“The greater the desire, the greater the suffering, and now she desired greatness itself.”

The praise for this book is so well deserved.

Brutal, powerful, and dark, yet also lyrically written and interwoven with elements of the fantastical, She Who Became the Sun was masterfully crafted. I went into the story with minimal prior knowledge of the history the story pulls from, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment and understanding of the story at all.
(I will admit to confusing a few characters and political allegiances at first, but I'm more than willing to say that's probably reader error and not on the author.)

Zhu was one of the best main characters I've ever read. From the very first scene to the last, it's impossible not to empathize with her. Even when decisions are made that seem irredeemable, they never seem unnecessary or overly cruel. As someone that appreciates flawed characters but is really tired of books where the author has the characters make brutal decisions simply for the sake of featuring flawed characters, this was such a breath of fresh air.

The discussion of gender and queer identity in front of the historical backdrop was also incredibly interesting and well-written. There were lines in here that took me back with how insightful and powerful they were.

Overall, there's nothing I can say for this book that hasn't been said. It's fantastic. Perhaps not for everyone, due to the slower pace and focus on politics, but fantastic nonetheless.