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

slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

I feel really middle of the row about this book. I feel like Shelley Parker-Chan created some really interesting characters. They all had some pretty interesting arcs and I cannot deny that I was shook by the ending from how far these characters came. My favorite characters were definitely Ouyang and Ma - I felt as though they were two of the more developed characters we saw and had reasonable ambition that creeped up throughout the book. And something I think Parker-Chan did well was reflecting characters upon one another - which is a trope I love. The similarities between Ouyang and Zhu and their paths in life was really interesting to read and I love seeing how each chapter between the perspectives would mirror one another. I would finish one chapter and wonder how the other half of the plot would go. I also really enjoyed some of the discussion on gender and queerness - and this would be the only reason I would continue the series. The plot only picked up in the last 50 pages, which made it really hard to keep my interest. I did not like Zhu as a character and despite being the main POV, it felt more like things happened to her (even though she definitely had that ambitiousness I mentioned earlier, it just felt far from developed to me). Unfortunately, despite being super excited for this release, I was a little underwhelmed :( 
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