Reviews with content warning for Child death - Heart of the Sun Warrior

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan

74 reviews

dragongirl271's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love this duology so much! It’s just so lovely, and Natalie Naudus’s narration is perfect for it! I have loved listening to these books and being swept away to the Celestial Kingdom.

Without any spoilers, Heart of the Sun Warrior has the same charm as Daughter of the Moon Goddess. We see Xingyin continue to grow as a person and I love her character so much. She’s so easy to relate to and root for. We get to see Xingyin start to figure and decide what and who she wants in her life. I really liked the message that just because you love someone, doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your every happiness for them. The ending turned out even better than what I had hoped for! Highly recommend this duology for lovers of mythology, legends and epic fantasy worlds!

CWs: Death, grief, war, violence, child death, blood, murder, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, death of parent, alcohol consumption (wine).

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samchase112's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

An enthralling, action-packed fantasy epic! This stunning series finale certainly kept me turning the pages, and there was never a dull moment. However, I found myself skimming at times as I was wholly uninterested in the love triangle that consumed the book. If there had been no romance — or if Xingyin had simply chosen a man and stuck with him — I think I would’ve enjoyed this so, so much more because the plot and Xingyin’s story could have centered around much more interesting angles; her parents, her friends, her own maturation, etc.

I’ve seen this book described as a C-drama, and I wholeheartedly agree. It has the emotionality and cinematic scope of a well-done fantasy drama, and I love that! Maybe not my personal favorite genre, but I can certainly see how it would appeal to so many others.

All in all, I am truly glad I finished out this series — it’s helped remind me of my love for fantasy, and for that I’m grateful.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad medium-paced

3.5

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daniellekat's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

2.75

I struggled with this. I really enjoyed Moon Goddess especially since I'm not a huge fan of high fantasy, but the lack of character development really killed this for me. If I thought Xingyin was annoying in the first book, she was unbearable in this one. The characters all lacked substance, leading me to not care about their individual outcomes. While I generally enjoyed the weird pacing (some parts were so slow while others were super quick), the writing felt much more repetitive than Moon Goddess. Overall, the plot was fine and I would still read more of Tan's work, but this left me feeling disappointed.

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matcha_pages's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A sequel I didn't need. Harsh, I know, but this story just dragged on and diluted everything great about the series. I'm disappointed because this sequel had potential to be just as strong as the first book.

There were parts I enjoyed, the gorgeous descriptions, consequences from the first book playing out, and exploration of morally grey choices. The story starts off strong, we face a new villain playing the long game and uncover imperial schemes. We learn the backstory of several characters adding to the richness and complexity of the Celestial Kingdom.

Unfortunately as the book continued, the plot started to meander and break apart. There were too many side plots each with it's own bad guy, the magic system lost it's logic, and the ending was doubly disappointing. This is the most undecisive love triangle I've ever read. There's no romantic tension or engaging rivalry (like the first book). The hottest immortal bachelors throw themselves at Xingyin, but she can't accept her "true" feelings or make up her mind until the last few pages, literally.

I still love the Celestial Kingdom, just not this one

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luverbyrd's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Definitely a different tone than the first book but I still loved it and it was easy to binge read.
I don't understand why this duology isn't hyped more, this has been such a fantastic duology and I already want to reread it.
I'm now validated for my pretty cover buys.

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