A Story of Desire, Power, and (Not Just Bodily) Becoming
4 stars
Content warning vague spoilers for content
She Who Became the Sun reimagines Chinese history and places questions of identity at its core. Parker-Chan explores how the body—whether whole or marked by suffering—shapes the way characters perceive themselves and are perceived by others. Desire in its many forms—sexual, romantic, and deeply political—drives the narrative forward, intertwining personal longing with ruthless ambition.
The book is particularly striking in its treatment of gender perspectives: it challenges traditional roles and reveals how power and identity are constantly negotiated through them. Fate itself becomes a component of identity, not a fixed path but something characters wrestle with, redefine, and ultimately claim for themselves.
The cast is strikingly, even painfully human—driven by longing, flaws, and the weight of destiny.
I wouldn't have needed the smut though. Sorry.
