Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan is a standalone fantasy romance about a young ruler, Liyen, trying to forge a new alliance with the Queen of the Golden Desert. When her grandfather dies during an attack from the immortals, Liyen sees an opportunity to break Tianxia's obligation to them. She must do so through the Queen's trusted God of War, who brings all negotiations to the Queen. But there is discontent brewing elsewhere and an attack on the Immortal Realm forces Liyen and the God of War to broker an alliance based on tenuous trust.

As with The Celestial Kingdom duology, Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan has many quotable lines. They’re not so much quotable for the banter, but more so for the reflections stated by or ruminated upon by the characters. There is much wisdom interspersed throughout the story that Liyen strives to live by. The writing style remains flowy and descriptive, but I thought it less so than Tan's previous works.

The catalyst of the story is that Liyen ends up needing the God of War's assistance to protect Tianxia. They spend plenty of time together, which helps Liyen learn to trust him, first out of necessity and then from familiarity. Liyen is a strong character and, though also stubborn, learns to recognize her prejudices born from vengeance. During her time spent with the God of War, she realizes that an immortal's reputation may proceed them. However, they are more than their reputations, which do not necessarily equate to who they are as a person. Everyone must make choices and not all of them are easy.

Overall, I enjoyed Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan, but there were a few times where I found myself ready for the story to end. I don't know that I wish for a shorter story since the plot unfurled rather organically. I think perhaps I wasn't as emotionally invested in Liyen even though I sympathized with her quest.

Moreover, for a fantasy romance, this story is actually relatively light on the romance. Liyen and the God of War clearly think the other attractive, but there isn't a ton of witty banter or compromising situations. Rather, their interactions at the beginning stem from frustration and distrust and evolve to respect. The spice is also closed door and very light.

Overall, IMMORTAL is a satisfactory romantasy that veers more toward fantasy with a subplot of romance. The main storyline is about protecting Tianxia and restructuring an alliance with the immortal Queen. It is similar to Tan's previous works in which there is romance, but the main character has a mission. Immortal will please fans of xianxia with its cast of immortals and magical beasts and romantic drama amidst saving a kingdom.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book!!! It was such a c-drama coded book and I loved it. The intrigue, the plot, and the characters were all so compelling! Liyen was a great main character and she was so interesting. I loved how she had a lot of layers and was very strong without being arrogant. The god of war is my favorite I love him so much. I also appreciated the platonic friendship that Liyen had with her childhood best friend. It wasn’t unrequited love in any way and he really just saw her as a friend. I always feel that is so rare in books that there is a healthy male female friendship and neither has deeper feelings for the other. I love the daughter of the moon goddess series but I didn’t pick the winner of the love triangle so I was mad at the end. But I love Sue Lynn Tan’s writing so I gave her another chance and I’m so glad I did! This book did not disappoint and I’m so looking forward to her next books!

I really enjoyed this return to the world Sue Lynn Tan created in "Daughter of the Moon Goddess." While there is no overlap between that duology and this standalone, they do share several similar elements. At first, I didn't like how close in plot they appeared to be, but then the twists started happening and just kept coming. Honestly, I wasn't seriously invested until about halfway through, but the revelations and reveals were worth the wait. Other than the two main characters, the others don't really do much until the last third, which made it more difficult to focus on the story. However, I did like the explorations of reprisal, forgiveness, and trust, and I think that the ending was satisfying. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Sue Lynn Tan's previous duology, who likes a slow-burn romance, and who wants a magical story filled with conflict, difficult choices, and the influence of Chinese folklore.

Thank you, Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

I was ecstatic to receive an approval for this book! I loved Sue Lynn Tan's other series, and her writing is always amazing.

I was glad to know that this was a standalone just because series can be overwhelming. I think that she wrote it perfectly for one book and it ended just right.

There were a couple of twists and turns that I really didn't see coming, so that was a fun surprise.

I would recommend this book AND her Celestial series. You're missing out if you haven't picked them up!

[3.75/5] IMMORTAL by Sue Lynn Tan is a standalone fantasy romance about a young ruler, Liyen, trying to forge a new alliance with the Queen of the Golden Desert. When her grandfather dies during an attack from the immortals, Liyen sees an opportunity to break Tianxia's obligation to them. She must do so through the Queen's trusted God of War, who brings all negotiations to the Queen. But there is discontent brewing elsewhere and an attack on the Immortal Realm forces Liyen and the God of War to broker an alliance based on tenuous trust.

As with the The Celestial Kingdom duology, IMMORTAL by Sue Lynn Tan has many quotable lines. They are not so much quotable for the banter, but more so for the reflections stated by or ruminated upon by the characters. There is much wisdom interspersed throughout the story that Liyen strives to live by. The writing style remains flowy and descriptive, but I thought it less so than Tan's previous works.

The catalyst of the story is that Liyen ends up needing the God of War's assistance to protect Tianxia. They spend plenty of time together, which helps Liyen learn to trust him, first out of necessity and then from familiarity. Liyen is a strong character and, though also stubborn, learns to recognize her prejudices born from vengeance. During her time spent with the God of War, she realizes that an immortal's reputation may proceed them. However, they are more than their reputations, which do not necessarily equate to who they are as a person. Everyone must make choices and not all of them are easy.

The story reads more like a drama than most other fantasy romances I've previously read. However, it is not over the top, which I appreciated. There are a couple of plot lines that made me wonder if the author and editors forgot to tidy them up. But it all makes sense in the end, trust me. Overall, I enjoyed IMMORTAL by Sue Lynn Tan, but there were a few times where I found myself ready for the story to end. I don't know that I wish for a shorter story since the plot unfurled rather organically. I think perhaps I wasn't as emotionally invested in Liyen even though I sympathized with her quest.

Moreover, for a fantasy romance, this story is actually relatively light on the romance. Liyen and the God of War clearly think the other attractive, but there isn't a ton of witty banter or compromising situations. Rather, their interactions at the beginning stem from frustration and distrust and evolve to respect. The spice is also closed door and very light.

Overall, IMMORTAL is a satisfactory romantasy that veers more toward fantasy with a subplot of romance. The main storyline is about protecting Tianxia and restructuring an alliance with the immortal Queen. It is similar to Tan's previous works in which there is romance, but the main character has a mission. IMMORTAL will please fans of xianxia with its cast of immortals and magical beasts and romantic drama amidst saving a kingdom.

Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan is an enchanting romantic fantasy that would be a perfect fit for a Disney+ series. The story of Liyen, a young ruler who must fight to protect her kingdom from dangerous forces and forbidden magic, is filled with rich mythology, passionate romance, and high-stakes adventure. The vivid world-building, treacherous alliances, and complex character relationships would translate beautifully to the screen, offering viewers an immersive and emotionally charged experience.

With its compelling heroine, forbidden romance with the God of War, and magical intrigue, Immortal blends fantasy and romance in a way that would captivate audiences of all ages. Disney+ could bring this sweeping tale to life with stunning visuals, rich character arcs, and heart-pounding tension, making it an unforgettable series.

The concept was great. The execution was extremely shaky.

The twist at the end makes the first two thirds of the book make more sense, but that doesn’t mean it needed to make no sense as it was happening. The whiplash thought processes of Liyen were frustrating and having next to zero historical context as the reader—particularly when Liyen WOULD know—made it harder to care.

There was a lack of connection to her struggles because the reader is only briefly told how hard her life was before the lotus.

The last third of the book was a significant improvement and feels like more care was taken to make the timeline and the context feel well thought out.

The banter fell flat because rapport was never established. There are multiple times where the same conversation is had, both chapters apart and mere sentences later, making the reader feel condescended to.

The frequency with which Liyen says things like “maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to hate him” then says she hates him just a few lines later was frustrating.

Overall, the concept was stellar, I just wish more care had been taken to make it captivating the whole way through.

“Immortal” is the most beautiful, immersive epic Romantasy! Liyen stands as the new ruler, bargaining with the Immortals for the sake of her kingdom, and hiding a magical secret. “What you will become - that is yet to be determined.” This story transports the reader through intriguing realms, following a heart-wrenching slow-burn romance. This tale has it all - a luscious writing-style, adventure and action, and themes that resonate deep.

For those who love:
🪷Slow Burn romance
🪷Standalone fantasy
🪷Forced Proximity
🪷Political Intrigue
🪷Reluctant Allies
🪷Star-Crossed lovers
🪷Surprises and betrayals!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A sweeping fantasy that blends rich world-building, romance, and themes of destiny and power. Set in a lush, otherworldly realm, Tan crafts a story that is both epic and deeply personal.

The vivid descriptions bring the world to life, a realm of magic, danger, and forbidden desires. The romance is slow-burning and passionate, adding emotional depth to the already captivating narrative.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Perfect for fans of epic fantasy, complex worlds, and romance intertwined with destiny.

I was thrilled to receive an early copy of Immortal. Sue Lynn Tan is one of my favorite authors, and this story is as fantastic as I expected.

Immortal is a standalone romantic fantasy, set in the same vibrant world introduced in Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It can be read independently from her previous books.

Inspired by elements from Chinese mythology, Immortal is a tale of ambition, love, and self-discovery.

There is something about Sue Lynn Tan’s writing style that I find so captivating and romantic. Her stories are filled with action and complex characters, and the pining always sweeps me off my feet.

Immortal is perfect for the dreamers and hopeless romantics who want a story with high stakes and action. There is plenty of political intrigue, intricately crafted plot lines, and picturesque world-building.

I highly recommend this beautifully written story to both fans of epic fantasy and romantasy.

My rating: 4.25⭐️

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Shut up and add this to your tbr right now!! This was exactly what I was hoping for out of a romantasy written by Sue Lynn Tan, I was a little nervous going in just because I adored Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but Immortal sits right up there with it for me! The tension, the relationships, the ending, the feminine rage I just ate all of it up. If I HAD to say anything bad, it would be around 50%-70% got a little dense but really I was just itching for more of the God of War. Other than that no notes and I can’t wait to read what comes from this world next <3

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

After her grandfather's sudden death, Liyen takes the throne of Tianxia, but her rule must be confirmed by the immortal queen of the Golden Desert, Queen Caihong. Upon her visit to the immortal realm, Liyen decides to use the opportunity to learn the secrets of the immortals and form a tenuous alliance with Zhangwei, the God of Death, in order to protect her people and attempt to free them from their obligation to Queen Caihong.

This was a highly anticipated read for me so I'm disappointed to be rating it so low. I loved the premise of the book, as well as the complexity of Zhangwei's character. However, I found Liyen to be absolutely insufferable. While I understood her mistrust of the gods after what happened to her grandfather and her home, her hatred of the Zhangwei often felt forced, especially after the way he continually treated her with kindness and gentleness. I also felt that, despite this being marketed as an Adult Romantasy, Liyen was written very YA - immature, impulsive, and contradictory. In one breath she would say how she needed to be careful what she said around the God of War because he could retaliate against her people, and in the next breath she would say hateful things to him. Their relationship didn't make any sense to me, especially considering their mutual distrust and betrayal of each other.

Immortal was an entertaining read for me. Having read Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology, coming back to the world of those books to explore a new region was very satisfying. I love when tales bring us back to a familiar yet new space in this way.

I loved Liyen, her journey, and her characterization. I found myself, however, annoyed with Zhiangwei at multiple points in the book, and I think that is because to me he felt very back and forth, overbearing, and overly pushy at times. Having read through the end of the book I can see why he was written that way to some degree, but early on while reading it was fairly frustrating to me personally as the reader and turned me off toward him on multiple occasions.

One other issue I had with the book was at about the 70-75% range, it felt like it just sort of came to a pause for several chapters. We’d already had our big reveal for the main character(s) and then the book stopped to go into it more. Which for some people it probably works great and they love it, but for me I truly just felt it made it a bit stagnant.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and was glad I was able to read another story in this world. I think the book will be great for those who have read Tan’s other books as well as those who are interested in diving in to her work but not ready to commit to a two-book series.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The writing style did take me a bit to get used to in the beginning, as I found it a bit slow. Once I got to about 20% in I absolutely flew through the rest of the book, and couldn’t put it down. When I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. Sue Lynn Tan weaves an amazing story with twists that you do not see coming, but make so much sense after being revealed. I loved that the FMC was portrayed as a spite fire and someone who wouldn’t back down. This book also features a “touch her and die” MMC. As for the romance, I found it to be perfectly paced. I do wish we could have spent more time with the couple together. While for him it is instalove, for her it takes sometime and we see her work through her emotions. We also get some beautiful quotes regarding what love really is. This book is also politic heavy, which I enjoyed. Once this book releases on January 7th, I definitely recommend getting a copy!


Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Vogar for the eARC of this book 🖤📚

DNF at 34.6% (end of part 1).

I haven't read SLT first duology, but I've heard great things about it and really excited for this one. However, despite really wanting to like this book, it ended up not working from me.

Upon starting the first few pages, I knew immediately this book wouldn't work for me. The writing style felt really clunky and surface level, filled with "telling, not showing" descriptions that is just boring to read and disconnect me from the characters. The world building and myth are actually interesting, but so far the book only repeated things over and over again and not adding anything new. I only read around 35% of this book and even then, I actually skim many parts because it's just so overly descriptive in a way that is not immersive and didn't really add much to the story.

Our main character, Liyen, was spoiled and sheltered that despite the author's numerous attempt to convince us that she's a caring ruler for her people, she always feels like a kid cosplaying as a ruler instead of an actual ruler. Her inner monologue doesn't help either, showing how aloof and how she disdained everyone in her court (like not one good officials in her court?). Even when talking about her goal of freeing Tianxia, she only think about it in the context of her grandfather's wants rather than showing us readers why it is important.

Our main love interest, the God of War aka Zhangwei, is your typical powerful brooding male character who inexplicably lower his guard only for Liyen. Things happen really quickly in a way that made no sense and does not help add depth to the characters, relationship, or plot. By the end of part one, I understood the intent and it *could* have worked, but the lack of connection and chemistry between Liyen and Zhangwei means that whatever the author attempted just never convinced us readers that there's anything real.

I understand that it's still early in the book and some storytelling choices for me to expect connection in the romance and more details in the world building. However, these storytelling choices didn't work in the plot's favor and if the world building is not revealed immediately, at least the writing did not have to be so verbose and boring.

This book was wonderful I was so excited to start it just shortly after finishing her "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" book and this did not disappoint! The story moved along at a good pace and the way that you don't see what the whole picture is until the writer wants to. I had a few small ideas of things that were going to happen but overall I was presently surprised but not blind sided by the reviles in the book. It's fantastic having a narrator that is growing with the reader and genially feels like a full person. She gets angry she get hurt she feels remorse and sympathy and so many other emotions. It's fantastic. I can't wait to pick up my physical copy when it comes out and add it to my shelf this book really makes Sue Lynn Tan a MUST read author for me!

I finally finished my 3rd book for the month and last for this year! ✨️

It took me a very long while to finish this one because of how hectic this month is for me but it didn't affect how much I enjoyed reading it!

Immortal is my comeback book in romantasy after three months so it took me a wee while to actually be immersed into the magical world of Liyen and Zhangwei's story. Despite that, after a few chapters in and I am definitely hooked! The tension and witty banters between the two characters are what reminded me of why romantasy is a favorite genre of mine ❤️

And the plot twists (YES PLURAL) are amazing, I cannot remember how many times I've gasped at the revelations after the other.
I also loved how wonderful Sue Lynn Tan writes, the quotes I've highlighted in this book are beautiful, it doesn't feel forced or trying hard but each and every line really fits the scenario so well ✨️

This book is definitely a must-read romantasy for 2025! Out on January 7th!

This is my first Sue Lynn Tan book and absolutely fell in love with her magical world and I will surely check out her other works!

A huge thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an advanced digital copy of this book! ❤️✨️

I wanted to love this book, I really did. But unfortunately I did not and I think I'm going to permanently give up on Sue Lynn Tan's books.

Immortal follows Liyen, a mortal (and newly crowned queen), and Lord Zhangwei, the immortal god of war. The books starts with the immediate death of Liyen's grandfather, the king. After his death she then immediately runs into the god of war, who then whisks her to the immortal realm almost immediately after becoming queen. To say that the first few chapters were a whirlwind of confusion is an understatement.

To add to this immediate whiplash (seriously, the first few chapters give you zero time to process anything) is Liyen herself. I found her character in the first half of the book to be absolutely insufferable. She constantly shoves her hatred of the immortals down your throat. Constantly. And then lover boy over here is instantly in love with her, despite being treated like absolute garbage. And sure, if you've read the book then you know some of this is because reasons (which I won't spoil here). Yet by the time this plot point (and the history/lore of mortal and immortal kingdoms) is fully developed I just didn't really care. And this is a romantasy so I'm supposed to care about their romance.

Something else that bothered me is that the fantasy elements (and plot development in general) are either loosely explained, or just confusing. There were multiple moments when it felt like something happened because the plot needed it to. Sometimes this went even further to feeling as if there were outright contradictions to what you previously read. I found myself on more than one occasion rereading a paragraph or two to figure out what the heck was going on.

It isn't all bad though. I loved any description about the realms, nature, the architecture, all of that. The author has a way with words that makes you feel like you're part of the scene. The mood and atmosphere are done really well! Also, when you finally get to the plot twists and answers you've been seeking there are some interesting ideas. For me it was the last 25 - 33% of the book that I enjoyed the most. People were finally put into action and I enjoyed the sense of adventure. But again, some of these pivotal/cool moments are ruined by Liyen's previous behavior; instead of cheering for her character growth I was at times left thinking how hypocritical she is.

Overall, this felt like this had so much potential, like a decent first draft. I just wish that the first third of the book gave us more backstory of the war among the mortals/immortals and the Wuxin (who are the enemies of the immortals) instead of Liyen whining about how much she hates, or should hate, Zhangwei.

4.5 stars rounded up: I've said this before, but I'm not a huge fantasy reader. However, I will read whatever Sue Lynn Tan writes, especially if it's set in the same world as Daughter of the Moon Goddess/Heart of the Sun Warrior. She has this beautiful gift of building a world with great details and lush prose while also laying out an incredible plot line that rarely sags and always has surprises within it. Her female MCs are always complex, albeit a smidge naive, and her male MCs are always very intriguing. My only complaint is that the romance between Liyen and Zhangwei felt like a copy/paste of the relationships in Tan's previous duology. It doesn't make it any less enjoyable to read, I just hope that future novels maybe stray from the formula (or don't involve a romance).

I urge you to read Tan's books if you haven't already. In a genre that is absolutely flooded with books, many of which are mediocre, I really think Sue Lynn Tan stands out and I don't understand why she isn't a household name yet!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage, and Sue Lynn Tan for the advanced copy.