Sue Lynn Tan does it again. Her ability to paint the most beautifully worlds using nothing but words will always have me reaching for her next book. Taking place in the same world as Daughter of the Mood Goddess, it isn't surprising that Immortal offers the same vibes as her previous series. I was concerned at first that the story lines were a bit similar (love interest deceiving the main character), but Immortal took on a story of its own as Liyen's background was revealed. It was refreshing to read a stand alone fantasy, knowing that the entire story was sitting in my lap and I didn't have to worry about what kind of cliffhanger I would be left with. I thoroughly enjoyed the sparring between Liyen and Zhangwei. I also appreciated the way Tan went about showing different kinds of love and how endless a parent's love for their child can be, even when that child is evil.

A beautifully written, heavy on descriptions, tale of love and longing. I love xianxia style fantasy romance, so this was right up my ally.

That said, there's a couple of things. The FMC Liyen annoyed me fof a chunk of the book. I understood her in the beginning. But just when we are supposed to believe she is falling in love with Zhangwei and trusting him, she takes a dozen steps back. Of course, after several times of tricking him, she finally allows herself to be vulnerable. Zhangwei is obviously keeping secrets, but he's plead with her to trust him. To really trust him. And with how powerful he is as an immortal, Liyen should have. I really liked how he didn't give upon her.

I loved the twists and how Liyen ends up connected to it all. (And I won't spoil it.)

I said the prose was beautiful. The other problem is that it is soo heavy on the descriptions that it was almost to the point of distraction. Especially in a first person story.

This story also has some spicy scenes that fade to black.

That said, I did enjoy this story, so that's the bottom line. Sue Lynn Tan is one of my favorite authors,

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. I'm so happy I got to read this early.

Immortal was an enjoyable fantasy novel. Inspired by Chinese mythology, the vibrant, ethereal setting was different than anything I've read in the past. I also liked the enemies to lovers subplot, and strong heroine.

Read this if you enjoyed Sue Lynn Tan's, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, or any of Chloe Gong's novels.

Thank you Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an e-arc.

Enchanting, magical, intense and oh so romantic. I couldn’t put this book down the second I started reading. Sue Lynn Tan has such a magical way of writing and world building that captures you the minute you open one of her books. Cannot wait to pick this up once it releases and to reread it again!

It feels like I've rewritten this review about a hundred times but I'm finally going to raise my white flag and accept that I'm never going to be able to condense all the emotions this book evoked in me into coherently formed text and instead, I'll be spending the next few thousand characters showing you the pieces of my heart that now belong to Liyen and Zhangwei. Because while it's a tad unfair that one of my absolute favorite books of the year is a 2025 release, it's impossible for me not to fall in love with anything Sue Lynn Tan writes, and Immortal is no exception.

One of the things that really spoke to me about Immortal was the depiction of the female rage and the different kind of strength she portrayed with Liyen. While we might see main characters who are glorious in their explosive fury and overt displays of strength (like Xingyin from the Celestial Kingdom books), Sue Lynn veers away from that and gives us an FMC like Liyen, one who is physically frail, grieving, and motivated with a simmering anger that she hides behind intelligent eyes and a clever mouth. She is fiercely loyal to her people and every calculated move she made in this book was to protect her heart and to free her people, despite knowing that one would have to give for the other to succeed. Liyen’s humanity goes beyond just being a mortal, it's her appreciation of life—of the simple things—and her fierce will to face every challenge she can despite being terrified, despite knowing her shortcomings and flaws, for her people, it’s her compassion and tender heart, that knows unbearable pain but is willing to let herself love again; she is truly admirable. While Liyen may not be an expert with a bow and arrow or a sword, her heart and mind are weapons enough in the politics of her court and the games that the Immortals play.

I may have waxed too much poetic about Liyen but I think Zhangwei would forgive me because it’s evident that she is his favorite subject. From the get-go, the tension between them was palpable, there was a tautness to their initial meeting that spoke of possibilities to be explored. And every interaction since began with a bit of uncertainty then developed to clever quips, flirtatious nudges and the gentlest brushing of their hands, yearning for more. The burn was truly slow but each segment of the fuse they burn was bright and satisfying and when they finally reached the end of the firework, they ignited; until all that you will want to see and root for is Liyen and Zhangwei’s happy ending, especially after all that they’ve endured.

There was a point in this book wherein I had to pause, put the book down and stare at my ceiling and absorb everything that happened because I needed to process what happened and the things that were revealed. I was completely stunned and I hadn’t been that affected by a plot twist in so long so it was truly a pleasant surprise. But beyond the shock factor, I was intrigued by the workings of what was discussed and how it related to something that occurred in the Celestial Kingdom books. The logistics of it fascinated me and I would love to see the process studied one day. And while the Celestial Kingdom books are a little more fast paced and have a more epic fantasy energy to them, Immortal exudes a quieter strength that tackles a combination of court politics and field play in both the mortal and immortal realms.

Honestly, I’m surprised that I managed to not sob my way through this book but I was nearly there, I cried about more than half of this book and it left my heart a little bruised and very tender. Sue Lynn explores grief so vividly but also with so much care, and this does not just apply to Liyen, but to Zhangwei and even to side characters (whom you will get to meet). Each of them have experienced a hurt of some sort, and they’re all just dealing with these feelings the best they can in order to heal and to, hopefully, one day move on.

My biggest heartbreak was diving into Immortal, falling absolutely in love with it, and accepting that all we’re getting is a standalone novel featuring two characters I could read about for another five or so books. Liyen and Zhangwei still have so many journeys to go on and so many stories to tell and I would eat every word up if given the chance to experience another one of their adventures; but in the meantime, I will be rereading Immortal to relive all the moments that made my heart race, ache, and soar. Sue Lynn Tan has truly woven magic into Immortal because it has become the book of my heart, it feels like it has direct access to my tear ducts and chordae tendineae (aka my heartstrings), and I would surrender to the overwhelming sea of emotions it evokes in me and bask in those feelings. While I cycle between lamenting the lack of more Liyen and Zhangwei and relishing in the afterglow, I will be eagerly awaiting for my next Sue Lynn Tan fix.

While I haven’t read “Daughter of the Moon Goddess” yet, it’s been on my TBR pile for a while due to the fairly universal acclaim it was met with. That being the case, I was excited to see a stand-alone book coming out by this author this winter that I could use as a dip into this world without committing to the original duology. This can be a bit of a hit or miss plan, however, as there are only a few authors I can name who seem to produce books at the same quality level every time. Others (the normal people, one might say) will often have stronger and weaker entries in their output.

You may have guessed, from this hedging right out of the gate that I didn’t love this one as much as I had hoped. But, per above hedging, I’m still hoping to give the original duology a shot, as the author has some clear strengths that maybe just didn’t come together for this particular book. So let’s start with those positives! For one thing, I think the writing was fairly strong throughout. There was a blessed refrain from modern lingo or overly “quippy” dialogue between characters. The world was described using lush language, so much so that I think it was these descriptive moments that were the true high points of the book. However, even here, as the story continued, I felt as if I was wanting more, with some of these world-building elements and larger plot points seeming to subside beneath the weak romance at the stories heart.

As readers of this blog know, I’m a character reader. You write a great character, and I’m willing to ignore numerous other potential flaws in a book. However, the inverse is also true, where it doesn’t matter how great your world is, how high the stakes of the plot may be…if your main characters don’t hit, I’m probably going to end up not enjoying the book. And that was the biggest problem here. The book starts with a scene that is clearly meant to establish much about Liyen’s character, giving the reader the starting point to become invested in her and her travails. However, I don’t think this event really hit as hard as it needed to (I had just met most of these characters and this world, so I didn’t really care too much about any of these players.) And then Liyen was written in such a way that even if this event had worked, it would have needed to be much more powerful to combat the sheer annoyance and frustration I felt reading from Liyen’s perspective. The best I can say is that this is a very familiar character: plucky heroine who learns she’s all powerful! And, given how often I run across this protagonist, I guess there are a decent number of readers for whom that may be enough. But readers who do enjoy this character type deserve more. More of an effort to create some original and less “paint by numbers.”

The love interest was the same. Yet again, we get a dark and brooding hero who (surprise!) turns out to be misunderstood and who harbors a heart of gold. Worse, he and Liyen seem to fall almost immediately in love (seriously, I think it was around the 1/3 mark of the book that their feelings began to really take hold). And, while the book wasn’t overly quippy, there were enough cheesy proclamations of devotion (especially the ones that came early) to have me rolling my eyes. I enjoy romance, so I can get behind speeches of passion. But I have to buy it! And I didn’t here. And then, as I continued reading, the author threw in a twist towards the end that seemingly retroactively explains their instant connection. But honestly, this was the insult that really broke the experience for me. All this twist told me was that the author understood how ridiculous the characters’ love story was and that she plopped in this explanation towards the end to somehow make the entire thing plausible. Which just feels lazy. Again, romantasy readers deserve better than this.

So, I know that this got rant-y towards the end. But I think part of the problem was how much potential I saw in the general quality of the prose writing and the interesting world-building. To have all of that going for the book, and to then people it with these generic lead characters whom we’ve all read before and who fall in love immediately for no good reason (other than an obviously contrived reason given towards the end), was very frustrating. All of this said, I do still plan on giving the original duology a chance. For one thing, the fact that it is a duology and not a stand-alone book gives me hope that the romance plays out in a more extended manner. Fans of the original duology might want to check this one out, and if you’re unbothered by instalove, then definitely give it a go! But if you’re looking for something that feels fresh or pushes the boundaries at all, this probably isn’t it.

Rating 7: An interesting world and some lush prose was undone by the same lead characters we’ve read a million times before in romantasy fiction.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Jan. 17

DNF’d at 6%

I wanted to like this because the story sounded so interesting, but I barely got two chapters in before the writing gave me a headache.

So many descriptions of emotions choking/burning/whatevering through the main character. Interruption the flow of action to have some weird not quite flashback about the Grandfather even though we’re in the middle of introducing the aunt. A LOT of this was written in a passive voice which bugged the hell out of me. Also some of the sentences just plain did not make sense and I spent too long thinking of how to fix them rather than just reading them.

But possibly most confusing is this illness/poison situation? FMC says she’s been unwell all her life and that’s why none of the court trusts her to take over the throne. And I thought cool, I love a chronic illness rep. But then all her symptoms were attributed to her being poisoned a few weeks ago? Or at least it wasn’t made clear how this poison was affecting her differently than her general illness, if it was being exacerbated or what. And then it was just magically healed within minutes.

If the author is already struggling in the first two chapters to convey an allegedly important character trait like chronic illness, then I have no hope for the rest of the book. This is simply not for me 😵‍💫

One star for the GORGEOUS cover.

How can I possibly express the greatness of Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan? I’m not entirely sure, but I’m going to try.

Immortal is set in a world so rich and detailed, that it feels alive on the page. Tan’s world-building is unparalleled—each element of this fantasy realm is carefully crafted, infused with culture and history that makes the setting feel tangible, almost like a place you could step into. There’s a delicacy to the way the world is described, and it’s this attention to detail that truly elevates the story.

At the heart of Immortal is Lyien, the mortal queen of Tianxia, who is weighed down by grief and burdened with leading a people who do not fully trust her. Though she wears the crown, her power is limited—her kingdom is under the shadow of the immortals, undying beings who wield magic and immense strength. Lyien's people struggle under their rule, and it’s this injustice that drives her to take matters into her own hands. Commanded to pledge herself to the immortal queen, Lyien has a different plan: she will do whatever it takes to free her people from the immortals’ control, even if it means putting herself in unimaginable danger for people who don’t necessarily support her.

Lyien’s journey to confront the immortal queen is complicated by her plan to establish a connection with Zhangwei, the God of War. Known for his unrivaled might, his unwavering devotion to the immortal queen, and his "heart of ice, devoid of all mercy," Zhangwei is a formidable force. Lyien hopes to get close to him to exploit his position and gain access to the immortal queen’s ear. She intends to use Zhangwei’s trust to further her own goal of freeing her people—but she soon learns that manipulating the heart is more complicated than she expected, especially when her own heart is involved. The God of War is also not as oblivious as he seems,

This is where my review might dip into spoiler territory, but no intentional spoilers.

The chemistry between Lyien and Zhangwei is alive—vibrating off the page. Their connection is magnetic, charged with tension, a slow burn that grows from protection to trust, from attraction to betrayal. It’s enemies-to-lovers in the best way possible: complicated, layered, and intensely emotional. Their relationship is messy, raw, and real—imperfect in the way that all great love stories are. The deception at one point made me cry a little.

The plot itself is both intricate and compelling. There were moments when I laughed, when I gasped in shock, when anxiety flooded through me. Immortal is a story that evokes a whirlwind of emotions. It’s not just an adventure—it’s a book that challenges you to think, to reflect on your own heart. The themes in this book are complex and deeply meaningful. It explores bravery and foolishness, love and duty, and the line between vengeance and forgiveness. It delves into the nuances of right and wrong, sacrifice, and the personal cost of both loyalty and grief.
The novel constantly reminds us that things—people, motives, actions—are rarely what they seem. Sometimes, this revelation is a good thing, and sometimes it’s not.

“You’re not who I expected you to be,” Lyien admits. “Maybe you should look a little deeper,” Zhangwei suggests. “Don’t just see what you think you should.”

This sentiment runs throughout the entire story. Characters are more than their surface-level appearances, and the world they inhabit is far more complex than it first seems.

In the end, Immortal is a masterpiece. It is a book woven together with such intricacy and depth, full of wisdom and emotion. The world-building is immersive, the plot is solid and unpredictable, and the characters are multidimensional and unforgettable. Whether they are sharp and kind, strong and formidable, funny and light, or dreadful and tragic—this book has it all and uses it to perfection. Sue Lynn Tan has created a story that is full of magic, betrayal, romance, and life lessons. It’s everything I want in a fantasy novel—and then some.

I really wanted to like this one. I have heard such good things about DOTMG duology - i really thought this would be an easy bare minimum 3 stars. unfortunately, it was not.

I feel like the author was writing words, but the "story" was lost on me.
Everything felt so flat and superficial, there was nothing to the characters. There was no chemistry between the mmc and fmc, it was insta- love and extremely boring. Everything was a stereotype and i felt like the author put no effort into making the characters unique. The worldbuilding was cool, other then that i was pretty let down.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc!

I was a big fan of Sue Lynn Tan's "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" duology – she writes such vivid scene descriptions and her magic system seemed really well done. While this is a standalone from the previous series, since it’s based in Chinese mythology it does have a mention of the Celestial Kingdom from her other books.

I’m a big reader for anything related to mythology/folklore, so that series and this novel are right up my alley. Her excellent scene writing skills continued in this book; her writing is so vivid and she really excels in lyrical scene descriptions.

As for the main point of the story, the romantasy, I think it felt like a very typical portrayal of an enemies-to-lovers love story. I think it felt relatively predictable about what was going to happen with the plot. I wasn’t really surprised by anything in the book, which isn’t a bad or unusual thing with this genre, but I think it was a little more predictable than her previous books. It was steamy at parts but not over the top, probably a little tame for the romantasy crowd. I did feel like the characters fell flat at times – I didn’t always follow their thoughts, and Liyen specifically seemed prone to a thought process that felt young and immature.

Overall, though, this was pretty enjoyable. The characters were likable and the banter between Liyen and Zhangwei made for some fun moments. If you’re into the romantasy genre, this will be a great read.

This book was amazing! I could not put this down; I stayed up till the late hours needing to know the outcome. I cried and loved each moment getting to know these characters. The author did an incredible job bringing this story to life. When this book comes out I will definitely be picking up a physical copy. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC.

5 stars and my gratitude to Netgalley and the Publisher and Ms Tan for the eARC.

"I know you." My gaze searched his with aching certainty. "I know you even before we met."
He looked into my face, his eyes shining as the stars at dusk. "Welcome back, my beloved."
Beloved.
The word resonated through me, healing wounds I didn't know existed, making me whole once more. There was no doubt left in me, all of that had cleared away like the clouds after a storm.
This was happiness.

I AM GOING FERAL FOR THIS STORY. Look. I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. I loved them. But nothing could have be prepared me for Liyen and Zhangwei.

I was expecting the type of story we got with Daughter and Heart, but I'm so glad we didn't get the triangle trope. Just a semi-unreliable narrator that made complete sense. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. Please grab yourself a copy when it is released in January. You don't even have to have read the previous books (though y'all should anyway!)

A mortal ruler, Liyen, is sent to the immortal realm to plead mercy for her kingdom. The immortals' games have freaked havoc on her lands and the people are suffering. But there’s more at stake. Liyen, the leader of Tiaxania, has taken the Divine Pearl Lotus given to her by her grandfather the former ruler of Tiaxania. Injecting the lotus cured Liyen’s ailments she had been suffering as a child, but it was not hers to take. The flower belonged to the ruthless immortal queen, and her grandfather's punishment for “losing” it resulted in his death. When Liyen is spirited away to the immortal realm by the God of War, she is adamant about keeping her secret. But there are far too many anterior motives behind the scenes, and what started as a trip to plea for her people ends up altering her life as she once knew it.

This book was incredible! Sue Lynn Tan’s work is gripping and her imagery is beautiful. The world-building is so in-depth you feel you have stepped into the books. Liyen’s character is strong-willed and selfless, and the self-discovery of her character throughout the story is beautiful. If you like Daughter of the Moon Goddess, you will absolutely love Immortals.

Immortal has a lot of potential. It just doesn’t seem to work in its execution. It feels like it’s either too long in some places and not long enough in others and ultimately it leaves me unsatisfied. It’s not just a pacing issue, but how the book is segmented and how details are revealed. I can appreciate that this is a standalone, but with the amount of telling not showing that had to happen to wrap things up in the end had me feeling like it would have been a better as a duology.

Still I enjoyed the world building and characters and the romance- I just wish it was less clunky of a read.

Craving an escape to an entirely new world?
Sue Lynn Tan’s dreamy storytelling is always a treat to consume, and her newest novel, “Immortal” was no exception-from start to finish, this book was immaculate. From her ethereal landscapes to the depth of storytelling, Immortal is a stunning romantasy standalone. I was ecstatic to return to the same world as the Celestial Kingdom but experience an entirely different story.
The story begins with the tragic death of Liyen’s grandfather, pitting her disdain against the immortals. Liyen becomes the sole heir of Tianxia and the bearer of an immense secret, the divine lotus. Bound to visit the immortals to prove her fealty to the queen and Tianxia’s stringent job of protecting the realm from the Wuxin, she’s met with an unexpected escort: The God of War. Fraught with political intrigue and brimming with adventure, Liyen finds that not everything, including the world Immortals and the Wuxin, is how it appears. All the while, Liyen finds an unexpected pull towards the ever-present God of War.
Liyen is not only a captivating heroine, but she’s beautifully complex. As the story unravels, so does her character. From her innate care of her kingdom to a balance of her own personal desires, her voice is truly an encapsulating narrator throughout. She’s incredibly in tune with her emotions- the pages of Immortal come alive with her compassion, longing, and curiosity, driving the story. And so many adventures are to be had in this novel!

Tropes that romantasy readers will indulge in:
- Romance
- Plot twists
- Secrets, so many secrets!
- Dense worldbuilding
- Complex characters/development

Readers of the Celestial Kingdom will adore this return to a familiar world, rife with new perils and a fresh lens to experience it through. This is a must read for epic fantasy readers everywhere—I’m thrilled to be sharing in the excitement for the release on January 7th. Thank you to Harper Voyager for this thrilling arc!

I adore having a book that is Celestial Kingdom adjacent, that can be read as a standalone, and that has such a beautiful cover, to match the other covers from this author.

It took a lot longer than it should have to grow to like Liyen. I didn’t like how she was to Zhangwei at the beginning. She was often mean for the sake of being mean. It was very childish. But her personality always came shining through. I liked how she cared for others and fought for what was right.

I didn’t really make any notes while I was reading this. The world building was so much fun that the outside world just melted away. Overall, this was a fun read from one of my favorite authors.

Please, bring back more fantasy standalones! It was such a relief to read a story that started and ended all in the same reasonable length novel.

To me, this showed growth and development from Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Liyen was very likable and I enjoyed being in her head throughout this story, which had all of the twists and turns of a high drama soap opera. There were a few times I thought I knew where this was going and was proven wrong, much to my delight.

I wanted to give Sue Lynn Tan another try after DOTMG (I wanted to love the duology, but hated it by the end due to the love triangle lmao) because I like the ideas and potential here and Tan's writing style is really nice! Unfortunately, I found myself frustrated all the same with Immortal as I did with DOTMG. While I like the God of War, the pacing of the romance here made it hard to believe, and the POV of the FMC made it really frustrating as well.

A lot of things seemed surface level in a way compared to the world of DOTMG. I was somewhat invested in certain parts of the plot, but overall, this was a miss for me.

4.5 stars! ✨ Big thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan, and to HarperAudio for the audiobook ARC! 💖 Huge shoutout to NetGalley for making this magic happen! 🌟

Okay, guys, this book was EVERYTHING! 😍 Immortal was like diving headfirst into a world of magic and mystery and not wanting to come up for air! 🌬️ It’s the perfect mix of fantasy, romance, and political intrigue. The writing is SO beautiful, the world-building is next level, and let me just say, the chemistry between Liyen and Zhangwei? Scorching 🔥 I couldn’t stop flipping the pages (or hitting play on the audiobook)! 📖💥

✨ Tropes that gave me life ✨
✧ Enemies-to-lovers 💘
✧ Forbidden romance 💋
✧ Morally grey MMC 🖤
✧ Political intrigue 🏰
✧ Betrayal and vengeance 💔
✧ Forced proximity 🏠
✧ Impulsive, bold FMC ⚡
✧ Slow burn 🔥
✧ Fated mates 💫
✧ "Touch her and die" 😤

Where do I even begin?! 😅 Liyen’s journey from unsure heir to fierce ruler is SO captivating. She’s bold, impulsive, and makes decisions that will have you rooting for her even when she’s messing up (lol, same). 🙈 And Zhangwei, the God of War?! WOW. He’s ruthless, calculating, and SO magnetic. The tension between them? Literal fire. 🔥🔥

The romance? Deliciously slow-burn (my fave!). Every “will they or won’t they” moment kept me on the edge of my seat. And when they finally give in?! SWOON-WORTHY. 😍 The back and forth between Zhangwei’s cold exterior and Liyen’s fiery determination was EVERYTHING. The “touch her and die” energy? Can’t get enough. 😤💥

The world-building? Chef’s kiss 💋 The magic, gods, betrayal—it’s all so lush and atmospheric, and I was 100% here for it. Buttttt, I gotta admit, the first part was a tad slow for me. 😬 The political drama took over for a bit, and I was just waiting for things to get exciting. BUT, once the action picked up around 30%, I was hooked. The tension, the stakes—it all had me gripped for the rest of the book. 🙌

And the climax?! OMG. I was literally gasping, crying, and had my heart in my throat the whole time. 😱❤️ It was everything I didn’t know I needed, and totally worth the build-up. The ending might not have been crazy wild, but it was deeply satisfying and made me smile through the tears. 😢

Also, let’s talk about the audiobook—Natalie Naudus did an AMAZING job narrating this story! Her voice really brought the characters to life, and the tension between Liyen and Zhangwei was even more intense with her narration. I loved how she captured all the emotional highs and lows, especially in the more dramatic moments. She absolutely nailed it! 🎧✨

Overall, I’m SO glad I got to read this early. Immortal has ALL the magic I love: betrayal, love, politics, and characters you can’t stop thinking about. If you’re into epic fantasy romances, this is your book! ⭐️

CW:
- Blood
- Death
- Violence
- Death of a loved one

I can’t wait to see what Sue Lynn Tan does next! If you’re a fan of epic fantasy romances, you NEED this one! 💖

Thank you Net Galley for providing the eARC for an honest review!
Sue Lynn Tan has done it again and even better. This book has the perfect balance of romance and political struggle that you will leave you satisfied. The character's dynamic is perfection and I was choking on my tears at the end because the book was over. She is an autobuy author for me and if you have ever wanted to read anything by her or mythology fantasies. THIS IS IT!!