Review: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

This was pitched as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles, and it was that and so much more. A glorious epic in every sense of the word. Fate is a tricky thing, and after hearing a fortune teller give reference to her brother’s destiny for greatness, the girl expects to hear very much the same. However, her own destiny is revealed to be just that: nothing. While her brother is fated to rise up and leave his mark upon the world, she is expected to fade from view, unremembered. Starving and desperate, an unexpected event changes the trajectory of her entire future. She takes her chance, seizing her brother’s identity and assuming his fate in the process. Under this new circumstance, she may just find freedom, glory, and a way to change her destiny forever.

She Who Became the Sun is, simply put, a masterpiece of a debut. It’s a powerful, evocative, and brutal high fantasy that will leave you utterly wrecked and begging for more. Parker-Chan blends history with fiction in this sweeping story that chronicles Zhu Yuanzhang’s ascent to power and the rise of the Ming Dynasty in 14th century China. It’s the perfect novel for anyone looking for complex characters set amid a backdrop where loyalties are tested and the stakes are high. The lyrical prose paints a vibrant picture of a war-torn period, reimagined, but ultimately true to its roots. Right from the get-go, I was pulled into the ambitious nature of the narrative amidst its definitive passion and decisive action. I straight up devoured this in under a few hours and then realized I would have to suffer in silence since none of my friends had finished reading. What it means to be an arc reviewer am I right? The exploration of gender and gender identity, tied up in a story that is so brilliantly queer, is the true hero of all of this though. There was a very nuanced conversation taking place within the novel, that I appreciate and can tell will be carried over into the next installment. To see a character that was not only flawed and determined but honest with themselves about their own identity and who they are was incredibly powerful to read. Looking forward to seeing just how that evolves in the next book. And my God, that ending. So devastatingly beautiful it may just keep me up for the next few nights. If we’re lucky, otherwise I may not ever get to experience sleep again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Trigger warnings: starvation, death, abuse, public execution, mass death, misgendering, ableist language, dysphoria, life-altering injury, offscreen murder of a child

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