Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

28 reviews

bibliomania_express's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Grief, Genocide, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Torture, Racism, Gore, Xenophobia, War, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Death, Child death, Body horror, Blood, and Ableism

tbd24's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual violence, War, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Slavery, and Violence

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

tiernanhunter's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, War, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Cursing, Racism, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Blood

Minor: Death of parent, Genocide, Ableism, Xenophobia, Child death, and Classism

thewitchwhoisabook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child abuse, Ableism, Body shaming, Violence, Misogyny, Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, War, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia, Child death, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, and Grief

jodean's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

everyone should read this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Body horror, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Dysphoria, Death, Child death, War, Violence, Misogyny, Colonisation, Sexism, Body shaming, and Blood

Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Racism, Homophobia, Animal death, Trafficking, and Outing

Minor: Vomit and Excrement

raeb's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense 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: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, War, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Body horror, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Child death, Ableism, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Classism, Excrement, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Genocide

nicnevin's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Honestly stunning prose

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Slavery, Animal death, Body horror, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and War

kitkatkick's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

In her epic retelling of the rise of the Ming Dynasty in China, Shelly Parker-Chan gives us the story of Zhu, a young girl from a village on the brink of starvation, and her utter determination to not only survive, but to become great.

She Who Became the Sun was a fascinating, compelling read. Not being wildly plugged in to the literary community, I wasn’t aware of all the hype surrounding the book, which was apparently one of the most anticipated reads of the year, which I did not realize until finishing it was a historical retelling, and which is a notably queer read. I picked it up because StoryGraph recommended it and the summary sounded good. Knowing what I know now, I’m not surprised at all. It lives up to that excitement on all fronts.

To me, the most standout aspect of the book was the characters. They are not lovable and to me, few were sympathetic. But each one is so unique, and memorable, and in their own way compelling that I enjoyed reading about them all. Zhu, the main character, is written incredibly. At no point in the story do you stop feeling her sheer determination for her- or her brother’s- fate. From the very first chapter, she proves that she will do whatever it takes to survive, and we see her force of will grow from just feeding herself in the early book to creating her own dynasty. Zhu, however, is not the only character. We’re also blessed with Ma Yingzi, a hopeful young woman who refuses to give up on kindness as she eventually becomes Zhu’s love interest, and Xu Da, Zhu’s best friend from the monastery and the first person to know her secret after she leaves her hometown. Following the secondary storyline we are introduced to Esen, a charismatic Mongolian prince, and Ouyang, an enslaved eunuch who has become the most feared general in Esen’s army. And who also happens to be Prince Esen’s closest friend and confidante, despite the stark difference in their stations that Esen tries to ignore even as Ouyang cannot forget it. Ouyang’s quest to avenge the murder of his entire lineage at the hands of the Mongol king brings him face to face with Zhu across the lines of battle, the two stories intertwined but ultimately separating in a shocking twist. His contempt for the world around him and everyone in it is unmistakable, and his struggle with his feelings toward Esen remains engaging despite how long it takes to resolve itself.

On the topic of Ouyang’s feelings for Esen: is he gay? Are any of the characters? Is Zhu trans? These are questions that the author expertly brings forward without ever answering outright. Zhu continues to think of herself with she/her pronouns throughout the book, but clearly struggles with body dysmorphia and the idea of her gender, in a setting where the concept of being transgender, with or without naming it that way, does not seem to even exist to her. Given all these factors, a reader has the opportunity to form their own opinions regarding Zhu’s identity. Similarly, Ouyang and Esen’s relationship has very clear romantic facets, but the way both struggle with it and their relationships outside of each other leave similar room for interpretation. No question of gender, sexuality, or lack thereof is answered outright, and I feel this is a great credit to the book. It certainly shows off Parker-Chan’s skills as an author.

A brief aside because I don’t know where else to put it: there is one very, very detailed female/female sex scene that came up seemingly out of nowhere at the beginning of Part Three, Chapter 21. Personally, it threw me off and felt out-of-place. It’s probably the number one thing I disliked most about the book. These scenes are typically just fine with me, but such graphic detail so abruptly threw me enough that I skipped over it.

On the technical front, Parker-Chan does a phenomenal job keeping an admittedly long book compelling and well-paced. She does not shy away from the complex issues of the period. Topics including starvation, class struggles, religion, and straight-up war are given attention that I rarely see in books, addressing them without either diluting or needlessly glorifying them. The author uses detail judiciously, alternating between visceral and vague. It kept the setting real without making it sickening. At no point did feel left out for my lack of knowledge of Chinese history. As I mentioned previously, I had no idea that this was a retelling of the life of a real person, proving that the book stands perfectly as it’s own story. The added knowledge and subsequent “Ohhhhh” moment was just a plus.

She Who Became the Sun was, hands-down and no question, a worthwhile read. I will highly recommend it to anyone looking for a deeper and more complex story than the average quick read. It is not, however, a book I fell in love with. Instead, it felt like reading one of the great literary classics. It challenges the mind and inspires deeper thought than perhaps a more modern-style or less technical book would. Woe be to university students whose professors find this, because I can see it becoming required reading for years to come. The historical and cultural background, the opportunities for discussion and interpretation around the characters, and the complex themes of fate and survival could fill generations of book reports, analyses, and theses papers. This book blew my humble expectations out of the water and I’m willing to bet it did the same for people with even greater anticipation. A phenomenal experience to read, I can see it becoming a staple of literary discussion for quite a long time to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual content, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Toxic friendship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Violence, and War

Moderate: Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, and Genocide

qwerty88's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Murder, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Violence, and War

Minor: Homophobia, Colonisation, Death of parent, Grief, Ableism, Child death, Animal death, Death, Medical trauma, Outing, and Alcohol