Sue Lynn Tan’s ‘Immortal’ is a captivating standalone fantasy/romance set in the Immortal Realm. It’s a magical tale filled with mythology and enchantment. Tan weaves a breathtaking world and develops complex characters. If you’re a fan of mythology, this book is absolutely perfect for you!

I went in thinking this would be a meh, but it ended up being one of my favorites. What a happy surprise!

The author succeeded in creating this world straight out of a xianxia series. There was no awkward translation of terms or inopportune info dump. She just threw us in and let the world develop around us. Liyen and the God of War Zhangwei just screamed Bai Lu's Ye Xiwu and Luo Yunxi's Tantai Jin from <i>Till the End of the Moon</i>.

What kept me up all night reading this was all the emotional damage evoked by the story. This was no simple enemies to lovers. There were heartwrenching betrayals galore. You couldn't help but feel for Liyen as she tried to piece her heart back together over and over. Then, throw in court intrigue in the immortal realm, mortal realm, and the Netherworld for those who love that stuff. But in the end, everything came together beautifully in a perfectly wrapped standalone (a difficult thing to do!)

Review posted on Goodreads, Amazon

4.75 stars Good news if one hasn't read the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology, it doesn't mention anything from that series at all, only the setting of the world is the same. This new story starts with death and grief, making our main angry and spiteful. As the story progresses, the main character becomes more self-assured and grows to be what she needs to be. This is a love story with a bit of spice, there are hardships and growth between all the characters main and minor. The only downfall I saw is, that Sue Lynn Tan could have added more by making it longer or even made this into a duology, as the story seems rushed by the end.

Immortal told the story of Liyen, a mortal ruler, and Zhangwei, the god of war, and for less than 500 pages, it surprisingly gave us a lot.

Set in the same universe as Daughter of the moon goddess, the world building was just as phenomenal and the characters just as fascinating. I’ve binged enough dramas to not be surprised by the plot twists but all were rather welcome and never let the story go dull.

Unfortunately, for a romance fantasy, the romance did not hit as well as the story itself. The chemistry was there, the banter entertaining and they were well-matched but I couldn’t help feeling a little indifferent. Just like with Xingyin, I was more interested in Liyen’s personal growth than any romantic endeavors.

Dnf I wanted so much to love this as I loved her other
Books but the pacing was off and I was so bored and it didn't hold my attention at all whatsoever.

Amazon & Barnes&Noble Review submitted, pending systems approval
Will be covered in upcoming Youtube wrapup
Blog post goes live January 24th
Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic


**TL;DR**: A completely unpredictable fantasy with a complex and lovely world
**Source**: Netgalley - Thanks you to the publisher!

**Plot**: This one, like the setting, went all over the place. We started out with one task and ended up with another and it was a ride.
**Characters**: At times infuriating, and other times fantastic. The author really convinced me on these characters and their personalities.
**Setting**: This one went all over the place but I really enjoyed it and all the locations.
**Magic**: While it’s not clearly explained with hard rules, it’s lush and wonderful and makes sense for the setting.

**Thoughts**:

Immortal is Sue Lynn Tan’s third full length novel and a standalone set in the same world as the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology. I myself haven’t picked up the original duology but this book was fantastic. So out of the gate I can say, if you haven’t read her previous work this is great to pickup as a first try.

The setup on this is simple enough. Liyen’s grandfather steals a magical flower blossom to heal her of a debilitating poisoning. Unfortunately that flower was sought after by the Immortals that control their realm. He passes away, Liyen finds herself blaming and now serving those same Immortals while also attempting to hide the fact that the magical flower healed her and now dwells within her. Trust me when I say this is just the tip, the tip of what this book turns into. The plot here does not sit still and it morphs wildly. Now this could have gotten away from her, but Sue Lynn Tan keeps this under control and ultimately the story flows and makes sense. and that to me is incredibly impressive.

The characters are deeply frustrating, but the world the magic and the twists made this story great. Liyen makes me want to shake her, and the God of War - I just wish he’d opened up at the beginning. While not perfect I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed this. I do recommend it for FanRo fans, or just general fans of Fantasy. It’s beautiful, not perfect, but beautiful and fun.

Sue Lynn Tan’s Immortal is a beautifully written tale steeped in mythology, but it struggled to fully capture my attention. While the prose is undeniably lyrical, I found it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level, which made it hard to invest in their journey. The story unfolds at a slow pace, and while the rich descriptions create an immersive atmosphere, they occasionally overshadow the plot’s momentum. Though there are moments of brilliance and intriguing twists, the lack of emotional resonance left me feeling detached. Fans of lush world-building might enjoy this one, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for me.

If there is one thing I am certain when I read a book from Sue Lynn Tan, is that I am in for excellent, atmospheric writing. IMMORTAL is no different from her previous work. While I felt the overall concept of IMMORTAL was rather trite, using well-worn tropes and concepts, the writing pushes this further out in my eyes, as well as the ownvoices take on mythology, which I always love to see. It's very much a Romantasy in that it leans wholly into the romantic element whereas I would've liked that balanced better with plot and worldbuilding, but overall felt satisfying. Looking forward to what Tan does next.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the world and some of the banter between the characters, there was a lot I did not like. Part of the problem was the book felt pretty disjointed. There are 3 parts to the book and it almost seemed like each part could have been it’s own book if the author spent more time world building and fleshing out the characters. There were times I found myself lost in the story, wondering how we got somewhere or wondering how something was possible. There were times I had to reread a couple of pages to see if I missed something because there was no transition between scenes.

Also, the FMC was kind of annoying - very impulsive, rash, and sometimes mean. I feel like the author wanted us to think of it as “banter” but there’s a difference between banter and saying things that hurt the other person just to hurt them. Also, I didn’t buy the relationship. I understand why the relationship seemed rushed and appeared to be insta-love BUT since we didn’t get that reveal until the latter half of the book, the romance just felt weird. Even after the reveal, I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two characters.

I would rate this 3 stars - I definitely enjoyed parts of it and there was a lot I did not like. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot! I loved the elements of Chinese mythology as I learned a lot about them in high school while taking Mandarin! I love a good romantasy and this was IT. The characters and their development as amazing especially with the development of their relationship! Liyen is strong willed, unyielding, and all around badass which makes her super likable in my eyes while Zhangwei is a fantastic “bad boy”. This book is a must read for romantasy lovers

I was incredibly excited for this book as I absolutely loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess/Heart of the Sun Warrior. Unfortunately, this book fell a bit flat for me. It read like the tons of other romantasy books being released right now. I wanted more depth. Potentially I had too high of standards going in from DotMG and HotSW, but I was just bored and kind of had to force my way through it. I think a lot of my gripe was with the instant love (I know that as you read on it makes more sense, but starting that way was cringey for me and I just couldn't get past it). The book wasn't bad per se, just didn't really hook me like I wanted it to.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love SLT’s writing. This book, like her other books is so lush and magical; the entire time I imagines myself in a sparkling fluffy cloud following the story line! And the twists?!? Multiple?!?! I loved it! It’s lovers to (?plot twist) enemies to lovers!! I loved it!

I have mixed feelings on this book. The plot, premise and side characters are all amazing, however the MC definitely affected my enjoyment a lot as she was prejudiced and whiny and quite annoying.

I love the concept, that the immortals rule over and our MC is suddenly trust into a position of power, and has to make life altering choices while hiding secrets and facing the wrath of the gods. I loved her relationship and dynamic with the god of wrath and he will be popular with many people for sure.

I loved the twists and turns and the way the story unfolded and the plot was enough to keep me hooked throughout, but sadly i really struggled with the first third of the book as the MC had made some snap judgments and quite prejudiced bias opinions and then refused to change or act nicely despite custom dictating one should. She came across as incredibly petulant and childish and it was very hard to read.

However, I think if her attitude doesnt bother you in the first few chapters you will 100% adore this. And even if it does its worth continuing to read as it gets very exciting later on in the story,

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an E-Arc of this book. The following is my honest opinion *

4.5⭐ out 5

As lover of Xiaxia C-dramas, I was very excited to be able to read this book. I loved it! Sue Lynn Tan did not fail to transport me to another magical world. The writing was amazing. The world building! I could not bear to part with the characters after the journey we went through. What a journey it was! If you have read Tan's previous work, you will enjoy this book. An if you are new to Tan's work, this is a great entry point to this type of fantasy and world, without committing to a series.

Nothing but praise. Highly recommend!

The writing in this book is excellent! From the very first page, the story drew me in and held my attention. It follows a classic enemies-to-lovers trope, set in a fantasy world that feels both immersive and engaging. While I enjoyed the dynamic between the main characters, the female protagonist occasionally came across as a bit childish, which hindered my connection to her at times. The overall tone of the book suggests it may be aimed at a young adult audience, as there’s a fair amount of angst throughout the story. Despite this, the romance and the fantasy elements were compelling enough to keep me hooked until the end.
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC! These opinions are my own.

Sue Lynn Tan can do no wrong.

She always manages to write such incredibly fast-paced books filled with so much action, longing, and the PLOT TWISTS?! I also really enjoyed that this was another story set within the same world as the Celestial Kingdom novels but expanded on that world. The writing and world-building is lush and evocative. (I've always especially loved Sue Lynn Tan's descriptions of food and clothing!)

I really enjoyed Liyen and Zhangwei and the build up of their romance. There was a good amount of banter without it being overwhelming or poorly done. It was realistic and didn't fall into the insta-love category I've seen far too often. While I personally wish that there had been a little more background information after one of the specific plot twists, this was still such a fun and exciting read!

I adored this book! I love the world Sue Lynn Tan has created and was very happy to return to it. This is a stand alone novel so you do not need to have read her other books before reading this. I will admit that there was a point about a third of the way into this book that I almost DNF. I am so glad that I kept reading because this story developed into an amazing tale of love and compassion.

The Celestial Kingdom duology is one of my favorites, so I had very high hopes for Sue Lynn Tan’s adult debut. Overall, I enjoyed Immortal and loved expanding on the same world from The Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I think Immortal being a standalone was a perfect decision, however, I wish there was an epilogue so the ending wasn’t so open. I adored the character development and reveals as the plot progressed. The romance was absolutely the highlight! Unfortunately, I had a few issues with the pacing, especially in the beginning. Some things felt incredibly rushed, while others dragged out. This is my least favorite of Tan’s books so far. That being said, I still had a great time reading this and the author will definitely remain as an autobuy for me.

Thank you to HarperVoyager, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

This was great! I’m not a huge Romantasy girlie but the romance in this was very sweet and had just the perfect amount of backstabbing. A great read!!

Oh my God I loved this book as much as I loved the Daughter of the moon goddess. The feelings it evokes. The love, the passion, the ending. So good. I stopped reading for a couple of days because I didn't want it to end