Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan – a Review

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Description:
After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting 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 perilous 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.

Description:

Heart of the Sun Warrior by Sue Lynn Tan is the 2^nd book in her Celestial Kingdom Duology. Heart of the Sun Warrior starts a year later from where it left off in the first book.  Xingyin has recovered from her injuries, and is happy to have returned home with her mother (now free) on the Moon.  The love triangle between Xingyin-Liwei- Wenzhi continues to escalate, especially when Liwei visits her on the Moon often, and Wenzhi is determined to prove that he loves her, and learned from his previous wrongdoings.  To Xingyin’s shock, she learns that her father is still alive, though in the mortal realm; but he returns to the Moon to see C’hang and Xingyin.  Her peaceful time is shortened, as a new threat to the realm has been discovered, threatening all of immortal and mortal realms. 

Xingyin is forced to leave her home again, when her mother was sent to prison, and Xingyin must find a way to save her.  The Celestial Emperor has been overcome by evil, and the throne is now been usurped by the terrible Wugang, who is now in charge.  Xingyin and her companions, which include, Liwei, Wenzhi, her father, and others to convince other realms to join the fight and save the world. 

What follows is an exciting, tense, emotional, action filled attempt to stop an evil being and his army of death. There is so much going on in the last third of the book, as I held my breath as to who will survive, against the devastation of terror that threatens the realms.  To say too much more would be spoilers and you really need to read this without me spoiling it for you. I did enjoy Xingyin’s feelings toward both Liwei and Wenzhi, but the love triangle was somewhat bittersweet.  

Heart of the Sun Warrior was a fantastic duology with an amazing conclusion. The Celestial Kingdom was a excellent high fantasy that was set in Asian mythology, with a wonderful heroine, and great secondary characters, villains, excellent world building and action-packed adventures. Sue Lynn Tan wrote a magnificent, intriguing, captivating story, which was so very well written.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher