Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Lei che divenne il sole by Shelley Parker-Chan

233 reviews

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Child death, Death, Death of parent, War, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Dysphoria, Grief, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Homophobia, Colonisation, and Blood

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Slavery, Suicide, Alcohol, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Body horror

shermansays's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, and Death

Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, and Cannibalism

spootilious's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 Read: December 17, 2023
 Title: She Who Became The Sun 

Series: The Radiant Emperor #1 

Genre: Fantasy / Historical Fiction / LGBT 

Rating: 3 / 5
 Review: 

I went into this book looking to expand my reading to other cultures and in that aspect I wasn’t disappointed. 

From the beginning this book had an entirely different feel than the fantasy novels I have been used to. There’s such a beautiful cadence to it and the cultural aspects from names and titles to imagery are breath taking. Shelley Parker-Chan is a stunningly talented artist! 

With that being said there were some ups and downs with this book. First and perhaps my biggest complaint is the marketing (which has little to do with the book but) it was pitched as Song of Achilles meets Mulan. If you go into this book with the hope of that kind of story you be SORELY DISAPPOINTED. This is no love story, there are no ‘feel good’ moments. This is pain, sorrow, duty and ambition. There is no sugar or softness. 

That isn’t to say there isn’t a romance, simply that the romance in the book is in the background and has very VERY little to do with the story. 

Now, the thing I loved most about the novel is the exploration of the gender spectrum and the comparison and contrasting roles of the two main characters. I found it intriguing and something I haven’t seen in many books. Being cis I am curious how individuals that identify with these characters feel about their representation. I for one and simply happy to see it in a (for the most part) positive light. 

I also feel that while Parker-Chan’s writing is what had me turning the pages, the plot was inconsistent and left something to be desired. The beginning and the end were certainly a meal but the middle felt like a fasting that lasted far too long. The book became very politically focused and with so many names to characters that weren’t very distinguishable that it all just formed into one incoherent blob I was forced to trudge through. 

Again, that is not to say it was bad, simply that it was a struggle. 

In fact, most of the characters were a bit formless, fading into the background until something important happened and I was forced to try and recall who they were. This also left the feeling of a disconnect with the characters. I never really warmed up to anyone or felt on edge. I don’t think I would have shed a tear if either of the main characters or their loved ones died and for me that it a tragedy when examining how stunningly well written this book is. 

I hold out hope that book 2 will change my mind but regardless I recommend this book for anyone looking for stunning writing, multi-culturalism, beautiful imagery, and LGBT representation. 

 

QUOTES: N/A 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Vomit, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Child death, War, Animal death, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content, Confinement, Cursing, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Suicide

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, War, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Genocide, Grief, Body horror, Colonisation, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Child death, Slavery, and Sexual content

Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Animal death

naiu_cs's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexism

nikenacs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Blood, Sexual content, Sexism, Xenophobia, Violence, Death of parent, and Death

Moderate: Colonisation, Child death, and Dysphoria

Minor: Alcohol

ellenisntcool's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was such a roller coaster. At first, it felt like a five star, then after part one it went down to maybe a three or two, then the ending really brought this all together. If you liked poppy war, you'll definitely enjoy this so I'm very excited for the sequel.

Edit: 
I'm going to start sitting with my thoughts for a few days before immediately rating it, as I don't like this as much as I thought I do.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Vomit, Sexual harassment, Death, Animal death, and Sexism

_forestofpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and War

Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Minor: Vomit and Child death

qteabeans's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a good read. I both appreciated and struggled with the ongoing emphasis on fate. Sometimes it made the plot feel a bit scripted, as is the nature of fate. But I loved Zhu Chongba coming into her own, claiming her own fate and her own self. I also loved the foil of Zhu Chongba and Ouyang. A book about desire and finding your path in a world that has a destiny planned for you. Amazing. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Transphobia, Body shaming, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual content and War

ulespiegel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual content, and War

Moderate: Sexism and Child death