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spootilious's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Read: December 17, 2023
Title: She Who Became The Sun
Title: She Who Became The Sun
Series: The Radiant Emperor #1
Genre: Fantasy / Historical Fiction / LGBT
Rating: 3 / 5
Review:
Review:
I went into this book looking to expand my reading to other cultures and in that aspect I wasn’t disappointed.
From the beginning this book had an entirely different feel than the fantasy novels I have been used to. There’s such a beautiful cadence to it and the cultural aspects from names and titles to imagery are breath taking. Shelley Parker-Chan is a stunningly talented artist!
With that being said there were some ups and downs with this book. First and perhaps my biggest complaint is the marketing (which has little to do with the book but) it was pitched as Song of Achilles meets Mulan. If you go into this book with the hope of that kind of story you be SORELY DISAPPOINTED. This is no love story, there are no ‘feel good’ moments. This is pain, sorrow, duty and ambition. There is no sugar or softness.
That isn’t to say there isn’t a romance, simply that the romance in the book is in the background and has very VERY little to do with the story.
Now, the thing I loved most about the novel is the exploration of the gender spectrum and the comparison and contrasting roles of the two main characters. I found it intriguing and something I haven’t seen in many books. Being cis I am curious how individuals that identify with these characters feel about their representation. I for one and simply happy to see it in a (for the most part) positive light.
I also feel that while Parker-Chan’s writing is what had me turning the pages, the plot was inconsistent and left something to be desired. The beginning and the end were certainly a meal but the middle felt like a fasting that lasted far too long. The book became very politically focused and with so many names to characters that weren’t very distinguishable that it all just formed into one incoherent blob I was forced to trudge through.
Again, that is not to say it was bad, simply that it was a struggle.
In fact, most of the characters were a bit formless, fading into the background until something important happened and I was forced to try and recall who they were. This also left the feeling of a disconnect with the characters. I never really warmed up to anyone or felt on edge. I don’t think I would have shed a tear if either of the main characters or their loved ones died and for me that it a tragedy when examining how stunningly well written this book is.
I hold out hope that book 2 will change my mind but regardless I recommend this book for anyone looking for stunning writing, multi-culturalism, beautiful imagery, and LGBT representation.
QUOTES: N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Vomit, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Child death, War, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Confinement, Cursing, Classism, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Suicide
ellenisntcool's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was such a roller coaster. At first, it felt like a five star, then after part one it went down to maybe a three or two, then the ending really brought this all together. If you liked poppy war, you'll definitely enjoy this so I'm very excited for the sequel.
Edit:
I'm going to start sitting with my thoughts for a few days before immediately rating it, as I don't like this as much as I thought I do.
Edit:
I'm going to start sitting with my thoughts for a few days before immediately rating it, as I don't like this as much as I thought I do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Sexual harassment, Death, Animal death, and Sexism
_forestofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and War
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, Child abuse, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Minor: Vomit and Child death
bashsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sometimes when I hear a bunch of hype for a book, I find that it makes my expectations so high that I can be nothing but disappointed when I read it. Thankfully, She Who Became the Sun well-earned its praise. I was blown away by how immersed in the time and setting it was, as well as the carefully-considered jumps between character perspectives. All of the characters were undeniably bad people... but they were also so easy to understand and sympathize with. And don't even get me started about all the deliciously complicated gender stuff happening for Zhu and Ouyang. I Love This Book, and I can't wait to read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Xenophobia, Ableism, Violence, War, Homophobia, Transphobia, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Classism, Death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child death, Alcohol, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Excrement and Vomit
navyredrose's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Vomit, Xenophobia, Torture, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death of parent, Classism, and Sexual content
Minor: Transphobia and Child death
teriodvarkova88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
forget the whole song of achilles crossover with mulan its more like the poppy war - she will do whaever it takes to get what she wants
there is a little bit of romance tho
.
.
.
.
.
zhu and ma have my heart<33
there is a little bit of romance tho
.
.
.
.
.
zhu and ma have my heart<33
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, Torture, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Grief, and War
percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
At the time of writing this, I have finished both She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned the World. I have no intention of spoiling either book in this review; I had just wanted to wait to write this after finishing the duology as I was interested if any of my opinions of the writing and characters would change.
I have heard a lot about this book online. I know it's fairly popular and heralded as a Sapphic masterpiece. It is definitely good, that's for certain. I don't feel like it was too over-hyped, though the Sapphic elements were not what expected. However, I still loved the Sapphic relationship and the dynamics between the two characters. It was interesting to see how they balanced each other.
I really really enjoyed the worldbuilding and characters, both were big strengths for the novel and what drew me in the most. Though sometimes I felt lost in the different cultures portrayed, it wasn't a constant feeling and the writing emphasized the important themes and points that meant that total understanding wasn't entirely necessary.
Zhu's POV was my favorite part of the book. While Ouyang had interesting sections as well, especially as we got to know his character and motivations, I'm a total sucker for "chosen one" tropes and Zhu is very similar to that in the way she chases her fate. Because of this, I definitely felt like there was a bit of an odd balance to the POVs and pacing, in addition to the fact that the book is overall a slow book. But I didn't mind once I got to the end. The end was so perfect to keep readers on their toes and maintain intrigue for the sequel, which is part of the reason I waited to write this: so that I could read the sequel right away!
Reading this actually made me want to reread similar books, like Wesley Chu's The Art of Prophecy and Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Anyways, if you're curious about She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan now that the sequel is out, I definitely think it is worth the read!
I have heard a lot about this book online. I know it's fairly popular and heralded as a Sapphic masterpiece. It is definitely good, that's for certain. I don't feel like it was too over-hyped, though the Sapphic elements were not what expected. However, I still loved the Sapphic relationship and the dynamics between the two characters. It was interesting to see how they balanced each other.
I really really enjoyed the worldbuilding and characters, both were big strengths for the novel and what drew me in the most. Though sometimes I felt lost in the different cultures portrayed, it wasn't a constant feeling and the writing emphasized the important themes and points that meant that total understanding wasn't entirely necessary.
Zhu's POV was my favorite part of the book. While Ouyang had interesting sections as well, especially as we got to know his character and motivations, I'm a total sucker for "chosen one" tropes and Zhu is very similar to that in the way she chases her fate. Because of this, I definitely felt like there was a bit of an odd balance to the POVs and pacing, in addition to the fact that the book is overall a slow book. But I didn't mind once I got to the end. The end was so perfect to keep readers on their toes and maintain intrigue for the sequel, which is part of the reason I waited to write this: so that I could read the sequel right away!
Reading this actually made me want to reread similar books, like Wesley Chu's The Art of Prophecy and Sue Lynn Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Anyways, if you're curious about She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan now that the sequel is out, I definitely think it is worth the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Vomit, Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexism, Violence, War, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual harassment and Religious bigotry
mpbookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Death of parent, Racism, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, War, Death, and Violence
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Excrement, Blood, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Animal death, Ableism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Sexual content, Vomit, Sexism, Grief, Dysphoria, and Child abuse
Minor: Medical content, Sexual violence, Body shaming, and Slavery
mal_eficent's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.0
This was good – and while I wish I could say it was really good, the last quarter let the rest of the story down for me. While the first third absolutely raced along, and the politics really started to get going in the middle, I found the end tried to be too clever. I felt too much happened off the page between perspectives to care about the sudden plots and connections.
The story also isn't nearly as romance heavy as the hype suggested – yes, there's romance that means a lot to the characters' development, but it's not the be all and end all of the plot. Instead most of the story was a very slow building political, military fantasy with great characters. Do I wish Zhu had been the only perspective, though? Yes. I'm not the biggest fan of multiple perspectives anyway, but Ouyang interrupted the most interesting moments of Zhu's perspective and felt like he was padding the story out more than offering insight.
Thanks to only seeing the hype and none of the marketing, I also didn't realise this was a historical retelling at all. If I hadn't looked up how to spell some of the names in the story (the joy of audiobooks) I would not have realised this was based on the founding of the Ming dynasty. Why was everyone talking about the Song of Achilles when the whole Ming dynasty exists? It makes so much more sense why this was shelved in my local bookstores as historical.
If you want a story that embraces its setting and time period, and that has some great politics you don't normally see in Western fantasy, definitely pick this up! If you want only a sapphic romance, the slower moments in the middle of this will drag for you.
The story also isn't nearly as romance heavy as the hype suggested – yes, there's romance that means a lot to the characters' development, but it's not the be all and end all of the plot. Instead most of the story was a very slow building political, military fantasy with great characters. Do I wish Zhu had been the only perspective, though? Yes. I'm not the biggest fan of multiple perspectives anyway, but Ouyang interrupted the most interesting moments of Zhu's perspective and felt like he was padding the story out more than offering insight.
Thanks to only seeing the hype and none of the marketing, I also didn't realise this was a historical retelling at all. If I hadn't looked up how to spell some of the names in the story (the joy of audiobooks) I would not have realised this was based on the founding of the Ming dynasty. Why was everyone talking about the Song of Achilles when the whole Ming dynasty exists? It makes so much more sense why this was shelved in my local bookstores as historical.
If you want a story that embraces its setting and time period, and that has some great politics you don't normally see in Western fantasy, definitely pick this up! If you want only a sapphic romance, the slower moments in the middle of this will drag for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Xenophobia and Misogyny
Minor: Vomit