Mulan-ish reimagining of the rise of the 1st Ming emperor in 1300s China - feat. monks, ghosts, war & fate.

Covering such a long period of time can be tricky to do but I thought that, overall, it was well done. We start with the young Zhu siblings - Zhu Chongba is the eighth son - destined for greatness - but following famine that claims most of the village & the death of their father at the hands of bandits, he gives up. His young sister takes up his name and destiny - determined to survive & achieve greatness. This Zhu Chongba becomes a monk and the period of time following the training at the monastery was my favourite part.

The other main character is Ouyang - a general in the Mongol army and a friend to Esen, son of the Prince of Henan- he ended up in the household after his family were slaughtered by the Mongols and he chose the shame of living as a eunuch rather than death. I think in the latter half of the book Ouyang is the more interesting character - full of self-hate, a thirst for revenge conflicting with complicated feelings of love & respect for Esen. At the same, the shift in focus for Zhu to more of a war setting seems to make Zhu a more distant character even as they reveal more of their secrets to those around them.

This is not a fluffy fantasy - deprivation, starvation, abuses, war & death aren't shied away from. But the characters are engaging & varied. Zhu is full of charm, wit & cunning. The other main perspective of General Ouyang, a eunuch in the Mongol army, is complex, brooding & intense.

A difficult book for me to review. I enjoyed it overall but, because it is, very much, part 1 of an ongoing story my overall thoughts and ratings will depend on what happens next. I'm keen to see how the story develops- how the stories of Zhu and Ouyang will converge again, what significance the Mandate of Heaven and the ghosts haunting the characters (so far the only fantastical elements) will have.

A gripping, page-turner. Genuinely tense as characters struggle with their fate and the ever present threat of betrayal.

I really enjoyed the setting and writing style. The side Charakters we're more interesting to me than the MCs though. I felt more connected to them and their motivations. Curious about the sequel.

This book was breathtaking. A tale described as Mulan meets Song of Achilles and is all that and yet so much more. It stands on its own as a stellar novel expressing war, love, betrayal and ultimately fate's ever-elusive and yet somehow concrete nature.

Shelley Parker-Chan has created a masterpiece with this as we follow Zhu as she strives to claim the greatness her brother threw away. The story depicts Zhu's journey from peasant girl to monk to a giant at the centre of a battle for power, weaving around her reckoning with fate and its entanglement with her own identity. We also follow the warrior eunuch General Ouyang as he finds himself at odds between love, duty and the cruel mercy of fate. The story weaving together their narratives just as their fates are inextricably entwined together.

This book starts and ends strongly. However, I found myself feeling as though the story came to something of a lull in the middle; I think it was the confusing politics that I found stalled the account for around 5 or so chapters in the middle. However, when the story comes back, it comes back with a punch so strong and remains strong. SWBTS concludes with a climax that has me breathlessly expectant for the sequel and the conclusion of this duology.

She Who Became the Sun is a stellar debut from Shelley Parker-Chan and a new favourite for me.
An arc was kindly given to me through NetGalley.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan/Tor.com to providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Full RTC: but this is a debut novel? Parker-Chan wrote this like it was their billionth fantasy novel. It's gritty, graphic, dark and twisting. The topic of gender within the character's psychology is done brilliantly and the ending was spectacular. All I want is the sequel right now. I love Zhu, she's snarky and ambitious and ruthless. General Ouyang frustrates me, you love him, you hate him but he is very, very interesting and being in his POV is one of the highlights of the book. I love how their paths mirror each other, even with their wildly different fates.

Instagram Review: Thanks to @panmacmillan and @netgalley for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book, all I want to do is read it again when the physical copy finally comes out. I constantly had to remind myself it’s Parker-Chan’s debut novel they wrote graphic war, yearning romance and the psyche of these characters like this is their hundredth historical fantasy. This book has a wonderful premise, which is completely correct - advertised as The Song of Achilles meets Mulan, the tragedy of the former blended with 1300s China. Meet Zhu, a young girl who was destined for nothing. Upon her brother’s death, she steals his identity as he was destined for greatness. So begins her journey from nothing to greatness, not only convincing herself but Heaven too. Zhu is so stubbornly determined, smart, resourceful and ambitious, she grasps every opportunity to become more, but it never felt selfish. You love her and you root for her, yes she is not a Saint, but who is when at war? On the other side of the war, we have Ouyang the feared Eunuch General who is also compelled by his fate, rather tragically. Both of these characters are Genderqueer too; Zhu having lived most of her life as a man feels disconnected from womanhood and spends a lot of time looking at herself this way, whereas Ouyang has been connected to femininity through his beauty and the fact he is a eunuch this weighs a lot on both of them and as a genderqueer person myself it was touching to see it in historical fantasy. There are other major characters, my favourite being Esen, he reminded me so much of the sweet but burdened princely characters I always fall for. For all of these characters, we are allowed an extensive look inside their heads, and I feel like I knew them quickly. While this book was politically dense, it was also the perfect length any longer and it would have dragged. The graphic descriptions were a bit too much for me at times but they were part of the vibrant and vivid imagery that encompasses the whole book. It was clear Parker-Chan did her research with the setting too, this book is mostly historical and it shows in its accuracy, but I can’t wait to hopefully see more fantasy elements in the sequel. (Will post closer to the publication date)

She Who became the Sun is what a expect of The Song of Achilles when mixed with Mulan.

The main character Zhu, does everything she can to survive even disguising herself as her brother and is well fleshed out like the majority of the characters (even the Villains). However each character has some type of underlying issue/s. Not a bad thing but it is always there.

The writing itself was very good, but just as a general sort of warning some of the topics are heavy in the sense of the intensity of murder, sex etc.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new voice of the historical fantasy genre.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Move this book to the top of your tbr IMMEDIATELY. She Who Became the Sun is one of the most anticipated books of 2021, and for good fucking reason. Deeply enriched with the culture of Imperial China in the 14th Century, this incredible historical fiction (with an absolutely stunning cover) is the perfect blend of fantasy and real human history. It ignited in me such a fierce desire to read it right to the very end, I was actually upset that I had finished the book. This is one of those books where you lose track of time and forget your surroundings because your wholly and utterly immersed in the story. Without even being halfway through this book, I already knew I must get my hands on the sequel. There are far too many things I loved about this book, too many to put into this review. Though the book details the events of an ongoing war, at its core it’s a wildly intense story about self-discovery, and how you will use that discovery to change your fate and your life.

”You won’t be the one to make me nothing. I refuse.”
-Zhu Chongba

The first thing I need to get off my chest is how exceptionally well our main character, Zhu Chongba, is written. From the very first chapter, Zhu is presented as a remarkably resilient character who desired more than the dead-end life she was given, a life she didn’t deserve, all because she was born a daughter instead of a son. Women in this society aren’t worth much and are not given the same chance at greatness as men are, but this didn’t stop Zhu. Transcending the restricting limits of being a man or a woman, we witness Zhu blossom into a new and more whole being, whom the rules of gender roles do not apply to. Going through hardship after hardship, she still maintains her fierce determination to reach her goal of greatness. However, the assumption should not be made that Zhu is a one-dimensional character with only resilience to describe her. As Zhu’s sense of purpose grows, so do her plans for greatness, and by the end of the book she is more than just determined, she becomes pragmatic, willing to do things that make her less of a war hero and more of a self-serving person with a skewed sense of morality. I really hope this aspect of Zhu’s character is explored more in the sequel.

Beyond Zhu’s character, the secondary characters of Ma, Lord Esen, Lord Wang and our second primary character General Ouyang are given just as much attention as Zhu. Parker-Chan does not neglect characters and ensures that they give the secondary characters just as much development, depth, and dimension as the main character. As soon as multiple POVs were introduced, I was worried that the book would get messy and confusing. But my worry was entirely unfounded, as they only served to advance the plot and introduce more information about the personalities of our characters.

One thing that stood out for me and many other readers is the skillful way in which Parker-Chan includes queer rep in the story. With our nonbinary/genderqueer main character Zhu, Parker-Chan writes about Zhu’s journey to find her gender identity in a way that doesn’t feel like a forced side plot just for the sake of representation. Zhu’s journey to self-discovery is a crucial part of not just Zhu’s character development, but the entire plot of the book, and Parker-Chan writes it in such a natural way that doesn’t disrupt the flow of the book. As well as this, they include both a sapphic and achillean romance, also written in that natural way as to not stand out as queer romance.

Five out of five, ten out of ten, a million out of a million, this book is phenomenal in every sense of the word. It was written so well, I’m shocked that this is only a debut novel. I’m very mad that this is only a duology, I expected at least 25 books in this series. I urge everyone to buy this book when it’s released, you will not regret it. Yep, I’m definitely going to be thinking about this one for a while.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

First off, this book was incredible. I came into it with the promise that it was a mix between Mulan and The Song of Achilles. It certainly was.

This is a story ultimately about desire, about wanting, desperation, the ascent into greatness and the descent into nothingness and it truly is done exquisitely.

It begins with Zhu as a child, starving and desperate, mistreated by her remaining family and told that she would be nothing at all while her brother (Zhu Chongba) will become great. As fate would have it, Zhu Chongba dies of starvation. To survive Zhu takes on her brothers name and with it his identity going to a monastery to become a novice monk. Her monastery is then destroyed leaving her to not only survive but to claim her brother's greatness.

We are introduced to another voice, Ouyang who has his narrative voice from the second part. While these two are seen to be two opposites it is clear their similarities and how they are fighting for the same thing, though on different sides which is survival.

The description of both the settings and characters had so much detail without being boring or making the story seem long. You truly felt the emotions, desires and pain of every single decision of every single character without meaning to.

The politics were complicated without being impossible to understand, I found it easy to be a part of this world and the characters lives while understanding and anticipating what happens next since it is complex enough for it to appear real. The deep research and passion for the culture and history shone through as though it is not something I'm familiar with, it was easy to be immersed.

The characters were lovable and complex and for the first time, I think I like the main characters. You understanding the thinking, despite not necessarily agreeing with decisions and you feel their needs and desires just as much as they do. The side characters are just as strong as those with the narrative voice. They are so well fleshed out, that they appear as real people and have just as much depth as the main characters.

You are also able to critically think. Despite feeling the emotions of every character, you still think about whether decisions are right or not. The plot is fleshed out so well and decisions so realistic that it's not always clear and opinions change as does those of the characters. I like that I was able to engage with this book as well as be swept up in it.

It also explored topics that I didn't expect with consequences and feelings I didn't anticipate. The themes of gender, sexuality and expectations were discussed beautifully especially due to when and where this was set.

The ending of the book itself was shocking. I am still reeling with both things I hoped would happen and things I completely did not expect at all.

This was truly a literary masterpiece and the best written and most intricate book I have read in a long time. I recommend it and already want to read the next one.

This was just exquisite. I absolutely adored this book, the comparison to Mulan mixed with Song Of Achilles was spot on. The characters were so brilliantly fleshed out, at certain dramatic points I actually gasped out loud I was so taken aback. Cannot wait to find out what happens next!

Magnificent, brutal and haunting!

Shelley Parker-Chan delivered an epic, ambitious and strong character driven debut fantasy novel. The story begins with a very young village girl trying to survive a life of starvation, poverty and a fate of “nothingness”. After her brother dies she uses his identity to become Zhu Chongba and to change the fate she was given. This determination to succeed is made all the more perilous against the backdrop of war, rebellion, politics, culture and the crumbling of an empire. Into this mix comes the complex character of General Ouyang who is a battlefield commander. An unfortunate twist of fate saw his family executed while he endured the forced punishment of castration. His character is darkened by his need for vengeance, a muted emotional state and at times eerie callousness.

Zhu Chongba and the eunuch Ouyang drive the novel and are well supported by a host of interesting and fascinating characters. Set in 14th century China, this historic time period creates the unique and spellbinding backdrop for this bold work of fantasy fiction.

A sprawling, historical tale, She Who Became The Sun is a reimagining of the rise of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In this retelling, Zhu is actually a girl who steals her dead brother's identity in order to survive.

This book is a gripping and richly imagined story. The threads come together for a truly jaw dropping finale, with characters constantly keeping the reader guessing as to their allegiances. Though based in truth, I didn't know enough about the real story to be able to guess anything about the plot - but I suspect that even if I had, I would still have found the book just as compelling!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

So I finished She Who Became The Sun, and immediately wanted to read it again. It is a brilliant book, both in terms of content and writing. I really am falling for this new trend of queer historical epic fantasy, it is everything I want in a book. If you loved Disney’s Mulan as a kid and now you want to recapture what you loved about it, this is the book for you – the grown up version based on history. Zhu Chongba is the Mulan equivalent, but they are ambitious, ruthless and smart.

Zhu takes her brother’s name after his death, and becomes a monk, and a politically important person over time, thanks to their tactical prowess. They are the kind of character that, as a reader, you don’t know whether to love or hate. Ma, the wife, the only person who knows that Zhu was born a woman, is probably the only “good” character in the story. She is a cinnamon roll and I just wanted to hug and protect her. Together, they make a brilliant power couple, challenging each other and becoming powerful.

There are few books that I had such visceral emotional reactions to. Shelley Parker-Chan is definitely a writer to watch out for – her debut is brilliant, and I can’t wait to read more of their writing. Plot: compelling. Characters: strong and evoking emotional reactions. Writing: beautiful and poetic. She Who Became The Sun is a must read.

She Who Became the Sun is a truly wonderful book, full of complex characters, conflicting loyalties, and a captivating plot.
The way this novel is written is stunning, the language flows and changes to suit character and tone without ever feeling unnatural. The characters themselves are written with depth and care, each with their own motives and desires.
The central character Zhu is the main focus of the book, and has a significant transformation of character that is beautifully written in a way that you don't notice the change until you think back to earlier chapters and realise the difference, it is completely natural whilst being easy to sympathise with. It is refreshing to have a character with a pragmatic and morally grey perspective on life.
In part II, multiple characters are brought in to narrate the story, and each are developed just as much with their own unique stories and emotions.
Scenery is described in such a way that vivid images of the scenes are easy to picture, adding another layer of depth to the novel.
The pacing was quite slow, allowing more time for character interactions and growth, but the novel does not feel as if it is dragging.
There are scenes of starvation, death, mass genocide, murder of a child (offscreen) that may be hard for some to read. There is also misgendering within the book.
Overall, a very good book that I would definitely recommend to fans of historical fiction!

*I received a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I finished this eARC, immediately preordered the physical copy and, even though I only just finished it, I am eagerly awaiting my copies’ arrival in July. This was SO good that I’m actually struggling to put it into words.

Shelley Parker-Chan’s writing is so gorgeous and as the tale unfolded, seeing the progression of Zhu’s life from peasant, to monk, to rebel, to commander and finally to leader unfold was really stunning. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t completely engaged in the story and, despite it being historical (and me having looked up the life of the real Zhu Chongba beforehand), everything that happened felt new and surprising.

I also didn’t expect to feel for the opposition characters so strongly - as much as I loved Zhu’s story, it was Ouyang and Esen that made me cry! The conclusion to their arc was so emotional, and even though I knew why it had to happen in the same way that Ouyang did, I wanted them to somehow find another way.

Also, while I’m here? I’m in love with Ma Xiuying... and also her relationship with Zhu. Her realisation that, with Zhu, she would have freedoms that she wouldn’t otherwise be afforded and that she would be able to live life her own way made me so emotional for her, and the combination of tenderness and gentle teasing in their relationship is a perfect dynamic.

5/5 Stars, and 100% recommended!

4.5/5

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review*

Dark, twisting, political and tense. She Who Became the Sun follows two central characters:
a girl who receives a prophecy of nothingness and after a pivotal event, takes her brother's prophecies greatness and works to turn it to herself; a eunuch general, the last male of his blood line, caught in the violent trappings of his fate.

The wild ride of following fates and characters with complex and often hidden or suppressed desires, I regularly failed to predict what would happen next. Also, interesting insight into Chinese/Mongol dynamics and history of the region.

The Good:
- Characters with depth, personality and their own interests, some of which make for brilliant inter person and internal conflict.
- Interesting political intrigue and moving allegiances.
- The fantasy elements were well scaled for the story and didn't feel out of place.
- Beautiful descriptions of the physical settings.
- A fun catalyst for independent research into Chinese & Mongol history.
- LGBTQIA+ representation done well.

What could have been improved:
- This is a violent story and that it fine, struggles for power usually are. Some moments of violence seemed disproportionately graphic and unpleasant which took me out of the story. This won't be a problem for some but it did affect my engagement with the story.
- The build up to the finale was amazing but the ending did feel just slight rushed.

She Who Became the Sun is going to be released in July 2021 and I highly recommend picking this book up.

CW: Graphic violence & murder. Death through violence. Sexual content. Body dysphoria. Misogyny.

“She shivered with awe, and with her feverish desire for something she had never thought she would desire. Her fate.“

ARC provided by the publisher TOR Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A new fantasy power house debut that brings a historical story about one person’s rise to greatness. A journey fueled by unbending ambition and want that demands heaven’s attention. She Who Became the Sun is the radiating epic fantasy debut that’s burning with greatness.

If you follow me on Twitter or if you’re one of my closest friends you would probably know how badly I wanted to read the ARC (Advance Readers Copy) for She Who Became the Sun. After seeing plenty of my friends reading and loving the book, the desire to read the book just grew stronger with time. With help from Jo (The Books are Rising) of finding the right email for the publicist I managed to secure an e-ARC. It became my highest priority and I have to immediately get to it. Before I start my review, I would like to appreciate how beautiful the US cover is. Done by Jung Shan Chang the same artist that also did the cover for The Poppy War trilogy by R. F. Kuang and The Rise of Kyoshi by F. C. Yee. Designed by Jamie Stafford-Hill. This book is marketed as a combination of Mulan and The Song of Achilles, blurbed “…bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty..” as advertised on the Macmillan website. After reading the book I can verify that it is more than that. In the words of Rebecca Roanhorse author of the critically acclaimed book Black Sun, “Patroclus could never”. And oh boy! Patroclus and Achilles would be weeping for Ouyang and Esen. Mulan and Zhang would drop dead in the presence of Ma Xiuying and Zhu Chongba. Mushu who? Xu Da is knocking at your door.

“If he took my fate and died . . . then perhaps I can take his, and live.”

She Who Became the Sun is the first book of The Radiant Emperor duology and debut by Shelley Parker-Chan. The base of the story of She Who Became the Sun is the reimagining story of the founding Emperor of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols and unified China. The story takes place in a small village struck with famine and death, the year is 1345, as a family of three struggles to survive. The three are the only survivors in their family, a father and his two children, a boy named Zhu Chongba and a girl. Zhu Chongba is destined for greatness while the girl is fated to be nothing. After a group of bandits attacked their home and kills the father, Zhu Chongba numbed with grief and despair, dies. The girl however remains steadfast with her desire to live and survive. Burning with the blinding flames of desire she took it upon herself to claim the fate and the name of her dead brother.

“Learn to want something for yourself, Ma Xiuying. Not what someone says you should want. Don’t go through life thinking only of duty. When all we have are these brief spans between our non-existences, why not make the most of the life you’re living now ? The price is worth it.“

The way Shelley Parker-Chan delivers their prose is like no other author. From start to end Parker-Chan delivers their prose marvelously, everything that is written has meaning and purpose in the overarching story. I think I highlighted whole pages of this book because of how amazing and consistent the writing is. The quality of writing is just *chef’s kiss*. There are many underlying themes in She Who Became the Sun but there is one that stood out to me. The impactful themes of gender and identity that is prominently present in the story arcs of Parker-Chan’s characters. It is one of the most major themes that will spark conversations about gender expectations, gender roles, gender identity, and so many more. Honestly, reading She Who Became the Sun it feels like a love letter to the queer community especially for those who identify as gender fluid, gender queer, and non binary. Seeing characters in a story that breaks the boundary of gender is refreshing to see. Adding to that Parker-Chan weaves in the importance of acting upon ones desire and to not be held back by societies expectations regarding ones purpose and mission in life. How individuals have the power to control and choose their own destiny in their current life. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my hands were shaking with excitement while reading this book, there are so many beautiful lines that left me breathless because of the sheer emotion the writing emanates.

“If you want a fate other than what Heaven gave you, you have to want that other fate. You have to struggle for it. Suffer for it.”

The main character Zhu Chongba drives the story forward and pushes the narrative towards her eventual greatness. Zhu’s unrivaled ambition to claim her brother’s destiny and to defy her own is invigorating. Achieving the impossible with her cunning tenacity refusing to back down no matter what or who it is that stands in her way. Zhu isn’t written to be the most likeable protagonist, even though she lends her skills to the Red Turban Rebellion, her morals and motivations is grey. Zhu’s pragmatism is apparent in her actions, anything that stands in Zhu’s way she will do what needs to be done for him to get what she wants or where she wants to be. Shelley Parker-Chan did a magnificent job in fleshing out Zhu’s character, there is something intensely raw and blinding about Zhu’s motivation. I just love her character all around, I didn’t expect such growth showing in book one and it surprises me that Zhu’s story arc came full circle in the end. It is truly jaw dropping to witness!

“You never realized that it wasn’t your name they were going to call, exhorting you to reign for ten thousand years. It was mine.”

The story starts off from Zhu’s perspective in part one that shifts to a multi perspective narrative. This sudden shift into a multi POV narrative amplifies the story by adding in more characters with new agendas and motivations that adds a level of complexity and depth to the story. The three added perspectives from Ouyang, Esen, and Ma Xiuying are as amazing as Zhu’s that elevates the narrative making it more whole. Each one of them showed growth and believable development that by the end of each of their arcs they become a new version of themselves. Saying that Shelley Parker-Chan’s characterization is great is an understatement it is bloody AMAZING! All of them have motivations, agendas, personalities that are distinct, and they all come from a variety of backgrounds. The one character that has a strong presence rivaling Zhu’s is Ouyang’s. The way Ouyang’s character is crafted is masterfully done. The savagery and raw emotion of blinding vengeance that bleeds out of the page as you read is heartbreaking and cold. Reading the book I shivered a few times at how detached Ouyang is from the world, the only thing that’s holding him is Esen and his motivation to deliver his vengeance. I hope to see Zhu and Ouyang to cross paths in the sequel as it feels like Shelley Parker-Chan is building the tension between two for something that probably will involve both of them.

“Every time the world turns it face from you, know it was because of me.”

She Who Became the Sun is based on a story of a prominent historical figure that contributed in the rise of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. In this book Parker-Chan reimagined his story and breathed new life into the other characters that is also rooted in history. Reading the book the fantasy element of it isn’t as strong as other fantasy books I’ve read. The world is the main part of the story with added fantasy element that takes the form of a prophecy. If you wanna know what that is you should read the book because I’m not spoiling anything. For historical context on the characters from the book, Shelley Parker-Chan has made a post breaking down each historical figure (click here). I highly advise you to check out the historical context after you read the book because it might spoil the experience of reading the book.

Final thoughts, She Who Became the Sun is a wonderful book that took me on a bold, lyrical, and queer trip into the reimagining story of Zhu Yuanzhang. A story that defies gender roles, celebrate queer love, and a story with well fleshed out yearning gender queer characters. For a good part of the book I can feel the crackle of tension between the characters that it was a joy to read. Fair warning this book is not at all happy go lucky and there are a few graphic moments, so please check out the trigger warnings before reading. The conclusion of this first book is excellently done, Parker-Chan closed the ending without leaving readers with a frustrating cliff hanger. Personally, I’m thoroughly excited for the release of She Who Became the Sun. I can’t wait for other readers to experience the sheer goodness of this book. Pre order it friends! I’ve pre ordered my copy. There are two versions of this book, with equally amazing covers. Choose your fighter, links here : US Version & UK Version. It will not disappoint. Shelley Parker-Chan is destined for greatness! She Who Became the Sun is destined for greatness! Now it’s time for you to claim your destiny.

“She had been nothing, and lost everything, and become someone else entirely.”

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

If you like your queer, sweeping fantasy novels to effortlessly combine the delights of an addictive c-drama with the elevated tone of a classic Greek tragedy -- well, then this is just the right book for the job! It reimagines the rise to power of the first emperor of the Ming dynasty through pretty much an all-queer set of characters, thoughtfully explores the themes of fate, gender and desire by some really neat juxtapositions, and makes a great show of crashing characters into each other's life and watching sparks fly (and houses burn, lbr). Chewy and compulsively readable.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #SheWhoBecametheSun.

She Who Became The Sun is a book I’ve seen a lot of hype about and it is an epic of a book, I immersed myself in this story for a day and a half and i feel like I have lived intense, grand things!
The world building is great, the political network, the alliances and the betrayals, the power plays and the strategies of both the sides of Prince Henan and the Red Turbans. This book is well thought out and you can tell the author is thinking steps ahead, she’s a clever strategist.
Zhu, a peasant girl who takes over the ‘fate’ of her late brother to chase glory, and Ouyang, a eunuch, are an interesting dynamic in terms of gender identity, Zhu hides that she is a woman to reap the power of being a man while Ouyang is objectified and underestimated as a woman in a cruel reaction to having what he sees as his what makes him a man taken away.

The main issue for me with this book is just that Zhu, while earning the title of the book, didn’t feel either the most solid or the most interesting character in this story. Ouyang, with his conflicted love of Esen and hate for his family, the trauma of his past in both losing his ancestral line and what makes him a man and the bottled anger bubbling away for how he is seen and treated, is a far more dynamic character with so many layers and power on the page. And when he did things that were morally black, not even, grey, you understood him still. This book has been compared to Song of Achilles, for Zhu and Ma I didn’t feel anything romantic, but there’s such beautiful, tragic longing between Ouyang and Esen worthy of that comparison. Lord Wang, Esen’s adopted brother and ‘black sheep’ of the family is also intriguing and complex on the page. Both these characters I would want to follow more. Zhu, however, has one goal and it feels like her entire character is written around it. She wants the fate of her brother, the power and the glory, Morally grey characters are interesting but it’s like she was written without emotions, despite her being 1/2 of this narrative in this book. On paper she is a brilliant character and there are times when you root for her, her breaking the expectations and restrictions of her sex and the oppression of her father, however it’s like part of her is switched off, there is no conflict, she wants something so she simply sees that as bigger than any hurt it may cause others. For that, I found i found it hard to like her, which is ok, protagonists don’t have to be likeable, but I also didn’t understand her or ‘feel’ her like I did Ouyang.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I sense there’s more to come so hopefully Zhu can be bulked up more. Thank you NetGalley for the early copy to review.

4.5 stars

This book has all the raw ambition and dogged determination of its characters. It conquers its goals and leaves no survivors. Shelley Parker-Chan has taken on many complex issues and themes in this story, and has done them all proud. I’m stunned at what this debut novel has achieved. It feels like it's exactly the book she set out for it to be.

This is not an exhaustive list, but consider that this is-

-An own-voice historical-fantasy set in China (which we need more of, see also, I need more of), that tells both the intimate story of a peasant child rising from the dust, and the much broader, epic story of the founding of the Ming dynasty.
-Written in a lyrical style that (somehow?) is modern enough to be digested easily but compliments its historical nature AND (to a western person reading in English, at least) feels faintly like 14th century Chinese. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just right.

It has-

-Morally grey main characters that feel completely authentic for the setting. Beyond survival, they have a drive to thrive; they covet and desire and won’t let anything stand in their way and are unapologetic. They may not want to be cruel, but their ambitions don’t leave them many opportunities to be kind, either. Sexism, misogyny, mis-gendering, internalised homophobia and ableist language are present in the way they typically would be, MCs included.
-Subtle discourse on gender identity and the spiritual ‘who am I?’ during a time period that’s hardly written about, that never comes across as a modern take awkwardly inserted, is natural to the story and is at the heart of it.
-Two MCs having almost opposite experiences with how society views them, their genders, appearances and roles. Simplified, it feels like yin and yang, but complete it’s an astute observation and navigation and seeing it through the eyes of a monk and a eunuch, as an idea, is nothing short of genius in my eyes.
-Eerie and wondrous fantasy elements that are subtle, fit the tone and don’t detract from the main war and politics plot points. This book is heavy on historical and light on fantasy, if that’s your thing you won’t be disappointed.
-Mongolian characters that aren’t depicted solely as ruthless barbarians as we are so used to seeing/reading.
-Female characters that aren’t one-dimensional, background decorations without a sense of agency.
-All the rep you could want in terms of genderqueer, lgbt, fem, masc.

What it does-

-It does not shy away from the horrors of war tactics, historical punishments/torture, keeps it real with historic brutality, but doesn’t use these elements merely for shock value. (Just a heads up- most strong violence is written non-graphically or off screen, but one instance involving fire, is. At the time of writing this the author has a list of content warnings in the Goodreads comments section, but this moment isn’t mentioned, and neither is an explicit intimate one, so I’ll bring those to their attention, as they’ve asked.

Now I’ve listed the main things, I’ll stop, or we’ll be here all day and I’ll end up spoiling everything. Suffice to say, this book holds all these things in near perfect balance. Hats off (and flung in the air).
My only criticism, which is also sort of a compliment, is that the characters felt so expertly of their time that I felt a little distant from them, as if, at times, I were reading a historical account rather than inhabiting them as characters; watching them from a far as opposed to living their experiences. I could easily relate and sympathise with them, but I would have liked to feel more connected. This is something I’ve found in historical fiction before however, not something particular to this book, and maybe now I’ve grown to know them in the first half of the duology, I’ll find myself awfully attached in the second!

I’ll finish by saying that this book actually lives up to the comparisons made about it. It’s very Mulan in story and setting, with a Song of Achilles tendency in characters and writing. I would add that there’s some positive similarities to Jin Yong’s Legends of the Condor Heroes series, and that lovers of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms will find it very satisfying. If you long for something to fill the gaping hole in your reading life that is the rare, slow-burn, East-Asian, Adult Historical-Fantasy story, this is it, and there’s more to come!

Personal note to the author- please, please, please write some sort of retelling of the Three Kingdoms period at some point. I’ve been waiting for someone with your writing talent to do it for years, it would make my life.

A great many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mulan meets song of Achilles!! First off Mulan is my favourite movie of all time and secondly Song of Achilles is one of my favpurite books i read last year!!

This book was erything and so much more.She who became the sun is a Masterpiece! It's powerful and a brutal high fantasy that will break you but leave you wanting more.

I loved how we were given a flawed character. I find often authors like to write characters that are perfect. This was a breath of fresh air!

I will be recommending this book to everybody that will listen. This is definately a book i plan to read again and lok forwarded to experiencing every emotion again!

I went into this hoping that it would fill the hole that The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang left in my heart - similarities being that they both draw on Asian history and mix in fantastical elements with a focus on warfare. I was not let down. The Poppy War is literally my favourite series, period, but She Who Became the Sun really is the natural successor. This had to have been one of my most anticipated releases for 2021 and it did not let me down in the slightest - Parker-Chan will definitely be an author I pick up by default.