She Who Became the Sun
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- Create Date：2022-08-02 09:51:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shelley Parker-Chan
- ISBN：1529043409
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Summary
Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished， poetic debut of war and destiny， sweeping across an epic alternate China。
“I refuse to be nothing…”
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain， two children are given two fates。 A boy， greatness。 A girl， nothingness…
In 1345， China lies under harsh Mongol rule。 For the starving peasants of the Central Plains， greatness is something found only in stories。 When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son， Zhu Chongba， is given a fate of greatness， everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass。 The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter， on the other hand， is only as expected。
When a bandit attack orphans the two children， though， it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies。 Desperate to escape her own fated death， the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice。 There， propelled by her burning desire to survive， Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes， no matter how callous， to stay hidden from her fate。
After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule， Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness。
“I refuse to be nothing…”
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain， two children are given two fates。 A boy， greatness。 A girl， nothingness…
In 1345， China lies under harsh Mongol rule。 For the starving peasants of the Central Plains， greatness is something found only in stories。 When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son， Zhu Chongba， is given a fate of greatness， everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass。 The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter， on the other hand， is only as expected。
When a bandit attack orphans the two children， though， it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies。 Desperate to escape her own fated death， the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice。 There， propelled by her burning desire to survive， Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes， no matter how callous， to stay hidden from her fate。
After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule， Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness。
Reviews
Helen
，
3。5*An interesting reimagining of the story of Zhu Yuanzhang， a peasant rebel who became the Ming dynasty’s founding emperor。 There is a wide range of personalities to encounter， and their relationships/interactions with each other are quite fascinating。 I also enjoyed the near constant themes of worrying about being discovered， the determination to survive and thrive no matter what， and the importance of chosen family/friends。 The beginning and the introduction of Ma were enjoyed most。 It’s a g 3。5*An interesting reimagining of the story of Zhu Yuanzhang， a peasant rebel who became the Ming dynasty’s founding emperor。 There is a wide range of personalities to encounter， and their relationships/interactions with each other are quite fascinating。 I also enjoyed the near constant themes of worrying about being discovered， the determination to survive and thrive no matter what， and the importance of chosen family/friends。 The beginning and the introduction of Ma were enjoyed most。 It’s a grim/dark book though， it’s no fairytale， so don’t expect forgiveness to be a main theme。 I found the ending to be anticlimactic。A story about claiming your own greatness…no matter the price。 。。。more
Megan Strasburg
，
I enjoyed the premise a lot， but found myself getting a bit lost as the plot progressed and didn't feel like all characters got the attention and serial that they could've。 I enjoyed the premise a lot， but found myself getting a bit lost as the plot progressed and didn't feel like all characters got the attention and serial that they could've。 。。。more
Rosemary
，
This was a great， epic read and I will absolutely read the next one！ A real "Pope Joan" （without the tragic ending） meets "Mulan" but obviously more brutal than either。 I did feel it dragged a little about three quarters in and because Zhu is pretending to be a man among men， there are just a lot of dudes in this book doing dude things and that got a little tedious for me。 Also， I understand WHY there was a lot of talk of Zhu and Ouyang's "fate" and "destiny" but that repetition felt a little te This was a great， epic read and I will absolutely read the next one！ A real "Pope Joan" （without the tragic ending） meets "Mulan" but obviously more brutal than either。 I did feel it dragged a little about three quarters in and because Zhu is pretending to be a man among men， there are just a lot of dudes in this book doing dude things and that got a little tedious for me。 Also， I understand WHY there was a lot of talk of Zhu and Ouyang's "fate" and "destiny" but that repetition felt a little tedious as well。 But overall， so well-written and full of twists and turns。 。。。more
kvon
，
I read this one as it is Hugo nominated， but I didn't enjoy it that much。 There is little magic here （seeing ghosts， generating an aura; possibly reincarnation） and lots of politicking going on。 Half the book focuses on the eunuch Oyung （no idea about spelling names， this was audio） and his plots for revenge， and he was generally an unhappy and unlikeable character。 The main character， Zhu， starts off humbly， and is seized with desire for power to never by helpless; she has some heroic moments， I read this one as it is Hugo nominated， but I didn't enjoy it that much。 There is little magic here （seeing ghosts， generating an aura; possibly reincarnation） and lots of politicking going on。 Half the book focuses on the eunuch Oyung （no idea about spelling names， this was audio） and his plots for revenge， and he was generally an unhappy and unlikeable character。 The main character， Zhu， starts off humbly， and is seized with desire for power to never by helpless; she has some heroic moments， but becomes unlikeable due to her desire to do anything to rise in power。 I don't feel compelled to read the sequel。 。。。more
Gerald Wilson
，
I didn’t like this， probably because of the Buddhist ethos of the story。 A young girl growing up in China at a time when women were nothing finds herself suddenly alone in the world at a time of great famine。 She has absolutely nothing and ends up at a Buddhist temple in the hope of receiving some food and shelter。 She pretends to be her brother and somehow becomes a monk。 Would this be possible to pretend to be a different gender for many years and not be caught out？ The story follows themes of I didn’t like this， probably because of the Buddhist ethos of the story。 A young girl growing up in China at a time when women were nothing finds herself suddenly alone in the world at a time of great famine。 She has absolutely nothing and ends up at a Buddhist temple in the hope of receiving some food and shelter。 She pretends to be her brother and somehow becomes a monk。 Would this be possible to pretend to be a different gender for many years and not be caught out？ The story follows themes of revenge， reincarnation， gender confusion and lesbianism。 Not for me I’m afraid。 。。。more
Candice
，
I couldn’t finish the book， it’s not for me。
Laura
，
I didn't realise this was book one of a series， and at the start I thought it would be a standalone novel。 That feeling diminishes as the pace decelerates more and more as it goes along。 I really liked it， overall！ Reading this right after Iron Widow is a trip， lmao， absolutely prefer this one -- I mean obviously they're trying to do very different things， but in terms of Motivated Female Protagonist Zhu is pretty unbeatable -- it's very grounded and the right amount of gritty for me personally， I didn't realise this was book one of a series， and at the start I thought it would be a standalone novel。 That feeling diminishes as the pace decelerates more and more as it goes along。 I really liked it， overall！ Reading this right after Iron Widow is a trip， lmao， absolutely prefer this one -- I mean obviously they're trying to do very different things， but in terms of Motivated Female Protagonist Zhu is pretty unbeatable -- it's very grounded and the right amount of gritty for me personally， though I think at points it's a little slow。 The main two protagonists are both wonderfully realised， though I think the supporting cast is a bit lacking in this one （especially Ma， I would like much more to become of her）。 It's sometimes in the fun genre of 'clever MC thinks of unorthodox solutions， wins bloodlessly' and is sometimes more in the Baru Cormorant vein of 'whatever it takes' and a little。。。 idk not inconsistently but it's a bit odd to see a book pose 'isn't there another way？' and then say 'no'。 anyway I liked it， I'll read the next one too 。。。more
paperborn
，
There isn't actually much to say， because although this is a debut novel， it seems Parker-Chan is already a master at their craft。 The world-building is excellent， the characters feel real and relatable （in some moments）， the writing style is good and appropriate， and obviously the historical background is well-researched and respected。 The first few pages were the hardest because I didn't really know where this was going， and you have to get immersed into the world， but after that， it was hard There isn't actually much to say， because although this is a debut novel， it seems Parker-Chan is already a master at their craft。 The world-building is excellent， the characters feel real and relatable （in some moments）， the writing style is good and appropriate， and obviously the historical background is well-researched and respected。 The first few pages were the hardest because I didn't really know where this was going， and you have to get immersed into the world， but after that， it was hard to put down （sleeping is overrated anyway）。 I loved that all the characters were flawed， each in their own ways， and that the struggle between them was depicted as manichean， where there seemed to be no hero nor villain。 Obviously， Ouyang was my favorite and I liked reading his point of view best。 However， I'm not sure this book would be very enjoyable for readers who have no prior knowledge to chinese culture whatsoever （and are not interested in it）。 I will now procede to hit my head against the wall for， once again， not waiting until the next book is out。Il n'y a pas tant à dire， car bien qu'il s'agisse d'un premier roman， il semble que Shelley Parker-Chan maîtrise d'ores et déjà son art à la quasi-perfection。 Le décor est planté avec brio， les personnages semblent aussi réels que possible， le style d'écriture correspond parfaitement， et évidemment le contexte historique est très bien maîtrisé et respecté。 Les premières dizaines de pages ont été les plus difficiles à surmonter， car je ne savais pas encore bien dans quoi je me lançais et il faut prendre un certain temps pour s'immerger dans l'univers， mais après cela， j'ai été entraînée par cette épopée dans la Chine médiévale。 J'ai adoré les personnages， qui ont chacun leurs propres défauts， et l'aspect très manichéen de ce conflit inspiré de faits réels， où il n'y a ni héros ni vilains。 Sans surprise， j'ai su dès le début qu'Ouyang serait mon préféré et son point de vue est， à mes yeux， le plus intéressant。 Néanmoins， je ne suis pas certaine que ce roman puisse rencontrer un franc succès auprès de lecteurs qui n'ont aucune base de connaissances sur la culture chinoise et ne s'y intéressent pas un minimum。 Je vais désormais de ce pas passer les prochains mois à regretter， encore une fois， de n'avoir pas attendu que le tome suivant paraisse。 。。。more
Emily Boranian
，
I didn’t finish。 It was too much and I think not what I didn’t s the time。 A friend of mine told me what happened in the rest of the book and it sounded like a good plot but I wasn’t ever invested enough in the characters to finish。 I think I got through 1/3 of the book。 Meh。 She liked it a lot though
Rose Fueston
，
An epic political and historical fantasy retelling set in 14th century China？ It’s also sapphic， genderqueer and badass？ SIGN ME UP！ Needless to say， I enjoyed this book， despite struggling through most of it。 I don’t know if this book is anything like The Poppy Wars or The Song of Achilles since I haven’t read them yet， but it is similar to Game of Thrones （at least the show， again， didn’t read the books） in that there are multiple POVs across the country and none of the characters are wholly g An epic political and historical fantasy retelling set in 14th century China？ It’s also sapphic， genderqueer and badass？ SIGN ME UP！ Needless to say， I enjoyed this book， despite struggling through most of it。 I don’t know if this book is anything like The Poppy Wars or The Song of Achilles since I haven’t read them yet， but it is similar to Game of Thrones （at least the show， again， didn’t read the books） in that there are multiple POVs across the country and none of the characters are wholly good or wholly bad。 They do what they believe is necessary to obtain their fate。 There’s also a lot of （in my opinion） boring political war strategy taking place。 Love the drama of politics， but war strategy is a snooze fest。 There’s also just a lot of “setting the scene” for the two major characters， Zhu and Ouyang， which is somewhat necessary to understand the characters but it does drag on a bit。 This book does not hold back when it comes to the horrors of violence and war （there’s literally a whole descriptive scene where a man is burned alive）。 It’s also descriptive in medieval hygiene practice （or lack thereof） so if you’ve ever wondered how smelly everything was back then， this book will tell you in heavy detail。 Don’t make the mistake of eating during this book as there’s bound to be something unsettling to occur。 This book starts off following Zhu as a 9 year old girl in a village that’s been suffering through a famine that claimed the lives of her mother and many siblings， leaving just her， her father， and her brother， Zhu Chongba。 From the start it’s clear Zhu is very clever and more capable than her father and brother， but they treat her as if she is nothing。 One day her father takes her and her brother to this fortune teller who states that her brother’s fate is greatness whereas hers is nothingness。 That is until her father is killed by bandits and Chu Chongba kills himself。 This is when Zhu assumes her brother’s identity， hellbent on taking his fate since he gave it up， and she takes his place at a monastery to be trained as a monk。 She masters her lessons and is even ordained early when she turns 19。 We spend the book watching Zhu struggle with her identity， live in fear of people and Heaven discovering her deception， and claim her fate。 However， the Mongol army， led by General Ouyang， burns her monastery to the ground。 She ends up joining the rebels and slowly climbs the ranks， constantly running into Ouyang， a eunuch， as it seems their fates are intertwined。 Ouyang is Nanren， and his family was killed by the Mongol empire， but he was spared， castrated， and enslaved but was favored by the Prince’s son， Esen， and therefore was able to rise in status and became a general。 He’s mistreated since he’s a eunuch and despite being an incredible warrior and successful general， he is denied any respect。 Ouyang’s journey is similar to Zhu， but he has postponed his fate for as long as he can， but once events are set in motion， he charges headfirst into his fate。 I LOVE the very obvious similarities between Zhu and Ouyang in terms of their gender identities and sexualities。 As well as their backgrounds and social standings as leaders。 And I believe they’re both Nanren in this Mongol empire（？）， I can’t remember。 This book has a lot of turmoil， physically and emotionally。 There are a lot of shocking things， and we see how far both Zhu and Ouyang are willing to go to succeed。 They’re both selfish in their own ways and make morally questionable decisions constantly。 This book doesn’t have romance， not really， like it’s not even a subplot。 It’s more like a subplot’s subplot。 The magic is minimal。 Like those that have Heaven’s Mandate can produce flames and Zhu can see ghosts。 That’s pretty much it for the magic。 It’s also a common misconception that eunuchs don’t have their penis or testicles， most of the time it’s just the testicles that are removed， however， I learned while trying to understand some things about Ouyang that in China the practice of removing everything was common there for eunuchs。 So that’s just a little fun fact to take with you。 I liked this book， but it just took forever to get through the first half。 It’s definitely a long read and slow-paced。 But it’s very interesting。 I feel like I’m learning so much about another culture and it’s just so unapologetically authentic。 Like Parker-Chen doesn’t waste any ink trying to explain cultural concepts or anything and I really like that。 And they just write so beautifully。 Like it’s full on poetic。 It’s also just so queer。 And I really love that Zhu doesn’t know her name， because it doesn’t seem like an accident that she struggles with her gender identity as well as who she is in general。 And （SPOILER） once she DECIDES who she is， she chooses a name for herself。 I’m hoping the next book just has more action in it。 I suspect it will be slow-paced， but now that the events at the end of the book have occurred， I’m interested in what this means for Zhu and her relationships with her loved ones and Ouyang。 Very good， definitely read if you like political historical fiction。 。。。more
Verena Marie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was okay。。。 not really what I was expecting。 The queer love story was everything but the time skips were so confusing。 I was listening to the audio and at some point I had to start writing down the dates to keep the timeline straight in my head。I honestly wasn't sure who to root for either which I geuss is a great sign of a well written story but the book didn't really spark joy as much as poppy war or song of achilles did so I'm giving it 3 starsI will read the sequel though it'll probably b It was okay。。。 not really what I was expecting。 The queer love story was everything but the time skips were so confusing。 I was listening to the audio and at some point I had to start writing down the dates to keep the timeline straight in my head。I honestly wasn't sure who to root for either which I geuss is a great sign of a well written story but the book didn't really spark joy as much as poppy war or song of achilles did so I'm giving it 3 starsI will read the sequel though it'll probably be low on my tbr 。。。more
Robyn
，
Amazing！ Cannot wait for Book Two。
Marta Barrales
，
4。5
Josh
，
DNF at about 3/4 finished。 I really enjoyed the beginning of this book， and had high hopes based on the first main character introduced。 This character's story and chapters were great！ Unfortunately， for me， the other chapters really dragged this dwon from an insightful historical fiction to a somewhat more run of the mill YA book。 DNF at about 3/4 finished。 I really enjoyed the beginning of this book， and had high hopes based on the first main character introduced。 This character's story and chapters were great！ Unfortunately， for me， the other chapters really dragged this dwon from an insightful historical fiction to a somewhat more run of the mill YA book。 。。。more
RK
，
I loved this。 Historical fiction is hit or miss for me but this was so exciting， and unexpected， all the way through。 Can't wait for the second book。 I loved this。 Historical fiction is hit or miss for me but this was so exciting， and unexpected， all the way through。 Can't wait for the second book。 。。。more
Elena 007
，
It was only when I began reading this book that I realised how different it is from what I usually read: a tale of intense world-building and the politics of war strategy。 Because of the density and complexity of this book， I often found it difficult to will myself to continue reading。 However， its intricate plot and multiple perspectives were executed well， with beautiful prose guiding the book throughout。 This book handles a complex plot and morally contemptible characters well， with my favour It was only when I began reading this book that I realised how different it is from what I usually read: a tale of intense world-building and the politics of war strategy。 Because of the density and complexity of this book， I often found it difficult to will myself to continue reading。 However， its intricate plot and multiple perspectives were executed well， with beautiful prose guiding the book throughout。 This book handles a complex plot and morally contemptible characters well， with my favourite part the captivating exploration of gender through our two protagonists Zhu and Ouyang， made outsiders by their complex relationships with gender。 Gender dysphoria and the difficulties of existing in a cisnormative society are portrayed with heartbreaking clarity， and show the thoroughly human struggles of our protagonists even as they seem unstoppable in their ferocity， greed and anger。 A tale of betrayal and the raw determination to make your fate real， I am definitely glad I read this book。 。。。more
Sam
，
I don’t usually write reviews， but this book deserves one！ I absolutely loved it: the description was beautiful， and the story line hooked me from the very beginning。 If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would！
Kenneth Strickland
，
I would give the first half 3 stars and the second half 5！The story Zhu Chongba， the hapless monk， was a little slow and felt YA’ish。 The story of Zhu Yuanzhang， the ruthless aspiring Emperor， was excellent and felt like a Chinese Game of Thrones。 Looking forward to the continued saga！
VickDsn
，
2，5/5 pour moi。Je ne sais pas vraiment quoi penser de ce livre。。。 Je l'ai terminé parce que je ne voulais pas l'abandonner， mais je l'ai trouvé long et compliqué à suivre， sûrement aussi parce que j'avais perdu l'envie de le lire。 Les différences entre les deux clans étaient floues et j'avais souvent du mal à placer les personnages dans l'un ou l'autre。。。 Je n'ai pas trop aimé non plus le développement du personnage principal qui pour moi avait des valeurs que je comprenais pas。 2，5/5 pour moi。Je ne sais pas vraiment quoi penser de ce livre。。。 Je l'ai terminé parce que je ne voulais pas l'abandonner， mais je l'ai trouvé long et compliqué à suivre， sûrement aussi parce que j'avais perdu l'envie de le lire。 Les différences entre les deux clans étaient floues et j'avais souvent du mal à placer les personnages dans l'un ou l'autre。。。 Je n'ai pas trop aimé non plus le développement du personnage principal qui pour moi avait des valeurs que je comprenais pas。 。。。more
Miriam
，
Lesbians in a historical fantasy？ People taking over a country because they believe they can？ Battle scenes on par with the MCU？ It's a 5 stars from me。 Lesbians in a historical fantasy？ People taking over a country because they believe they can？ Battle scenes on par with the MCU？ It's a 5 stars from me。 。。。more
Lisa-Marie
，
Mir gefiel das Buch gut。 😊Es faszinierte mich die Willenskraft und Disziplin der Charaktere。 Wie weit sie bereit sind zu gehen， um zu erreichen， was sie wirklich wollen！ Egal， wie sehr sie dabei verletzt werden。 Da ich sowohl Zhu als auch Ouyang gerne mochte， war es für mich interessant， über sie beide und ihre Sicht der Dinge zu lesen。
Star
，
This wasn't for me。No rating。 This wasn't for me。No rating。 。。。more
Blue
，
2 stars。 It wasn't that good but it wasn't bas either。The world building was great and the story started off good。 But the plot meandered a lot in the middle， I was ill and bored and I *actually* fell asleep。My biggest qualm with this would be the characterization- I need more than Zhu's determination or Ouyang's revenge。 They felt like caricatures so I'm going to treat them as such。 Although they shined at the end of the book， their character work was insufficient for a novel。 I hope to see the 2 stars。 It wasn't that good but it wasn't bas either。The world building was great and the story started off good。 But the plot meandered a lot in the middle， I was ill and bored and I *actually* fell asleep。My biggest qualm with this would be the characterization- I need more than Zhu's determination or Ouyang's revenge。 They felt like caricatures so I'm going to treat them as such。 Although they shined at the end of the book， their character work was insufficient for a novel。 I hope to see them improve and become more complex in the next book。 。。。more
Gabi Leoncini
，
I'm so glad I gave this book a second chance， it was so good！It's very reminiscent of The Poppy War， but unique enough that it doesn't suffer for it。 Very excited for the second one！ I'm so glad I gave this book a second chance， it was so good！It's very reminiscent of The Poppy War， but unique enough that it doesn't suffer for it。 Very excited for the second one！ 。。。more
Anika
，
dnf @ 45%more like a pile of shame dnf but idk
Claude Ellis
，
What’s with all these people losing arms 🫣
Ali Davidson
，
This book is queer Mulan meets The Poppy War…not The Song of Achilles。 You won’t get any soft， love story here。 There are tender moments between Zhu and her surrounding characters that help you connect with her as a character， but she is antihero who is very open about using people to get what she wants。 It’s a very refreshing take on an antihero — Zhu rides the line finely between kind and apathetic， secretive and bluntly honest， guilty and innocent for a cause。 She has people she cares about a This book is queer Mulan meets The Poppy War…not The Song of Achilles。 You won’t get any soft， love story here。 There are tender moments between Zhu and her surrounding characters that help you connect with her as a character， but she is antihero who is very open about using people to get what she wants。 It’s a very refreshing take on an antihero — Zhu rides the line finely between kind and apathetic， secretive and bluntly honest， guilty and innocent for a cause。 She has people she cares about and who care about her， but you’re not quite sure what she would do if they could be used to propel her to her destiny。 The way this book is written is also so beautifully done。 It’s almost poetic and describes in lush detail the truths about war， politics， identity， gender， and revenge。 The world of China during the occupation of the Mongols is described in vivid detail and you feel fully immersed into it。 I was unsure at first about the multiple POVs， but they definitely helped propel the story to new heights。 Having Ouyang’s perspective as general of a Mongol family working against the rebels is such a good addition to the storyline and makes you question why you find yourself rooting for both him and Zhu’s success on opposing sides。 However， I think having Esen and Yuchan with a couple POVs trickled throughout the storyline was a bit pointless and at times made it feel clunky。 It felt like the author wanted specific moments from their POVs， but also couldn’t commit fully throughout the book as they were only supporting characters for Zhu and Ouyang。 Ma， however much a supporting character， has a strong tie to the storyline and her POV as a honorable， loving， hopeful person is a good contrast to Zhu in her fight to get whatever she wants to become great。 Her POV I felt also strengthened Zhu as a character and antihero。 Long story， being a fan of the Poppy War series， I really liked this book and will be eagerly awaiting the second book release in 2023！ 。。。more
abby
，
damn that shit was crazy
Helen Harper
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed most things about this book。 The scene setting is fantastic， the exploration of gender identity is wonderfully and sensitively written。 The only downside for me was I found the main character， Zhu， slightly annoying at times。 Her only character trait was her obsession with 'greatness' at seemingly any cost。 I was far more invested in Ouyang's journey; his made far more sense to me and is far more emotional。 It is his journey I'm looking forward to reading more of in the sequel rather t I enjoyed most things about this book。 The scene setting is fantastic， the exploration of gender identity is wonderfully and sensitively written。 The only downside for me was I found the main character， Zhu， slightly annoying at times。 Her only character trait was her obsession with 'greatness' at seemingly any cost。 I was far more invested in Ouyang's journey; his made far more sense to me and is far more emotional。 It is his journey I'm looking forward to reading more of in the sequel rather than Zhu's。 。。。more
Ma。 Patricia San Juan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I started reading this book on July 9 and took me weeks before I found the energy to finish it。 Truthfully， I spent a lot of time skimming through parts， jumping from one paragraph to the next because I just needed to get the story over with。 To the writer's credit， there were some scenes that were captivating and heart-racing-- I had to reread those over and over again。 But， I can count those moments on one hand。 Before I started reading this book， another reader told me it was somewhat of a re I started reading this book on July 9 and took me weeks before I found the energy to finish it。 Truthfully， I spent a lot of time skimming through parts， jumping from one paragraph to the next because I just needed to get the story over with。 To the writer's credit， there were some scenes that were captivating and heart-racing-- I had to reread those over and over again。 But， I can count those moments on one hand。 Before I started reading this book， another reader told me it was somewhat of a retelling of Mulan from a queer perspective。 So， yes， admittedly， I entered this literary world under the delusion of it being a light， queer Mulan story。 Boy， I was wrong。 While it did capture Mulan's integral plot， Zhu Chongbah's character， in my opinion， deteriorated in pursuit of greatness。 Now， I don't know how to explain it， but even if their character seemed to start excelling， the more their morals depleted。 Props to the author for putting how humans actually work when given great power， but I wasn't expecting it from this one。 Many people might think Zhu's empowerment （SPOILERS） by killing even those on her side （Some commanders of Red Turbans， the Prime Minister， and the Prince of Radiance [A CHILD！ She killed a child！]） was monumental and showed how she had come into greatness。 But， I hated it。I read on Goodreads once that it wasn't a light read， in fact， I shouldn't expect fluffy endings。 It gets heavier as you read。 I should've taken that 1 out of good reviews seriously。 Would I recommend it？ Not enthusiastically。 。。。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