(Big thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving us this eARC in exchange for an honest review!)

I was super excited to get into this book because I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess and I think that Sue Lynn Tan is creating an amazing world for these characters. The author does a great job developing these characters and showing the character arcs and development. It felt like the author gave everyone the ending that they deserved and that the book didn't end super abruptly or on a cliffhanger. This sequel was a perfect ending to a duology that had lots of war and very powerful fantasy elements. There was so much power and magic involved, a new villain, a love triangle that I didn't absolutely hate, and a fantastic heroine. She was so incredibly strong and impressive, she was very headstrong and knew her worth, which I really admired. I was a bit apprehensive of reading this since it is a duology and the second books to most series tend to not reach my expectations, but this book absolutely tied up the story line and made it incredibly interesting. I enjoyed the finale to this duology and I know that many others that loved the first book will absolutely love the second!

This was a great end to a breathtaking duology, but do I think it's better than the first book...

I don't know. It took me a while to get through this. There were plot elements dropped from the first book that I enjoyed and new plots that I didn't care about as much. There weren't any scenes that stuck with me as strongly as that initial scene in "Daughter" where Xingyin take the time to bow to her home as she's fleeing, but it was still written with Sue Lynn Tan's wonderful touch.

One thing I really loved about this series is that Xingyin stays true to herself and her ideals throughout the book, and doesn't change when the love element is introduced. For a duology that both titles are inspired by XIngyin's parents, though, I could have used more family stuff in this book. Oh, well. Can't win them all.

I'm very excited to see what comes next from Sue Lynn Tan!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"...clinging to both light and dark, and lost somewhere in between... a child of mortal and immortal heritage, in the shade of my luminous parents."

I've read a lot of amazing books in 2022 but Heart of the Sun Warrior surpasses all of them!

After re-reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I knew my heart would break while reading HOTSW. I knew my soul would hurt. I could feel the anxiety creep through my bones as each chapter built and built.

"The pieces were set on the board, and I only wished I knew what game was being played. One thing was for certain; I was done being a pawn, and if I moved, it would be of my own violation."

Sue Lynn Tan is officially an auto-buy author for me. I fell in love with her cinematic and engaging writing during DOTMG and it was no different with HOTSW. I could feel, hear, and see everything from Xingyin’s point of view. This duology is now a part of me and I plan on re-reading Sue Lynn Tan's words every year.

"For a life without love was a night without stars, and only the darkness awaited me now."

The tension between Liwei, Xingyin, and Wenzhi is chefs kiss perfect. It frustrated me in all the right ways and each moment Xingyin had with both men is heart wrenching and left me an emotional wreck.

"It was real. Lie to me all you want, just don't lie to yourself."

I'm so excited Sue Lynn Tan's next two books, one set in the same world and the next of a different Chinese legend.

Heart of the Sun Warrior is a gorgeous story with beautiful character development and bittersweet moments that will leave you longing for more in the best way.

"True happiness springs from within, a contentment with oneself. And while it may be humbler and quieter, there is nothing more precious and lasting."

5 stars and beyond.

Ended up finishing this yesterday evening. I decided to pick up the sequel because I remembered the first book being pretty solid, and I wanted to see how Tan would follow up on the threads from it. Again, pretty solid follow up. I'll give Tan credit for doing well on the fantasy chase and action scenes that make up most of the book, as well as some of the quieter dialogues between Xinying and other characters. The vibes this time lean more wuxia than historical fantasy anime, but they're good vibes regardless. There are parts that feel incredibly quickly and vaguely glossed over, while the rest leans more into tropes (find the supposedly dead father! fight the evil power hungry general attempting to usurp the imperial throne! the prince's mother hates the main character and refuses to let them marry!). On top of that, I've been spoiled by books that have love triangles actually being acknowledging polyamory as a possibility, and found the resolution to the love triangle pretty underwhelming. Manageably well worth reading.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I am distraught because this book is over. I would have kept reading because I just didn’t want it to end. And if you had told me at the end of the last book how this one would end I would never have believed I’d be happy about it. But I am. We earned the ending we got. And goodness we earned the emotions and the tears. I cried quite a lot; my heart was gripped, ripped out, and then stitched back together. There was still tons of action, so many hard choices, heartbreaking moments, tender moments, hand over my mouth moments, and everything in between. I’m also plotting a campaign for Sue Lynn Tan to give us an epilogue because I just can’t say goodbye to these characters and this world.

This somewhat disappointing sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess has a lot of action and sumptuous description as it follows Xingyin, Liwei, and Wenzhi through a host of challenges, not least of which is the challenges of the heart. The story picks up pretty much where Daughter of the Moon Goddess left off, with political intrigue between various immortal kingdoms based on Chinese myths. The action and description move the story along, but to the detriment of further character development. While this isn't a bad story, it is not anything particularly memorable. Readers of Daughter of the Moon Goddess might enjoy the story, but those coming into this book without that background will struggle.

This book was just as enjoyable as the last! A strong group of side characters and an adventure that no one can complain about. I will say this one suffers the same problem as Daughter of the Moon Goddess in the pacing department. Certain things felt like they dragged on way more than they should and others zipped by but overall it didn't really detract from the story.

I just want to start by saying I'm so grateful for the ARC of this book! I got to read the duology back to back and spend a few months of time in this world and it was wonderful. I still love the writing (DotMG was 5 stars for me), the world building is still beautiful without being too over the top, the mythology is fascinating and the characters are so easy to fall for. I wasn't sure how this sequel would hold up to the first as the first seemed to be wrapped up nicely. (If you didn't care for the first, it could probably be read as a stand alone). However, if you loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess, this book is another epic ride and I do recommend it! I will say, this one wasn't five stars because it felt a little slow to start (maybe that's a me thing?) Also because there's a part where one character's development seems to be thrown out the window in the name of a fresh start and that enraged me a little bit. I understand why, and it was "resolved" by the end, so that saved this from being a 3 star read!! Maybe I'm letting my emotions guide my review LOL. In all, this was a great read filled with love, loss, a little jealousy, and lots of adventure. Loved it.

I feel like Heart of the Sun Warrior did a good job at concluding the romance storyline from the first book, but with that being one of the few things not wrapped up in Daughter of the Moon Goddess there wasn’t much left to get this book rolling. As such takes about half of the book for it to feel like something’s actually happening, but at the same time it was hard to put it down.

Despite the slow start, this book/duology is a great read for anyone interested in fantasy and Chinese mythology

Rating: 3.5

I was excited to return to the enchanting world of the immortals created by Sue Lynn Tan. I picked up the book not sure of what to expect since the last novel did not end on a cliffhanger. Let me say that I overall enjoyed this story and genuinely cared to continue reading to find out how the story would end. It was definitely not a perfect book but it did not have to be.

The Good:
- fast-paced, plot-driven, and engaging with accessible writing
- exciting world with magic and Chinese lore as the character's faced one herculean task after another that kept the reader on their toes
- Xingyin evolved as a character as she interrogated what was important to her in the face of hardship and loss

The Bad:
- most problems resolved quite quickly and easily despite such high stakes
- this is an offshoot of my issue with the first novel but since the Xingyin's foundational romantic moments happened off-screen over the course of years, I simply did not care about the romance. I felt no emotional investment towards either main lead until the very end of the story because the author made it evident who was endgame
- Xingyin's internal dialogue for the love triangle felt like a broken record

Despite the story's shortcomings, it was worthwhile reading the conclusion of Xingyin's story. The ultimate battle was truly high stakes, unparalleled compared to prior challenges the main leads had endured. As well as, the heartbreak and resolution of the final chapters gave Xingyin depth as her struggle mirrored her mother's. It was a fun read and I was content with the conclusion. The ending left space for the readers to imagine the many possibilities of how Xingyin love story would continue. I honestly would definitely read a novella just for that!

I really enjoyed this book. I hope the author continues to write more books in the future. I can't wait to see what the author releases in the future.

I wanted to know the ending from daughter of the moon goddess but this was disappointing for me. If you like low stakes fantasy books then this is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved "Daughter of the Moon Goodess" when I read it earlier this year. It was a surprise hit for me so I was eager to finish out the duology. I will say off the bat that I did enjoy this book. It was slower than I had hoped for however and took longer for me to read. The writing is beautiful and full of lovely imagery as is the first book. This story however is about a rare piece of magic being found and harvested from the moon. Someone overthrows the Celestial Kingdom and seems to be on a mission to do the same with the other kingdoms as well. When Xingyin's home and safety are destroyed and she suffers even more losses, she must try to find allies to help her stop the destruction. This starts another series of quests as she needs to make alliances and find magical objects to help in her mission. She must learn whether she can again trust the man who broke her heart and betrayed her and if she can find a future with Liwei the Celestial Prince. The action here was well and good but it seemed to go on for too long and the items that fell into her hands literally seemed to fall their too easily. The book absolutely broke my heart because there are losses here. I also didn't like that this book found us back in a love triangle that I just didn't care for. The ending where Xingyin was caught up in her grief was at once relatable and also somehow offputting. I also didn't like the easy out for once character at the end of the book. This book was pretty and enjoyable enough. I just don't know that we really needed a second book here. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is stronger as a stand alone.

This was absolutely beautiful and epic! The way she wrapped up the story really felt like coming home! I’m not usually a fan of love triangles especially when there’s a clear true love. I really couldn’t tell who she was going to end up with. And the twist at the end nearly destroyed me! Not a book you want to miss out on! The entire duology is like a moon cake. You just have to share it with friends and family! Thank you for the chance to review this epic story of life.

Reviews Posted October 2, 2022
Goodreads
Storygraph

This book broke me only to build me back up. I do think that the pacing was a little off, especially in the middle of the book, I just felt like there was a little too much moving around.

The characters had good development from the first book, and I am glad that no one forgave each other so easily. I also like that we got to see the main characters interact with side people more, it just gave a nice insight into them.

The romance broke me. Like I will never recover from the pain that the author put me through. I was balling like a baby, because of everything that happened. And I know most people don’t like love triangles, but I actually think this one is done really well. The ending chapter will haunt me and make me smile for the rest of my days.

The plot was a lot of fun, and I defiantly did not see parts of the ending coming. Again the middle of the book felt a little off, and it took a while for all the small subplots to finally come together. Other than that, I thought the book was a lot of fun, and once again the author's writing pulls you into a magical fantasy world.

How do I feel after finishing this book? In a word, conflicted. On one hand, the writing and the world itself are beautiful. I love the way Tan writes. But, I didn't feel as connected to what the characters were going through as I would have liked.

Maybe if I remembered more of the details from the first book before I read this one I would have felt differently, but I just wasn't as invested by the end of the book the way I was in the first.

It's just a bunch of small things for me that made it hard to root for the characters all the way through the book. I guess part of it is Xingyin's interactions with Wenzhi, I don't know maybe this says more about me than it does the characters, but I would've had a much harder time mustering any amount of forgiveness than she did. Wenzhi wronged her, and she deserved better. Maybe it's because I am a sucker for friends to lovers. One of the few things I do remember from the first book was how manipulative the romance felt between Xingyin and Wenzhi. Maybe, in the long run, it would be healthier for her to learn who she is without either of them.

I think I just wanted a different follow-up to the first book. The plot of this book just felt a little less focused than the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I was not a fan of this book, which is quite disappointing given the fact that I enjoyed the first one. The character motivations did not line up with the characters we were introduced to in the previous book. I can to some degree ignore this if you argue that the events of the last book greatly changed the characters, but my biggest grievance with this book was that it was a sequence of plot convenience after plot convenience to get to a specific endpoint that the author wanted, Not only did this dim the excitement but it felt not genuine. I’m very disheartened to say that this series did not need a second book and would have been stronger as a stand-alone.

Heart of the Sun Warrior was a very enjoyable sequel to one of our favorite fantasy reads of the year. While the pacing was a little slow until about the 60% mark, the ending made up for it plot-wise. So much happened in this book, similar to the first in the duology, and it reads quickly with all of the action. However, at times, we thought there were too many sub-plots going on that were obscured, such as Liwei's sister. It felt somewhat unnecessary in the grand scheme of the story.

We really enjoyed Xingyin's narration. She is real and honest, and not always morally perfect with her desire for revenge, power, and strength at times. Her relationships were enjoyable to read, and to be honest, the author somehow made a love triangle work. Usually we can't stand them, but the love triangle in the story was really well written. The ending was a great balance - not too happy and not too sad, with a nice resolution to the love triangle (although we did think Liwei's character had a really awful ending).

The worldbuilding was excellent too, with the descriptions captivating, especially in terms of food and clothing. The magic sometimes felt a little too convenient for us. We would have liked a little more clarification or clearer rules, or maybe some limitations. But objectively, this novel was a great sequel with enjoyable characters, well-written relationships, an enticing world, and a satisfying wrap-up to the duology.

Heart of a Sun Warrior is a beautiful conclusion to The Celestial Kingdom duology. Xingyin is finally back with her mother at the tranquility of her home when peace is threatened and her strength is tested beyond anything she’s known. The world in this fantasy is just stunning. The writing is captivating and the characters are wonderful. This picks up a little after where book 1 ends and it did take me a little bit to get into. I think at times the pacing felt a little rushed because there were just so many ideas. And I wish there was little more about the magics in this. But I thought the plot was really strong and I really loved the love triangle in this and the complexity. Xingyin is such a wonderful narrator too—she’s so brave and vulnerable and real. This is a story of love and family and it’s just so well done and tied up. It’s emotional and beautifully written and I just really loved this duology.

A lush, twisty sequel to one of my favorite reads this year. I am in love with Tan's prose. The character arcs were moving. I confess to be disappointed on the results of the love triangle, but this duology is amazing none the less.