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.

This has been one of the most hyped fantasy releases of this year so I was so excited to get an ARC of it. However, I ultimately found this novel to be disappointing. I think my main issue with this book is that the character dynamics just aren't there. I didn't feel much for these characters because I felt like I didn't know them, but only knew things *about* them. Their motives and motivations were clear, and their decision-making was also clear, but I think that was precisely my problem: everything was too straightforward. and explicit without there being much for the reader to deduce or try to figure out for themselves. Also I thought that a lot of the times character guessed or knew things that they shouldn't have been able to figure out. And there were also too many POVs, with many of the POV characters being too poorly developed to care for. Overall I don't think this was a bad book per se, I just think it would've benefitted from stronger character work and maybe some more editing.

Based on the story of the rise of the first Emperor of the Ming dynasty this book starts with a young girl (Zhu) surviving against the odds during a long famine in a remote chinese village.
Her selfish brother is told by a fortune teller that it is his fate to be a great leader. Even without this encouragement, his father treats him like a king. As a girl Zhu is less lucky and is told her life will amount to nothing; her father and brother treat her as if she already is.

Zhu’s absolute determination to take her brothers fate and make it her own draws us on a tumultuous journey with her.

Zhu is ruthless and her chosen path entirely selfish. Her desire to rise up and become somebody truly great risks the lives of those around her but somehow the author has skillfully woven her character to make her likeable and I felt that despite everything she did I wanted to root for her-whilst almost feeling guilty for it! As the story twists and turns and we get to know each of the characters the author slowly reveals to us this barbaric and treacherous world of warriors and how each of them manages to survive in their own way.

The relationship of Ma and Zhu is the perfect antidote to the regular deceits and battles ensuing through the book and my one small criticism is that I felt that their relationship, Ma’s character and the effects of their unique situation could perhaps have been explored further…Maybe it will in the next instalment?!

I found the story gripping and the characters engaging and can’t wait for part 2!

#SheWhoBecametheSun #NetGalley

Final Rating: 4.5 Stars.

You know when you’re most anticipated book delivers?? Ahhhh, it’s a good feeling.

She Who Became the Sun is an intricate weaving of two different stories; two people whose fates are destined to collide.

It follows the story of a girl, who takes on her brother’s destiny and will do whatever it takes to reach it, and a man who sets on a tumultuous path to avenge his family.

If you like books that have complex characters, contain deep explorations of gender, and go through the complex workings of war, dashed with a fragment of magic, romance + sacrifice, then I would highly recommend you put this book on your tbr. This is an invigorating book that will transport you back to a different time, and will make you want to learn more about the characters and the world. The author has done an amazing job with the world building. I know this because at times I had to take a break from reading just to try to understand the multitude of it all. I’ll definitely be doing more research on this era because it sounds super interesting and complex I really enjoyed reading the different points of views of all the characters, and my favourite was definitely Ma. I found her compassion really lovely, which it seems most of the other characters lacked. At times some of the characters actions did annoy me, but I think it’s a great way to show how people act differently based on their circumstances.

The author deals with shame + anger at oneself incredibly well. I loved the exploration of self hatred in this book.

I really hope we get to see more of Yunchun in the next book! He was my favourite side character + kept me laughing in what is a book that deals with a lot of serious issues. I’d also love to see a POV from Wang. His character was so interesting to me!

The ending of the book definitely has me excited for the second one!

I hope in the second book there is more of an exploration of the mandate and where it comes from, as I personally don’t understand it properly from the story yet. Maybe I’m just dumb?? Lol.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Also, I think I kind of ship Ouyang and Wang?? They’re hatred of each other is amazing looool

I got goosebumps when Ouyang said "We march to Dadu to kill the Emperor." Yikes. Excited to see where this story goes next!

4-4.5 stars

recommended for fans of the poppy war and the song of achilles, this deeply heart wrenching asian-inspired fantasy will leave you a sobbing mess.

The book follows Zhu Chong after the death of her family, disguising as a boy to join a monastery and get her brother's fated greatness. There we see her journey growing up and exploring her gender identity, ambition, and desire for brilliance and being known. We also follow Ouyang, the eunuch general, as he struggles with his duty to his ancestors, his terrible fate that's coming soon and love for a prince who's supposed to be someone he despises.

Ouyang quickly became one of my favorite literary characters and I absolutely love him okay *cries in gay*

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

I love the nuanced exploration of gender and gender identity, how the author never shies from addressing both misogyny and the fluidity of gender. Zhu's internal struggle with her gender resonates with me so much and I'm so glad we're seeing that more in fantasy. I also like how we see that queer men aren't exempt from misogyny and how it isn't brushed off.

"I loved you! You were even closer to me than my own brother. I would have given you anything!" I'm not crying, you're crying.
At the core of this book is gay yearning, queerness, delicious unresolved tension and pure agony. Highly recommend!!


My only criticism would be how by the last 10%, Zhu's motivations fail to engage me, the happiness of her best friend and wife are less important to her than her desire to be "great" and "finding her fate". She asks people to constantly sacrifice a lot for her and make hard choices and goes to terrible lengths to get what she wants. She doesn't appear to be a good or effective ruler either, her actions are fundamentally self serving and her loyalty lies firstly to her fate which becomes tedious and hard to empathize with.

rep: chinese/mongolian cast, genderqueer lesbian mc, sapphic li, genderqueer gay mc, bi mlm li

content warnings: consensual on page sex, violence, dysphoria, misgendering, pre-existing non-consensual castration, amputation, abelist, murder of a child, internalized homophobia, non-graphic depictions of death by torture

Thank you to Pan MacMillan and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.

All quotes are from an advanced copy and may differ in final publication

This book is brutal in that my heart feels vaguely beaten up and I wanna go lie down. Shelley Parker-Chan did not hold back at any point and delivers a story with grounded violence, political intrigue and authentic discussions about gender, identity and gender expectations regarding multiple characters in the book, all packed into a tightly woven main plot about ambition and what becomes of you when you sacrifice everything to get what you want.

Set against the backdrop of a rebellion in the Mongol Empire's occupied China, we primarily follow Zhu Chongba, who as a child joined a monastery posing as her dead brother, and Ouyang, known as the Eunuch General, and their entwined stories about revenge and the fine line it treads with ambition. Every character in this is as messy as they come and the twists and turns in the plot are mimicked in these characters arcs; every character is involved in solid political intrigue but also are battling internal struggles about gender, expectations and what they believe are their pre-ordained fates. Ouyang was by far my favourite and is a masterfully written morally grey character, but just one of many. Every character in this book is chasing greatness and is dragged down by what greatness demands of them. Esen, a Mongolian prince and Ouyang's closest friend, Ma Yingzi, a woman haplessly dragged into rebellion politics and Baoxiang, Esen's brother who has shameful little interest in war, round out the brilliant, compelling cast of characters and with each of them comes complexity and fantastic dialogue. It was a joy to read a book where there's not a single character who is doing things without an ulterior motive; it keeps you guessing and I love all these horrible little people.

There is an epic scope to the plot - it deals with one of the largest Empire's rule, a rebellion and therefore war - but character stakes feel meticulous and intimate so even when plot was rapid and violent, I was deeply concerned with the decisions characters were making as well as their developing relationships. This book is not only very good at shaping grey morality, but the yearning in this book.... I'll be returning to that drunk Esen scene multiple times just to cry I think. In general the emotional dialogue in this book is gut-wrenching. The plot was interesting - if you know me, you know I love political fantasy and so I ate this right up - and the characters back it up so well that by the end I was crying in disbelief even when events came to their natural. inevitable conclusion. I think the pacing at the beginning was a little off in that it's a lot of set up with time jumps, but it's absolutely forgivable because the plot unfolding for the following 75% was brilliant and I sped through it just to be beaten up by a powerful, brutal ending.

Anyway I want book two and Shelley I'll be emailing you my therapy bills.

When her brother is fated for a life of greatness and passes away before realising that fate, she decides to take on his identity, and ultimately, his fate. Zhu Chongba's journey from near starvation to greatness is beautifully written, with unforgettable characters and wonderful descriptions of the scenery.

I really couldn't put this down. I was so enchanted by Zhu's voice, and their journey. The characters really made this story for me. Written in Zhu's voice, we are given an insight into her desires for greatness, and how she comes to terms with acknowledging these desires, and how far she is willing to go to achieve her fate.

Throughout her life, Zhu takes on a great number of different roles, and the transition between these and the way each role is approached is fascinating to see. This is the first part of the Radiant Emperor duology, and I am so excited to see the second part!

Wow, what a story!!

What I liked about this book:
- I loved the detail and depth of every character.
- The world-building and descriptions were phenomenal.
- The plotline was intense and engaging.
- The story held so much history, politics and magic that I found myself learning as I read.

This book is a must-read this year!

Shelley Parker-Chan simply did not hesitate and went all in with this debut. Every page is dripping with mythologies, languages, traditions and beliefs that took me for a ride in a fantasy that is ever so rich in culture. Zhu is a main character that I deeply admire, and everything she went through in her journey are all important in the makings of her arc, and it did not disappoint with its gradual beautiful result. Her crippling struggles with her own identity in a world suffocated by patriarchy was done so well and for sure, successfully reaches out to women and to the queer community out there who suffered the same. I simply love everything that makes her as a fleshed out person: her determination, her will, her ambitions and her development.

On that note, we also follow another main, Ouyang, who owns my heart. He does and I can't do anything about it. His point of view, and perspective in how he views himself is tragic and heartbreaking. His feelings of yearning, loss and grief was transferred to me and it was a glorious experience for a reader.

These two people are complex, flawed, broken, but strong. It has been an absolute delight reading their story.

However, as much as I enjoyed this, I have one mild negative that I need to address. In the first half of the book, there were a lot of telling instead of showing in the author's writing style that ended up as a coalition of dragging fade to black scenes that can be immensely underwhelming, especially with all the expended build up before these supposedly exciting parts that we fail to experience first hand. This forces the reader to be very dependent on the narrator regarding what has happened that we did not see at all, which in this case, wasn't really effective for me. A few scenes were written very literal too for a book that was said to be lyrical, if one was skinned alive, it was simply described as "Character X was skinned alive" and nothing else. It was a hindrance in picturing these events because of the mechanical descriptions, and it can be quite disconcerting because what was currently happening is an important factor or pivotal point of the plotline and therefore, I should feel emotions over it but I find that I didn't as much as I think I should.

BUT THEN, everything went smoothly and beautifully starting in the 70% marker. The pacing increased, the relationships and dynamics evolved into something I never have expected. I felt triumph and pain and fear all at the same time. So despite the drags or the setbacks, this deserve everything including the full 5 stars.

The author has so much more to offer, and I can't wait for the sequel!

4.5 stars. WOW.

"You may have ended this, but you haven't ended me...Nobody will ever end me. I'll be so great that no one will be able to touch me, or come near me, for fear of becoming nothing."

I was so happy when Netgallery approved this ARC and god damn it won me over immediately. This was an amazing way to start my 2021 of! It was beautifully written and filled with complex, interesting characters. If you want something gripping, exciting, heartbreaking and filled with battles, politics and stunning writing add this to your 2021 anticipated reads.

Parker-Chan's writing style is the perfect balance of emotion, description and heartfelt growth. I really couldn't put this book down, it was fantastic.

4.75 stars

She Who Became the Sun is a stunning debut filled with charming characters, a fantastic and visceral historical setting with a fantastical twist and complex nuanced politics. We follow 4 main characters:

Zhu – Zhu is such a delightful character to follow, she strikes the perfect balance of cheeky, driven and resourceful. She is also very interesting study on gender, I believe she is non-binary, the author uses she/her pronouns when narrating but Zhu often refers to herself as he and has several dysphoric experiences regarding her female body. I think this book could mean a lot to people who are gender non-conforming, Zhu slow discovery of her true form is so beautiful to watch. Zhu is also posing as her brother for most of the book after at the start raiders kill her father and brother so she joins a monastery in order to survive but in order to get in she pretends to be her brother, she is also trying to become her brothers fate, as he was said to be a bringer of greatness whereas Zhu was told she would be nothing. Her drive to avoid being nothing is something I think is very reflective of the human experience. I also like the almost trickster elements of her character, there is something about those kind of characters that are always so charming to me. She has so much ambition and drive and I loved exploring the theme of creating your fate, even when the odds are stacked against you. I also really liked the idea of how you have to be an active force for change in your own life, rather than just a passive observer.

Ma – When we first meet Ma she is engaged to General Guo, one of the Red Turban rebellion leaders, although this is clearly an unwanted arrangement. Ma is such a sweet character and her kindness and resilience really shine through, especially in a world not particularly friendly to women. I also love how she subtly defies gender roles imposed on her at the time, this is much more understated than Zhu but done so well. At one point she is described as having fierce compassion, which I think summaries her character perfectly. She is caught up in the tides of war and power, very much against her will but shows beautifully the toll it takes on the people supporting those in power, especially those with soft hearts and the choices and sacrifices she makes for those she loves.

Esen – Esen is the son of the prince of Henan, an important figure in the Yuan empire. At the start of the book he is very optimistic and pure-hearted, but certain events lead to him becoming a bit more jaded. His family has a very complex dynamic, he has an adopted brother who is a scholar who has been looked down on, by their father and Esen for being more of a scholar than a fighter and not conforming to traditional masculine roles. Esen and his brother have a lot of resentment and distrust but you can lso see the love, which I think makes for a complex and nuanced relationship.

Ouyang – I don’t think I’ve ever flipped between liking a character and hating them so much as I did Ouyang. Known as the Eunuch general, he is Esen’s battlefield commander and very renowned. He is a very haunted character, and you can feel his simmering fear and resentment for the situation he is in, as well as his reluctant acceptance of his pre-ordinated fate (or at least what he thinks his fate is). He is also very emotionally repressed, and you can tell he is in love with Esen but he refuses to act on it. He also comes across as slightly misogynistic, he is very woman hating and I think part of that stems from his resentment of being a eunuch, but seriously if a character ever need therapy it’s him lol.

I really liked how at the beginning of the novel we follow Zhu growing up, both with a scene at the beginning which is pretty harrowing but then also Zhu growing up in the monastery. I loved the monastery scenes (I’m a sucker for that setting), Zhu’s friendship with another character called Xu Da was SO PRECIOUS and you can see the elements of Zhu’s personality that will continue to blossom whilst also seeing her be basically an insecure teenager doubting whilst also trying to desperately prove their place in the world.

The setting of the novel is also fantastic and I think a testament to the authors writing. You can really see the historical influences (from my limited research I believe it is set around the time of the fall of the Mongol Yuan dynasty) and it seems incredibly well researched. The atmospheric feels so vivid, you can feel the despair of this worn torn land whilst also having little glimmers of hope. Her writing is also stunning, it’s very beautiful and evocative whilst also being simplistic in the best way, and some of the emotional dialogue is GOD TIER and will rip out your heart. I also loved the inclusion of ghosts in the book, both literally and metaphorical ghosts. I always love ghost elements in books so this was a nice surprise, and some nice foreshadowing for certain events.

The relationships between the characters are so well written and nuanced, and the romantic relationship (between Zhu and Ma) was so well done and so sweet, although I did think it happened quite abruptly but it fit the tone of the book. Also there was a steamy scene I was not expecting but was so here for hehe. The other relationships were very well written as well, especially the family relationship with Esen and Zhu and Xu Da friendship (as previously mentioned).

Another element of the book I loved was the politics. There was a lot going on, and I don’t think this is the best book for fantasy beginners but for an avid fantasy reader like me it was SO JUICY. There is also quite a bit of military strategy which is not something I always love, but I thought there was the perfect amount in this book to keep me engaged but not too overwhelmed. There were betrayals left and right and you really didn’t know who to trust or what people’s true goals and motivations were. Also the subtle political set up of the ending was woven in beautifully throughout the novel, so you really felt the impact when certain shocking events took place. On that note the ending was rough T_T but also made me so excited for the next book!!!

One con I had was at one point in the book, about 25% there was a slight jar in pacing and characters, as we go from following Zhu growing up in the monastery to suddenly being thrust into the middle of a war and a complex political situation with new characters. So at this point I felt a little lost but soon I got back into the story again.

In conclusion this is a fantastic debut, I can’t wait for everyone to read it when it comes out in July and hopefully it will get all the hype it deserves!!