Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan

RomanceFantasyMythology/Folklore

Mar 11

Written By taylor shepeard

Title: Immortal

Author: Sue Lynn Tan

Publication Date: January 7, 2025

Audience: Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Sub-Genre: Romance / Mythology

POV: Single

Series: Standalone | Same Universe

Format: Audiobook

—Narrator(s): Natalie Naudus

4.5 ⭐ | 1🌶️

Pros:
✨Plot Twist(s)
✨Authentic Romance
✨Interwoven Plot Points
✨Immersive Atmosphere
✨Prose / Writing Style
✨Identity Exploration
✨Audiobook Narration

Cons:
✨Flat Secondary Characters
✨Conflict is almost too neatly tied up

Synopsis

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.

*Blurb taken from The StoryGraph

Review

This review may contain spoilers.

Liyen, heir to the mortal throne of Tianxia, must ascend a precarious throne soon after her grandfather saves her life by giving her a forbidden lotus flower meant for the immortal queen. Caught in political turmoil and hiding personal secrets, she must hold her own against the God of War while fighting to end her people’s pledge to the immortals.

Every time Sue Lynn Tan puts out a novel, I eat it up. She has a way of transporting readers directly into her world and immersing us in it. That being said, I did enjoy her The Celestial Kingdom duology more than this.

Liyen as a protagonist was fierce and protective of her people, her heart guarded when interacting with Zhangwei (The God of War). The tension between the two of them was ✨chef’s kiss✨ If we ever got a collection of stories that expands on Liyen and Zhangwei’s love story from her former life as an immortal, I would swoon! Please, Tan, I need it!

True to form from this author, there are twists throughout the story, as opposed to only at the end. I audibly gasped multiple times, practically bouncing in my seat!

The plot was complex, the storytelling expansive and engaging, and the conclusion (while wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes) was satisfying despite being a bit open-ended.

I really hope we continue to get more from this world, and I would LOVE some appearances from our DOTMG cast—Liwei, Xingyin, and Wenzhi. I miss them so much, and I have to admit, they stuck with me in a way I don’t think the characters from this particular book will. That being said, I still loved this novel!