ARC Book Review: Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 464 pages
Author: Sue Lynn Tan
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

Thank you Harper Voyager for my gifted ARC.

WORKED FOR ME.

Fantasy standalones and I don’t always see eye to eye. I did go with the audiobook route and that was the click for me. I loved the audiobook and keeping it at the pace that I do helped me move through the story.

Yes, there’s a few plot quirks and I would have loved more of the relationship background BUT for a standalone this delivered. I love love love wild twists and plot moments I didn’t see coming. This had good reveals and I thought the unveiling of the story was executed well.

The romance was heated and swoony. I loved the connection between Liyen and the God of War. Perfectly timed tension and the build had my full attention. The lore was beautiful and I just can’t get enough of SLT’s writing style. It’s magnetic and the audiobook narrator brought everything to life.

Another gorgeous story that I loved reading.

Overall audience notes: