Based on the description of She Who Became the Sun, I expected to LOVE it but actually struggled to not just pick up a different book instead. It felt so much longer than it's modest 400 pages despite a lot of important events happening off page. I love the unshakeable pursuit of greatness and the ending tempted me to read the sequel but I'm still undecided. I usually found myself caring less about Zhu and more about Ouyang and Xu Da. Overall, I enjoyed the first and last 25% but that middle 50% was rough. 

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!