liiivrro_jd 's review for:

Ella que llegó a ser el sol by Shelley Parker-Chan

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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God. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve read a book as exciting as it was challenging. I know NOTHING of Chinese history or customs and I took it all in like a sponge until the names felt as familiar as relatives and I could see the cities clearly in my imagination. Ever since I “saw” Ma for the first time I recognized her as an equal. The relationships and parallels in this book between characters, the way their destinies intertwine it was exciting. Shelley Parker has such a clear and yet specifically nuanced way of describing emotions. Those were probably my favorite things. I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed the war aspect because the strategies are a more abstract concept to me than reincarnation or Buda but the characters. Oh the characters! Their inner conflict and their angst has had me hooked. One book down one to go!