“Nothing is assured in life. Sometimes we need to just trust—whether in destiny, or each other.”
Liyen is the heir to Tianxia, a mortal kingdom pledged to serve the immortals and guard the precious Divine Pearl Lotus, an enchanted flower with healing powers. But when she is poisoned, Liyen’s grandfather gives her the lotus to save her life. This unleashes the immortals’ wrath and throws her in the path of the mysterious and ruthless God of War, Lord Zhangwei. Liyen finds she must ascend to the throne much earlier than she anticipated and vows to free her people from their pledge, even if that means losing everything…but her fate might just lead her to what she’s been missing all along.
Immortal immediately transports you into its fantastical and epic land filled with Chinese mythology, gods, and monsters. The writing is stunning and the worldbuilding is rich and expressive, blending high fantasy with romance so seamlessly you can’t help but admire Sue Lynn Tan’s skill. The chapters fly by as Liyen and Zhangwei dance a delicate tango of life and love while trying to prevent a war that threatens both immortals and mortals alike.
Liyen is an excellent protagonist who doesn’t sit around and wait for the plot to happen to her; she chooses to make her own fate, every time. Strong and empathetic, she seeks to right all the wrongs she sees and strives to learn more about her world and its different realms. The God of War is the romance hero you’ve been looking for; powerful and protective, he sees Liyen for everything she is, challenging her and moving mountains just to be by her side. Their love story is bewitching, making your heart race with every magnetic encounter.
This is one of the best romantasy novels I’ve read in a long time; the world and its politics are always dynamic and never too heavy-handed, while the fantasy aspects light up the narrative. And the romance, ooh, the romance, it sets this novel on fire. The action scenes are all at once brutal and poetic, always showing the cost and grief of bloodshed while adding to the tension that keeps the narrative flowing. Exploring what it means to be human and how love transcends all, Immortal’s wonderfully poignant observations about family, friendship, and duty will take your breath away.
Starting the year off with finesse, Immortal is a novel I want to shout about from the rooftops—multiple times while reading, I had to sit back and squeal over just how fantastic it is. This is a must-read for any romantasy fan; Immortal takes the genre into the skies for an unmissable and truly unforgettable adventure.
