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A review by literatehedgehog
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Magical realism historical military drama... That's sort of a genre, right? But who needs to fit into categories anyway?!
Take the complex conniving of Shogun (with maybe a pinch of the Godfather?), and the military plotting of Ender's Game, and a gloriously queer adult kind of Mulan, and you might get a taste of this sweeping epic.
I wouldn't have minded a character list with the map, but I eventually turned the pages so fast I couldn't forget who was who. If you have to pick up and put down this 400 pager often, it may be harder to keep track of who is where and how they last betrayed that other person.
I'm curious about the second book in this duology, but nervous it will be more court intrigue and sexualized power posturing...
Take the complex conniving of Shogun (with maybe a pinch of the Godfather?), and the military plotting of Ender's Game, and a gloriously queer adult kind of Mulan, and you might get a taste of this sweeping epic.
I wouldn't have minded a character list with the map, but I eventually turned the pages so fast I couldn't forget who was who. If you have to pick up and put down this 400 pager often, it may be harder to keep track of who is where and how they last betrayed that other person.
I'm curious about the second book in this duology, but nervous it will be more court intrigue and sexualized power posturing...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Torture, and Fire/Fire injury