I wish I had more to say and praise for this second book. I sadly do not. I am disappointed and felt very let down. I enjoyed the first book and became invested in the story. This second go around gave me a big old face plant. The writing hasn't changed. Not even sure I'd call it young adult style either. Easy to read for sure and lacks depth. The potential for an exciting adventure was set up and nothing came of it. I struggled to finish. I wanted to stop but continued and feel like I wasted my time. The romance love triangle going on was annoying. irritatingly all three characters went round and round point to point only to end up where they started, Honestly I barelty paid attention to half of the book. My interest was so lost. My understanding there is book 3 coming out. I have no desire to read it

Oh how I love this series! The chemistry of the characters, the world building, it’s magical, exciting and thrilling. The audio is wonderful and engaging. I was sad it was over but thrilled with the way she wrapped it all up. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

The conclusion to an epic sweeping fantasy duology for fans of Chinese mythology. Sue Lyn Tan transports readers back to the magnificent Celestial Kingdom with her lyrical prose and lush world building. I really enjoyed seeing this world expand even further in the second installment and returning to beloved characters.

While the world and characters drew me in, I did find the plot to be a bit convoluted at times and had a hard time tracking with the amount of things that were going on. This made parts of the book feel slow. However, the ending of this book was so magnificent and masterful that I have a hard time faulting Tan for anything. I absolutely adored the way this story was wrapped up and the conclusions that were given to our characters. Absolutely one of my all time favorites endings to a series.

If you enjoyed Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I certainly recommend this book. If you enjoy epic fantasy with political intrigue, magic and combat, and don’t mind a bit of a slowed pace, this book is for you.

I will be updating my full review and posting at the conclusion of the strike.until then I have updated my rating on all platforms. And will also update reviews at the conclusion.

I started off my year with a fast-paced and long story and was not disappointed in it at all. I went straight into Heart of the Sun Warrior from Daughter of the Moon Goddess. This is a solid read after its precursor, with its romance, action, and adventure. While I enjoyed the new harshness in the story I will say the pacing was a bit faster than in the first book. I will be looking out for more books by Sue Lynn Tan to read as she builds beautiful worlds in her writing.

.Drunk Overview: so if you’d not read book 1 I’m sorry but in this one, babe had made it home to her mom and prince still loved her and demon bae still the worst. But all of a sudden her mom is in trouble for no reason and her dad showed up??? So yeah

Spoiler-free Thoughts: I really like this duology. Like truly

Characters: so the main character is still awesome. She’s strong and smart, like so smart, and everyone know it and that’s amazing. Then there’s prince who sorta sucks. His mom certainly sucks. Demon bae sucks. A lot, but like you need him. Ya know?

Plot: the pacing was so much better than one before. I felt like instead of two books in one, we had a complete arc.

Writing Style: I listened on audio and loved the narration again.

World Building: I love that we still get to learn more about this world. It’s so friggin cool. It’s like legend in the making.

What to pair it with: sake bomb. So good.

Rating: 4/6

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam

I didn't enjoy this one as much as Daughter of the Moon Goddess....

This book really felt all over the place compared to the first in the duology, or series now since there's an untitled third book related to the duology. I'm assuming it might follow up on the ending of this book. The first book ended with everything wrapped up, where as this one really didn't.

Xingyin annoyed me a lot of the time throughout this book, constantly just whining about how she messed up, how she can't figure out her heart. Wenzhi and Lewei were just two puppets fighting over a girl and really didn't seem to change much from the first book, or the book didn't give enough time to show it since the main plot spanned around two weeks time, maybe a month at best. Then you see Xingyin grieve over a few years after the main plot is resolved through 3-4 chapters at best, to leave on a cliffhanger. You get to see more of Xingyin's parents but like even they're super shallow, the villain is almost cartoonish, and the romance was just not there for me like the first one, regardless of the outcome and sudden realization of Xingyin.

I overall just didn't care for this one like I did for Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I honestly was rooting for Wenzhi the whole time both books but it just fell flat for me. I'd give another book a try to see how the author would resolve this, if the book even does come out.

A wonderful conclusion to an amazing duology.
While not as action packed as the first book- heart of the sun warrior was just as enticing!

Thank you Netgalley! I had a lot of fun with this book. I enjoyed the first book, and I think this one wrapped up the duology nicely! The romance and love triangle were very well done and fleshed out. Normally, I hate a triangle but this one makes a lot of sense and works well.

Much like the first book, very slow, but a rewarding experience. It took me a while to read this one because it is quite a thick tome.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Heart of the sun warrior it was beautifully written and I really enjoy all of the characters and the love triangle kept me invested and it was a fun and fast read for me since I didn’t want to put it down. If you enjoyed Daughter of the moon goddess you’ll definitely enjoy this one as well.

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan is a difficult book for me to review since I absolutely adored the first book in the duology. I came into its sequel wanting to love it equally as much, but what I was met with instead was a frustrating read.

I think my main issue is that the sequel feels more meandering and haphazardly strung together as if some of the sub plots detract from rather than support the main story. For instance, Xingyin continuously entrusts strangers with her life while, on the other hand, she’s still reeling from Wenzhi’s betrayal in the first book. This is inconsistent character writing to me. It doesn’t add up. I would presume that Xingyin would be more distrustful of others at this point and her poor decision-making feels more artificially set up to create unnecessary conflict than staying true to her character arc.

However, the story does finally pull it together and redeem itself in the final third act, and, I’ve got to say, the ending is beautifully bittersweet and left me misty eyed.

It just was a bumpy road getting there.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This book picks up a little while after Daughter of the Moon Goddess and it is the second and final book on the duology.

This book is just as fast paced as the first one and every chapter adds something to the narrative. We are following all the same characters from the first book. The love triangle is still there from first book, but it is more of an underlying theme that assists some of the story line in its progression. This story is higher stakes than the first one, but just as fun and entertaining.

We get to learn more about Xingyin's father. There is more exploration of this world and world building. We get a clearer view of some of the politics and how all the neighboring regions get alone.

The writing is lush and beautiful.

This is one of those books I thought would be a bit more predictable, but the ending really surprised me.

This duology is aimed at adults, but it is also good for people who are transitioning from Young Adult to Adult.
Love love love this entire duology!

Ever since I read The Daughter of the Moon Goddess last year and fell in love with Sue Lynn Tan’s enchanting prose, Heart of the Sun Warrior has been one of my most anticipated reads of this year. And it absolutely did not disappoint. Tan’s writing was just as beautiful and I found it easy to fall back into the world of immortals and Chinese Mythology. We are back on the moon, where we left Xingyin at the end of book 1, recovered physcially, but still trying to come to terms emotionally with betrayals she faced. But her and her mother’s peace is again disrupted by others. Xingyin is drawn again into court intrigues, power struggles and epic battles, as she fights to saved her loved ones and the innocents of the mortal and immortal world. I found the plot to be completely immersive, and as one particular story arc that I was hoping for started to come into fruition I was loathed to put the book down! The character development in Sun Warrior was more nuanced and I didn’t even mind that Xingyin took time to sort out her true feelings for those around her. I also loved seeing certain characters redeem themselves, only made me love them more. This was a brilliantly imagined, beautifully vivid fairytale fantasy, with a wonderfully pleasing conclusion. Highly recommend to all.

I’ll be honest, I loved book 1 and didn’t feel it needed a second book. That said, I loved revisiting this amazing world that Sue Lynn Tan created and revisiting with all the characters. As a Chinese born American raised on all the mythology, I adored reading a story with my people.

Exquisitely, epic, romantic, fantasy! Heart of the Sun Warrior is an enthralling sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess as Sun Lynn Tan delves deeper into the powerful Chinese mythological tale of Xingyin—the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer Houyi.

Tan is a vivid, lyrical writer who brought the realm to life and evoked many emotions - grief, heartache, joy, hope, and love. The ending was a perfect and, not entirely expected, resolution of all the threads of the story - the love triangle, the immortal versus the fantasy world, the battle within the fantasy realm.

I loved this duology. Both Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior are top reads for me.

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

sue lynn tan just writes so beautifully, the imagery, the characters. i really loved this as a conclusion to moon goddess. can't wait to see what she writes next

Amazing book, props to Sue Lynn Tan.

Will say more when the demands of the strike have been met. I support the Harper Collins Union Strike.

ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR.

I loved every single PAGE of this book.

I absolutely adored the characters m, world, and plot.

I can’t recommend this duology enough.

This book, along with the first, are incredible. The mythology and world building are wonderful. The characters are beautiful. And Sue Lynn Tan's writing... her writing is nothing short of GORGEOUS. The way she weaves her words is masterful, making this duology a true epic. And that ending... it was crushing and hopeful at the same time. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I am so upset this was only a duology. I desperately need more of this incredible world, and I can't wait to see what Tan comes up with next.