⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!


Wow what a great extension to the Celestial Kingdom universe/series! I might have even liked this one more than the original series.

This book followed Liyen, a mortal and heir to the throne in Tianxia, as she navigated her new role as their leader. She takes on the Immortals and the God of War to break the mortals obligation to serve the Immortals and finally gain their freedom.

The enemies to lovers in this was set up really well. I was eating up the dynamic the author set up between Liyen and the God of War. It made for great tension and yearning.

To go along with this the world building and the story was amazing. The pacing was done immensely well and made the pages fly. I’m honestly a little sad it’s a standalone. I wanted more time with Liyen and the God of War.

3.5 - I adored Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I was a little mad at Heart of the Sun Warrior. Immortal falls somewhere in between.

The main critique I have is that most of the tension and driving force in the first half of the book is centered around the tumultuous relationship between the main character and the love interest. I’ll devour an enemies to lovers, but in this case, the “I trust him” / “I hate him” of it all changed a bit too easily and a bit too often. It got tedious.

I did enjoy where the story ended up, and the world Sue Lynn Tan has created in her books is so vibrant and beautiful and rich. I can’t always visualize what I’m reading, but I can absolutely see these. It’s what will keep me coming back.

Thanks to Harper Voyager for providing an advanced digital copy through NetGalley for me to review!

a standalone fantasy set in the same world as Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Immortal shows some improvement in the authors writing style as she tells a love story that transcends the past, present and future. Liyen of Tianxia has been poisoned, causing her grandfather to steal the enchanted lotus pearl to save her life. this angers the immortal queen and in turn she sends the god of war Zhangwei, to attack Tianxia. after Liyen’s grandfather’s death, she reluctantly ascends the throne and vows to do anything to protect her people and their way of life. Zhangwei’s reputation as a bloodthirsty warrior has Liyen unwilling to trust him, as Zhangwei has his own motivations for wanting the lotus pearl for himself. not all is as it seems though and as they spend more time together, they’ll start to question what’s more important to them: duty or love.

I loved the romance in this book and while I don’t think the storyline is the most original, the characters chemistry and banter still carried it through. there were some twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting and the yearning between Zhangwei and Liyen was killing me in the best way. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this book, definitely recommend!

"What is this about?"
Liyen, heiress to the throne of Tianxia must navigate a world of politics, immortal beings, and dark forces. When Liyen is set to take the throne and renew her vow to serve the Immortals, she is given the chance to visit their realm and learn the secrets of the beings she bears much hatred toward. Navigating this world, Liyen must strike an alliance with the God of War if she is to find a way to provide her kingdom the future she desires. Not only is Liyen’s kingdom at stake, her heart just might be as well.

"What did I like?"
Sue Lynn Tan excels at creating an immersive world complete with gorgeous descriptions, intricate world-building, and charming characters. I enjoyed returning to the Celestial Kingdom that I missed from Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but liked that this story was centered on Liyen and Zhangwei.

Being a standalone entry, there was a lot to cover, especially being a mix of enemies to lovers and star-crossed lovers. Add in the stakes of the impending danger, there is a good bit happening. Immortal was well written in balancing the action and romance aspects. Plenty of political intrigue, battles, and intimate moments, and all are given proper time throughout.

Tan writes fascinating characters, and it is nice to see a protagonist who wants to make changes and take charge, but still learn and grow. I enjoy characters who do not begin the story as the badass, know-it-all, good-at-everything type. Seeing a character’s growth in stories is crucial and Tan once again knocks it out of the park.

Also, I could not forget our snarky and charming God of War, Zhangwei. Initially thought of heartless and blood-thirsty, there is so much more to this man. He definitely gives of some vibes of a certain character from Heart of the Sun Warrior, and I am living for it.

Tan’s ability to give us those mundane scenes reminds me of Studio Ghibli in taking the time to enjoy a moment of peace in a world of strife. There are a few moments in this story and I am in awe every time an author can make such an atmospheric scene that really sticks with me. It makes me appreciate their writing craft so much more.

"What could have been improved?"
One of my biggest complaints of this book is about the pacing. Due to the nature of standalones, a lot of world-building and establishment is at the beginning of the book. To me, until the 10-15% mark the book does drag. However, part two and three helped make up for this, albeit a couple other moments that either go on for too long, or happen quickly.

I wanted more action! Compared to The Celestial Kingdom series, this book did have less action and was focused more on the romance. While I still enjoyed both aspects, I personally wanted a bit more of the battle scenes given a character’s title is the God of War and the danger faced throughout the book.

A bit of a spoiler so read this last bit with some caution
Since Immortal is part of the Celestial universe, I expected there to be some sort of cameo from The Celestial Kingdom. I hoped there would have been, but it wasn’t a major issue.

"Final thoughts"
I am not one for romantic fantasy, but I have grown fond of Tan’s ability to write a charming and intricate relationship. The dynamic of Liyen and Zhangwei captured my heart and there is a lot I want to say, though it would enter spoiler territory, but it was a favorite of mine! (I am also just a sucker for Star-Crossed Lovers trope, which is a tad ironic, right?)

A fascinating tale with lush writing and the way the themes of this book can relate to real life? Simply amazing. Despite a tale of love, loss, and discovery, it maintained a measure of light-heartedness and hope that made me enjoy this book even more. Overall a great book and one I look forward to owning and reading again.

Bonus points for this book capturing so much emotion and detail in what some books fail to do in duologies or even trilogies! For 2025 being the year for hopeful standalones, it is off to a great start.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Voyager, for the opportunity to read this book early!

This young adult romantasy is very heavily inspired by Asian mythology and culture, and is absolutely beautifully written! Liyen is strong, brave, and willing to do whatever she needs to in order to protect her people - including forming an alliance with the fierce yet cold-natured God of War.

She just didn't expect the attraction - or the overwhelming feeling of familiarity...

This story is so descriptive and evocative, it pulls you in until you feel as though you are there. The twists and turns as Liyen begins to discover the truth will have you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.

It’s been a couple of days since I finished this book. I keep waiting for inspiration to strike, to find a sudden clarity about how I feel, and it hasn’t come so far. The truth of the matter is that the things I like about this book are balanced by the things I don’t.

There’s a lot to be enjoyed in this book. The lore of the world is rich. There are many layers to the history of the realms. The dynamics of the multiple populations of the realms are interesting; the infighting between the immortals feels real and complex, while dealing with interesting power imbalances between the immortals and the mortals that are forced to serve them. I also like Liyen as a main character a lot. I like that she takes her role seriously as the ruler of Tianxia; a lot of romantasy books will put aside the very serious and time-sensitive plot in order to develop the romance between the main characters, and Liyen routinely prioritizes the seriousness of her role over her own feelings.

What I didn’t like is that this book feels like a very dense lore dump. There’s so much history that needs to be given to provide context for all the machinations. At the same time, so much of the story has already happened. Characters have already met. Pivotal plot points have already taken place. Important character and relationship development only happen in flashback.

I was also very repulsed when Zhangwei magically restrains Liyen while he tries to forcibly extract the Divine Pearl Lotus from her. This is a huge breaking point in their relationship has he strips away her autonomy and tries to take something without her consent. I feel like Zhangwei did not atone enough for this in the narrative, and if anything is explained away and excused later in the story. This does not sit right with me, especially since the romance was still pushed after this. I do think so much of their story is beautiful, but this moment still feels gross to me.

Ultimately, there’s a lot in this book that is fine, but only fine. The pacing is weird, the romance needed more time, and the inclusion of that one scene was not resolved well in the rest of the narrative. There’s a lot here that could be excellent with some more fine tuning, but what you’re left with is a decent, three star read.

Amazing book!!! I had a lot of fun reading this and it was a really quick read for me! Very digestible and a definite recommend!

OMGGG I loved this book so much. I had heard of Sue Lynn Tan but this was my first book of hers and I think I may have found a new fantasy author to read religiously.
It's a standalone book and follows Liyen as she fights to protect her people alongside the God of WAR. Along the way she learns more about herself than she could've known all while seeing a new side to the God of War, Zhangwei that is feared by the mortals.
At first I thought this book would be your typical enemies to lovers but it was so much more. In just one book Sue Lynn Tan was able to build a full and complete world, build characters that we wanted to root for and describe the politics of court so well. The story between Zhangwei and Liyen feels central to the plot without taking away from Liyen's personal journey AND the Zhangwei is honestly so swoonworthy.

This reviews feels like it's all over the place, but I just needed to write it all down as soon as I finished. I'm so glad I had the chance to read this ARC and can't wait to purchase a physical copy to reread ofc.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling, Asian Literature, Romantasy, Young Adult Fantasy
Spice Level: Fade to black
Violence Level: There are deaths but I didn't think they were overly graphic
Language: I don't remember profanity
Format: The book is broken into three sections which worked very well because there are different directions. And I felt like I knew the main two characters very well.

IMMORTAL is bound to be a best seller! It checks all the boxes: an intriguing world, strong and morally gray characters, twists, and romance!

Page-one entranced me and never let me go. Not everything is as it seems.

Is this book for you:
Do you love Brandon Sanderson books because of his sweeping worlds?
Or are you a fan of Divine Rivals?
Have you ever read Asian fantasy?
(Whether yes or no is inconsequential because you'll want to if you haven't already.)
Do you love fairy tales?
How about humanoid monsters?
And other fantastical creatures?
Do you want a side-helping of politics in your fantasy? But not an overwhelming amount.
Do you like gods interacting with humans?
All of these are reasons that you should pick this one up immediately.

I was genuinely surprised by some of the twists. But they made so much sense too! It was fantastic.

This is listed as a stand-alone, but I hope there is more in this world.

Happy reading!

“𝒊’𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆”
“𝒘𝒉𝒚?”
“𝒅𝒂𝒘𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

𝟒.𝟐𝟓 ★

immortal is a standalone book within the same universe as her celestial kingdom series (daughter of the moon goddess). in immortal, liyen is the mortal heir to tianxia but has been poisoned and has been slowly weakening, never knowing how much time she has left. when tianxia is attacked her dying grandfather discloses that he has found a cure, the divine pearl lotus he forces her to take it rather than surrender it to their immortal queen. liyen quickly ascends her grandfathers throne as the ruler of tianxia, vowing to end the mortal obligation to the immortals and as the new mortal ruler, she is asked to pledge her loyalty to the immortal queen. she takes advantage of her time in the immortal realm, attempting to uncover secrets and create alliances that could help her free her people. during this time she discovers that she may have to make an alliance with the man with a nasty reputation, who she should fear the most: the god of war.

i have to say at this point, i would read sue lynn tan’s grocery list. every single time i read any of her work, i am absolutely entranced in her world building, characters and character development. every. single. time. immortal is no different. some of the plot twists absolutely shook me to my core.

linyens character arc is beautifully written as a headstrong, caring woman who is willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves. zhangwei as the god of war is incredibly misunderstood as a blood thirsty immortal with no heart but as the story continues, we learn that that is not the case. the banter between these two (and honestly all the characters) is literally *chefs kiss*

the only thing that brought the review down for this book was the pacing. it just felt a little off for me? i think she was going for emphasizing those small, intimate moments but sometimes those moments just felt 𝒕𝒐𝒐 slow in between the fast pacing a majority of the book had outside of the slow start of the first few chapters.

thank you avon, harper voyager and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

As the heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom’s pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. Enraged at his betrayal, the immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia.
Upon her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends a precarious throne, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.
But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart.

I was only 7% into this book when I had one of those delightful "Aha!" moments – it was a romantacy. Sure, I knew this when I requested it, but it had slipped my mind. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised! From the very beginning, I was swept into a world of Immortals, some indifferent and others fiercely devoted to their service. What really stood out early on was how the protagonist, Liyen, wasn’t treated as weak or lesser by her grandfather because of her illness. Instead, she was seen as “not replaceable,” a powerful statement that underscores the true strength of those often overlooked—those who are differently-abled.

Was the build-up a bit slow? Yes, but was it worth it? 100%. There were some truly standout moments in this story, with the writing being a major highlight. Sue Lynn Tan’s poetic and richly descriptive prose is a treat, and this book was no exception. The characters, especially the secondary ones, were wonderfully fleshed out, each with their own captivating arcs, which is a rarity in stories these days.

As for the things that could have been better: the pace did drag a bit at times. If you're not a fan of slower builds, this might not be your cup of tea. Additionally, I felt the final conflict wrapped up a little too easily. I would have loved to see more of a struggle in the climax, something that would have made the victory feel more earned.

But in the end, this book was incredibly engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you're a fan of fantasy with just the right touch of romance, I’d highly recommend it!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Sue Lynn Tan knows how to write fantasy, and knows how to do it well. Immortal brings us back to the universe she built for us in Daughter of the Moon Goddess (the Celestial Kingdom), and expands with new characters, and new kingdoms to explore. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and really loved it just as much as her previous ones. I liked the characters, the sense of adventure and the look into more Chinese mythology. We got an expansion into the magic systems as new gods were introduced, and I loved every new addition. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

As heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom's pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen's grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. The immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia. Upon her grandfather's death, Liyen becomes ruler over Tianxia. She is summoned to the immortal realm hoping to end the kingdom's obligation to the immortals and give them freedom. She goes to learn their secrets and form an alliance to save her people with the ruthless God of War.

I enjoyed this book. The world-building, the romance, the magic. the realms. The FMC was very likeable to me. She was mature and wise and had am significant personal transformation as the story unfolded. There were many twists and turns I didn't expect that kept me hooked. I love that this is a standalone book. I needed a standalone fantasy that began and ended with one book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the review copy and the eARC!

This is actually my first time reading one of Sue Lynn Tan’s books and I definitely think I will be reading more after this one! The book divides into 3 parts. The first part really builds the story for you and introduces you to our characters. It’s a bit slow in some parts. Hold out for part 2 and 3 because that’s where this book truly shines. So much happens and the story goes places I wasn’t even expecting. Lots of twists, turns and revelations. Absolutely loved and devoured it!

3.5 stars!

Sue Lyn Tan delivers another beautifully vivid world in this fantasy tale, but I had mixed feelings overall. The story follows Liyen as she navigates the realm of Immortals, seeking justice and uncovering truths about herself. While the world-building is lush and immersive, I felt the uneven pacing and underdeveloped romance held the story back from reaching its full potential. The plot starts off slow, it takes about 35% of the book before things really get interesting. Then, just as momentum builds, there’s another lull midway through.

Liyen’s struggles to balance her personal fears with her duties to her people make her relatable and compelling. But her chemistry with the enigmatic God of War felt rushed and repetitive, which took away from what could have been a much deeper emotional connection.

Thank you to Sue Lynn Tan and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC!

Immortal returns to the world of The Celestial Kingdom. Liyen ascends to the throne as Lady of Tianxia after the death of her grandfather. Her grandfather's last act saved Liyen from a fatal poisoning that occured years earlier that was slowly killing her. With her new leadership role in the mortal lands she meets with an immortal queen, which leads to her introduction to the God of War, an immortal that she greatly despises. Things of course aren't always what they seem as mysteries are unraveled, romance blooms, and enough twists occur to make you a little dizzy. A delightful action packed adventure that will leave you wanting to start it all over again!

The writing in this book flows beautifully. The story is intriguing, mystical, and romantic. A must read for fans of Asian lore, fantasy, and slow burn romance. I have only good things to say about this book! Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating adventure/fantasy filled with bravery, love, sacrifice and leadership. I couldn't put it down. Definitely put on your TBRs for 2025. This is a great novel for current or new fans of Ms. Tan. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC.

A stand-alone set in the same world as Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

What’s to love…
- Set in the same world as the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology.
- standalone romantic fantasy
- lush world
- broody MMC
- action-packed
- FMC with quiet strength
- Top tier banter
- political intrigue

What you may not love…
- starts a bit slow
- romance is a bit more insta-love than I prefer

Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I feel like there is a glut of romantasy books on the market these days and sadly this one didn't stand out for me. Usually I am a sucker for anything Natalie Naudus narrates but even her voice talents couldn't save this one for me. If you loved Sue Lynn Tan's previous books you might still like this one but sadly it was a miss for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fun political wuxia esque romance that focuses on a young princess who ends up accidentally consuming a lotus meant for immortals, and the God of War who meets her at every turn. It's fun to get to see Tan actually be able to write out a sex scene and not just flirting and tension, and to actually sit with the political games that are played out here. Fun read, definitely worth your time come January.