Heart of the Sun Warrior is a 2022 novel written by Sue Lynn Tan.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was the first book I’ve read about Chinese mythology and I really enjoyed it. The series is inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess. The books tell the story of Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess and the mortal archer Houyi.
I was therefore looking forward to reading the conclusion to the Celestial Kingdom Duology.
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Plot
The story continues where we left off in The Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin has to fight for the fragile peace she earned after freeing her mother.
Xingyin has to leave her home behind as she ventures into the Immortal Realm to seek aid in her fight. However, with alliances shifting quicker than the tides, she is unsure who to trust.
She finds she has to overcome past grudges to be able to forge a new path forward and seeks aid where she never imagined.
Heart of the Sun Warrior Book Review
I found The Heart of the Sun Warrior to be a good conclusion to the Celestial Kingdom duology.
I enjoyed Sue Lynn Tan’s writing style. Her prose was lyrical and descriptive without becoming laborious to read.
I love mythology and the author expands on the world created in her first book. The new quest was interesting and the tension was built really well as the danger grew closer.
For me, however, the book focuses too much on the romance element and it detracts from what could be an exciting battle. I stated in my post about the first book that I didn’t particularly enjoy the love triangle and that didn’t change during its sequel.
This take on the love triangle trope didn’t bring anything fresh to the table. I actually found it quite predictable and knew who Xingyin was going to choose.
In The Daughter of the Moon Goddess I liked Xingyin and her bravery and determination. However, I felt in this book she put away much of her character growth as she continued to make questionable decisions. The strong main character we have come to know seemed naïve and at times I felt irritated by her.
I enjoyed the ending and appreciated how everything was neatly tied up. However the story just didn’t move me as much as I’d have liked. This is perhaps because I didn’t feel overly invested in either of her potential love matches so I felt quite disinterested with the outcome.
Has Sue Lynn Tan written any other novels?
Sue Lynn Tan has written the three books in the Celestial Kingdom series:
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess
- The Heart of the Sun Warrior
- Tales of the Celestial Kingdom
What to read next
I’d recommend reading all the books in the Celestial Kingdom series if you haven’t already.
If you’re a fan of reading mythology, you might also be interested in these Greek Mythology retellings: