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theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, War, and Murder
daniellekat's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: War, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Death
clairew97's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and War
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
… I’ll admit to being a bit disappointed at the turn this romance took.
The plot was otherwise exquisite, if a little trite bc of the dad thing. The stakes were high, the battles and magic were fun: small details from the first book pulled into large plot points in this one; all good stuff. Xingyin’s narrative voice was a bit more grating in this one, but to be fair she’s dealing with a lot. Tan knows how to truly fill 500 pages with riveting content and a lot of authors should be taking notes!
That being said, the romantic subplot was 100% death as redemption bullshit. Wenzhi’s entire char this book was “im so sorry I violated your human rights, caused you immense pain, and tried to lock you into a relationship. I’m going to harass you every day until you forgive me” ?????? it’s been a minute since I read the last book but ultimately I thought Xingyin had learned her lesson about how little he seemed to respect her opinions when it came to something he wanted??? like what the fuck kind of “oh but he LOVES me” handwaving??? Sure, he risked his life for her a ton in this book…as he should have, as payment for literally trying to imprison her!!… how is that a declaration of love? He dies and Xingyin just… magically realizes she does forgive him, despite being torn apart about it the whole 500 pages? The turmoil was pretty realistic up until that point, then it felt like a switch was flipped bc of a grand gesture. it was so forced I can’t even wrap my head around it. If this was going to be the outcome, it could’ve been much more organic than “maybe i don’t hate him… let’s kiss… okay let’s spend the rest of our lives together”
And don’t get me wrong I wasn’t rooting for Liwei by any means, he is extremely oblivious to Xingyins feelings in this book and did not at all need to be the endgame. Also, his being the secondary love interest was telegraphed a while back. Personally, neither of these men redeemed themselves enough to deserve Xingyin, but I guess the author had to choose one to avoid pissing off the romance-obsessed camp?
I can’t put my finger on why this felt like such a letdown. Maybe because Xingyin was such a strong, independent character in the last book, fighting for her family and her home; here it feels like her story ends with her waiting for scraps of a guy who very easily manipulated her for months (years?) and then fucked her over, with very little atonement or time alone …. it could’ve at least been a slower burn so it didn’t feel so foolish for her to jump into waiting for him as a mortal… eh. this is the second sequel to a beloved book that disappointed me this year, maybe it’s a me problem
The plot was otherwise exquisite, if a little trite bc of the dad thing. The stakes were high, the battles and magic were fun: small details from the first book pulled into large plot points in this one; all good stuff. Xingyin’s narrative voice was a bit more grating in this one, but to be fair she’s dealing with a lot. Tan knows how to truly fill 500 pages with riveting content and a lot of authors should be taking notes!
That being said, the romantic subplot was 100% death as redemption bullshit. Wenzhi’s entire char this book was “im so sorry I violated your human rights, caused you immense pain, and tried to lock you into a relationship. I’m going to harass you every day until you forgive me” ?????? it’s been a minute since I read the last book but ultimately I thought Xingyin had learned her lesson about how little he seemed to respect her opinions when it came to something he wanted??? like what the fuck kind of “oh but he LOVES me” handwaving??? Sure, he risked his life for her a ton in this book…as he should have, as payment for literally trying to imprison her!!… how is that a declaration of love? He dies and Xingyin just… magically realizes she does forgive him, despite being torn apart about it the whole 500 pages? The turmoil was pretty realistic up until that point, then it felt like a switch was flipped bc of a grand gesture. it was so forced I can’t even wrap my head around it. If this was going to be the outcome, it could’ve been much more organic than “maybe i don’t hate him… let’s kiss… okay let’s spend the rest of our lives together”
And don’t get me wrong I wasn’t rooting for Liwei by any means, he is extremely oblivious to Xingyins feelings in this book and did not at all need to be the endgame. Also, his being the secondary love interest was telegraphed a while back. Personally, neither of these men redeemed themselves enough to deserve Xingyin, but I guess the author had to choose one to avoid pissing off the romance-obsessed camp?
I can’t put my finger on why this felt like such a letdown. Maybe because Xingyin was such a strong, independent character in the last book, fighting for her family and her home; here it feels like her story ends with her waiting for scraps of a guy who very easily manipulated her for months (years?) and then fucked her over, with very little atonement or time alone …. it could’ve at least been a slower burn so it didn’t feel so foolish for her to jump into waiting for him as a mortal… eh. this is the second sequel to a beloved book that disappointed me this year, maybe it’s a me problem
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and War
Moderate: Misogyny
navayiota's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcohol and Fire/Fire injury
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
thequeeraunt's review against another edition
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.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
HEART OF THE SUN WARRIOR picks up a little after DAUGTHER OF THE MOON GODDESS. Xingyin is back on the moon with her mother, but now neither of them is bound to stay. Xingyin is still the narrator, and her presentation is consistent with the first book. This wraps up the relationship triangle established in the first book between Xingyin, Liwei, and Wenzhi. It also establishes and resolves a new storyline, related to Xingin's mother and her parents' past. As the final book of the duology, it's self-contained enough for the main narrative to make sense if someone didn't read the first book, but the friendships, allies, and enemies who drive the story were almost all established earlier. It's very good at recapping when necessary in a way that feels very natural, but it'll definitely be more resonant to someone trying to remember what happened earlier, not someone who didn't read the first book at all.
The worldbuilding leans on things set up in the first book, expanding on a couple of new areas and spending much more on the moon and Xingyin's parents. Her mother is finally free to leave the moon and this makes way for opportunities long denied to her. It is immersive without getting bogged down in descriptions of each place. They have a distinctive character conveyed through Xingyin's reactions and worries, as well as the people in the various areas. It's not as travel-heavy as the first book, with a much more straightforward quest in a shorter timespan. The elixir of immortality is in play once again, and the quest, in this case, is to flee and not die from the king's wrath, while hopefully figuring out how to stop a plot against Xingyin's mother.
Xingyin is still torn between Liwei and Wenzhi, with both men making their interest clear but not pressuring her. Her complicated feelings are driven by events in the first book, and she's trying to sort out her thoughts and desires. They represent two different kinds of lives in addition to being different people, and she's strongly bonded to them. I like this better than a lot of love triangles, but I must admit that a part of me wishes this resolved like IRON WIDOW by Xiran Jay Zhao. It doesn't because Liwei and Wenzhi are not at all interested in each other, and so it remains a choice between people on Xingyin's part. Ultimately I like how it ends, I think it fits the characters and the narrative. Because they are immortal unless actively killed, this is very early in Xingyin's presumably long existence to come, and the ending is very aware of that. It helps to solidify the sense that this is one particularly important and eventful chapter in her life, but that this isn't the end by any stretch.
The worldbuilding leans on things set up in the first book, expanding on a couple of new areas and spending much more on the moon and Xingyin's parents. Her mother is finally free to leave the moon and this makes way for opportunities long denied to her. It is immersive without getting bogged down in descriptions of each place. They have a distinctive character conveyed through Xingyin's reactions and worries, as well as the people in the various areas. It's not as travel-heavy as the first book, with a much more straightforward quest in a shorter timespan. The elixir of immortality is in play once again, and the quest, in this case, is to flee and not die from the king's wrath, while hopefully figuring out how to stop a plot against Xingyin's mother.
Xingyin is still torn between Liwei and Wenzhi, with both men making their interest clear but not pressuring her. Her complicated feelings are driven by events in the first book, and she's trying to sort out her thoughts and desires. They represent two different kinds of lives in addition to being different people, and she's strongly bonded to them. I like this better than a lot of love triangles, but I must admit that a part of me wishes this resolved like IRON WIDOW by Xiran Jay Zhao. It doesn't because Liwei and Wenzhi are not at all interested in each other, and so it remains a choice between people on Xingyin's part. Ultimately I like how it ends, I think it fits the characters and the narrative. Because they are immortal unless actively killed, this is very early in Xingyin's presumably long existence to come, and the ending is very aware of that. It helps to solidify the sense that this is one particularly important and eventful chapter in her life, but that this isn't the end by any stretch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Self harm
Minor: Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Death of parent
deedireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Heart of the Sun Warrior is a fun, adventurous sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. While it didn’t blow me away (mostly because the love triangle didn’t quite work for me), I did enjoy it.
For you if: You like an adventure, and/or want to read more fantasy based on Chinese mythology.
FULL REVIEW:
Heart of the Sun Warrior is the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the conclusion of the Celestial Kingdom duology, a Chinese fantasy drama (epic fantasy rooted in Chinese mythology). Although it didn’t blow me away, I did enjoy it and the duology overall.
I won’t give spoilers for the first book, but suffice to say that this one picks up only a short time after that one ends. From there, a new adventure quickly begins. That’s one thing I liked about this duology: Each book feels like a complete story. This time around, Xingyin knows herself and her strengths better; she’s still headstrong, and she still rushes into situations a bit too quickly, but it was nice to get to know her as a more confident person.
One strength of this duology is the prose. Sue Lynn Tan writes gorgeous sentences, and these books are lush and cinematic. That matches up nicely with the kind of action-packed, something-for-everyone story. I also loved getting to know the legend of the Moon Goddess through this lens!
The reason this fell a bit short for me, however, is just that I don’t like love triangles. Sometimes I can be convinced, but I never quite got there on this one. I think it could have benefited from more character development for the secondary characters in the book; they’re all sort of flat except for Xingyin herself. Although part of this may also be my own inexperience and naive reactions to a more Eastern storytelling style.
Still, if you find yourself drawn to this one, I’d say definitely give it a shot!
TL;DR REVIEW:
Heart of the Sun Warrior is a fun, adventurous sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess. While it didn’t blow me away (mostly because the love triangle didn’t quite work for me), I did enjoy it.
For you if: You like an adventure, and/or want to read more fantasy based on Chinese mythology.
FULL REVIEW:
Heart of the Sun Warrior is the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the conclusion of the Celestial Kingdom duology, a Chinese fantasy drama (epic fantasy rooted in Chinese mythology). Although it didn’t blow me away, I did enjoy it and the duology overall.
I won’t give spoilers for the first book, but suffice to say that this one picks up only a short time after that one ends. From there, a new adventure quickly begins. That’s one thing I liked about this duology: Each book feels like a complete story. This time around, Xingyin knows herself and her strengths better; she’s still headstrong, and she still rushes into situations a bit too quickly, but it was nice to get to know her as a more confident person.
One strength of this duology is the prose. Sue Lynn Tan writes gorgeous sentences, and these books are lush and cinematic. That matches up nicely with the kind of action-packed, something-for-everyone story. I also loved getting to know the legend of the Moon Goddess through this lens!
The reason this fell a bit short for me, however, is just that I don’t like love triangles. Sometimes I can be convinced, but I never quite got there on this one. I think it could have benefited from more character development for the secondary characters in the book; they’re all sort of flat except for Xingyin herself. Although part of this may also be my own inexperience and naive reactions to a more Eastern storytelling style.
Still, if you find yourself drawn to this one, I’d say definitely give it a shot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, and Death
Moderate: War, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent