Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

152 reviews

fabichirinos's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Cursing, Sexual content, Murder, Death, and Child death

Moderate: War

melliedm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I try to be a bit more eloquent with these reviews, but I really have to be honest:  Holy shit this was good. 

Zhu is a young girl living in poverty in Yuan dynasty China who has a fortune of nothingness. Her brother, Zhu Chongba, has a fortune of greatness. But when he and their father dies, Zhu decides to take his fortune for herself, and his identity. She joins a monastery which in short time is destroyed by the wronged Eunuch general of the Yuan army, Ouyang, which sets them both on the path to their fate. 

For Zhu, that means going to Anfeng and working her way through the complexities and dangers of court politics in an attempt to rise through the ranks and achieve the greatness she has stolen for herself, and encountering surprising (sapphic) love along the way. 

For Ouyang, it means accelerating his plans for vengeance against those who ruined him and slaughtered his family...all the while his complex feelings for his Prince, the son of the man he hates, attempt trouble him. 

The pacing of She Who Became the Sun is incredible, delivering information, drama, and tense action in such a way that I kept finding it hard to put the book down for any length of time. The court drama was enthralling and frequently left me unsure of how things would end up—no plan could be certain when everyone has their own interests to serve, and they wait only for the perfect opportunity to take what they need. 

Both of the main characters, Zhu and Ouyang, are incredibly characterized. Though one is protagonist (Zhu) and one is perhaps the antagonist (Ouyang), it is less that they oppose one another and more that they balance one another, something reinforced many times throughout the book. Even in their identities: Zhu with a female body, but living as a man, and feeling like she is neither; and Ouyang who wants to see himself as a man, but as a eunuch knows the world doesn't share that view, and who internalizes it to a painful level, existing somewhere in between. The story hinges on the push and pull of their sides (not just them individually), and they are incredible foils to one another. The chapters tend to alternate between the two, and I never felt disappointed when we switched, because they always felt like the perfect next step in the narrative. 

Both Zhu and Ouyang are saddled with innumerable flaws and exacting ambitions, and their passion makes it easy to care about what they want even if you disagree with the route they choose to try and get it. Zhu may be the protagonist, and she may have many relatable qualities, but she is not a good person. For some, that may be a problem, but I love when female or genderqueer characters can be human--even if it means they do horrible things along the way. Ouyang, as the antagonist, gets more leeway from us with his actions because we accept his role in the story, but also commits truly terrible acts. Like I said: they exist in balance.

All in all, She Who Became the Sun is an incredible feat of storytelling. I devoured every word, and although the end was incredibly satisfying, I was also left wanting more of whatever Shelley Parker-Chan could deign to give me. I cannot wait for the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Dysphoria, Body shaming, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, Slavery, Infertility, Medical content, Child death, Grief, and Death of parent

zoeolivia1199's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

OBSESSED with this historical fantasy which reimagines the beginnings of the Ming Dynasty in China. Parker-Chan creates beautiful, evocative,  heartbreaking characters (Ouyang apologist here). You FEEL their desires and motivations in your body. The two main characters are fascinating foils for each other through their complicated relationships with queerness, gender, and fate. Can't give this book high enough praise. So excited for the sequel to drop in August. Parker-Chan outdid themselves with this debut. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Ableism, Death, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Child death

khaleesiofthegreatwhitenorth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Dysphoria

Minor: Child death

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Death, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexism, Murder, Grief, Classism, and Gore

Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Torture, Slavery, Sexual content, Child death, Ableism, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Excrement, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Cannibalism

mirandyli's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective slow-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? No

3.25

I became interested in reading this book after reading a review describing it as a mix between Mulan and The Song of Achilles. Boy did it live up to that. It's slow at times, but still a good read.

This book is a beautifully written historical fantasy that puts a twist on traditional gender roles and sexuality. Zhu Chongba was an actual Chinese emporer who was really married to Ma Xiuying. This book puts a spin on this, where Zhu Chongba is actually his sister pretending to be him, after she stole his identity as a child after he died. She almost gets caught a bunch of times, but her determination to reach her destiny overcomes.

Also, do you want to read about the disgusting bathing, pissing, and shitting habits of ancient Chinese monks? If not, skip the first quarter of the book. The book transports you to ancient China and spares no detail.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Dysphoria, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Colonisation, Murder, and War

noyastan's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Colonisation

Moderate: Dysphoria, Murder, Transphobia, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Minor: Animal death and Slavery

anjasshelf's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Gore, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, Sexual content, Child death, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Racism, Dysphoria, Vomit, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Racial slurs

Minor: Grief

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous tense fast-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? No

5.0

I think this would make a great book club selection, and I don't think it needs a sequel. There's so much to discuss, both throughout the story and at the end, with some open-ended philosophy questions. I worry that a sequel will cut off further ruminations rather than encourage them or pose new ones.

I also don't think this book was pitched to me correctly. "A fantasy Mulan retelling" is very far from what this actually is. There's very little fantasy (more in the realm of magical realism) and the story is much more in the spirit of intricate political historical fiction. The book itself has a broader scope than just Zhu Chongba's perspective, and I found it riveting.

The nuanced depiction of gender identities as well as cultural identity in a period of colonization was expertly done. The physical proof of the Mandate of Heaven was an excellent choice and offered a significant thought exercise. The various sympathetic perspectives in war time made the story feel full and rounded. An expertly crafted piece of fiction. I plan to read the sequel in hopes that it lives up to its predecessor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, and War

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Genocide

Minor: Alcohol, Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Sexual violence, and Slavery

numerous instances of amputation, including genitals

readbyella_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood

Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, Misogyny, Homophobia, Death, and Sexism

Minor: Death of parent, Child death, Slavery, Cursing, Vomit, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Animal death