Jul 11

Jul 11 She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, #1)

Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Publisher: Tor Books
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

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 uses the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles; an accomplished, poetic debut of war and destiny, sweeping across an epic alternate China.

TL;DR Review

She Who Became the Sun is a sweeping, poetic, impressive novel. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was so good.

For you if: You want to add more non-western fantasy books to your shelf.

Full Review

“She Who Became the Sun is a reimagining of the defeat of China’s Mongol conquerors and the founding of the Ming dynasty, and unlike real history it comes with one guarantee: this throne will be won by someone who is neither straight, nor white, nor a man.” — Shelley Parker-Chan

She Who Became the Sun is one of the most anticipated fantasy books of the year (it comes out July 20), billed as Mulan meets The Song of Achilles. So obviously I had to get my hands on it immediately. It was not what I was expecting — there aren’t actually very many fantasy elements — but it was soooo impressive and well done.

The story centers on two characters. As a child, Zhu was given a destiny of nothingness while her brother was given a destiny of greatness. When he gives up on life and casts his destiny aside, she decides to take it for her own. Disguised as her brother, Zhu will do absolutely anything it takes to survive and achieve greatness. Ouyang, a eunuch, is a general in the Mongol army and the closest friend of the prince’s son. He, too, hurtles toward what he believes is his destiny, even though it will destroy everything he holds dear.

First things first: If you’re not usually a fantasy reader, don’t be intimidated by this one. The fantasy aspects of the book are more like historical legend than magic — destiny, ghosts, divine right to rule. The fantastic elements could change and deepen in the next book (I could definitely see it happening), but for now it’s more like historical magical realism. Fantasy readers looking for sweeping magic systems, fast pacing, and a hero’s journey storyline will be disappointed, however. That said, this book is such an accomplishment.

Inspired by Chinese and Korean historical TV dramas, Greek mythology, Arthurian legend, and more, Parker-Chan describes their book as “a glorious eastern-western mashup that reflects my own identity as a mixed-race member of the Chinese diaspora.” That it definitely is, and I loved this book for it.

Finally, of course, one can’t review this book without touching on the deep, tender, powerful way Parker-Chan weaves gender into their characters and the story overall, with two main characters who are nowhere near a binary gender identity. Also, I could read Parker-Chan’s poetic, storyteller voice forever. You should too!!