Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Heart of the Sun Warrior (B&N Exclusive Edition) by Sue Lynn Tan
28 reviews
midnight_rose_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed Heart of the Sun Warrior, the second book in the Celestial Kingdoms series. But it was not a 5 star read, unfortunately, like the first book Daughter of the Moon Goddess was. There were moments that dragged (despite this book being less pages than the first), and at times didn’t feel nearly as compelling as its predecessor. Perhaps this could have been a hundred pages shorter and would have retained the energy the first one had. All in all I would still recommend this duology if you’re looking for descriptive writing and lush world-building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Death
Moderate: War, Child death, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
awkwardimagination's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was so much more emotional than the first. It felt faster, probably due to it's shorter time frame than the plot of the first book, stretching years. And it actually made me cry, like actual tears wear shed during the last 100 pages. This was not where I thought the romantic plot would go, but I am not upset about it. The ending, filled with grief and pain, was amazing, but I do feel slightly unsatisfied with how it finished. I know there may be another book coming, so hopefully, what I would've liked from this ending is there. Xingyin continues to be my favourite protagonist ever, I honestly love her, and I highly doubt I will respect and love another character as much as her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Grief, Violence, Death, Blood, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Torture
major character deathforeverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this duology so much! It’s just so lovely, and Natalie Naudus’s narration is perfect for it! I have loved listening to these books and being swept away to the Celestial Kingdom.
Without any spoilers, Heart of the Sun Warrior has the same charm as Daughter of the Moon Goddess. We see Xingyin continue to grow as a person and I love her character so much. She’s so easy to relate to and root for. We get to see Xingyin start to figure and decide what and who she wants in her life. I really liked the message that just because you love someone, doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your every happiness for them. The ending turned out even better than what I had hoped for! Highly recommend this duology for lovers of mythology, legends and epic fantasy worlds!
CWs: Death, grief, war, violence, child death, blood, murder, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, death of parent, alcohol consumption (wine).
Without any spoilers, Heart of the Sun Warrior has the same charm as Daughter of the Moon Goddess. We see Xingyin continue to grow as a person and I love her character so much. She’s so easy to relate to and root for. We get to see Xingyin start to figure and decide what and who she wants in her life. I really liked the message that just because you love someone, doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your every happiness for them. The ending turned out even better than what I had hoped for! Highly recommend this duology for lovers of mythology, legends and epic fantasy worlds!
CWs: Death, grief, war, violence, child death, blood, murder, fire/fire injury, injury/injury detail, death of parent, alcohol consumption (wine).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Alcohol, Child death, Blood, and Death
daniellekat's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
I struggled with this. I really enjoyed Moon Goddess especially since I'm not a huge fan of high fantasy, but the lack of character development really killed this for me. If I thought Xingyin was annoying in the first book, she was unbearable in this one. The characters all lacked substance, leading me to not care about their individual outcomes. While I generally enjoyed the weird pacing (some parts were so slow while others were super quick), the writing felt much more repetitive than Moon Goddess. Overall, the plot was fine and I would still read more of Tan's work, but this left me feeling disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: War, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
matcha_pages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
A sequel I didn't need. Harsh, I know, but this story just dragged on and diluted everything great about the series. I'm disappointed because this sequel had potential to be just as strong as the first book.
There were parts I enjoyed, the gorgeous descriptions, consequences from the first book playing out, and exploration of morally grey choices. The story starts off strong, we face a new villain playing the long game and uncover imperial schemes. We learn the backstory of several characters adding to the richness and complexity of the Celestial Kingdom.
Unfortunately as the book continued, the plot started to meander and break apart. There were too many side plots each with it's own bad guy, the magic system lost it's logic, and the ending was doubly disappointing. This is the most undecisive love triangle I've ever read. There's no romantic tension or engaging rivalry (like the first book). The hottest immortal bachelors throw themselves at Xingyin, but she can't accept her "true" feelings or make up her mind until the last few pages, literally.
I still love the Celestial Kingdom, just not this one
There were parts I enjoyed, the gorgeous descriptions, consequences from the first book playing out, and exploration of morally grey choices. The story starts off strong, we face a new villain playing the long game and uncover imperial schemes. We learn the backstory of several characters adding to the richness and complexity of the Celestial Kingdom.
Unfortunately as the book continued, the plot started to meander and break apart. There were too many side plots each with it's own bad guy, the magic system lost it's logic, and the ending was doubly disappointing. This is the most undecisive love triangle I've ever read. There's no romantic tension or engaging rivalry (like the first book). The hottest immortal bachelors throw themselves at Xingyin, but she can't accept her "true" feelings or make up her mind until the last few pages, literally.
I still love the Celestial Kingdom, just not this one
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Death, and Murder
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent
kaitzeecee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Torture
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Somehow even better than the first. So worth the wait. I think this might be the first book to have ever made me romantically interested in a character. Wenzhi stole my heart and it was so unexpected, cause Liwei was and is still my favourite character. I think that it was all executed perfectly. Tan managed to capture the experience of being in love with two people which is usually too difficult to verbalise in an informal setting, nevermind in a book with such wonderful writing. Reading it was a healing experience. I never forgot about the first book and I will never forget about this one either. I don't do re-reads often but I might do it for this series.
Spoiler
How I wish there was a third book, so we could watch them fall in love again. I wanted more time with Liwei, he was such a pure soul in that way that only fictional people can be. I felt heartbroken for him when Xingyin picked Wenzhi, but it was also healing for me. Seeing someone do everything right, be the best version of themselves and still be rejected because the person they love does not love them back.. Xingyin not wanting him back does not make him any less valuable as a person. It doesn't blow out the light in his soul. He continues to exist. He is her friend. It gives one hope after heartbreak.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Torture, Blood, Child death, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcohol and Fire/Fire injury
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
HEART OF THE SUN WARRIOR picks up a little after DAUGTHER OF THE MOON GODDESS. Xingyin is back on the moon with her mother, but now neither of them is bound to stay. Xingyin is still the narrator, and her presentation is consistent with the first book. This wraps up the relationship triangle established in the first book between Xingyin, Liwei, and Wenzhi. It also establishes and resolves a new storyline, related to Xingin's mother and her parents' past. As the final book of the duology, it's self-contained enough for the main narrative to make sense if someone didn't read the first book, but the friendships, allies, and enemies who drive the story were almost all established earlier. It's very good at recapping when necessary in a way that feels very natural, but it'll definitely be more resonant to someone trying to remember what happened earlier, not someone who didn't read the first book at all.
The worldbuilding leans on things set up in the first book, expanding on a couple of new areas and spending much more on the moon and Xingyin's parents. Her mother is finally free to leave the moon and this makes way for opportunities long denied to her. It is immersive without getting bogged down in descriptions of each place. They have a distinctive character conveyed through Xingyin's reactions and worries, as well as the people in the various areas. It's not as travel-heavy as the first book, with a much more straightforward quest in a shorter timespan. The elixir of immortality is in play once again, and the quest, in this case, is to flee and not die from the king's wrath, while hopefully figuring out how to stop a plot against Xingyin's mother.
Xingyin is still torn between Liwei and Wenzhi, with both men making their interest clear but not pressuring her. Her complicated feelings are driven by events in the first book, and she's trying to sort out her thoughts and desires. They represent two different kinds of lives in addition to being different people, and she's strongly bonded to them. I like this better than a lot of love triangles, but I must admit that a part of me wishes this resolved like IRON WIDOW by Xiran Jay Zhao. It doesn't because Liwei and Wenzhi are not at all interested in each other, and so it remains a choice between people on Xingyin's part. Ultimately I like how it ends, I think it fits the characters and the narrative. Because they are immortal unless actively killed, this is very early in Xingyin's presumably long existence to come, and the ending is very aware of that. It helps to solidify the sense that this is one particularly important and eventful chapter in her life, but that this isn't the end by any stretch.
The worldbuilding leans on things set up in the first book, expanding on a couple of new areas and spending much more on the moon and Xingyin's parents. Her mother is finally free to leave the moon and this makes way for opportunities long denied to her. It is immersive without getting bogged down in descriptions of each place. They have a distinctive character conveyed through Xingyin's reactions and worries, as well as the people in the various areas. It's not as travel-heavy as the first book, with a much more straightforward quest in a shorter timespan. The elixir of immortality is in play once again, and the quest, in this case, is to flee and not die from the king's wrath, while hopefully figuring out how to stop a plot against Xingyin's mother.
Xingyin is still torn between Liwei and Wenzhi, with both men making their interest clear but not pressuring her. Her complicated feelings are driven by events in the first book, and she's trying to sort out her thoughts and desires. They represent two different kinds of lives in addition to being different people, and she's strongly bonded to them. I like this better than a lot of love triangles, but I must admit that a part of me wishes this resolved like IRON WIDOW by Xiran Jay Zhao. It doesn't because Liwei and Wenzhi are not at all interested in each other, and so it remains a choice between people on Xingyin's part. Ultimately I like how it ends, I think it fits the characters and the narrative. Because they are immortal unless actively killed, this is very early in Xingyin's presumably long existence to come, and the ending is very aware of that. It helps to solidify the sense that this is one particularly important and eventful chapter in her life, but that this isn't the end by any stretch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Self harm
Minor: Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Death of parent