⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
She Who Became the Sun is a Chinese inspired historical fantasy story. It is about the characters discovering who they are.

I immensely enjoyed reading this book! It is super complex and you really needed to pay attention to understand what was happening. I loved how we follow different characters over a period of years in their journeys.

We follow two different characters and storylines while reading this book. The most intriguing about this is that the two storylines are of the opposite sides of the war that is going on in China at that moment. Learning and reading about both sides gave me a super complete view of everything that was happening.

The writing was beautifully done. The way everything was described really created beautiful scenes, provoked emotions and it felt like I was truly in 14th century China while reading. While the writing was beautifully done, the pacing fluctuated a bit during the book. The first and last quarter of the book were truly amazing, but the middle part was a bit slower and sometimes it felt a bit long-winded.

All the characters were morally grey and I lived for them! I loved how we got to see them all grow, chose their paths and reaching for the destiny and fate they think they deserve. They determination way inspiring to read. Zhu especially is such a great character. Someone who thrived as a born girl and woman in a world lead my boys and men, and all that while hiding who she truly is. The transformation she goes through in the years is beautifully portrayed. While both main characters, Zhu and Ouyang, are very similar, they are antagonists to each other, which is so cleverly portrayed in the story. I love how their stories were super intertwined, but had so little encounters. By the way; these encounters were truly amazing and highlights in the book!

Overall, it’s a dark, brutal and unforgiving tale about characters who will do anything to achieve what they believe they deserve.