Craved Vilest Things' ruthless divine ambition and Chloe Gong's razor-sharp moral chaos? She Who Became the Sun unleashes empire-stealing ferocity through Shelley Parker-Chan's queer historical epic.
Buy on AmazonWhy It's Your Next Read
- Antihero steals destiny w/ zero regrets
- Forbidden desire fuels every brutal choice
- Political scheming meets fate-defying rebellion
- Binge-worthy twists cascade through empire's fall
If Calla's ruthless climb through divine carnage left you craving protagonists who choose monstrosity, meet Zhu Chongba—a nobody who steals a dead boy's destiny and carves empire from sheer will. Here's the same intoxicating cocktail: ambition so feral it rewrites fate, forbidden desire crackling beneath every alliance, and moral lines torched in service of survival. Instead of Greco-Roman gods, you're plunged into 14th-century China's collapse, where historical epic meets queer reimagining with the same dark elegance and cultural specificity that made Vilest Things impossible to put down.
The plot moves like wildfire—betrayals cascade, loyalties shatter, cliffhangers ambush you at 2 a.m.—all anchored by prose sharp enough to draw blood. Power, legacy, and the weight of becoming someone else: this is escapism that understands your existential ache.
If you loved watching gods bleed, wait until you see what mortals do to claim heaven.
What Readers Are Saying
"this is more similar to 'the poppy war.' its a dark, brutal, unforgiving tale about characters who will do whatever they can in order to achieve what they believe is their fate..." — jessica, Goodreads
"A nameless unwanted peasant girl takes on her dead brother's name to become a monk, a warrior, a leader. Tremendous sweep and narrative drive with a beautifully drawn cast, especially the profoundly fucked-up eunuch general Ouyang, who is heartbreaking." — K.J. Charles, Goodreads
"She Who Became the Sun is, simply put, a masterpiece of a debut. It's a powerful, evocative, and brutal high fantasy that will leave you utterly wrecked and begging for more." — Robin, Goodreads
Supermassive Book Hole is your personal media universe — books, movies, games, and albums on one beautiful shelf, with notes, and a feed of what your friends are into.
SHELVE THIS BOOK
