Heart of the Sun Warrior: A Novel (Celestial Kingdom Book 2)

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Me, trying to figure out what the hell the Houyi plotline was trying to achieve outside of protagonist wish fulfilment: 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. Liwei had no choice in his engagement. He was forced to accept it for the good of the realm and for his parents. Unlike Wenzhi, who wasn't forced to do anything. He just wanted power. I loved the ending a lot, dabbing my eyes, giggling softly. Mythology, folklore, fantasy and romance couldn’t be combined so much better!

Xingyin asks herself, "Was my heart strong enough to shatter again?" and I found myself thinking that she was. After finishing, I wondered why that was my first instinct. I wondered why I didn't hesitate to believe she would get up, that she would continue moving forward. If she reflects a part of me, why would I say she would continue to move forward when if someone asked the same about me, I would never have so much belief in myself?I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*** With magic elixirs, jade bows and cloud transport, Sue Lynn Tan brings to life a new fantasy realm with tight plotting, vivid detail and bright shafts of celestial charm.” — Daily Mail (UK) Every once in a while, you read a book that just feels so special that you struggle to put it into words. That is this series for me. I'll start out by saying that I don't actually think that this sequel was absolutely necessary - I think you can definitely read Daughter of the Moon Goddess as a standalone if you wanted to, and overall, I did still prefer it over Heart of the Sun Warrior. However, I think that if you, like me, were craving more from these characters and this world, you will absolutely find that here.

After finishing the first book of the series, I was thinking how the sequel will exceed its perfection. Let’s not forget there was no cliffhanger at the end if you don’t count the unresolved love triangle. Overall I think this is satisfying and ties everything up well enough. Is it a bit too long winded like book 1? Yes, but the writing is beautiful and in truth that detail was helpful at times in building and painting in the broad world expansion we get with all the kingdoms and the full journey and transformation Xingyin goes through. When I talk about wanting characters with depth and grit, Xingyin is a shining example. She’s powerful but not SO powerful it’s a joke she’s ever in danger. She goes through gray areas and makes choices that don’t always stand up to hindsight positively. She’s fully changed by the end of HotSW and she’s no longer the girl we first met, and that’s ok! Her peace was more than hard won and she’s finally able to be selfish with her happiness. It’s truly a full circle heroine’s transformation that took a long time and several years to get to, and I think taking that time and space to do that serves this duology well, making it an exceptional one to read and reread. Lastly, while I loved that the ending was a bit more drawn out to be realistic — giving Xingyin time to grieve and heal from everything that happens, I did also find that it was a bit too long for the sake of giving us some brief scenes with supporting characters. While nice, i don’t think we needed such neat ‘closure’ so to speak and those interactions don’t do enough tie in with the emotional healing we find Xingyin yearning and striving for in the aftermath. By drawing the true ending out, it also felt like it detracted a bit from the power of the climax which was very emotional, though the last 2 chapters were truly worth it, it might just feel like a lot of moping and aimless wandering until then. That said, there were some things that I didn’t love about this. Some of which I will put in spoilers. Her love for stories began with a gift from her father, her first compilation of fairytales from around the world. After devouring every fable she could find in the library, she discovered fantasy books – spending much of her childhood lost in magical worlds.

I didn’t know what to expect with this second novel as the first one ended without a cliffhanger. Xingyin was at home with her mother and all was well. But, as soon as I started this book a sense of unease was immediate and I knew something terrible was about to happen, and it did. The chivalrous mortal who risked his life to save the world from flaming sunbirds. Chang'e's love and Xingyin's father who they left behind in the mortal realm while they ascended to immortality. I’m just really overwhelmed with how empty this book is. I left this book feeling like the last chapter and maybe one plot point could’ve been the epilogue for DOTMG. This book was truly unnecessary. I always envisioned the story as a duology, with Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior, inspired by different elements of the core mythology.

I am so rarely shattered by a story in such an intrinsic way. To find a character like Xingyin: I've only ever found two others before. I didn't just become a part of her world, but a part of her as well. I'll hold her in my heart for the rest of my life, and I can't wait to see what happens in book three. When not writing or reading, she enjoys exploring the many hills, lakes, and temples around her home. She is also grateful to be within reach of bubble tea and spicy food, which she unfortunately cannot cook. What in the Disney? What about the original tale of Chang'e, where Houyi took his own life in despair? Who is this grouchy old man too cowardly to approach his wife and cold to his daughter?With all the beauty and heartbreak of a Chinese fantasy drama, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an enchanting joy from start to finish.” I can't wait to see where Xingyin's choices take her next. I already can't wait to read this again. First of all, the writing is very stiff. The dialogue does not flow nor does it feel relatable in any way. I almost never felt any real emotions from these characters whom I had so greatly loved in the last book. Heart of the Sun Warrior – set my heart ablaze . . . The Celestial Kingdom duology is phenomenal. It has unique characters, intricate storytelling, strong worldbuilding, and a beautiful romance to boot. I am sad to close the book on Xingyin’s story, but I will look to the future and be ready to read anything Sue Lynn Tan writes.” — The Quill to Live

There was a love triangle in this book which I don't mind but it felt like that was the only story it was trying to tell - everything else felt like an after thought. It almost felt like the author decided on a whim to expand this series.This book is about so much more than a girls choice between two boys. If you're looking for a love triangle done the right way, it's right here. To see Xingyin work through her feelings for Liwei and Wenzhi while also suffering all different kinds of heart break is powerful beyond measure. She believes she can't forgive and trust, she believes she will never be enough, she recognizes that at some point her choice shouldn't be based on words, but action. The danger escalates out of nowhere. Xingyin’s house gets invaded, her loved ones’ life in danger. Once again her mother and she are sentenced to prison unfairly. Only way to save their lives is escape and accept to be ally with a powerful warrior who betrayed Xingyin’s trust! I think that Sue Lynn Tan's writing is absolutely stunning - it's lyrical and descriptive, but if there's one thing that she truly excels at, it's an action scene, which I feel like isn't a combination that you see very often. The pacing of this book is, in my opinion, much faster than the first book - I think a common complaint that I've seen of DOTMG is that the first half the book is too slow, and I think if you were one of those people, you'll be much happier with this book. The pacing is very similar to the second half of DOTMG, and it's just non-stop, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but it works really well here. I am so sad to be writing this review and giving this book only three stars. I went into this book with high expectations and I left feeling really let down. I loved the first book in the series and it was only of my favorite books of the year..but this book didn't do it for me. I nearly gave this 2 stars because it disappointed me so much. 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.