I picked up Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan because I was absolutely enthralled by her first duology Daughter of the Moon Goddess. And as a standalone romantasy, I felt the need to check it out.
Here’s more about the book
A stunning, standalone romantic fantasy filled with dangerous secrets, forbidden magic, and passion, of a young ruler who fights to protect her kingdom, from bestselling author Sue Lynn Tan and set in the breathtaking world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.
“What the gods did not give us, I would take.”
As the heir to Tianxia, Liyen knows she must ascend the throne and renew her kingdom’s pledge to serve the immortals who once protected them from a vicious enemy. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather steals an enchanted lotus to save her life. Enraged at his betrayal, the immortal queen commands the powerful God of War to attack Tianxia.
Upon her grandfather’s death, Liyen ascends a precarious throne, vowing to end her kingdom’s obligation to the immortals. 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.
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My thoughts
If you’re a fan of Chinese fantasy dramas, then this is the perfect book for you. Filled with every kind of trope you can think of (I would list them, but they can be considered spoilers), this book delivers a lot of action, suspicion, big reveals, and romance. It really kept me entertained the entire time I was reading!
The story follows Liyen, a young princess who has just inherited the throne from her late grandfather only after he had stolen a magical lotus to save Liyen from being poisoned. Sadly, the magical lotus also happens to be the item cultivated for the immortal queen and once she finds out, she makes it her business to go after Liyen and get that lotus back. Along the way, she comes across the God of War, who you guessed it will have an enemies-to-lovers romance with. The romance was a little instant for my taste, but at the same time it makes a lot of sense. In some Chinese dramas, you kind of see that bond come together quickly, but then a bunch of things happen that keep the lovers apart.
I absolutely loved Liyen. She’s relatable, she’s strong, and she has convictions that you can stand up for. She wants to protect her people and she doesn’t care about immortal thrones. In fact, she’s hoping to free her people from the bonds of servitude to the immortals, which is why she gets involved in this mess in the first place. And as the story goes on, you learn more about Liyen, the white streak in her hair, and why she is the way she is.
The only reason why I can’t give this book all five stars is because the delivery was just a little rushed. The pacing started off fine, but then it moved very quickly before slowing way down towards the end. It didn’t feel like it got its footing until much later in the book. There were parts I wished were shown rather than told and with my small knowledge of Chinese fantasy dramas, I know that they would much rather show you what happened 600 years ago then tell you what happened. That’s what I kind of missed about this book; the immersion into this world of immortals and mortals.
Overall, still a great story and if you’re a fan of romantasy, this will definitely be a stunner.
Simone and Her Books 
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