Fantasy

She Who Became the Sun

She Who Became the Sun

  • Downloads：6741
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-31 09:16:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Shelley Parker-Chan
  • ISBN：B08GZXND63
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun， a bold， queer， and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy。

To possess the Mandate of Heaven， the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain， two children are given two fates。 A boy， greatness。 A girl， nothingness…

In 1345， China lies under harsh Mongol rule。 For the starving peasants of the Central Plains， greatness is something found only in stories。 When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son， Zhu Chongba， is given a fate of greatness， everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass。 The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter， on the other hand， is only as expected。

When a bandit attack orphans the two children， though， it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies。 Desperate to escape her own fated death， the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice。 There， propelled by her burning desire to survive， Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes， no matter how callous， to stay hidden from her fate。

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule， Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness。

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Reviews

Kate ，

So far， my fave book that I've read so far in 2021。 Chock full of GREAT characters who do great things， but aren't necessarily good people but are just so fascinating。 So far， my fave book that I've read so far in 2021。 Chock full of GREAT characters who do great things， but aren't necessarily good people but are just so fascinating。 。。。more

nicole ，

DNF at 63%

Martyna ，

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 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。 。。。more

Bethany ，

Worst book I’ve read all year。 Jumpy， no connection to any characters， and way too long。 I shouldn’t have finished it

Carly ，

Mulan meets Game of Thrones in this epic historical reimagination: Zhu Yuanzhang， the founder of the Ming dynasty in 14th century China， is a woman。 While I had trouble sustaining interest sometimes in the middle of the book （I’ve never been much for battlefield scheming）， and while Ouyang’s obsessive brooding got tiring， on the whole there’s a lot to inspire and delight in this novel… as well as to disturb。 I found Zhu’s reckless and consuming ambition fascinating to consider， especially as her Mulan meets Game of Thrones in this epic historical reimagination: Zhu Yuanzhang， the founder of the Ming dynasty in 14th century China， is a woman。 While I had trouble sustaining interest sometimes in the middle of the book （I’ve never been much for battlefield scheming）， and while Ouyang’s obsessive brooding got tiring， on the whole there’s a lot to inspire and delight in this novel… as well as to disturb。 I found Zhu’s reckless and consuming ambition fascinating to consider， especially as her rise is linked to her self-acceptance。 。。。more

dem437 ，

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 Parke 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！*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this title。 。。。more

Jordan LaMagna-Meneghetti ，

（My rating of this story is probably about a 3。5。 It may go up as I sit with it a little longer。）In this retelling of the rise of the Ming dynasty in China， we follow a young girl。 During an awful famine， her entire family dies except her and her brother。 Her brother， who has been destined for greatness， dies of grief。 She decides to take his name and join a monastery。 There， she determines that she will also take his fate， and become great。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Reading the begi （My rating of this story is probably about a 3。5。 It may go up as I sit with it a little longer。）In this retelling of the rise of the Ming dynasty in China， we follow a young girl。 During an awful famine， her entire family dies except her and her brother。 Her brother， who has been destined for greatness， dies of grief。 She decides to take his name and join a monastery。 There， she determines that she will also take his fate， and become great。I have mixed feelings about this book。 Reading the beginning as Zhu comes of age， I really liked her character。 She is just trying to survive in a world that doesn't want her to。 However， later in the story， she becomes incredibly unlikable to me。 While I completely understood the motivations behind what she did， I couldn't get behind her actions。 Her character is definitely morally grey。 Normally I like that， but this felt like she was just on the verge of being a bad guy。 I liked the character of General Ouyang more。 I felt like his motivations were more understandable， even though he was doing equally bad things。 I also came into this book thinking it was going to be a fantasy。 While Zhu can see ghosts and there is a visible component to the Mandate from Heaven， there really isn't anything else fantastical about the story。 I felt like this was more of a historical fiction book。 This book was described as a mix of "The Song of Achilles" mixed with "Mulan，" but to me， I found more similarities with a book like "The Poppy War。" The main characters are both ambitious young women who will do anything to get power。 That's one of the reasons I didn't love TPW as much as other people， and maybe that's why I didn't absolutely love this book。 Maybe that kind of story just isn't for me， which is totally ok！ I definitely don't think this book is bad because of it。 It just affected my enjoyment。 There are 2 gay relationships in the story。 I think Ouyang's relationship was so complex and heartbreaking。 I could feel his heartbreak throughout the story。 Zhu's relationship felt a little rushed to me。 I also felt like Ma was way too forgiving of Zhu， which frustrated me a few times。 There is also a lot of exploration about gender fluidity in both Zhu and Ouyang。 I thought this was executed very well， and gave a lot of depth to these 2 characters。 I do ultimately think this was a good story。 It was tense， emotional， and captivating。 I would recommend this book to people that are into a morally grey main character and Chinese history。 I am going to read the next book。 I hope there are more fantasy elements， as well as a lot of Ouyang。 TW: dysphoria， pre-existing non-consensual castration， misgendering， internalized homophobia， life-altering injury （amputation）， ableist language， non-graphic depictions of death by torture， major character death， offscreen murder of a child， scenes depicting extreme hunger/starvation， graphic depiction of a person burning to death 。。。more

Charlotte ，

“desire is the cause of all suffering。 the greater the desire， the greater the suffering， and now she desired greatness itself。 with all her will， she directed the thought to heaven and the watching statues: whatever suffering it takes， i can bear it。” she who became the sun is a phenomenal debut that's filled with compelling characters， fantastic world-building and beautiful writing。 this powerful historical epic masterfully reimagines the rise to power of zhu yuanzhang， the founding empero “desire is the cause of all suffering。 the greater the desire， the greater the suffering， and now she desired greatness itself。 with all her will， she directed the thought to heaven and the watching statues: whatever suffering it takes， i can bear it。” she who became the sun is a phenomenal debut that's filled with compelling characters， fantastic world-building and beautiful writing。 this powerful historical epic masterfully reimagines the rise to power of zhu yuanzhang， the founding emperor of the ming dynasty in a way that’s enthralling， immersive and addictive。 it had everything that i normally look for within a book （strong characters， immaculate prose and excellent world-building） and i absolutely loved it。 like zhu this book is destined for greatness and i cannot wait to read the next book！ 。。。more

Silvana ，

Woohoo， finished！ RTCThis is a BOTM for the World Beyond the Margins group in August。 https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。Come and join us， participate in the author Q&A too :）https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。 Woohoo， finished！ RTCThis is a BOTM for the World Beyond the Margins group in August。 https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。Come and join us， participate in the author Q&A too :）https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。 。。。more

rey ，

this book destroyed me & i loved every second of it

Antonio Bakhos ，

4。5 Stars。 An extraordinary universe， exquisitely well written。 It is very fast paced and the events are so intriguing。 I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the main character's rise into power driven by an unwanted fate。 Very relatable。 A Must Read！ 4。5 Stars。 An extraordinary universe， exquisitely well written。 It is very fast paced and the events are so intriguing。 I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the main character's rise into power driven by an unwanted fate。 Very relatable。 A Must Read！ 。。。more

nor ，

*4。5 the gays in this🥰

elif ，

So much to say about it， but the most important one is how this is actually perfect。 The prose， the characters， the plot。 The themes of masculinity and feminity and gender identity and all the ways we are like and unlike others。 I thought the fantasy elements were tastefully included too。 I cannot wait for the second， but this is such a tall bar to clear already。 Man。。。 read it and read it now。

Thesincouch ，

July 2021， 31pp: The first 30 pages are quite dry and I'm sure it gets better but it feels like it's going to take a while and I don't want to go through it。 July 2021， 31pp: The first 30 pages are quite dry and I'm sure it gets better but it feels like it's going to take a while and I don't want to go through it。 。。。more

Sarah Mattimiro ，

This was。。。 Decent。 Zhu is an interesting character and I wish we had spent the whole book in her head。 But after about 1/4 of the way through it starts bouncing between POVs and you never really stay long enough to really become attached to anybody。 Likewise， once we're no longer following Zhu the plot plateaued for me and there weren't that many big events that happened。 Also， China in the 14th century really hated women。 That being said， with the way it ended I still will probably read the se This was。。。 Decent。 Zhu is an interesting character and I wish we had spent the whole book in her head。 But after about 1/4 of the way through it starts bouncing between POVs and you never really stay long enough to really become attached to anybody。 Likewise， once we're no longer following Zhu the plot plateaued for me and there weren't that many big events that happened。 Also， China in the 14th century really hated women。 That being said， with the way it ended I still will probably read the second book。 。。。more

Eda ，

Listen。 It's a good book。 I understand why other people may love it。 Lots of interesting characters。 Very plot driven。 Lots of description。On the other hand， this book contained a number of things I Hate （vague descriptions ahead）:（view spoiler）[1。 lots of violence。 not very descriptive， but just。 lots of violence。 certain executions were specifically hard to read。2。 the whole "underdog becomes villain" thing。 i can deal with this to some extent。 but watching people become。。。like。。。evil。。。isn't Listen。 It's a good book。 I understand why other people may love it。 Lots of interesting characters。 Very plot driven。 Lots of description。On the other hand， this book contained a number of things I Hate （vague descriptions ahead）:（view spoiler）[1。 lots of violence。 not very descriptive， but just。 lots of violence。 certain executions were specifically hard to read。2。 the whole "underdog becomes villain" thing。 i can deal with this to some extent。 but watching people become。。。like。。。evil。。。isn't a good time。 3。 i know this is historical and so theoretically everyone sucks by modern standards。 but i'll just say it--half of the characters are unbearably horrible。 the other half suck but look great in comparison。（hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Julia Pika ，

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Sadly， I had to DNF this one at 20%。 I think this one has to be read in the right mood to really appreciate it。 Though， I will say， it got super slow after leaving Zhu's point of view and I honestly just wanted to read the book from Zhu's POV instead of the other characters because we saw Zhu grow up over the years。 It felt a bit jarring to be thrown to new character POVs when we got used to Zhu。 I'll Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Sadly， I had to DNF this one at 20%。 I think this one has to be read in the right mood to really appreciate it。 Though， I will say， it got super slow after leaving Zhu's point of view and I honestly just wanted to read the book from Zhu's POV instead of the other characters because we saw Zhu grow up over the years。 It felt a bit jarring to be thrown to new character POVs when we got used to Zhu。 I'll definitely try reading it again some other time， it does have beautifully eloquent writing， I'm just not in the mood for it right now。 。。。more

Genna ，

4。5/5 She Who Became the Sun （SWBTS） was one that slowly grew on me。 By the time I read half the book I was hook， lined and sinkered。 The lives of Zhu and Ouyang are both parallel in ways; both robbed of their own personal identities and fates， both who have to take their lives in their own hands and both are queer， despite only truly loving themselves。 I came into this book with little expectations， but ended up finding myself struggling to find feelings for how I feel about the ending。 Is it p 4。5/5 She Who Became the Sun （SWBTS） was one that slowly grew on me。 By the time I read half the book I was hook， lined and sinkered。 The lives of Zhu and Ouyang are both parallel in ways; both robbed of their own personal identities and fates， both who have to take their lives in their own hands and both are queer， despite only truly loving themselves。 I came into this book with little expectations， but ended up finding myself struggling to find feelings for how I feel about the ending。 Is it pride？ Is it hate？ Is it disappointment in Zhu？ I'm not sure， but it was fantastic overall。– Spoilers ahead –The book was beautifully written– Parker-Chan captures Zhu's emptiness and eventual growing desire to live。 I have no favourite characters in this book， but Zhu's development was the most enjoyable for me。 The fortune teller in the beginning was right– there was no fate for the little girl in the village struck by famine– because Zhu is not a girl。 The fortune teller was right in that Zhu Chongba would achieve greatness because the girl turned Zhu Chongba did that， rose up to make a name for their-self。 The Prince of Radiance was right in that Zhu Chongba would not become a ruler， because Zhu was more than Zhu Chongba， an identity stolen。 Zhu re-claimed their own life as Yuanzhang， former monk， commander and now Emperor。But what’s unusual about you is that most strong-willed people never understand that will alone isn’t enough to guarantee their survival。 They don’t realize that even more so than will， survival depends upon an understanding of people and power。 My favourite part of this book was the slow developing relationship between Zhu and Ma。 Parker-Chan wrote their relationship eloquently， and the intimacy that developed between the two was beautiful。 From Zhu becoming vulnerable around Ma to Ma becoming fiercely independent yet loving and merciful。 Their relationship well demonstrates the trials of *'true love'。*On the other end， the other featured romance was a tragic tale。 Ouyang and Esen， trusted partners of war， turned into a tragic， almost one-sided tale of love and hate。 Esen， who believed in Ouyang and wanted the best of him， was so naive to expose his weaknesses and strengths to him。 Esen put Ouyang on top of his own family， his wives and daughters， his brother and father， the one he cherishes most in this world。 Ouyang loved and cared for Esen in return， only to finally take revenge on the Royal family in the end。 He killed Esen's father and used Lord Wang as a scapegoat， he poisoned and murdered the inside armies and troops – and eventually murdered Esen， completing his filial duty。 I had a hard time enjoying Ouyang's character， a man who hated women， who's misogyny is well tied in with his homosexuality。 Who hates being compared to women due to his identity as a Eunuch， yet does not want to claim the role of being a man。 He and Zhu break the formalities of gender identity in that era quite well。I look forward to reading the next books， when the two will eventually meet again。 。。。more

Claire ，

An amazing book; definitely in my top 5 reads for 2021 so far and will take a lot of beating。 I love the contrast between the two points of view， female and male， peasant and noble， both outsiders in their own way。 Zhu， coming from nothing （almost literally because when we start she is the only girl left in the village， either deliberately starved to death or possibly traded as 'long pork'） seizes her fate and embraces it becoming first a monk， then a military leader。 Ouyang， a noble whose famil An amazing book; definitely in my top 5 reads for 2021 so far and will take a lot of beating。 I love the contrast between the two points of view， female and male， peasant and noble， both outsiders in their own way。 Zhu， coming from nothing （almost literally because when we start she is the only girl left in the village， either deliberately starved to death or possibly traded as 'long pork'） seizes her fate and embraces it becoming first a monk， then a military leader。 Ouyang， a noble whose family were destroyed totally and who was turned into a eunuch， sees his fate as inevitable even though he is torn between wanting and not wanting it。 Zhu is insightful and flexible and uses that to her advantage， living as a man to transcend her cultural gender norms。 Ouyong is much more bound by those norms seeing only value in the masculine， military world he inhabits despite being a eunuch， and is unable to appreciate those who do not partake in that world。 。。。more

Mary ，

I liked it ish but I didn't love it？So I rated a 3 because i definitely didn't think it was a 5 or 4 star but I didn't think it was a 2 star either。 In the begging the write captivated me with the articulate manner of her writing and enveloped me in the story of this young and starving girl but as the story progressed I didn't like what the story turned out to be。 I dont want to give any spoilers but just incase this it does slip a bit dont read further**Potential spoiler alert**So the summary d I liked it ish but I didn't love it？So I rated a 3 because i definitely didn't think it was a 5 or 4 star but I didn't think it was a 2 star either。 In the begging the write captivated me with the articulate manner of her writing and enveloped me in the story of this young and starving girl but as the story progressed I didn't like what the story turned out to be。 I dont want to give any spoilers but just incase this it does slip a bit dont read further**Potential spoiler alert**So the summary describes the book as Mulan meet The Heel of Achiles （never read this book） I thought Mulan， hero， female warrior， trials and hardship but ultimately over coming。 What it slowly morphs into is a girl who will do anything， allow her loved ones to suffer even if it gets her what she wants （she wants what she wants and doesnt care if that hurts those she loves or love her。 It's so selfish and dark。 Such a let down。 I think she is a villain and not even the redeeming type of one！ Also the geberal turned in to a dark M/M with out the sexing scenes but innuendosand hints of it。 Also he destroys his own last shred of goodness in his life。 I don't want to continue with the story。 It didn't leave me feeling good but instead depressed and anxious。 Yuck！ The writing is very good and plot is very well developed along with the characters but definitely not the good time story I thought it was going to be。 The action scenes and battles and martial arts I was hoping didn't happen and instead it was dark and twisted and left me feeling off。 。。。more

Sen ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The world was drenched in red， so intense that it seemed more akin to darkness than light。 Shouldn't radiance be brighter？ For all that red was the color of fortune， of prosperity - she couldn't shake the image of their new era awash in blood。 ★★★★½Ahhh so amazinggg this was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it totally delivered。 I'm still reeling from all the shit that went down in the last third and lemme say that it was all just GLORIOUS。 While I can see the similarities wit The world was drenched in red， so intense that it seemed more akin to darkness than light。 Shouldn't radiance be brighter？ For all that red was the color of fortune， of prosperity - she couldn't shake the image of their new era awash in blood。 ★★★★½Ahhh so amazinggg this was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it totally delivered。 I'm still reeling from all the shit that went down in the last third and lemme say that it was all just GLORIOUS。 While I can see the similarities with Mulan and The Song of Achilles， She Who Became the Sun absolutely carves out a path to greatness of its own。 The prominent players in this bloody game of empires and the mandates of heaven， while kinda being generally horrible people have traits， personal histories， and emotional struggles that make them if not likable then at the very least extremely compelling characters。 The two protagonists， the peasant girl Zhu Chongba and the eunuch general Ouyang， are two sides of the same coin and it was brilliant seeing all the ways their stories mirrored each other's and the depths they were willing to fall in pursuit of their goals。 Seriously， I found Zhu Chongba to be a little terrifying， someone who's literally joking and smiling with Ma Xiuying in one moment and then killing a child in the next。 The language and narrative structure of She Who Became the Sun are also both beautifully crafted and I would even go so far as to say it reminded me of reading one of the chinese epics I grew up with like Three Kingdoms and Water Margin oh but make it queer and mix in some thoughtful explorations of gender identity， the price of ambition， and the struggles of people who are "outsiders" in their society and their families。 👏👏👏 INCREDIBLE 👏👏👏The only reason this book is not a full on five stars is just because of a personal nitpick。 That decoy battle at The Grand Canal and the duel between Zhu and Ouyang were stunning and my favorite sequences in the book。 They also， however， left me wishing that we got more out of the other battles/action scenes because Shelley Parker-Chan absolutely knows how to write them。 Once again， just a completely personal complaint。 The author did mention that this is not about the battles or military strategizing anyway but rather is a story that is very much centered on its characters。 In summary， I need the next book NOW！！ 。。。more

Ashani Shanae ，

TLdr : THE BEST SAPPHIC FANTASY OUT RIGHT NOWmore reviews at ash&herbooks on instagramI’m not done。 This was AMAZING。 This was superbly written。 I truly felt transported to another world。 We follow Zhu ， a girl who has rejected poverty and the meagre fate parcelled out to women and carved out something new 。 First she cons her way into a monastery then into a position of power。 She’s wicked crafty and will stop at absolutely nothing to finesse fate。We also meet Ouyang， the eunuch general who is TLdr : THE BEST SAPPHIC FANTASY OUT RIGHT NOWmore reviews at ash&herbooks on instagramI’m not done。 This was AMAZING。 This was superbly written。 I truly felt transported to another world。 We follow Zhu ， a girl who has rejected poverty and the meagre fate parcelled out to women and carved out something new 。 First she cons her way into a monastery then into a position of power。 She’s wicked crafty and will stop at absolutely nothing to finesse fate。We also meet Ouyang， the eunuch general who is reviled by the yuan dynasty （inspired by the 14th century Mongolian dynasty） that see him as less than a creature。 Oooo what a messed up man but he is also my sweet little baby。 He and Zhu keep meeting each other on the battlefield and it’s glorious everytimeIf you want meticulously researched world building，Wholly developed nuanced and captivating characters ， a beautiful queer relationship， strategically crafted battles and an amazing journey then I highly highly encourage you to pick up this one ！ 。。。more

Kahvi Procsal ，

IM NOT GONNA LIE THIS IS 100% my fave book of the year

Jeannine ，

In 1345 central China， a peasant girl sees only a future of harsh nothingness until her brother dies， and in desperation and desire takes on his identity to enter a monastery and attempt to claim her brother's foretold fate of greatness。 The strength and character she finds along the way brings her friendships and followers and emotions she didn't know she had， as well as very great adventures。This is absolutely just as much about Ouyang， Chinese eunuch general for the Mongol Yuan dynasty。 Just In 1345 central China， a peasant girl sees only a future of harsh nothingness until her brother dies， and in desperation and desire takes on his identity to enter a monastery and attempt to claim her brother's foretold fate of greatness。 The strength and character she finds along the way brings her friendships and followers and emotions she didn't know she had， as well as very great adventures。This is absolutely just as much about Ouyang， Chinese eunuch general for the Mongol Yuan dynasty。 Just as many pages are devoted to his character transformation from powerful， victorious general to 。。。 well， that would be telling， but it is complicated and as intense as Zhu's transformation。All in all， outstanding， complex characters and character development， very believable and sympathetic。 Great adventure and action， though a few slow areas， but nothing to get bogged down in。 It started out a little bit like Across the Nightingale Floor， but then reverted to straight historical， and very little fantasy elements （thought there are some）。 The big moments are suitably BIG。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Andrea ，

Well。。。that was not what I expected。 Maybe publishers should stop marketing books like a mix of x and x because then the readers expect certain thing and it ruins the fun of reading it when it turns out completely different。 I guess that happened with me， since I'm in minority of readers who didn't like this book that much。 The premise sounded great but I feel like it just wasn't explored enough in the story。 The story moved slow and the characters lacked depth even tho they dealt with complicat Well。。。that was not what I expected。 Maybe publishers should stop marketing books like a mix of x and x because then the readers expect certain thing and it ruins the fun of reading it when it turns out completely different。 I guess that happened with me， since I'm in minority of readers who didn't like this book that much。 The premise sounded great but I feel like it just wasn't explored enough in the story。 The story moved slow and the characters lacked depth even tho they dealt with complicated emotions about their bodies and how they view themselves。 The main character was also a little bit obsessed with achieving fame and glory to the point where her wife felt like she had to make all the compromises in their marriage。 All in all， the setting， history and the beginning of the book were the good parts， while the rest felt flat and I just couldn't connect with the story nor its characters。 I feel bad， because I want to support the author and the themes that this book dealt with but my feelings were just different from the rest of the reviewers。 I do think you should give it a chance and maybe I will see the story in a different light。 。。。more

Daniel Werner ，

This book came with strong recommendations。 I was not let down。 Many interesting twists and turns where the central characters had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles。 A strong fantasy element without it stealing the show， but rather reinforcing the many rich layers of meaning。 Solid character building that the reader could understand even when a character acts in horrible ways。 Honor and love juxtaposed with revenge and violence。 Fate and desire contrasted with agency and the ability This book came with strong recommendations。 I was not let down。 Many interesting twists and turns where the central characters had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles。 A strong fantasy element without it stealing the show， but rather reinforcing the many rich layers of meaning。 Solid character building that the reader could understand even when a character acts in horrible ways。 Honor and love juxtaposed with revenge and violence。 Fate and desire contrasted with agency and the ability to choose happiness。 Can't wait for the 2nd and final installment of this series。 。。。more

Peb ，

Oh God it truly is about the gender。 This book！！ The gender feelings ！！ The emotions！！ The betrayal and the suspense！ I need to go lie down。 Ouyang is 10/10 yes thank you

Xya ，

loved all the gender thoughts however i had very high expectations for this book and they weren’t met。 it felt like there was a build-up towards something at the end of the book that never happened

Gwen Greco ，

Actual rating 3。5 stars。 I am truly disheartened by how I just didn’t really attach to this book。 Seeing it compared to Mulan and TSOA was extremely exciting for me， so my hopes were incredibly high。 So let me start with this: Shelley Parker-Chan’s writing style is very very good， and they are obviously an amazing writer。 I absolutely loved the first part of the book— it left me speechless at times and eager to read on。 I also love the queerness of the book and themes of gender。However…The middl Actual rating 3。5 stars。 I am truly disheartened by how I just didn’t really attach to this book。 Seeing it compared to Mulan and TSOA was extremely exciting for me， so my hopes were incredibly high。 So let me start with this: Shelley Parker-Chan’s writing style is very very good， and they are obviously an amazing writer。 I absolutely loved the first part of the book— it left me speechless at times and eager to read on。 I also love the queerness of the book and themes of gender。However…The middle part was just not my cup of tea。 I’m not really sure what it was。 I think it dragged on a bit too long。 I found myself skipping chapters here and there to get through the middle faster。The shift in POV during the rest of the book was definitely jarring and confusing， and I unfortunately found myself skimming though the parts that didn’t belong to Zhu/had Zhu in them。 I also didn’t realize how war-heavy this book was going to be， which is my own fault for not doing more research on the book。 I know I will totally be in the minority of reviews for this book， because it’s obviously well-written and captivating for the right audience。 Maybe I’ll return to it in the future when I can appreciate detailed war novels。 。。。more

A N N A ，

More 3。5 - this was much longer than I felt it needed to be。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=She Who Became the Sun

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=She Who Became the Sun&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,She Who Became the Sun&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0