Heart of the Sun Warrior: A Novel (Celestial Kingdom Book 2)

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The fakeout at the end was such a cop-out. The way death is portrayed in this series makes me mad to no end. Xingyin and Chang'e both experience terrible personal losses but instead of learning to get over their grief they yearn and sob until they discover that those who died are conveniently alive for no well explained reason and now they are happy again!

I’m just really overwhelmed with how empty this book is. I left this book feeling like the last chapter and maybe one plot point could’ve been the epilogue for DOTMG. This book was truly unnecessary. Xingyin is always forced to defend the Emperor and fight on his side because "the Emperor is bad, but (insert villain) is worse". So now at the end of the story he is able to have a nice retirement and run free. I can't explain how problematic this portrayal is and I am slightly concerned regarding the author's political beliefs in real life. Liwei had no choice in his engagement. He was forced to accept it for the good of the realm and for his parents. Unlike Wenzhi, who wasn't forced to do anything. He just wanted power.Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing me this amazing arc with me in exchange my honest thoughts. Liwei is pushy, impatient and ignorant to Xingyin's feelings, especially where his parents are concerned. Wenzhi is a creep and stalker who chases Xingyin around begging for forgiveness while she reprimands him but doesn't do anything to stop him. At the same time, I loved how Heart of the Sun Warrior deeply explores Xingyin and what she wants. The fact that the court still won’t accept her and her mother wounds her deeply, but can they ever get through it to be with the one she loves? As someone who has often felt on the outside, it is such a vulnerable and isolating position to be in. Throughout this theme, Heart of the Sun Warrior examines the nature of stories. Not only who gets to be the victor in the end, but also who gets to tell the story.

That said, there were some things that I didn’t love about this. Some of which I will put in spoilers. Action is all that matters, in the end. Action and follow through. While they both do all they can to do both, only one is there every step of the way. I told myself I wouldn't choose, but by the end I think it was impossible not to admit I was swaying one way over the other. With all the beauty and heartbreak of a Chinese fantasy drama, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an enchanting joy from start to finish.” The writing in this book is just as lyrical and beautiful as the first, but it’s definitely more fluff than plot in this book. However, some of the dialogue didn’t flow and felt very unrealistic/unrelatable. There were numerous duplicate/repetitive moments and sentences where it made you feel like you were re-reading by accident. There were huge chunks from DOTMG repeated throughout this book. As a result, I felt absolutely no emotions from the characters, and everything felt like it didn’t have any actual weight to the story. My biggest disappointment with the writing is how such dynamic characters as Liwei (Emperor of the Celestial Kingdom), Wenzhi (King of the Mind Magic Kingdom), and her father (Infamous Slayers of the 9 Sun Birds) are depicted as useless, dumb man-children who exist solely for Xingyin’s protection and bidding.

Review

Just as, "A life without love was a night without stars" a world without books is a dream without words.