She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
She Who Became the Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback via Page 1 Books subscription
Publish Date: July 2021
Read: January 2023
Favorite Quote: But you know what's worse than suffering? Not suffering, because you're not even alive to feel it.
Story Synopsis: In fourteenth-century China/Mongolia, Zhu Chongba, a woman, narrowly escapes death and takes up her brother’s name, and lives as a monk to survive. When her monastery is destroyed, Zhu seeks refuge with the rebels who seek to defeat the Great Yuan. Zhu must constantly balance her ambition as a leader with how others perceive men and women. When the chance at greatness is placed in front of Zhu to grab, she must decide if fate will rule her, or if she will rule herself.
Why does this book beguile? Parker-Chan's debut novel is rich with imagery and beautifully addresses women's agency, identity, and choices in fourteenth-century China. A quest for power, love, and balancing fate and ambition drive the characters in the first of The Radiant Emporer series.
Rating: 5/5