The Veiled Throne by Ken Liu

 

With the invasion of Dara complete, and the Wall of Storms breached, the world has opened to new possibilities for the gods and peoples of both empires as the sweeping saga of the award-winning Dandelion Dynasty continues in this third book of the “magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR).

Princess Théra, once known as Empress Üna of Dara, entrusted the throne to her younger brother in order to journey to Ukyu-Gondé to war with the Lyucu. She has crossed the fabled Wall of Storms with a fleet of advanced warships and ten thousand people. Beset by adversity, Théra and her most trusted companions attempt to overcome every challenge by doing the most interesting thing. But is not letting the past dictate the present always possible or even desirable?

In Dara, the Lyucu leadership as well as the surviving Dandelion Court bristle with rivalries as currents of power surge and ebb and perspectives spin and shift. Here, parents and children, teachers and students, Empress and Pékyu, all nurture the seeds of plans that will take years to bloom. Will tradition yield to new justifications for power?

Everywhere, the spirit of innovation dances like dandelion seeds on the wind, and the commoners, the forgotten, the ignored begin to engineer new solutions for a new age.

Ken Liu returns to the series that draws from a tradition of the great epics of our history from the Aeneid to the Romance on the Three Kingdoms and builds a new tale unsurpassed in its scope and ambition.

 

MY REVIEW: 3.5 STARS

I'm not sure if it was me or the book! I would day since I loved the first two books and didn't get to do a reread that it was probably me =( 

 I absolutely loved the character, Goztan - Thane Of The Five Tribes Of The Antler! I thought she was awesome! 

I didn't like some of the stories of the gods that depicted some animal brutality and other parts with animal brutality. I mean most of it was what really happens in life but this day and age, I don't want to read that kind of stuff, but like I said, it's easy enough to gloss over. 

I did feel lost in some of the other parts of the book, but please don't let this take away from anyone reading the book! I'm going to still add the paperback and audible to my collection and reread them all once the final book is out! The first two books were 5 star and this one might change back to that number in a reread, although, a 3.5 star is not bad! 

 *Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a digital copy of this book! 

 Mel