Blurb:

A young ruler must forge a delicate alliance with the untrustworthy yet magnetic God of War to protect her kingdom in this stunning romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, from Sue Lynn Tan, bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess

The young heir to a mortal crown, Liyen ascends a precarious throne when her grandfather dies, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals and take vengeance against those she feels responsible for his death. When she is summoned to the Immortal Realm, she seizes the opportunity to learn their secrets and to form a tenuous alliance to safeguard her people, all with the one she should fear and mistrust the most: the ruthless God of War. As they are drawn together, a treacherous attraction ignites between them—one she has to resist, to not endanger all she is fighting for.

 But with darker forces closing in around them, and her kingdom plunged into peril, Liyen must risk everything to save her people from an unspeakable fate, even if it means forging a dangerous bond with the immortal… even if it means losing her heart. 

Review:

Overview

I loved it. Sue Lynn Tan is one of my favorite authors and Immortal does not disappoint! While Immortal is set in the same world as Daughter of the Moon Goddess it is in a different kingdom, with a whole new cast of characters and an entirely different vibe. I found Immortal to have a more serious tone than Tan’s previous work with a great amount of depth. There were so many wonderful nuggets of wisdom and plenty of great quotes to highlight for later. I loved the twists and turns and the beautifully layered slow burn enemies to lovers romance between Liyen and the God of War. 

Characters

The story is told from a single first-person point of view so we get a lot of time with Liyen who I really enjoyed as a character and I grew to love her more as her story progressed. Liyen is the heir to the Tianxia kingdom, though she grew up sickly her grandfather always groomed her to take his throne and when he steals the Divine Louts from the Immortal Queen to save Liyen’s life he incurs the wrath of the gods. Liyen is heald, but suddenly thrust into power and a dangerous game with the Immortals. I love how growing up weak but beloved by her family brings unique insights into how Liyen views the world, her people, and her place as a ruler. 

Liyen’s character is complemented nicely by Zhangwei, the God of War. While he comes off as arrogant and cold-hearted based on Liyen’s prejudiced view of the god we slowly pull back the layers of the God of War to reveal a beautifully complete character. I loved how we get to know the real Zhangwei as Liyen works to overcome her own bias and see him for who he is vs who she believes the God of War to be. 

Romance

There is a great slow burn enemies to lovers storyline between Liyen and Zhangwei. While I found some of their interaction early on infuriating the chemistry that builds between them and how the romance all comes together in the end makes it all worthwhile. Their love story is so beautiful and layered they certainly deserve a spot among my favorite book couples along with Xingyin and Wenzhi.

Plot

Early on I was enjoying the story but unsure if it would be exactly what I was looking for, I was so wrong! Once the plot twist started hitting any of the plot points that I had been unsure of came together in such an unexpectedly satisfying way! This story is beautiful and deep, but also a ton of fun with adventure and a great romance. It brought me to tears and will be one I still think about for a long time to come.

Worldbuilding

The worldbuilding in Immortal is lighter than in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, although they are set in the same world. That being said I think it was perfect for this story and I particularly enjoyed meeting the Wuxin and traveling to Kunlun and the underworld with lush descriptions that bring these magical realms to life. 

Enjoyment

I loved this story! Sue Lynn Tan has cemented her position as an auto-buy author in my book. I’ve highly enjoyed everything I have read from her and Immortal is no exception. While this is a stand-alone I hope we get to journey back to this magical world with a whole new cast of characters soon.