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A review by rebeccazh
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
4.0
This is a queer historical fantasy. I actually went through about 60% of the book thinking this is all totally made-up and not (heavily) inspired by history.
I really liked the relationship between Ma and Zhu -- the commentary on desire and greatness, the things they saw in each other and what they help each other do/become is so well-written. They have a great dynamic and their interactions are so compelling. I loved Zhu's exploration of gender.
Side note that the author knows Chinese and it shows because there were so many delightful phrases that were direct translations of actual Chinese idioms, words and phrases. I would 'hear' the Chinese word after reading it in English which was very fun.
I did find that the pace was a bit slow and the very descriptive writing style, while beautiful, got a bit draggy for me at times and I would skim to skip over to a more exciting part. I also struggled to connect to some of the main characters who seemed to lack distinct personalities sometimes.
I really liked the relationship between Ma and Zhu -- the commentary on desire and greatness, the things they saw in each other and what they help each other do/become is so well-written. They have a great dynamic and their interactions are so compelling. I loved Zhu's exploration of gender.
Side note that the author knows Chinese and it shows because there were so many delightful phrases that were direct translations of actual Chinese idioms, words and phrases. I would 'hear' the Chinese word after reading it in English which was very fun.
I did find that the pace was a bit slow and the very descriptive writing style, while beautiful, got a bit draggy for me at times and I would skim to skip over to a more exciting part. I also struggled to connect to some of the main characters who seemed to lack distinct personalities sometimes.