“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 uses takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.
⤖ My Review ⬻
I remember when first reading the synopsis for She Who Became the Sun thinking that although it didn’t give me too much about the plot (especially since I’m unfamiliar with much of the history that would have been important to understanding the time period and/or setting) something about the book still drew me in. I got a vague sense of what the storyline might be, and was all in for it.
As it turns out, I kind of misread the synopsis, and the storyline I assumed She Who Became the Sun would follow. So, I spent a bit of time I spent reading this book a little confused and also trying to recalibrate, haha. Once I got my footing, I was able to pay closer attention that what was happening.
Shelley Parker-Chan’s alternate China was super interesting to read about and wrap my mind around! I was definitely transported back to that time, and I think from this perspective, not knowing a lot of the history helped keep me in the dark, which in turn lead to more surprises for me—always a plus. I liked that She Who Became the Sun was unpredictable for me. The writing was great and the plot lines kept me entertained. The characters and how they developed also held my attention.
I’ll wrap things up here since I can’t go into any more detail without going into spoiler territory. Lastly, I was let feeling curious about what Parker-Chan might write next, and while looking into this found that She Who Became the Sun is actually part of a series rather than a standalone like I’d originally thought (insert clown emoji). The first book definitely left me feeling curious enough to keep an ear on the ground for what the second book will focus on as well as any other books Parker-Chan might write prior or after to the yet-untitled sequel.
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Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
