A review by chalkletters
She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

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

3.25

To keep things interesting, I make every effort not to read similar books too close together, but, actually, it’s always interesting when the universe intervenes. Reading (or watching) two stories with similar themes throws them into comparison with one another, which lights up different thoughts about them both. She Who Became the Sun and Devices and Desires are both low-magic military fantasies with characters who ruthlessly pursue their goals.

Of the two, She Who Became the Sun engages with its themes in a much more rounded way. Zhu Chongba is self-aware enough to self-describe as unempathetic, something which doesn’t seem as though it would occur to any of K J Parker’s characters. She Who Became the Sun is at its most charming in the early chapters, when Zhu’s ambitions are primarily her own continued survival. Fans of fantasy con artists will especially enjoy Zhu’s problem-solving at the monastery. Shelley Parker-Chan balances Zhu’s ability to compartmentalise emotions with other characters: both Ma Yingzi and General Ouyang have more than their fair share of emotional turmoil. 

Though Zhu continues to put her smarts to good use throughout, the middle of She Who Became the Sun is less engaging if you’re not a fan of military stories. Shelley Parker-Chan doesn’t go overboard with tactical battle details, but perhaps because of that the stakes don’t feel as immediate. The drama moves onto a much larger scale, and so loses some of the human interest. That said, the relationships on both sides play out in serpentine ways, elevating the subplots to the point where they are more rewarding than the plot is.

Towards the end, Shelley Parker-Chan weaves everything together into an ending that hits hard and really highlights Zhu’s journey, while still giving a sense of how far she has to go, and potentially, what depths she’ll have to reach to get there. Themes and characters coalesce, and its clear that the plot is well thought-through.

I just find, personally, I’m not that interested in where it’s going… This might be a book for readers who can engage with the themes on a more sophisticated level, because She Who Became the Sun feels like it will reward that level of attention.
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