I had previously read (and loved) Tan's Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and was excited to hear she had more work.

The positives:

-Immortal has the same lush worldbuilding as Tan's previous books, and I always love her descriptions. I enjoyed learning more about the Immortals and the Wuxin.

-I really enjoyed Liyen as a protagonist. She is unapologetic and fierce, despite entering the story from a position of poor health and political weakness. She grew as a character over the course of the book, but she never lost her strength.

The not-so-positives:

-The pace was very inconsistent, with some chapters I had to force myself through reading.

-I never warmed up to the Immortal characters, including the God of War (Liyen's love interest), which made it hard to be invested in the main romance. The villain was also a bit one dimensional.

All and all it was a decent read, but not on the same level as Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

I have the same issue with IMMORTAL as I did with DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS - the book starts off intriguingly and steadily enough, but loses its structural integrity about a third of the way in. There are too many plot turns and characters that feel arbitrary - the qilin, the husband tournament, the Ancient Grandmaster, the Tree of Life, etc. All of these appear and disappear without real set-up - making them seem utterly random. A few are explained by the fun twist that occurs about 2/3 of the way through the story - which I did quite delight in (even though it inspired as many questions as it answered) - but not all. This randomness has the unfortunate effect of making Tan’s stories feel rudderless, even chaotic at times. As with DAUGHTER, I never knew where IMMORTAL was going - in a mostly frustrating rather than engaging way. One gets the impression that Tan is dealing out plots points like playing cards: they don’t really build upon one another other organically so much as simply stack up.

I also think it’s worth mentioning that the phrase “God of War” appears in the text 233 times. I know that’s his title; even so, it’s rather excessive.

What a lovely standalone novel! I loved the rich world building. And star-crossed lovers romance. And I loved the twists. Recommend for lovers of epic fantasy!

I deeply regret not having read Sue Lynn Tan's book(s) prior to starting this ARC but I immediately can't wait to dive into her backlist and read more from her in the future. I really enjoyed this one! I tend to give standalone novels a lot more grace in terms of world building and character background/intentions, etc. There's only so much an author can do without info dumping and disengaging the reader, and with a standalone you essentially have one shot to really make an impact. But despite that I think the world building was lush and the characters (esp the God of War) were fantastic. Without being spoilery, I will say the second half of the book really solidified this as a minimum 4 star (great) read for me. I was instantly looking forward to re-reading this again and seeing what I could pick up the second time around. 🤭

Thank you Avon & Harper Voyager for the eARC!!

I adore the luscious writing of Sue Lynn Tan and her amazing, epic romantasy adventures. The Celestial Kingdom Duology was one that will forever think about. I struggled a bit with this one though. I loved how the God of War was portrayed, but it was hard to really put he and Liyen together, I don't know if it felt a bit too "insta love" for me, or if it was because Liyen didn't really feel all that different from the FMC she had in her previous books. If she was sick and struggled with illness, it did not really match her personality or character arc. The dialogue in this one was gosh, so so so sweet.
Still, I am a huge fan of SLT and will definitely continue to read anything she writes.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

There's no doubt, Sue Lynn Tan is an incredible writer, especially in terms of her prose. Her writing can sweep you into a story and carry you along the story without much clumsy turbulence.

I struggled with the beginning of this story in terms of pacing and lack of world building. But I did feel it progress and sucked me in the further the plot progressed. It became exciting and well paced and very enjoyable to read. One thing I really struggled with was the hypocrisy and judgemental tones of the MC. I hate when characters get mad over something people do and then turn around and do the same exact thing to them. Plus, her attitude problem for a lot of the book was quite overdone to the point where she was annoying and unlikeable. It quite hindered my enjoyment of the book, actually, and continuously had me putting it down. But I will she the MC went through some good character growth and was a genuinly good character by the end of the story.

I loved being able to go back to a world I loved in Celestial Kingdom Series. The tension between the female main character and the male main character was so intense. I would love for there to be more stories between the two characters in the future.

First and foremost, thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc! My opinions are my own.

This is a hard book to rank since it took me nearly 2 weeks to finish while in a major book slump. I almost dnfed a few times but I'm glad I never did. It ended up having one of my FAVORITE tropes in it and I was eating it up. The later half of the book was so good!
I really loved Liyen and especially loved Zhangwei. He is now on my list of favorite fictional men. I was kicking my feet by the end.
I would like to reread this at a later date since I think this would most likely be ranked higher when I'm not in a slump.

This book is perfect for those looking for their new favorite standalone fantasy with a magical romance in it! The perfect book to kick off the New Year!

(will post my review on Insta in January!)

This title builds on the author's previous book, Daughter of the Moon Goddess, based on Chinese mythology. Although it deals with completely different characters, there is still the conflict between mortals and immortals and the complexities of the relationships between the two of them.
And nothing is as it first appears.
The main character is Liyen, the Lady of Tianxia, a mortal realm held in thrall to the immortal Queen of the Golden Desert. How that came to be, and the various mortals and immortals caught up in the political machinations involved makes for a very interesting story. And there is the enemies-to-lovers story of Liyen and the God of War, Zhangwei, that helps to tie it all together.
Although parts of the story tend toward preachiness, on the whole it's well worth the read.

The country of Tianxia has been subject to the rule of Queen Caihong for centuries, an exchange made between mortals and Immortals after the Wuxin invaded Tianxia. The arrangement is simple; Tianxia will protect Kunlun Mountain wheere the Divine Pearl Lotus grows, cutting them selves off from the rest of the mortal realm, and the Immortals of the Golden Desert will protect Tianxia from any magical invaders. However, the heir to Tianxia Liyen has been poisoned with the waters of the Wangchuan River, a poison with no cure except for one, the very thing the rulers of Tianxia are bound to protect; The Divine Pearl Lotus. As Liyen comes closer to death in desperation, her grandfather and current ruler steals the Pearl and give its Liyen, and in doing so, brings down the wrath of Queen Caihong and the God of War. His heart already weakened. Liyen's grandfather passed away from the stress of the attack. Liyen beset with grief and sick of the Immortals one-sided agreement vows vengeance against them. However, almost immediately after her grandfather's death a group of demons attack Liyen, she is more than positive they want the Pearl that now resides in her and she realizes that the God of War, the very man that caused her grandfather's death may be the only person who can save her people from this new threat.

Immortal gives us an interesting twist on the whole "enemies to lovers" trope, which is always nice. Any time someone can refresh a trope it's awesome and while it's quite some time before the twist is introduced it genuinely came straight out of left field, redeeming a lot of the misgivings I had about this up until that point as there were several times I considered DNFing. The only reason I didn't was due to the fact that I had thoroughly enjoyed Tan's previous books. So if you start this and you're not getting into the beginning, hang on tight it gets better, I promise.


The world building in this seems lacking for the first portion of the book, too. Honestly, the way this starts I genuinely felt like there was a book before this that I needed to read because when I say it just drops you into the world, it really just drops you without a parachute. However, as the book progresses, the world building catches up and becomes more robust. Plus, I think realizing that this was just a really tiny world helped, too. It didn't need to be incredibly complex or detailed because there just wasn't much there. But oh, that opening, just watch the first step.

The story is told entirely from Liyen's perspective, and omg, did I want to strangle her most of the book. She's so hypocritical in the way she treats the Immortals it made my head hurt. There was just this complete and utter lack of self-awareness that blew my mind. She'd go off on rants about how the Immortals didn't care about this, that, and the other thing, and then do the same exact crap to them she was accusing them of doing to the mortals. She was so freaking judgemental, and her justifications for her attitude towards them were so weak they were almost non-existent. And I think what really got me was though was when a situation clearly called for her to cooperate with Zhangwei she'd do the exact opposite, or have some snarky little thought about how she'd take them all out or something and it got super old. Tan definitely went a bit overboard with Liyen's attitude for most of the book. That being said I did enjoy her immensely towards the end of the book, she grows up, a lot and I'm not sure I would have liked her enough if she hadn't been such a child at the beginning. She learns a lot throughout this book and has some pretty wise thoughts in terms of trusting people, accepting them for who they are, and just being a good leader in general at the end and without seeing that growth they would have been way less impactful.

Finally, my one and only actual complaint on this is the timing. This book could have happened over days, weeks, hell months, and I have no idea. Tan did try to incorporate a sense of separating one day to the next but it wasn't often enough and I swear a couple of times she'd say something was supposed to happen the next day at dinner but then we'd be back at breakfast the same day but then the thing that was supposed to happen the next day would happen right after breakfast. This really only happened in the beginning, but it was enough that I was going back to read whole chapters, thinking maybe I missed something.


Overall, Immortal definitely lived up to Tan's previous book, so if you enjoyed those, you'll live this one. Like I said though you've really got to hang in to get to the good parts and if you aren't a fan to enemy to lovers like myself you're first instinct will be to DNF, which, hey not telling you what to do but I promise that takes a back seat.

As always, thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager for the eArc!

I feel like Sue Lynn Tan heard my complaints about the last duology and fixed everything I didn't like.

Immortal tells the story of a mortal girl who is part of the ruling family of a village under the control/protection of the Immortals of the Golden Desert. Their village is cut off from the rest of the world and the people have served the immortals for generations. [[Note: this book takes place in the same universe as Tan's last Duology Daughter of the Moon Goddess. But different place, different people.]]

Anyway, stuff happens, her grandfather passes, and now she's suddenly the ruler who must protect her people from the Immortals and bring the village freedom. Is it... Time to fight the immortals?? Also there's a hot God of War who has just a little bit of the (personally despised) man-turns-into-overprotective-possessive-hormonal-animal. But not too much!!! (like, dude, you're a god of war, being jealous of humans and being over-protective should be beneath youuuuu.)

Personally felt the relationship was well done. No overdone 'miscommunication being the main plot' instead it's 'keep secrets and don't trust another bc maybe subterfuge'. I really really appreciate that it didn't fall into the tropes I was expecting. Spoiler about this at the very bottom of the review.

Great characters and a great female lead that doesn't fall into stereotypical Mary sue or SJM's style of OP flawless FMC.

And the ploooot. I love how the story was organized into three neat parts. I didn't see the twist coming, and I enjoyed the happy ending.

**A big thank you to Netgally and Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It truly was a delightful read!

Immortal is a standalone set in the same world as Daughter of the Moon Goodness, and while I have not read that duology, I do not think it is necessary in order to enjoy this installment. I thought the world Tan built was so lush and vibrant and it made me immediately want to pick up the other novels set in this world.

I found the characters really well done. Our FMC, Liyen, was fiery and determined. I appreciated that she did not yield to anyone and wanted to forge her own path separate than what others wanted from her. Zhangwei was also a great MMC. I love a male character who is brutal but also will do anything for his love interest. His character had depth and I didn't feel that he was just there to be a love interest for our FMC. I also enjoyed the plot and found it very unique!

My only issue was the pacing. The beginning had me hooked and on the edge of my seat. There was a lull in the middle and then the last quarter of the book felt very heavy in terms of world-building. I also thought the ending was a little anti-climatic.

Overall, I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted romantasy with a unique plot!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Back in the world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess!! I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This standalone is in the same world but had a unique system with new characters and storylines. We follow Liyen, the female main character, who does all she can to save her people, grow in the processes, and defies the odds to rewrite a better future. Overall, a very enjoyable read but has a lot of world building and magic system that isn’t very clear. However, the relationship dynamics were full of depth and warmth, and definitely would recommend picking up!

Can we get a novella story? I want more of Liyen and the God of War please!!


Lastly, thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Voyager for the ARC! I feel so fortunate to read an ARC of one of my favorite authors. As an Asian American, I love the representation as an adult now and wish I had her books available to me as a teenager.

Immortal is set in the same world as the Celestial Kingdom series. I did enjoy the overall story and characters, but the timeline of events is very quick so the pacing may feel a bit off. However, that does not shadow the fact that the world and writing is absolutely beautiful. The world that is created continues to be captivating the twists were that occurred were insane. It kept me engaged and I just had to keep reading.

Confession: I got approved for this AND the audiobook version, so I got to hybrid read this story! It's definitely enjoyable being able to go back and forth between a digital copy and an audiobook. PS: for those of you wondering, I really love this narrator, she did an incredible job voicing the multiple characters!
As for the story itself, it eventually eased itself into a Tan speciality, albeit the first 30% or so was tedious. Mainly because of my personal frustrations with the main character. What is it with NA Romantasy FMCs and their lack of ability to back up their brash, obstinate ways?
A lot of the key plot points were obvious to me, so no twist felt especially shocking. However, because it hits all the familiar beats with style, I'd say this was successful addition to the genre.

This book is really good. It took me a while to get through it just because of working a lot. Regardless. Every chance I had, I was reading this book. The MFC is a human who, through a series of events, takes over the throne of her kingdom. She ends up teaming up with the MMC to save her kingdom. This book will keep you on your toes, with all the unexpected twists and turns. There is enemies to lovers, questions of destiny, fake engagement, and so much more. World building, and twists and turns at every corner.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers, for approving me for this ARC in exchange for my honest and genuine review.

While I have loved other books by this author, this story fell flat for me from the beginning. The FMC was tough to grasp, and it was challenging to connect with her. While Liyen was overwhelming, The God of War was quite underwhelming. As an immortal, the bar is set high. It is set even higher if you hold that title.

One of the significant turnoffs was the insta-love between the MCs. I do not like superficial love stories because they typically feel naive and disingenuous. The dialogue between the two started so immature that it immediately diminished the tone of the entire scene, on top of the story taking so long to pick up. I always felt like I wanted more…more depth, character development, more…just more.

This was not the worst read, but I was not a huge fan of this novel.

Thank you to Netgally and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC version of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are solely my own. This book is a romantasy about a queen and a god of war. Liyen is a headstrong, sassy mortal who fiercely loves her people. I would read this book again. Because it will be released as a sprayed edges hardcover I’ll definitely be purchasing it!

First thank you NetGalley for providing an e-arc for me to read and review! Second Sue Lynn Tan has done it again! Just the way she writes, her storytelling just takes my breath away. I loved how strong and capable Liyen is. The romance was just everything. Cannot express my love for this book enough and I cannot wait for what Sue bring on next!

Fantastic! Tan has done it yet again and I just loved this book so much, almost as much as I love our MMC! The range of emotions i went through reading this...there was laughter, there were tears, and there may have been some yelling. This book had me in a chokehold from beginning to end. The banter, the tension, swoon worthy moments, the betrayl, and the twists 🤌 just absolute perfection.