Reviews

• Gorgeous historical fantasy with amazing AAPI and queer representation

  A fire-brushed journey of one person desperate for survival and one person desperate for revenge - neither of whom fit into their society’s definition of man or woman, each desiring a singular goal that they will pay any price to achieve. Parker-Chan immediately pulls you into Zhu and Ouyang's journeys as they both struggle with their individual assigned fates - one struggles to defy it, and the other struggles to accept it. It's hard to not be invested in these characters - dismissed and rejected from their society, you find yourself rooting for them as they navigate the traditional masculine powers of their world. And the Chinese cultural and historical elements of this book!!! There is glorious Asian and queer representation here and I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT. To read this novelization of the end of the Yuan dynasty was a personal journey of revelations. As an Asian American child, I grew up reading plenty of wonderful fantasy and fiction that was unfortunately lacking in diversity. Recently I’ve come across new fantasy releases written by Asian authors, each heavily inspired and influenced by Asian culture –but never to the degree that She Who Became the Sun is. Perhaps it’s by dint of the book being a historical fantasy – but I came to love that the book far from shies away from the pure Asian-ness of its content, refusing for the most part to Anglicize place, people, and object names, or choose names more receptive to English audiences. Anyone who has paid attention to how Asian-ness is portrayed in fiction will know that most media mention jade and silk and emperors and concubines and call it a day. This book names MULTIPLE ethnic groups – the Manji, the Nanren, the Hu – and mentions Jingdezhen porcelain and Piangjiang brocade! Not to mention the core tenets of Eastern thought threaded throughout – “The debt children owed to their parents was incalculable; it could never be repaid”, and “The mutilation of one’s precious, ancestor-given body […] it was nothing less than the complete destruction of the pride and honor that made a man’s life worth living.” There is so much rich Asian history and culture to explore with fiction – and yet even I have spent years recoiling from writing or referencing anything “too Asian” for fear of it being met with dismissal. For decades, Hollywood and publishers rejected Asian characters and narratives as undesirable, unmarketable, unsellable. To see the wave of Asian fantasy writers and to experience this particular book with its lush world that lives and BREATHES Chinese culture – I am struck with a feeling of immense pride and delight. The sequel, He Who Drowned the World, has just been released, and withhthe ending of She Who Became the Sun being a rather imperfect HEA, I'm beyond excited to see where these characters go in the second and final book of this duology. Some of my Favorite Lines: “The heat as most unbearable in the late afternoon, when the sun slashed backhanded across the village, as red as the last native emperor’s Mandate of Heaven.” (pg 17) “All that was left of the original city were ghosts and a handful of two-story mansions, their glowing upper windows rising up in the blue gloom like river ships at night.” (pg 104) “The light from both camps reflected off the clouds and silvered the tips of the rushing black water beneath the bridge.” (pg 118)

• A real page turner

  Not normally my type of book but the title appealed to me and I’m so glad it did an excellent read I really enjoyed it and would like to by the author in future

• I had big expectations for this book and they were all met

  Well, calling this book ambitious might be an understatement. But: it delivers. The characters were all interesting, but Zhu was simply perfection. I do like morally grey characters quite a bit and Zhu was written so well; Zhu's desire to escape a destiny of nothingness at all costs made it really easy to root for this character, especially considering the way women were treated in that time period. I also enjoyed this belief in fate, destiny that all characters had; it was very fascinating to read about. I had big expectations for this book before I read it because I love Chinese dramas and this seemed like the book version of one and I have to say that they were all met. I can't wait for the sequel!

• buen libro

  me gustaría que los libros llegaran mejor protegidos pero por lo demás todo perfecto

• Varför finns det inga drakar!

  Min bokklubbsbok. Bra och läsvärd men första delen är bättre än den senare hälften. Var verkligen investerad i första delen sen så vet jag inte riktigt vad som hände. Kändes lite som en annan bok. Och varför har de inte tagit med drakar. Kändes som den perfekta boken för det.

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