ARC Review: She Who Became The Sun // Irresistible and engrossing

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Title: She Who Became The Sun
Author: Shelley Parker-Chan
Series: The Radiant Emperor #1
Genre/s and tags: Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, POC, LGBTQ+
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: July 20, 2021
Content warnings: (from the author): Dysphoria, Pre-existing non-consensual castration, Misgendering, Internalized homophobia, Life-altering injury (amputation), Ableist language, Non-graphic depictions of death by torture, Major character death, Offscreen murder of a child, Scenes depicting extreme hunger/starvation, Graphic depiction of a person burning to death
Also, sex scenes (not too graphic)
Goodreads synopsis: 

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun, a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother’s abandoned greatness.

Received an e-arc via NetGalley! Thank you Tor Books!
(This, of course, did not affect my overall opinion of the book.)

Hello book nerds! Coming at you today with a new book review! This book is one of my most anticipated releases this year! I have heard nothing but great things about it prior to reading my e-arc, and those people did not lie at all.

She Who Became The Sun is an irresistible and highly engrossing queer reimagining of the beginning of a dynasty, as well as a tender exploration of gender identity.

Review: Every Body Shines // Fat acceptance that I needed

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Title: Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories about Living Fabulously Fat
Authors: Cassandra Newbould (Editor), Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Sheena Boekweg, Linda Camacho, Kelly deVos, Alex Gino, Claire Kann, amanda lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Cassandra Newbould, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Monique Gray Smith, Renée Watson, Catherine Adel West, Jennifer Yen
Genre/s and tags: Young Adult, Anthology, Short stories, Contemporary, Science Fiction/Fantasy, POC, LGBTQ+
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: May 25, 2021
Content warnings: Fatphobia, bodyshaming, bullying
Goodreads synopsis: 

An intersectional, feminist YA anthology from some of today’s most exciting voices across a span of genres, all celebrating body diversity and fat acceptance through short stories.

Fat girls and boys and nonbinary teens are: friends who lift each other up, heroes who rescue themselves, big bodies in space, intellects taking up space, and bodies looking and feeling beautiful. They express themselves through fashion, sports and other physical pursuits, through food, and music, and art. They are flirting and falling in love. They are loving to themselves and one another. With stories that feature fat main characters starring in a multitude of stories and genres, and written by authors who live these lives too, this is truly a unique collection that shows fat young people the representation they deserve.

With a foreword by Aubry Gordon, creator of Your Fat Friend, and with stories by:
Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Sheena Boekweg, Linda Camacho, Kelly deVos, Alex Gino, Claire Kann, amanda lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Cassandra Newbould, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Monique Gray Smith, Renée Watson, Catherine Adel West, Jennifer Yen

(Read and reviewed in behalf of The Nerd Daily. You can find the original post here.)

Hello book nerds and bookmys! (Yes, I’m including bookmys now since I’ve been talking about BTS a lot now, too. Sorry not sorry? 😂) It has been a while, and I’m so sorry! I’ve been busy reading, working, and handling personal projects. And now I realized it has been a while since I posted a book review here!

So here is a treat for you, my review of Every Body Shines! I loved reading this book, especially as a fat person. Simply put, it’s the anthology about fat acceptance that I needed deep in my heart. I read and reviewed this for The Nerd Daily back in April and never had the chance to share it here, so here you go!

What it means when we say BTS is the Genre

Hello bookmys! (If you missed it, it’s bookish ARMYs!) BTS month is ending soon. Which is sad because this has been an amazing month (and alongside Pride Month, too!). And since it’s my very first BTS month as an ARMY, I wanted to post something to wrap up their 8th anniversary celebration.

However, up until last week, I didn’t know what exactly to post (because let’s be honest, there’s so much to talk about BTS and I feel like if left unsupervised, I will just ramble on). This was until I looked at my Spotify and my Instagram stories and realized, I have the perfect theme to talk about: BTS is the genre.

See, for three weeks, I have been sharing BTS songs on my personal Instagram. I’ve been analyzing their songs and highlighting lyrics, and just showing off the talent and the dynamic that they have as a group. And as I go through it, I keep realizing every day, that their discography is so versatile and they truly have a song for everything.

Book Recommendations Based on BTS Songs Pt. 2

Hello book nerds and bookish ARMYs (or what I’m starting to call bookmys on social 😆)! First of all, Happy Festa and Happy 8th to Bangtan! It’s honestly so crazy that I’ve only started being a fan late last year. It feels like I’ve known them for a long time—with the way they changed me and my life. I found comfort and healing in BTS and ever since then, I’ve been a big fan. And since it’s BTS month, I’m back with another book rec list based on BTS songs!

Before I get into it, here is the Part 1 if you haven’t seen it yet! I loved doing this so much, so I figured I should do a part two for their anniversary! I actually planned on posting this on the 13th (BTS birthday!), but I may or may not have been sidetracked by their online concert. (Please forgive me.) But anyway, it’s here! Here are book recommendations based on BTS songs, Part 2!

Queer TBR for Pride Month 2021

Hello book nerds! First of all, HAPPY PRIDE! 🏳️‍🌈 It’s that wonderful time of the year again and I’m so so excited! To my fellow queer book nerds, sending you all the hugs! Be extra gay or be quietly queer, just make sure to be you and be unapologetic! And of course, a reminder that Pride is not just for those who are out. Let closeted and questioning people celebrate, too! We’re here for you always.

Okay, now onto the topic at hand: Queer TBR. Now, I’m not able to join or host any readathon for Pride Month (which sucks, I know, but this girl is getting busy. I do have a year-long reading challenge though: #QueerBookFun2021!). However, despite not joining readathons, I’m still very much going to be reading and featuring queer books (books that I’m really excited for AAAHHHHH). Here’s my Queer TBR for Pride Month 2021!