I've been looking forward to reading She Who Became the Sun (#1,056) by Shelley Parker-Chan since I first read about it on GoodReads. It concerns a Chinese girl in fourteenth century China who refuses to submit to the fate predicted for her by a seer in their peasant village. For her brother, greatness is his fate; for her, as a girl, the usual fate for a female: nothingness.
When her father is beaten to death by bandits, and her brother gives up on life, Zhu decides to seize his fate and become Zhu Chongba. Disguising herself, she makes her perilous way to the monastery where he was promised as a novice. She Who Becomes the Sun is the story of what she makes of her opportunities.
It's not always an easy read. When the book ends, she seems to be on the brink of achieving everything she always wanted, but it's sad how her overweening ambitions have changed her. Well worth the time spent with this character-driven plot. If this story appeals to you, be sure to read Guy Gavriel Kay's Chinese fantasy River of Stars. He is a superior story-teller.
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