I think we all know that I follow a lot of Bookstagram accounts; I read this novel because one of my favourite accounts recommended it. So, I trusted that account and read this book (technically I listened to it since I borrowed the e-audiobook from my local library) and I am very thankful because this book WAS AMAZING.
If you want a fate other than what Heaven gave you, you have to want that other fate. You have to struggle for it. Suffer for it.
She Who Became The Sun
Image taken from Goodreads.
In Mongol-occupied China, a peasant girl, Zhu, refuses to die. She's been ignored by her family and struggled to survive, her portion of food would often be given to her brother instead since her parents value boys over girls.
But then her brother dies.
So, Zhu steals her dead brother's identity and travels to a monastery to be a monk. There, she's promised food, education and shelter, more than anything her parents have ever given her.
The catch is that she needs to work for it. Greatness is achieved through hard work and Zhu works harder than any of the monks. But she needs to keep her identity a secret, if the monks discover that she's a girl then all her dreams for greatness will be shattered.
The storytelling, plot and writing was my favourite aspect of this novel. The writing is beautiful and vibrant. We get amazing aspects of world-building introduced to us as readers, as well as amazing depictions of Zhu's sadness and estrangement from the world. There is also a lot of political intrigue. Now, it's no secret that I love novels with political intrigue to add some extra complexity to the plot. So this novel was completely up my alley.
Zhu as a character is also very well written. Her grit and determination are what help her survive in a world that is structured to favour boys rather than girls. Reading her story is beautiful and heartbreaking as well. It's heartbreaking because at the heart of Zhu's story is that she is fighting against inequality. We also get a lot of moments and commentary on gender dysphoria. In short, there are a lot of great topics and moments included in this novel!
There is some issue with pacing. There were some sections of the novel that was boring and it did get hard to focus on the story. Now, there are two storylines here, I was very invested in Zhu's storyline that the other character's perspective ended up being a bit boring. This is where the pacing issues come in, sometimes the novel is fast-paced, they're at war, they're in battle, things are happening, and then in the following chapter, we get nothing. It was annoying but I did manage to get through the novel - it got interesting in the end, I promise!
Overall, it's a beautifully written novel with a lot of interesting topics and events taking place. It was ultimately very enthralling and entertaining. I can't wait to read the second novel. So, that's it for my review, thanks for reading and I hope you have a lovely day.
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