A year after the events that led her back home to the Pure Light Palace, Xingyin lives a quiet life, surrounded by her loved ones. She does not want to concern herself with the world outside home, but a surge of strange magic on the moon is about to upend the life she knows. Danger is lurking in unsuspecting places, and indifference is no longer an option. This time the stakes are higher, and the entire realm is in danger. Caught in the political maneuvers of the Immortal Realm, allies will become enemies and enemies will become allies. Lives will be gained, but more will be lost; power and grief will be exploited. Forced to face her biggest challenge yet, Xingyin will take the ultimate risk at an unimaginable cost while trying to come to terms with her heart’s true desires.

This book exceeded my expectations. It is an exciting wild ride full of adventure and of heart-wrenching moments. The mythological aspect is richer, the setting is stunning, and the pacing is brilliant. The book’s cover art is every bit as gorgeous and elegant as that of the first book in the series. The author crafted a stunning world made more interesting by its political and magical elements. While I was not a fan of certain aspects of its predecessor, this time around I felt connected to the story and to the characters. The plot did not feel repetitive. Xingyin’s character is forced to grow. Through her struggles she gains an understanding of other peoples’ predicaments, and about the ways loss and grief shape lives. She strives to understand her own heart and to abandon the recklessness of her past, while allowing herself the possibility of happiness. The love triangle finds its resolution and the ending feels earned; a perfect, unexpected conclusion to Xingyin’s saga.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book prior to its release.

I enjoyed this sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It was just as adventurous, if not more, adventurous as the first book. While I connected with Xin on the first book, I didn’t feel as connected with her in this book. She felt selfish, prideful, and unforgiving at times. It was hard to read. The love triangle was drawn out and repetitive, which is why I give this 3.75 stars. The last five percent of the book were the most enjoyable for me. Overall, I enjoyed this sequel. I did enjoy the first book more.

When I first finished Daughter of the Moon Goddess I left with mixed emotions. It was a whirlpool of emotions, sometimes settling on frustration, other times anticipation. I was desperate for the sequel, but also nervous for it. A push and pull until the pull came in form of this arc. I was all in then, and hoping by reading this sequel I could finally sort through the mixed emotions the first book left me in.

And I did.

In fact, I left this sequel desiring more. Before opening the book, all I hoped was to reach the end satisfied. A clean walk away. Instead, I’m banging at the doors, desperate to be let back in because I just want one more look, I want to know what happens when the reader is led out of the story. I want want one last glimpse of this world and these characters I’ve come to know.

And all the credit to Sue Lynn Tan’s magnificent writing.
Since the first book, one thing that is absolutely undeniable in my mind is Tan’s excellence in writing. She writes gorgeously—taking a string of words and weaving poetry with them.

It’s beautifully written.

However, to be open in all feelings, sometimes that was what I felt was lacking— a narrative that could emote. Where instead of just seeing an action take place, I could feel it too. Where that poetry of words could also lead to symphonies in the heart. Some actions take place so quickly that there is no build up, no anticipation, no lead up into the thing that happens. It reads more of “Here’s an action for you.” “Ok, I’ll take it.”

Once more, with feeling.

It’s an odd thing to say to a book that continues the first’s love triangle, there’s much feeling there— but it’s one I never embraced. I wished the love triangle had resolved itself earlier to allow the chosen love to further deepen. I was very satisfied with the triangle’s resolution, but not so much with the journey getting there.

Once more, with feeling!

Luckily, emotions do shine through, not for as long as I’d like, but the emotional chord is eventually struck, and struck quite well. Even if it at times broke my heart, I welcome that emotion— I had been desperate for it all this time. The last 25% of the book or so is layered with feeling, that symphony finally playing.

It was brilliant to finally feel.

The ending is poignant, beautiful, powerful, and left me longing to peek into the story that would unravel past its final words. It’a a feeling I yearned to have throughout the book, and while it arrived later than desired, it still arrived. And I happily embraced it.

Perhaps this is exactly what the author intended— to mirror Xingyin’s own whirlpool of emotions and the defenses against expressing them. To mirror the wall she placed in her heart, the stubbornness that didn’t let her sit and settle with any emotion she didn’t immediately welcome. To be more stoic than outwardly feeling. But once Xingyin began to recognize those feelings, the story shined even more brightly.

I may walk away from this duology wishing for certain paths to have been taken rather than the ones chosen, but I also walk away holding onto this story tightly. I may not always have loved it, but I will always cherish it.

I’m glad to have explored this world one final time.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

It starts off well and builds up enough backstory that you didn’t have to read the first to jump in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

"Once you have looked death in the face, every moment after is a victory."

Heart of the Sun Warrior finds Xingyin after a peaceful year spent back at home with her mother on the moon. This is a beautiful sequel to a gorgeous book. Heart of the Sun Warrior keeps alive the main theme of Daughter of the Moon Goddess: a daughter's love for her family, and the lengths to which she will go to protect them. I cried way more reading this book than I expected to, but I felt really connected with a lot of the characters more this time around.

4 stars because I have a personal disagreement with some of the choices made for the characters. I also felt that one storyline involving Xingyin's family wasn't as developed as it needed to be and was instead brushed aside to further the more central storyline. Given how long this book is, I felt there was room to spend more time on that particular storyline and round it out more.

Overall, though there are parts of the story I would wish to change, this book is still very well-written and beautifully finishes Xingyin's story. I am content with where Xingyin ends the novel. I am excited to see what Sue Lynn Tann does next!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was amazing I absolutely loved the first book and didn't think it could get any better but man was I wrong this was amazing ill definitely be purchasing as well I can't wait to reread it.

This highly anticipated sequel definitely packs a punch and builds upon the expansive and rich world first introduced in DotMG!

Taking pace 1 year after the ending of DotMG, this essentially picks up right where we left off, as a year is basically like the blink of an eye for immortals. We find Xingyin trying to relish the peace she fought hard for, while still feeling tense and changed after everything she’s gone through and the continuing looming presence of an Celestial Emperor she defied. We see Liwei trying to get back to the days where he and Xingyin were young and in love, and find Wenzhi on a redemption tour.

Yet of course, stability doesn’t last long as the emperor and a cunning advisor make their play, throwing everything into chaos. This was action packed with confrontations abounding. There’s break ins, break outs, prisons, battles, dragons, a flurry of new magical creatures, and new characters that rock Xingyin’s world. Along with all this, there are heavy losses that leapt off the page. You can feel Xingyin’s hope and grief, her torn emotions, and truly how she’s come so far from the unblemished and longing girl of DotMG.

I did love the political plotting and action sequences, the writing is again lush and well done. The world expands significantly to show how full the Immortal World is. There’s a big focus on how grief and trauma change is, sometimes making us stronger, while also stripping us of other things; changing us. Xingyin also does a lot of self reflection over all her trials and set backs, and it was great to go on that journey with her. She doesn’t get supercharged and powered, she really stumbles and loses, but still she persevered, ultimately finding her courage and her mettle.

That said, there were some things that I didn’t love about this. Some of which I will put in spoilers.

First, Chang’e’s uselessness and naivety, including what her choices cause are so blindingly frustrating. It’s like Xingyin must be the parent to a hapless toddler. There are other ways to have the conflict unfold or at the very least have her mother put her instinct to protect her own child first. I kept waiting for that moment of soft strength, or quiet guidance from Chang’e that would turn Xingyin’s perspective or fears on their head, but nothing. Our girl needs support, mom!! There were a lot of missed opportunities for Xingyin and Chang’e to connect and come together as a force, to give some space to the idea of the Moon Goddess also coming into her own form of fierceness. For example, the scheming at the Southern Sea and even in the climax. Chang’e was used in a very perfunctory manner that didn’t add much depth or background to Xingyin and I thought better incorporation of different types of strength and coming back to strengthen that bind that so motivated Xingyin in DotMG would have made this much more emotional and deep.

<spoiler>Next, and this is more minor, but I’m not sure why Xingyin acts like Wenzhi doesn’t know about the bargain she had to strike with the Celestial Empress when he was right there in the same room when it was struck. I also felt like the way the loose ends with the Celestial Empress were ignored or tied up with her death was strange. I think it was a stretch to far to make Xingyin this perpetually empathetic character who somehow could decided what may have formed or shaped the Empress’ cold heart. I don’t think every character deserves some kind of understand and redemption and keeping all of it from Liwei wasn’t necessary.

Also, I felt like Houyi’s reveal was done a bit haphazardly, it felt clumsy and not at all with the emotional gut punch it should have had. I actually kept waiting for him to be a fraud the whole time because the connection was just never there, which is crazy given the sequel’s title. You would expect more heart to hearts, an emotional reunion that really changes Xingyin. Some bonding that inspires Xingyin in her new trials, but there isn’t any of that. </spoiler>

The love triangle mellow drama was exhausting this time around because they overlapped so much and the choice, to me, felt clear and very heavy handed. I liked the Wenzhi redemption arc and all, but I would have preferred something more akin to friendship and renewed understanding instead of the obsessive and constant self flagellation attempts he goes through at trying to winning her back. It’s just a bit “me thinks she doth protest too much” and this happens for far too many hundreds of pages. Also for the love triangle aspect to really work like it did in book 1, or even in the bad way where it’s a constant vying from each suitor, there needed to be more Liwei throughout but he was an afterthought and often absent, making him a much less compelling character to invest in even though he’s the idealized choice presented.

<spoiler>I saw the Wenzhi death coming a mile away but the resurrection piece was a nice twist. I’m not totally sure the resurrection magic checks out — how exactly does her power manifest and change?! But, I can ignore that. I think the ending love story with them makes sense and feels very right as Liwei really only fit for the whole and unblemished version of Xingyin, ultimately never being the man that would put her above the Immortal Realm. I also feel it was a poetic and full circle way to come back around and give Wenzhi and Xingyin a chance at truly starting over, without the pressures of protecting family or positions.

It’s interesting that while Liwei never has to struggle or have ambition for his throne, we see that he can’t relinquish it, and even if he did, it just would fit with the world and who he is. With Wenzhi it’s a journey that is similar to Xingyin in a way because it’s a single minded focus to just take care of your own, and yet both of them realize that that comes with it’s own consequences and is never as neat and satisfying as you might think.

There’s a couple things with the magic system and characters that felt a bit wonky still at the end — the big baddie emperor goes into isolation and it’s chill? What happens with the dragons, they make some minor appearances but generally do nothing, where they were such a powerful focus in DotMG. With the expansion of the world so much in this book, we don’t really circle back to how the Immortal world is changed after the big battle — is the Celestial Kingdom mending fences? What about the sea kingdoms that allied with Wugang?</spoiler>

Lastly, while I loved that the ending was a bit more drawn out to be realistic — giving Xingyin time to grieve and heal from everything that happens, I did also find that it was a bit too long and with some scenes more like just giving us a peak at supporting characters than really offering and healing and strength to Xingyin. By drawing it out, it also felt like it detracted a bit from the power of the climax, though the last 2 chapters were truly worth it, it might just feel like a lot of moping and aimless wandering until then.

Overall I think this is satisfying and ties everything up well enough. Is it a bit too long winded like book 1? Yes, but the writing is beautiful and in truth that detail was helpful in building and painting in the broad world expansion we get with all the kingdoms and the full journey and transformation Xingyin goes through. She’s fully changed and she’s no longer the girl we first met, and that’s ok, her peace was more than hard won and she’s finally be selfish with her happiness.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a pretty meh book to me. The writing is beautiful and I had no trouble finding the motivation to read it, but I never got attached to the characters or story. I did like that they travel by cloud.

Fans of the first book will like Heart of the Sun Warrior. Aside from a few characters that seem to have sudden personality changes, both books are consistent in plot and writing. But if you thought the first book was meh like I did, you'll probably feel the same way with Heart of the Sun Warrior.

It was going to be a three-star book for me, up until the last few chapters. I LOVED the ending. It was a little sudden and I would've enjoyed an additional epilogue, but I feel like it was a very fitting ending. Totally redeemed it for me. It's a better book, overall, because of how it ended. If nothing else about this duology sticks with me, the ending will.

Thank you Avon and Netgalley for the ARC!

What a stunning sequel to an amazing duology! I honestly could not have wanted any more from this, Sue Lynn Tan absolutely outdid herself. I liked the first one, but I loved this one. The plot was amazing and well-paced, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat. So many twists and turns that kept the book exciting. Xingyin remained a fantastic protagonist and she really came into her own this book. She is stubborn, strong-willed, true to her resolve, and will do anything to protect her family and find the peace she longs for. One theme this book touches on that I really like is every character’s familial duty and the sacrifices we make to uphold that. Tan utilizes this theme to perfection. On top of the beautiful writing, story steeped in Chinese culture, and heartbreaking moments, I was a goner. Highly recommend this duology to every fan of fantasy! One of my favorite reads so far this year.

I had a very strong preference in this love triangle and I wasn’t sure how Tan was going to wrap it up but it was honestly it was a fantastic conclusion. I love a bittersweet ending and while not every character got their HEA, it was very fitting. I need an epilogue immediately!

After finishing the first book of the series, I was thinking how the sequel will exceed its perfection. Let’s not forget there was no cliffhanger at the end if you don’t count the unresolved love triangle.

But second book of the duology exceeded my expectations and it’s even better than the first book. There are so many epic moments including surprising family reunions, dragons’ cameo, bloodthirsty fight against the phoenix and eerie, frightening war against the army of death.

The love triangle between Xingyin-Liwei- Wenzhi is more powerful and reasonable. At the first book, things heated a little instantly and we couldn’t feel true intimacy between characters. But thankfully the author solved this problem at second round. Wenzhi is so adamant to make his wrongdoings right by giving his full protection and working as devoted ally. Liwei already confronts with his parents to choose Xingyin over them.

After the ending of first novel, I thought everything would be peaceful in Xingyin’s life after she ended her mother’s imprisonment and returned back to moon. But uninvited mortals’ unexpected visit to their home suddenly changes everything as the power balance changes to General Wu’s benefit in Celestial Kingdom.

The danger escalates out of nowhere. Xingyin’s house gets invaded, her loved ones’ life in danger. Once again her mother and she are sentenced to prison unfairly. Only way to save their lives is escape and accept to be ally with a powerful warrior who betrayed Xingyin’s trust!

The Immortal Realm is in grave peril, for the
Celestial throne has been usurped. A terrible evil threatens the realms above and below!

Xingyin needs to stop this evil raising in expanse of sacrificing her life as Liwei and Wenzhi fight beside her!

The fight between the evil incarnation and Xingyin was absolutely epic and memorable.

The world building, action packed fight chapters were well depicted! I cried at last parts! Xingyin was confused about her feelings as her heart tear in half till the last heart wrenching moment!

I loved the ending a lot, dabbing my eyes, giggling softly. Mythology, folklore, fantasy and romance couldn’t be combined so much better!

I’m a big fan of this duology and daughter of Moon Goddess and Sun Warrior!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing me this amazing arc with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

The gang is back and need to save the world again! Faced with a (not so) brand new threat from within the Jade Palace, Xingyin and her mother must once again navigate the loss of her father, the hatred of the Celestial Majesties, and people who would try and betray Xingyin and Chang’e.

I gave this book 4.5 stars because I really struggled through the beginning and my attention wasn’t as snatched as I wanted it to be. However, the adventures were great, the new enemy is pretty terrifying, and the emotions I emoted while reading this were…emotional lol. This is a great end to this duology and I highly recommend.

This book absolutely infuriates me in the best way. It tore me apart and put me back together in the same chapter. I can’t sort out my thoughts after that ending, but I will say that the sequel was so much better than its predecessor in terms of pace and flow. When the first book kept jumping from time to time without slowing down, I felt that the sequel was better plotted from scene to scene. It was so much more exciting to see Xingyin go through a process, or more of a journey, to confront the main antagonist rather than the some of the more unnecessary subplots of the first book. Although, I feel that the romance was weaker than the first book. A comparison between the two books may be a bit unfair because Xingyin has grown so much as a character, but she kept having the same thoughts about Liwei and Wenzhi and deciding between them. Which was honestly unfair to both of them, to the point where I felt that a certain redemption arc was forced. And that open ending.....while not unnecessary, I wish we gotten more closure after an entire novel of specific details of Xingyin’s journeys,

Things to know:

-Second in duology (Celestial Kingdom)
-Retelling of Chang’e in Chinese Mythology
-Romance
-Release Date November 15, 2022
-Strong female MC

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review:
A beautiful and heart-wrenchingly powerful conclusion to the Celestial Kingdom duology.
This duology owns my entire heart. I don’t have many books I would return to and re-read. You know, so many books, so little time..! I have a TBR the size of a mountain. This duology has made it to the top of that list. I will re-read this one often. I am heartbroken that I cannot read it again for the first time.
Xingyin is who I strive to be in my everyday life. She is strong and is able to articulate her thoughts/feelings no matter how hard it is to say, even if the only thing she can say is “I don’t know.” Even when she struggles with understanding herself she is able to just say, “I need time to figure out how to answer.” She is the strong female MC we all need in our lives! She is a warrior.
I cried, and I laughed, and then I cried again.. I always worry that the sequel in a series can’t live up to the first book, Heart of the Sun Warrior did not disappoint. It is just as good if not better than the first and I also rated that one 5 stars!
The release date for Heart of the Sun Warrior is set for November 15, 2022. Preorder your copy today! I’ve already preordered two different editions! I cannot wait to see the beautiful completed set on my forever shelf.
Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for early access to this title in exchange for an honest review!

I was so curious to see how this book would go after reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and I'm pleased with how things turned out! Will try to leave a spoiler free review, and highlight the things that worked for me.

Liked:
- The world building continued to be impressive. So many glorious details from the cloud transporting to the various realms. I enjoyed spending more time in the Seas and learning more about the Celestial Kingdom.
- The romance was very believable this time around. I struggled with the romance in DotMG and felt that it took away from the main storyline. I didn't feel that with Heart of the Sun Warrior. It was not important to the main storyline and think it worked well relegated to a side plot.
- The writing was gorgeous and lyrical. So readable. I finished this book in one day as I couldn't put it down.
- I feel that a couple of characters had great redemption arcs. For those who felt that there were some loose ends from the first book, it wraps up nicely here.

What Didn't Work For Me:
- I would've liked to have seen more father daughter bonding!
- Can't say much without spoilers but one of the characters seemed to change a bit too abruptly from book 1.
- The big bad villain wasn't entirely believable. I felt that his motivation was lacking a bit.

All in all, I really enjoyed this second book in the Celestial Kingdom duology. Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the change to read this ARC! I'll be getting a physical copy for my library when it comes out.

A fantastic sequel to such a rich and intricate fantasy world!!! Sue Lynn Tan is an absolute favorite author of mine. She has an amazing skill in not only creating a complex and enticing world, but also giving each character their own unique voice. The magical and political systems of the world she has created is done so fluidly that you can easily immerse yourself in the story. I highly recommend this book to any fantasy lover!!

Going into this book, I had no idea what to expect; the first wrapped up in a satisfying way, albeit with a few questions lingering in the background. However, this sequel did not disappoint in the slightest. I felt every emotion possible reading this: joy, sorrow, excitement, fear. All of these characters have come to mean so much to me, and I ate up every word eagerly. Such a beautiful story, both gut-wrenching and heart-warming.

When I first read Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I couldn’t believe Sue Lynn Tan was a debut author. Her beautiful prose and expressive story telling were back in full force with the second installment of the duology. Heart of the Sun Warrior is a masterclass on how to drive both the plot and characters. The author does this so well. I feel even more deeply for the protagonists than I thought was possible from the first installment. This duology is my gold standard for fantasy storytelling. I will be waiting with baited breath to see what comes next from this author.

I've read my share of disappointing conclusions to duologies and series this year so it was with a bit of trepidation that I started Heart of the Sun Warrior. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my fave reads early this year so I was hoping for a worthy sequel.

And let me tell you-- this did not disappoint! It picks up where it left off, almost without any effort. If ever, there are higher stakes in this one, and it is beautifully written. The depth in these characters is exemplary, and I love how each one grows, sometimes in directions the reader doesn't expect. Wenzhi finally gets his redemption arc (and so much more-- this was the highlight of this book), and Xingyin and Liwei aren't far behind. Sue Lynn Tan isn't afraid of showing us death as well-- we say goodbye to several characters, each one a strike to the heart.

A truly worthy conclusion to an already amazing and beautiful duology. I cannot recommend this enough.

This was the perfect way to wrap up a duology, even if it absolutely broke my heart in doing so. The author has this beautiful way of weaving a story that captivates the reader, brings them through conflict and chaos, and leaves them asking for more.

The conflict in this book begins almost as soon as the story starts and follows Xingyin to every corner of the kingdom. She is forced to make tough choices, experiences unbelievable joy and also tremendous heartbreak. In typical Xingyin fashion she is willing to risk everything for those that she loves and that is a risk she takes pretty often in this book.

The romance seems to be more at the forefront in this book compared to Daughter of the Moon Goddess (where the romance felt more like a subplot). A decent portion of the book was spent with Xingyin caught in that same love triangle and struggling with her own feelings. These feelings do eventually resolve themselves and she finally makes her choice (one that I am really happy about).

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager books for giving me a digital arc of this book in exchange for my review

Beautiful sequel to the first book. The story was beautifully written and the action scenes were fun to read .I love the love triangle as well but I'm rooting for Wenzhi.This book didn't disappoint me at all !!