ebookreview | [ 707 ]

The Dragon and the Sun Lotus (The Three Realms Duology #2) by Amélie Wen Zhao

Genre:
Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, Romantasy, Young Adult, Enemies to Lovers, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Netgalley

Publication Date:
March 3, 2026

Page Numbers:
400

Read/Finished Date:
December 14th, 2025 - December 15th, 2025

Rating:
4.75/5

Premise:

In the breathtaking sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, the battle has just begun. With Àn’yīng’s kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction, and amidst a budding forbidden romance, she must now risk everything to protect her world.

A decade ago, the Kingdom of Night began the war against the Kingdom of Rivers, ravaging the lands and releasing mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—to roam free, drinking the souls of mortals. Now the mó have made it beyond the magical wards of the immortal realm—the Kingdom of Sky—and will not stop until the entire world falls to darkness.

Àn’yīng is determined to banish the mó to their realm and return the mortal realm to peace. But a stunning betrayal has turned the tides of this Her handsome rival from the Immortality Trials and the man she was falling in love with, Yù’chén, is now the enemy. Yù’chén is half mó, his mother none other than Sansiran, the Demon Queen of the Kingdom of Night . . . and the monster responsible for killing Àn’yīng’s father.

There is one hope for the future, though. The boy in the jade—Àn’yīng’s lifelong mystery guardian and heir to the last mortal Emperor—Hào’yáng. Together, Àn’yīng and Hào’yáng must join forces to rally an army that stretches across realms, from the Four Seas of the Dragons to the Phoenixes of the Golden Desert. But first she must awaken to the immortal power slumbering in her own veins.

Review:

The Dragon and the Sun Lotus is the final novel in a duology that takes place shortly after book one. Our female lead, Àn’yīng, has fled from the Kingdom of Sky after being betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust. Now, the Kingdom of Night has ruthlessly set out to destroy both the Kingdom of Sky and the mortal world and drown them in darkness. Àn’yīng and the boy in the jade Hào’yáng must join forces to rally an army to keep out the mó from entering other realms.

I loved this novel, but I also love the fact that it read like those outrageously beautiful fantasy Cdramas that I enjoy watching so much. I cannot put a finger on it, but there are quite a few that this novel reminded me of. Nevertheless, this duology is the first book that I have read by Ms. Zhao and it won't be the last one. The characters. The world-building. The storyline. I loved Yù’chén. I think he was my favorite among all the characters.

I also loved how well-fleshed out the characters were in this novel. There was a growth in these characters, especially in Àn’yīng.

Overall, this novel was entertaining and read like a beautiful Cdrama that drew you in and kept you captivated until the end of the novel. Pick this one up if you like Cdramas.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC. All reviews are my own.