Reviews with content warning for Gore - She Who Became the Sun

I absolutely love this book I went into it not knowing what I would get not really expecting anything but it was so good. The characters their motivations the way that the story represents their motivation not only physically but mentally and spiritually also is just so amazing I love the format of the book. The way that characters genders and sexual orientations influence the plot and the way that they speak to not only themselves but others is absolutely stunning.

in the book The main character adopts the name of her dead brother by proxy also adopting the state that a fortune teller gave him which was greatness and renouncing the Fate that the fortune teller gave her which was nothing . Throughout most of the book the main character struggles coping with the fact that she was not born a man and that the heavens May recognize this and see what she had done and renounce her fate and kill her. I love the after the main character gets her arm cut off she becomes a new person . She is no longer in the mental space of I need to be someone I am not or I will die instead she sees herself as a different person entirely not the little girl that was subsequently buried that day not the dead brother that she stole the life of instead she is something else entirely not a man not a woman . I love that her wife except her as who she is physically but has a hard time accepting the fact that she will have to sacrifice the empathy that the main character loves so much so that she can stay with the main character who is just going on a killing spree.

It is challenging and amazing and I love it.

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sillita's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

spootilious's review against another edition

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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

kshertz's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring slow-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? No

3.0

This book has excellent reviews, leading me to believe this is a me problem. I love historical fiction with lgbtqia+characters. But somewhere along the way I started getting confused about the characters and the genders. It led to me not really being invested in the outcome and skimming a lot of the book. I think a lot went over my head too. It’s a strong story with lots of layers, maybe just not for a casual reader.

Content Warnings