Pages: 450
Published: 7th January 2025
Genre: Fantasy
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.
This is a story that shimmers under the light of a captivating world and creates high emotional stakes which cross the mortal divide with imagination and drama. In many ways a thrilling ride containing a number of unexpected twists and political tension, it shows the potential to be a magnificent only to fall slightly under the weight of an increasingly confused plot.
It is set in the same Celestial Kingdom that Sue Lynn Tan immersed in so delightfully in her previous books, but other than the occasional vague reference this standalone story is a very separate entity and features new characters. Still, none of the magic has dissipated from her writing and here we have another strong young female protagonist taking on the hierarchy in the name of freedom and finding romance along the way, although Liyen is led down a much different path than Xingyin before her.
The plot is one of two halves, both in terms of its quality and the direction it takes. It starts out very strongly, with Liyen being forced to defend her kingdom and pitting herself against the immortals, a situation made more complex by her intriguing dynamic with the God of War. There is urgency here in spades alongside some really entertaining passages of dialogue, and it appears to set itself up nicely for what we expect will be a menacing test of Liyen’s resolve, full of intense moral dilemmas.
But as the book reaches its midway point, a huge twist arrives that turns everything on its head. It definitely has the surprise factor and may delight readers who prefer a little more romance in their literary lives, but objectively it plays havoc with the plot and while the story is still engaging, the author ties herself into a set of knots that she is not able to fully undo.
Liyen sets out to avenge her grandfather and prove to her ministers that she can govern in his place, but the twist takes us down a very separate path and certain things are left unresolved. While we do get further surprises and a major showdown towards the end, the romance essentially takes over and feels out of sync with what happens before, deviating too far from what the story builds up towards in the first half of the book.
Around the romance, there is so much else going on in what is an extremely character-driven read. A lot of it could have used more development, but there were some powerful moments too and it was relatively easy to stay invested in Liyen’s journey into the Immortal Realm. Even her relationship with Zhangwei, despite the lack of backstory and complications it causes the plot, is powerful in its own way.
Perhaps most rewarding of all is the ongoing friendship between Liyen and Chengyu. His loyalty to her was heartwarming on the page and for everything that happens he is always by her side. Yet there was much more complexity to Aunt Shou than what we see on the surface at first, beyond the steady maternal figure we see early on.
As for the Immortals, the legends of Zhangwei as the God of War make him seem far more ruthless than he is in reality. He has an arrogance about him on the outside which conceals the many physical and psychological burdens he carries – indeed, there is something oddly tragic about him. The same cannot be said about his ruler Queen Caihong, however, for she is cold as ice, even after some of the later revelations.
In contrast to the murky plot, the settings are realised with beautiful clarity. Tianxia in its fragile peace, downtrodden by the Immortals and in a dangerous state of transition, feels darkly oppressed as if the lights are going out. And for all the threats that loiter within the Immortal Realm, there is also wonder and endless possibility, especially once Liyen and Zhangwei find each other and sparks begin to fly.
You can always guarantee mesmerising writing from Sue Lynn Tan and she does not let us down in that department here. The prose evokes such emotion and depth, and all her words are clearly assembled with careful thought, giving Liyen a noticeable conscience to go with her strong, spirited narrative voice. It is poetic, amid the roller coaster of action that plays out.
Overall, the characters were mostly spot on along with the setting and the writing, yet the way the plot unravels during the second half of the book is what sadly lets it down. On reflection, it may have been a better idea for this to have been a duology rather than a standalone, in order for these dual components to be further developed and fit better as a whole. Good in many respects, but as far as the plot goes, the execution is lacking.
The writing is stunning and the story compelling, only a twist in the middle complicates the plot and it left me struggling to grasp it thereafter. So a lot to like, but very mixed feelings.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
