The “Mulan meets Song of Achilles” pitch was enough to sell me on this book. I was so ready to love this, because those two stories are my favourite. But I just didn’t enjoy it.

The idea was there. I love the exploration on gender and sexuality, the Asian inspired setting, the action, and romance, but I just couldn’t get into it. The more I pushed through the less I became engaged with the story.

Not that I would say it’s bad. It definitely isn’t. It’s objectively a good book, and a solid read that I would recommend to people, but something didn’t click for me, and I think I’ve narrowed it down.

While I do like character driven stories, the pacing was way to slow to keep me interested. Not much happened for a long time, and the wonky pacing wouldn’t be an issue if the characters had been interesting. That’s the weakest part. The characters were dull. We switch POVs throughout and the fact that I couldn’t tell the difference in who was talking said a lot. I couldn’t connect to them because they just felt like cardboard they were so boring.

Also, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It was fine, but it felt very detached, and the action scenes were skipped over for boring parts. Why?

I’m sad I didn’t enjoy this, but I would still recommend it.

This book was a work of art. I loved the representation and strong, well written characters.
Milan meets 'song of achilles' is a correct comparison because that is exactly what it was. It was glorious and epic what a journey it was. A brilliant debut and start of a series that holds so much promise. I look forward to the next book with anticipation
Full review will be up on my blog, many thanks for the chance to read it in advanced, apologies for the late upload, I've had a few things happening on my plate.

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is pitched as Mulan meets the song of Achilles and I couldn’t agree more. It’s a historical fantasy which is beautifully written. Our main character Zhu is a girl who takes her dead brother’s identity in order to survive, in doing so she’s wanting to change her fate of nothingness. She has to go through a lot but she’s willing to do anything to survive. Really enjoyable read and can’t wait for the sequel.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was sent a copy of She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan to read and review by NetGalley. I was really looking forward to reading this book, unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations or, for me, the hype. The premise of the novel was really good, being as it was based on historical events, but where it fell down for me was the writing itself. Very often the prose seemed rather juvenile and it became very repetitive – reiterating affirmations once too often and making the same explanations of protagonist Zhu’s mindset and feelings over and over. This was the same with regard to the other main character in the book, the eunuch general Ouyang. There were some engaging moments within the book, I enjoyed envisioning the ghosts that only Zhu seemed able to see, and I did read it to the end, but I’m afraid that I only feel able to merit it with 3 stars.

A brutal, compelling depiction of all forms of desire. Zhu is a fascinating, richly complex main character and the real heart of the book. Each of the sapphic trifecta (this plus The Unbroken by CL Clark and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri) have been absolutely SFF powerhouses released this year and I'm so glad to have read them.

Thanks to the publisher for approving my request.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of She Who Became the Sun to review, This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2021 and was so happy when i got approved.

However this book did prove difficult to get into but i did enjoy the world building overall and the plot was written well. it was however a slow read for the first half which did almost make me dnf it. I loved Zhu as a character and would love to read more from her pov.

Overall an ok read.

I think this is the classic example of it's not the book, it's me. I can appreciate how well this book is written, the scope of the story is epic and the characters are wondrously portrayed. Unfortunately, though it just wasn't for me. I feel I was expecting a little more of a fantasy element when instead I would say this leans more towards historical fiction, I also found the changes in POV's a little jarring which made for a disjointed reading experience.

I know I will be in the minority when saying I didn't love this one, and again want to say it is brilliantly written, and I did enjoy it as a whole.

A girl lives a tough, hungry life with her father and brother Zhu Chongba in their village in China. Her brother has been foretold as someone born for greatness, though promised to a monastery in Wuhan by her father. The Girl asks the fortune teller for her fate but is told ‘nothing’. Then the bandits come and, unsatisfied with the answer about food, beat the Girl’s father to death. A few days after the death of her father, her brother Zhu Chongba dies lying next to his father so they are buried together by the girl. Puzzled as to how he could achieve greatness when he is dead, the girl vows to take on her brother’s identity and to attain greatness. The first step is to become a Buddhist monk, a girl amongst boys whose true identity has to be concealed.
She Who became the Sun, follows the Girl in her guise as Zhu Chongba as she searches for a level of greatness on her brother’s behalf. Set in a period of strife and civil war between the authorities and the Red Turbans who claim to have a child, the Prince of Radiance , holding the Mandate of Heaven so must rightfully rule. Zhu Chongba must chose her path carefully if she is to survive in her brother’s identity and achieve the prophecy. An interesting and thoughtful and well written read.
One thing I have learned since reading is the meaning of Rice Bucket (Fàn Tong) which is the name of one of the characters. This can mean simply a person who likes to eat a lot of rice, but it also can mean a person who is pretty useless. All the rice bucket can do is hold rice and is useless for anything else. I wish I had known this during reading as it is a revelation about the role of the character. Perhaps there are other cultural references I have missed but it doesn’t detract from the story at all.

I had a hard time with this one. The story was “ok” but the text was almost unreadable due to formatting

Whilst I really enjoyed what I read of She Who Became the Sun (I made my way through about 1/3 of the book) and really appreciated the amazing writing, I just couldn't get into it. However, I will without a doubt be picking it up again in the future, I just wasn't in the mood to read it when I did.

The writing, characters and plot that I read was amazing so I can't wait to finish this book one day, just not now. From what I read, I would definitely recommend for those who enjoy fantasy and/or historical fiction but would also suggest readers be aware that it is new adult fantasy (from the content I read it was suitable for most teen readers) but is a little more challenging to read for those - like myself - who are used to young adult fantasy.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review - I can't wait to come back soon with a full review when I finish the book!

I have been loving Asian-inspired stories lately and when I saw that this was coming out, I had to request it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC.

I enjoyed She Who Became The Sun very much, it was such. A good read that build the world and the story so well. I loved the writing and the overall plotline.

I love Zhu as a main character, she's driven and is ready to do anything to survive I loved reading about her and I can't wait to see how things will develop.

I enjoyed reading about Ouyang and where his journey was taking him. I loved his complex story and how it was linked to Zhu's. I can't wait to read more about them bc I loved their interactions.

So much happened in SWBTS and I simply can't say much about it bc after I finished it I was pretty much like "no thoughts, head empty"

It was such an amazing read and I can't wait for the sequel.

She Who Became the Sun was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, so I was thrilled to get my hands on it, however I just don't think it was for me!

Firstly the premises of the story is very interesting, the book follows Zhu, who takes on the identity of her brother after his swift passing and becomes a monk. Slowly then forging her own path and destiny, one that she believed was meant for her brother.

The author does write very beautifully, however I struggled at times with the pace of the book and found my self drifting out of at times. The first half of the book was solid and so compelling, but I'll admit it did lose me after a while. I think it's just a writing style and heavy political plot that just isn't for me. Irrespective of my own likes and tastes, I can appreciate it for the quality that it is and can see why people adore it.

Overall I would give it a 3/5.

Thanks again to NetGallery and the publisher for the ARC copy.

A girl with an unbreakable will adopts the fate of greatness and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

A girl assumes her brother’s identity and his fate of greatness in the 1345 China stricken with famine. She becomes Zhu Chongba and finds a new life as a novice at a monastery until her path collides with a eunuch general Ouyang, who propels her towards her destiny. Next time they’ll meet, they will be on the opposite sides of a conflict between the ruling Mongols and the rebellious power of the Red Turbans.

I’ve truly enjoyed this story, especially because of the protagonist, Zhu, who was a delight to follow. Her strong will, resourcefulness and wits were admirable and exciting to witness, as well as her collisions with General Ouyang. This story focuses on these two characters and their moves in the struggle that continues throughout the narrative. On the other hand, the pacing was quite slow and as I was coming back to the book, I felt the atmosphere was always very similar, some anticipation as to how will the events unfold, but also some distance and lightness brought about by Zhu’s humour. The magical elements were a very welcome addition, which added some freshness and otherworldliness to the story. Overall, a great read and an appreciated break from the Europe-based fantasy books.

She Who Became the Sun is pitched as a queer reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty and despite not knowing anything about the subject I was immediately intrigued by the queer aspect! The book follows a girl who is given a fate of nothingness, while her brother is fated greatness. But when her brother dies the girl decides that she will not accept her fate, takes her brother's identity and goes to a monastery acting as her brother, Zhu Chongba.
I thought Shelley Parker-Chan's writing style was very beautiful and I can't wait to read more of their work soon! My favourite part of the book was definitely the first part, which I think was because I really liked the monastery setting. I also loved the focus around Zhu's dedication and how she will do anything to escape her fate, no matter what.
While I did love She Who Became the Sun, there were a few things that made me not give it a full 5 stars, though all of them are because of me and not the book's fault! I think my expectations were a bit too high, every review I'd seen before reading was a glowing 5 star review and it couldn't live up to all the hype. I don't usually read a lot of adult fiction so found the book hard to read at times as well. She Who Became the Sun was marketed as a fantasy but I think it was more of a historical fiction, which is not a genre I typically enjoy. I do think I was also kind of distracted when reading it a few times and will definitely reread it in the near future and add more to this review!
Overall I think SWBTS is a wonderful book and I'm very excited for the sequel!

I will immediately say that the cover and the hook got me initially, okay? That cover and that mix of Mulan and The Song of Achilles. I mean, I am weak, okay? I have recently got introduced to and started reading wuxia novels and some historical novels, mostly webnovels from China. It is translated, of course, and it’s not officially translated either as the books simply aren’t available outside of certain areas and they are not at all translated. However, I am glad that I got some taste of what wuxia novels are like to thoroughly enjoy this book.

That’s not to say that this is wuxia because it’s not. I don’t think so. It’s more historical fiction leaning than fantasy but that’s totally fine with me. This is the first book in the Radiant Emperor duology, it’s the reimagining of the founding of Ming dynasty. It’s 1345, there’s famine and there are two children whose fate is told to them. A boy who has greatness in his future and a girl who has no future at all. Then comes bandits in their little village, their father is killed and the boy dies in despair. The girl decides to take on the name of her brother who had greatness in his future, so Zhu Chongba comes out of the village. This story is so well written and told at such great pace. It deals with a character that’s clearly very ambitious and cunning and determined to be great but Zhu Chongba has more in the personality to make for a terrible combination.

There’s so many themes at play in this book, from war, destiny, gender, duty and love. So many themes at play that I don’t think I can list them out. But! Let’s talk about Zhu Chongba because as a main protagonist, there’s so much to unravel! Right from the beginning of the book, we can see Zhu Chongba as this absolutely resilient person who’s determined to survive and wants to find some value for herself. She’s absolutely cunning and ambitious and some of her decisions are not quite ideal but boy, she gets where she wants to be in life by hook or crook. She’s pragmatic and she’s level headed and I loved that about her because it shows her ruthlessness wrapped in her pragmatism. Her morality is so grey and I absolutely love that about her, her will to fight and live is something that’s absolutely believable and someone you can admire but at the same time, have mixed feelings about.

There’s one part of the book that might work or not work at all for some readers. It’s the POVs, in the first part of the book, it’s only through Zhu Chongba’s POV and mostly her coming of age and that’s great on its own; however in part two, there’s multiple POVs and I wasn’t prepared for it, if I am being honest. However it worked for me in the end and I am grateful for that. The other POVs, Ma, Ooyang and Esen worked for me because they were fleshed out so well. They each had their own agendas and hopes and motivations and their background stories blended so well. This story is full of people who are not the ideal heroes but they are absolutely powerful and ambitious and cunning. This is clearly not a super happy story, I mean, it’s the time period this story is set in that kinda sets the tone. I am sure that I will definitely lose some context if I tried to put words to my thoughts about the Red Turban Rebellion, the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Yuanzhang. I did a little research as I was reading the book. That added a bit more flavour; however it’s not needed, I think.

Overall, I think this book could work as a standalone but it’s just so good that I can’t wait to read more about these characters and how much more messed up they would be in the next book! The pacing works so well, the writing is amazing, the characters flawed and so well fleshed out. So, yeah, please, if you are a fan of people who are not quite the heroic people we expect in books like these then, give this one a chance. It won’t disappoint.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but the middle definitely dragged for me. I loved Zhu’s journey and would have like to have had the entire book following her rather than changing POVs.

She Who Became the Sun offers a historical fiction with fantasy elements, exploring war, purpose and gender. This book has been pitched as The Song of Achilles meets Mulan and I couldn’t agree more. I also found myself seeing similarities to The Poppy War and And I Darken in the main characters grim determination to beat her fate. Fans of these works are guaranteed to enjoy this book.

Set in 1345 China, Shelley Parker-Chan reworks historical events in such an interesting way. I admit, that this isn’t a period I knew much about, but I can’t help but admire the intricate way Parker -Chan takes real people and incorporates them into a fictional narrative. This book was heavier on the historical side, but I found that a refreshing change to fantasy-driven retellings. I also admired the queer representation in this historical period.

What I loved about She Who Became the Sun was the exploration of gender. It was complex, vulnerable and deep. We follow Zhu, the main character, who is living as a man in order to have her brother's fate of greatness, and escape her own death. Zhu was such a great protagonist.

As the book progresses, we get perspectives from Ma, Ouyang, and Esen. These chapters took me a little longer to get into, but I ended up really enjoying Ma’s sections. I’m glad that these were included, as they aided in expanding the political scope of this war-torn world.

I’d recommend She Who Became the Sun to those looking for historical retellings, or who enjoy books featuring war and politics, determined underdogs, ghosts and vengeance.

SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN was a great debut, retelling the life of first Ming Emperor by reimagining Zhu as someone born a girl who decides to take another destiny for herself. It is a brilliant exploration of identity and taking on a world that would erase you if it had its way.

I know some marketing has called this a historical fantasy, but there's so little of the fantastical in this book - a few ghosts and the odd flame flickering in the hand. That it doesn't feel fantasy enough for me to call it historical fantasy, because these elements are frequent enough or integral to the story/driving the plot along. For me, it's historical fiction with a scattered few fantastical elements.

It's a gorgeously written book, using such inventive and lyrical ways of describing surroundings that really bring it to life. The pacing in slower, but that often is used to mimic the slow continuation of the monastery or the trudge of an army, and it is such beautiful writing that I just didn't care. If anything, a slower pace left for more time to admire it.

There are many POVs in this book, though the first section is only from Zhu's, charting how she came to be in the monastery and then growing there until its destruction. Then, as Zhu is forced back into the world, the story flies open and the other POVs come flooding in the fill the scope of the book.

I'd already guessed from the author's promotional pieces that Ouyang, the eunuch general, would be a fascinating character, but I wasn't prepared for how well he stole scenes. The twisted mess of hatred for the family that caused his family's deaths and this humiliation was tangled up with his mangled love for one of the sons, a desire that he hated and feared, was fascinating and made for such compelling character dynamics.

The next book in the series (I think it's a duology?) cannot come soon enough.

I think I am in the minority when I say that I struggled with this book. I felt like it dragged but also did a lot of telling rather than showing and it made me lose my interest in the story. I do think a lot of people will enjoy the book though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I love a good feminist retelling, and in this novel Parker-Chan reimagines Chinese history to place a woman at the centre of one of the biggest political and military shifts in world history. I know very little about medieval Chinese history so it was fascinating to see it retold in this way, and I'm really looking forward to how she squares the narrative later on in the story. I also loved that Zhu is not a completely likeable character - she wants power and she'll do pretty much anything to get it - though she does have more morals than some of her male counterparts. The addition of the magical element of the Mandate is interesting as well, and I can't wait to see how that unfolds.