Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan.

Synopsis

After her perilous quest to free her mother, Xingyin thrives once more in the tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a treacherous confrontation.

Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation–to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love… even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin–the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer, Houyi–as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope.

Review

Love, love, love!!!

5 stars for that epic conclusion!

For Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I wrote:

“Daughter of the Moon Goddess feels like what I imagine Chinese tales are: filled with quests, monsters and magic, a heroine who has to grow and use her wits to outsmart the evil characters. Gentle at her core, she’ll morph into a fierce warrior “à la Mulan”. It’s also a battle of evil versus good, a question of choosing the right path, resisting the lure of power and greatness if it comes at the cost of other’s happiness and freedom.”

Well Heart of the Sun Warrior is the worthy sequel we deserved with Xingyin put to the test once more.

How she is far from the gentle flower we met at the beginning of Daughter of the Moon Goddess!

This Xingyin is brave, generous and wiser. Ready to sacrifice herself to save the Kingdom and her loved ones!

Pretty soon in the book, we learn that things are getting worse in the Celestial Kingdom. There is a change of power and it won’t be for the better.

A treachery will also endanger Xingyin and her family, forcing the to seek refuge in another kingdom. And that’s only the beginning of a story filled with action, hard choices, betrayals and twists!

She will have to choose her path, measure her actions as each choice had consequences. And I am proud to say that she didn’t take the easiest path but the just one. Xingyin has grown so much!

“So much in life was left to chance. Some had to curve and twist to get ahead, forced to bend with the wind to remain standing, suffering storms that left others unscathed. Yet we could not blame fate for the choices we made-the rewards were ours to reap, as were the consequences ours to bear. And it was moments as these that formed who we were…what we could become.”

There is less romance in this one but her love life and her future will still be very much present! Xingyin’s heart will be put to the test and I confess that my preference for the one who would win her heart changed…

What a book!

Filled with an extraordinary lore like sunbirds, dragons and phoenixes! Where magic can be wind, cold, fire or healing. And where the fastest transportation happens riding clouds (I’d love that!).

You’ll visit underwater realms, will learn about tears becoming pearls and many, many more things!

This is fast paced, imaginative, wise, enthralling… and it made me cry too!

If you have read Daughter of the Moon Goddess you have to read it and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?

Also special mention for the gorgeous cover! I want the US and UK ones!

Thanks for reading!

Sophie