Heart of the Sun Warrior

An exciting and emotional conclusion to the story that continues some time after the conclusion of the previous book. Xingyin, the daughter of the Moon Goddess, leads an idyllic existence on the moon with her mother while being assiduously courted by the prince of the Celestial Emperor. But she is also occasionally meeting with the man who betrayed her in the previous book, leading to conflicted feelings in a three-way love triangle.

But that existence swiftly comes to an end when an antagonist moves against her and her family to gain control of an unusual form of magic on the Moon. They are forced to flee and later discover what the magic can do. Old enmities have to be put aside as they put together a desperate plan to get rid of the magic and to stop a madman who may destroy both the mortal and immortal realms.

Much of what takes place in this book (the situations and relationship between Xingyin and various other characters) develops from the previous book, especially her conflicted feelings with the two people who are the most important to her in the book. Her character is further developed and changed as she witnesses the death of people close to her. She is also forced to examine the actions of her father, who caused the death of the sunbirds, beloved of the Sun goddess, to save the Mortal realm as mentioned in the previous book.

In the end, her heart is settled. But in a fitting close, the peace and happiness that she seeks will have to wait for another time.

About After winning the Celestial Emperor's pardon (although not his favor), Xingyin thought she'd be returning to her quiet life on the moon with her mother. But political turmoil rages in the Celestial Kingdom, churned on by her previous actions. With her home on the moon threatened by old enemies and new magic, Xingyin must once again take up her bow and fight for the ones she loves. And maybe even the ones she thought she gave up loving.

Thoughts The first book of this series was largely an adventure punctuated with romance. This one is definitely a romance punctuated with adventure. Xingyin is already an accomplished fighter, and so we see very little by way of her development in that area, with more time spent on her growing emotionally and learning how to process different kinds of grief. There's a lot more at stake here, with several deaths, and the loss of potential lives lived, with no one coming out entirely faultless in the process. The moral depth and complexity definitely outshines the first book in this space. The romantic triangle from the first book takes front and center here, with Wenzhi, Liwei, and eventually Xingyin all being way more honest about their feelings than the first go-around. There's a clear endgame this time around, and your enjoyment will probably hang entirely on who you cheered for in the first book. Action scenes move quickly, with fewer "epic" set pieces and more subdued fights (on average). There's also more time spent on Chinese lore, which I really enjoyed. Overall, I feel like it's a really good conclusion to the previous book, and it ties up all the loose ends really well.