3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

To begin with, I will preface my review by saying that I did not love the first book. My love for Chinese mythology and culture had me checking out this book. That being said…….

I did not enjoy this book much more. The pacing was decent, I will say that. Just when I thought there was some really good character development happening, our MC would do something, say something or react in some way that really bothered me. To me, she showed very little growth. She was stubborn, unforgiving and bull headed and clearly very easily emotionally swayed that I found it difficult to enjoy her character. The character I saw the most development from was Wenzhi, but then, I thought he got the short end of the stick.

Again, as in the first, I hated the love triangle. It was way too drawn out and didn’t come to any conclusion until the very end and then seemed rushed and half-hearted. Although as a test to the author’s easy and lovely writing style (despite my lack of enthusiasm about the story), the ending still brought some tears.

Change’e was another character I didn’t love here. She seemed to need taking care of a lot, and sometimes it seemed Xingyin and her roles were reversed as mother and daughter. I did find Houyi’s aspect in the story surprising and interesting, though.

Overall, this book was not my cup of tea, but it was paced well and kept the story moving.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an advanced e-readers copy of this book!

First and foremost in my review I would like to say that I wasn’t entirely happy with the first book. My biggest issues was the romance and love triangle felt dragged on to me, and took up too much of the story compared to the actual action, fantasy, and world-building. That being said, that is something more of a typical personal preference for me and I don’t tend to favor romance stories. I also often got caught up with how wordy it could get when describing something. While the prose was beautiful, it was harder to keep focus for and actually paint the images in my head, personally. I did, though, enjoy the ending and the last part of the book the most once it got into the action and I was satisfied with the ending.

Heart of the Sun Warrior follows Xingyin now that she returns home and is reunited with her mother. However, it’s not long before things got rocky. There’s a shift of power within the Celestial Kingdom, we learn more about Houyi, Xingyin’s father, and suddenly it’s up to Xingyin to save the Immortal (and mortal) realm. This is of course a very brief idea to what happens, but it's hard to grow on it much without spoilers.

Compared to the beginning of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I definitely preferred the beginning of this book. I found it easier to start and get into as it had more action in the beginning than all the introductory stuff of the first book. That being said, it didn’t last long and it honestly felt like somewhat of a chore to read after a little bit. While there was definitely a central plot, there felt like many side/sub plots completely separate from the main plot that took the story everywhere and made it hard to stay on track and interested.

One thing I really hoped for in this book was more focus on the world-building and magic. After all, this is a fantasy. I was disappointed to feel like there was hardly much added. If anything, I feel like there was less of a focus on the fantasy in this book than the first. While some aspects of magic were introduced or added on, it felt almost like the magic of the world was a secondary thought to a lot of parts of the story. In contrast, though, the world politics felt interesting and grown on more as we learn more about the Celestial Emperor and other royalties.

And again while I am generally not a fan of romance, the romance aspect of it felt like so much more of a drag in this book than the first. And ultimately, it felt as if the love triangle had too much of an impact of the main plot and outcome of the book than if it were just a subplot and which I personally really didn't care for. Maybe if you enjoy romance, you may be able to appreciate it, but even aside from finding the romance a drag throughout the whole story, the ending of it felt very unfulfilling to me personally which I realized made so much of this story feel anticlimactic.

In some ways, the story also felt repetitive at times. Although the actual events or actions that the characters went through varied, the way characters interacted (especially in regards to the love triangle), the outcomes of events, and character’s thought processes of things felt somewhat similar through a lot of it. I think I ended up wishing the author took more risks. While Xingyin definitely went through her share of pain, it felt that it felt obvious the author tried to make the losses smaller than what they could be, and then the effects on Xingyin felt almost exaggerated. While of course I wanted Xingyin to be happy, growing and working past these losses is a big part of any hero’s journey and it fell short from my perspective.

Some things I did enjoy throughout this book, though, were some of the themes it touched upon. I enjoyed the exploration of how things are hardly every black and white, it’s always much more nuanced. Xingyin acknowledges how this reflects herself, but also acknowledges how its prevalence in other situations. While something someone does may have been justified, that doesn’t mean that the person who suffered from it needs to accept it. That person can equally be as justified in their feelings as the person who committed the act was.

In the end, I’m glad I read the book, and I’m very thankful to have the chance to read it in advance. If you really enjoyed the first book, I think it’s likely you’ll like this one as well. I admit it wasn’t my particularly cup of tea, but I still feel like I gained something from reading it, and that doesn’t mean that it won’t be enjoyable for others.

A million out of 10. The daughter of the moon goddess is one of my favorite books, and this sequel and ending to to duology is just as incredible. These books feel like home. They're incredible.

5/5 ⭐

This was a fantastic sequel! Typically I find myself getting a bit more bored in the second book of a trilogy, but this book was definitely and exception to that pattern! It was action-pact, emotional, romantic, and had lovely writing. The prose was so beautiful that I kept re-reading my favorite phrases in my head, even writing a few of them down in my journal as I read. That's how you know it's a great read!

OKAY THIS BOOK IS JUST AS FABULOUS AS THE FIRST ONE!!!! I loved seeing all the people I fell in love with in this one! I adore them! It was unexpected and full of fantasy that was fabulous!! My only issue with this book is I wanted more!!

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022. I was over the moon to receive an ARC and devored it immediately.
This book was a beautifully woven story of heartbreak, love and second chances. I loved the first book but this second book will have my heart.
This story was wonderfully crafted. It grabbed me immediately and sucked me into a place where I lost all since of time.
We are joining Xingyin one year later on the moon. Gone is the crying girl by the river. Life has made her a little harder and less trusting. The love triangle is still very much at the forefront at the beginning of the book. Liwei is still fighting for Xingyin's affection right out of the gate giving her hair pin back to her in an attempt of a proposal. I dont know what it is about morally grey men but when Wenzhi said dont marry him I had the audacity to agree with him.
I loved how she wrote Liewie and Wenzhi's stories that had you rooting for both of them.
The ending of the book was absolutely beautiful. I honestly could not think of a better ending. It may tear you to shreds but it will also put you back together again.
I am so in love with this book I want to scream it at every person I come across. I want more of these beautiful heartbreaking stories from this author.
I cannot wait to share my favorite quotes once this book has been released.

"Night cloaked the sky in darkness, draping shadows across the earth..."
THIS IS THE FIRST LINE OF THE BOOK. CONSIDER ME JUMPING IN HEAD FIRST.
Okay but seriously, this book was so magical. Sue Lynn Tan's writing is incredible. Her writing pushes you into this beautifully created world and makes you not want to leave. I couldn't wait to return to this world. Thank you so much for the eARC NetGalley and Harper Voyager!

This book is very real. It includes love, loss, regret, hope, and concludes the love triangle from the first book. Fighting for friends, family, and what one believes to be right is at the core of this book and it was gorgeously done, even if it did rip your heart apart to do it. :)

Thank you, Sue Lynn Tan, for sharing this incredibly breathtaking world with all of us. From the beginning of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, to the end of Heart of the Sun Warrior, you kept me captivated on the edge of my seat, eager for more. This was an incredible ride and I highly highly recommend this duology.

Possible Triggers:
Death

Summary:
This is the final book in the ‘Celestial Kingdom’ duology.

Characters:
Xingyun: Who would have thought that her impulsive actions and rash temper could get her into so many more things in this final book. On the one hand, I don't feel like she really grew and matured as a character (she was the same as the last book) but on the other, she did go through a lot more personal mayhem in this story. I loved the fight scenes described in this book and her dedication to the people she cared about. While her depth of feeling for everything (usually anger) was sometimes annoying, there was no doubt that she was very passionate about life and her loved ones.

Positives:
+ Beautifully descriptive everything. The scenes were so vibrant and beautiful. Gorgeous world settings that were super mesmerizing. This has got to be hands down one of the best books in terms of imagery that I have read this year (did I read the first book this year? Can it be tied for first?). The clothing, world, foods, mythological creatures. All of these things were described so well. Like I mentioned in my review of the first book, this reminds me of beautiful detailed embroidery in written form.
+ My poor heart. Get ready to be shattered.
+ I really liked how well the author wrote the awful characters in this book. All the characters had flaws (which was great) but man those baddies were just so deliciously vile. Greek Gods wrath and spite have nothing on these deities.

Negatives:
- SO MUCH DECEPTION. In the same way over and over? It’s a wonder anyone has any trust to extend at this point. It might have even been on the lines of too much deception. There was a section in the book where there was such a condensed amount of it, you wondered why Xingyun didn’t erupt in a wave of rage and off everyone (not really her style, but still, you’d think after the amount of times it happened she would have snapped). Heck, I stopped trusting everyone.
- I wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance in the book. Holy heck missmiss, make a decision. This is probably because it is my least favorite romance trope. I feel like I should mention that the romance didn’t necessarily end in a way that I didn't appreciate, just that for a while there (the majority of both books) the main trope was frustrating.
- The last few chapters really dragged and I felt could have wrapped up in a more concise manner. Still a good ending it just felt like a snail's pace close.

Final Thoughts:
I think I liked this book less than the first one. There was much more action, more traveling to awesome places, more epic battles, and weirdly the highs were higher and lows were lower. And yet, I enjoyed the first book more because it contained more in 1 large cohesive problem (Xingyun saving her mother) where this second book felt more like she was trying to solve a bunch of problems all at once. There's something about the first book feeling like a retelling/modern mythology and the second book loses that some and feels more like a fantasy/action/romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I honestly really like this new trend of duology books coming out in the same year. Far enough apart to give readers a chance to think about the first one and decide if they want to read the second, but not so far apart that you feel like you have to read the first one over again. The first installment of this series was amazing for a debut and I loved every minute of it and I was curious exactly where the author was going to go for the second. It felt like everything aside from the love triangle was fairly well wrapped up and the conflict for this book didn't come from where I thought it was going to come from. However, just because it wasn't tied to the first book in the way that I thought it would doesn't mean that you can read this as a standalone. You definitely have to pick up the first book before you read this one. It really won't make sense otherwise. You won't know the backstory, the characters, or the world as well without it.

All of our favorite (or least favorite) characters are generally back for this one and no one is safe. It is a bit of a roller coaster for emotions, not only because you're worried about the characters, but also because the love triangle is a bit of a mess. If you thought the love triangle was resolved in the first, no. Personally, I find love triangles to generally be a bit lackluster unless I'm really unsure who the main character is going to end up with. This one felt like no contest to me, but I've seen some mixed feelings with other reviewers so...

Generally speaking, the plot of the first book was stronger for me. I can't really go into details without ruining it for others, but this is something that is a specific problem for me. It's hard to discuss it without actually talking, but there is an element that really doesn't work for me when included in stories. The bad guy was a little mustache twirly to me, but that's fine. I think Sue Lynn Tan can get away with it a bit in this type of a book. Immortals are plotters after all. However, all of the plot takes a backseat when compared to Xingyin's character growth between these two books.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of the first one. Prepare yourself for the return of the love triangle, but I think most people are going to like the plot for what it is. I loved the world-building, the writing, and generally speaking the characters. I do want more Wenzhi, but I will always want more Wenzhi. Hopefully other readers will find this a solid installment and conclusion to this duology. I look forward to seeing what is next for Sue Lynn Tan.

I loved this book! As a whole I really enjoyed this series, I think in large part because I knew nothing about Chinese mythology going in and so every aspect of the story was new to me. The book is very fast paced and from the minute I started reading it I was completely sucked in! I also liked how the book touched on the importance of love and forgiveness. I wanted a little bit more from the ending but it was still a really great book! I’m sad this series is over but I’m excited to see what sue lynn tan writes next!

I received Heart of the Sun Warrior in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in a duology. The first book is Daughter of the Moon Goodess. As such, this review will have spoilers for this book, and this book very much relies on you having read the first book to be reading the second one.

This book picks up after the second book. Xingyin and her mother now live on the moon, still tasked with lighting the lamps every night for the Celestial Kingdom, but able to receive visitors and freedom of movement than what was afforded them before as long as they keep to their duties. This is all shattered as old grudges play into the Emperor’s increasing need to exert and grasp at his already considerable power.

As Xingyin finds herself once again on the run, she learns about betrayals, hard truths about life and love, and what true sacrifice is.

Overall, I enjoyed this book just as much as the first. In some ways just the same, and in others differently. One thing I loved doing in my rereading of the first book and my reading of this book was just identifying all the different tropes. I know nothing is truly original, but in some books, I can almost forget while reading. In this book, I almost felt like I should be filling out some sort of bingo sheet, but I wasn’t annoyed like in other books. It was more like a game we were playing. Plus, I find this with a lot of YA books, this tends to be how they draw in some of their target audience.

Some of the new ways were that these were established characters that while they were learning some news things, were not fresh-faced, untested warriors. They had been out in the world and fought their share of demons and magical beasts. So, their battles, stakes, and how they went about their various tasks, and how they talked and viewed the world reflected that. I enjoyed reading these characters as people who had grown from the first book, that I wasn’t reading characters that had someone gone back to square one.

This brings to us two of my two major gripes. One I can’t really talk about as it’s the very end of the book. All I’ll say is that there is a certain way to end YA books with a female protagonist (often with a love triangle, but it’s really not about who she ended up with that I’m complaining about), and I do not like that ending. I actively dislike it enough for this to be a solid 4-star read instead of a 4.5. Also, just the love triangle. I thought we were past it. We were not. We really were not, and I actively didn’t care about it. At all.

The beauty of the story lies in Xingyin moments of clarity as she goes through her story. As she sees injustices done over and over again and she comes to terms with hard truths. Her story is one woven into her parents, but then woven into her own world, and she sees how important it is to have your own life, and even as hard as it is, how important it is that everyone has their own agency and that it not be taken from them. Overall, if you loved the first book, and were wondering at the loose threads left after the first book then this book will not disappoint in how it ties those up.

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan is the follow up to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. In this final offering from The Celestial Kingdom Duology we get a bit less action (don't worry there is still plenty of action) and are more focused on the characters. I loved this book. It was the perfect conclusion to the story. I was worried that nothing could top Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but I loved this one just as much. I received this copy from NetGalley to review but I've already preordered a copy of this gorgeous book for my shelf.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of this boom.

This is the sequel (Celestial Kingdom 2) to Daughter of the Moon Goddess which was a fabulous book! In this book we rejoin Xingyin the daughter of the moon goddess,Chang'e, as she goes back to her home with her mother on the Moon. Her peace there is destroyed by a new threat in the Celestial Kingdom. A new head of the Celestial Army has risen to power, one who has a secret hate of all immortals and has an agenda to destroy them all. Xingyin must flee her home again and with the help of her friends and fight to save the immortal realms.
This is a wonderful series filled with action and love and heartbreak and triumphs . A truly satisfying read! ( and the author left a thread that could be continued...!)

I am so glad I got the chance to read this early. Sue lynn tan did it again. This book is AMAZING, A beautiful continuation of Daughter of the moon goddess. I absolutely loved everything about it. The world building and how you can so vividly see every room and person she describes is top tier. I constantly felt like I was actually in the world seeing everything with my own eyes and standing with Xingyin. The way she talks about grief and love and dealing with those feelings is so beautiful. I felt like I was experiencing the pain myself, I felt everything xingyin did. I cried so much reading this book, It was absolutely heart wrenchingly beautiful and I would 1000% read another book from this author. 10/10 recommend. I literally pre-ordered a special edition copy of this book.

Heart of the Sun Warrior continues a year after Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Xingyin is at peace in her home, yet a strange enchantment breaks the dream. To restore the peace, she sets out in the Immortal Realm and finds new allies. She also fights a battle with her heart, as she struggles to make a hard decision.

I loved it. There is no other way of putting it. The story-weaving flowed smoothly, making it so easy to follow. There was a lot of repetition, in terms of the content/problems at hand. But I had no problem getting through them, as the fast-flowing high fantasy setting kept me engaged. There seemed to be less family focus, differentiating it from the first book. But the plot twists were all still there. The romance arc also seemed more realistic and not forced. While I think this book focused more on theory and continuing the world-building, I would have liked it to be as action packed as the first book.

Emotions-wise, this was an absolute roller-coaster. I absolutely did not deserve ANYTHING that happened in the last few chapters and it was definitely a lot to go through. Let's just say the this is the second time this author has put me in a state of absolute shock. I really did not know if I should laugh or cry.

I give this book 4.5 stars because it did not give the same energy as the first book and there were somethings that I would have liked to have been delivered better. However, I do want everyone and anyone to read this book when it comes out. It is definitely worth the hype and it has landed on my list of top reads of the year.

The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin—the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer, Houyi—as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope.

After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.

Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love . . . even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

This was a wonderful addition to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I loved Wenzhi’s journey in this book., where he found love was the most important thing of all. There are so many lessons of love that this book shares. Love is powerful, but you need more than love. You need trust, and it is easy for love to be twisted to suit your wants and assuage your guilt. Xingyin was such a relatable character and I was so happy to see her journey come full circle and her get to a place of healing. Often trauma is swept under the rug, but Xingyin was able to face her trauma and come out the other side.

Sue Lynn Tan has done it again. She has woven Chinese mythology into a new and exciting story that pays homage to many of the myths and legends passed down. I was so happy to see Chang’e and Houyi get a happy ending!

Rating 4.5

I loved this just as much as the first one. I usually hate love triangles but I actually liked it in this duology. Probably because I actually three characters and I think Xingyin has great chemistry with both the love interests, though I do think I like Wenzhi more than Liwei. The only problem I have is with the pacing feeling too fast at times.

Rating: 2.75 stars

Heart of the Sun Warrior picks up where the first book left off, with Xingyin and her life after returning to the Moon. While I really enjoyed the first novel, I wasn’t as much of a fan of this one, unfortunately.

Plot: I liked the overall premise of the story and how it tied to the first novel. The pacing felt slow to me somehow though. There were a lot of events happening, in a rather long novel, that things just started to blur together at one point and none of the events seemed significant anymore. There were only a couple of events that were personally memorable - one being the scene with Xingyin and the Sun Goddess.
I did like how the thematic writing carried over, but this time the theme focused on righting wrongs and closure.

Romance: The romance was a bit of a rollercoaster for me, and I’m not sure I enjoyed the ride hahah. Maybe I was naive to think so, but I kind of thought the love triangle had been resolved at the end of the first novel after Wenzhi’s betrayal. So, I was surprised at Wenzhi’s continued involvement/first appearance in the book. The interactions between Xingyin & Liwei and Xingyin & Wenzhi definitely suggested that things weren’t quite settled yet. The ongoing love triangle ended up irking me because it just seemed to drag. I also didn’t love how the romance wrapped up. I don’t mind who she ended up with, but I just didn’t like her sort of wishy-washy/indecisive behavior before deciding that Wait! I actually love him!, at the last second. Liwei had much more patience with her than I did.

Characters: I liked the return of some familiar faces and their increased involvement in the plot. Some of the new characters that popped up were also very interesting. Although there were a couple of characters that I questioned the purpose of their appearance. I understand it for the subplots, but I feel like the general plot would’ve worked without it too.

Overall, Heart of the sun warrior wasn’t my favorite, but it wasn’t a bad end to the duology.

I flew through the first book in this duology and couldn't believe my luck that an ARC was available for this one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I don't think I can add much more to the publisher's blurb except 😍 and 😮 and maybe a little 😫. I'll add this one to my shelf as soon as possible.