enthralling.
This series is heavy and complicated - it's not for the feint of heart or those that was to fully relax while reading. But, it is intricate and beautiful and tragic and thoughtfully executed. You'll find yourself immersed in the themes of ambition, fate, gender, sex, sexuality, expectations, and loyalty. The reader gets a front row seat to how the smallest of actions can have a gargantuan impact on not only your life, but everyone's. Be prepared to ask yourself - how far am I willing to go for what I want, would I go even a fraction as far as the characters?
I would caution readers that the changing of POV and intensive list of characters and locations can become confusing, especially because the changes often happen mid-chapter. Context clues are enough throughout to keep you interested and informed, but there were times where something was referenced and I felt like I was missing a connection. But, I still loved the story and wasn’t confused in the end, even if I worry I may have missed a few enhancing details.
I highly recommend this book and author to any historical fantasy lover!