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A review by andromeda_1998
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
She who became the sun is an epic novel about Zhu’s journey towards greatness. Eventhough the endpoint of the duology is clear, the writer was able to make this book unpredictable. The writing is impeccable and this book is a really good recommendation for lovers of the poppy war. What is it that makes this book so great?
Characters
Zhu is a strong character that has come a long way in the journey to find themselves. Eventhough she does some despicable things, you will still find yourself rooting for her. This book has muliple pov’s, and eventhough I liked Ouyangs story less I do think it’s an important pov to have. It transforms Ouyang from a mythical angry general into a hurt and damaged men who’s trying to take revenge for what has been done to his family.
Ma Yingzi is one of the characters I liked less. She is nothing more than the empathetic woman who follows Zhu trough her troubles and I would have loved for her to have more moments where she would show her desires for life.
Worldbuilding
This book is a genderbended retailing of the ascension of Zhu Yuanzhuang, the first emperor of the Ming dynasty. It has fantasy elements, and it has been done beautifully. The story focuses a lot on political games and can be a bit hard to read but in the end it’s worth it.
Writing
The writing is beautifully done. There are some amazing quotes in this book!
Story
Like I said before the story focuses on political games and war themes. It has some big triggerwarnings and the book can be very heavy to read.
Recommendations
If you loved this book I would recommend you the poppy war but also the priory of the orange tree. The poppy war and she who became the sun are closer together but this kind of epic story also fits in very well with the priory of the orange tree
Characters
Zhu is a strong character that has come a long way in the journey to find themselves. Eventhough she does some despicable things, you will still find yourself rooting for her. This book has muliple pov’s, and eventhough I liked Ouyangs story less I do think it’s an important pov to have. It transforms Ouyang from a mythical angry general into a hurt and damaged men who’s trying to take revenge for what has been done to his family.
Ma Yingzi is one of the characters I liked less. She is nothing more than the empathetic woman who follows Zhu trough her troubles and I would have loved for her to have more moments where she would show her desires for life.
Worldbuilding
This book is a genderbended retailing of the ascension of Zhu Yuanzhuang, the first emperor of the Ming dynasty. It has fantasy elements, and it has been done beautifully. The story focuses a lot on political games and can be a bit hard to read but in the end it’s worth it.
Writing
The writing is beautifully done. There are some amazing quotes in this book!
Story
Like I said before the story focuses on political games and war themes. It has some big triggerwarnings and the book can be very heavy to read.
Recommendations
If you loved this book I would recommend you the poppy war but also the priory of the orange tree. The poppy war and she who became the sun are closer together but this kind of epic story also fits in very well with the priory of the orange tree
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Sexism, War, and Animal death