She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan: A Book Review
Genre: Fantasy with historical fiction
Reading the summary for She Who Became the Sun, I instantly thought of the story of Mulan (not the Disney version, but rather the Mulan from the Ballad of Mulan). Unfortunately, I was slightly wrong. While taking inspiration from the legend of Mulan, Parker-Chan writes an entirely new story focusing on fate and how, even if “so-called” fate might be inevitable, a person can always work to create their own fate regardless of their circumstances; however, the story strongly deviates. Rather than focus on the heroine overcoming being a woman in a man-dominated world, Parker-Chan constantly seems to make being a woman the heroine’s main weakness.
Besides giving the heroine the main weakness being a woman, Parker-Chan also gives her no feminine characteristics – effectively making her a man, unable to comprehend women besides knowing the shame of being one. Personally, as with all Mulan-inspired stories, I was hoping for a more strong decidedly female hero, comfortable in her womanhood yet knowing her own worth. Instead, She Who Became the Sun had a heroine detached from both herself and her worth unless its intertwined with her brother’s. While understandable in that the Chinese culture places more worth on males than daughters, especially in the ancient dynasties, being a story surrounding a woman in search of her fate, I hoped for a stronger feminist storyline.
Given those complaints, however, the background research done for the novel was impressive. I felt like I was back in World History class learning about the different Chinese dynasties, culture, and their Mandate of Heaven. While, I appreciate this novel for the research and work it took to be completed, I leave this work unsettled: while certain people, especially those interested in Chinese culture and literature, may enjoy this novel, those looking for a Mulan-based story with a strong female lead may also be as highly disappointed as I am.
| Plot: | 7 / 10 |
| Characters: | 7 / 10 |
| Writing: | 10 / 10 |
| Editor: | 10 / 10 |
| Total | 34 / 40 |
Title: She Who Became the Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Edition: First Edition, Hardcover
Published: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Tor Books
ISBN: 9781250621801
If you want to get it: Amazon; Barnes&Noble
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