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

An unfortunately long and laborious read. I expected so much more since I loved the first book, but this was just disappointing. The characters became caricatures of themselves, making ill-timed and unwarranted declarations. The love triangle was almost childlike. And I’m pretty sure I read the word “squelch” at least ten times. The violence was all the same, with all the same descriptions. It was boring and not at all anything like that which I loved in the first book. The characters were so two-dimensional and none of them grew. I finished it out of my own weird sense of loyalty having loved the first book, but I couldn’t wait for this book to be over.

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clairew97's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.75

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victoriousbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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bryonyindecisivereader's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

“The ground now glittered like stardust, and in the world below, the mortals would be lifting their heads to the curved wedge of light in the sky, its face partially hidden.”

Much like its predecessor, Heart of the Sun Warrior created a beautiful world that celebrated family. The world was full of rich and vibrant courts, and there were legends aplenty. I liked the “new” magic in this - even if it wasn’t on the heroes’ side - because it added some mystery to this.

I really enjoyed Xingyin’s celebration of family and those she loved. I wish I’d reread Daughter of the Moon Goddess because there were moments in this that I think would have hit harder having read that more recently.

I think Xingyin was a good main character - brave and loyal. But I probably could have done without so much love triangle-ing.

I did enjoy this book, but I didn’t get as drawn in as I had with the first book. Whether that’s down to not rereading or because of the story, I’m not sure, but I did still have a nice time with it.

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navayiota's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Somehow even better than the first. So worth the wait. I think this might be the first book to have ever made me romantically interested in a character. Wenzhi stole my heart and it was so unexpected, cause Liwei was and is still my favourite character. I think that it was all executed perfectly. Tan managed to capture the experience of being in love with two people which is usually too difficult to verbalise in an informal setting, nevermind in a book with such wonderful writing. Reading it was a healing experience. I never forgot about the first book and I will never forget about this one either. I don't do re-reads often but I might do it for this series.

How I wish there was a third book, so we could watch them fall in love again. I wanted more time with Liwei, he was such a pure soul in that way that only fictional people can be. I felt heartbroken for him when Xingyin picked Wenzhi, but it was also healing for me. Seeing someone do everything right, be the best version of themselves and still be rejected because the person they love does not love them back.. Xingyin not wanting him back does not make him any less valuable as a person. It doesn't blow out the light in his soul. He continues to exist. He is her friend. It gives one hope after heartbreak.

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radinsh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Doesn't live up to to the standards of the first installment

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thequeeraunt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am reviewing this audiobook after receiving a complimentary ALC from Libro.fm

There are many, many things that I loved about Heart of the Sun Warrior, and only a few things I disliked. I'll start with the dislikes, first.

The love triangle took up far more space than it needed in this novel. I'm an avid romance reader, so I don't mind romantic subplots in other genres, but what bothers me is when the romantic subplots eclipse the bigger narrative taking place. Such was the case with Heart of the Sun Warrior. There's a really cool, fascinating conflict that Xingyin and her family must navigate, but so much page space is spent on Xingyin's divided feelings between her two beaus.

I didn't love the way the triangle resolved, either. Xingyin made a choice by not making a choice, and I feel that it detracts from the supposed strength of her convictions.

We got some LGBTQ+ representation... tacked on to the very end of the novel like an afterthought. This is one of my least favorite ways to introduce queer characters. It feels like Tan may have gotten to the end of the novel, realized she had only heterosexual romances represented, and smashed two characters with barely a hint of chemistry (and certainly no page space to develop feelings for one another) into a relationship. Cool. It's not quite as bad as certain writers proclaiming characters to be gay long after books have been published with literally no supporting evidence for their gayness. That said, it was disappointing.

Those two major complaints aside, a lot of what I loved about Daughter of the Moon Goddess was present here in Heart of the Sun Warrior as well. The worldbuilding is exquisitely done without falling into the habit of being overly-descriptive. The different immortal kingdoms have unique identities that set them apart from one another. Natalie Naudus' performance of the audiobook was enjoyable from beginning to end. And, in spite of the fact that I was disappointed by the amount of pining taking place throughout this whole apocalyptic conflict, I would still recommend this novel (and of course, its predecessor) to anyone in need of a vivid and delightful fantastical romance.

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