This book has been extremely hyped since news of it began circulating a few months ago. Comparisons to “Mulan” and “Song of Achilles” only helped a plot that sounded dark, tragic, and full of explorations into the themes such as personhood and the tragedies of war. I don’t have a ton of knowledge of about the real historical period of time and place being referenced (1300s China), but that was just another appeal of the book. And for once, the hype seems pretty well-founded!

Zhu’s fate is one of nothing. Neither tragic nor heroic, her life is predicted to fade from thought almost as soon as it arrives. Perhaps, for an impoverished family, this fate is not so extraordinary. However, her brother’s destiny of greatness very much is. After tragedy strikes, Zhu’s own prediction comes true as she sheds her identity, leaving it behind like so much nothing, and takes up the mantle of her deceased brother. Is this truly what fate had in mind? Can she rise to the greatness that had been assigned to another identity? Or has she simply become who she was always meant to be.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m always in for books that are compared to “Mulan” and, while I haven’t read “Song of Achilles” I know that it’s well-regarded. However, now having read this book, I’d say that a better marketing campaign would have directed readers to “The Poppy War” as the best comparison. Many of the themes are similar, and the dark, grim tone of a war-focused novel is very much the same in each of these books. Like “The Poppy War,” “She Who Became the Sun” doesn’t shy away from the bleak and challenging aspects of war. Many “Mulan” stories are so focused on the heroism of the main character, that war itself fades into the background, almost only a stagnant tool used to elevate the hero into her role. Not so here. Instead, greatness is shown to be perhaps its own burden, not any easier to carry than the nothingness that Zhu left behind.

The writing was incredibly strong, and I particularly enjoyed the well-blended mix of historical China with the fantastical elements. The story also managed to not get lost under its action-packed plot, instead giving ample time to exploring its themes of identity. Zhu’ own journey of self-exploration and acceptance is very powerful. The story doesn’t simply whip out the well-trodden lines, but instead dives into a very nuanced discussion, subtly exploring the many angles involved.

It wasn’t a perfect read, however. The book starts out with only Zhu’s POV and is very much a coming-of-age story. I really enjoyed this portion of the book, which perhaps is why I found it hard to readjust halfway through when the story suddenly expands outwards and adds in other POV characters. It was definitely a gutsy call on the author’s part, as it must has been suspected that readers would be fairly invested in Zhu by that point in the story and might struggle becoming attached to others later in the game. Luckily, the writing is strong enough to largely pull it off. But I did find myself thrown out of the book for a bit and needed some extra time to re-establish myself. This, then, threw off the pacing of the story as well, overall.

I really liked this book. The writing was confident and lyrical, truly impressive from a debut author. The themes were also well-explored and Zhu was a fantastic main character. I was a bit put-off by the sudden switch from one POV to two, but I think it ultimately did help create a more nuanced look at the overall conflict.

Rating 8: While “Mulan” is an adequate comparison, I think this is a better read-alike for fans of “The Poppy War” who are looking for a darker war-focused story.

This is a story of power, desire, identity, and the things people do to reach the fates they are bound for. It’s stunning, it’s beautiful, it’s lyrical and violent and radiant and I loved it so much. Zhu is such a fierce character and I loved her journey, both internal and external, so much as she grew into herself and into something great. Ouyang was the perfect foil to her, his own journey setting him on a path of revenge. She Who Became the Sun is just so good on so many levels. Its commentary on gender and identity were also breathtakingly brilliant and the queer themes subtlety woven throughout the book are incredible. I was honestly so impressed with this story. I highly recommend!

This is more of a historical fiction, which is fine, but then it shouldn’t be classified as a fantasy as well. because I had to DNF as I lost interest in the story, the coming of age story in the beginning was really great though but I expected a little more fantasy and I struggled to connect with the characters in this historical time period.

My thanks to the publisher for granting me advanced access through Netgalley.

I absolutely loved every second of this read. Zhu is the type of character I love reading about. Clearly a hero, though she is fueled by an internal desire rather than a wish to do right by others. She is a survivor and she knows what she wants. I kept rooting for her throughout even though her actions at times were definitely morally grey and turned more and more questionable throughout. On the whole she is just a real character. Someone shaped by her early experience, someone with real desires and passions but also full of flaws and weaknesses.
I loved the exploration of gender that was presented in this book. A lot of this exploration is done in Zhu's character arc. We never learn the name that Zhu was given at birth, as she rejects the faith of that young girl that she was born as. Instead she passes through life using her brother's name: Zhu ChongDa. She strives to think and act like him as much as possible in order to cheat the fate that the gods had bestowed on her. As a result, we see her struggling with her gender identity, as she fears her old self taking control. She walks the line between her masculine and feminine self, struggling to find her real true self.
However, Zhu is not the only character through which we will explore gender. And gender isn't the only theme filled with complexity and nuanced. Most of the characters have conflicting loyalties, wants, needs,...
Aside from the intricacies of the plot, I also greatly enjoyed the level of intricacy in the portrayal of mongol and chinese culture. I also greatly appreciated the balance between explaining some cultural elements and leaving others unexplained.


My only quelm just has to do with the fact that I know some Mandarin Chinese and always want english books to add the sign for the tone on the names so I know how to pronounce them :p or give the chinese characters. I know the ones for the last names and can imagine some of the first names as well. But I want more :)

She Who Became the Sun was everything I could have wanted and more. Set in 14th-century China, this story follows an excellent cast of characters who captivated me from the first page. They were morally grey and complex, and I loved that I couldn’t always guess what actions they would take. The character relationships were also spot-on. For example, the romantic sub-plots never overshadowed the main story but were still something I thoroughly enjoyed.

The writing was also fantastic. It was incredibly atmospheric, and the descriptions were so vivid that I could picture all the scenes clearly and could get fully immersed in the story. The pace was quite slow in parts, which may not work for everyone, but personally I loved how this story slowly unfolded and built, and how the separate plotlines gradually intertwined with each other. I also enjoyed exploring the magic system, which was quite subtle, but definitely added another dimension to an already remarkable read.

Overall, I loved this book and I cannot wait to read what the author brings out next!

Content Warnings: misogyny, drought and starvation, death of loved ones, violence, war, mention of castration, burning, execution (mentioned but not shown in detail), plague, vomiting, explosion, detailed description of injury, consensual sex, mutilation, animal death, poisoning, betrayal

This is going to be an incredibly hard book review to write because I’m not sure I’m up to the task of reducing this sweeping, incredibly complex, yet all-consuming tale into a mere thousand words. But I’ll try my best.

"In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…"

This quote from the blurb is where this story starts, with a young girl having grown up in a small village and known only hunger and desperation. She also knows she holds no value to her father and that her brother is who he has placed all his hopes into. Especially after the village fortune-teller announces that he, Zhu Chongba, will live a life of extreme greatness, and she will become nothing. So when bandits raid their home and kill her father and her brother dies in despair, she decides to seize his name and future for herself.

And then Zhu Chongba begins a journey that will take her from desperation onto a stern monastery, and eventually becoming a military leader in a group of resistance fighters against the Mongol rule and the great Khan. Zhu will learn about herself and just how far she will go in her ambition to reach the pinnacles of power.

There is so much depth to the world and character building that I couldn’t look away and didn’t want to put this book down even for a minute, although I did have to eat and go to work. I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is a lot of content that might be triggering to some people: scenes of war, torture, gore, starvation, and depression. It’s an incredibly heavy and dark read, but there are moments of light and so many deeply thought-provoking scenes.

This story is actually told from more than one POV. While Zhu is the main protagonist, there is also another character whose backstory and stoic, yet heartbreaking decisions about his future play a perfect foil for Zhu’s ambition. They are like two sides of the same coin, on opposite sides of the war, natural enemies and as the main conflict drew closer and closer I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation for what was to come. I was not disappointed.

She Who Became the Sun is a compelling, character-driven story about believing in your greatness and seizing your destiny in a society that doesn’t see your worth. There are frank discussions of gender identity and gender roles, moments of inner turmoil justifying the lengths one will go in order to get what they want, and so many twists and turns I couldn’t even begin to explain the overall plot. Just know that this book is beautifully crafted, intensely emotional, and I look forward to seeing where this series goes next,

Final grade- A

A fortune teller once gave two siblings very different fortunes: the son was destined for greatness and the daughter was destined for … nothingness. However, when a bandit attack leaves both their father and the son dead, his sister steals his name—Zhu Chongba—along with his fate.

She then flees to a monastery and trains to become a monk. Years pass and as a rebel group rises against the Mongol empire, Zhu must use her wit (and either a pinch of luck or Heaven’s divine blessing) to overcome insurmountable odds. She must decide what lengths she’s filling to go to and what sacrifices she’s willing to make to fulfill her stolen destiny.

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a gripping fantasy reimagining of the founder of the Ming Dynasty’s rise to power—pitched as Mulan meets Song of Achilles. I’m not so sure about the Song of Achilles comparison, but The Poppy War comes more to mind to me.

Brace yourself. This story is a brutal one, filled with backstabbing, betrayal, and heartbreak. The characters here are complex and mostly morally grey. I even found it hard to figure out who to root for in parts because, from part two onwards, the story is told from alternating perspectives—including the enemy’s general: Ouyang.

All in all, this is a stunning debut. Parker-Chan paints a richly-layered world and well-written characters, and I cannot recommend this book enough if you’re looking to sink into a good historical fantasy filled with conniving political machinations and evocative prose.

I enjoyed this book which is about two children with two fates where the boy is destined to greatness but the girl isn't though when Zhu dies, the girl decides to take his name and greatness. I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Ming Dynasty's emperor rising. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of historical books like seeing the year was 1345 but I had to pick this book up when I heard it was perfect for fans of Mulan and had a queer character! This book was well written and I loved how the story flowed perfectly from the starting to the finish but I have to say that pacing was a little slow in my opinion. There was a lot of world-building in this book but I had a lot of problems getting into the heavy war descriptions and political movements. I felt those parts weren't for me. For the character part of the writing, I thought it was unique to see how the first half of the book was mostly about Zhu's story in her PoV and then the second half was in multiple PoVs.

I enjoyed Zhu's character in this book who is brave, cunning, and would do anything to get what she wants. She is the morally grey character you will fall in love with and kind of reminded me of the main character from Nevernight whenever someone would be telling me about her. Also, Zhu had amazing character development in this book along with the side characters. And for the side characters, I love how they were very involved in the story and how their povs got involved in the second part of the book. It was nice to see the side characters being involved in a different way in the book. For my romance lovers, in this book, there is forbidden romance which is one of my favorite tropes.

The ending was well done with this book and after finishing the book, I can see why the hype was huge for this book. It's totally worth the read. I just loved how this book was a compelling coming-of-age novel with some amazing jaw-dropping movements. I'm super excited to read the next book and will most likely read this one again just to familiarize myself more with the world. There were some problems with the book like the pacing and the world but overall this book is totally worth the read. This book is perfect for fans of The Poppy Wars and Mulan.I enjoyed this book which is about two children with two fates where the boy is destined to greatness but the girl isn't though when Zhu dies, the girl decides to take his name and greatness. I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Ming Dynasty's emperor rising. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of historical books like seeing the year was 1345 but I had to pick this book up when I heard it was perfect for fans of Mulan and had a queer character! This book was well written and I loved how the story flowed perfectly from the starting to the finish but I have to say that pacing was a little slow in my opinion. There was a lot of world-building in this book but I had a lot of problems getting into the heavy war descriptions and political movements. I felt those parts weren't for me. For the character part of the writing, I thought it was unique to see how the first half of the book was mostly about Zhu's story in her PoV and then the second half was in multiple PoVs.

I enjoyed Zhu's character in this book who is brave, cunning, and would do anything to get what she wants. She is the morally grey character you will fall in love with and kind of reminded me of the main character from Nevernight whenever someone would be telling me about her. Also, Zhu had amazing character development in this book along with the side characters. And for the side characters, I love how they were very involved in the story and how their povs got involved in the second part of the book. It was nice to see the side characters being involved in a different way in the book. For my romance lovers, in this book, there is forbidden romance which is one of my favorite tropes.

The ending was well done with this book and after finishing the book, I can see why the hype was huge for this book. It's totally worth the read. I just loved how this book was a compelling coming-of-age novel with some amazing jaw-dropping movements. I'm super excited to read the next book and will most likely read this one again just to familiarize myself more with the world. There were some problems with the book like the pacing and the world but overall this book is totally worth the read. This book is perfect for fans of The Poppy Wars and Mulan.

Holllly smokes, the way this book ends has left me just gobsmacked and unsure what to do with my life now!

I had been hearing about She Who Became the Sun as both part of the golden sapphic trifecta and because it’s Mulan crossed with Song of Achilles, and I needed this book in my life. This book? Superseded all my expectations!!

I think the thing I most appreciated is Zhu’s journey with their identity, particularly around gender. In an effort to escape their nothing fate, when their brother Zhu Chongba dies they decide to “steal” his fate of greatness by taking his identity. They spend years doing everything to be Chongba so Heaven won’t look upon them and see the lie. There is a point, though, where Zhu says they are not a woman, but nor are they Chongba, so what are they, and that really resonated for me as a nonbinary person. There’s also lots of cultural elements at play for Zhu that influence how they express and view themself, and I really loved seeing that develop.

I adore how nobody in this entire book is really a “good” person and all the ways ambition can manifest. Like, this is a book of people making choices to further their goals and ambitions, even at the expense of others. Zhu is constantly working towards their fate of Greatness, and Ouyang is working towards his vengeance for the way his family was killed and he was “cut.” (Using euphemistic language here.) The way these two people are inextricably linked is so nuanced and complicated, and I adore that exploration of “like” while in other ways these two are so vastly different.

The best person is probably Ma Xiuying, but even she is making hard choices that are going to have major ripple effects - and I cannot wait to see what’s next for all these characters! But Ma, she tries to be good and right and she has so much empathy and care. I love how her strength expresses itself, especially in contrast with Zhu.

I was not familiar with the Yuan dynasty and the lead up to Ming dynasty, which is when this book takes place, and have since done some (minimal) googling to get a better idea of the actual figures and history, and the way Parker-Chan has developed that historical period into this epic fantasy, it’s wonderful. I really am at a loss for what to say about this book except it is excellent and everyone who loves historical fantasy needs to be jumping on this story ASAP!

This was such a satisfying read. The characters are so clearly defined and the story is so brilliantly constructed. A pure joy to read something so utterly good. I wish I had time to read it all over again. This book is perfect for fantasy or historical fiction readers.

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advanced copy of this new fantasy novel.

In the new fantasy/historical novel She Who Became the Sun, Shelley Parker-Chan has created a sort of fantasy sort of historical novel, with real people from history mixing with her fictional characters in a China before the rise of the Ming Dynasty. The overall theme is not ruling nor power but survival, which all the characters try do, acting less black and white and more a grey, no matter the cost.

The story is told by focusing on four characters, who like I stated have their own reasons for their actions. Our lead character is not named, taking on the identity of her brother who dies early in the book, a boy who was promised that great things would come too. Great things did not, so the sister, who was always more able becomes someone else, and flees her village where nothing is left for her, nor to remember her.

The writing can be somewhat removed, but I think that could be because of the multiple POV's for the characters, and the sprawling storyline, but I found it very fun, well brutality aside, and interesting, with a lot of looking things up to see their place in history. Another theme are gender issues, which was intriguing, but I personally do not know enough about the subject matter so as not to hurt people with my lack of knowledge, or just write something stupid and obviously wrong.

A big saga, full of lots of plot, betrayals, characters, and intrigue. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Boldly ambitious and exquisitely crafted—this masterpiece of a book was every bit as lyrical and brutal and ripe with yearning as I hoped, and will no doubt stay with me for a long, long time.

In the waning days of the Yuan Empire, a girl whose original name we never learn takes her dead brother’s name and marches away from her famine-stricken village to claim her brother’s great fate, too. Using that starting point and a lot of real history, Shelley Parker-Chan weaves a story about the rise of the Ming Dynasty and the fall of Mongol rule in China in She Who Will Become the Sun. There are battles, miracles, lots of betrayals, and even more determination to rule whatever is left after the Mongols are driven back north.

Our protagonist is one of millions of peasants in rural China when bad luck kills her father and brother, her last surviving relatives. Before their deaths, the father took his son, Zhu Chongba, to a fortune-teller. The fortune-teller reveals that Zhu Chongba’s fate is to be great (no other details are provided). Our protagonist sneaks in a question about her own fate; he tells her that her fate is to be nothing. It’s little wonder that our protagonist—who has been doing her best to not starve to death—takes her brother’s name and heads off to one of the few places that has food: a monastery. Taking her brother’s name isn’t enough for Zhu (as she’s called for the rest of the book) to get into the monastery. She also has to hide her gender. Zhu ends up suppressing her female body and habits so much that she fools everyone.

Zhu has many good years at the monastery until a Yuan general shows up and burns it to the ground, in revenge for an insult delivered years ago. This general becomes Zhu’s sinister shadow for the rest of the book. General Ouyang is also masquerading as a man except, in his case, he’s doing his best to living up to the expectations of Mongol manhood after being forcibly castrated as a teenager. After Zhu winds up in the middle of the Red Turban army and a miracle occurs that makes it look like she’s divinely blessed, Ouyang is usually the one on the other side of the battlefield from her. Both of them want big things—so most of the plot revolves around both of them scheming among their supposed allies at the same time that they keep facing off against one another. This book was so much fun to read!

I didn’t know about the history when I started reading She Who Will Become the Sun. In fact, I didn’t know that this book was based on history until some names started to ping loose scraps of knowledge tucked away in my brain from something else I read. A little Googling and a little reading on Wikipedia taught me that Parker-Chan wrote her story in the gaps about what we know about the last decade or so of the Yuan dynasty’s rule. By the end of the book, I was in love with the story. Too bad I have to wait for the next installments to see how the author spins the facts into her absolutely gripping fiction.

Okay this whole story is wildly fascinating, because a lot of the characters truly existed in history. I could pretend I didn't find myself down a very deep Wikipedia rabbit hole, but I'd be lying. I will say this, She Who Became the Sun is not an easy read. It is quite intricate, and I struggled at times to keep track of the various political factions. That said, it was a great story, and one I'll definitely be continuing.

Look, things were brutal back in the day, and this story is no different. As such, the characters have to do cutthroat things to survive. Zhu Chongba's whole life has been about survival- from the point where her whole family died, she overtook her brother's identity, which had been prophesized and promised greatness, and ran with it. Smart, that.

I adored how multifaceted the characters were. Frankly, there were no "good guys", just a bunch of people trying to ensure that they made it to the other side alive. They hungered for power, and control, and glory, and most would stop at nothing to achieve it. That said, they were still human deep down, or at least, most were. Their humanity made them relatable, despite the awfulness. Perhaps not quite likable, but at least more understandable.

The powerfulness that was evoked by Zhu Chongba being both a woman who was able to take down so many men, and a queer woman who fell in love with Ma Xiuying, cannot be overstated. Women were considered fairly worthless in this time, and both Zhu Chongba and Ma Xiuying elevated themselves to be so much more than just pawns in this war. The two were, by far, the most developed and well fleshed out characters in the story, and I daresay Ma Xiuying was quite likable, even when no one else was. While Ma Xiuying strived to maintain her humanity and compassion, Zhu Chongba spent her time figuring out what her identity really was, outside of the shadow of her dead brother's prophetic greatness.

Bottom Line: Overall, it is an emotional and powerful story about a pretty brutal historical period, but the glimmers of hope and love make this story so much more satisfying than the truth it borrows from.

I got sucked into this so hard that I started to find excuses to sneak a page here and there during my day. An epic historical narrative with a touch of fantasy, a bit of horror, a dash of romance... but really just a stirring exhortation to the idea that we can create our own destinies. I can't wait for book 2.

So I'll begin with my obligatory shout-out to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read a digital ARC of this before the publication date.
And now on to the part you're actually here for: was this a good book? The short answer is yes. The long answer is also yes, but with more explanation as to why. The problem with the long answer is that I'm really struggling to put my thoughts into words about this. I've sat with for a few days after finishing, and I still don't feel like I've got the right words, but I'll try my best, and take it one piece at a time.
Characters: so complicated. Like deliciously complicated. The "good guys" are also incredibly bad, and the some of the "bad guys" are heartbreakingly good. I'm rooting for one character in one chapter, then wanting to punch them in the face in the next. Or I hate another character, but then a paragraph later I want to wrap them in a fuzzy blanket and protect them from the world. I think there's actually only one or two characters I had distinct feelings about that carried through the entire book.
Setting: so vivid. I've never been to China. Or East Asia. Or Asia. Basically, the only basis I have for what the setting of this book looks like are pictures on the Internet or in books, and the way its described by the author. And I've never seen a picture of 14th century China-under-Mongolian-rule. But that's okay because Shelley Parker-Chan has a way of making me feel like I've not only seen a picture, but I have cool superpowers where I can walk into the picture to live in it for a little while. She doesn't wax lyrical about the landscape by any means, but her little tidbits about the setting, and the descriptions of the food, clothing, and homes of the characters, really helps to make it all come to life.
Plot: I have one serious complaint about the plot, and that's that I didn't realize this was the first book in a series, and not a stand-alone novel, so I wasn't at all prepared for the cliff-hanger. Other than that, this was a very good plot. It made me want to keep reading the book even when I had other things to do, which is what a plot should do, I think.
(Gosh, see what I mean about not having words? I don't know what's wrong with my brain right now. I'm usually so good at words, but it's like I think "ok Abi time to describe book" and my brain goes "I don't know what a sentence is, let alone a book. Please forgive me for this terribly written review. But don't let it make you think you shouldn't read this book. You should. It's a very good book. Thx.)

Final Rating: 4.5

First, I would like to point out that although this is labeled as a fantasy, the fantasy elements are very minimal. That did kind of impact my enjoyment of the book because I thought I was going into a book that was more focused on the fantasy aspects in a historical setting, especially seeing as it was compared to Mulan and The Song of Achilles. I would say this is definitely more historical fiction than anything else, so don’t go into this expecting an epic high fantasy. In fact, Shelley Parker-Chan has a great page on her website that explores the inspiration behind the characters for this book. If you don’t want to be spoiled for some of the events in the book, I would wait until after reading to check the website although there are definitely things that happen outside of those descriptions!

Even though I had completely different expectations, I definitely did enjoy reading this book! It reimagines the rise of the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China, specifically the future emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Once I realized that this wasn’t just a book set in the past but actually inspired by historical events, I did a LOT of googling to look things up.

This story follows two main characters: Zhu Chongba (inspired by Zhu Yuanzhang), who at the beginning of the story seizes the identity and fate of her brother for herself, and the eunuch general of the current Mongol rulers, Ouyang. These two characters were just so real and raw, and their drive to survive and reach their fates was so great to read about. We also end up following a few additional side characters, Ma who is Zhu’s whife, and Esen and Wang Baoxiang who are the sons of the Prince of Henan.

Gender identity plays a HUGE role in this novel as well, with Zhu taking the identity of a man (although she is still referred to in her inner monologues as she/her and by those who don’t know her as he/him), Ouyang is a eunuch who appears as gender nonconforming while simultaneously despising femininity, both his own and that of those around him. Ma also struggles with her gender, especially with the way that women in this time period are meant to be quiet and subservient which is not what she wants to be, until Zhu shows her that she can choose her own destiny.

The writing is nothing short of amazing. Parker-Chan explores the emotions of these characters in such a way that makes you really feel for these characters, even if you don’t always know what their goal is or agree with their actions. You can also tell just how much this book means to Parker-Chan and how much love and attention went into writing this book, and it really paid off.

There are also a bunch of trigger warnings that apply to this book that were provided by the author:

-Dysphoria
-Pre-existing non-consensual castration
-Misgendering
-Internalized homophobia
-Life-altering injury (amputation)
-Ableist language
-Non-graphic depictions of death by torture
-Major character death
-Offscreen murder of a child
-Scenes depicting extreme hunger/starvation
-Graphic depiction of a person burning to death

This is the first in a duology, so I’m definitely looking forward to the next book and seeing how things end for these characters. Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that I was expecting a completely different book. Definitely worth the read. so make sure you check it out on it’s release date July 20th!

She Who Became the Sun is an ambitious debut. It’s large in scale, weaves together fantasy and history, involves complex characters, and navigates challenging political and military plotlines. I expected to love this book but, while it does a lot of the right stuff, it just didn’t click with me personally as much as I would have liked.

Rise of an Emperor

SWBTS is a reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It’s set in Mongol-occupied imperial China and follows several major characters. One of the most prominent is a peasant girl, Zhu, who, after the deaths of her brother and father, takes on her brother’s identity and becomes a monk. In doing so, she also assumes his foretold destiny of “greatness”. Zhu eventually joins the Red Turban rebellion and works to ensure she makes her mark on history. On the other side of the conflict we have General Ouyang, a eunuch who has served the royals ever since his family’s treason when he was a small child. Despite this, he has formed a strong bond with Prince Essen, second in-line to the throne of the Yuan Empire.

A Large Cast

Due to the range of the story, there are a lot of characters. Unfortunately, I often had trouble keeping track of who everyone was, their roles and allegiances. This was exacerbated by the fact that sometimes people were referred to by their first name, others their surname and then alternatively a special title. There are also multiple characters present from within the same families. Among these, there were only a couple that I grew attached to – General Ouyang and Wang Baoxiang (the Empire’s chief administrator and Essen’s bastard brother). I normally have no problem with books involving morally grey characters, something this book has in spades, but many of the ones here rubbed me the wrong way or just didn’t interest me.

Striving for Greatness

As far as leads go, Zhu is quite a unique and refreshing one. She’s unattractive, gender non-conforming, not really a physical threat, cunning, and willing to do whatever she has to do to attain her goals. Yet, I found it hard to get invested in her journey. For most of the book we’re made aware that she fears falling into nothingness and her aim is to achieve “greatness”. But, it takes until around the 80% mark before we understand what Zhu actually believes greatness to be. Consequently, until that point it seems like she’s running around, gaining power and influence without reason or direction. On the other hand, I did appreciate being able to follow her journey in a more holistic way than Ouyang’s so as to track her evolution as a character.

An Eye for an Eye

Ouyang has a clear goal – revenge. Considering his reasons, I was able to easily get on board with this (burn it all down Ouyang!), but I felt as though the emotional weight of his journey was undermined slightly by the fact that the reader is only told what happened to him. For something that informs his entire journey, we aren’t given many vivid memories of it or detailed emotional reactions, and this created a sense of detachment for me. This aside, I found Ouyang to be a complex, intriguing and flawed character, and the comparisons between him and Zhu were interestingly done. Something else I quite enjoyed was Ouyang’s complicated relationship with Prince Essen. Essen amounts to a confusing mix of friend, ruler, romantic interest, and object of revenge, which makes for some tension and subtext filled conversations. Still, I wish that this bond had been delved into a little bit deeper.

Gender and Sexuality Diverse Fantasy

It’s really important to note that this book involves some complicated gender issues. It’s written by a genderqueer author and features two genderqueer, non-straight leads. These elements of gender identity factor heavily into the themes and plotlines of the novel which is great. I would be interested to hear about the quality of this representation from queer reviewers as I question some aspects of it, but I think it’s amazing to see more variety and representation in fantasy characters.

A War Minus the…War?

When it comes to pacing and plot, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, I found the pacing in the novel to be decent and there was usually a good sense of momentum – political squabbling, training, troops moving around, etc. However, there were several sudden time jumps throughout, some larger than others, and this was disorienting for me. Not only did I have to really concentrate to follow what was happening, but I frequently felt like I’d missed something. Also, for a story heavily based in military conflict, I thought it was odd that the book skipped over so much of the actual battles. For me, this took away from the gravity of events and made things seem choppy. The decision to tell the story in multiple third-person POVs was one I really appreciated, though, as it worked well to humanise both sides of the book’s overarching conflict.

Fantasy Light

For those of you going into this anticipating strong fantasy elements, I would advise adjusting your expectations as these parts of the book aren’t super prominent. Perhaps more towards the end, but definitely not for most of the story. They’re also not very strongly explained on a world building level, but I assume they’ll be dealt with in more detail in the sequel.

An Ending to Hook You

While SWBTS is only around 400 pages, it felt longer as I was reading and took more time than I expected to finish. I’m not entirely sure why this was, there just seemed to be an odd disconnect for me. Although, I did find that my interest picked up around the ending, which was big, dramatic and really paved the way for interesting things to happen in the next book. The pathway for each of the main characters is clear and exciting, and will likely hook a lot of readers into continuing with the duology.
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In the end, this wasn’t the five-star read I’d been hoping for but I can easily see it being popular among fantasy lovers. Especially so for those who love Asian history-inspired fiction or are looking for stories featuring more diverse characters.

3 STARS

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

She Who Became the Sun first caught my eye because it was pitched as 'Mulan meets The Song of Achilles'. I have to admit that I haven’t read TSOA yet, but I’ve heard how beautiful and heartbreaking it was. A lot of people who have read this book also compared it to The Poppy War, a military fantasy book and one of the most painful book I’ve ever read. So naturally, I expect to be wrecked by this book, and it does deliver.

To put it simply, this book is a reimagining of the origin of the Ming Dynasty. Set in 1350s China, we get to learn how the Yuan started to fall, and how the rebels—called the Red Turbans—took back their land, city by city. Of course, no war is simple, and within both sides there's also internal conflict that may or may not affect the course of war. Personally, I think the best part from this book is definitely the military aspect. I’m truly in awe at how both sides try to win, using both brain and brawn. I especially love how Zhu mostly use deceit to win cities that have been deemed unconquerable by forces.

Another thing that I love is the point-of-views. She Who Became the Sun follows 4 point-of-views from 2 differing sides. The first side is the rebel, which consist of Zhu, a peasant-turns-monk who later became the founder of the Ming Dynasty, and Ma Xiuying, daughter of a rebel general. From the Yuan’s side, there’s General Ouyang, a Nanren-born eunuch general of the Yuan, and Esen, the son of the Prince of Henan. Through these POVs, we get to see both sides, and it’s as clear as day that in war, no sides are truly good or truly evil. It doesn’t take long to found myself rooting for both Zhu and Ouyang—the central figures in this book.

Shelley Parker-Chan also tackles gender and sexuality issue in this book. I can’t explain a lot about it, but I really think it’s well written and I learned a lot through this book. All in all, She Who Became the Sun is a must read for everyone. If you’re looking for a fast-paced historical fantasy, look for nothing else!

- SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN is enormous in scale while also exploring deeply personal aspects of identity as the book's two warring protagonists inch closer to each other, both in battle and in understanding.
- Military strategy in books isn't really my thing, but even when some of the machinations of the plot got away from me, I was still able to follow along and keep up with Zhu and Ouyang as they plotted against each other, so don't let that scare you away. Additionally, this is billed as a fantasy retelling, but the fantastical elements are really very minimal.
- The bottom line, though, is that I've never seen a character like Zhu in fiction, and wow, was it a treat. Not only a fresh story, but a deeply necessary one that places genderqueer people firmly within the story of world history.