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leaflit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? Yes
4.25
I think I enjoyed the first book more as it had more of the world building and possibly less romantic angst. Felt less *magical* than it did discovering the universe for the first time and the romance stuff went a bit overboard for me in this book but it was still an enjoyable read. A few elements felt kind of thrown in/rushed. Overall engaging and a good balance of action-mushy stuff and angst-comfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent
LGBTQ+ side charactersketchydelusion's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Gore
Minor: Death of parent and Infidelity
aexileigh's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, Child death, Murder, Death, and Grief
jessicaludden's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
*4.5*
“For the fools do not fear the odds, the reckless do not care—and only the truly brave proceed regardless.”
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book!
The Heart of the Sun Warrior continues the Celestial Kingdom Duology and follows Xingyin as she faces a new threat in the immortal realm. A tyrant is after the seeds of the laurel tree that grows on the moon, which will allow him to raise an army with regenerative powers to take over the realm. With the help of her allies, Xingyin must find a way to stop him and decide what place love will have in her life.
I loved this book! I wasn’t sure where the series was going after the conclusion of the first book, but I really like the direction it went in. The pacing was a little slow and there were some things with the plot and character motivation that didn’t make sense to me, but it definitely picked up in Part 3. There were many epic fantasy elements included in this book that made it feel like a journey as I was reading it. I loved watching Xingyin’s growth throughout the novel. She became such a noble and honest person, almost to a fault. I loved her relationship with her family and how she was willing to do anything to protect them. I loved the ending of this book. At first, I didn’t think things would go my way, but I finished reading this book very content. I think Xingyin made a great decision to help everyone around her be happy. Overall, I loved this book and I loved this series. I really enjoyed reading about Xingyin’s journey and being immersed in this world.
“For the fools do not fear the odds, the reckless do not care—and only the truly brave proceed regardless.”
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book!
The Heart of the Sun Warrior continues the Celestial Kingdom Duology and follows Xingyin as she faces a new threat in the immortal realm. A tyrant is after the seeds of the laurel tree that grows on the moon, which will allow him to raise an army with regenerative powers to take over the realm. With the help of her allies, Xingyin must find a way to stop him and decide what place love will have in her life.
I loved this book! I wasn’t sure where the series was going after the conclusion of the first book, but I really like the direction it went in. The pacing was a little slow and there were some things with the plot and character motivation that didn’t make sense to me, but it definitely picked up in Part 3. There were many epic fantasy elements included in this book that made it feel like a journey as I was reading it. I loved watching Xingyin’s growth throughout the novel. She became such a noble and honest person, almost to a fault. I loved her relationship with her family and how she was willing to do anything to protect them. I loved the ending of this book. At first, I didn’t think things would go my way, but I finished reading this book very content. I think Xingyin made a great decision to help everyone around her be happy. Overall, I loved this book and I loved this series. I really enjoyed reading about Xingyin’s journey and being immersed in this world.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
thesawyerbean's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
I was so so excited to read this after reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess earlier this year, and I have to say I absolutely devoured it. I love love love this book, and the entire duology. Not to mention how stunning the cover (and the sprayed edges) of this edition is!
The stakes have never been higher in the Immortal Realm, both for Xingyin in her personal life and for the Realm itself. Will she go through with the betrothal to the Celestial Kingdom Crown Prince Liwei, or get back involved with the treacherous prince of the Demon Realm Wenzhi? The romantic politics interweaves with wider inter-kingdom diplomacy in the shadow of an impending Juggernautical threat. This comes together as a story that is not only exhilarating and utterly enthralling, but devastating, heartfelt, magical and extremely special.
This sequel is more emotionally fraught and less action-packed than the first in the duology: however, this lets us delve even deeper into the characters, their personalities and their psyches, especially ones for whom we had previously only seen to be malignant. In addition, the ending was so satisfying and enchanting - I wish I could read more, but the beauty of it is that I don’t need to.
What a wonderful end to this epic story of trial, turmoil and ultimately love.
The stakes have never been higher in the Immortal Realm, both for Xingyin in her personal life and for the Realm itself. Will she go through with the betrothal to the Celestial Kingdom Crown Prince Liwei, or get back involved with the treacherous prince of the Demon Realm Wenzhi? The romantic politics interweaves with wider inter-kingdom diplomacy in the shadow of an impending Juggernautical threat. This comes together as a story that is not only exhilarating and utterly enthralling, but devastating, heartfelt, magical and extremely special.
This sequel is more emotionally fraught and less action-packed than the first in the duology: however, this lets us delve even deeper into the characters, their personalities and their psyches, especially ones for whom we had previously only seen to be malignant. In addition, the ending was so satisfying and enchanting - I wish I could read more, but the beauty of it is that I don’t need to.
What a wonderful end to this epic story of trial, turmoil and ultimately love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, and Gore
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.25
I actually didn't love this book quite as much as the first one. It moved a bit slower and there was overall less action, which made the pacing of the book drag a bit in parts. However, overall I really enjoy this series.
The villain in this book is SO well written! I was kind of hoping for Xingyi to go all "burn it all to the ground", but I also understand the path that she takes. The love triangle is still around in this one - I was really holding my breath for all three of them to get together ;) Throughout most of this book (while it's overall the best love triangle I've read) I was really unsure how Wenzhi could ever make Xingyi trust him again, but he is relentless. Until really the last 5-10% of the book this is still unclear and then THE ENDING!!! It broke me. The ending alone bumped this book up .25 of a star.
The villain in this book is SO well written! I was kind of hoping for Xingyi to go all "burn it all to the ground", but I also understand the path that she takes. The love triangle is still around in this one - I was really holding my breath for all three of them to get together ;) Throughout most of this book (while it's overall the best love triangle I've read) I was really unsure how Wenzhi could ever make Xingyi trust him again, but he is relentless. Until really the last 5-10% of the book this is still unclear and then THE ENDING!!! It broke me. The ending alone bumped this book up .25 of a star.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, War, and Blood
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
booksemmahasread's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.25
Thanks to Harper Voyager for the free advance copy of this book.
- It's hard to review the second book in a duology, so let me just say if you haven't read the first book, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS, yet, go get it now! These books are so beautiful and engrossing. Despite their length, you will fly through them.
- HEART OF THE SUN WARRIOR is chock full of action, but the emotional relationships also shine. Both family and romantic relationships are given care and weight.
- I won't give anything away, but know that this is a satisfying conclusion to an incredible duology.
- It's hard to review the second book in a duology, so let me just say if you haven't read the first book, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS, yet, go get it now! These books are so beautiful and engrossing. Despite their length, you will fly through them.
- HEART OF THE SUN WARRIOR is chock full of action, but the emotional relationships also shine. Both family and romantic relationships are given care and weight.
- I won't give anything away, but know that this is a satisfying conclusion to an incredible duology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
A breathtakingly immersive and utterly thrilling conclusion to Sue Lynn Tan’s phenomenal Celestial Kingdom duology that sees even more heart-stopping, high stakes action as Xingyin battles to save her family—and the Celestial Kingdom from ruin.
It follows directly on from Daughter of The Moon Goddess and follows Xingyin reunited with her childhood home having won her mother (the moon goddess, Chang'e) freedom from the Celestial emperor’s exile.
But that fragile peace is threatened when a strange new magic is discovered on the moon, and a traitor—with a dangerous thirst for power and vengeance— sets their sights on the Emperor’s throne.
Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions encounter legendary creatures, scheming monarchs and formidable foes as they search for aid in destroying the evil—and put a stop to devastation before it’s too late.
This was an absolutely stunning sequel that I genuinely couldn’t put down! It’s so gorgeously crafted and even more detailed than in DOTMG— a feat in and of itself as I absolutely loved the lush and descriptive the world building in book one and thought every eloquently wrought (and lyrical) detail was perfect.
The action; which includes plenty of gossipy courtiers, backstabbing and political intrigue was pretty much non-stop and Sue Lynn Tan’s atmospheric, lyrical writing had me completely hooked!
I did feel that unlike Daughter of The Moon Goddess, Heart of The Sun Warrior was a little more character driven—focusing on the emotional aspects of the characters and adding more depth and dimension to their arcs. This was especially true for our endearing protagonist, Xingyin who’s still recovering from the fallout (and Celestial Emperor’s ire) after the events of DOTMG (and the conflicting feelings she has surrounding Wenzhi and Liwei.)
I definitely felt she’s matured since the last time we saw her—there’s definitely less impulsive decisions being made this time around and it was it was interesting to see how that affected Xingyin’s problem solving abilities. The romance aspect too, was a little more cautious though I still really enjoyed the love triangle aspect. I have to admit I’m a sucker for a morally grey bad boy, so I couldn’t help but root for Wenzhi as he tried to redeem himself and win back Xingyin’s trust.
And though I may not have been rooting as hard for him to end up with Xingyin, I did absolutely love Liwei as a character and the complex emotional journey he faces—having to tread the fine line between his loyalty to his family and his love for Xingyin whom they despise. It’s not an easy decision and one Liwei doesn’t make lightly which I really respected him for.
I also loved that we got the see more of Xingyin’s family and delve into her parents’ history a little more, it was also really interesting to hear more about her father—the famed mortal archer Houyi.
The ending was absolutely perfect even if it did have me sobbing uncontrollably, the prose was just soo georgoeusly magical and immersive—I didn’t want it to ever end!
Overall, Heart of The Sun Warrior was a visual (and emotional) feast for the senses—an addictive and utterly immersive fantasy that fairytale or mythology lovers absolutely must read.
Also, thanks to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for e-arc.
It follows directly on from Daughter of The Moon Goddess and follows Xingyin reunited with her childhood home having won her mother (the moon goddess, Chang'e) freedom from the Celestial emperor’s exile.
But that fragile peace is threatened when a strange new magic is discovered on the moon, and a traitor—with a dangerous thirst for power and vengeance— sets their sights on the Emperor’s throne.
Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions encounter legendary creatures, scheming monarchs and formidable foes as they search for aid in destroying the evil—and put a stop to devastation before it’s too late.
This was an absolutely stunning sequel that I genuinely couldn’t put down! It’s so gorgeously crafted and even more detailed than in DOTMG— a feat in and of itself as I absolutely loved the lush and descriptive the world building in book one and thought every eloquently wrought (and lyrical) detail was perfect.
The action; which includes plenty of gossipy courtiers, backstabbing and political intrigue was pretty much non-stop and Sue Lynn Tan’s atmospheric, lyrical writing had me completely hooked!
I did feel that unlike Daughter of The Moon Goddess, Heart of The Sun Warrior was a little more character driven—focusing on the emotional aspects of the characters and adding more depth and dimension to their arcs. This was especially true for our endearing protagonist, Xingyin who’s still recovering from the fallout (and Celestial Emperor’s ire) after the events of DOTMG (and the conflicting feelings she has surrounding Wenzhi and Liwei.)
I definitely felt she’s matured since the last time we saw her—there’s definitely less impulsive decisions being made this time around and it was it was interesting to see how that affected Xingyin’s problem solving abilities. The romance aspect too, was a little more cautious though I still really enjoyed the love triangle aspect. I have to admit I’m a sucker for a morally grey bad boy, so I couldn’t help but root for Wenzhi as he tried to redeem himself and win back Xingyin’s trust.
And though I may not have been rooting as hard for him to end up with Xingyin, I did absolutely love Liwei as a character and the complex emotional journey he faces—having to tread the fine line between his loyalty to his family and his love for Xingyin whom they despise. It’s not an easy decision and one Liwei doesn’t make lightly which I really respected him for.
I also loved that we got the see more of Xingyin’s family and delve into her parents’ history a little more, it was also really interesting to hear more about her father—the famed mortal archer Houyi.
The ending was absolutely perfect even if it did have me sobbing uncontrollably, the prose was just soo georgoeusly magical and immersive—I didn’t want it to ever end!
Overall, Heart of The Sun Warrior was a visual (and emotional) feast for the senses—an addictive and utterly immersive fantasy that fairytale or mythology lovers absolutely must read.
Also, thanks to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for e-arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Death of parent
lastblossom's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- 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
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advance copy.
tl;dr
Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, a strong follow-up to the previous book. Romantic endgame might be divisive.
About
After winning the Celestial Emperor's pardon (although not his favor), Xingyin thought she'd be returning to her quiet life on the moon with her mother. But political turmoil rages in the Celestial Kingdom, churned on by her previous actions. With her home on the moon threatened by old enemies and new magic, Xingyin must once again take up her bow and fight for the ones she loves. And maybe even the ones she thought she gave up loving.
Thoughts
The first book of this series was largely an adventure punctuated with romance. This one is definitely a romance punctuated with adventure. Xingyin is already an accomplished fighter, and so we see very little by way of her development in that area, with more time spent on her growing emotionally and learning how to process different kinds of grief. There's a lot more at stake here, with several deaths, and the loss of potential lives lived, with no one coming out entirely faultless in the process. The moral depth and complexity definitely outshines the first book in this space. The romantic triangle from the first book takes front and center here, with Wenzhi, Liwei, and eventually Xingyin all being way more honest about their feelings than the first go-around. There's a clear endgame this time around, and your enjoyment will probably hang entirely on who you cheered for in the first book. Action scenes move quickly, with fewer "epic" set pieces and more subdued fights (on average). There's also more time spent on Chinese lore, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I feel like it's a really good conclusion to the previous book, and it ties up all the loose ends really well.
Also, I am aware there wasn't really time for it, but I am devastated thatthe entire enemies-to-lovers romance between Shuxiao and Menqi happened off screen. I would have loved to see that develop.
tl;dr
Equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful, a strong follow-up to the previous book. Romantic endgame might be divisive.
About
After winning the Celestial Emperor's pardon (although not his favor), Xingyin thought she'd be returning to her quiet life on the moon with her mother. But political turmoil rages in the Celestial Kingdom, churned on by her previous actions. With her home on the moon threatened by old enemies and new magic, Xingyin must once again take up her bow and fight for the ones she loves. And maybe even the ones she thought she gave up loving.
Thoughts
The first book of this series was largely an adventure punctuated with romance. This one is definitely a romance punctuated with adventure. Xingyin is already an accomplished fighter, and so we see very little by way of her development in that area, with more time spent on her growing emotionally and learning how to process different kinds of grief. There's a lot more at stake here, with several deaths, and the loss of potential lives lived, with no one coming out entirely faultless in the process. The moral depth and complexity definitely outshines the first book in this space. The romantic triangle from the first book takes front and center here, with Wenzhi, Liwei, and eventually Xingyin all being way more honest about their feelings than the first go-around. There's a clear endgame this time around, and your enjoyment will probably hang entirely on who you cheered for in the first book. Action scenes move quickly, with fewer "epic" set pieces and more subdued fights (on average). There's also more time spent on Chinese lore, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I feel like it's a really good conclusion to the previous book, and it ties up all the loose ends really well.
Also, I am aware there wasn't really time for it, but I am devastated that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: War, Blood, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Infidelity, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Deadnaming and Death of parent