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city_girl_writer's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
What an unconventional romantasy thriller in every part of each genre!
- Fantasy = reincarnation in an endless loop like a curse
- Romance = multiple love stories throughout time
- Thriller = wanting to turn the page to find out what happens next with outside forces getting in the way of these love stories
This will not be for everyone (especially not for romance readers who want a HEA), but it was really cool to see 3 interconnected love stories come together and yell "what the fuck?!" at the end. I will read more from this author in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Drug use
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, and Rape
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
gaelstorm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was interesting and unique! I struggled to pick a rating because part of me liked it more than 3 stars but it also fell flat other times.... So I guess I'll settle for a middle of the road 3 stars with a slight leaning upwards. It was a great story concept but I wish there had been a bit more character development and that it had continued with more of the plots than it did. Since we follow 3 different timelines (which I loved), that unfortunately means that each timeline got less attention than I thought it deserved (each one could have been a full novel!). I am so glad I read it though! I flew through it and enjoyed a lot of it.
Warning: this is not a romance book in the sense of the romance book genre. It's a romance in the way that Romeo & Juliette is a romance; the story is all about love and star-crossed lovers. So don't be disappointed when it doesn't really fit into the "romance genre." The genres are more fantasy, mythology-retelling, thriller, with the main plot centering on romance, but not the romance genre.
Content Warning! (I'll put this here as well as in StoryGraph's content warning section)
This book contains a fair fit of sex, and while some of it is consensual, quite a lot of it is either non-consensual or questionably consensual (e.g. drugs involved). However, I don't feel like those scenes were romanticized too much (at least how I interpreted it); it's definitively part of the plot that people are taking advantage and not being great people. At the same time, the scenes also weren't gratuitously violent or super traumatic in my opinion, but read with caution if this will upset you! Like I said above, this is not a typical feel-good romance.
<b>❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?</b>
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: m/m
POV: 1st person POV, 3 different timelines, rotating every chapter
Themes & Tropes: star-crossed lovers, unrequited love, mythology retelling, reincarnation
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: R
How Much: quite a lot but not in a way that felt like constant smut, and not all were consensual, see content warnings if you need to
Warning: this is not a romance book in the sense of the romance book genre. It's a romance in the way that Romeo & Juliette is a romance; the story is all about love and star-crossed lovers. So don't be disappointed when it doesn't really fit into the "romance genre." The genres are more fantasy, mythology-retelling, thriller, with the main plot centering on romance, but not the romance genre.
Content Warning! (I'll put this here as well as in StoryGraph's content warning section)
This book contains a fair fit of sex, and while some of it is consensual, quite a lot of it is either non-consensual or questionably consensual (e.g. drugs involved). However, I don't feel like those scenes were romanticized too much (at least how I interpreted it); it's definitively part of the plot that people are taking advantage and not being great people. At the same time, the scenes also weren't gratuitously violent or super traumatic in my opinion, but read with caution if this will upset you! Like I said above, this is not a typical feel-good romance.
<b>❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?</b>
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: m/m
POV: 1st person POV, 3 different timelines, rotating every chapter
Themes & Tropes: star-crossed lovers, unrequited love, mythology retelling, reincarnation
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: R
How Much: quite a lot but not in a way that felt like constant smut, and not all were consensual, see content warnings if you need to
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual assault, and Drug use
Minor: Infidelity, Abandonment, Body horror, and Death of parent
paracosim's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The twist was great, but the lack of lube was not lmao.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
heather667's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Rape
rainbowbrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
sandreline's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To temper expectations, I think this book was marketed poorly. If you want traditional romance beats, look elsewhere. This is not that. It is a fantasy story with a romance at its center, but I would not categorize this as "romance" or "romantasy."
That said, I adored every moment of the Emporer and the Endless Palace. If I were to pick two books to express the vibes I'd go with This Is How You Lose the Time War and... Wuthering Heights? Iykyk.
Beautifully written and thoroughly engaging.
That said, I adored every moment of the Emporer and the Endless Palace. If I were to pick two books to express the vibes I'd go with This Is How You Lose the Time War and... Wuthering Heights? Iykyk.
Beautifully written and thoroughly engaging.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent
abbeghoul's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Death
Minor: Death of parent
moodreadererin's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Homophobia and Animal death
phua_jieying's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Cancer
justinekorson's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
This was a very surprising story. Told in three POV's (the same POV's?? they're the same souls who keep being reincarnated) this was an incredible read that blended different timelines into one. I was excited and anxious to read each new part. I enjoyed trying to connect their past lives with their present lives before the story itself told us who was who. (I still ended up being wrong though). I was so intrigued by each chapter and wept a little over its very sad end. I had so much hope for River and Joey in their present life but apparently it wasn't meant to be. I also felt really bad for Calvin in this story who sounded like a really good person who genuinely loved River.
I know this isn't the final version of the book and that the actual final draft is much longer so I'm excited to read the physical book (which I've already bought a copy of) and meet the author (I'm going to do this at an event soon). I'm going to have so much fun reading over the story again and I can't wait!!
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
This was a very surprising story. Told in three POV's (the same POV's?? they're the same souls who keep being reincarnated) this was an incredible read that blended different timelines into one. I was excited and anxious to read each new part. I enjoyed trying to connect their past lives with their present lives before the story itself told us who was who. (I still ended up being wrong though). I was so intrigued by each chapter and wept a little over its very sad end. I had so much hope for River and Joey in their present life but apparently it wasn't meant to be. I also felt really bad for Calvin in this story who sounded like a really good person who genuinely loved River.
I know this isn't the final version of the book and that the actual final draft is much longer so I'm excited to read the physical book (which I've already bought a copy of) and meet the author (I'm going to do this at an event soon). I'm going to have so much fun reading over the story again and I can't wait!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Gaslighting