She Who Became the Sun
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- Create Date：2021-05-24 10:51:03
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Shelley Parker-Chan
- ISBN：1250621801
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Summary
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 uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness。
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished， poetic debut of war and destiny， sweeping across an epic alternate China。
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 uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness。
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished， poetic debut of war and destiny， sweeping across an epic alternate China。
Reviews
Calliope
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Synopsis: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 t Synopsis: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。Review:Spoilers ahead！（Thank you so much Tor books for providing me with a physical ARC of this gorgeous book！！）I can say， without an inkling of doubt that 'She Who Became the Sun' is not only （easily） the best book I've read this year， but one of the best books I've read， ever。Just because of the online hype it was getting， I was moderatly worried going into reading this one， thinking my expectations were maybe set too high。 But。 This book does not disappoint in any way。 At all。The characters were fantastic。 Zhu was at once a compelling， relatable and fierce main character that I loved so much。 Her struggle with both facing her fate and grappling with deamons of the past was instantly entralling and universally beautiful。 Ma， Zhu's wife was also a fantastic character。 Her empathy perfectly balanced Zhu's ambition。 General Ouyang the eunuch was a intriguing side character， to say the least。 I could go on and on about these characters！I loved how 'She Who Became the Sun' was narrated not only by Zhu， our most centeral character， but also switched to points in time told by such interesting characters as Ouyang， Ma， and Lord Esen。 The pacing within these chapters and points-of -views was perfect。 Battle scences were long enough to feel to weariness of characters， yet not so long as to inflict boredom on the reader。The worldbuilding was flawless！！ I was wholly consumed by the bloody and beautiful world of ancient China， and even though I expected to be confused by all the names and places， I really wasn't。 I'm fascinated by how this book manages to be such an epic， sprawling masterpiece， and still accesible to me， a distractible teenager。The prose was lush and gorgeous， easy to slip into and not put down until hours later。 I honestly cannot seem to find a single fault in this book。All in all， this book is just flawless。 If you haven't begged for an ARC yet or preordered， what are you even doing？ Take this as you sign from the prince of radiance （*smirk smirk， wink wink*） to read this now！！Anticipation: 5: THIS PREMISE IS EVERYTHINGEnjoyment: wow。 just wow。--> 5 stars。 。。。more
Kristen
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Review to come after I can string some thoughts together， but this is PHENOMENAL。 It's devastating in the very best of ways， and it's one of two 2021 releases I absolutely LOVED （along with The Jasmine Throne）。 Review to come after I can string some thoughts together， but this is PHENOMENAL。 It's devastating in the very best of ways， and it's one of two 2021 releases I absolutely LOVED （along with The Jasmine Throne）。 。。。more
Janet
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What a wonderfully powerful and beautifully written book！ This is the story of a peasant girl who defies hardship to rise to greatness。 The girl is overlooked and remains anonymous until she assumes her brother's identity on his death。 He had been predicted a life of greatness which she now pursues。 Paralleling the girl's story is that of the eunuch， Ouyang， a general in the Yuan army。 As the story alternates between their points of view， we are given an insight into the complex emotions of thes What a wonderfully powerful and beautifully written book！ This is the story of a peasant girl who defies hardship to rise to greatness。 The girl is overlooked and remains anonymous until she assumes her brother's identity on his death。 He had been predicted a life of greatness which she now pursues。 Paralleling the girl's story is that of the eunuch， Ouyang， a general in the Yuan army。 As the story alternates between their points of view， we are given an insight into the complex emotions of these two characters。 Neither of them are likeable characters， they are both intense and determined。 It is their pursuit of their fates that dominates them and in that they are ruthless， aggressive and cruel。 There are numerous distasteful actions that bring home the single-minded drive and ambition for power underlying the story。 Set in the closing years of the Yuan Dynasty， the battling of the various factions is vividly brought to life。 This book is about believing in your fate but also about becoming the person you are meant to be。 I love the clever subversion of history by making one of the leading characters female and the other someone who has been castrated。 This is a well-paced story with some surprising twists to add to the suspense。 I am so looking forward to reading the follow up book。I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review。 。。。more
Emma Burgess
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☀️🤺𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔。 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏。 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆。 - She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan 🤺☀️Rebel。 Warrior。 Hero。This is a beautiful story of a young woman who's desparete to make her mark in life。 She refuses to become nothingness！Due to circumstances out of her control she decides to take on the life which was meant for her brother who was foretold to be destined for greatness。 By doing so she has to keep her identity as a woman a secret。 Which is a remarkable task bearing in mind she fir ☀️🤺𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔。 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏。 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆。 - She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan 🤺☀️Rebel。 Warrior。 Hero。This is a beautiful story of a young woman who's desparete to make her mark in life。 She refuses to become nothingness！Due to circumstances out of her control she decides to take on the life which was meant for her brother who was foretold to be destined for greatness。 By doing so she has to keep her identity as a woman a secret。 Which is a remarkable task bearing in mind she first stops off at a Buddhist monastery and becomes a monk。10 years later， her life takes another change in direction and finds herself being part of the Red Turban rebel army。This to me felt like a brilliant; adult， ruthless， gritty， morally gray retelling of Mulan。 You are routing for Zhu from the very beginning and can't help but cheer her on watching her as she succeeds in achieving greatness。 Even if some of actions are somewhat questionable！This has probably been my easiest 5 star rating ever given to a book， so you could only imagine my surprise when I discover it's book 1 of a series 。。。more
Whitney
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His black brushstroke eyes bored into her with the promise of murder。 "You。。。 started something I have no choice but to finish。 Regardless of my own desires， you took the liberty of setting me on my path towards my fate。" His delicate face burned with hate and blame。 "So let me return the courtesy， and deliver you to yours。" He drew his sword。 What a novel。 Zhu Chongba disguises herself as a man （specifically， a monk） in order to stave off death by starvation during a drought。 Along the way， she His black brushstroke eyes bored into her with the promise of murder。 "You。。。 started something I have no choice but to finish。 Regardless of my own desires， you took the liberty of setting me on my path towards my fate。" His delicate face burned with hate and blame。 "So let me return the courtesy， and deliver you to yours。" He drew his sword。 What a novel。 Zhu Chongba disguises herself as a man （specifically， a monk） in order to stave off death by starvation during a drought。 Along the way， she gets involved with fighting the invading Mongols， using her cleverness rather than military brawn to gain power。 "She Who Became the Sun" is being compared to Mulan and Song of Achilles on the back cover， and I beg you， don't listen to either comparison。 Neither are right for this bleeding， aching， heavy tome of desire and survival and sacrifice。 Sure， there's a woman disguising herself as a man to fight （Mulan）， and there's a ton of queer longing （Song of Achilles）， but that's where the similarities end: She Who Became the Sun is a grim tale about identity， gender， public versus private perception， and most of all ambition: who are you when you force destiny to take notice of you？ What horrors will you commit to keep destiny's attention？ It's one of those books where you finish it and realize that there were never good guys to root for or bad guys to root against。 Indeed， I loved all the characters - from the titular Zhu Chongba who disguises herself in a man's profession so that she can weigh out the consequences of her ambition， to her main rival， Ouyang， a eunuch fighting for the Mongols。 Their clashes are electric。 Zhu's cunning and boldness are are riveting as they are damning; she is a clever fox with an equally clever antagonist。 And oh， how they ache in tandem: neither Zhu nor Ouyang have clean hands， but their fury is potent， understandable， and when the book concludes， I can honestly admit I have no idea which of them I will be rooting for in the sequel。 The main body of the book is a military fantasy。 It's grim。 It's unflinching。 And it left me starving for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Bethany Dickey
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I absolutely adored everything about this。Thank you very much to Tor books for an ARC！ Ok it's several hours later and I have at least one coherent thought now！！I echo a lot of other reviews when I say the Mulan/song of Achilles comparison is simultaneously accurate and also very inaccurate。 There are elements of both stories， but also a lot of darkness and morally grey characters。I loved the introspective nature of the narrative， it reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld at points with the incisive w I absolutely adored everything about this。Thank you very much to Tor books for an ARC！ Ok it's several hours later and I have at least one coherent thought now！！I echo a lot of other reviews when I say the Mulan/song of Achilles comparison is simultaneously accurate and also very inaccurate。 There are elements of both stories， but also a lot of darkness and morally grey characters。I loved the introspective nature of the narrative， it reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld at points with the incisive way it drew thoughts out of my own head that I thought were unique。 I will be thinking about this book for a long time！ 。。。more
J Wells
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I was super excited for this book， and while it was good， I don’t feel it lived up the expectation。 I liked the gender flip it made for an imaginative read， however I found myself looking for biographies on the real founder of the Ming dynasty to supplement the story。 It took a while to get all the characters straight and this book had a lot of gaps。 I don’t know if the author planned a sequel but I think this book could have been two。
Pauline
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I really enjoyed the first part of this book about a girl in 1345 in China who pretends to be her dead brother so she can join a monastery to become a monk or she would have starved to death。In the second part of the book I began to lose interest in the story when it became about war and politics。Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review。
Jen
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This was a very interesting story about a starving girl who pretends to be a boy and joins a monastery。 I won't say much more than that as it will spoil it for you。 I really enjoyed this and found it to much more action and adventure than I was at first expecting。Thank you to Netgalley uk and Pan Macmillan for a digital copy of this book。 This was a very interesting story about a starving girl who pretends to be a boy and joins a monastery。 I won't say much more than that as it will spoil it for you。 I really enjoyed this and found it to much more action and adventure than I was at first expecting。Thank you to Netgalley uk and Pan Macmillan for a digital copy of this book。 。。。more
Nicola Bennett
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Is this a story of destiny or just survival？ The girl who exists at the beginning of the story has no destiny， no name and very little chance of surviving。 In a time of dire famine， only three people still exist in her family， herself， her father and her brother Zhu Chongba who is destined for greatness。 Zhu who was dedicated to become a monk when he was twelve， and for whom a fortune teller sees a wonderful future。 And when the girl is the only one left after a bandit raid， she takes her brothe Is this a story of destiny or just survival？ The girl who exists at the beginning of the story has no destiny， no name and very little chance of surviving。 In a time of dire famine， only three people still exist in her family， herself， her father and her brother Zhu Chongba who is destined for greatness。 Zhu who was dedicated to become a monk when he was twelve， and for whom a fortune teller sees a wonderful future。 And when the girl is the only one left after a bandit raid， she takes her brother′s name and future。 Travelling to the monastery， she gains a place， and manages to hide her gender for many years。 Inside the monastery there is food and friendship and peace， while outside a rebellion starts against the Yuan dynasty。 And that rebellion starts her on a journey to greatness。This was an gripping read， and as a reader I found myself wanting to know how Zhu would overcome the difficulties of her life。 Descriptions are concise but excellent， so I could imagine a peasant′s hut， a monastery and a battlefield by the way she sketched them out。 It′s interesting to see how Zhu′s character changes， and what she′s prepared to do to keep her secret。 It starts off with small transgressions， but as she wants more， the costs become higher。 The contrast with Ma， another kinder female character， later in the book highlights that as she achieves more success and fame， she loses more of her humanity。 I found that I went from wishing her success to feeling sadness at the actions she was taking。 There is also a story of the eunuch Ouyang， a general in the Yuan forces， whose story interweaves with Zhu′s， and which also shows that achieving what you are striving for may not being you any happiness。I did a little bit of research to find out the history inspiring the story， and I′m not sure if I want there to be a sequel。 I really enjoyed the book and it would be good to read more by this author， but there′s a lot of sadness， treachery and slaughter to come in the life of Zhu Chongba。I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley 。。。more
Alli
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I absolutely loved this。 It's not a happy story， and things get pretty dark， but it worked。 I loved that the protagonists didn't always win or succeed。 I'm definitely interested to see where this series goes。 I absolutely loved this。 It's not a happy story， and things get pretty dark， but it worked。 I loved that the protagonists didn't always win or succeed。 I'm definitely interested to see where this series goes。 。。。more
Greta
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It hurts me to not finish books， but I had to DNF this one around 60% of the way through the ebook。 Let me just say - the beginning 1/3 of the book was great！ I loved the set up， I loved the main characters。 It truly is similar to Mulan and has discussions of identity。 The writing in this book is absolutely incredible！The issue that I had from the 1/3 mark onwards is that the focus shifted off of Zhu。 After reading about her for so many pages， it was hard for me to grasp the change and let her g It hurts me to not finish books， but I had to DNF this one around 60% of the way through the ebook。 Let me just say - the beginning 1/3 of the book was great！ I loved the set up， I loved the main characters。 It truly is similar to Mulan and has discussions of identity。 The writing in this book is absolutely incredible！The issue that I had from the 1/3 mark onwards is that the focus shifted off of Zhu。 After reading about her for so many pages， it was hard for me to grasp the change and let her go。 Her story was the only thing holding my attention， and it suddenly became very underwhelming。 It also was extremely confusing。 There are a plethora of new characters being introduced with no explanation or importance to the plot。 What’s going on in the 1300s time period isn’t explained very well to understand the story。 The plot points that should have been significant to the story were brushed over。 I kept thinking， “wait， it’s over？” That being said， I think if you’re a history person and you like character-driven books， you might wanna give this a try？ It’s just not for me。 I was really struggling to understand who everyone was and what the plot was。 At 60% of a book， I shouldn’t be as confused and disconnected as I still was。 。。。more
michelle （magical reads）
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4。25 starsrep: Chinese and Mongolian cast， nonbinary sapphic protagonist， gay protagonist， lesbian main character， bisexual main charactercw: violence， war themes， mentions of torturekinda slow-moving but that last 10% though！！ I can't wait to read book 2 nowrtc 4。25 starsrep: Chinese and Mongolian cast， nonbinary sapphic protagonist， gay protagonist， lesbian main character， bisexual main charactercw: violence， war themes， mentions of torturekinda slow-moving but that last 10% though！！ I can't wait to read book 2 nowrtc 。。。more
KitKat The #BookNerd KBbookreviews
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“I Refuse To Be Nothing”⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 5 out of 5。Synopsis: A drought and famine threatens the diminishing village， home to a brother and sister。 When Zhu Chongba’s birthday occurs， his father takes him to have his fortune read。 The brother is destined for greatness， his name bearing luck， the sister is destined to be nothing。 But the fate of nothing is unacceptable， and when bandits orphan her and her brother， and her brother chooses his own fate， she will do anything to avoid the nothing that fo “I Refuse To Be Nothing”⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 5 out of 5。Synopsis: A drought and famine threatens the diminishing village， home to a brother and sister。 When Zhu Chongba’s birthday occurs， his father takes him to have his fortune read。 The brother is destined for greatness， his name bearing luck， the sister is destined to be nothing。 But the fate of nothing is unacceptable， and when bandits orphan her and her brother， and her brother chooses his own fate， she will do anything to avoid the nothing that follows her。 Claiming her brother’s name， Zhu will do anything to survive – but ho far can the ambition of survival take her， how many lines will she cross？CW/TW – spoiler warning- （As listed by the author on GR）:Dysphoria/Pre-existing non-consensual castration/Misgendering/Internalised 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。https://kbbookreviews867789450。wordpr。。。Note: The main character of this book is Zhu， Zhu is （as identified by the author） a genderqueer character （AFAB but doesn’t identify as female）， and throughout the book both she/her and he/him pronouns are used to describe them。 Therefore， I will likely use both she/her and he/him pronouns when talking about the character in this review。She Who Became The Sun， by Shelley Parker-Chan is the first book in The Radiant Emperor duology and it is an epic read。 Parker-Chan is an incredibly story-teller， who has crafted an extraordinary tale of war， fate， gender and ambition – this is a rich， brutal and captivating read that will keep you gripped right from the start。Writing/Narrative: Parker-Chan has an extremely compelling writing style that is engaging， beautifully detailed， emotional， and stark。 They perfectly capture the scenes and settings of the story， bringing them to life with expert detail – making them jump right of the page and into an image our heads。 The prose is strong from start to finish well paced throughout and perfectly depicts the morally grey characters and choices of vengeance and war。 Not only is the prose rich in detail， illuminating and breathing life into both the characters and the settings， there is also a rawness within it， something real and visceral that connects you to this story in one way or another。 Parker-Chan captures everything they set out to in their prose， carefully capturing the subtleties of being human， of having ambition， of wanting to be something， to be someone。A rarity in fantasy， but one of my favourite types of narrative， Parker-Chan uses the third person omniscient narrative to tell this story。 While the main parts of the story are told through Zhu and Ouyang’s perspectives， Parker-Chan also weaves in the insights of other character’s such as Ma’s。 The omniscient narration was incredibly effective for this particularly story because it gave us insight into both/multiple sides of the actual war， as well as allowing us to see the finer intricacies of the inner conflicts of the individual sides and of the characters。 This is a difficult perspective to use， and to use well， and Parker-Chan does so perfectly。 Somehow they balance giving us multiple sides of the conflict， revealing aa lot of information and plots， without spoiling anything。 She expertly manages to maintain the element of surprise， despite the incredible amount of insight we get， and still manages to keep us on our toes and shock us。 The narrative perfectly complimented the prose and supported the pace of the story incredibly well。The Story/Plot: As I said， this book is very well paced， we do get a bit of time jumping at the start but it doesn’t become confusing or disorienting， I actually liked that it aged up the cast a little bit – it matched the tone and adult nature of the book well。 The plot/story of this book is phenomenal。 There are two main character’s whose stories we follow。 The first， and the one at the core of the story， is Zhu’s。 Zhu was born female， and so was neglected and ignored in favour of her brother。 On her brother’s birthday he is told he will have a fate of greatness。 Zhu begs for her own fortune and is told her fate is to be nothing。 Unsurprised but unwilling to accept such a fate， circumstances lead to Zhu assuming her brother’s identity and becoming a monk。 We then follow Zhu as he attempts to trick the Gods into believing the great fate is meant for her， and we watch as Zhu does anything to ensure nothing is not her fate。 The second plot follows Ouyang， the beautiful Eunuch， as he aids the Prince in his attempt to quash the rebellion。 But， Ouyang has a plot of his own brewing， and it only takes one event to set him on his own fated path。Honestly， I can only say good things about this story。 Zhu is a brilliantly morally grey character， who increasingly takes risks to secure his fate as one of greatness。 Zhu’s ambition to survive is what drives her， greatness is Zhu’s survival so the risks are necessary and we watch as she makes increasingly cruel and manipulative decisions to get what he wants。 The scope of this story is significant as Zhu travels from village， to monastery， to a city in the midst of war。 Zhu’s story is complex and thrilling， I loved every single twist and turn that she took us on。 Everything Zhu does is calculated and it keeps you captivated， on your toes， waiting to see where her plan will lead her。 Even as Zhu grows more brutal， taking on more risks， you cannot help but root for him and his plan for greatness because Zhu is such an easy to like character。 I loved watching Zhu strive for his newfound fate， and the enemies and friends he made along the way made the story even better。 I have to say， I have never been so stressed in my life though – Zhu is incredibly clever but her plans consistently place her in danger – the brutality of the book and the story makes you worry for the characters， even Zhu， because consequences are real in this book。 Every time Zhu had a plan my heart started hammering in my chest。 But， it made the story all the more enjoyable and added a necessary dynamic that kept you in suspense。Ouyang’s story/plot was equally emotional。 Ouyang has also suffered a lot， forced to become a Eunuch and serve the Prince （though he has genuine concern for Esen， the Prince， and the pining will hurt you）， he is now a General。 Ouyang’s fate is thrown at him at an unexpected time and we watch as he crafts plot after plot in order to meet it。 Ouyang’s story is heart-wrenching， but you can’t help but read on and watch it play out， hoping it will end differently。 His primary job is， however， to help Esen defeat the rebel forces and this leads to Ouyang becoming a sort of rival with Zhu – another thread of the story that was simply delightful and painful all in one。 Parker-Chan does not hold back with this book and， as Alix E Harrow claimed perfectly “This book wrecked me and it will wreck you too”。If the personal stories of fate and ambition weren’t enough， we have the intense political games going on behind the war， family feuds， fights for power and the throne， and clever plots manipulating the brutal fights that occur。 The physical and mental warring bounce off of each other， and combine to create a rich and in-depth story。 Not only that， we have the addition of the God’s and their fates， the presence of ghosts – which are a mystery， and the mandate which graces those who should be ruling。 This is a story of war， yes， but it goes much deeper than that and has subtle complexities that play out beneath and through the bigger story。 With numerous plots， secrets and betrayals running through this book， it can only be described as epic。 The ending manages to be happy， heart-breaking and ominous all in one， with a pervasive feeling that Hubris may come into play – perfectly setting up for the second book。Characters: Representation: LGBTQIA+ Main and side characters， Chinese and Mongolian characters – while I cannot claim how accurate any of the portrayals are， the author is an ownvoice author depicting their own experiences through their characters and it is， as far as I am capable of telling， done well。。 The characters truly make this book shine。 The plot is epic， the prose is beautiful， but the characters truly bring life to the story。 Each of the characters have distinct voice， are realistic and flawed， they are incredibly raw and human。 The cast is pretty decent so I’ll only focus on a few characters specifically， but they are all wonderfully written。Zhu。 No I haven’t spoken about Zhu enough yet （shh）。 As I said， Zhu is incredibly clever， ambitious and determined。 But， also very very alluring。 Zhu is witty and sarcastic in a very dry， nonchalant way and it will have you chuckling。 But not only that Zhu is self-assured because belief is everything to her。 He has to be Zhu Chongba to survive， and this need to survive translates into ambition for greatness， nuanced and cleverly done。 Zhu is a morally grey character whose decisions can be questionable at times， but Zhu wll not be beat down and chooses herself time and time again， she chooses to be who she wants to be， chooses to claim a fate that is not her own and make it hers。 The desire， the drive， the intellect， the wit， everything about Zhu draws you to them。 Despite the self-assured air， there is still a vulnerability to Zhu， Zhu is human， has doubts and uncertainties， and questions her own identity。 Zhu goes through a significant arc， not only of survival， but of self-recognition。 Learning who she truly is， who she want’s to be， is a significant part of her story and it is messy and difficult but it is a journey of identity and an important one。 I loved Zhu’s character， from the false naivety， to the wicked sharpness and intelligence， to the vulnerabilities。 The character draws you in because they are so raw and human。Zhu’s relationship with a female character （trying to avoid spoilers！！） also adds well to the story， and to Zhu’s own journey。 The relationship is sweet， and will pull on your heart， but it is also complex and difficult when Zhu’s ambition rears its head。Ouyang。 Another complex character who has his own struggles throughout the story。 Ouyang is also incredibly clever， with an eye for strategy and a clear cut way of dealing with things。 But Ouyang is also vulnerable， hiding his hurt at the ignorance of those around him。 He has a difficult past， and an equally tragic fate， his internal struggle in heart-wrenching to watch and the subtle relationship between him and the Esen is very well crafted。 Despite being on the opposite side of the war to Zhu， and working his own dark plots， it is hard to hate Ouyang because his struggles are so real and cut so deeply。 Ouyang is a difficult character to describe， which speaks to his human complexity， and he is so well written that you can’t help but be attached and feel for him。 but he is also flawed and can be cruel and exact in his revenge and justice， he too is clever and witty， and he too must follow his fate to wherever it may lead。Ma。 Ma is the SWEETEST。 But don’t let that fool you， she is quick and clever， despite wearing her heart on her sleeve。 Ma is intelligent， she knows what should and should not be said， can see the bigger picture， and， most importantly， she is empathetic。 Her strength is her empathy， her heart， which allows her to see what the logical and strategic characters cannot。 She is strong-willed and her beliefs are clear， but she too has flaws and feels so deeply that she runs the risk of being used， of being taken advantage of。 Ma is sweet， but she also has a fire in her。Xu Da。 Xu Da is another character who is simply the sweetest。 He is funny and mischievous， but also loyal。 his friendship with Zhu throughout the book was a highlight， the brotherly bond and banter was hilarious and amusing and their support for each other is undeniable。 Xu Da is an excellent character， skilled in his own way。Esen。The Prince is a carefree character， determine in the war but not one to dwell on things。 He is， however， blind to the subtle feelings of others at times， but does his best to protect Ouyang as his General。 The prince， however， as the story goes on becomes a little more erratic and jaded， as he navigates the war and deadly plots around it。 Another well written character with good development and a story that tugs on the heartstrings。Overall， this is an epic story， with a clever and beautiful prose， complex and rich plots， and flawed characters who bring the story to life。 It is a story of war， identity， ambition and fate， set against political and subtle plots and secrets。 This is a story that should not be missed， and one I highly recommend。If you enjoyed The Poppy War， by RF Kuang， or The Untamed （Mo Dao Zu Shi， by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu）， then you will likely enjoy this epic historical fantasy。 If you generally enjoy fantasy/historical fantasy then I highly recommend this to you！）*I received an eARC via #Netgalley in xechange for an honest review。 Thank you #PanMacmillan #Mantle） 。。。more
Sally
，
Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book。An epic and tragic journey set in a famine stricken China。 One girl’s determination to disprove her fate as told by a fortune teller。 Zhu’s story is built on many layers of life as she takes on different challenges， that take her away from her early life as a farmer’s daughter。 A heartfelt story of loss， struggle and love。 At first， a struggling farmer’s daughter， through desperation she leads a difficult lif Thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book。An epic and tragic journey set in a famine stricken China。 One girl’s determination to disprove her fate as told by a fortune teller。 Zhu’s story is built on many layers of life as she takes on different challenges， that take her away from her early life as a farmer’s daughter。 A heartfelt story of loss， struggle and love。 At first， a struggling farmer’s daughter， through desperation she leads a difficult life as a novice monk and then to war。A detailed historical account of China in this era， of battles won and lost。 Accounts from different perspectives， keeps this story fascinating and dimensional and helps the reader see life from the lowest ranks upwards。 The switch of point of view seemed seamless， not clunky， as some books manage to do。Then， there is the subject of gender， which is a huge matter。 It forms the basis of the story。 Zhu’s identity （she is a survivor and clever too） and how she is perceived by others opens your eyes to what it meant to be a woman or a man in that era and almost placed under a magnifying glass， down the ages to present day， aspects are echoed in western society， which is what makes this story so compelling for me。All knitted together with such research， knowledge and expertise as a storyteller; Shelley Parker-Chan is a brilliant writer。 。。。more
veepa
，
tbr review: if there's two things you need to know about me， it's that i have rewatched mulan probably at least over a hundred times and that i think the song of achilles was a masterpiece tbr review: if there's two things you need to know about me， it's that i have rewatched mulan probably at least over a hundred times and that i think the song of achilles was a masterpiece 。。。more
Meagan
，
I was sent an e-galley in exchange for an honest review。 In a dying land ruled by tyrants， a young girl follows her father and brother to visit an old monk who declares that her brother Zhu Chongba is destined for greatness。 Once her father and brother have gone， the girl lingers to ask the monk of her own fate。 The monk replies she is nothing。 But when her father and brother die after a bandit attack， the girl takes on her brother's name and claims his great destiny for herself。 A young man gro I was sent an e-galley in exchange for an honest review。 In a dying land ruled by tyrants， a young girl follows her father and brother to visit an old monk who declares that her brother Zhu Chongba is destined for greatness。 Once her father and brother have gone， the girl lingers to ask the monk of her own fate。 The monk replies she is nothing。 But when her father and brother die after a bandit attack， the girl takes on her brother's name and claims his great destiny for herself。 A young man grows up in the house of the murderer of his family， a man that mutilated him and forced him into slavery。 The young man， Ouyang， is followed by the ghosts of his dead， his fate weighing heavily on him。 For while he knows it is his fate to kill the man who destroyed his family， how can he bring himself to such an act when that man's son is as close to him as a brother？She Who Became the Sun is a story of how Fate controls the lives of two people。 While one grasps on to a fate that is not their own， the other shies away from their fate。 Their actions bring to two together and a nation is changed forever。 She Who Became the Sun is a thrilling historical fantasy set in 14th century China。 Fans of historical fiction like The Song of Achilles and The Bear and The Nightingale will love this！ 。。。more
Yves Donlon
，
“The world was shrinking， coming within reach。”It’s been a while since I read a fantasy novel that drew me in as thoroughly as SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN。 This is the story of a fate that spans years， both a physical and a spiritual journey， and it is as enthralling as it is heartbreaking。The premise of this story is fantastic: a young， starving girl takes her dead brother’s fate and becomes a novice monk， desperate to survive—and achieve greatness。 Zhu Chongba is one of the best protagonists of 202 “The world was shrinking， coming within reach。”It’s been a while since I read a fantasy novel that drew me in as thoroughly as SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN。 This is the story of a fate that spans years， both a physical and a spiritual journey， and it is as enthralling as it is heartbreaking。The premise of this story is fantastic: a young， starving girl takes her dead brother’s fate and becomes a novice monk， desperate to survive—and achieve greatness。 Zhu Chongba is one of the best protagonists of 2021。 I absolutely loved her development throughout the story， and I particularly enjoyed the way she engaged with other characters， especially Xu Da and Ma Xiuying。 The story takes place across multiple perspectives。 Zhu Chongba certainly gets the bulk of the focus， but next is the incredible Ouyang—a eunuch general sworn to the Mongol forces。 Ouyang’s storyline was compelling and I found myself really looking forward to seeing things from his perspective。 I also liked how non-traditional the POV-switches were。 Chapters weren’t allocated to a particular character—often a chapter might switch point of view two or three times， which kept the story flowing really well。 Parker-Chan’s writing is poetic throughout， and while I disagree with the comp title of THE SONG OF ACHILLES， I can definitely see echoes of Madeline Miller’s nostalgic， polished style and there are queer relationships （on-page and implied） that have some loose similarities to Achilles and Patroclus。 Finally， I have to say that the discussion of gender and identity in this book is phenomenal。 I loved it， and I’m excited to see this subject dealt with further in the next book。All in all， I’m really pleased to have read SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN。 I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys a character-driven historical fantasy novel， and I definitely thought there were aspects of this book that reminded me of THE POPPY WAR—especially in the way it handles the realities of war， for both civilians and participants。 If you enjoy books that explore complex topics within a fantasy fiction framework， I think you’ll love SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN。 。。。more
Beatrice in Bookland
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"I hate him！ And I still love him。 Would that I could only hate。 It would be easier。""Pure emotions are the luxury of children and animals。"4。5hands down one of the best debuts i've ever read "I hate him！ And I still love him。 Would that I could only hate。 It would be easier。""Pure emotions are the luxury of children and animals。"4。5hands down one of the best debuts i've ever read 。。。more
Cassian
，
I want this book very badly。 The destiny thing from the blurb reminds me of The Song of Achilles。
anjali
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non-binary leads give it to meeeee
Marissa Owen
，
I was expecting Mulan meets Song of Achilles but what I received was so much better。 The unique voices mixed with historical fantasy weaved a compelling story。 I was hooked from the first page and can't wait to read the second book。 I was expecting Mulan meets Song of Achilles but what I received was so much better。 The unique voices mixed with historical fantasy weaved a compelling story。 I was hooked from the first page and can't wait to read the second book。 。。。more
Ash ❤
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Hm， it’s going to take some time to get my thoughts together on this one。 RTC。
Ameema Saeed
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This book was INCREDIBLE！This sweeping epic was as stunning as it was immersive。 It’s a literary historical fiction novel， with some underlying themes of fantasy & mysticism。 Described as Mulan meets Song of Achilles， I would also recommend it to fans of And I Darken， and those who enjoyed the political intrigues of Game of Thrones。I devoured this book， and whenever I wasn’t reading it， I was actively thinking about it。 Equal parts brutal and tender， this is a story about fate and destiny - but This book was INCREDIBLE！This sweeping epic was as stunning as it was immersive。 It’s a literary historical fiction novel， with some underlying themes of fantasy & mysticism。 Described as Mulan meets Song of Achilles， I would also recommend it to fans of And I Darken， and those who enjoyed the political intrigues of Game of Thrones。I devoured this book， and whenever I wasn’t reading it， I was actively thinking about it。 Equal parts brutal and tender， this is a story about fate and destiny - but it’s also a story of choice and determination。 It’s a story of love and war， betrayal and honour。 It’s a story about overcoming odds， in a world that’s set against you。 The themes of destiny and fate were fascinating - and we got to see different storylines - people clawing and fighting to cease the destiny they want; and people dutifully doing what they need to to meet their destiny， despite the pain they know it will bring。The story left me breathless， and desperate for more。 My goodness， I am obsessed。She Who Became The Sun quickly cemented itself into one of my favourites。 It’s a bittersweet feeling having read it so early - on one hand， I am looking forward to shouting about this book from the rooftops to every living creature I see， and on the other hand， I can’t believe I’m going to have to wait so long for the sequel。 It comes out at the end of June， and trust me， you’re going to want to preorder it， so you can get your hands on it immediately！🌞📖 I’m really grateful to the publisher， & my colleagues at Indigo， for the chance to read this advanced reading copy， in exchange for my honest feedback。 。。。more
kels
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Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me this eARC！*3。5 starsThis really was a beautiful book， so dark and complex， and full of characters willing to do whatever it takes。 Zhu was a well crafted main character; so multifaceted， and her drive made her interesting to read about。 However， I did feel a little detached from her whilst reading， which I think made it a little difficult to care about what was happening。The plot in itself definitely intrigued me， and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for sending me this eARC！*3。5 starsThis really was a beautiful book， so dark and complex， and full of characters willing to do whatever it takes。 Zhu was a well crafted main character; so multifaceted， and her drive made her interesting to read about。 However， I did feel a little detached from her whilst reading， which I think made it a little difficult to care about what was happening。The plot in itself definitely intrigued me， and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about a character over a long period of time， but the time jumps could be extremely confusing。 I found if I didn’t concentrate hard enough， a few pages later I’d have no clue what was going on。I absolutely LOVED the way gender and sexuality were explored in the story， and it actually made me question a lot about how I view the world。This book could be perfect for a dark fantasy reader who loves heavier plots， and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for something like that， but unfortunately it wasn’t quite to my personal tastes。 。。。more
July
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The premise sounds exactly like the story of Basara， which I am a big fan of。The marketing as "Mulan" meets "The Song of Achilles" seems way off to me， because she's not going off to war for her father， and I haven't read the latter， so no comment on it。So far though， based on reading through other people's reviews， it seems like the author was simply checking off some sort of inclusivity checklist when making her characters， a practice I absolutely despise because it's really clear when you rea The premise sounds exactly like the story of Basara， which I am a big fan of。The marketing as "Mulan" meets "The Song of Achilles" seems way off to me， because she's not going off to war for her father， and I haven't read the latter， so no comment on it。So far though， based on reading through other people's reviews， it seems like the author was simply checking off some sort of inclusivity checklist when making her characters， a practice I absolutely despise because it's really clear when you read it。 It's too hamfisted and comes off as forced and unnatural。A woman who's not feminine looking is in love with a girl， and her archenemy is a man who is feminine and in love with a man。 Seriously？I'm rather skeptical about this being good， but I'll keep my eyes peeled for when it's officially released。 I'll probably update this with an actual review once I've experienced it myself。 。。。more
Julie Friar
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China in 1345 is under Mongol rule and a new destiny and Emperor will rise to power in the form of a woman。This version of history brings a girl from a village becoming a monk， then a warrior and more。 Gripping， epic， fast paced and great characters。 So well written I could not stop reading， enjoy。
Lyn
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This is a historical fantasy that is so magical yet not any less historically accurate or intriguing。 This is a story of people discovering their identity， their sexuality， and their path of 'becoming。' This is probably the best book I've read featuring multiple morally grey protagonists。 The book is so rational yet so emotional， and I LIVE FOR THIS EPIC COMPLEXITY。 And oh the yearning， the yearning was tangible， and I felt it deeply。The story started as Zhu became the last girl alive in the vil This is a historical fantasy that is so magical yet not any less historically accurate or intriguing。 This is a story of people discovering their identity， their sexuality， and their path of 'becoming。' This is probably the best book I've read featuring multiple morally grey protagonists。 The book is so rational yet so emotional， and I LIVE FOR THIS EPIC COMPLEXITY。 And oh the yearning， the yearning was tangible， and I felt it deeply。The story started as Zhu became the last girl alive in the village - because why would you feed the girls when there were boys？ She thrived in a place where women's lives meant nothing。 That's what she was afraid of: to become nothing。 This fear became apparent again when a fortune-teller told her brother that he would become great， and to her， he simply said she would become nothing。 And when her brother just gave up his life in a tough situation， she was so mad that someone would just give up his destiny while she didn't even have a chance to become great。 That's when she decided to become her brother， to take his fate to achieve greatness。As if this is not interesting enough， the book also introduced us to a eunuch general whose whole family had been murdered by the one he had to show loyalty to。 His blood was the reason for his mutilation， yet his mutilation was the only reason he was still alive。 However， seeking revenge is complicated because the murderer's son was his only source of sunshine and comfort。 I LOVE THE PARALLEL and different POVs。 The double main characters are so similar， but they share an ANTAGONIST relationship， with both of them being morally grey。 Even though they only have very few brief encounters， their stories are so intertwined， and trust me when I say their encounters are legendary。Being Chinese didn't prepare me for the plot twists as I am disappointing my ancestors with my lack of knowledge of Chinese history lol I still can't believe I didn't recognize some of the names。。。I want to cry in a corner in shame。 。。。more
Ellie J。
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5/5 starsRecommended to people who like: historical fantasy， fantasy， Chinese fantasy， magic， semi-historical retellings， LGBTQ+ charactersI received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewI was really intrigued by the summary of this book， particularly the comparison to Mulan。 While there are some definite similarities between Zhu's story and Mulan's， this story is distinct on its own and doesn't bear a huge resemblance to Mulan， the Disney version or the ballad。I re 5/5 starsRecommended to people who like: historical fantasy， fantasy， Chinese fantasy， magic， semi-historical retellings， LGBTQ+ charactersI received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewI was really intrigued by the summary of this book， particularly the comparison to Mulan。 While there are some definite similarities between Zhu's story and Mulan's， this story is distinct on its own and doesn't bear a huge resemblance to Mulan， the Disney version or the ballad。I really enjoyed Zhu's character。 I was kind of wary of the whole monk thing at first， I was definitely expecting the monastery scenes to be more boring than they actually ended up being。 At certain parts， I even almost missed the monastery。 Zhu certainly has the ambition and ruthlessness that's promised。 She desires to not be nothing and is willing to do pretty much anything to achieve that。 At the same time， she does have people that she cares about and are moments where she is light and engages in banter。 There were some things I didn't quite get， （view spoiler）[mostly just Ma， which would've been believable with a bit more build-up （hide spoiler）]but overall Parker-Chan did an excellent job creating the background reasoning for Zhu's actions。Ouyang was the other main POV character and he was actually someone I was somewhat wary about reading。 He's set up to be one of Zhu's main antagonists， and since we only start getting Ouyang's POV in the second part of the book， Zhu is already well-established as the person we're rooting for and I wasn't sure how much I was going to like Ouyang as a narrator， but I ended up enjoying his parts。 He has a fairly complicated schtick going on and on the one hand I feel for him since we get to see in his head， but on the other hand he is still antagonizing Zhu， so it's complicated。 Much like with Zhu， I thought Parker-Chan did a good job setting up why Ouyang felt certain ways and did certain things。There were certainly twists， but none of them felt like they came totally out of nowhere and none of them felt out of character for Ouyang or Zhu， which I think shows Parker-Chan's writing skills。 The actions the two characters took may have been terrible at times， but for each character they were certainly justifiable， which I think is particularly important when you're writing morally grey characters。Ma， the daughter of a Red Turban general and someone Zhu eventually befriends， is another POV character。 She doesn't get a ton of narrative space， but she gets enough to show she's clever and has empathy in spades。 I think she'll end up coming in more in the second book， but this introduction to her showed some of her character arc and set her up as a nice foil to the two main POV characters who are decidedly less empathetic。Esen， a general for the Mongols and a friend of Ouyang， was another POV character。 Like Ma， Esen serves as a kind of foil to Ouyang， but through his openness and a seeming naivete about the world。 Esen has a kind of openness that the other characters don't have and sees the world in a fairly straightforward and uncomplicated way。 He also experiences a character arc during this first book that I thought was interesting， though admittedly was one that went in a different direction than I would've liked compared to Ma's。In general， the characters and character relationships were written well throughout the book。 I particularly enjoyed Zhu and Xu Da's interactions with one another。 They largely grew up together and so have established a kind of brotherly rapport that's enjoyable to read。 Likewise， Ouyang and Esen's interactions， while somewhat less brotherly， also showed the complicated mix of history and duty that sets the background for their story。 As obnoxious as he could be at times， I even liked the interactions Esen and Ouyang had with Baoxiang， who proved to be an interesting character and wily in his own ways。 To be honest， I'm kind of rooting for whatever he's plotting since I'm sure he'll be back in the second book。Also， for the LGBTQ+ aspect， beyond the two main characters being gender queer， they're both also interested in same-sex relationships， though it isn't stated whether Zhu and Ouyang are solely interested in same-sex partnerships or if they're also interested in opposite-sex or gender queer relationships as well。 Ma is also written as being bi or pan。This book deals a lot with ideas of power and ambition， but it also looks into gender and gendered experiences。 Both Zhu and Ouyang are at the center of this， with Zhu being the 'Mulan' character and Ouyang being a eunuch。 They develop different feelings on the topic over the course of the novel and Parker-Chan shows two very different ways of examining one's gender when neither man nor woman feels correct， or even how at times one may feel more correct than the other。 The book also shows a great deal of gender relations and how that impacts one's movement through the world and the power interactions that people face。 I really enjoyed how she incorporated gender into the story and am interested to see how things will continue to be examined in the next book。Aside from the characters， the imagery in the book was also excellent and was actually something that I noted from page 1。 Parker-Chan managed to infuse the landscape and settings into each page so that you can really feel them while you're reading。 A lot of attention was paid to the details of things。 As a reader who really likes a balance that tips toward imagery， I liked Parker-Chan's writing style。This was a fantastic book and I definitely recommend it for people who like historical fantasy。 Gender and gendered interactions are a big part of this book and Parker-Chan explores them in really interesting ways。 The imagery is also fantastic and really comes alive each time its mentioned。 I'm eager to see what happens with the characters in the second book。 。。。more
Eilish
，
She Who Became the Sun is a wonderful debut from Shelley Parker-Chan， and I honestly think it'll be the fantasy book of the summer！ She Who Became the Sun is a wonderful debut from Shelley Parker-Chan， and I honestly think it'll be the fantasy book of the summer！ 。。。more
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