Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Sue Lynn Tan for an Advanced Listener Copy of this title!

Liyen, heir to Tianxia knows her duty, even if it feels like chains upon her: she will one day ascend the throne and rule under the thumb of the Immortals, transcendent beings who once saved her kingdom from a precarious threat. Liyen's fate is prematurely sealed, however, when she is fatally poisoned and her grandfather, the king, steals a priceless and enchanted lotus to heal her. Enraged, the Immortal Queen sends her God of War to seek vengeance on Tianxia. With the death of her grandfather, Liyen is summoned to the Immortal Realm to renew her kingdom's obligations to the Immortals. Liyen, however, takes this opportunity to try and free her kingdom and learn the Immortals' secrets, under the watchful eye of the loathsome God of War. With dark forces closing in, Liyen must risk it all - her life, her freedom, and possibly her heart - to save her kingdom from crumbling to ashes, even if the attempt costs her all she cares for.

I immediately went and requested "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" after I finished this book because I am BEYOND stunned by how much this book shook me. Not only were the dynamics of mortal and immortal courts wire-tight with tension, but the romance is some of the best I have ever read thus far and had me squealing and gasping out loud while I was on my audiobook walks with this book. If you every actually want a man to rizz you up, you need to go call The God of War. Liyen was also such a delightfully snide FMC - you could not tell her anything and she ran rings around the men (and women) in her life who wanted to control her, and she did it with grace. I sometimes have a hard time reading stand-alones because I don't ever want the story to end, but this was such a well-thought-out and encapsulated story that I am completely satisfied (if not still pining, because it was soo good) and still thinking about this book days later.

The narrator did a great job moving between characters and captured the yearning, breathlessness, and tension well in her narration, and I would love to listen to more audiobooks they narrate.

Sue Lynn Tan is probably going to be one of my favorite authors this year if any of her other books are half as good as this one!

This was a beautiful book. The writing pulled you into the story with gripping speed and didn't let you go. I really adored the characters and didn't want the pages to end because you really just want to stay in the moment with the characters and the romance that has developed page after page. Reading this book was a joy pure and simple.

Sue Lynn Tan has been on my radar since “Daughter of the Moon Goddess” released. The author has an addictive storytelling style that turns Asian folk and fairytale into modernized lyric. “Immortal” was no exception. Liyen inherits a kingdom in shambles. A longstanding agreement between Mortal and Immortal is breached when her grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. But the right to rule freely and care properly for her people is not her own–at least not yet. Liyen is determined to convince the Immortal Queen to release sovereignty over her kingdom. What she doesn’t plan for is the deception, betrayal, and why the God of War, the Immortal responsible for the destruction of her kingdom, is constantly on her mind.

I really enjoyed how Liyen represented her strengths, especially in juxtaposition with the God of War–who himself is the representation of strength. The narrative lulls a bit for me around part 2, but picks up quickly for me heading into the other parts of the book. I’m excited for Sue Lynn Tan’s future works. I appreciate that I can always get my grubby hands on them from NetGalley and the publisher.

Absolutely loved being back in this world. The imagery is rich and I love that it was so easy to fall back into.

The story started so strong and I was immediately in, however, it started to drag toward the middle and it seemed like there wasn't much going on. Not to compare books, but the last ones were just so action packed that I wasn't ready for the slower pace of this one.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. I have loved every single book from Sue Lynn Tan thus far. She has a way with words creating a vivid, well crafted, and lush world. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, is also one of my favorite narrators. She breathes life to the characters Tan creates with such ease.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title.

I wanted to love this book, but just - didn't. This is the story of a love story between a mortal heir and the immortal God of War, a delicious forbidden romance, right? It was kind of - blah. The setting was vibrant, but lacking. The romance development was rushed, and - blah. The swoon-worthy romance scenes were missing - something. Dialogues were boring, and I was left wanting the rest of the story.

2 stars for - it was ok

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was pretty iffy in the first part as I found the whole plan to hide what her grandfather did to be a little too direct of a setup moment for her needing to converse with the immortals. However, I think with the reveals I really came around to enjoying the premise and whole storyline with the lotus! Honestly the storyline and reveals were really well done. I think the political setup both in the 3 kingdoms and between the kingdoms was very well described and something quite interesting that I personally haven’t seen a ton. I loved the plot point of helping one kingdom would always hurt another kingdom. I also loved the discussion on how hard it was for our main character to “choose a side” especially as her main goal was to protect mortals in a world that doesn’t care for keeping morals safe. I was honestly so shocked about quite a few of them and they jumpstarted my interest in this book a lot even try time I reached a very cool/unexpected twist (which was pretty often!).

However, the love story in this book was not my favorite… which is really tough because most of the storyline really revolves around believing those two characters belong together (and I just did not really understand/enjoy the insta-love/fated mates trope). They loved each other long before I comprehended why they would even tolerate each other and that made it difficult for me. BUT… I thought the ending with them was quite cute. It may have taken me a VERY long time for me to warm up to the relationship, but in the end all the amazing plot reveals kept me going and I ended up appreciating both the plot and relationship by the climax.

First of all, the cover is incredible and gorgeous! I think that Sue Lynn Tan does such a good job of worldbuilding and combining folklore to create her stories.

Honestly, phenomenal!

First of all I LOVE that this is a standalone romantic fantasy novel because I'm not waiting on a cliffhanger for the next year. The worldbuilding is so well done and descriptive, I never found myself confused or lacking for detail and the politics are complex but explained fully and easy to follow. I was fully immersed in this story from start to finish and really struggled to put it down.

I loved the God of War, Zhangwei, even when I didn't like him thanks to a couple questionable actions when they're enemies. He's strong, protective, and even when he's surly he gave very steady, genuinely GOOD vibes. Plus we love a man who will burn the world for his love. Liyen is such a strong, bad*ass FMC which perfectly balances her MMC and I love that they're both so dedicated to protecting their people. She's smart, witty, used to being underestimated, and very strong of character even before she's physically strong thanks to the Divine Pearl Lotus. I loved seeing her growth, and the tension from her struggling with her growing feelings for the God of War had me reading as fast as possible to get to the point where she would give in to her love for him! Both MCs are also super sassy and entertaining, so the banter is superb. Honestly, there's banter all around from basically everyone so if that's a key factor you look for, get ready.

The story starts off a bit slow but that's to be expected as the background/history needs to be built up, especially since it's a standalone, so I really didn't mind. And while it felt a bit slow, there was still a lot going on to keep you interested. I loved the development of the romance between Liyen and Zhangwei and the secrets we learn along the way. All I'll say on that is that situations can look very different depending on the perspective and to expect many twists.

The side characters are also super developed and interesting, I liked seeing how each of them grew as well while still focusing mainly on Liyen's development and Zhangwei. I think what really made this book so good to me was how on Liyen's journey, she is so focused on what's right but begins to learn that things don't look the same to each person and how every story has many sides. She goes from seeing only black and white to understanding there are many grays and that the heroes and villains are different depending on who's telling/hearing the story. It also emphasizes how important history is to the present and learning to not judge too harshly. The are so many morals to the story but even if you don't want to read too deeply into it, it's still a beautifully written romantic fantasy that will keep you engaged until the very end.

One of the biggest benefits of reading this one is everything will make sense at the end since it is a standalone. Some books I read and do truly enjoy but they don't stay with me or pull me in too deeply, but this book really etched itself onto my brain and heart and I'm so happy I read it!

I also had the audio for this one, which I honestly love to listen to as I'm reading so I can accurately read/pronounce the names of people and places created by the author. The audio definitely adds a little something extra to the experience especially for fantasy books and I highly recommend listening either while also reading the physical book or alone if you prefer audiobooks. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, does a fantastic job with this story, truly bringing the world of Immortal to life. Her voice is clear and engaging, the pacing is perfect, and I typically listen at 2x speed, so she's still super easy to listen to at that pace.

If you're a fantasy, romance, or romantasy reader, with a fondness for enemies to lovers and magic, you'll definitely want to check this one out!

Thank you Harper Voyager and HarperAudio for the eARC and eALC respectively, which I have voluntarily read/listened to in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperAudio, and Sue Lynn Tan for the advanced listening copy of Immortal in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior are two of my favorite mythological fantasies and I was beyond excited to return to their world in this new standalone novel by Sue Lynn Tan. I was not disappointed at all. This book was full of the same magic that made me fall in love with her other novels. There was just the right amount of tension between the FMC and the MMC, and even though it felt like there was a little bit of insta-love on the part of Zhangwei (the MMC), I loved reading their story.

I really enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators and she did an amazing job portraying all the characters and conveying such a wide range of emotions.

There were unpredictable twists and enough banter to keep me engaged, even through some of the slower plot moments. I definitely recommend this book and I cannot wait to see what Sue Lynn Tan puts out next.

Unfortunately, Sue Lynn Tan’s Immortal is a read that will not stick out for me. There were definitely high points in this fantasy, but at times the book came to a lull. I found it difficult to become engaged with the book at multiple moments throughout. There wasn’t really anything in that book that hooked me.

There were parts that I did enjoy! I think this book will work for other people, but it just didn’t work for me. I did not DNF, and I do willingly DNF, so there were redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the universe a lot, and reading this book has convinced me that I should give Daughter of the Moon Goddess a try!

I listened to this book as an audiobook, and I did enjoy the narration.

Thank you HarperAudio Adult and Netgalley for the ARC!

4.5⭐️ Adventure, plotting, immortals, people struggling to survive, a love story, lost family, subterfuge, all this and more is in this book. This kept me connected all the way through and I can’t wait to read her duology set in this world. You definitely do not need to read that first to feel fully immersed in this story.
Thank you indigo for the physical arc and NetGalley for the audio arc. The audio was very good.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for the eAudiobook ARC! Immortal is another sweeping, romantic fantasy from Sue Lynn Tan (Daughter of the Moon Goddess). Liyen is made to ascend the throne when her grandfather sacrifies his life for hers. Liyen finds herself travelling to the immortal realm to uncover hidden truths and free humankind from their oppresive rule. But once there, Liyen finds herself drawn to the God of War. Though she feels she should hate him most of all, he is not like the stories say. A fabulous adventure with a deep love story at its core. Fans of Tan's Daugther of the Moon Goddess should love Immortal. The audiobook only adds to the story as Natalie Naudus's narration pulls the listener in and breathes life into each character.

4.25 stars

Ok I really enjoyed this one! The narrator was incredible! I loved following along with my eyes as well though connecting how to say names and with the spelling! I’m such a fan of mythology and Sue just writes it all so well!

I loved returning to the Celestial Kingdom world. This one is a complete seperate standalone though! There were so many twists and turns that blew my mind, and gah! I loved Zhangwei so much! I loved him and Liyen together. They had wonderful chemistry and banter!

I loved how everything connected and the stuff that kind of didn’t make sense in the beginning all came together. It was such a great fantasy romance!

3.5⭐ rounded up to 4.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record: I have mixed feelings about this one as well! I thought about DNF’ing about 30% in, because it felt like a total rehashing of tired popular tropes, and I couldn’t stand the FMC (she reminded me of Diem Bellator, which is NOT a good thing). Some unexpected plot twists and reveals piqued my interest halfway through the book, and I enjoyed the second half. I’m giving this book 4 stars mostly for the writing, the unexpected plot twists, and the fast-paced second half. However, I really feel like the twists and reveals should have happened sooner---my mind was already made up about the book once I got to it. I loved the political intrigue and meddling gods, the strong influence of mythology, the high stakes, and the frequent pearls of wisdom, but I just couldn’t stand the FMC or root for her and the MMC. Also, character development that comes from regained memories is *not* true character development. Liyen sucked until the end, there I said it.

The audio version was great, but the voice actor mixed up character voices more than once, and that made some dialogues confusing.

❤️ The second half
❤️ Flowy, poetic, and evocative writing style
❤️ Pearls of wisdom
❤️ Unexpected plot twists
❤️ Stunning cover
❌ The first half
❌ Confrontational and rude FMC
❌ FMC/MMC relationship dynamic
❌ Rehashed popular tropes
❌ Lack of character development
❌ Info dumps

Tropes to expect: enemies to lovers, stuck in another world, amnesia, the chosen one, burn the world for her, betrayals and heartache, big reveals.

Trigger warnings: violence, death and grief, amnesia, war, kidnapping and confinement, torture, injury and injury detail, blood and gore, war, misogyny, toxic relationship, gaslighting.

Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrrators, and it's an easy borrow/add whenever I see her narrating a book. And the fact that she narrated one of my fave duologies of all time (DOTM/HOTSW) is a huge plus. This was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. While I didn't love it as much as I did The Celestial Kingdom duology, I did love this all on its own. Sue always writes such good banter between the leads, and the tension in this one!!! The world-building was exquisite and magical. The romance superb. <3

🐉 "Immortal" by Sue Lynn Tan: 🐉

This audiobook is a thrilling blend of action, adventure, and romance, all steeped in the rich tapestry of Chinese mythology. Prepare to be swept away by a fast-paced plot, unexpected twists, and a captivating love story.

While the names might take a moment to grasp (a common challenge with audiobooks, especially those with unfamiliar terms!), the story itself is easy to follow and utterly captivating. The steamy, closed-door scenes are reminiscent of old Chinese movies, adding a touch of classic romance to the adventure.

Narrator Natalie Naudus delivers a stellar performance! Her inflection is perfect, she distinguishes voices with ease, and her pacing keeps you hooked. The audio quality is top-notch, making this a truly immersive listening experience.

✨ Perfect for: ✨

Fans of Chinese mythology and historical fantasy 🐉
Those who enjoy action-packed adventures with a touch of romance ❤️
Listeners who appreciate strong female characters 💪
Anyone who loves a good dose of mystery and intrigue 🤫

#Immortal #SueLynnTan #NatalieNaudus #Audiobook #ChineseMythology #HistoricalFantasy #Romance #Adventure #StrongFemaleLead #Bookstagram #BookReview #MustListen

Sue Lynn Tan’s enchanting romantic fantasy, Immortal, transports you to a magical world akin to The Daughter of the Moon Goddess. It combines political intrigue, intricate magic, and a spellbinding love story. Natalie Naudus narrates this audiobook expertly, making it a must-listen.

I loved the narrator of this audiobook because the narration really brought the Sue Lynn Tan's fictional world to life.

First and foremost, I was absolutely drawn to this book because of the gorgeous cover art. The colors and flow of design are incredibly aesthetically pleasing to me. Once I really got into the story, I was pretty hooked. It is a bit slower in the beginning but I found it picks up pretty quickly once establishing most of the groundwork we, the reader, needs.

Liyen must become the heir to the throne after his grandfather's death. However, before he passed, he saved her life by sharing a sacred flower with her which was intended for the Gods of their land. She is determined to severe her kingdom's ties with the immortals and their selfish ways. And she works to try and learn all the secrets she can to use as weapons against the gods. However, there is significant attraction between Liyen and the God of War, who Liyen blames for her grandfather's passing.

Liyen is a fierce, determined leader for her people as well as in her own right. She is strong and stubborn, and sassy but she also has a bit of a habit of brow-beating The God of War, Zhangwei.

I enjoyed this romantasy, and found the world rich and engaging. I think I need to read Daughter of the Moon Goddess next since it seems this one fits into the same world but is a stand alone.