She Who Became the Sun
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- Create Date：2021-07-12 08:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shelley Parker-Chan
- ISBN：1529043387
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Summary
She’ll change the world to survive her fate 。 。 。
In Mongol-occupied imperial China， a peasant girl refuses her fate of an early death。 Stealing her dead brother’s identity to survive， she rises from monk to soldier， then to rebel commander。 Zhu’s pursuing the destiny her brother somehow failed to attain: greatness。 But all the while， she feels Heaven is watching。
Can anyone fool Heaven indefinitely， escaping what’s written in the stars？ Or can Zhu claim her own future， burn all the rules and rise as high as she can dream？
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a re-imagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang。 Zhu was the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols， unified China under native rule， and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty。
In Mongol-occupied imperial China， a peasant girl refuses her fate of an early death。 Stealing her dead brother’s identity to survive， she rises from monk to soldier， then to rebel commander。 Zhu’s pursuing the destiny her brother somehow failed to attain: greatness。 But all the while， she feels Heaven is watching。
Can anyone fool Heaven indefinitely， escaping what’s written in the stars？ Or can Zhu claim her own future， burn all the rules and rise as high as she can dream？
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a re-imagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang。 Zhu was the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols， unified China under native rule， and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty。
Reviews
Clio （Bemuzed）
，
My thanks to the publisher for granting me advanced access through Netgalley。I absolutely loved every second of this read。 Zhu is the type of character I love reading about。 Clearly a hero， though she is fueled by an internal desire rather than a wish to do right by others。 She is a survivor and she knows what she wants。 I kept rooting for her throughout even though her actions at times were definitely morally grey and turned more and more questionable throughout。 On the whole she is just a real My thanks to the publisher for granting me advanced access through Netgalley。I absolutely loved every second of this read。 Zhu is the type of character I love reading about。 Clearly a hero， though she is fueled by an internal desire rather than a wish to do right by others。 She is a survivor and she knows what she wants。 I kept rooting for her throughout even though her actions at times were definitely morally grey and turned more and more questionable throughout。 On the whole she is just a real character。 Someone shaped by her early experience， someone with real desires and passions but also full of flaws and weaknesses。I loved the exploration of gender that was presented in this book。 A lot of this exploration is done in Zhu's character arc。 We never learn the name that Zhu was given at birth， as she rejects the faith of that young girl that she was born as。 Instead she passes through life using her brother's name: Zhu ChongDa。 She strives to think and act like him as much as possible in order to cheat the fate that the gods had bestowed on her。 As a result， we see her struggling with her gender identity， as she fears her old self taking control。 She walks the line between her masculine and feminine self， struggling to find her real true self。However， Zhu is not the only character through which we will explore gender。 And gender isn't the only theme filled with complexity and nuanced。 Most of the characters have conflicting loyalties， wants， needs，。。。 Aside from the intricacies of the plot， I also greatly enjoyed the level of intricacy in the portrayal of mongol and chinese culture。 I also greatly appreciated the balance between explaining some cultural elements and leaving others unexplained。My only quelm just has to do with the fact that I know some Mandarin Chinese and always want english books to add the sign for the tone on the names so I know how to pronounce them :p or give the chinese characters。 I know the ones for the last names and can imagine some of the first names as well。 But I want more :） 。。。more
Erin
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RTC。
Book Wormy
，
#Netgalley #ARC #SheWhoBecameTheSunThis ARC was provided by Pan Macmillan - Mantle （via NetGalley） in exchange for an honest review。One word review - EpicWow that was quite a ride and now for the warning looking on Goodreads I see this is labelled as The Radiant Emperor #1 and while the book doesn’t end on a cliff hanger it is very clear that Zhu’s story is not over。 This is good and bad， good because I know there will be another book at some point in the future bad because I now have to wait fo #Netgalley #ARC #SheWhoBecameTheSunThis ARC was provided by Pan Macmillan - Mantle （via NetGalley） in exchange for an honest review。One word review - EpicWow that was quite a ride and now for the warning looking on Goodreads I see this is labelled as The Radiant Emperor #1 and while the book doesn’t end on a cliff hanger it is very clear that Zhu’s story is not over。 This is good and bad， good because I know there will be another book at some point in the future bad because I now have to wait for that book to be written #ReaderIssues。Full review here https://thereadersroom。org/2021/07/11。。。 。。。more
Merel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I preordered this， I was so excited！ But it wasn't worth it， the story was boring， it felt like a lecture。 The time jumps were weird， the many point of views unexpected and seemed entirely unnecessary。 I also didn't like that we didn't see the main character become who she was， it's glossed over， she becomes a clever strategist without us being along to see it。 She also had absolutely no personality。I really disliked this book。 It felt like a waste of time。It was a retelling but apart from LGBTQ I preordered this， I was so excited！ But it wasn't worth it， the story was boring， it felt like a lecture。 The time jumps were weird， the many point of views unexpected and seemed entirely unnecessary。 I also didn't like that we didn't see the main character become who she was， it's glossed over， she becomes a clever strategist without us being along to see it。 She also had absolutely no personality。I really disliked this book。 It felt like a waste of time。It was a retelling but apart from LGBTQ representation （which I did like） there was very little creativity or real novelization。It contained huge amounts of useless info， cultural info that was never used again， planning that amounts to nothing， planning you're not allowed to know where you wish you did。All in all this book was a massive disappointment and I will not be reading the second book。Only Ma and the Abbot were interesting but not nearly fleshed out enough。 。。。more
Holly
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（I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）She Who Became the Sun was everything I could have wanted and more。 Set in 14th-century China， this story follows an excellent cast of characters who captivated me from the first page。 They were morally grey and complex， and I loved that I couldn’t always guess what actions they would take。 The character relationships were also spot-on。 For example， the romantic sub-plots never overshadowed the main story but were stil （I received this as an e-arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。）She Who Became the Sun was everything I could have wanted and more。 Set in 14th-century China， this story follows an excellent cast of characters who captivated me from the first page。 They were morally grey and complex， and I loved that I couldn’t always guess what actions they would take。 The character relationships were also spot-on。 For example， the romantic sub-plots never overshadowed the main story but were still something I thoroughly enjoyed。 The writing was also fantastic。 It was incredibly atmospheric， and the descriptions were so vivid that I could picture all the scenes clearly and could get fully immersed in the story。 The pace was quite slow in parts， which may not work for everyone， but personally I loved how this story slowly unfolded and built， and how the separate plotlines gradually intertwined with each other。 I also enjoyed exploring the magic system， which was quite subtle， but definitely added another dimension to an already remarkable read。Overall， I loved this book and I cannot wait to read what the author brings out next！Content Warnings: （view spoiler）[ misogyny， drought and starvation， death of loved ones， violence， war， mention of castration， burning， execution （mentioned but not shown in detail）， plague， vomiting， explosion， detailed description of injury， consensual sex， mutilation， animal death， poisoning， betrayal （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
taylor
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I need 7-10 business days to fully recover from this incredible book。 Shelley Parker-Chan is a genius。 I think this deserves a reread before I can write a review that comes anywhere close to doing it justice。
Whimsy Dearest
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A fortune teller once gave two siblings very different fortunes: the son was destined for greatness and the daughter was destined for … nothingness。 However， when a bandit attack leaves both their father and the son dead， his sister steals his name—Zhu Chongba—along with his fate。 She then flees to a monastery and trains to become a monk。 Years pass and as a rebel group rises against the Mongol empire， Zhu must use her wit （and either a pinch of luck or Heaven’s divine blessing） to overcome insu A fortune teller once gave two siblings very different fortunes: the son was destined for greatness and the daughter was destined for … nothingness。 However， when a bandit attack leaves both their father and the son dead， his sister steals his name—Zhu Chongba—along with his fate。 She then flees to a monastery and trains to become a monk。 Years pass and as a rebel group rises against the Mongol empire， Zhu must use her wit （and either a pinch of luck or Heaven’s divine blessing） to overcome insurmountable odds。 She must decide what lengths she’s filling to go to and what sacrifices she’s willing to make to fulfill her stolen destiny。 She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a gripping fantasy reimagining of the founder of the Ming Dynasty’s rise to power—pitched as Mulan meets Song of Achilles。 I’m not so sure about the Song of Achilles comparison， but The Poppy War comes more to mind to me。 Brace yourself。 This story is a brutal one， filled with backstabbing， betrayal， and heartbreak。 The characters here are complex and mostly morally grey。 I even found it hard to figure out who to root for in parts because， from part two onwards， the story is told from alternating perspectives—including the enemy’s general: Ouyang。All in all， this is a stunning debut。 Parker-Chan paints a richly-layered world and well-written characters， and I cannot recommend this book enough if you’re looking to sink into a good historical fantasy filled with conniving political machinations and evocative prose。 Thank you， NetGalley and Tor Books， for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
— Massiel
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%: 16Not gonna lie， I'm so excited of this book 🥺 %: 16Not gonna lie， I'm so excited of this book 🥺 。。。more
Laura
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I received an advance copy from Tor via Netgalley for review purposes。 This in no way influences my review; all words， thoughts， and opinions are my own。Content notes:（view spoiler）[- Starvation， hunger- Poverty- Allusion to cannibalism- Violence- Death- Reference to ableism， disfiguremisia， misogyny- Mention of menstruation- Alcohol consumption- Dehumanization （calling eunuch a “thing”）- Casual ableism （idiot）- Societal homomisia- Burning alive- Maybe casual transmisogyny？ （Man being told he’s I received an advance copy from Tor via Netgalley for review purposes。 This in no way influences my review; all words， thoughts， and opinions are my own。Content notes:（view spoiler）[- Starvation， hunger- Poverty- Allusion to cannibalism- Violence- Death- Reference to ableism， disfiguremisia， misogyny- Mention of menstruation- Alcohol consumption- Dehumanization （calling eunuch a “thing”）- Casual ableism （idiot）- Societal homomisia- Burning alive- Maybe casual transmisogyny？ （Man being told he’s seen as sister because his friend doesn’t feel threatened by his closeness to fiancée）- Enslavement （mention）- Drawing and quartering （not graphic）- Grief- Explosion- Disfigurement- Sexual content- Ableism （culturally influenced）- Book burning - Animal death （off page）- Vomiting- Death of child （hide spoiler）]Holllly smokes， the way this book ends has left me just gobsmacked and unsure what to do with my life now！I had been hearing about She Who Became the Sun as both part of the golden sapphic trifecta and because it’s Mulan crossed with Song of Achilles， and I needed this book in my life。 This book？ Superseded all my expectations！！I think the thing I most appreciated is Zhu’s journey with their identity， particularly around gender。 In an effort to escape their nothing fate， when their brother Zhu Chongba dies they decide to “steal” his fate of greatness by taking his identity。 They spend years doing everything to be Chongba so Heaven won’t look upon them and see the lie。 There is a point， though， where Zhu says they are not a woman， but nor are they Chongba， so what are they， and that really resonated for me as a nonbinary person。 There’s also lots of cultural elements at play for Zhu that influence how they express and view themself， and I really loved seeing that develop。I adore how nobody in this entire book is really a “good” person and all the ways ambition can manifest。 Like， this is a book of people making choices to further their goals and ambitions， even at the expense of others。 Zhu is constantly working towards their fate of Greatness， and Ouyang is working towards his vengeance for the way his family was killed and he was “cut。” （Using euphemistic language here。） The way these two people are inextricably linked is so nuanced and complicated， and I adore that exploration of “like” while in other ways these two are so vastly different。The best person is probably Ma Xiuying， but even she is making hard choices that are going to have major ripple effects - and I cannot wait to see what’s next for all these characters！ But Ma， she tries to be good and right and she has so much empathy and care。 I love how her strength expresses itself， especially in contrast with Zhu。I was not familiar with the Yuan dynasty and the lead up to Ming dynasty， which is when this book takes place， and have since done some （minimal） googling to get a better idea of the actual figures and history， and the way Parker-Chan has developed that historical period into this epic fantasy， it’s wonderful。 I really am at a loss for what to say about this book except it is excellent and everyone who loves historical fantasy needs to be jumping on this story ASAP！ 。。。more
Kayleigh
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4。5 stars。“The body became used to exercise， particular sounds and sensations， or even physical pain。 But it was strange how shame was something you never became inured to: each time hurt just as much as the first。” I’m not going to review this one， I’m just trying to add the books I’ve read the last few days for my Goodreads reading challenge （I will review again one day）。
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advanced copy of this new fantasy novel。In the new fantasy/historical novel She Who Became the Sun， Shelley Parker-Chan has created a sort of fantasy sort of historical novel， with real people from history mixing with her fictional characters in a China before the rise of the Ming Dynasty。 The overall theme is not ruling nor power but survival， which all the characters try do， acting less black and white and more a grey， no matter the cost。 T My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advanced copy of this new fantasy novel。In the new fantasy/historical novel She Who Became the Sun， Shelley Parker-Chan has created a sort of fantasy sort of historical novel， with real people from history mixing with her fictional characters in a China before the rise of the Ming Dynasty。 The overall theme is not ruling nor power but survival， which all the characters try do， acting less black and white and more a grey， no matter the cost。 The story is told by focusing on four characters， who like I stated have their own reasons for their actions。 Our lead character is not named， taking on the identity of her brother who dies early in the book， a boy who was promised that great things would come too。 Great things did not， so the sister， who was always more able becomes someone else， and flees her village where nothing is left for her， nor to remember her。 The writing can be somewhat removed， but I think that could be because of the multiple POV's for the characters， and the sprawling storyline， but I found it very fun， well brutality aside， and interesting， with a lot of looking things up to see their place in history。 Another theme are gender issues， which was intriguing， but I personally do not know enough about the subject matter so as not to hurt people with my lack of knowledge， or just write something stupid and obviously wrong。 A big saga， full of lots of plot， betrayals， characters， and intrigue。 I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read the rest of the series。 。。。more
Phoebe E
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This is a story of power， desire， identity， and the things people do to reach the fates they are bound for。 It’s stunning， it’s beautiful， it’s lyrical and violent and radiant and I loved it so much。 Zhu is such a fierce character and I loved her journey， both internal and external， so much as she grew into herself and into something great。 Ouyang was the perfect foil to her， his own journey setting him on a path of revenge。 This book is just so good on so many levels。 It’s commentary on gender This is a story of power， desire， identity， and the things people do to reach the fates they are bound for。 It’s stunning， it’s beautiful， it’s lyrical and violent and radiant and I loved it so much。 Zhu is such a fierce character and I loved her journey， both internal and external， so much as she grew into herself and into something great。 Ouyang was the perfect foil to her， his own journey setting him on a path of revenge。 This book is just so good on so many levels。 It’s commentary on gender and identity were also breathtakingly brilliant and the queer themes subtlety woven throughout the book are incredible。 I’ll probably add more articulate thoughts to this later， but I was honestly so impressed with this story。 I highly recommend！ 。。。more
Becca
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I went into this book with the complete wrong expectations which unfortunately ended up hindering my enjoyment。 I requested this mostly because of the hype， everyone was talking about a brand new sapphic fantasy and it is marketed as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles。 It all sounded very exciting and something that I would eat up but the first issue that I had was that it was barely a fantasy！ I do believe that in sequels the fantasy aspects will be explored but it is a historical fiction with fa I went into this book with the complete wrong expectations which unfortunately ended up hindering my enjoyment。 I requested this mostly because of the hype， everyone was talking about a brand new sapphic fantasy and it is marketed as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles。 It all sounded very exciting and something that I would eat up but the first issue that I had was that it was barely a fantasy！ I do believe that in sequels the fantasy aspects will be explored but it is a historical fiction with fantasy elements。 Issue number two with this description is the sapphic story。 Yes， there is a sapphic relationship， but it is not even close to the forefront of the story and there was no chemistry， they barely even spoke。 The first part of the story started off very strong。 I liked seeing this young girl take her destiny into her own hands and seeing the working of the monastery and Zhu finding friendship but then part two came and it was such a sudden shift between perspectives and world that completely threw me off。 Now that’s enough of the negatives， let’s talk about the positives。 I enjoyed the characters; they are revenge driven and/or driven by their need to change their destiny。 This made for some very complicated characters。 I do think that most of the other perspectives weren’t quite as developed as Zhu， and I did find her perspective most interesting。 I feel like Zhu is the only one to get true character growth， but I really enjoyed the journey they went through。 The other big win in this story is the politics。 There is so much scheming and backstabbing and I was constantly trying to think ahead to what everyone could be planning。 This is made better by having perspectives from both sides of this war， so while I didn’t enjoy the switching perspectives at first， there is some brilliant mirroring of what is happening in Zhu and Ouyang’s lives。 Overall， this is a book that a lot of people will love but I was let down because of my own expectations。 I will definitely be interested in seeing what this author will write in the future but I’m unsure whether I’ll continue this series。 。。。more
Azu ♡
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4。5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange of honest review。I am sure no one will be surprised when I say that I have been dying to read this book。 And this book has been well received by almost all of my trustworthy friends and reviewers。‘She who became the Sun’ by Shelley Parker-Chan is a glorious and epic first book to ‘The Radiant Emperor’ duology。It is a historical epic set in 14th century China that reimagines the fall of the Mongol-led Yua 4。5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange of honest review。I am sure no one will be surprised when I say that I have been dying to read this book。 And this book has been well received by almost all of my trustworthy friends and reviewers。‘She who became the Sun’ by Shelley Parker-Chan is a glorious and epic first book to ‘The Radiant Emperor’ duology。It is a historical epic set in 14th century China that reimagines the fall of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty and the rise of the Ming Dynasty with a genderqueer reimagination。The story follows two captivating and prominent characters on opposite sides of the spectrum。 On one side we have Zhu Yuanzhang， a girl living the life meant for her dead brother Zhu Chongba， who was destined to the fate to greatness; and on the other side we have General Ouyang， the eunuch general of the army of the kingdom of Great Yuan。 “To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of skill。 To subdue the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle of skill。” Zhu Chongba and General Ouyang’s story start at the very opposite end but the way their fate colliding was so very fascinating to watch。Apart from these two main characters， we also get to see side characters such as Esen， Ma xiuying， Xu Da and Baoxing。 All the characters are praiseworthy but my favorites definitely were Ma xiuying and Baoxing。 Ma xiuying’s tenderness and Baoxing’s love for books really made me have a soft spot for them。Parker Chan’s ability to create complex characters and their relations with each other was really commendable。 Xu da and Zhu’s friendship， Yuchun’s undeniable loyalty to Zhu， Baoxing and Esen’s complex brotherhood， ouyang and zhu’s rivalry and the yearning between them all ！And one of my favorite themes of the book undoubtfully was the exploration of gender。 It was so heartwarming and realistic to watch our characters continuous push and pull towards their identity。 “You never realized that it wasn’t your name they were going to call， exhorting you to reign for ten thousand years。 It was mine。” ‘She who became the Sun’ overall is a very well-crafted and praiseworthy debut that is devastatingly beautiful and boldly queer。 And I am definitely looking forward to the sequel。 。。。more
Pauliina （The Bookaholic Dreamer）
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DNF at 50% I。。。 I- I cannot do itShe Who Became the Sun is my most anticipated new release of 2021 -- and here I am。I was a big fan of the beginning！ The main character is fierce and strong， and the stakes were so high。 But then the tension decreased exponentially until everything seemed to come to a directionless stand-still at 30% of the way through。 I forced myself to read this a day after day and hardly made any progress at all。 We got perspective changes and I didn't know why？？？ I starte DNF at 50% I。。。 I- I cannot do itShe Who Became the Sun is my most anticipated new release of 2021 -- and here I am。I was a big fan of the beginning！ The main character is fierce and strong， and the stakes were so high。 But then the tension decreased exponentially until everything seemed to come to a directionless stand-still at 30% of the way through。 I forced myself to read this a day after day and hardly made any progress at all。 We got perspective changes and I didn't know why？？？ I started to feel detached from the characters that I previously cared about， and then the entire book started to seem an aimless search for the biggest heist to take on （here it bears to point out that I tend to really dislike heist plotlines）。 For like 4 separate times， I came to Goodreads to read others opinions， frantically searching for what makes others fall in love with this book when I cannot seem to be able to get on that hype train。 Every time I forced myself to continue for a bit longer， only to feel a bit worse than before。 Needless to say， I didn't make it with this book。I believe that this right here is a seriously big unpopular opinion。 In fact， my experience of the first half of the book indicates that the comparison to Mulan and The Song of Achilles isn't doing this book any justice。 The beginning reflects Mulan - but I didn't see The Song of Achilles anywhere。 Instead， I strongly believe that this book should be blurbed as a combination of Mulan and The Poppy War。 She Who Became the Sun has a lot of war， cruelty， gore， violence and pain。 It has a strong main character who is here to break the gender binary。 And most of all， our main character is very morally gray。I think this book will be perfect for anyone who enjoyed the Poppy War。 Unfortunately， it didn't really work for me。 I found it too triggering， depressing and slightly plot-less - similar to the things I struggled to here。 I think this book will be a huge roaring success， it is written well and the story will become important for many。 Unfortunately， all books don't work for everyone and this just turned out to flop in my eyes。 。。。more
Ann Liang
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Boldly ambitious and exquisitely crafted—this book will stay with me for a long， long time。
Annie
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In the waning days of the Yuan Empire， a girl whose original name we never learn takes her dead brother’s name and marches away from her famine-stricken village to claim her brother’s great fate， too。 Using that starting point and a lot of real history， Shelley Parker-Chan weaves a story about the rise of the Ming Dynasty and the fall of Mongol rule in China in She Who Will Become the Sun。 There are battles， miracles， lots of betrayals， and even more determination to rule whatever is left after In the waning days of the Yuan Empire， a girl whose original name we never learn takes her dead brother’s name and marches away from her famine-stricken village to claim her brother’s great fate， too。 Using that starting point and a lot of real history， Shelley Parker-Chan weaves a story about the rise of the Ming Dynasty and the fall of Mongol rule in China in She Who Will Become the Sun。 There are battles， miracles， lots of betrayals， and even more determination to rule whatever is left after the Mongols are driven back north。。。Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley， for review consideration。 。。。more
Thindbooks
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*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*I enjoyed this book which is about two children with two fates where the boy is destined to greatness but the girl isn't though when Zhu dies， the girl decides to take his name and greatness。 I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Ming Dynasty's emperor rising。 Usually， I'm not a huge fan of historical books like seeing the year was 1345 but I had to pick this book up when I heard it was perfect for fans of Mulan and *this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*I enjoyed this book which is about two children with two fates where the boy is destined to greatness but the girl isn't though when Zhu dies， the girl decides to take his name and greatness。 I really enjoyed this reimagining of the Ming Dynasty's emperor rising。 Usually， I'm not a huge fan of historical books like seeing the year was 1345 but I had to pick this book up when I heard it was perfect for fans of Mulan and had a queer character！ This book was well written and I loved how the story flowed perfectly from the starting to the finish but I have to say that pacing was a little slow in my opinion。 There was a lot of world-building in this book but I had a lot of problems getting into the heavy war descriptions and political movements。 I felt those parts weren't for me。 For the character part of the writing， I thought it was unique to see how the first half of the book was mostly about Zhu's story in her PoV and then the second half was in multiple PoVs。 I enjoyed Zhu's character in this book who is brave， cunning， and would do anything to get what she wants。 She is the morally grey character you will fall in love with and kind of reminded me of the main character from Nevernight whenever someone would be telling me about her。 Also， Zhu had amazing character development in this book along with the side characters。 And for the side characters， I love how they were very involved in the story and how their povs got involved in the second part of the book。 It was nice to see the side characters being involved in a different way in the book。 For my romance lovers， in this book， there is forbidden romance which is one of my favorite tropes。 The ending was well done with this book and after finishing the book， I can see why the hype was huge for this book。 It's totally worth the read。 I just loved how this book was a compelling coming-of-age novel with some amazing jaw-dropping movements。 I'm super excited to read the next book and will most likely read this one again just to familiarize myself more with the world。 There were some problems with the book like the pacing and the world but overall this book is totally worth the read。 This book is perfect for fans of The Poppy Wars and Mulan。 。。。more
Shannon （It Starts At Midnight）
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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight Okay this whole story is wildly fascinating， because a lot of the characters truly existed in history。 I could pretend I didn't find myself down a very deep Wikipedia rabbit hole， but I'd be lying。 I will say this， She Who Became the Sun is not an easy read。 It is quite intricate， and I struggled at times to keep track of the various political factions。 That said， it was a great story， a You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight Okay this whole story is wildly fascinating， because a lot of the characters truly existed in history。 I could pretend I didn't find myself down a very deep Wikipedia rabbit hole， but I'd be lying。 I will say this， She Who Became the Sun is not an easy read。 It is quite intricate， and I struggled at times to keep track of the various political factions。 That said， it was a great story， and one I'll definitely be continuing。 Look， things were brutal back in the day， and this story is no different。 As such， the characters have to do cutthroat things to survive。 Zhu Chongba's whole life has been about survival- from the point where her whole family died， she overtook her brother's identity， which had been prophesized and promised greatness， and ran with it。 Smart， that。 I adored how multifaceted the characters were。 Frankly， there were no "good guys"， just a bunch of people trying to ensure that they made it to the other side alive。 They hungered for power， and control， and glory， and most would stop at nothing to achieve it。 That said， they were still human deep down， or at least， most were。 Their humanity made them relatable， despite the awfulness。 Perhaps not quite likable， but at least more understandable。 The powerfulness that was evoked by Zhu Chongba being both a woman who was able to take down so many men， and a queer woman who fell in love with Ma Xiuying， cannot be overstated。 Women were considered fairly worthless in this time， and both Zhu Chongba and Ma Xiuying elevated themselves to be so much more than just pawns in this war。 The two were， by far， the most developed and well fleshed out characters in the story， and I daresay Ma Xiuying was quite likable， even when no one else was。 While Ma Xiuying strived to maintain her humanity and compassion， Zhu Chongba spent her time figuring out what her identity really was， outside of the shadow of her dead brother's prophetic greatness。 Bottom Line: Overall， it is an emotional and powerful story about a pretty brutal historical period， but the glimmers of hope and love make this story so much more satisfying than the truth it borrows from。 。。。more
Echo Xie
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我只是单纯想看看是不是花木兰和朱元璋的棺材板都要盖不住了。
Robyn
，
Actual rating 3。5*。 RTC
Drew
，
I got sucked into this so hard that I started to find excuses to sneak a page here and there during my day。 An epic historical narrative with a touch of fantasy， a bit of horror， a dash of romance。。。 but really just a stirring exhortation to the idea that we can create our own destinies。 I wish it was twice as long， if only so I could read the rest of the story NOW。
Kat
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4。5⭐️
Bella
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this bookWow， this was probably my favourite book that I've read so far this year。 She Who Became the Sun is a book that I can see people either loving or hating - if you're expecting an action-heavy Mulan retelling， this is not the book for you。 She Who Became the Sun is much more of a character study， with more political and internal psychological battles than actual depictions of warfare。But that's why I really loved this book。 I Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC of this bookWow， this was probably my favourite book that I've read so far this year。 She Who Became the Sun is a book that I can see people either loving or hating - if you're expecting an action-heavy Mulan retelling， this is not the book for you。 She Who Became the Sun is much more of a character study， with more political and internal psychological battles than actual depictions of warfare。But that's why I really loved this book。 I enjoyed the slow pace， and the different ways in which Zhu and Ouyang viewed ideas such as gender and fate。 You could also tell how much work Shelley Parker-Chan put into researching the time period， as her fluid prose effectively brought this time period to life。 So if you enjoy fantasy and historical fiction （and wish there was more lgbtq+ representation in these genres）， and you also enjoy slow-paced character studies， then I think you would really enjoy She Who Became the Sun。 I can't wait for this book to be published so that I can force all of my friends to go and read it！ 。。。more
Bailey Fillman
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was beautiful。 It was not normally something I would read but when I received and advanced copy from my work it quickly swallowed me in its tale。 Zhu as a character changed so， so much。 She started off as a such a weak timid girl and ended up as almost the villain， killing the prince and dragging Ma into something that could spell out her death。 The queer vibes， unlike a lot of books marketed that way， felt very natural， not forced just to say it contained them。 She Who Became the Sun This book was beautiful。 It was not normally something I would read but when I received and advanced copy from my work it quickly swallowed me in its tale。 Zhu as a character changed so， so much。 She started off as a such a weak timid girl and ended up as almost the villain， killing the prince and dragging Ma into something that could spell out her death。 The queer vibes， unlike a lot of books marketed that way， felt very natural， not forced just to say it contained them。 She Who Became the Sun was a fantastic summer read and I can’t wait for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Alexa Ayana
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Owwww sound interesting 🤩🤩🤩
Audrey
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It took me a lot longer to read this than it "should" have - many reasons why including having a bad focus month， my workload increasing， being more social， being able to go to the cinema/gym， the format of the e-arc being awful， and a load of bad audiobooks that just put me in a mood to not want to read。。。ANYWAY - this was one of my most anticipated books of the year， and it did not disappoint。 Even on days when I felt I could only read for 5-10 minutes I was swept up in the world of She Who Be It took me a lot longer to read this than it "should" have - many reasons why including having a bad focus month， my workload increasing， being more social， being able to go to the cinema/gym， the format of the e-arc being awful， and a load of bad audiobooks that just put me in a mood to not want to read。。。ANYWAY - this was one of my most anticipated books of the year， and it did not disappoint。 Even on days when I felt I could only read for 5-10 minutes I was swept up in the world of She Who Became the Sun。 The main character， Zhu Chongba， was my favourite part of the book。 A wonderful character with a brilliant arc and believable storyline。 Her motivation and willingness to live and become great jumped off the page。 The additional POV character， Ouyang， had similar character motivation but less growth （due to not spending as much time with him， part I is focussed on Zhu Chongba's coming-of-age）。 The side characters and those closest to our main characters were also well developed and greatly added to the experience of reading the book and becoming immersed in this world。 Even knowing that it is a retelling， and being somewhat familiar with the historical setting I found myself forgetting this fact and believing in the characters and atmosphere。 If you are more of a prose person than a character person， have no fear - the prose is beautiful！ Parker-Chan's writing shines throughout the book （poorly formatted book be damned！）。 I was anxious in how the book would end as I knew this was book one in a duology， however the ending was satisfactory that a second book is not completely necessary。 That said， I'm already looking forward to the conclusion of this duology， and seeing how all the characters in this wonderful book end their journeys。 。。。more
Cress
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I could not wait to request this arc when I saw it on here！ I have been waiting for this book for months now since I was first attracted to the cover and then fell in love with the blurb。 I love the hidden gender troupe and set in feudal China was just amazing！ I was over the moon when NetGalley offered me the ARC and could not start to read this！ The only downside was that i now have to wait for the sequel！ The main character is strong and independent， and i love when books incorporate cultural I could not wait to request this arc when I saw it on here！ I have been waiting for this book for months now since I was first attracted to the cover and then fell in love with the blurb。 I love the hidden gender troupe and set in feudal China was just amazing！ I was over the moon when NetGalley offered me the ARC and could not start to read this！ The only downside was that i now have to wait for the sequel！ The main character is strong and independent， and i love when books incorporate cultural history so beautifully。 I am even convinced that this is the book of the month for the illuminate book box in July so im not long off having a special copy to own and i cant wait to read it all over again！ 。。。more
Paul Mcguire
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I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley。 From its first pages， She Who Became the Sun enchanted me with the poetic descriptions。 Even the humble beginning chapters mesmerized me with their elegance。 Often early chapters of back story can be slow but necessary。 Not so here。 Early chapters have a humor and wit that makes them as engaging as the later sections。 This is a tale of power and empowering women。 It is also a history lesson an I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review。 Thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley。 From its first pages， She Who Became the Sun enchanted me with the poetic descriptions。 Even the humble beginning chapters mesmerized me with their elegance。 Often early chapters of back story can be slow but necessary。 Not so here。 Early chapters have a humor and wit that makes them as engaging as the later sections。 This is a tale of power and empowering women。 It is also a history lesson and a study of war and its machinations。Set in China in the 1300s， She Who Became the Sun chronicles the red turban rebellion and the Chinese fight to push back the Mongols。 But at its core it is the story of a peasant girl， Zhu， who becomes a monk and decides to fight as a man despite grave risks of being discovered。 This serves as a vehicle for exploring the fluidity of gender。 "You won't be the one to make me nothing。 I refuse。"The story could have inspired just with our main character， leaving the Mongols as undeveloped enemies。 Yet we are blessed with a vibrant cast of characters。 The stories weave together wonderfully as they converge on the finale。 Though this is just the beginning， it feels complete and comes to a satisfying conclusion。 I look forward to the next chapter in this epic tale。 You will not want to miss this。 。。。more
Liv the Jellyfish Queen
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This took me way longer than anticipated。@NetGalley and Tor Books: Thank you guys for this ARC
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