Joined in 2023 
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Liwei is pushy, impatient and ignorant to Xingyin's feelings, especially where his parents are concerned. Wenzhi is a creep and stalker who chases Xingyin around begging for forgiveness while she reprimands him but doesn't do anything to stop him. I did like the setting and the different magic types and the different rulers. It was fun seeing the ride on clouds and seeing Xingyin use a bow again. The writing is still beautiful. I love the setting, food, and magic. It’s just not what I was expecting after having read the first book. Maybe Xingyin is the recognition of my healing, and the next part of her life can be a reflection of what I have to look forward to. Love is a privilege, not a possession. We can’t control our own feelings, much less those of others. Sometimes love means letting go—for yourself, if not for them.” I’m not sure how to rate this book. It’s interesting. The magic is unique, but the dialogue, characters and romance are terrible.
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan | Waterstones
The author should've let him actually die in Book 1 if his character was going to be nerfed this hard in the name of a ship - and this is coming from someone who was rooting for Wenzhi! For we were complex creatures of shades of gray, capable of wonderful and terrible things … of change, because our natures were not fixed like the stars in the sky but flowing as the river toward an unknown horizon.”One of the things I loved the most about Daughter of the Moon Goddess was the way I could not predict what was going to happen. It was a high action fantasy which enthralled me. And the sequel, Heart of the Sun Warrior was the same way. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts. Summary An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense..” The fakeout at the end was such a cop-out. The way death is portrayed in this series makes me mad to no end. Xingyin and Chang'e both experience terrible personal losses but instead of learning to get over their grief they yearn and sob until they discover that those who died are conveniently alive for no well explained reason and now they are happy again!
Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan Book Review | Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan
A lot of HOTSW involves Xingyin figuring out what her heart actually wants, as Wenzhi has been relentless in trying to reconnect with her. I won’t talk too much about where her love ends up within this book, because obvious spoilers there, but it’s clear that Xingyin is torn apart by the events of the first book and at the beginning a part of me kind of wanted her to just forget them both because each of them hurt her. However, Sue Lynn Tan’s way of words and character building made me soon forgive each of them for what happened in book one. It’s interesting that while Liwei never has to struggle or have ambition for his throne, we see that he can’t relinquish it, and even if he did, it just wouldn’t ever fit with the world and who he is, so it’s never REALLY on the table as an option that’s believable. With Wenzhi we see a similar journey to Xingyin that is highlighted even more in HotSW in a way because both have labored with a single minded focus to just take care of their own, and yet both of them realize that that comes with it’s own consequences and is never as neat and satisfying as you might think. And ultimately, through Wenzhi’s redemption, we see that there are some things that are worth everything, worth giving all of it up for the chance at a simple life. Simply, it isn't hard to see who the author was rooting for, and apparently so hard that she didn't care about leaving plot holes along the way. Inspired by the legend of Chang’e the Moon Goddess, this is the sequel to Sue Lynn Tan’s captivating debut, DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS.
Discussion
The Emperor is easily the most evil character in the duology. His actions are unforgivable. NOTHING happens to him at all. He faces no consequences except for the grief after his wife's death, y'know, whom he never seemed to care for much and was regularly unfaithful to? In truth, the mortals could teach us far more in resilience and strength of will, as they bore the trials that came their way.” There is an actual scene in the middle of the book where Xingyin fights with Liwei, putting his engagement to Fengmei on the same level as Wenzhi's betrayal. What. The. Hell?
The Celestial Kingdom Series by Sue Lynn Tan - Goodreads
With beautiful illustrations from Kelly Chong throughout, these wondrous tales make the perfect complement to Sue Lynn Tan’s breathtaking series. (Out Feb 6, 2024)Next is this goddamn love triangle. I love morally grey bad boys, so I completely understand the draw to Wenzhi. Personally, he was my favorite. I appreciated how he recognized his feelings early on and didn’t shy from them like Liwei did. He truly embodied the “I will burn down this entire world for you” energy that I love. Overall, I felt Xingyin and Liwei were a better match. Even the title of this book has you believeing the same thing, so we didn’t need 80% of this book focusing on who she was going to choose. Ultimately, I think Wenzhi and Liwei deserved better than Xingyin. She was totally in love with Liwei, but she didn’t want to deal with palace life and empress responsibilities, so she took every out she could to avoid it namely breaking Liwei’s heart. While I don’t agree with what Wenzhi did in DOTMG, the way Xingyin prosecuted him throughout this ENTIRE book was just overkill. While the book wants you to believe, it took Wenzhi literally dying for her to realize this; I think it was her first tasting her life as an empress. Do I believe she has love for both? Yes, but I also strongly believes she’s not IN love with either. I think they’re both better without her. Daughter, you are mortal-born, yet immortality flows in your veins. Your home should be here, yet you live on the moon. You, more than anyone, should have learned that nothing is impossible.”
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