Book: She Who Became The Sun

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan

“Becoming nothing was the most terrifying thing she could think of—worse even than the fear of hunger, or pain, or any other suffering that could possibly arise from life.”

She Who Became The Sun ~ Shelley Parker-Chan

BLURB

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.

REVIEW

She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan was an epic realistic historic fantasy tale. I really enjoyed the character diversity and the LGBTQ+ representation. I liked how each character had a chance to show their true colors and loyalties. The Chinese and Mongolian elements were really interesting. My only big struggle was the middle of this tale. The pacing was slower for me and didn’t keep me very engaged. I really only got through the middle by wondering what was going to happen next with Ouyang. I found his character to be super interesting and hope that we get more of him in the next book!

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