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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
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 have been trawling for sapphic books and this one came highly recommended. While the sapphic element is very minimal, it still proved a very enjoyable story with two great lead characters, though there will a few things that didn't quite make it amazing for me.
STORY: We follow the story of a nameless peasant girl, who despite her cunning, is shunned as 'nothing' solely on the basis of her gender. When bandits murder her father and her brother dies of shock soon after, she takes her brother's name and embarks on a quest for greatness. She's able to get ordained into a monstery, when tragedy strikes and she sets out to make her fate.
The plot itself isn't particularly interesting- just an ongoing war with a budding rebel faction- but it's the character interaction that makes it engrossing (something I found sorely lacking in Jasmine Throne, a title this is often compared to.)
The story doesn't really have a satisfying ending (setting things up for a sequel) but it wraps up enough loose ends.
CHARACTERS: The strongest element of this book were its two leads. Unlike most bloated fantasy which gives the POV of every meaningless NPC and their dog, this story focused on just two- the protagonist and antagonist. This really hones the narrative and makes it much easier to get invested as you see how their actions play off each other.
Zhu, the protagonist, is a great character who uses her cunning and guile to get what she wants. She has an unwavering determination and you see how this slowly makes her take more and more brutal decisions. She has an interesting arc and it will be fun to see where a sequel takes this.
Ouyang is the antagonist and he has a very conflicted past and backstory. The tension between him and Esen is really played out and you really wish for the tragedy to not unfold. He also has a personal stake with Zhu which makes their dynamic compelling.
The side characters however are very flat in comparison. I was very disappointed that Ma is reduced to a simple love interest and has no impact or agency on the story otherwise. This wouldn't have been so bad if there had been other female side characters but there are none. This was a bit of a wasted opportunity as later we see a woman character controlling her husband's name as she is the real power behind things- I felt we could have had more of this, or perhaps one of the nuns escaped the monastery with Zhu and they form a reluctant friendship.
SETTING/ VOICE: The worldbuilding is very lightweight which serves the story being told. However the supernatural elements are really glossed over and it makes me wonder why bother to include them at all. It's possible this is set up for future books but it would have been nice to see it have more an impact on the narrative.
The character voices are distinct and I especially liked Zhu referring to herself in third person- given that the POV jumps around it must have been a headache making this as consistent as it was so I give props for that.
PRESENTATION: The cover is pretty and the formatting is clean.
OVERALL: I did enjoy this story but it's perhaps not quite what it's advertised as. The sapphic element is very minimal, there are no supporting female characters and the plot is still quite generic despite the exotic location. However the character writing does make it a fun engaging read so if you enjoy epic fantasy with a different coat of paint then you'll eat this up.
STORY: We follow the story of a nameless peasant girl, who despite her cunning, is shunned as 'nothing' solely on the basis of her gender. When bandits murder her father and her brother dies of shock soon after, she takes her brother's name and embarks on a quest for greatness. She's able to get ordained into a monstery, when tragedy strikes and she sets out to make her fate.
The plot itself isn't particularly interesting- just an ongoing war with a budding rebel faction- but it's the character interaction that makes it engrossing (something I found sorely lacking in Jasmine Throne, a title this is often compared to.)
The story doesn't really have a satisfying ending (setting things up for a sequel) but it wraps up enough loose ends.
CHARACTERS: The strongest element of this book were its two leads. Unlike most bloated fantasy which gives the POV of every meaningless NPC and their dog, this story focused on just two- the protagonist and antagonist. This really hones the narrative and makes it much easier to get invested as you see how their actions play off each other.
Zhu, the protagonist, is a great character who uses her cunning and guile to get what she wants. She has an unwavering determination and you see how this slowly makes her take more and more brutal decisions. She has an interesting arc and it will be fun to see where a sequel takes this.
Ouyang is the antagonist and he has a very conflicted past and backstory. The tension between him and Esen is really played out and you really wish for the tragedy to not unfold. He also has a personal stake with Zhu which makes their dynamic compelling.
The side characters however are very flat in comparison. I was very disappointed that Ma is reduced to a simple love interest and has no impact or agency on the story otherwise. This wouldn't have been so bad if there had been other female side characters but there are none. This was a bit of a wasted opportunity as later we see a woman character controlling her husband's name as she is the real power behind things- I felt we could have had more of this, or perhaps one of the nuns escaped the monastery with Zhu and they form a reluctant friendship.
SETTING/ VOICE: The worldbuilding is very lightweight which serves the story being told. However the supernatural elements are really glossed over and it makes me wonder why bother to include them at all. It's possible this is set up for future books but it would have been nice to see it have more an impact on the narrative.
The character voices are distinct and I especially liked Zhu referring to herself in third person- given that the POV jumps around it must have been a headache making this as consistent as it was so I give props for that.
PRESENTATION: The cover is pretty and the formatting is clean.
OVERALL: I did enjoy this story but it's perhaps not quite what it's advertised as. The sapphic element is very minimal, there are no supporting female characters and the plot is still quite generic despite the exotic location. However the character writing does make it a fun engaging read so if you enjoy epic fantasy with a different coat of paint then you'll eat this up.
“Heaven doesn’t will /my/ failure.”
“If your desire was the most important thing in the world, what wouldn’t you do to achieve it?”
“She didn’t want greatness. She wanted the world.”
“If your desire was the most important thing in the world, what wouldn’t you do to achieve it?”
“She didn’t want greatness. She wanted the world.”
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rebecca Roanhorse has a very good "goodreads" review the sequel to this book: "He Who Drowned the World". She really loves both books! Roanhorse does a great job describing why I DON'T like it. "She Who Became the Sun" is well written and is probably a good story but I don't like grim dark (apparently Shelley Parker-Chen hates that description). I was doing ok until she killed the radiant Prince , that was a bridge too far for me. It made sense for the story, but ...
This was a reread, at first I was wondering why I thought is was just ok, and then I got to the second half of the book.
I suspect the main reason I do not like this type book is that I am closer to my death, than my birth and I don't need this kind of relentlessly brutal and "torture and murder and self-harm and sadomasochism and sexual violence and characters who not only wallow in but celebrate their debasement and cruelty"* in my life.
*Rebecca Roanhorse
This was a reread, at first I was wondering why I thought is was just ok, and then I got to the second half of the book.
I suspect the main reason I do not like this type book is that I am closer to my death, than my birth and I don't need this kind of relentlessly brutal and "torture and murder and self-harm and sadomasochism and sexual violence and characters who not only wallow in but celebrate their debasement and cruelty"* in my life.
*Rebecca Roanhorse
4.5⭐️
I personaggi sono il punto di forza del romanzo, molto approfonditi e ben caratterizzati, fanno da 'tramite' per tutta una serie di tematiche, affrontate in maniera molto delicata, non superficiale e d'impatto. Se devo trovare un difetto, lo stile di scrittura per quanto sia poetico e immersivo dal punto di vista dell'atmosfera e ambientazione, l'ho trovato un po' freddo e distaccato a livello emotivo, mi è mancato quel qualcosa in più che mi fa affezionare ai personaggi e alla storia.
Recensione completa✨
I personaggi sono il punto di forza del romanzo, molto approfonditi e ben caratterizzati, fanno da 'tramite' per tutta una serie di tematiche, affrontate in maniera molto delicata, non superficiale e d'impatto. Se devo trovare un difetto, lo stile di scrittura per quanto sia poetico e immersivo dal punto di vista dell'atmosfera e ambientazione, l'ho trovato un po' freddo e distaccato a livello emotivo, mi è mancato quel qualcosa in più che mi fa affezionare ai personaggi e alla storia.
Recensione completa✨
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
This read like a villain origin story as Zhu keeps chasing her greatness through evil deeds at the end. I really want to see if she joins forces with the eunuch to overthrow the emperor.