Emotion in this one was a hit and I love this duology!!!! Definitely recommend!!!!!!! The cover, the writing, the art wow amazing!

One of the very best books I've read in a very long time. I loved the first, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, this book was even better. I must admit, the ending was unique and unexpected....loved it! I loved the characters in the novel, especially Wenzhi, I know, he's a cad and a scoundrel, but I still liked him the best. All characters in this novel were fun, even the ones you had to despise.

I give this 5 stars and highly recommend this book. I will definitely look for more by Sue Lynn Tan.

I don't really like to give first time reads 5 star ratings, but I also spent the last 30 minutes of this book crying.. so here we are. And really the more I think about this book, the more I am just so satisfied with how it ended.

Heart of the Sun Warrior takes on a lot. We have the mystery of her father, lots of political maneuvering, and of course the love triangle. Its by no means perfect. There were definitely some areas that could've stand more emotional development or impact, but overall the I enjoyed every second of it. The world building and writing is just as lush and fantastic as DOTMG. I really liked the expansion of characters and the fact that the story didn't always just focus on Xingyin.

The love triangle.. was pretty obvious, though I found myself fighting the obvious with every word (I related much to Xingyin on this). I loved the resolution of it however. It was bittersweet but I really appreciated that Xingyin saw what was best for herself, not just in her heart but for her life. It was possibly my favorite part of the entire book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Get ready, because that fast paced, action packed story you loved in Daughter of the Moon Goddess is continued in the conclusion to this beautiful duology. If you haven’t read Daughter of the Moon Goddess yet, please pick it up. Sue Lynn Tan's writing is just absolutely breathtaking.

Everything you loved in Daughter of the Moon Goddess is continued in Heart of the Sun Warrior. This is a PACKED story and instead of focusing on the world building that you find in book one, we find more battle and character growth. Our trio is put through A LOT in this one so get ready!

Sue Lynn Tan's writing style is probably one of my current favorites. She knows how to tell a story and this one is no exception. I am always sad at the end of a series I love but I will say this is a beautiful, heart wrenching conclusion to this one.

My one disclaimer here is I wish I would have done a reread of Daughter of the Moon Goddess before I jumped into this one. This is a duology that I think is really going to shine when you are able to read them back-to-back because there is so much to this story that there were parts I had forgotten about in book one that I wish I would have refreshed myself on. So, my number one recommendation is if you can, do a reread or a refresh before you start this one.

Overall, it’s a beautiful conclusion to a story that I love. This duology will always live rent free in my head. I am so thankful to have had the chance to read and review this one early!! It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.

Get ready for a conclusion that you will not want to miss!

Pick up this duology is you like:

-Action packed fantasy adventures
-A story that will surprise you at every turn
-Chinese Mythology
-Beautiful writing
-Dragons, Magic, Immortals, and so much more
-Love triangles
-World building done right

I wasn’t a huge fan of book one but decided to give this author another shot. Sadly I enjoyed this one even less.

As usual, there's a lot going on. This book is less focused on the court politics and far more on battle and tactics, but it isn't at a detriment to the story. We see more of the love triangle (and an actual RESOLUTION, my heart!!), but we also get to see more of the *world*. The kingdoms are so fleshed out and vibrant and it was exciting to visit a few new ones. At times I felt like we could've done without a plot element or two, but they did all mesh quite well in the end. I particularly enjoyed this story's villain, in how vile and devious they were. It really made for a compelling story!

*Thank you to B2Weird, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This book certainly did not hold back. Just like Daughter of the Moon Goddess, it was such a jam-packed plot! So many twists and turns, reveals, and excitement. It doesn’t slow down for even a second! The stakes are so much higher in this book compared to the first and as a result it is darker and much more devastating.

I actually really enjoyed the love triangle. Like seriously kicking my feet and fawning over Whenzhi and Liwei. Things were more fleshed out and it was so realistic. It adds the right amount of tension and angst!

The themes of love, family, forgiveness, fear, and grief were beautifully done. There is also so much character growth and development. I loved seeing the characters work together to overcome a greater evil while trying to figure out their own hearts and desires.

AND THAT ENDING! I cried. A lot. I loved it so much. This was such a perfect conclusion to the duology.


Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!!

thank you to netgalley and avon and harper voyager for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

after reading “daughter of the moon goddess” and loving it so much i had to immediately start this beautiful sequel which is also the conclusion of the duology. if you liked the first book as much as i did you’re absolutely going to love this one.

heart of the sun warrior is one the best and most heart wrenching conclusions to a book series that i have read this year without any doubt. the stakes were high in this and there was much to be lost.

as i mentioned in my review for the first book, the main reason why i love this series is the characters. they have become so dear to me that i can’t even describe it. the focus of this book was mainly on the relationships between all of them. it was about the power of family, friendship and love which in my opinion was so beautiful. xingyin, my dearest goes through so much hardship in this book, my heart was hurting for her constantly. wenzhi and liwei remain the best love interests i have ever encountered, on god. i love them both equally and i am satisfied with the way this love triangle ended. she could have picked either of them and i still would support it. they both always put her feelings and her happiness first no matter what. much praise to the author for not ruining their personalities and development in order to justify xingyin’s final choice as some authors would have done. to be honest, all the choices made perfect sense and they were handled immaculately.

not going to spoil anything but i’ll just say that if you plan on reading this book you should prepare yourself to be emotionally destroyed. there were moments when this book had me gasping for air quite literally. i was drowning in tears and i didn’t know how to function.

overall, a great fanstasy romance and one of my new all time favorites. i hope that everyone enjoys it as much as i did.

"To live a life with love, was to live without regret."
The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Heart of the Sun Warrior held my heart captive from start to finish. Ever the imperfect hero, Xingyin's journey is far from complete, and her peace with the Moon Goddess short lived. Constantly fighting one battle after the other, Xingyin struggles to set her world right, all while enduring the turmoil within her split heart.
As soon as I finished Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I knew I had to get my hands on this book and it does not disappoint. Much like the first book in this duology, Sun Warrior consists of one plot twist after the other, building multiple climaxes on top of one another so that you do not know what is coming next. I throughly enjoyed reading this book (and can't wait to add the physical copy to my ever growing library)! The enemies to lovers trope gets me every time <3
Perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, strong FMC, love triangles, and a thrilling fantasy filled with characters that will make your heart bleed for them.

This one was just a bummer for me after the first book. The writing was still beautiful and I liked how it ended but it just felt way too fast-paced. It was one action scene after another and I felt like we had no time to sit with our characters and the way they were feeling. There were a few character deaths and I just didn't feel anything when they happened which was unfortunate. I'd say pick this up if you need to know how it ends but if you didn't love the first book, I don't think you need to finish off this duology. Still had a fun time reading it though even if it didn't live up to my expectations.

To start, I loved the first book in this duology, Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Excited, I jumped into the new book and picked up where we had left off.

What I loved:
- Revisiting the characters and expanding the world. Part of me feels like the second book could have been two books and spent more time in some of the new places. I wonder what it would have been like to give Xingyin more time in each location (but I love a slow/middle paced).
- Tying up loose ends, I appreciated the option for people like Wenzhi to become more robust characters and not merely villains based on where we left off. I also loved getting to meet her Father and learn about her families past.
- The writing. Tan's writing is beautiful, and it's fantastic to listen to as an audiobook or read on an iPad.

Areas of Improvement:
- Pacing: While it was new and compelling, the pacing let you learn about the work without a rush. The second book, on the other hand, while still beautifully written, felt oddly paced. At times it was slow, and other times too quick.
- Dramatization of Love Triangle: I love a good redemption arc, but at this point, I think you can only drag on a love trial for so long. I would have loved her to do something remarkable like in Iron Widow or determine sooner who was just a friend.


Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review purposes.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the eArc.
Some Spoilers Below.

I want to start this off by saying that I absolutely loved daughter of the moon goddess. It was such an enchanting tale and was so beautifully written. I went into Heart of the Sun Warrior with very high expectations. Sue Lynn Tan did not disappoint. Her writing style is absolutely stunning. For such a complicated world, she writes everything in a way that is so easily digested. Her storytelling is beautiful and I whole heartedly loved these books because of it.

Xingyin is such an amazing heroine. Throughout this book she was met with such difficult choices where she has to face herself and her flaws. She is very thoughtful in her decision making whether or not she is fully supported by her loved ones. She stays true to herself and completely deserves the respect she has earned through her actions in adversity. She tested her limits completely and gave everything to make sure her family was safe. She is a completely different person by the end of the book because off all she went through but she is still just as lovable.

The ending was really different to see because we really get to explore the grief and loss Xingyin experiences. She has been constantly doing something to help save the Celestial Kingdom or her family and I feel like she was left without a purpose and we really explore that at the end. While some of that felt very drawn out, it was very raw and made her more relatable and real.

Major Spoilers Below:

The love triangle of this book really felt drawn out. I will say I am a little bitter because I ended up rooting for the wrong person, so like Xingyin, I felt as though I was holding onto grudges for too long which I think lessened my enjoyment of the story. However, I really did enjoy Wenzhi’s redemption. I do wish that throughout the book instead of immediately attempting to win her love back, he would have simply tried to win her friendship back at first and then had that grow back into a relationship. He just felt very pushy and it was exhausting to read sometimes. But by the end I really grieved with Xingyin as he truly had changed his ways out of love. While I am not surprised that Xingyin did not stay and become the Celestal Empress, I was very surprised that Wenzhi was still alive and as a mortal. While I am happy that she is finally able to be happy, him not actually being dead felt very out of place. I guess it’s just crazy that two characters that we thought were dead ended up being alive and well.

While I am happy her father is alive and well, I didn’t feel much for him. There was a big emotional disconnect between everyone. I wish there was more of an emotional reunion between all the characters. It just felt like a “how are you alive? … oh cool, let’s bring you to my mom” type of thing. After the reunion there wasn’t enough interaction to really build any bond between them.

Plot wise, while not to the same level as the last book, I still really did really enjoy the story. I loved the interactions of betrayal and resentment. Going to see the mother of the sunbirds and fighting honorably was my absolute favorite scene. The way the sunbird gave Xingyin her feather out of respect and yet seeing the grief between the sunbird and her mother when confronted with Xingyin the daughter of the man who slayed the others was amazing. I loved that interaction so much. I would say this entire scene was my favorite of the whole book. I also really enjoyed how the villain wugang was someone who when you really understood his origin story and it explained perfectly all the events that followed.

Anyways I did really enjoy this book. It was a stunning sequel to an amazing first book. I wholeheartedly recommend this duology to anyone.

I received an ARC of Heart of the Sun Warrior in exchange for my honest review!

I liked what Tan did with the end of this duology. In my opinion it takes a lot to execute a duology well, in this respect I think this sequel really delivered! I’d say this book was more character-driven than DotMG. Which I didn’t mind at all!

If you enjoyed the first book, I think you’ll love this emotional conclusion to the duology!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing house for the opportunity to read this amazing book! Sue Lynn Tan has done it again! Like the cover, the prose and worldbuilding are absolutely exquisite! I couldn't put this book down--ever since I read the first book in this series, I couldn't wait to read the sequel! And this sequel takes the first book to a whole new level! Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC!

Book Review:

Themes: Action, Fantasy, Fantasy Adventure, Betrayal, Romance, Love Triangle, Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology

Heart of the Sun Warrior is the second book in The Celestial Kingdom duology; it is the sequel to the Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Therefore, if you haven't read the first book, GO READ IT BEFORE THIS ONE COMES OUT.

Heart of the Sun Warrior is a YA fantasy that follows Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess, Chang'e, and the mortal archer, Houyi. After the events of the first book, Xingyin seems to have fallen into a life of peace with the people she loves. However, a new threat arises and destroys this home she has long desired and built. This story dives deep into Chinese mythology and is a tale about love and sacrifice. It also includes many of the characters I loved in the first book!!

I loved and enjoyed this book so much. I was dabbing my eyes throughout the entire thing. I really didn't know what was going to happen as I was turning the pages and that kept me highly engaged. It wasn't as action-packed as the first one, but it was still filled with adventure and battle. The characters you loved or even hated in the first one, you will love and hate even more in this one. I think that this is also one of the most successful love triangles I have ever read. Sue Lynn Tan knows exactly what she is doing when writing love interests and love triangles. I loved both characters for Xingyin so much AND THE ENDING WAS EVERYTHING. Our main character, Xingyin, is also wonderful. She is a strong, brave, and fantastic female main character. I really enjoyed her thought process and truly felt her emotions when faced with difficult decisions. I wanted to know what else happened after the final page. I WILL ALWAYS WANT MORE.

Again, read Daughter of the Moon Goddess if you haven't yet, then 10000% read this one! You won't regret it!

Heart of the Sun Warrior comes out on November 15, 2022!! Happy reading!

I'm incredibly sad that The Celestial Kingdom duology has ended but Sue Lynn Tan delivered a perfect conclusion to one of my new favorite series. Xingyin is an incredibly complicated protagonist who spends much of this novel trying to understand her own feelings, while also having to stop the greatest threat the Immortal Realm has ever faced. It may not be as fast-paced as the first book, but Heart of the Sun Warrior covers a lot of ground, taking the story in several directions and giving us one of the most lived in worlds of any recent fantasy releases.

So, I just don't think this author's writing style is for me. I read Daughter of the Moon Goddess and didn't fall in love with it but wanted to give Heart of the Sun Warrior a try to see how everything got wrapped up. After reading it, I honestly wish I had just let it alone after not clicking with the first book.

One issue I have with this book is the pacing of it. There are a lot of time jumps that confuse me. In one chapter they'll be doing one thing and in the next it's a completely different thing, but the time jump isn't necessarily introduced just expected to be understood. And then at times months or years will just pass with very little context of what occurred in between. It forced me a lot of times to remove myself from the storyline to try and piece together what was going on.

In addition, I felt very detached from the characters. While the author talked about the characters' feelings a lot, I didn't necessarily feel like the characters genuinely felt those emotions. They just came across very surface level, and at times just robotic and going through the motions, which made it hard for me to feel invested in the story.

Lastly, my least favorite part of the story was the dreaded love triangle. I think the author handled it very poorly in this book. There are many reasons I don't like the love triangle trope because it's just difficult to execute without making a reader want to eye roll and this book was just a prime example of it. One side just kept professing his undying love and the other just kept saying how wrong the other guy was for her. She basically dismissed them both throughout the whole book and then suddenly made up her mind at the end after a major sacrifice was made. How it got wrapped up at the end was confusing and I honestly still don't really understand what happened.

I do think the author is talented in the actual construction of her sentences and the lyrical quality of her writing. It just didn't work enough with the actual composition of the story to help me enjoy the book more. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5-4 stars.

Ah, man, where to begin. Heart of the Sun Warrior picks up right where Daughter of the Moon Goddess left off, and while I really, really liked Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I found I didn't like the sequel nearly as much. This is in part because I felt this book was much, much more emotion-heavy than the first, and I think that highlighted that this feels much younger than I'd expect.

But! First, the good: Tan's writing is still really lovely, and the world she's created is so dreamy. I liked that this felt like a natural progression for the characters, and that the pacing felt much more consistent. I think Tan's writing has tightened up with this one, and overall this was a fun read. Though the ending felt a bit dragged out, I think it was still a good one, and in many ways it felt "earned." I also liked that, while things mostly worked out for Xingyin (maybe too neatly, sometimes) not everything did and when they didn't, there was devastating consequences. Good stuff, that.

Sometimes, though, the resolution to conflict felt almost too convenient, and this just felt so *young* from what I'd expect from a book marketed as adult (I do believe the author has said that it's a crossover between adult and older YA, which uh. yeah. it's definitely more crossover than adult). I think this is in part to being deep into Xingyin's emotions (this was? a very emotions-driven narrative?) and the focus on the love triangle/romance. My interest in the love triangle and heavy focus on the romance has fizzled out from the last book, so I just sort of felt very meh about that aspect, and boy is it a huge part of the narrative.

Overall, this was a good and satisfying conclusion to the series, which is why I gave it four stars instead of three, I just wasn't as captivated as I was by the first.

Freedom has a price and the Celestial Emperor is determined to make Xingyin pay. When a new magic is discovered in the moon, everyone becomes a threat. Xingyin is forced to flee with her family, turning them all into fugitives of the Celestial Empire. This is the perfect follow up to Daughter of the Moon Goddess with new threats, powerful love, and high stakes.

No major spoilers in this review but it’s a little spoilery I guess.

Plot: 5/5
I hadn’t originally thought there would be much potential plot for a sequel after the ending of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. But Tan crafted a story with new conflicts that easily grew from the problems we knew in book one. The stories flow seamlessly together.

Characters: 5/5
Oh you thought the love triangle was resolved!? You thought wrong!

Xingyin faces new conflicts both between the main characters and the empire of the Celestial Kingdom. The way she acts with continuous honor is almost unbelievable but you see how her choices plague her and how she debates for the best possible options. While we see her grow from child to legend in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, we now get to see what a legend becomes next.

My feelings on Wenzhi and Liwei still stand from the first book honestly. Within the first few chapters that was clear. I immediately hoped Xingyin and Wenzhi would be able to over come their pasts and that Liwei would just kinda go be elsewhere. He’s an incredible character who brings so much to the story but Xingyin is someone who needs to be free and Wenzhi wouldn’t try to change that.

Writing: 5/5
Tan is a phenomenal writer but we all new that after book one. Her style is so immersive and it completely draws you in.

She is especially skilled at writing dialog which is such an important factor for me in a book. The banter between Xingyin and Wenzhi was perfect and I was cackling over the interactions between Liwei and Wenzhi. It brings so much life to the characters to see how their emotions show in their words.

Overall: 5/5

I feel speechless having finished Heart of the Sun Warrior. Tan almost had me there in the end! But damn if that wasn’t a beautifully crafted ending that left me full of hope with tears in my eyes.

"Reach for the joy you have, revel in it. For it is scarce enough in the world."

⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

content warnings: grief, death, blood/violence

Heart of the Sun Warrior follows Xingyin in the aftermath of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. After reuniting with her family, life on the moon should be peaceful. Unfortunately, both new and old enemies have a way of creeping in, and there is no lack of difficult decisions at play. Battling a new (and far worse) foe, will Xingyin be able to stop them before everything she holds dear is lost?

I really enjoyed book 1, and the main element that kept me from giving it 5 stars was the dramatic and drawn-out love triangle. This is coming from someone who doesn't really mind the love triangle dynamic in fiction. I hesitated only slightly before requesting a review copy of this and... boy, do I have thoughts.

The writing in this duology is 11/10. I have SO MANY inspirational or moving quotes about grief, family, independence, and passion. This book, however... is almost 500 pages of one of the most dramatic and drawn-out love triangles I've ever read (and I've read Twilight and The Vampire Diaries LOL). I was literally laughing out loud and some of the scenes either because it felt so over-the-top or I had secondhand embarrassment. If you don't like or hate love triangles, you will despise this book and highly *don't* recommend it.

The pacing in this book felt a little wild, with some sections dragging and many scenes feeling so back-to-back that I had to catch my breath. I still think it was a great improvement to book 1 and, for the most part, enjoyed it!

The atmosphere was stunning, and I could easily envision all of the kingdoms and realms. I was only confused at one point involving the logic of the underwater kingdom, but I may have missed something.

While I enjoyed this book, the ending 15-20% was a little too heavy for me to handle tonight. I did not reflect that in the book's quality, because that's absolutely bad timing on my part. I think I <i>did</i> enjoy the ending, but the fact that 90% of this book was still a love triangle of sorts was far too dragged out for me to be satisfied. I'm still immediately adding Sue Lynn Tan's upcoming retelling to my TBR and just... hoping there is even a little less love triangle next time. The chemistry and dialogue was great, so I'm confident I will like another book by her.

I would recommend this duology to lovers of love triangles, books that aren't afraid to shy away from grief, and absolutely stunning writing!