Rating: 4 stars

Format: Ebook/Audiobook

Genre: Fantasy

Though I do think you can read Daughter of the Moon Goddess as a standalone, because it wraps up well, Heart of the Sun Warrior raised the stakes and deepened Xingyin’s emotional journey. I do think both of these books are quite long, longer than they need to be, but I appreciate the ground that Tan covered in both of them.

Just like the first book, the writing is beautiful. There were some major emotional moments and high action-scenes. I think Xingyin carries these books with her cunning and strong sense of morality. 

I thought Liwei’s parents (along with a couple of other antagonistic immortals) were so irritating. They did not feel intimidating or scary, they were just petulant and annoying. I get that this was the point of their characters, but so many of the antagonists were petty and vindictive and acted like children, so it got tiresome. The meddling of Liwei’s infuriating mother contributed to the love triangle drama, which I didn’t really find compelling. I was less interested in Xingyin’s romantic interests than I was interested in her familial relationships and friends. I didn’t really care who she ended up with, especially when the height of the drama came when the stakes of the main conflict were highest. 

Aside from pacing issues and some melodramatic character beats, I really enjoyed this duology. The prose, the world-building, the magic, the mythology, and the protagonist and her journey were all stand out elements that made this so addicting to read. I am excited to read more from Sue Lynn Tan in the future.