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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
She Who Became the Sun was the August read for the Sword and Laser podcast. I ended up listening to the audiobook which was enjoyable. The story is a re-imagining of the Red Turban Rebellion and the founding of the Ming Dynasty. Our protagonist is a girl born in the midst of a terrible famine, which eventually leads to the death of her family. Desperate, she adopts her dead brother’s identity and flees to a monastery. From there she becomes embroiled in the region’s wars and revolutions, and learns how to understand her fate.
This book is a mix between historical fiction and fantasy. For my typical reading, the fantasy element is very light, so might be a good way to dip your toe in if you’re not a big fantasy reader. The gender-bending element is also pretty fun here and I really enjoyed that part. At times the pacing/narration felt a little slow to me but it never lasted so long that I got bored with the book. I see this is a duology and the second book is out - I do want to read it but it wasn’t at the level where I’ve already reserved the second book because I had to read it RIGHT NOW.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2.75
'She didn't just want greatness. She wanted the world.'-Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became The Sun is an almost epic tale of a young girl who, in a time of severe desperation, assumes her dead brother's life, identity, and faith. This is set in a backdrop of political unrest in a Mongolian-ruled China, where a eunuch general is deeply involved with the people who murdered his family, and the power has shifted from one side to the other. Spanning a vast length of time, She Who Became The Sun is an intense piece of historical fiction.
I really, really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it just didn't happen that way. Perhaps part of it is my fault, as I went into reading this thinking it would be in a similar vein to The Poppy War by R.F.Kaung, and the lack of fantasy elements was a disappointment. The first 25% of the novel is excellent, fast paced and exciting, but the rest dragged for me. I found myself not caring for the characters, and eventually just being glad that it was over.
I do have to add, however, that the non-binary and LGBTQ+ elements of this story are incredibly done, and handled with tact and taste :)
'She didn't just want greatness. She wanted the world.'-Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became The Sun is an almost epic tale of a young girl who, in a time of severe desperation, assumes her dead brother's life, identity, and faith. This is set in a backdrop of political unrest in a Mongolian-ruled China, where a eunuch general is deeply involved with the people who murdered his family, and the power has shifted from one side to the other. Spanning a vast length of time, She Who Became The Sun is an intense piece of historical fiction.
I really, really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately it just didn't happen that way. Perhaps part of it is my fault, as I went into reading this thinking it would be in a similar vein to The Poppy War by R.F.Kaung, and the lack of fantasy elements was a disappointment. The first 25% of the novel is excellent, fast paced and exciting, but the rest dragged for me. I found myself not caring for the characters, and eventually just being glad that it was over.
I do have to add, however, that the non-binary and LGBTQ+ elements of this story are incredibly done, and handled with tact and taste :)
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
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:
No
I'm being generous with 3 stars here... I really wanted to like this book, but I thought it would never end and 90% of it is politics and military tactics, so not my cup of tea. Not sure what exactly did I expect from it, but I was greatly disappointed. I only finished it because I listened to audiobook and the narrator was great, so it didn't feel like a complete waste of time.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
5 fingers?!?!? ma's vagina must be a fucking cavern
i kept getting everyone mixed up i couldn't keep track of the names
i kept getting everyone mixed up i couldn't keep track of the names
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think 3.5 rounded up. I really was intrigued by the characters in this and I think the writing was strong, but this really dragged in the middle. The end really upped the rating for me though, as well as the passages that explored dysphoria. I know the author is also trans, and I thought the way this book explored embodiment and gender play was very interesting. It reminded me a lot in tone of the first Poppy War book. So, if you like military fantasy like that you’ll probably enjoy this. Interested to see where this series goes, as often the first books in fantasy series are not my favorite. But take all this with a grain of salt because I am but a silly little himbo and often feel like fantasy is too big brained for me. So, there were a lot of parts where I didn’t know what the dang heck was going on.