'She Who Became the Sun' follows a girl destined for nothing while her brother, Zhu Chongba, is destined for greatness. Starving and desperate, an unexpected event changes the trajectory of her entire future. She refuses to be nothing, seizing her brother's identity and assuming his fate in the process.

In her debut novel, Parker-Chan blends history with fiction in her re-imagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang and the rise of the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China. The main story follows two main characters: Zhu Chongba (or the 'girl' who seizes his identity) and her journey to greatness and Ouyang, a eunuch general for the Mongols tormented by his terrible fate.

Ouyang and Zhu quickly become each other's nemesis and the war confronting the Mongols and the Red Turbans offer plenty of opportunities for both of them to scar each other's fate. Yet the book is so much more than revenge, wars, and political plotting (which, btw, there is a lot of - plenty of backstabbing in here. A lot of drama. I recommend bringing popcorn to this show); this is a book about gender identity. Ouyang is a eunuch with a gender nonconforming appearance who despises his femineity. Zhu rejected her own identity to become her brother - a man. And then, we also have Ma - who identifies as a woman, but feels slaved by her own gender until Zhu opens her eyes to her own chosen destiny. And Wang Baoxiang, a son never seen as a son for not acting like a "real man" should, yet choosing to live this failure on his own terms.

This book is a masterpiece. The writing is lyrical and impeccable, Parker-Chan writes deeply flawed characters with desires that aren't easily attained yet reachable - if sacrifices are made. When reading it, I found myself loving every single character (except Chen) - their emotions are explored beautifully, and their actions are justified and significant. They all suffer their fate as much as owe it and, some of them, even claim it. If you feel destiny is against you (you know, the usual "life is a soup and I am a fork") or you feel locked into something you aren't comfortable in, maybe this book will spark a fire for you to change things.

And now, just to have my oh-so-usual emotional word diarrhea: Wang Baoxiang and Zhu Da are my baes. Reading about them made me smile big time. Wang Baoxiang is such a flawed little asshole, I can't agree on anything he said or did, but I felt for him a mixture of pity, understanding, and respect. Zhu Da is just adorable and we all love him in my house. And, yeah, well, I got an ARC for this and I was very excited and all but now I'm just not cool with knowing I have to wait MORE time for the second book. Like, I need the second book yesterday if not now. Please.

This was a great debut, pitched a mix between Mulan and the Song of Achilles. It took me a little while to get fully invested in it, but after roughly a 1/3 of the book I was. I enjoyed this, but didn't love it as much as expected.

This book has been all over my Twitter feed for the past one month and I was eager to see what the hype was all about.
She who became the sun is the queer gender reversed retell of the founder of fhe Ming dynasty. It was promoted as Mulan meets Song of Achilles and I would say that it perfectly describes the book.
There are multiple points of views but we mainly follow Zhu our heroine and Ouyang both of whose fates are greatly intertwined with each other. Zhu reminded me of Rin from the Poppy War but much more level headed with a lot of cunning and deviousness which I found I loved. Zhu is also ruthless to the extreme which I had a bit more difficulty stomaching. She is very well complemented by Ma, who is actually my most favourite character in the book. I loved loved loved their romance!!!
Ouyang the other main character, had me all twisted up in knots. I am still not sure how I feel about this character, it’s all a field of grey.
I enjoyed the world building and the vague glimpses of the magical system we get to see and would love to read more about both in future instalments. The first book dod a great job of setting up the stage for the actual story to unravel in the sequels.
Although I was gripped from start to finish, the overwhelming feeling I was left with at the end of reading was grim resignation to the horrible fate that might befall all the characters and that’s not a great feeling to end a book with. So for this one I am going with 3.25 stars .

This book was recommended to me and so when I saw it on NetGalley I requested it immediately and i'm so glad I did. The exploration of gender non-conformity was something that was really interesting for me to read and it was done in such a great way. This high fantasy book had numerous complex characters who knowingly did terrible things to further their ambition and to try and debate fate. We are able to see the conflict of this war story on both sides which really keeps the reader hooked and with that ending I cannot wait for the next instalment.

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

The fortune telller says that the fate of the girls brother is greatness, and her fate is to be nothing. When tragedy strikes she seizes the chance to take her brothers fate as her own, but how long can keep her true identity from Heaven? She Who Became the Sun is a queer re-imagining of Zhu Yuanzhang’s rise to power as the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China. We follow her from her childhood in a famine-stricken village, her time in a Monastery, and through the battles that follow as the rebel army grows.

"How could her body be a woman’s body, if it didn’t house a woman?"

This is historical fantasy novel (though I would say more of a historical gender-swapped fiction sprinkled with fantasy) based on true events, with two queer main characters. Whilst the main storyline is the rise of the rebels and Zhu Yuanzhang, their struggle with gender identity and acceptance is woven throughout the book and is just as important to the plot.

"I’m me, she thought wonderingly. But who am I?"

She Who Became the Sun is an incredibly well-written novel, with complex and realistic characters. You might not like everything they do, but you will like them anyway! Whilst the whole book is in third person, we flick between the perspectives of the two main characters.

I really enjoyed the first few chapters, and then there was a small section that didn’t grip me as much. This was where the scene was really set for the rebellion and current rulers, and there were several (necessary) army or political-related scenes. I am never the biggest fan of these parts, although I understand why you need them! There were also a lot of new character names that for obvious reasons Chinese. So it took a bit of work on my part to become familiar with these names. This is not a criticism though, more of a comment on my own lack of exposure to this culture and part of the world. The last two thirds of the book felt a lot more fast paced, and that was when I really got into it.

The only real disappointment was the lack of fantasy = whilst its marketed as historical fantasy, the fantasy element really is minimal!

Overall this was an amazingly well-crafted and gripping debut historical fantasy novel, and as the first in a duology I’m eager to see what comes next!

"Don't look down as you're flying, or you'll realize the impossibility of it and fall."

NetGalley kindly gave me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

In a world where women are the lesser sex, their only purpose to look pretty and pump out male heirs, a starving girl wants more. She has no name, knows she has no future, yet when an opportunity presents itself she seizes it. This makes the girl dangerous for she will stop at nothing to achieve greatness.

The girl will not accept the fate of a starving girl and takes on the role of a boy, a monk, a man. She will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.

The world is richly described, my only criticism being that I would have liked a map of the locations. The characters are also described very well and there is a real host of characters who go through very interesting development throughout the story, There was tension wondering if the girl masquerading as a boy would be discovered and what she would do to stop this. There were some nice supernatural elements to this book which I would like to see explored more in the sequel with some more detailed battles.

The book represents the LGBTQ+ community quite well. One thing to note is there is a slightly graphic lesbian sex scene that suddenly appears which goes into quite some detail. If you're not into this then just be aware.

A highly interesting and original concept that I recommend you read.

Set in 14th century China, the story is told from a third-person POV, and has two protagonists who play the two faces of the coin to each other. On one side we have Zhu Yuanzhang, a girl living the life meant for her dead brother Zhu Chongba, who was destined to the fate to greatness; and on the other side we have General Ouyang, the eunuch general of the army of the kingdom of Great Yuan.

And because I am terrified of saying anything more pertaining to the plot lest I spoil it for you, I will just give you the reasons as to why you should read this novel the moment you get your grabby ‘lil hands on it:

• This whole novel is a fantastic study in gender dysphoria, with a huge emphasis on the toxicity of preordained gender identities, the supposed rules that govern them, and the roles that are enforced on people because of it; and Chan handled the topic as delicately as it should be without sacrificing the brutality of the story.

• Both the protagonists are complex antiheroes, who you really can’t help but pass on the gasoline and matchstick to when they’re feeling like committing arson.

• The central couple of the novel are sapphic, so if you’re anything like me, whose heart starts freaking singing hallelujah at the first glimpse of the smallest girl on girl action on page, then you’re going to want to read this because even though romance is not the primary subject of the story— actually it’s almost less than 1% of the entire story if I am to be honest— enough of it is still there for you to enjoy the hell out of it.

• The angst is off the charts. Just when you think the hard parts have come to an end, another wave comes rolling in, and you’re dragged in again. I mean there was this scene towards the end, where someone had a sword in someone’s chest, and I was crying, because that was the cruelest thing I’d read in all of this year. If you read SWBTS and tell me you did not cry, then you’re a liar.

• Mind blowing ending. I honestly did not see that coming. And I usually see a lot of things coming: it’s like my superpower that ruins the reading experience for me, which failed me so grandly with this book that I was almost left winded. Or maybe that was just the ending. I can’t say. Either one is fantastic.

• Chan’s writing was absolutely brilliant. It grabs at you from the very first page and compels you deeper and deeper into the gorgeously savage landscape of Ancient China in all it’s war-laden glory.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a review copy of this one.

She Who Became the Sun is the first in a historical fiction/fantasy duology which builds on a historical plotline but gives it an interesting twist of its own. The story opens in mid-14th century China in a small village Zhongli, where we meet the second daughter of the Zhu family, who lives with her father and brother Zhu Chongba at a time when the country was under Mongol rule. The village is suffering drought and the family is living in poverty with little to eat. But while Zhu with her resourcefulness manages to find something or other, the patriarchal set up she lives in means that her brother is fed the best food, and all the praise even if undeserved is reserved for him, for a fortune teller has foretold that Zhu Chongba is destined for ‘greatness’ while our girl has ‘nothing’ in store for her. But circumstances change and become such that it is our Zhu who finds herself heading out to Wuhuang monastery in the guise of Zhu Chongba. Here she is tested to her limits but her steel will to live wins again and she is admitted as novice. Life in the monastery as a novice is no easier for her and she must face test after test while keeping her identity a secret but her intelligence and a little help from fate (one she believes is truly Chongba’s) ensure that she moves forward and even flourishes. Also she finds a friend for life in Xu Da, an older novice. But even this is not her destiny, for soon finds she must leave the monastery and ends up joining a rebel force, once again with no idea how to even hold a sword. Once again, she prevails. Meanwhile on the other side we meet Ouyang, a general serving the Mongols. His family was declared traitors and all the men killed but he was kept alive but only allowed to live as a eunuch. Despite this, he has risen to be a general serving beside Prince Essen whom he loves, but also struggles with his own past. Zhu and Ouyang’s stories intersect in unexpected ways.


This story drew me in right from the start—just reading about Zhu’s life in the village, what she must face just for being a girl (heart-wrenching though not surprising given the time period), and how fate gives her a chance to remedy that. But it isn’t just luck or fate of course but her own courage and strong will to live and move forward. Zhu is a character who struggles with her identity, having, indeed choosing to go through life as her brother who’s fate she thinks she is taking—so much so that she believes she is him. At the same time when it comes to finding what is destined for her, she courageously goes on, facing every obstacle, and allowing nothing to stop her. On this path she must be manipulative, calculating and ruthless, but none of this holds her back. One finds oneself rooting for her all through, except perhaps towards the end where I felt some of her decisions too callous to overlook though I also realised that there were things one in her position would have possibly had to do.

Initially starting the story, not knowing all that much about Chinese history, I didn’t catch on to the historical track it follows and only later realised/found out that the basic storyline this follows is that of Zhu Yuanzhang, formerly Zhu Chongba, who established the Ming Dynasty, broadly following his life from birth in an impoverished family to becoming a monk, joining the red turbans, a rebel force against the Mongols and ultimately establishing the Ming dynasty. I thought the author’s spin on the story was a really creative one.

Our other main character, General Ouyang is also strong, a skilled warrior and yet dealing with his past (what happened to his family, and indeed himself) and present, which is as heart-wrenching as Zhu’s story. His position as general may mean he has power but being a eunuch, he must also face discrimination and insinuations from all quarters—with no one really understanding what he is going through. In his and Zhu’s stories, the author explores issues of identity and gender, what really constitutes who one is and but also how they must constantly struggle against the world which is ever pointing fingers, and questioning them and their abilities.

I’m not sure if Ouyang is a fictional character or also real-life but I enjoyed how his and Zhu’s storylines cross paths, and go through different stages, each having to make difficult decisions to go where fate has destined they must.

The story really explores various threads, from personal relationships and feelings to ambition, from compassion to ruthlessness, and of course power—the struggle to obtain it, to hold on to it, and the games that go on behind the scenes in any court—ruler or rebel. In his perhaps, only the ruthless can survive.

This was an excellent story, with complex characters and an interesting spin on real-life characters and I am certainly looking forward to reading the sequel, and seeing where Zhu’s journey takes her (we know where, unless there is twist in store there too, but perhaps how she gets there).

p.s. There is some (not too much, but still) graphic content.

4.5 stars

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

She Who Became The Sun was a massively anticipated book for me this year, and I'm so glad I got to read it early. It was ultimately pretty dense; a sprawling epic that moves a bit too fast to appreciate, but I did enjoy turning the pages.

The last 10% of this book was actually fantastic, but everything else had been constructed to make those final events (and moral points) happen, rather than an organic story coming to fruition. In general, there were a lot of things that were great in principle, or when they actually happened, but only from some angles: the characters all had different morals, values and tactics, but their dialogue all read exactly the same. And the fantastical element with the ghosts and elemental magic was really cool - but obsolete for much of the story.

In many ways, what I believe will draw many people to this book is its representation and point of view. And wow, it was so nice to see such varying and fluid sexuality, and without it having to be a character trait; it was the character's identity, wrapped up along with their own individual desire and goals layered on top. But I did also note it felt like it was written for a man in the way that all the feminist things were over-explained. You can tell Parker-Chan has a political background because there's a lot of providing excess evidence and analysis to prove a point.

This book was enjoyable to read, but it didn't have enough of a humanising edge to the characters to make me root for them when they did terrible things. At the end of the day, even though you know their origins, they're all horrible, manipulative people that always seemed like horrible, manipulative people. It made me think of R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War, not just for its Chinese historical inspiration, but also it's very questionable protagonist. But I felt much less empathy for Zhu here, and it made a massive difference to the story.

This is a good example of why I don't like blurbs that compare books to other stories. Yes, it's easy to draw comparisons to Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Song of Achilles; and sure, they're not bad comparisons. But none of them are really good parallels to the essence of this story, and it creates an expectation in the reader that can't be met and sells this new story sort of itself.

I did not finish this book as there were several aspects that I wasn't comfortable reading and hadn't expected - which is a shame as the setting and general idea seemed so intriguing!
I don't feel it's fair for me to give a rating as I haven't fully read the book, and am aware that opinions will vary between people based on tastes, so take these two stars with a pinch of salt :)

DNF @ 53%.

I’ve been really nervous about writing this review, because I know this book is one of 2021’s Ones To Look Out For. It is also not released for another 7 months( hence why this review has no rating (I don’t think it’s fair when the book may still change, and also when I haven’t read the whole thing).

However, I’ve got to be honest about my experience, and my experience is that this book is dull. The story just fell completely flat for me. I really struggled to connect with any of the characters, and after getting halfway through a novel, I would expect some kind of response to them, even if that response was negative. I mean, the first part of the book with Zhu training at the monastery was engaging, but as soon as it moved on and was just focused around war? Not my cup of tea.

Perhaps part of the problem is that I have read too many similar series recently. For example, I read The Poppy War trilogy last year and devoured it. Again, I’m not a big fan of books centred around war, but Kuang’s writing was so engaging, and the character development was impeccable - I was hooked throughout, despite there being elements I wouldn’t normally read about. Obviously there are stark differences between the two novels (fantasy vs retelling, 20th century China vs 14th century China) but I got very similar vibes. The same can be said about Mark Lawrence’s Book of the Ancestor trilogy. Again, there are differences, but it’s another war-centred series, this time about a girl raised as a nun, and I found it so much more engaging than She Who Became the Sun.

Finally, I was also disappointed by the lack of queerness in the novel. It’s marketed as a queer book, and as someone who identifies as queer, I felt like this was right up my alley. But halfway through, it still didn’t read as a queer novel to me, or at least as much as I wanted. There’s a bit of unrequited love from Ouyang towards Esen, but most of it felt implicit and I would have liked it to be a bit more centred. There is also a hint of Ma being interested in Zhu, but again, it’s not that obvious. I have only read half of the novel, however, so I imagine it gets better - this is just my understanding from what I’ve read.

Overall, She Who Became the Sun didn’t do it for me, and I’ve spent a few days trying to convince myself to keep going, but I just can’t. However, if you’re reading this review and are unsure about whether this book is for you, I would recommend reading some of the other reviews from people who have finished the novel - hopefully combined, you’ll get a sense of whether this novel is for you.

A novel depicting an alternate history for Zhu Yuanzhang’s rise to power and the foundation of the Ming Dynasty in China, this beautiful and epic story transforms history into a tale with a rapt focus on gender identity and fate. It features two genderqueer protagonists, which Parker-Chan has confirmed are reflective of their own experiences of genderqueerness (1).

This was a novel that kept me awake at night thinking about what was going to happen next, I was glued to the pages desperately needing to know and Parker-Chan has done a fantastic job in bringing to life 1300s China and giving it a magical touch. Every character in the story grapples with their identity and their predetermined fate and are all written with such complexity and with so many layers to their struggles that give this book a truly unique feel. I have never read a historical fantasy that gives so much focus to the individuals and their interactions and beliefs are the driving force behind the entire story, while also maintaining a rich and expansive setting.

The main characters in this novels, and the perspectives we follow, are: Zhu, who becomes consumed with the need to take on her brother’s identity and fate to the point where the lines are blurred between them; Ouyang, a Yuan General and eunuch, who struggles between his fate, his closest friend, and his own battles as a eunuch and the shame he feels; and Ma Xiuying, daughter of a rebel general, who is a voice of compassion and fights internally between her own desires and her role as a woman. The secondary characters are also given the same richness of detail and development, nobody within this novel appears flat or one-dimensional and all them struggle with their own identities.

The plot of this story primarily follows Zhu’s path to achieve her brother’s fated greatness. After a bandit attack leaves only Zhu alive, she ‘becomes’ her brother and joins the Wuhuang Monastery. Here we open into a typical fantasy setting of ‘the school’ where the main character transforms from ‘nothing’ into being smart and capable, with the occasionally perilous situation thrown in. I did enjoy the way Parker-Chan wrote this section, with its sweeping time jumps that were done in a way that easily explained just how Zhu was progressing during this time. This set up of Zhu’s character demonstrates her fierceness to achieve her chosen fate and introduces several key characters, as well as also following the real history of Zhu Yuanzhang.

This quest for greatness leads her against General Ouyang, to Ma Xiuying, and you experience Zhu’s overwhelming desire for the fate she wants within your soul, such is Parker-Chan’s talent for writing. The rest of the book follows the path of Zhu Yuanzhang’s life, full of warfare and conflict, and the rebellion Zhu joins in the book against the Mongols and the enemies she fights are the same as the real Zhu Yuanzhang. While this does mean a quick google search will reveal a lot of the plot for those unfamiliar with that period of Chinese/Mongolian history, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the background research incorporated into the work which makes the book feel even more real and well-written.

Overall, I think this is an incredible novel that brings together the wonderful settings of historical fantasy with the important theme of gender identity. As someone who is cisgender, I cannot comment on the genderqueerness aspect from a critical perspective, other than to say I found it eye-opening to read about the experiences of those who are genderqueer from their own perspectives.

I could say a lot more about this book but in the wish to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, I will refrain until its official publication.

(1) - information taken from Parker-Chan's own review on Goodreads. Content warnings can also be found here behind a spoiler wall.

4.5 stars!

I read this book with my body. What I mean is that I felt it in my gut and my neck and my mouth. I started it lounging on the sofa and finished it bent over my phone, biting on my fist, feeling a bit insane. The funny thing is, I didn’t love it until about the 50% mark. I most probably overhyped it for myself and I was scared of disappointment. And then it clicked.

She Who Became the Sun [absolutely incredible title] is about self-fashioning and ambition and gender fuckery. It’s based in real history and I come at it from a very ignorant background. I know very little about Chinese history and culture so please, please read some reviews from people who actually know what they’re talking about! The two vessels for this story are Zhu and Ouyang. Zhu takes her brother’s identity very early on and tries to deny even to herself that she was ever anything but him. We see her desire for survival grow and develop into something almost monstrous as she moves through the world under someone else’s fate. Ouyang is Zhu’s inverted self. He’s a eunuch and a general on the opposite side of the war effort concerned with his own fate and end.

This book is very interested in discussing fate and its inevitability. One of the things that kept me back in the first half was how easy Zhu gets over different obstacles. Not easy on a personal level for her, but easy as in convenient. I wanted more tension, more ambiguity. But that’s the point. This is a story about painful self-awareness. Zhu and Ouyang are very genre savvy. They know they’re characters in someone else’s game and they choose to play along, with different results.

They’re also wholly dependent and influenced by their bodies, how they see themselves and how society sees them. Parker-Chan explores the in-between states – being one thing and its opposite, being neither or both – and how it applies to gender and humanity. We have characters who perform gender when convenient and using society’s expectations to enter spaces they usually can’t. Ghosts and ancestral expectations also toe this line of liminality. The characters are great not because of who they pretend to be, but because of who they are – their very ambiguity and duality gives them special powers.

Could the beginning be edited down a bit and the central action start earlier? Yes, probably. Did it detract from the overall effect this story had on me? Not even a little. I love this trend of queer geopolitical fantasy [hello Baru Cormorant, my favourite girl] and this was so very close to being perfect.

Also, as a PS, there’s this very unexpected and absolutely fantastic sex scene that manages to not only be very hot, but also a complete distillation of the two characters and it’s probably my favourite thing I’ve ever read. Please someone talk to me about it.

PSS was that a cheeky Inception reference??

I loved this book- historical epics are always a bit hit or miss as a reader as the writer can often focus too much on events over people or vice versa, but here it was masterfully balanced so that you never forgot that the epoch-defining moments playing out before you were all the result of extremely personal choices and motivations. I loved Zhu as a character, and watching her grow and develop from an unwanted girl to an emperor with the Mandate of Heaven was very satisfying- I especially enjoyed watching her 'from the outside' as we met other point of view characters.

I will say that having the Mandate of Heaven be physically embodied as a light on different characters was a bit of a discordant note in the story, if only because the rest of the setting was so grounded. Zhu being able to see ghosts was much better incorporated. I understand why the Mandate of Heaven is depicted as it is, but would have preferred a few other obviously magical elements to put it more in context. This is a minor detail, however- I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys alt-history, satisfyingly large fantasy books, and the Poppy War series.

A gripping story, full of action and drama.
This is an area of history that I am completely unfamiliar with, so I did struggle to keep a track of who was fighting who, and why. But the vivid and intriguing characers swept me along.

Zhu-Chongba is marked for greatness. But then he dies. It is no simple thing for his sister, marked for nothing, to take his identity and, with it, his fate. At first she is driven by desperation, by survival. Then by want. And later, by desire. First a monk, then a soldier, then… She will climb as high as she dares, but if Heaven sees her girl’s body inside of Zhu-Chongba’s man’s fate then all will be lost.

I loved the premise of this book; the idea that fate can be manipulated and passed from one person to another through the sheer will-power and effort of wanting it badly enough. However, the main character, the reborn Zhu-Chongba, was not what I expected. Far from a feminist figure of progression, Zhu seemed to become more and more the man that she pretended to be. At first this disappointed me, but as the story unfolded I began to see the potential that this created as her two natures warred against each other with her vague ambition for greatness at the centre of it all. This made for a tense, unpredictable narrative and I found myself continuously shocked by the decisions that she made.

The opposition is led by a eunuch general named Ouyang, who serves as a reflection of Zhu’s character. On one side there is a woman trying to be a man and on the other there is a man trying not to become a woman. Whilst this doesn’t cast the features of femininity in a very flattering light, it does create a turbulent undercurrent for the emotions of this novel. Ouyang’s embittered backstory adds an extra edge to these emotions and increases the unpredictability of the plot tenfold.

The plot itself is not an easy one to follow, due both to the unpredictable nature of the leading characters and to the constant back-and-forth of military strategy. Yet perseverance is well rewarded as the culture and relationships painted in between provide potent inducement to keep reading. I particularly enjoyed the slow building relationship between Zhu and Ma Xiuying, although I would have liked the friendship between Zhu and Xu Da to have been explored in more detail (which only proves how great a foundation it had to start with). On the other side of the narrative, I found the elastic relationship between Ouyang and Esen intoxicating in its tensions and unconventional intimacies.

So if you like drawn out military campaigns, undecipherable characters and a hint of magic then this book is well worth a read!

I described this book as “the kind of book where it’s a complete understatement to say it wrecked me. This book does not just wreck you. This book pulls out your heart with a pair of tweezers, stomps all over it, sets it on fire and, when it’s done, hands it back to you and says come back for the sequel!! And all you can do is say thank you.” in a recent rec list, and I think that’s the best place to start for this review. She Who Became the Sun is a book that will tear you to shreds and leave you thinking about it for days, weeks, even months.

The story follows Zhu who, in a bid to escape the destiny that has been foretold her, takes up her (dead) brother’s and becomes a monk. Parallel to this narrative, we also follow Ouyang, the famous eunuch general, and part of the Mongolian army. Their two paths criss-cross throughout as Zhu and Ouyang cross metaphorical swords.

There is so much to love about this book, not least the characters. It’s a book about ambition, really, Zhu’s and Ouyang’s (in many ways they parallel each other, while acting as foils to one another) in particular, but also Esen’s, Ma’s, and many others in between. It’s also a book about characters who will use everything at their disposal to achieve their ambitions. I would hesitate to say they are morally grey, because that would imply there are individuals with morals around them (Ma, perhaps, being the exception). But they are the kind of characters you can still latch onto. It might be more accurate to say they form their own set of morals and work by those and, as such, you can always see how the decision makes sense. It’s the kind of book where you’re rooting for everyone, even though you know it has to end in tragedy.

The book also lives fully up to the label of epic. It’s epic in its descriptive sense and also in scope. It spans an entire empire (and the beginning of the end for that empire) and it’s intense, high-stakes action all the way through. I think this is where multiple POVs is a huge benefit, because you can see the repercussions and ripple effects of actions across the expanse of the world. It’s part of the reason you find yourself wanting everyone to win (or at least, I did), and contributes to its general feeling of epicness.

I would be remiss not to at least mention the ending here (in a non-spoilery way, of course). I think it’s a testament to Shelley Parker-Chan that I read this entire book expecting something bad to happen at the end, and yet I was still surprised when it did. It’s the kind of ending you think you’re prepared for, only to find out just how wrong you were. You were not prepared, you could never have been prepared in any possible universe. It leaves you just a little bit shell shocked, in the best way.

So, if you’re hearing a lot of hype surrounding this book, and aren’t sure whether you can trust it, let me reassure you that yes. Yes, you absolutely can. It lives up to every bit of hype and even more.

Absolutely gorgeous literary fantasy. The setting was perfectly evoked, and the language beautifully immersive. (Spoiler-free example: Parker-Chan won't tell you how much starvation hurts, she'll write you beautiful passages about how delicious crickets and lizards and mud are starting to look.)

The crucial winner for me is the characters. Two main pairs stand out - Ouyang and Esen on the "empire" side, and Zhu (the female MC who pretends to be a male monk for most of the book) and Ma (Zhu's wife, friend, and lover). All four characters are vivid, multi-faceted, nuanced, and flawed in different ways. Huge shifting intersections between privilege, hardship, trauma, love, and grief all tangle together, spilling out to the wider storyline and ultimately having knock-on effects across the whole nation. By the end, I loved all of the characters, even if I was no longer sure who was heroic and who wasn't. PErhaps nobody was and everybody was.

Zhu's character is intricate beyond my capacity to explain in a short review (without writing a long and involved essay, I mean) but if I had to pick JUST one aspect to focus on, it's her un-Buddhist sense of desire: she struggles with wanting things beyond the life given to her, and whether that is okay. Repeatedly, that issue comes up - she wants, she desires, should she desire, doesn't desire have a cost - but notably, it's not something the male characters seem to struggle with. Because ambition, power, and greatness are seen as natural things for men to want, a kind of ingrained privilege of what it's okay to expect or hope for in life. Zhu, as both a woman and someone born to the peasant class, has to fight for the right to even want those things, let alone have them.

Every character pays a cost, and by the end I think most readers will be weighing up whether anything they gained was worth the sacrifice. Zhu is capable of goodness and love, but I am not sure that she herself is a good person, by the novel's end. That grey tangled mess does make her exactly the kind of character I really enjoy, however.

Disappointed !

I was so looking forward to this book.

Ideas: great
Execution: meh
Prose: unremarkable
Tension: non existent (there were scenes where characters kill other characters but I felt nothing; "huh" was my reaction.

I didn't admire the sudden pov changes in the same chapter either. Sometimes it felt like I was reading summaries of events.

Where do I start with a book that destroyed me utterly? This book was my most anticipated book of the year, and it thoroughly met all my expectations and more. It drew me in completely to this group of very flawed, very human characters who longed to meet their fate as much as they were terrified of it. Their pain and suffering is at the heart of this book, suffering necessary as it is when you desire something, and it resulted in a book I could not tear my eyes from, knowing it could only end one way and yet being shattered to pieces when it comes to pass.

She Who Became the Sun is a retelling of the rise to power of Zhu Chongba, a monk who rose to power in Ancient China to become emperor, creating the Ming dynasty. In SWBTS, the real Zhu Chongba dies after a bandit attack and his genderqueer sister takes his place and name, longing to steal the fate Heaven blessed him with - greatness. The book spans a large period of time as Zhu Chongba rises from monk through the rebel army who long to take back their country from the Mongols, led by Prince Esen and my favourite character, his eunuch general, Ouyang.

I can't remember the last time I read a book and highlighted so many passages. Shelley Parker-Chan's prose is utterly sublime. So much of the book is about suffering and how all who want their fate must suffer for it. And fuck did I suffer. There is so much pain and angst in this prose that each line felt like I was being ripped through with a sword. It felt like pieces of my heart were being torn away. Like I was being crushed under the weight of the suffering these characters go through. But what proved most destructive was not simply the suffering of these characters. It was the fact that to fulfil their fate, they had to become accepting of the suffering not just of themselves, but of those they love. They have to level with themselves: is the suffering of those they love worth their fate? And to this, they say yes. It is brutal and Shelley Parker-Chan makes no move to hide these brutal actions behind a sense of goodness. These characters are flawed and ambitious and long for power and revenge to the detriment of all around them. And surrounding this suffering is just the most gorgeous prose that really cuts to the heart of the agony of these characters. I felt particularly drawn to Ouyang's story, the long, burning desire for revenge, his life of shame. Shame is such a powerful concept that I feel is often relegated to the side when looking at a characters' motivation. But in Ouyang, shame is the front and centre of all he does. This sense of family and filial duty and the shame that comes from not fulfilling your duties was such a powerful motivator, and one I feel isn't seen in fantasy as much as it should be. Shame to me always has more power than anger, and it is clear that Shelley Parker-Chan understands that in how she wrote these characters.

As much as I loved Ouyang, I can't forget to talk abotu Zhu! The first chapter of a book is always pretty important. For me, the first chapter always tells me how much I fall in love with the main character. Am I drawn to them? Do I feel something on their behalf? It's one of the most useful mechanisms I have for predicting whether I'll give a book five stars. If I am drawn to the character from the very first pages, I know I will love the book. And SWBTS has such an opener for Zhu. I was so angry at what Zhu faces in the first few pages, her character and strength drew me in so well, I was immediately on her side and longing to see her reach her potential for greatness. I was also surprised to see such a lightness in her spirirt. She goes through such suffering, and yet there is this sense of lightness and cheer about her the whole way through the book that I really enjoyed. In an book that is so focused on suffering and tragedy, it was lovely to be interspersed with these humourous scenes with Zhu, as she pretends to be just a lowly monk. And yet, despite this lightness, her determination to fulfil her fate results in such suffering that it is somehow surprising that Parker-Chan got me to root for her at all? No one is a good person in this book, everyone makes terrible decisions that cause pain and suffering to all and yet I ROOT FOR THEM AND LOVE THEM.

I also just wanted to mention that, as anticipated, the genderqueer rep is handled absolutely beautifully. There are such perfect moments of prose that sent such a wave of longing and sameness through me. It just gave me chills at times, and tears at others, to see this kind of representation handled so brilliantly. This is the kind of fantasy book gender diverse fans of been dreaming of for so long. Gender is explored so artfully. The way Ouyang's fate and character and treatment is linked so directly to how his gender is perceived whilst for Zhu, her fate and character and treatment is in direct opposition to the gender she was assigned, just made for a beautiful symmetry.

Anyway, this review was very difficult to write as I always struggle with writing reviews for the books I love the most - and this one is definitely on my list of favourite books. It is absolutely spectacular and is worth every bit of hype it has received.