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A review by cvbattum
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm having a hard time collecting my thoughts on this book. On one hand, the writing is quite sublime, but on the other, it didn't quite go the places I was hoping it would go.
The most interesting aspect of the book is how the protagonist deals with their gender, and how this is reflected in the antagonist. There are some insanely good and powerful scenes written about this, which deserve all the praise coming their way and then some. This especially picked up speed toward the end of the second part, and I was totally engrossed by that point, even through a lot of the boring war-politics I didn't care much for.
But then, the final part of the book felt like a sore let-down. After much of the inner conflict in characters got resolved in the second part, in the next part it felt like all of it had been undone and reverted, and some characters lost their entire depth and appeal. It's not that I'm upset that these characters didn't become better people in the end. Not all books are about that and this one certainly isn't either. Some of it definitely has thematic purpose and executes it well. But I didn't feel this makes up for the complete lack of depth by the end.
Despite this, I would recommend this book, even if only for its middle part. There are many compelling explorations that make it worth a shot, and other people than me could maybe see the end in a slightly brighter or more nuanced light :)
The most interesting aspect of the book is how the protagonist deals with their gender, and how this is reflected in the antagonist. There are some insanely good and powerful scenes written about this, which deserve all the praise coming their way and then some. This especially picked up speed toward the end of the second part, and I was totally engrossed by that point, even through a lot of the boring war-politics I didn't care much for.
But then, the final part of the book felt like a sore let-down. After much of the inner conflict in characters got resolved in the second part, in the next part it felt like all of it had been undone and reverted, and some characters lost their entire depth and appeal. It's not that I'm upset that these characters didn't become better people in the end. Not all books are about that and this one certainly isn't either. Some of it definitely has thematic purpose and executes it well. But I didn't feel this makes up for the complete lack of depth by the end.
Despite this, I would recommend this book, even if only for its middle part. There are many compelling explorations that make it worth a shot, and other people than me could maybe see the end in a slightly brighter or more nuanced light :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny