𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓-𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏 - review

A gorgeous, epic fantasy that is both beautiful and ruthless in its execution

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Fantasy

This book is easily one of my favourite books of all time.

Let me explain. (Warning: this will be a long review because I have ✨thoughts✨.)

𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔:

14th Century China is under Mongol rule. A starving young girl with no name is foretold a fate of “nothingness”, until her family is killed and she assumes her brother’s identity so she can survive and inherit his fate of “greatness”. And so begins her rise to power that propels her into a collision course with a rebellious faction and the ruthless eunuch General Ouyang of the Mongol army. And her need to survive might just evolve into the need to become someone great – no matter the cost...

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:

'She Who Became the Sun' has amazing prose that reads like poetry and is masterful in its scope, language and lyricism.

There was not a single moment where the standard of writing faltered, and each chapter shone with amazing lines that I would reread in awe. Parker-Chan also does so well to create tension in their interplay of psychological versus the supernatural that keeps the reader guessing.

And the characters! Zhu and General Ouyang in particular have such great realised internal monologues with a strong sense of their inner conflict and desires that makes the reader care for them so much.

You root for all of Zhu’s impossible optimism and sheer determination to rise and become emperor. You feel all of Ouyang’s hidden pain and his need for revenge on his rulers, despite the love he feels for the very person he vowed vengeance upon.

This book is an epic, masterful retelling of the rise of the Chinese Emperor with a splash of fantasy, with fantastically realised characters who are ready to bend fate itself and an emotional punch.

'She Who Became the Sun' and the sequel 'He Who Drowned the World' are out now!

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/av4UMbR