This was such a great conclusion to this duology! I love that it was cozy and messy. The plot was fun to follow, and I cannot wait to read more from Sue Lynn Tan!

Heart of the Sun Warrior was a beautiful story and a wonderful conclusion to the story we started in Daughter of the Moon Goddess. However, I really would expect no less from Sue Lynn Tan. Tan brings a thoughtful storyline to life through her lyrical prose. As other reviewers have noted before me: my hopes for Xingyin changed between books one and two. Although, I was never left disappointed. I went through an entire range of emotions reading this book and was very happy with how things ended.

Overall, I would recommend this book to other readers. I may even argue that this book is better than the first. If you enjoyed Daughter of the Moon Goddess, you are in for a treat. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the arc of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I look forward to seeing what the future brings from Sue Lynn Tan.

Overall, I consider this to be a strong and engaging sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess though in some ways it’s not as strong as the first. At times it felt a bit winded with plot points stretched longer than felt necessary and the plot in the sequel is less linear and focused than that of DMG so which could have contributed to that feeling. It also has less action, which naturally slows down a story.

The characters though are just as enjoyable and the prose is beautifully written with a lovely unique voice. Xingyin takes a while to get to her true character development in the final act but I loved her just as much this time around. The love triangle between her, Liwei, and Wenzhi is even stronger in the book than the last, the complications feeling more grounded and mature as Xingyin wrestles with what future she wants for herself and how to let go of past mistakes. It was very believable the way they three interacted and made me more invested in that than the main plot line.

I might’ve given it a lower rating if not for the ending. Tan really knocked the final 25% of the book out of the park. The climax was exciting and impossible to put down. The resolution afterward was just as engaging as Xingyin struggles with her choices and facing the future. The resolution of what she decides to do, and how the love triangle works out, was absolutely perfect. We’re left with such a beautiful picture of the future, I found it impossible to rate it any lower with how satisfied I felt in the end.

I do think that the Celestial Kingdom duology is one of the best YA fantasies I’ve read in a very long time. It’s inventive, unique, and beautifully written with characters that you’ll love with your whole heart. I highly recommend both books to any YA fantasy reader.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

The sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Xingyin is back home with her mother. All seems to be well until someone comes to their home who isn't what they seem. Following her intuition, Xingyin finds herself on another adventure that could effect the Celestial Kingdom for the worst.

I enjoyed the many different dynamics of this book, but what I enjoyed the most was the use of family and healing. In so much YA we see parents dead or just plain terrible, but in this book it really rings in how much family matters and how the love of parents and children can shape both to be amazing and loving. I greatly enjoyed the healing aspect as well. While Xingyin has ben through so much, and unfortunately experiences death, I felt the grieving in this book was well done. Most books gloss over the healing process and the fact that a YA novel really focused on that and discussed how important self-healing is was such a breath of fresh air.

I only wish the love triangle wasn't as drawn out as it was. Sometimes it felt like the romantic dynamic stalled the progression of the story. Overall, I think this was a nice conclusion to the duology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC.

I enjoyed Heart of the Sun Warrior, but I think I preferred the first book in this duology. There was a lot of repetitive language especially coming from Xingyin. I understand wanting to emphasize the devastating moments that contributed to the person Xingyin becomes by the end, but I think saying it more than twice makes it a bit repetitive and forced. It was also missing the fast-paced action that defined the first book.

I hated not posting about this book on its pub day in November, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to do so now, because it was an epic follow up to an amazing adventure! Both books in this duology absolutely fly by — whether that’s because of the writing style or just because I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, I can’t say, but the ride was so much fun. Watching Xingyin sort through her complicated feelings about Liwei and Wenzhi while trying to save the entire empire from ruin and deal with her family drama seems like it would be overwhelming, but the author handles everything with a deft hand. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Heart of the Sun Warrior was everything I hoped for to end this duology, and more! It had the stunning and lyrical writing of Daughter of the Moon Goddess as well as a captivating story. I had no idea where Sue Lynn Tan would take the story after book one, and I was so thrilled with where it took me.

Heart of the Sun Warrior is a beautiful story of love, family, friendship, loyalty, and courage. I highly recommend it to any fans of fantasy books, and this duology belongs on every shelf. It is truly excellent storytelling.

I enjoyed this one almost as much as the first. It felt a little slower in some places and it wasn't what I wanted to reach for at times because of that, but it was overall an enjoyable read and a great ending to the duology.

That ending was simultaneously the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me. Never has a happy ending left me feeling so on edge and so unsettled. What a book! Packed with action and heartbreak and sacrifices and love — it was the best conclusion to this story that I could've imagined.

This was the perfect end to an amazing duology. It’s a super unique fantasy story. Sue Lynn Tan is definitely an insta but author for me from now on.

This is (surprising no one) a stunning follow-up and conclusion to 'The Daughter of the Moon Goddess,' with prose and narrative befitting that gorgeous cover.

I enjoyed this follow up. The continuing and more in-depth world building coupled with the character development was superb. I think I may have enjoyed this more than the first book. The only critique I have is the pacing but that did not detour me from liking this book.

Heart of the Sun Warrior is the second installment in the Celestial Kingdom Duology by Sue Lynn Tan and brings us back into the world of The Daughter of the Moon Goddess and thankfully we did not end on a huge cliffhanger, I appreciated that!

With the way DOTMG ended I thought there would be some rest for our main characters but HOTSW was just as action packed as the first. It had loads of action and excitement, not really a lull for me anywhere. Overall I would say I enjoyed the book and I felt it came to a fitting conclusion. One thing I didn't really vibe with was the love triangle. I really can't stand love triangles to begin with, they make me so anxious and with HOTSW I felt it was pretty obvious what was going to happen in that triangle so maybe it wasn't needed. Also I felt this one dragged on a little too long when I didn't get that feeling in DOTMG really. There were a few times that it could've ended satisfactorily but there as just more chapters afterwards...weird.

I will say that I initially anticipated this duology for the covers alone, my goodness, but they ended up also being so beautiful on the inside as well. Sue Lynn Tan really has a gorgeous writing style and I look forward to more of her books in the future.

Thank you so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an eARC via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars. Thank you to the publisher for providing me a digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.

I liked the action and the emotional story of this one. As with the first book, I think this one was a bit long, but it had just enough action to not feel like it was dragging on too much, thankfully. I was pleasantly surprised with how the romantic storyline ended up - Xingyin knows her heart and takes the time to grieve. I definitely cried a bit at the ending.

Overall I was satisfied with this conclusion to the duology, and look forward to reading other work by Sue Lynn Tan!

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!

This duology was everything I hoped it would be. The ending threw me but I am very happy with it. I am so happy for so many things with this book. I absolutely love this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for access to this advance readers' copy of this book.

Just wow. The visual world building skills Sue Lynn Tan possesses are simply mind-blowing. Her descriptions are gorgeous, vivid, and stunning. Uncertain where the tale would go after the conclusion of the first book, this one did not disappoint. Not as action-packed as the first, but a thrilling tale in its own right. (The description says duology, but I'm eagerly waiting for the third book...)

It is difficult to critique near-perfection, but what I will say is that the love triangle got a little tedious in this follow up to DoTMG. Despite that, the book was a delight to read and had a satisfying conclusion. While I absolutely adored both books in this duology, DoTMG stood out for its vivid world, whereas HoTSW shined in its character building.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for providing me with a complimentary arc of this novel through netgalley. I stand with the Union.

I enjoyed the first book so I was happy to continue with the series/duology. I love the representation for Chinese mythology and fantasy. However, this one was really slow for me. I enjoyed the continuation of familial bonds being a core part of the story, but the pacing was not great for me.

I am OBSESSED with anything Sue Lynn Tan writes, it is official.

This books was a wild ride of emotions - a beautiful conclusion of Xingyn's adventures through life, finding family, purpose, meaning of belonging and true love. The world Sue has built just expands more and more, the extraordinary and imagery lyrical prose shines through the chapters!

This book is everything you expect from a fantasy book, ties the threads well and finishes the novel on a bittersweet tone. My heart will be forever broken and mended at the same time by this story.

Thank you so much for the publisher and Netgalley for the egalley!