I was looking forward to Sue Lynn's Tan new fantasy book after having read the Daughter of the Moon Goddess series, but I wish I enjoyed it as much as I had hoped. It's been a while since I read the Daughter of the Moon Goddess, so maybe it would've helped if I had a refresher before reading Immortal since I know the books take place in the same universe, but I couldn't identify much of a crossover except for some mentions of the celestial kingdom. So maybe in that sense, it's not required to have knowledge about Daughter of the Moon Goddess but could maybe provide some background information about the setting/worldbuilding. I enjoyed reading it overall, but I felt like the pacing wasn't very consistent. The beginning felt rather slow, and I felt like a lot was happening in the narration but not a lot of action was occurring. It almost felt like the book could've been condensed but at the same time it felt like all the information was important. The plot twists/reveals felt very reminiscent of the way the ones in DotMG were crafted, but I enjoyed the characters and the plot concept even if it wasn't the most unique especially regarding the villains and the resolution.

When I tell you it's been a minute since a romance has left me absolutely breathless, Immortal quite possibly delivered everything I wanted it to be. Set in the same world as Sue Lynn Tan's Celestial Kingdoms duology, we follow Liyen as she ascends the throne after her grandfather's death and her journey to free her people from the centuries-old agreement with the immortals that puts Tianxia under the Golden Desert's control. What started as a trip tino the Immortal Realm to pledge her loyalty turns into a bigger political conflict when forgotten enemy forces start slipping through the cracks of their prison and secrets begin to unravel.

Immortal has everything I loved in Sue Lynn Tan's debut duology minus the love triangle which made it instantly better because that was hands down my least favorite part. It has also been such a long time since I've fallen in love with a fictional couple and rooted so hard for the male love interested. As the General of War, Zhangwei has sass and depth that made me instantly root for him. He also pulls out the "touch her and you'll die" line and actually backed it up with action. Seriously, the lines that he says to Liyen made me actually want to cry (case in point the quote below).

Characters aside, Sue Lynn Tan continues to write a vast and complex story whose plot feels like an entire C-drama. We get to explore more of the Immortal Realms as well as delve into the history of Tianxia's existence and purpose. There are so many twists that reveal how sometimes there is truth behind both sides of the story and a hero can be a villain (and vice versa) depending on who is telling the tale. Incredibly rich and beautiful in both plot and writing, Immortal truly ticked all the boxes for becoming an instant favorite and I'm so glad I loved it.

I was so excited and loving the first part of this book. I was anticipating giving this book a 5 star rating, but I don't know what happened. The subsequent parts totally lost me. I did not feel like I was reading the same book. It felt like the author wrote the first part put it away and it picked up again and was not in the same mood/train of thoughts. I found the plot twist a little far fetched and it did not fit nor make sense. I am so disappointed because the first part was intriguing and immaculate.

Absolutely loved IMMORTAL. it has lush writing, a well-crafted permise. So excited for what comes next from this author.

standalone book from the author who wrote the daughter of the moon goddess series.

premise: main character is the newly appointed ruler of her quaint town in the mortal realm. they're under the rule and servitude to the immortals for protection from ye olden war time. she harbors a secret: our mc was poisoned and saved by an enchanted lotus that the immortal empress wanted. mc goes to the immortal realm to try to save her people and restore their freedom by breaking out of servitude from the immortals. there she meets and bristles against immortal realm military leader, the god of war.

cue enemies to lovers ~

thing about how this author writes is that it is a bit of a slog at first to build the world. then plot happens for our mc before i even realize it happened/is happening and even though some things are predictable like of course her disdain for the smarmy but handsome god of war means that's her love interest the later plot twists are well done to subvert my expectations. half way or two-thirds in i was like ugh does this author just have a thing "professor snape types" (which i don't care for. broody emo noncommunicative dudes are the worst.) but the plot twists brought me back in.

i like how author centers young heroines thrust into positions of leadership or responsibility and how they make their own path + grow confidence in themselves. as third party observers we're always like omg duh of course you are competent and skilled and good but it's harder to acknowledge this for yourself in first person than in others.

3⭐️ Interesting and at times very fun. However, it dragged quite a bit throughout the story. The big reveals were somewhat obvious and I’d sit there waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop.

4.75/5 stars!

You know a book is GOOD when you literally don't want to go on tiktok just to see what the author would reveal next. This book kept me so engaged that I read this until almost midnight on a sunday and finished the last part using company time (lol sorry, boss!)

I can safely say that Sue Lynn Tan got me AGAIN with that twist and that ending (I thought i've seen it all when I was squatting and sobbing in my kitchen reading the final part of Heart of the Sun Warrior after work, HA!)

This is another book set in the Celestial Kingdom. We see Liyen, a young girl, develop character and show such care for her people, as she becomes a true leader for Tianxia. The relationship between her and the God of War adds more to the story, as we see how their lives intertwine. Sue Lynn continues the world building around the Celestial Kingdom and makes us want to know more.

Okay, shut up. How was this so freaking good?

Alright, back up for a hot second. I previously read Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and while I didn't outright dislike the book, I didn't care much to continue the series either? I knew going in Immortal was a standalone, though, so I figured, why not give a different Celestial Kingdoms story a try.

I'm glad I did. I definitely like this book much better than the author's debut duology, and I think a lot of that stems from the fact that this was a separate, standalone fantasy romance. It was sweet and adorable in all the right ways, but still held enough stakes that had me seated for most of the story.

But this book wasn't just about the romance, and that had me appreciate the characters even more. The politics and the world and the war felt like major players as well, and unlike DOTMG, I was less frustrated over the decisions made by the MC.

But let's also be real: I stayed SEATED because of the God of War himself. Zhangwei is a TREAT, and I am so, SO GLAD for the bonus content in the Fairyloot edition because I needed that chapter to complete me. The relationship between Liyen and Zhangwei was precious and I rooted for them from the tumultuous beginnings to the very end.

I’m so sorry but this felt like an AU of Xingyin and Wenzhi, but not in an exciting way… their dynamics were similar. But this time I didn’t like BOTH of the main characters, so as the result, I didn’t really enjoy the whole book either.

If I had to describe Liyen’s personality in one word, it would be petulant. Her sassiness felt forced and has no depth. Meanwhile Zhangwei was just… there. Sure he’s a good man but more like a textbook example of a good man. Nothing special about him. In short, also surface-level personality. Together, their interactions felt artificial. The chemistry? Is nowhere to be seen.

And since my enjoyment of the book heavily relied on whether i like the main characters or not, I didn’t care about the plot. It’s not bad whatsoever, just okay. Enough to keep me from DNF-ing the book at least. Part of the reason was that i was hoping there would be Xingyin/Wenzhi/Liwei cameo, but apparently there’s none. The Celestial Emperor was mentioned several times but IDK if it’s Liwei or still his father, there’s no connection to the DOTMG series at all, so no way of telling what’s the time setting.

So yeah. Overall it’s just so-so.

Even in fantasy books we can't get just taxation and distribution of weapons to fight supernatural beings. But maybe there is a decent reason for it in "Immortal" by Sue Lynn Tan.

Liyen is having a mixed bag of a day. One one hand her grandfather just gave her something that might cure her long time illness. On the other...immortal beings showed up looking for that plant and are cross, which exacerbated a medical condition killing said grandfather. Now Liyen is on a throne with the snakes coming for her power. And now the immortals are poking around a bit more. Specifically the God of War with his annoying face.

Reasons to read:
-Banter
-Attempting to find compromise instead of starting blasting
-Stabbing when warranted though
-Political leader willing to learn

Cons:
-Real life dread kept impacting my enjoyment

2.5 Stars

This book was beautifully written. It started off with some potential, but by the half way point I had lost all interest and struggled to finish. The fantasy elements were lacking as we’re only told about how the gods and the immortals are all-powerful and feared, but not much is shown. The main female character, Liyen, repeatedly talks about how she’d like to be a good ruler, but she spends almost the entire book away from her land and people and leaves the actually ruling to someone else. The insta-love from the main male character, the God of War, didn’t make much sense until about 70% of the way in, but by that point I had already checked out. There were several reveals towards the end of the book that felt rushed despite the book itself feeling too long. Overall, it was well-written, but entirely forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Wow - this was quite a read. Sometimes I struggle with fantasy reads if there's too much world building that I have to engage in. But that wasn't the case here - Tan does a beautiful job of weaving the world together, bringing you into the story. I really enjoyed being transported to a completely different world than my own.

Highly recommend!

There are lots of things I love about this book, and just one or two that I docked a star for.

I love that this is a standalone.
Love the ramped up romance - - some scenes were spicy (still closed door but more than what I've grown accustomed from the author).
Vivid descriptions of the food, the setting, etc
Side characters-- Chengyin, you are a cinnamon roll that must be protected at all cost
Enemies to lovers banter

What I wish it had
I wish we could've read more of L&Z's growing up together and not just as a flashback. I think it would've better suited the narrative.

There were also so many times that I wanted to throttle the two of them especially in part one. I even wrote, "didn't know" distrust trope" was a thing! It drove me crazy.

But all in all, a beautiful story, because Sue Lynn Tan is a master at what she does. I cannot wait for her next one!

This book was beautifully written. I loved how the author was able to create the release and emotion just with her words. There were many times I had to reread something because it was a sentence or paragraph that just needed to be appreciated.

The characters were well written. I enjoyed the journey that they took through the different realms. Also the journey the FMC took to discover who she was. While she may have been weak physically due to illness she was a strong woman who had to learn to be a leader to people who didn't want to see a woman rule.

I also enjoyed the romance part of this book. The idea of how strong love is was woven throughout this book. It wasn't just romantic love either. The way the love of family can shape a person.

I recommend this book especially if you are looking for a standalone fantasy. I will definitely be picking up other books by this author to read!

Hi there! Big thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for sending me this ARC! Unfortunately, I did have to soft DNF this read. Even after multiple attempts, I was just unable to connect with this story. Will try again at a later date, as I did love Daughter of the moon goddess!

Thank you for providing me an ARC of this story. Those familiar with Tan's other books will immediately recognize her fondness for introspective characters who fully explain their thoughts and the range of emotions that are produced by such thoughts. Throughout the events of the book, our main characters thoughts and motivations are central to the story. I have mixed feelings about this style of writing. On the one hand, it provides us with a strong narrative voice and it forces readers to interpret what is happening through the main character's unique emotional lens. This makes the book compelling and provides emotional depth. Conversely, a danger in having such emotionally realized characters is there is often repetition on the page that bogs the forward progression down a little bit. This is the issue I occasionally had with this book, but I could be the only one. Overall, the world was very lush. The characters were interesting and had depth. The twists provided intrigue and fantasy and romance fans will definitely enjoy this book.

At the beginning of the book I was very confused and a bit lost. I wanted to fall in love with the book right away, but it took me until 3/4 of the book before I really started to enjoy it. I think it was more of a me issue than the book because fantasy is not a genre I read a lot about.

That being said there were lots of twists and turns that you do not expect. So that will keep you on your toes. The description of the worlds were almost as if you could visualize them and see what they were writing.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. Sue Lynn Tan is always a joy to read. Wrapped in the same gorgeous backdrop as her previous duology, this standalone novel focuses on the God of War, the heiress of Tianxia, and a fight between the realms. Shrouded in mysteries and twists, “Immortal” is romantically charged from the start. Zhangwei is in her business from the jump and unapologetic about it. Kudos.

My main hold-out with this novel is the pacing. This work is incredibly fast-paced and epic, spanning multiple realms and revelations in the matter of days. Based on the main twist the reader discovers about 80% into this novel, I found this all the more surprising. I wound up enjoying it but readers may feel disjointed for large swaths of the narrative. If you’re able to stick it out to the end, it’s all the more rewarding.

This book once again delivers a very magical and whimsical atmosphere. Sue Lynn Tan has always had one of my favourite writing styles: it's immersive, magical and very detailed.
The characters are also quite realistic and emotional, their feelings resonate with the reader. Liyen's confront with the Gods was super interesting and thrilling, keeping you glued to the pages.