She Who Became the Sun

This really wasn't good. It was all over the place and aimed to be too much without truly succeeding in any of it. I enjoyed the Ouyang storyline and found myself looking forward to his plot, however, I would wish for more backstory for such an essential character and more development. The Zhu storyline left me completely bored and unmoved and I had trouble keeping going even while listening to the audiobook. I do not see why this book is so hyped and cannot see the inclusiveness or progressiveness it's supposed to portray according to other reviews (maybe I'll get into that at a later time but there are just too many instances - like the only female-identifying important character in the book being the cliche stereotype of a princess - warm, emotional, caring and pushed around). And while I appreciate the unusual historical context, I need an engaging plot to actually want to read the book instead of just flipping open a history book.