Early Review – She Who Became the Sun (The Radiant Emperor, Book 1) by Shelley Parker-Chan (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: July 20, 2021
ASIN : B08GZXND63
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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 takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Radian Emperor Duology. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.
Story (5/5): This was very, very well done. I really enjoyed this epic historical novel and it was an intriguing look into an alternate Chinese history. I know a bit about this time period but really would have enjoyed an afterword talking about the true history. It’s always intriguing to know how a book differs from historical fact and how much is more or less true. The description of this being a story of “Mulan” meets “The Song of Achilles” is very apt.
Characters (5/5): All of the characters that fill these pages are very complex. Zhu takes on her brother’s name and hopes that she will gain the prophecy of greatness that was supposed to be his (this is where the Mulan vibe comes from). We also read a lot from Ouyang’s POV; Ouyang is the eunuch general of the Mongol army. Zhu tried to temper her ambitions by surrounding herself with people who can make up for her lack of compassion. Ouyang is determined to get revenge for his family name even if it hurts the person he loves the most. These characters are selfish and self-serving, but also incredibly driven and they have people in their lives that greatly influence them.
Setting (5/5): The book starts out in the mid-1340’s in the Central Plains and follows only Zhu for the first part of the book, then moves to a monastery on the mountain side. From there we move more into Chinese politics and are switched between the headquarters of the Red Turban rebellion and the main palace of the Mongols. Settings are incredibly well described and really come alive for the reader. I enjoyed the variety of locations as well.
Writing Style (5/5): This was incredibly easy to read and very hard to put down. The writing flows well and, even though a lot of names are thrown at you early on, they aren’t too hard to keep track of. The first part of the book is from Zhu’s POV but then we switch to multiple POVs and hear a lot from Ouyang and Ma. This was very well written and I really enjoyed it a ton. My only complaint is that I would have really enjoyed a commentary on how this compares to the actual known history of the time (since most of my knowledge of this time in history comes from playing various Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms video games).
My Summary (5/5): Overall this was an amazing read. If you are at all interested in Chinese history or historical fiction, I would recommend this book. This does an excellent job of incorporating the history of the time into an entertaining story with complex characters and an engaging storyline. It’s impossible to put down and I can’t wait to see what the final book of this duology has in store for us.
