A review by nicdoeswords
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Sweeping, evocative, complicated, dense, resonant... hooooly cow. Parker-Chan engages with gender and power on a level I'm not sure I've read before in a fantasy novel. Our protagonist, Zhu, uses her ambiguous gender to her advantage as she seeks to fulfill her stolen fate: greatness, sparing no cost.