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melliedm's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infertility, Slavery, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
jessiereads98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The most compelling part of this story was the character of Ouyang and his relationships. That being said, I would still cut Ouyang’s story from the book entirely. I see how he works as a mirror to Zhu’s character, but him and his story aren’t necessary. This book is too long with too many POVs that are wholly unnecessary and while technically they come into contact occasionally, they really aren’t that relevant to each other. No POV adds anything to the others. The jumps between POVs are also extremely jarring at times. Overall, I found it difficult to care about any character due to a lack of consistent characterization and constant jumps.
There’s no real payoff from the magic here. This is heavy on the military and light on the fantasy to the point where for me it drops to more magical realism than true fantasy. This was really disappointing since it had potential. However, almost every time
I can recognize the writing in this book on its own is objectively, technically very well done. However, it still reads very dry and drags for about 300-350 pages. The ending was good, but it wasn’t worth the rest of the book. This ended up feeling like an excessively elaborate and unnecessary set up for whatever is going to happen in the sequel.
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, Vomit, Alcohol, and Colonisation
rocky41_7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
- Enjoy morally gray/amoral protagonists--both Zhu and Ouyang do shady to outright horrifying things in pursuit of their goals.
- Want queer relationships--won't give spoilers on this but again, both Zhu and Ouyang have queer experiences ,
- Enjoy a historical setting that leans into the contemporary cultures--we get a good look both at the culture of the Mongols and of the southern Chinese.
- Like heavily detailed stories--my only real criticism of the novel is that it often skims over things I would have liked explored in more depth.
- Like a happy ending--of course this is only 1 of 2 books, but based on how it's going, I would not hold out hope for a happy end. The end of this first novel was not an uncomplicated victory.
- Prefer romance to be a core of the story--as noted there are queer relationships here, but for the most part they are not the central part of the novel.
Graphic: Sexual content and War
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
madiiilm's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Going more in-depth, I thought Zhu and Ouyang in particular are very well-developed and interesting characters. I really enjoyed reading about them and the connection they have due to their gender non-conformity. Despite this common experience, their individual histories have led them to see the world very differently. For Zhu, her choice to present as a man is what freed her and allowed for not only her survival,
Despite how interesting I found these characters and their stories, I did find the middle portion of this book hard to get through. There was a lot of dialogue and politics without any action in between to keep me engaged. In fact, there were two battles that happened completely off-page, which I found very frustrating. I wanted to know what happened to the characters in battle. What part did they play? How did they grow and change during them? We don't really know. For a book that takes place in wartime with commanding officers as lead characters, there is very little emphasis on the battles that can change the tides of war. I also didn't love all the head hopping. It is definitely not the most egregious example, but I wish we stuck with just Zhu and Ouyang since they are the character that encapsulate the story and theme. The other POVs just dragged on for me. Despite my critiques, I did enjoy this book and look forward to reading the sequel.
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Vomit
marsh_mall0w's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol
khaleesiofthegreatwhitenorth's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Moderate: Dysphoria and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
cmbohn's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Violence, and Death of parent
augustar14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's difficult for a book this long not to feel slow paced. There was plenty of action that got me through, but it still overall felt a little slow.
I also struggle with the main character and her actions/choices at times. I understand her motivations and that her situation is complex, difficult, and influenced by significantly different cultural beliefs. And, at the same time, it is painful to see her grow into the person she becomes. The parallels with the eunuch general are fascinating, and I do plan to at least try to read to sequel to see where that thread goes. His story and decisions are painful to follow, though, too. Overall, it is a difficult read, one that offers little reward for the suffering and pain it puts the reader through. It is not a happily ever after story.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Excrement and Vomit
megb64's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent