Absolutely magical and beyond anything I could have asked for. Sequels aren’t always phenomenal, I think they struggle to land the same punch as the first book. However, this one gripped me so wholeheartedly.

I loved this and would highly recommend!

Thank you Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Sue Lynn Tan's debut, Daughter of the Moon Goddess but Heart of the Sun Warrior SURPASSED my expectations! Tan's writing is just as beautiful as it is engaging. Reading about Xingyin's character development from DOTMG to HOTSW was truly beautiful. Xingyin is truly one of my favorite protagonists I have read about this year! I'd recommend this duology to anyone who loved C-dramas or wants to get into reading fantasy!

Heart of the Sun Warrior, by Sue Lynn Tan, is the sequel to her masterful debut Daughter of the Moon Goddess. In it, Xingyin, Liwei, Wenzhi, and many of the other characters from the first book face new dangers as political instability threatens the Celestial Kingdom and new evils emerge.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was easily one of my favorite reads all year, so I was really looking forward to this book. That book had a wonderfully crafted plot and world, compelling characters, and was simply amazing.

I wish that I could say the same for its sequel.

The best thing about this book is easily the characters, though even those pale in comparison to themselves in the first book. Xingyin is wonderful and I love her, though I didn't like her as much here as in the first book. She seems less self-sufficient, weaker, and overall less herself. Liwei and Wenzhi continue to be great, but I also feel like they aren't given much personality in the sequel. I still love all of them, just not as much as I did in the first book.

The actual quality of writing continues to be superb. Tan's prose is compelling and readable, and Xingyin's point of view is rendered extremely well.

My largest issue is that the plot feels far too disjointed. There are story threads that are important in the first third of the book but have no real bearing on the rest of it, while the central plot never really feels developed enough. I had some trouble understanding why certain events were happening, and there were quite a few side-plots that took up a lot of page time but simply weren't that compelling or relevant.

Additionally, I didn't appreciate the return of the love triangle, which I thought had been resolved in the first book. I never liked Wenzhi that much, so to have to deal with Xingyin's feelings for both of the love interests again felt tiring and like it was completely ignoring the events of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

Additionally, the ending simply did not live up to expectations for me. It felt underwhelming, out-of-character, and somewhat inconsistent with the expectations and characterizations built up over the duology.

Overall, despite having really high expectations for this book, and having adored Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I honestly cannot give Heart of the Sun Warrior any more than 3/5 stars. Honestly, I would probably recommend that people just stop reading after the first book; the story wraps up reasonably well, and it truly is one of the best books I've read in a long time; the sequel, unfortunately, just doesn't live up to the legacy of its predecessor.

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Genre: 𝐲𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲
Format: 𝐞-𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤
Length: 𝟒𝟖𝟎 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬
Trigger Warnings: 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

✨Read this book if you enjoy✨
👑 royal/political dynamics
💖 love triangle
🐉 Chinese Mythology
📌be sure to read book one first!

Sue Lynn Tan is a new auto buy author for me!

This book picks up exactly where Daughter of the Moon Goddess ends. We’re following Xingyin and her friends as they try to protect their kingdoms from a new enemy. Xingyin must decide once and for all where her heart lies or risk losing everything.

I was surprised by how much this book actually focused on the romance. I love a good love triangle so it was a good fit for me. I also cared about each love interest but I’m really happy with who Xingyin ended up with. The plot felt a little slow at times and I would have really appreciated a better reunion moment at the end of the book but regardless it was beautiful. I’m honestly so sad to say goodbye to these characters.

Heart of the Sun Warrior was an emotional, exciting and epic fantasy following the events from Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Once again the author blew me away with her world-building, story-telling and lovable characters you'll find yourself attached to. This was an epic conclusion to this fantasy duology that takes you into a whole other world filled with gripping emotions yet magical elements that fill you with awe. I was very satisfied with the ending and how this story wrapped up. Readers are going to love it.

I just finished this and honestly, I'm kind of speechless so this review might be a little incoherent.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of, if not the best, books I've read this year (and I read it in January!) I was completely enamored with Xingyin's journey to save her mother and the only home she had ever known and along the way became powerful and strong and met wonderful allies - and the end was so satisfactory I just didn't know where it would go from there.

I shouldn't have doubted because everything I loved about Moon Goddess is present in the follow up and conclusion to the duology. Xingyin is back on the moon with her mother but things are not well in the Celestial Kingdom and Xingyain has new enemies. When those she loves are threatened again she must embark on another journey with new allies and must now question what she is willing to give up for her family and whether she is willing to forgive.

Liwei remains the best cinnamon roll and Wenzhi is there as well who I continue to be obsessed with despite his actions in Moon Goddess. This book is NON-STOP. It does not let up. Every time I thought I knew where it was going it would take another twist or turn and it was an emotional rollercoaster. I sobbed during this book - full-on sobs and also smiled so big my face hurt. My heart was in my throat the entire last 100 pages and I never would have been able to guess how this would end which is the best type of surprise.

I'll be thinking about this duology for years to come - what a spectacular conclusion to a fantastical journey of love and forgiveness and power.

Thank you so much to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

As gorgeous as I expected it to be. Absolutely stunning. A worthy continuation of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. The amount of adventure, and character development that fit between the pages of this book was incredible. Heart of the Sun Warrior took all of my expectations for where I thought the story was going and threw them right out the window. I was repeatedly surprised and intrigued by the direction the story took. After reading (and loving) Daughter of the Moon Goddess It was so nice to see the surprises keep coming.

The stories for each of the characters were beautifully woven together despite the variety of motivations and goals. Daughter of the Moon Goddess introduced one of the very few love triangles that I actually enjoyed. The tension between the characters was phenomenal and kept me turning pages faster and faster to finally see if my own vision of Xingyin’s future would actually come true.

It has been a while since a book has been able to hit me in the feels, and oh boy, this one did it. Basically every feeling I know, I had to process in this book. This novel made me giggle, cry, smile, and more all while flipping through this vast book. There was incredible heartbreak and unexpected joy all threaded together to create a beautiful emotional rollercoaster.

One of the things that I loved most about this book was that the plot took its time to wrap up the story in a way that made sense rather than rush through important plot points. I closed the book feeling completely satisfied, which is a rarity in today’s literary world. And despite my satisfaction with the story, I still can’t stop thinking about it.

I absolutely love this series so much and would recommend it to anyone! 5/5 stars

As always, make sure to check trigger warnings.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book ripped my heart out and put it back together multiple times. There's only one thing that happened that I'm not sure I forgive the author for doing (though I can see why it was done) and a lot of the book was bittersweet. And I'm quite satisfied with the ending.

The first half of the book did seem to meander a bit as there wasn't a clear goal for Xingyin. In the first book, the goal was to free her mother and although there were times when that goal was less clear for her, she always came back to that and it was the momentum driving Xingyin and the story. There's a smaller goal toward the beginning but that gets achieved fairly early on, and the larger goal isn't made clear until about the midway point, though I can see why the timing had to be as it was (more things had to happen first before that new goal became apparent--I'm being vague here to keep this spoiler free).

All in all, this is a solid duology with characters I cared about and a lot of character development, action (some quite intense), and various relationships at its center. Highly recommend.

Heart of the Sun Warrior is the equally stunning sequel to Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess. This gorgeous story is the final book in her Chinese fantasy duology.

With her freedom threatened, Xingyin finds herself on the run with those she loves most from the sudden changes within the Celestial Kingdom. Exploring the Immortal Realm, Xingyin encounters legendary creatures, adversaries, and various monarchs in a beautiful tale of Chinese mythology. While Daugther of the Moon Goddess centers on Xingyin’s growth as a warrior, Heart of the Sun Warrior focuses on love and sacrifice. This sequel is heavier on the romance; the love triangle between Xingyin, Liwei, and and Wenzhi is much more satisfying and better developed than in Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The author has a great talent for crafting imagery of the Celestial Kingdom, while writing in beautiful prose. I really enjoyed this duology, I felt Tan masterfully handled the pacing of this two book set. She has written a magical and enticing story worthy of those stunning book covers.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book two in the Celestial Kingdom duology and HOTSW was more amazing than the first one! One year after the events of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, we meet Xingyin again as she's trying to enjoy her time with her mother Chang'e now that she's free from imprisonment. But there are occasional disturbances in the form of unwanted visitors to the moon and the ever changing situation in the Celestial Court poses a threat to them. There is a strange magic energy on the moon, and the Celestial Emperor and General Wu have their sights set on it and Xingyin's family. Xingyin and Chang'e end up escaping with help from unprecedented allies and they discover that there is a bigger threat - not only for their future but also for all of the realms.

The writing + the setting was just as beautiful as it was in DOTMG and we get to explore more of this world along with Xingyin and her friends. My favorite part was definitely Xingyin's character development. She's gone through a lot in this book and the previous one and her growth isn't linear - which is what I loved. She's not invincible, makes some mistakes and lets her emotions get the better of her - but she does learn from these too. I've loved watching her grow and become stronger, despite the betrayals and trials. The love triangle was handled well, as the action takes precedence over the romance and there's not much back and forth between Xingyin, Wenzhi and Liwei as in the previous book. I loved Wenzhi's redemption arc and I was quite satisfied with the outcome! The last few chapters were so emotional and I really loved them! I'm sad to see this duology end but I hope we get more books set in the same world! Do give these a chance if you're looking for a beautiful fantasy read with amazing characters!❣️✨

What a series finish. Like in the first book, A LOT happened in this one. I almost think this series could have been broken up into at least 3 books. At the same time, I felt like a lot of this book felt almost like filler. I felt like there were a lot of words in parts where not a lot was happening. At the same time, the fight scenes were so long.
I did love the characters though. Even if I didn't love the characters, they played their roles perfectly. Xingyin really went through a journey in this book. She has the relief of saving her mother, but then we get a new villain and she has to be the hero again. I think my favorite part about Xingyin is that she doesn't do things because she wants to be a hero. She is scared of the things she needs to do, but she puts the safety of her loved ones above anything she is feeling. The relationships she has with so many of the characters is so real and so deep. She has such an inner struggle over who she loves. She loves both Liwei and Wenzhi. I honestly am not a fan of love triangles and this one got a little annoying. I did like both Liwiei and Wenzhi, but when it came to Xingyin they both were a little much.
This book was packed full of things. There were a lot of little things that added up to the big thing. Most of the things were helpful and added to the overall plot. There were a few pieces that I felt were kind of unnecessary. It did flow together well as a whole, and the ending really wrapped things up perfectly for the characters and who they are. We get the big climax, but there is still story left to finish off the series perfectly.
This is a really well done duology. It feels like a complete story with extremely likeable characters and a full plot.

Last year’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year. I really loved Xingyin’s journey to free her mother the Moon Goddess. The sequel give us more of this amazing heroine as she battles to save her family, their home and even the fate of the empire. If you like a story with lots of perilous quests, twisting adventure and fabulous battle scenes… this story is for you. We get much more of the intricate character driven story of these Chinese based mythological characters in book two. The battle scenes definitely rival those of Kuang’s Poppy War series. I would not consider these books spicy in any way, but the love triangle between Xingyin, Liwei and Wenzhi gets even more complicated.


I really enjoyed this extension of the Chang’e story and getting to know more about Xingyin’s history. The magical elements and creatures of this one are just as unique and interesting as the previous story. Boy, did I not predict how Xingyin’s love life would go either… she finds herself more of a pawn than ever as she tries to save the realm from a very dangerous usurper. The emotions as Xingyin navigates her foes and her two suitors are heavy. The ending was definitely not what I expected but I really loved the storytelling.

Thanks to Harper Voyager via Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

Heart Of The Sun Warrior was an emotional roller coaster ride that held me captive from the beginning to the end. The author’s writing is beautiful, and the world-building is superb with vivid imagery. I enjoyed the pace that seamlessly wove between heart-racing action scenes, gut-wrenching loss, and swoon-worthy romance.

I loved reading this version of Xingyin! She is still a fierce warrior, but after the trauma from the events of DOTMG, Xingyin's character growth is quite evident in HOTSW. I was elated to see well-loved and loathed characters from DOTMG team up with Xingyin in this epic sequel with an ending that SHOOK me (I bawled my eyes out ya’ll)

An exceptional follow up to the debut, this series is delightful, well paced, thoughtful world building, and just an overall beautiful and ethereal read.

4.5. A stunning conclusion to this duology. The imagery and action of this series continued beautifully in this book.

There was even more character and relationship development, which made me more emotional reading vs. the first book.

There were a a couple things I struggled with in the book, but the overall story was so compelling that I forgave a lot.

I would LOVE an extended epilogue someday. Or a novella. My heart wants to know a little more of what happens next!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance copy.

I absolutely loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It was a 5 star read for me. loved HEART OF THE SUN WARRIOR just as much as the first book. The author plops you right back into the story about a year after the events of the first novel.

Right away, Xingyin’s character growth is apparent. She is more decisive, focusing on the ramifications of the new world she is navigating. She seems like she’s been through a lot, and she has. But part of what I love about Xingyin is that she continues to be a strong, female main character. Even though she is more mature and more methodical, she never kowtows to others who see her as inferior and maintains her strength throughout. She also won’t settle for anything less than she feels she deserves. The book world needs more female main characters like Xingyin.

I also really loved the pace of this book and the plot. The author does a great job balancing action with character growth, all while maintaining the mythological and fantastical elements of the world she created. This isn’t as easy balance, but she does so beautifully. Moreover, the conflict that Tan set up was interesting and kept me engaged. I can’t spoil this too much, but it was very Avengers-esque, where everyone needs to put aside their differences in order to defeat the big bad villain.

The only thing I could see people not liking about this book was the love triangle. I’m ALWAYS pro love triangle. I loved both love interests and I, for once, didn’t have a favorite between the two. But I can definitely see those that are wary of them to be bothered by this one. While it is not the central focus by any means, Xingyin goes back and forth a lot and never settles on who she particularly wants to be with until almost the end of the book. She seems wishy washy sometimes and I ended up feeling a little bad for the love interests. The set up did drive me a little nuts. For those that don’t, I could see this being a factor in not liking the book as much.

Overall, I felt this was a fabulous conclusion to an amazing duology and I highly recommend you read this book. Thank you @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for an ARC of this book for an honest review!

Heart of the Sun Warrior was full of all the action, beautify imagery, and magic as the first in the series.

The story is very quick-paced. They don’t just discuss and plan out what they are going to do, they mention a plan and are executing it on the next page. This makes for a book where A TON of things take place. I had no idea what was going to happen and I was surprised by twists and turns on every single page.

I was really excited to read the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but I think it would have been better for me to have it in audiobook format. Even though I had heard the Chinese names in the audio of first book, I had forgotten how to pronounce some of them which made it more difficult for me to connect to the characters.

This book took me a long time to get through, but I was interested every time I was reading and by the end I was in awe. Wow, that ending!

I would recommend this to anyone who likes action-packed fantasy, Chinese mythology, love triangles, and lots of magic. It is a clean/closed-door adult fantasy.

Thank you to Harper Voyager US and Netgalley for graciously providing my complimentary copy of Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan. I’m leaving this review on my own with my own opinions and thoughts.

I was so excited when I saw I had been sent an ARC of the second book in the Celestial Kingdom duology by Tan. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my favorite books that I read this year, and I have been highly anticipating the sequel. I was in (pleasant) shock to see the ARC sitting in my inbox, and so thankful.

Heart of the Sun Warrior lived up to all of my expectations and more. I was glad to be reunited with all of the characters that we met in the first book. I loved that the relationships and storylines were explored and developed even more.

The love triangle had me through the whole story. I was so caught up in it and while it’s not my favorite trope, I was invested in this one. Tan did a great job with this.

This book didn’t have as much action as the first book, but I think that it worked because it allowed for more development of the relationships and characters.

The ending was so good! I still can’t get over it. I seriously wish there was more to this story and I just saw on Goodreads there is a 3rd book, so I’m HOPING this is true, because I need more of this world in my life!

Sue Lynn Tan has become an auto-buy author. Her writing and the worlds she creates are amazing.

Thank you so much, Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and Tan, for allowing me to read an ARC.

Heart of the Sun Warrior will be published November 15th 2022 in the US.

A continuation of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, this book picks up where that one left off: Xingyin is back on the moon with her mother, and still (somehow) navigating a love triangle between the heirs of the Celestial Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom. This book focuses on new political machinations at the Celestial Court. A new general has been named head of the army, but it seems he might have obscure connections to the magic of the moon.

While the descriptions of the various settings are lush and the emphasis on Chinese mythology still resonates, the story suffers from the time spent on other things. It's not until a third of the way into the book that the overarching plot becomes clear. The ending is also lengthy, with several chapters' worth of prose devoted to following Xingyi after the antagonist is defeated. Probably of interest to YA fans more than romance fans.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.