Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I usually love a diving into details and behind the scenes book. However, this one fell flat for me because I was not as invested in the characters as I usually am. It was nice to see the background, but I simply wasnt interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage
Minor: Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Breathtakingly dreamy and utterly immersive, I absolutely loved this collection of short stories— which transported me back into the lush and gorgeously descriptive world of The Celestial Kingdom series (Daughter of the Moon Goddess & Heart of the Sun Warrior.)
Capturing the rich emotional depth of some of my favourite characters during pivotal moments— from Chang’e and Houyi’s folklore inspired backstory, to Xingyin, Wenzhi, Shuxiao and Liwei’s POVs. Sue Lynn Tan gives us a glimpse into their inner thoughts, feelings and emotional struggles, that beautifully highlighted each character’s complexity (and flaws) that made me love them even more than I already did (especially Wenzhi and Liwei)
If you haven’t read The Celestial Kingdom duology yet, I definitely advise doing so before starting this. As several of the short stories contain spoilers that may ruin your enjoyment of the duology (should you try to read it afterwards.)
That being said, if you have read them, you’re gonna thoroughly enjoy being back in this world and seeing some of the characters (particularly Wenzhi who’s story I needed more of) in a newer, intriguing and much more introspective light.
There are also some absolutely stunning illustrations throughout (from Kelly Chong) that I’m completely obsessed with—seriously, I need full colour versions of each they’re soo beautiful.
So, whether you’re in the mood for a sweeping romance or a tragically heartbreaking origin story, Lynn Tan’s lyrical prose is not to be missed. Each story was beautifully written and really enriched the series’ mythos (and character development), and has me soo eager to reread the entire series all over again!
Also, a huge thank you to Rachel Quinn and Harper Voyager UK for this gorgeous finished PB copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage
Minor: Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
A nice companion book of short stories surrounding the Celestial Kingdom Duology. It is in three parts - before the book, during the duology, and a new epilogue.
Worth reading alone for the epilogue that is sweet and a balm for how the duology ended on a bittersweet note.
Worth reading alone for the epilogue that is sweet and a balm for how the duology ended on a bittersweet note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Death
Minor: Confinement, Gaslighting
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
📱
This was an adorable collection. My favorites were the last two.
This was an adorable collection. My favorites were the last two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage
Minor: Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This made my heart happy. I was quite disappointed with the second book in the duology, so I was happy to revisit the characters I cared about so much in this collection (and I enjoyed this much more, though you definitely need to finish the series to fully get the most out of this book). The strongest voices were definitely from the first section with the retelling of the legends of Houyi and Chang'e. However, apart from the first stories of both Wenzhi and Liwei, the other stories' narrative voices were nearly as strong. The stories from Wenzhi and Liwei that were set during the first book just seemed to read a bit more YA and juvenile than their other stories. I understand that they were younger and encountered a good amount of character growth in between the two, but the style itself didn't haven't read with as much of a jump in age as it did (the narrative voice is much stronger in the respective second stories; I did prefer Wenzhi's first story to Liwei's as Liwei's felt a bit too short). I really liked that we got a story from the perspective of Shuxiao. She was always such a badass and we never got enough of her. Also, the event that this story centers around was a pretty big deal, and I was surprised it was glossed over in the second book the way that it was. I was not disappointed, though having read the second book definitely influences the reader because we know what direction the story is going to go after it ends (the fact that the demon general and Shuxiao get together was not quite subtle during this story, and sometimes felt a bit rushed ). The main reason I wanted to read this was to see Xingyin and Wenzhi finally be happy together, and I am so satisfied with the result. It was left a bit too vague (though hopeful) at the end of the second book, so I'm glad that I got to see the resolution (I will admit that I want even more of them, but this time I feel like their story is more complete and I can be satisfied with it ending). Anyone that has read the series should definitely read this. I will definitely be thinking of how much it adds to the series and be wanting to reread it. This has definitely rose my ranking of this series back up (I loved the first book, was disappointed by the second, and enjoyed this one).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Miscarriage
Minor: Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tales of the Celestial Kingdom follows the story of Chang’e and Houyi before they are separated, stories with Xingyin both with Liwei and Wenzhi, as well as Shuxiao.
Shuxiao’s story was the most interesting one because it felt like a new aspect to the world and overall story. The others seemed repetitive to me. Both Liwei and Wenzhi’s stories didn’t seem to add anything to their backstories or relationships with Xingyin and a lot of the writing felt like it was saying the same thing over and over just in slightly different ways.
I also unfortunately noticed the author’s favor of starting sentences with “For”. Once I noticed this I couldn’t stop and it pulled me out of the story every time.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Shuxiao’s story was the most interesting one because it felt like a new aspect to the world and overall story. The others seemed repetitive to me. Both Liwei and Wenzhi’s stories didn’t seem to add anything to their backstories or relationships with Xingyin and a lot of the writing felt like it was saying the same thing over and over just in slightly different ways.
I also unfortunately noticed the author’s favor of starting sentences with “For”. Once I noticed this I couldn’t stop and it pulled me out of the story every time.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism