REVIEW: She Who Became The Sun (Shelley Parker-Chan)

Book: She Who Became the Sun

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan

Premise: China, 1345. In a famine-stricken village on the Central Plains of China, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness. But when bandits attack, it is Zhu Chongba who dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. Then, after her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting rebellion, Zhu uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

[⚠️TW: graphic sex, oppression of women consistent with the time period]

This book is a historical fiction based the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, with a bit of Mulan mixed in. It was a lot darker that I was expecting, with Zhu being ruthless when it comes to ensuring her survival. However, I liked how her being a woman let her see the strength in other female characters and go on to empower them.

I loved the LGBT+ representation in this book. Ouyang and Esan's relationship was so precious and ended up breaking me. I loved how Zhu was respectful of Ma, coaxing her to follow her desires rather than the path laid before her by society. There was one sex scene in the book and it took me by surprised - literally, start of the chapter and it's mid sex scene, no time to prepare yourself!

For me, ending was an odd pace. Somehow it was both rushing to tie up bits and setting up for a sequel. That being said, it was a good book and I'm looking forward to the next book!