Once again, Sue Lynn Tan paints an absolute masterpiece of a book. I absolutely did not see the plot twists coming. I devoured this book so fast because I just HAD to see how it would all end.

Unfortunately, Sue Lynn Tan's Immortal is a read that will not stick out for me. There were definitely high points in this fantasy, but at times the book came to a lull. I found it difficult to become engaged with the book at multiple moments throughout. There wasn't really anything in that book that hooked me.
There were parts that I did enjoy! I think this book will work for other people, but it just didn't work for me. I did not DNF, and I do willingly DNF, so there were redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the universe a lot, and reading this book has convinced me that I should give Daughter of the Moon Goddess a try!
I listened to this book as an audiobook, and I did enjoy the narration.
Thank you HarperAudio Adult and Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved the Celestial Kingdom duology and was so sad when I didn't love this one as much.

The world building is fantastic and the prose is beautiful as expected of a Sue Lynn Tan book. There was something about the characters that I didn't feel as attached to as I did with Daughter of the Moon Goddess but we did get less time. I think I didn't feel the stakes the way I did with DOTMG and I think the romance itself needed time to simmer a little longer which is harder in a standalone.

This felt so comforting, particularly because it reminded me of the c-dramas that I have enjoyed so much. Such love story-telling. I will definitely be reading more by Tan!

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan is a standalone romantic fantasy set in the enchanting universe of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The story centers on Liyen, heir to the kingdom of Tianxia, who survives a poisoning thanks to her grandfather’s daring theft of an enchanted lotus. This act enrages the immortal queen, prompting the formidable God of War to launch an attack on Tianxia. Following her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends the throne with a resolve to end her kingdom’s subservience to the immortals. Venturing into the Immortal Realm, she seeks to uncover their secrets and forms an unexpected alliance with the very God of War she was taught to fear. As their partnership deepens, so does a forbidden attraction, challenging Liyen to balance her duty with her heart’s desires.

MUST READ for:
🗡️ Enemies-to-lovers dynamic
🌸 Richly woven elements of Chinese mythology
👑 Liyen’s transformation from a vulnerable heir to a formidable ruler

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All opinions are my own. 😊

Sue Lynn Tan is one of, if not the best, romance writers in the industry! Her prose, her stories, her characters do not disappoint. I always get lost in her stories and cannot wait for her next adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars, rounded up

TW: death, grief, loss, violence

I have had the pleasure of ARC reading all of Sue Lynn Tan’s books and I have been so grateful for each opportunity. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors with dependable storylines that wrench at the heart and create vivid imagery. Each of her books play like a beautiful show and my mind and I’ll never give up hope that one day we will get a Chinese xianxia adaption (a girl can dream!). While this book is a true standalone and does not need to be read in with her Celestial Kingdom duology, I kind of want there to be more. I’m actually hopeful there may be, at least indirectly, since this is in the same world as her previous and the world she created is lush with both mortals and immortals with a stark presence. If you’re hoping for character callbacks to her duology, I am sad to report you will not be given a single crumb, not a morsel. That’s okay, this is another unique story that features Zhangwei, a mortal young woman who lives and is the heir to Tianxia. A mortal realm that is secluded and tasked with holding the line between the mortal and immortal worlds serving as guardians for The Golden Desert.

From the opening tragedy we are struck with calamity and have to watch our protagonist, Zhangwei, struggle with her burden of responsibility and the ever looming presence of the infamous God of War. To be quite Frank, I loved Part I of this book, it opened with a bang, presenting the mortal and immortal machinations, and providing a hint of context and lore. Unfortunately, Part II lacked a bit of excitement and was led by romance, but in a manner that felt more sluggish than enticing. Lastly, Part III had all the makings of being dynamic, but I felt that Tan was not daring enough and the story lacked impact. There were obviously many elements that I loved about the story, and how it presented love, both familial, platonic, and romantic. The tough choices people have to make and what we are willing to betray, give up, to accomplish and protect those we deem worthy of saving. Zhangwei was not my favorite protagonist, she didn’t annoy me per say, but her growth was heavily limited to one pivotal moment. So did she really grow..ehhh, it’s debatable. The God of War took a bit of a backseat role, in regards to his agency, we primarily viewed him through the lens of a potential love interest. I would’ve loved to see him more as the strong general he is separate from Zhangwei, and more on his struggle with his title as he can find it to be in conflict with his beliefs and how he wants to present.

This book does feature a storytelling amount, which I adore, but alas it’s a spoiler so I can’t say more. I can say that the ending was very disappointing to me and I am someone who is rather critical of endings. Perhaps it’s because I feel like so many authors don’t stick the landing and don’t spend enough time cultivating and nourishing it as they do other elements in the story. The cast was relatively contained, in reference to whom truly were acquainted with, but the prevalent side characters added much needed emotional range to the storyline. Now, jumping back to this book being a standalone. It is. Truly, it is. However —- maybe a potential spoiler — the ending felt a bit open ended. She could come back to these characters if she wants to, and I hope she does so directly, not indirectly via a reference or appearance in another book.

If you’re a Sue Lynn Tan fan, then, you probably will get something out of this book. If you’re reading her work for the first time, read Daughter of the Moon Goddess first. Immortal definitely had improvement with the writing and the beginning was crafted a little sharper, pulling you in quicker, but the overall story was more compelling and dynamic in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and the Celestial Kingdom duology + novella (some people don’t know there’s a novella!!!!). I think for her to have accomplished everything she wanted to with this story she needed a couple extra hundred pages or so. Still good, still fun, but not great and definitely falls a little flat in comparison to its predecessor.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan!

While I was very excited to get the arc of this book, especially when I also received the audiobook in advance, I had no reason to not read it before release except apparently I have no time these days. But as soon as I found some time for myself, I tried my best to read as much as I could, and as expected from this wonderful author, I had a hard time putting this book down.

I’m not 100% sure coz I haven’t really been following social media or author updates much these days, but I think this standalone novel is set in the same universe as my favorite Daughter of the Moon Goddess - so this book felt familiar right from the get go. We are introduced to new realms in this one - mortal, immortal and more; and they all felt wondrous and dreadful and well fleshed out. The author is as usual amazing at evoking our emotions through her exquisite descriptions and I just wanted to remain in the world that she created. She is also an expert at angst, creating a powerful push and pull romance that transcends lifetimes.

I liked the character of Liyen, a mortal born with a weakness, who never thought she will have to one day fight for the safety and survival of her people from immortals - but when she is thrust into such a situation, she rises up with all the strength she can muster and never gives up. She is met toe to toe by Zhangwei or the God of War, who maybe has more shades to him, and their instant connection is only intensified by their divided loyalties - and we are left to find out if each of them can overcome their differences, trust each other fully, and work together to save all their people. The side characters have pretty small presences in this book, but I have to say that some of them still feel quite memorable.

As someone who hardly reads anymore, I’m always glad when a favorite SFF author writes a stand-alone novel, coz that makes me feel less guilty about abandoning series. And what more can I ask than an immersive, emotional and unputdownable book like Immortal, which only cements Sue Lynn Tan as an auto buy author for me. If you’ve loved her previous books or enjoy xianxia/xuanhuan cdramas, you can’t miss this.

I loved this! An incredible standalone romantasy that has tension, action, and some incredible quotes. The characters are complex and lovable. This man will destroy anyone who threatens his love. Sue writes some beautiful lines in this book. So much passion. I absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my honest review. My opinions are my own

Once again, a tale that needed to be told! From the beginning of pure entertainment and world building, Sue Lynn Tan had another hit on her hands. From the FMC to her journey from being sick to the end is amazing and a tale as old as time. A classic and I am buying a copy on my shelf ASAP!

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan was excellent! I would give this all the stars. The world building was so well executed and so immersive, and I was completely captivated and entranced. The romance was perfect as well. Absolutely breathtaking!

3.50 stars.

This story is about Liyen who has just taken the throne among the mortals. However the true rulers are the immortals and she needs to learn to keep her kingdom safe. Enter zhangwei the god of war a she needs to forge an alliance with him.
It was a good book but the romance fell a little flat and unbelievable

IMMORTAL
RATING: 3.5
GENRE: Romance, Fantasy

Sue Lynn Tan is back with a standalone Chinese romantasy. The story is broken up into three parts. The first part is action-packed and very interesting to read as our female protagonist, Liyen, fights to free her mortal realm from servitude of the immortals. However, she learns that there is more going on than explained to her. She encounters the God of War and they play into the enemies to lovers troupe. However, the second part of the book falls flat for me and is very slow making the final part feel rushed. Overall, it is a fun fantasy read and would recommend to those who enjoy Chinese folklore fantasies. Thank you for Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for sending me an E-ARC of this book for an honest review!

2 stars. The plot of this book was confusing and sort of unnecessary. The FMC was honestly annoying and whiney. The romance was supposed to feel whimsical and yearn-y but it read like every other love story that was written a thousand times over. The only plus was the authors writing style! I loved her descriptions of the world and the way she portrayed the mythology/culture was done very nicely. I wanted to love this. :(

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

3.5 stars

immortal had the beautiful storytelling sue lynn tan is known and beloved for with her daughter of the moon goddess duology. i do wish i read this directly after i finished that series, as i feel i would have been more connected to the world.

i also listened to the audio, and the narrator for sue lynn tan’s books always does a wonderful job.

not to mention, my fl edition is gorgeous! i still wish i had the other fl editions tho 🥲

Nobody does immortal beings like Sue Lynn Tan!!! She's excellent at giving you plot, romance, angst, and longing and tying it in with legends and stories from her culture. I truly, truly love everything she's published so far and I will continue to buy her stories in the future!

A huge thank you to Libro.fm and NetGalley for the ALC/ARC copies. This is my honest review and opinions.

Choosing 3.75 based off guessing the major plot twist towards the end.
I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess, so I wanted to give this one as try.
I did enjoy the writing style and being immersed into another fantasy world by Tan.
The mythology and lore surrounding the Immortal's is what drew me in.
Liyen is a mortal who is thrown into reigning her kingdom when her grandfather dies.
Zhangwei is the God of War. Their paths cross when Liyen wants to do anything to save her people.

The romance was good for a romantacy! There was definitely some swoon worthy moments.
Over all would recommend.

Thank you so much to Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book, and HarperVoyage for sending a physical copy for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ok, firstly, I don’t know why I was just not enjoying this book as much as I thought I would. There was just so much going on and so many plot lines that felt distracting. For example, Liyen starts off with her land in war, and then gets sent to the land of the immortals, somehow falls for the God of War, and gets betrayed all in the first 100 pages. I was just feeling very confused and unfocused in regard to the plot.

Also Liyen was supposed to be so weak, but she comes back from the land of the immortals so changed like girl how??? Also you’re telling me the God of War and Liyen fell for each other within the first 100 pages??? I don’t know it felt so forced that I couldn’t even process that their feelings were real the whole book.

I really wanted to appreciate this and enjoy this because it sounded like something I would have really enjoyed, but it just was not for me. Now this is not to say that you won’t enjoy this because books are different for everyone, so take my review with a grain of salt. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with the book. It was just the pacing and the many plot lines that threw me off.

Thank you again to Net Galley and Harper Voyage!!

There wasn’t really anything I really disliked about this book, I just found it difficult to get into. The relationship wasn’t very believable, especially at the beginning. There was no build up going into that early “betrayal” so it didn’t hit very hard. I wasn’t particularly invested in any of the characters or plots so it took me quite a while to get through. Overall it was just alright.