She Who Became the Sun

The Mongolians are written in this book in a way that feels like it's consistent with the Wuxia novels that inspired the author, but also in ways that feels like they are ignoring internalized prejudices from those novels - the writers of those works had their own biases, possibly unexamined, about Mongolians as a people, or at least the history of those people, that put them into some of the same archetypes that white fantasy and science fiction writers are (justifiably) criticized for using when writing “Proud Warrior Race” characters and cultures.

It feels like the the author is reproducing those stereotypes from those works uncritically.

Didn't really do much for me.

Zhu was incredibly boring to me. I wish she had more interests outside of “become great.” Ouyang was so interesting and I would have preferred his story to take more precedence.

No clue if I'll be reading the sequel. I really loved the Author's prose and some of the Gender Things, but I'm not sure if I want to invest the time into reading. We will seeee

the first three chapters were really interesting but honestly i was bored the rest of the time

mulan meets song of achilles??

i cannot even put into words how excited i am for this

I think I need to read this in order to enjoy it properly. I feel like with the audiobook I'm missing too much detail. 

This book just isn't for me.

She Who Became the Sun immerses you in a world that is brimming with ambition and fate, where each step forward is an equal mix of calculated act and a desperate gamble. Shelley Parker-Chan's narrative emphasizes the extent to which one may go to evade oblivion, rather than rushing through grandiose battles or sweeping conquests.

The novel's force is largely derived from the quiet weight that bears down on its protagonist, a character who is resolute in her pursuit of a destiny that no one ever intended for her to have. Each decision, alliance, and secret kept is influenced by this weight. The tension is not solely a result of the changing political landscapes; it is also a result of the internal conflicts that lie beneath each decision—ambition, once it has been ignited, rarely dissipates without a struggle.

Nevertheless, the cadence may require adjustment for some readers. The narrative frequently lingers in contemplative, reflective moments, which necessitates a slower pace than more action-oriented fantasies. However, those pauses are instrumental in revealing the characters' vulnerabilities—every yearning, every regret, and every deliberate risk where they can't afford to lose. The emotional beats resonate with a greater intensity than mere spectacle if you are willing to adapt to this measured tempo.

She Who Became the Sun unfolds as a tapestry of yearning, identity, and the unwavering desire to emerge from the shadow of insignificance by the novel's final stretch. Its influence persists beyond the final page, serving as a reminder that survival in the most challenging circumstances is a testament to an unyielding, implacable will.

I was worried that the length of this book would be an issue. But, not at all. The story was gripping enough for the pages to fly by; I was quite engrossed in the tale. Not knowing much about the actual historical facts was not a problem either; in fact, I think that helped me enjoy the tale even more. I am generally against the forced inclusion of new-age tropes, but in this book, everything seemed to flow so well together. I now see that I’m not anti-anything as a rule: all I want is a well-told story, whatever the themes/tropes. Loved this book.

Update after reading the sequel - went from 4 stars to 2.25 on this. I wish I'd skipped the duology. The writing itself was interesting enough I'll try another book later.

Interesting debut. I liked this enough to go straight into the sequel, but if I hadn't waited until the sequel was out and there was any delay, I don't think I would have gone on. I wasn't that interested in Ouyang - sympathetic and glad when he got revenge, but just wasn't interested in that storyline; I liked Zhu Chongba better before the sudden promotion to army commanding, though the decisions were still interesting. I know nothing about the history this is based on, but it was still interesting enough to keep me reading - though, again, I don't think I'd go on to the sequel if it wasn't already out, based on this. 

I'm normally averse to the concept of fate, in books and in life -> this story is an exception. It's riviting from the start, and the queer themes are also excellent. Highly recommend.

Heavyhanded, at times. Clumsy exposition through dialog, at times. Preposterous ... at times. Also gripping, beautifully written, well paced, compassionate, pragmatic, morally flexible, and unputdownable.

A smorgasbord of characters, all of them with strong drives: for power, revenge, justice, kindness; sometimes in odd proportions. I realize that makes it sound like a boring palace war intrigue blah blah soap opera, and there's quite a bit of that, but there's SO much more: the more interesting characters are profound. Worth journeying with: they keep the reader on their toes. They grow in unexpected ways.

Not for me. The setting and characters had so much room for interesting exploration, but the characters in this book don't change at all throughout the decades long story. 

3.5

it was a disaster for me. wish i knew it wouldn't be my thing from the start. war and lots of politics. it was written in a good way though, just not my thing. i enjoyed reading about zhu's character but that was all.

Very nice, good, quick read.
I like how they treated the identities. I like how they presented ruthlessness, as a cold necessity, not without feelings, but in spite of them.
I like the hunger.

I wasn't sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to find a quality adventure story blending historical fiction and fantasy. And written by an Australian author! And with very cool character exploration around gender identity, bodies, and sexuality.
I'm not usually one for war stories but I was engrossed, and I think that's testament to the complex character development and intrigues.
I've heard good things about the sequel so will check it out.
Apparently Shelley Parker-Chan's inspo was period K-dramas and C-dramas but I think their characters are much sexier, morally complex, and grittier than you'd see on TV whilst retaining all the fun melodrama and plot twists.

I wanted to like it more but the formal, distanced writing style made that kind of difficult. I also found it frustrating in part 2 trying to keep track of who is who, and giving up haha. It feels like some of the deception in part 3 at the end would have been more meaningful if I had done a better job of keeping track of all the names, but nooope. The Esen/Ouyang ending was a big oooof and I felt pretty bad for Wang (Esen's bro), given how everyone expected him to betray them, and he did not (directly anyway).

For Zhu's story, I liked how she spoke as a monk later on, but it was pretty hard to imagine that being the same character as the girl from the start, which I suppose is the point. There was just a lot of suspension of disbelief over army commanders giving her a battalion of her own just because she showed up, or even allowing a monk to get married??

I'm just glad Xu Da didn't die

2.5 stars

i liked the characters and the plot but it had too much political intrigue for my tastes. also wish the fantasy element was incorporated a bit more!

Such a great book! The characters are enticing and dynamic, the plot is full of life, and the themes are thought provoking. It reads like historical fiction with a sprinkle of fantasy. Very excited for whenever the sequel comes out.

This is a 4.5 star book that's been misfiled as fantasy. If I'd known it wasn't fantasy, I wouldn't have read it.

The 2 stars represent my enjoyment not on the quality. While it was well written. I felt bummed out and angry though the book. The last few chapters have some very upsetting events I can't make peace with.

dnfed at 6%. not my taste.

that was... an experience
I've never read anything quite like that before, and the queer rep makes me unimaginably happy about having read this

Part 1 in the monastery was amazing and interesting and easy to follow. Slowly, I lost count of the characters and got them all mixed up. Ahhh the perks of an audiobook. It got pretty boring in between and I completely zoned out. Then we were at the ending all of a sudden?

This really wasn't good. It was all over the place and aimed to be too much without truly succeeding in any of it. I enjoyed the Ouyang storyline and found myself looking forward to his plot, however, I would wish for more backstory for such an essential character and more development. The Zhu storyline left me completely bored and unmoved and I had trouble keeping going even while listening to the audiobook. I do not see why this book is so hyped and cannot see the inclusiveness or progressiveness it's supposed to portray according to other reviews (maybe I'll get into that at a later time but there are just too many instances - like the only female-identifying important character in the book being the cliche stereotype of a princess - warm, emotional, caring and pushed around). And while I appreciate the unusual historical context, I need an engaging plot to actually want to read the book instead of just flipping open a history book.