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

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have just found my new favourite book. It had everything I could ever want: women rising up and smashing the glass ceiling the patriarchy created; queer undertones that were not important to overshadow the overarching plot but normalised in a beautiful and natural way; Chinese history (of course, not 100% accurate, but it definitely sparked my own train of research into the real Zhu Chongba); even from the fact that the main character herself was riddled with flaws despite all of her strengths. A true antihero if ever there was one. 

I loved the switching of the points of view, understanding the same story from different characters, including the characters who were seemingly the enemy. And the plot twists were very much unpredictable  and I found myself in almost every chapter after the halfway mark having to pick my jaw from the floor from reading them.  

I loved this book and I'm so excited for the sequel!