A fast-paced and captivating tale that will pull you in from the first page and doesn’t let up until the very end. Filled with romance and political intrigue, you can never be too sure who you can trust - or if love can truly outlast even lifetimes. 

Somehow, this book caught me even better than Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and I don’t say that lightly as someone who devoured that duology. I cannot even properly explain this book, other than the fact that it kept me entranced from the moment I began reading and once I started I couldn’t stop. If you loved Sue Lynn Tan’s debut duology, then trust me her writing has only (somehow) improved in Immortal, and you need to pick up this book. 

The romance was so amazingly well done I spent the entire novel hoping that it would survive against all odds. I am so unbelievably picky when it comes to main romance plots in fantasy novels, and this was so well executed I was hanging on the edge of my seat the entire time. The chemistry between Liyen and Zhangwei was so well done I was rooting for them even when I knew I shouldn't. 

The writing in this book is so beautiful I can’t even properly describe it, but the world in this book is so lush and amazing no matter where our characters are in the story. Our main character, Liyen, is a passionate and caring ruler, and I loved sharing her POV throughout this novel. She does her best to help and protect her people, and as I was reading I felt like her betrayals were also my betrayals alongside her. 

Sometimes when I love a book too much I find it so hard to properly describe my feelings for a review, and this is one of those books. The time flew by as I was reading this book, and despite the 5-6 hours it took for me to finish this book, at no point did it feel like it was dragging on or did I truly feel the page count. 

I know this book says it takes place during the same world as in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, but in all honesty it felt like a brand new story set in the same beautiful landscape - but with entirely new characters and experiences. While I do highly recommend everyone read the Celestial Kingdom duology, in no way would you have to read that first before diving into Immortal. I didn’t find anything in this book that required or expected you to have previous knowledge of her other books, and so if you were looking for a single-book exploration into Sue Lynn Tan’s writing, I cannot recommend this book enough. Immortal is atmospheric and intense, with a romance that will keep you captivated until the last page.