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

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can’t believe how long it took me to read this book considering how much I love it. It has two POV characters who are in order the best and the worst person you’ll ever meet while also being parallels and character foils for each other. I’m still feeling so unhinged over them.

There’s Zhu, who is the *main* main protagonist that the book is named after. First of all, she has so much Gender stuff going on and would totally ID as NB if she subscribed to modern western labels. Alas it is 14th century China and she does not. The author did say they can’t comfortably describe her as a lesbian because of that though.

All I knew about her going in is that she has a fisting scene with another woman. However her main trait is that she’s absolutely ruthless. When you read the book you may think that she’s a normal amount of girlboss (NBboss?) ruthless but then you get to the end and think “holy shit she’s ruthless.” Commits crimes that some people including her own lover would consider irredeemable and she slays for it.

And of course the other POV, the Eunuch General Ouyang….my beloved. He is so bitter and pathetic and full of hate. I am enamored by whatever the hell is wrong with him. He is in love with his boy best friend and also fucking hates him. He is repressed and misogynistic and majorly dysphoric over being the most beautiful man alive. He longs to be understood but also wants to kill anyone who tries to understand him. He is the designer of his own tragedy and would gouge his own eyes out before doing anything that would make his own life remotely better. Ultimate meow-meow material.  <3

The two protagonists are on opposite sides of a war being waged between the Mongols and the rebelling Nanren people. One side hates bureaucracy and the few people willing to dedicate themselves to it so much that their entire empire is one assassination away from being in complete shambles. The other side is headed by people who betray and backstab their own leaders faster than they can replace them, also leading one to wonder how they continue to function. Both characters use this situation to facilitate their rise to power within the ranks, and as someone who lives for intrigue and corruption, it is entirely my thing.
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