She Who Became the Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Published by: Tor Books
Pages: 414
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★★
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty plain, a seer shows two children their fates. For a family's eighth-born son, there's greatness. For the second daughter, nothing.
In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule. And when a bandit raid wipes out their home, the two children must somehow survive. Zhu Chongba despairs and gives in. But the girl resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes her dead brother's identity and begins her journey.
Can Zhu escape what's written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the land? Or can she claim her brother's greatness - and rise as high as she can dream?
In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule. And when a bandit raid wipes out their home, the two children must somehow survive. Zhu Chongba despairs and gives in. But the girl resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes her dead brother's identity and begins her journey.
Can Zhu escape what's written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the land? Or can she claim her brother's greatness - and rise as high as she can dream?
My thoughts:
She Who Became the Sun is the first book in Radiant Emperor duology, and it’s a reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The year is 1345, in a famine-stricken village, two children are given two fates; the boy—Zhu Chongba—is destined for greatness, and the girl is fated to become nothing.
However, when a bandit attacks this village and orphans the two children, Zhu Chongba succumbs to despair and dies. The girl, with a burning desire to survive no matter what it takes, decides to take Zhu Chongba’s name and steal her brother’s fated greatness.
Shelley Parker-Chan’s book is elaborate, complex, with exceptional historical representation and I’m honestly shocked this is a debut.
I was hooked from the very beginning by the language, storytelling, and character development. The story line is certainly intriguing - a young girl born into poverty takes on her brother’s identity after he and her father die. Posing as a young boy she is able to gain admittance to a monastery and so is able to survive.
Through the author’s lyrical writing, tensions, dialogues, atmosphere, and emotions are conveyed effectively, and the pacing of the narrative flowed naturally throughout the book.
The exploration of gender and identity was totally absorbing. Gender identity is at the core of the book, and it’s skilfully woven into the dual storyline. Together with Zhu’s single-minded determination to achieve what she believes is her rightful destiny, whatever the cost, it makes for an intriguing and utterly gripping novel.
The characters are complex and powerfully defined, each with their own distinctive voice. Zhu Chongba was undoubtedly the main highlight of the book for me. Her resilience, her cunning, and her desire to live were nothing short of inspiring. I’m not saying that I agree with all her decisions, but Parker-Chan’s way of portraying Zhu’s motivation to the readers was so superbly written that I can’t help but felt that I understood. It′s interesting to see how Zhu′s character changes, and what she′s prepared to do to keep her secret. It starts off with small transgressions, but as she wants more, the costs become higher. The contrast with Ma, another kinder female character, later in the book highlights that as she achieves more success and fame, she loses more of her humanity. I found that I went from wishing her success to feeling sadness at the actions she was taking.
There is also a story of the Eunuch Ouyang, a general in the Yuan forces, whose story interweaves with Zhu′s, and which also shows that achieving what you are striving for may not being you any happiness.
This is a gripping tale of rising to power, fate, betrayals and the bloody beginnings and endings of dynasties. It all makes for a thoroughly engrossing read; one of history and magic and destiny. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan is a novel destined for greatness.
Overall reaction: