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She Who Became the Sun
- The Radiant Emperor, Book 1
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
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She Who Became the Sun
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Summary
THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
An absorbing historical fantasy, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty’s founding emperor.
In a famine-stricken village on a dusty plain, a seer shows two children their fates. For a family’s eighth-born son, there’s greatness. For the second daughter, nothing.
In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule. And when a bandit raid wipes out their home, the two children must somehow survive. Zhu Chongba despairs and gives in. But the girl resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes her dead brother’s identity and begins her journey. Can Zhu escape what’s written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the land? Or can she claim her brother’s greatness – and rise as high as she can dream?
This is a glorious tale of love, loss, betrayal and triumph by a powerful new voice.
She Who Became the Sun is a reimagining of the rise to power of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu was the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols, unified China under native rule, and became the founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
Critic reviews
"Epic, tragic and gorgeous." (Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January)
"As brilliant as Circe...a deft and dazzling triumph." (Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne)
"A dazzling new world of fate, war, love and betrayal." (Zen Cho, author of Black Water Sister)
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What listeners say about She Who Became the Sun
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mike G.
- 14-02-24
well paced, emotionally charged and fun!
I don't think I ever expected to love this book (and its sequel!) as much as I did. The world of the Great Yuan is brought to life by the excellent voice actor, who adds such enthusiasm and depth to each of the scenes and characters. The story itself honestly surprised me with its clever twists and understated homages to classic Chinese movies and literature. Lots of devious people, cruel outcomes and lively turn arounds! The protagonist Zhu is portrayed brilliantly - equal parts charming and cunning.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rosemary Roberts
- 29-09-22
Persevere, it’s worth it!
I confess that I struggled with the oriental names so only gradually worked out who was who. As this book was this month’s choice in our local book club, I felt I should persevere and I’m glad I did, so much so that I was disappointed when I reached the end.
The reader was a good choice as she gave each character a different voice which undoubtedly helped me sort out who was who, giving the names their correct inflection.
A good story, well worth the effort.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 22-06-22
Performance let down the book
This book had so much potential, only to be let down by the narrator and the voices. It was like kids doing whining voices. I think the book version would be much better.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-01-24
Loved it!!
The voice acting was amazing and the different voices really helped understand the different characters. The story itself was really interesting and I loved learning about the characters. Overall an amazing book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- anon
- 28-12-21
excellent!
one of the best books i have ever read and listen to, the narrative was artfully created and the narration left me transfixed, do listen to the end
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 17-06-22
Great book. Tricky to follow names of characters
Really beautifully written book. Interesting storyline. Hard to follow the names of characters and at times the perspective of the narrative voice as I am unfamiliar with names from that part of the world in that era.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-10-21
Breathtaking!!
This was an incredible story narrated beautifully. Usually I lose track during audio books but when I listened to this one, I knew who all of the characters were and it was just a joy to listen to. This has been my favourite audiobook so far.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ola Agbaimoni
- 03-06-22
Fabulous
I really enjoyed this book. It’s outstanding both plot and narration. Beautiful pros one of the best books I’ve listened to this year.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mauricia
- 16-01-23
Just perfection!
This book is an unexpected gem! Following Zhu’s journey is a true testament of what the mind can achieve. It took me a little while to follow the various people, but i got used to it after the first few chapters. I truly cannot wait for the sequel to this!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-10-21
Pleasant Surprise
Usually not a big fan of historical reimaginings so I was quite wairy at first. The worry dropped within the first two chapters. Great book.
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1 person found this helpful