Jan 25

Jan 25 Heart of the Sun Warrior (The Celestial Kingdom Duology, #2)

Author: Sue Lynn Tan
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Goodreads | The StoryGraph

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Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.

Cover Description

***Description is a spoiler for Daughter of the Moon Goddess***

After her perilous quest to free her mother, Xingyin thrives once more in the tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a treacherous confrontation.

Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love ... even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin—the daughter of Chang'e and the mortal archer, Houyi—as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope.

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!