Absolutely sensational start to the series!! I had been sitting on this one for a while because I saw all the glowing reviews and was reluctant because I wasn't sure if this book would live up to the hype, but I really shouldn't have been worried, because it did and then some. This is one of the best fantasies I've read. And honestly, now I'm glad that I waited, cause now I can read the sequel immediately. WHAT A STORY!!

I don't think I've ever read and enjoyed a book before where I ended disliking virtually every character. So there's a first for me, and I've got to give props to the author for managing it what I'd previously have considered as impossible. Even characters that I thought I empathised with to begin with, had me denouncing them by the end. It's a gritty novel where resilience, survival instinct and power struggles are twisted into showing the darkest elements of humanity, time and time again.

She Who Became the Sun is a sprawling narrative, and throws you off course when you switch from Part 1 which is focussed entirely on a coming of age arc for one character into the rest of the novel which spreads across a variety of characters and events. It's not a period of history that I'm particularly knowledgeable about, but I'm reliably informed that it's an alternate re-imagining of the rise of the Ming Dynasty emperor. It doesn't shy away from the widespread horrors of 1345 China, with famine sweeping the land and civil war ongoing, yet also focusses in on the individual power struggles and narratives.

It is certainly beautifully written and conveys a wonderful sense of time and place, drawing even those of us with no prior knowledge of the period and region into the events and struggles of the characters. Character development is cleverly done, with absolutely no character being 'the hero' and by the end, it's seriously debateable if you want any of them to survive let alone win. Talk about a cast of antiheroes. I did enjoy the themes of gender and the religious connotations of destiny and how we can cheat it very interesting though, and they worked well with individual character narratives, never feeling shoe horned in.

I did find the switch from the first single character arc to the rest of the novel jarring and that's probably my biggest complaint with the novel. It sets you up for one thing and it's beautifully written, truly draws you into Zhu's perspective and the challenges of taking her brother's identity and serving as a monk. Then without warning it throws you into multiple perspectives that take a long time to get going. You've invested in one thing and then thrown to the lions, particularly when the second act of the novel takes a long, meandering path through events until it finally picks up again. This switch could absolutely have been done better and the mid section of the novel needed a bit more pace to offset the huge cast of characters that were difficult to keep track of at the best of times.

But, despite that I very much enjoyed the novel and I'd be interested to see what the author manages in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my free review copy of this title.

What an interesting book! For the first 100 pages I was absolutely in love with this story, I loved the authors writing and was loving the setting. Sadly along the way as it started to branch out and get more intense and as more character perspectives were added I kind of lost it a little. I still think it’s a great read but I didn’t end up loving it as much as I’d hoped in the beginning. I am however very interested in reading more from this author because they have some serious talent.

I would definitely recommend this if you haven’t tried it already.

I really enjoyed this, especially on audio. I'm excited to continue the duology when my audio loan comes in from the library, although I already got a copy of it in hardback!

This book was an entire journey and definitely in a good way. Parker-Chan managed to fit so much into this book that I'm surprised it wasn't longer. But somehow when reading, it doesn't feel rushed and seems to be paced really well.

The world building is amazing and I can still picture everything so vividly. I really did feel like I was somewhere else while reading this.

The reasons that this wasn't a five star read for me were, firstly, there were a lot of characters. Sometimes it was a little hard to remember who people were at first after a scene change. Secondly, I found it a little jarring after the time jump. I got used to it but it made me put the book down for a couple of days before I got back into it.

But don't let those put you off reading. This book is really worth a shot! I'll definitely be reading the second one 😊

I loved it. I have a soft spot for women who want everything and this is that to a T. The relationships were complex and layered and so well developed. The book itself was written with such care and attention and you can tell the author was enjoying themselves writing it. The author clearly understood what it means to write realistic characters who are a sum of their flaws and those will always be my favourite kind of characters. I cannot wait to get into book 2

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, and sorry for my delay in this review.

Really wonderful YA story that I should have read sooner! I can see why this one was so successful online.

This is a magnificent book. A fantasy reimagining about the rise of the first Ming Emperor as a woman, and the fall of Mongol rule in fourteenth century China, this is a book of desire and brutal wanting. People are morally grey, occasionally kind, and shaped by their harsh pasts, unshakeable ambitions, and worst impulses. There are queer characters, but this is not a romance: characters often hate themselves and thus, indirectly, hate their feelings for other people. It has really interesting thoughts on gender, and how it ties into the characters and their societies.

It’s also funny, compulsive, and difficult to put down. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together in the second book.

I'm so sorry for the delay in sending my review I thought I'd done it a lot sooner!

At the time of this I hadn't wrote a review in a long time so a short and sweet one will have to do!

It really gave me the feels I had when I read The Poppy War for the first time!

I really enjoyed the story, but found it a bit too formulaic for it to really stand out to me. The writing felt a little bit YA too which isn’t my cup of tea

My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘She Who Became the Sun’ by Shelley Parker-Chan. It was originally published in July 2021. My apologies for the late feedback. I have in the interim purchased its ebook and unabridged audiobook editions.

This is Book One in Parker-Chan’s Radiant Emperor Duology, which is a queer reimagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang, the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols, unified China under native rule, becoming the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

In the novel’s opening in 1345 China is under harsh Mongol rule. In a famine ridden village, the Zhu family are barely surviving. At the request of their father a fortune teller shows two children their fates. For the boy, Zhu Chongba the eighth-born son, there will be greatness yet for his sister - nothing.

When a bandit raid wipes out their home and family, the children must find a way to survive. When her brother gives into despair and dies, his sister resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes on her dead brother’s identity and begins an journey in which she hopes to claim her brother’s greatness and rise as high as she can dream. As it’s an epic covering Zhu’s life from 1345 to 1356 quite a lot happens, so no more details to avoid spoilers.

I understood that this was a reimagining of this period of Chinese history, though I began reading with no knowledge of Zhu Yuanzhang and the Ming Dynasty. Still, I was pleased that the author provided on their website some material about the historical figures that feature in the Radiant Emperor Duology.

Once I started my read/listen of this novel, I was quickly drawn into the narrative and quite captivated by it. There are elements of fantasy in the story such as an awareness of the presence of ghosts and the like.

Shelley Parker-Chan is a gifted storyteller and I could appreciate why ‘She Who Became the Sun’ has been so highly praised. The sequel, ‘He Who Drowned the World’, is due to be published in August.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

"She Who Became the Sun" by Shelley Parker-Chan is a gripping and immersive historical fiction novel set in 14th century China. Parker-Chan's writing is lyrical and evocative, and she deftly captures the political intrigue and social hierarchies of the era. The protagonist, a young girl who takes on her dead brother's identity to survive, is a fascinating and complex character whose journey is both captivating and emotionally resonant. While the pacing may be slow at times and the story can be bleak, "She Who Became the Sun" is a richly rewarding read that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the sequel. A solid four-star review.

The only negative at all I have about this book was the pacing was a bit slow. The rest of it though...it was all amazing, incredible, an absorbing retelling.
I've found that I've gone back to the book again and again, it's so well written and enjoyable. And even the issue I've said about the only negative is the pacing was a bit slow, in places, it's a really tiny nitpick.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an option to review this book.

Interesting concept to base a book on by it was done really well and I would definitely enjoy reading more books like this. Pacing felt a little slow at times but still overall enjoyed the book.

I recently finished She Who Became the Sun and enjoyed it, albeit with some pretty jarring issues.

We follow Zhu, who is born into poverty in a setting of 1300s China under Mongol rule. With Zhu's brother being fated for greatness, Zhu is determined to escape her fate of nothingness.

The authors wordcraft is beautiful at times in contrast to the brutal backdrop. Really impressive for a debut author.

With this split up into three parts, I found the first part highly enjoyable, reminiscent of the early stages of The Poppy War. Although this was fast paced, it served to show several key events of Zhu's upbringing and displayed her mindset in constantly wanting to outrun her destiny. We skip a few years at a time here

My issue mainly with the book was with the 2nd act. This is where the story became heavily military based and whilst I'm all for that, constantly being on compaigns for pages and pages became a bit of a chore. Especially as for a couple of them they ended abruptly and then with the next paragraph it was over (think how Forrest Gumps stories end). Apart from two of them, you get to read no actual on-page battles which was a bit of a disappointment in a military based story. The pacing was really off to me during this whole section.

I found Ouyangs character to be exceptionally well written and his feelings of self hatred interlinked with his condition, past and relationship with those around him was fascinating. Definitely by far my favourite character throughout.

There was a strong ending 100 pages or so and both main characters actions will set up the second book well so I am looking forward to it.

This book is a dark but unforgettable tale about the journeys that people under take, to achieve what they believe their destiny is! It focuses on a young girl born into the life of a peasant, who takes on the identify of her brother when he passes away. The book has so many elements to it, touching upon queer identity, a great read. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

This originally ticked all the boxes for me but was a bit difficult to get Into. I abandoned at 40% as it just wasn’t interesting enough to keep going,

I had high expectations for She Who Became the Sun but it still managed to completely surpass them. Pitched as Mulan meets Song of Achilles, it definitely captures the complex emotional beats of both of those stories and the way that Parker-Chan explores different facets of gender through both Zhu and Ouyang's character's is incredibly well done.

It's vicious and brutal, almost everyone is morally suspect, the characters and relationships are extremely complicated and there are SO MANY FEELINGS. It's a historical fantasy set in China at a time when people are rebelling against the Mongol rulers. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements but it does add to the story in my opinions rather than just being a maguffin with no real value.

Zhu is definitely my favourite character. She 'steals' her brother's identity and is so determined to survive and steal the fate she wants for herself rather than accepting the fate she is predicted of nothingness. Her journey and growth through the book is stunning and I can't wait to see where it goes next. I especially loved her complex relationship with her gender and gender roles and seeing how it affects her decisions.

As a counterpoint, we also get to know Ouyang who has a completely different story though an equally complex relationship to gender as a eunuch. Rather than claiming a fate he wants like Zhu, he feels like he's on an inevitable path and although determined to follow it, has mixed feelings about what is involved. His role as a general in the Mongol army gives us a really interesting perspective and his complicated relationship with the Mongols he serves is incredibly well done.

I could gush about so much more but instead I'll leave it here. It's definitely 5 stars from me if that isn't obvious and I can't wait to see where this story goes.

I tried with She Who Became the Sun, reading it before it was published, getting just past the first part before not really having impetus to keep picking it up. This time I started from the beginning, got 50% of the way through and sadly have had to DNF it for good.

I really liked the first half of this book which focuses on Zhu, a girl who has to take on the identity (and therefore fate) of her dead brother and joins a monastery in disguise. Although it is a bit of a cliché (and heavily influenced by Mulan), I thought it was done well and I enjoyed the scenes in the monastery. Part 2 however, time jumps forward and is split perspective between Zhu but also eunuch Ouyang and woman Ma. I found the chapters from Ouyang’s perspective focusing on politics and warfare to be tedious and I didn’t feel that I got to know him as a character. I think Ma might have been an interesting character though so I should reserve judgement on her.

Zhu in these latter parts also seems to be a little odd, I didn’t understand any of the reasons behind her decisions, particularly her solution to taking the city of Lu. This seemed so far removed from the character we had learnt about in the first part of the book.

Overall, I was finding myself finding excuses to not pick up the book any further as quite frankly, I was bored with it, which was a shame. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan – Mantle for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book had been overhyped for me so I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I had read a few other Chinese inspired fantasy books around the same time and this wasn't quite as good as the others. It was well written and I enjoyed the concept but didn't find myself caring enough about the characters. I felt that I should be rooting for Zhu Chongba but I really struggled to. There were lots of good aspects to this book and I did like it but didn't love it in the way I had expected to enjoy a Chinese inspired feminist fantasy. I do think I will continue the series though and I would pick up other books from this author.