She Who Became the Sun (2021) by Shelley Parker-Chan. In a genius twist this reimagines the rise of the Chinese emperor Hongwu as a genderbending epos about a girl who takes on her dead brother's identity. It goes dark places and in refusing to be the shining hero's tale people might expect gets all the more intriguing. It also does a deep dive into the performative aspects of masculinity, which I found absolutely amazing.

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