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Once Immortal
Nayi, dragon god of water, darkness, and cold is stripped of his immortality and banished to the mortal realm. After nurturing the nascent human race, he retires deep into the mountains to cultivate in an attempt to reclaim his place in heaven. However, as thousands of years pass, Nayi’s body and power only deteriorate with age.
Then, a young dragon shows up on Nayi’s doorstep claiming to be his son and begging for help against vicious phoenix raiders. Nayi is thrust into a new role as a first-time father and teacher.
And he has no idea what he’s doing.
Inspired by the xianxia genre, Once Immortal is a whimsical, fable-style eastern fantasy novel which doubles as a comedic mediation on mortality, mentorship, and parenthood. Witness the birth of a realm of dragons and phoenixes, the Land of Sea and Flame. Enter Nayi’s mountain school for dragons, and join his class as they train to become great martial artists.
Then, a young dragon shows up on Nayi’s doorstep claiming to be his son and begging for help against vicious phoenix raiders. Nayi is thrust into a new role as a first-time father and teacher.
And he has no idea what he’s doing.
Inspired by the xianxia genre, Once Immortal is a whimsical, fable-style eastern fantasy novel which doubles as a comedic mediation on mortality, mentorship, and parenthood. Witness the birth of a realm of dragons and phoenixes, the Land of Sea and Flame. Enter Nayi’s mountain school for dragons, and join his class as they train to become great martial artists.
- GenresFantasy
282 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2026
I have never read a book like this, yet I've been looking for a book like this my entire life.
Since reading This is How You Lose the Time War, I've been constantly searching for weird time books. This is kind of one. It follows a god who becomes a mortal and has to try to rebuild himself back to what he once was. It goes across thousands of years, though the bulk of the story happens within a smaller set time.
I almost cried at the end. I love these characters so much. I would read about them endlessly.
Definitely pick up a copy!
Since reading This is How You Lose the Time War, I've been constantly searching for weird time books. This is kind of one. It follows a god who becomes a mortal and has to try to rebuild himself back to what he once was. It goes across thousands of years, though the bulk of the story happens within a smaller set time.
I almost cried at the end. I love these characters so much. I would read about them endlessly.
Definitely pick up a copy!
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5
Once Immortal was a fun fantasy story with eastern influences that definitely had it's serious moments.
I enjoyed the writing style, which follows main character's Nayi's narration. His commentary was often humorous. I really liked the attention and detail given to Nayi's relationships with Kai and Dam specifically. You can tell he has a real soft spot for Kai, which is the driving relationship that pushes Nayi to be better.
I wish that more focus however had been given to Chayu and Moon, who were side characters in the story. Moon was particularly fascinating and I loved whenever Nayi's narration turned to her or when she had moments in the book (these were mostly in the first half of the book). Their relationship was so unique, something I don't often see in books. You can tell their relationship straddles the platonic and romantic and lands somewhere queerplatonic, which I think is really neat. There were little scenes sprinkled throughout the book (her conversation with Buro and her decision to train Chayu towards the end of the story) that I deeply wish had been expounded on. Ultimately, I like where her character arc ended though and I thought it was deeply fitting and touching.
Nayi's character arc was also well done in my opinion. You can tell he starts the story quite immature, insecure, and unsure about himself. He has so many walls up and he is socially awkward. Where he ends the story made my eyes water a little bit. It's done really well.
Where the story falters in my opinion is the pacing. The story follows Nayi's origin in the first part, his school in the second, and takes a more serious turn in the third. The transitions between these periods are largely done in time skips and the pacing suffers a bit.
Ultimately though, this was such a fun fantasy world. I like the explanations for how things were created, like stars, the sun, and the moon. I liked all the unique ways that the dragons used their magic as well. Any fantasy lover who likes eastern elements and wants a lighthearted story will enjoy this story of an old man learning to be a father. It is very touching.
Once Immortal was a fun fantasy story with eastern influences that definitely had it's serious moments.
I enjoyed the writing style, which follows main character's Nayi's narration. His commentary was often humorous. I really liked the attention and detail given to Nayi's relationships with Kai and Dam specifically. You can tell he has a real soft spot for Kai, which is the driving relationship that pushes Nayi to be better.
I wish that more focus however had been given to Chayu and Moon, who were side characters in the story. Moon was particularly fascinating and I loved whenever Nayi's narration turned to her or when she had moments in the book (these were mostly in the first half of the book). Their relationship was so unique, something I don't often see in books. You can tell their relationship straddles the platonic and romantic and lands somewhere queerplatonic, which I think is really neat. There were little scenes sprinkled throughout the book (her conversation with Buro and her decision to train Chayu towards the end of the story) that I deeply wish had been expounded on. Ultimately, I like where her character arc ended though and I thought it was deeply fitting and touching.
Nayi's character arc was also well done in my opinion. You can tell he starts the story quite immature, insecure, and unsure about himself. He has so many walls up and he is socially awkward. Where he ends the story made my eyes water a little bit. It's done really well.
Where the story falters in my opinion is the pacing. The story follows Nayi's origin in the first part, his school in the second, and takes a more serious turn in the third. The transitions between these periods are largely done in time skips and the pacing suffers a bit.
Ultimately though, this was such a fun fantasy world. I like the explanations for how things were created, like stars, the sun, and the moon. I liked all the unique ways that the dragons used their magic as well. Any fantasy lover who likes eastern elements and wants a lighthearted story will enjoy this story of an old man learning to be a father. It is very touching.
June 24, 2026
Well, I decided to take a tangential shift in my reading to explore the indie, self-published world beyond my usual tastes. What better place for my shift than a spot of cosy (ish) meets cultivation progressive eastern-influenced fantasy? That’s a mouthful to say, and a long way from my darker-edged sci-fi and fantasy reading.
But I’m glad I took the chance.
Once Immortal took me to places I haven’t been in a long time, and the writing style is comedic and whimsical, yet filled with an earnest emotional depth as we explore themes of parenthood, dealing with unwanted/unexpected demands, and personal growth. In fact, the author refers in their endnotes to their experiences under various teachers and how they inspired parts of the story. It is, in many ways, a homage to teaching and learning, to be not only shown the path but led down it by a teacher with the desire to do the best they can for their students. Here, also, the teacher is learning the expectations of the role alongside the pupils.
And in another twist, the story juxtaposes the students against the god/master in another way, for as they progress (cultivate their abilities) their teacher regresses from godhood to master to, eventually, mortality before a heartfelt ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Once Immortal. There are issues around some of the time skips, but due to being a god, I suppose thousands of years will feel like a blink of an eye. But they do step you out of the book initially, though they settle down later. The plot is in many ways secondary, and all in the book description.
As an ex-teacher, in many ways this story touched me where it may not others. So be aware that if you’re seeking an all-action, LitRPG-style bash ‘em up when I mention progression fantasy, well, you may need to look elsewhere. However, as an exploration of a god understanding mortality, kinship and love, this may well be up your street.
But I’m glad I took the chance.
Once Immortal took me to places I haven’t been in a long time, and the writing style is comedic and whimsical, yet filled with an earnest emotional depth as we explore themes of parenthood, dealing with unwanted/unexpected demands, and personal growth. In fact, the author refers in their endnotes to their experiences under various teachers and how they inspired parts of the story. It is, in many ways, a homage to teaching and learning, to be not only shown the path but led down it by a teacher with the desire to do the best they can for their students. Here, also, the teacher is learning the expectations of the role alongside the pupils.
And in another twist, the story juxtaposes the students against the god/master in another way, for as they progress (cultivate their abilities) their teacher regresses from godhood to master to, eventually, mortality before a heartfelt ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Once Immortal. There are issues around some of the time skips, but due to being a god, I suppose thousands of years will feel like a blink of an eye. But they do step you out of the book initially, though they settle down later. The plot is in many ways secondary, and all in the book description.
As an ex-teacher, in many ways this story touched me where it may not others. So be aware that if you’re seeking an all-action, LitRPG-style bash ‘em up when I mention progression fantasy, well, you may need to look elsewhere. However, as an exploration of a god understanding mortality, kinship and love, this may well be up your street.
May 5, 2026
I received a review copy of Once Immortal from the author. This review is voluntary and opinions are my own.
Once Immortal has a gentle storytelling style that’s dominant throughout much of the book. I’d liken this to To Shape a Dragon’s Breath because it’s a story that follows lives over a long span of time and includes a lot of routine elements (such as training) throughout. There are moments of intense action spread throughout, and because of the story’s scope, it doesn’t feel predictable. Although much of the narrative feels gentle because it’s covering routine actions or doesn’t involve an immediate threat, it lulls you into complacency and makes the imminent threats that much more shocking when they arise.
This book has a delightful ensemble of supporting characters. I laughed out loud at times. And, because of the author’s skill, I found myself rooting for these characters and worrying about them as the story progressed. As much as I tried to project where things were going, I couldn’t see all the developments coming, so it held my interest throughout.
I did cry some ugly tears, and still feel choked up about what caused that response. I want to avoid spoilers, though, so I’ll just say this book got to me, which is the best compliment I can offer any book. It’s the kind that establishes memorable characters you don’t want to leave behind and delivers hope and heartache.
For me, this is a standout, memorable read. Perhaps because I’m such a fan of the Nampeshiweisit series and it has some stylistic and content similarities. Perhaps because I like reading something that feels fresh, instead of recycled plots. And Once Immortal does feel fresh and lovely and inspiring all rolled into one.
Once Immortal has a gentle storytelling style that’s dominant throughout much of the book. I’d liken this to To Shape a Dragon’s Breath because it’s a story that follows lives over a long span of time and includes a lot of routine elements (such as training) throughout. There are moments of intense action spread throughout, and because of the story’s scope, it doesn’t feel predictable. Although much of the narrative feels gentle because it’s covering routine actions or doesn’t involve an immediate threat, it lulls you into complacency and makes the imminent threats that much more shocking when they arise.
This book has a delightful ensemble of supporting characters. I laughed out loud at times. And, because of the author’s skill, I found myself rooting for these characters and worrying about them as the story progressed. As much as I tried to project where things were going, I couldn’t see all the developments coming, so it held my interest throughout.
I did cry some ugly tears, and still feel choked up about what caused that response. I want to avoid spoilers, though, so I’ll just say this book got to me, which is the best compliment I can offer any book. It’s the kind that establishes memorable characters you don’t want to leave behind and delivers hope and heartache.
For me, this is a standout, memorable read. Perhaps because I’m such a fan of the Nampeshiweisit series and it has some stylistic and content similarities. Perhaps because I like reading something that feels fresh, instead of recycled plots. And Once Immortal does feel fresh and lovely and inspiring all rolled into one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a fun read, and absolutely ambitious in regards to the scope of all the things that happened in this book. We start out from Nayi's point of view, and follow him as he goes from an immortal dragon to mortal-ish human with perks. Ie: He keeps quite a few of his abilities and also his ability to change into his dragon form. This book feels like it could easily be divided into Part 1 - The Fall and the Journey, and Part 2 - Training Young Shrimps. There were quite a few different life stages and transitions covered, and a few meaningful time skips that kept the story moving. We started with Nayi's beginning and his fall, his adaptation period, a journey, meeting a whole new cast of characters, and then his transition into teacher and guide. I enjoyed the lighter tone of this book. It was light and silly at times, but there was also a lot of heart in it as well. This is not a story that lingers only in the funny moments or that brushes past tough topics without addressing them. There are some heavy things here, including warring groups of people, injuries, thoughts about mortality, and death. The last 15-20% of the book is where this story truly shines. Nayi grows to care about those around him after being mostly alone for thousands of years, and there's a strong sense of found family at play here. Some of the discussions between characters or even Nayi's own self-reflection are heartfelt and meaningful. Overall, even though this book was a little different in tone than I'm used to reading, I really did enjoy it and thought it was a refreshing change of pace after some heavier reads. I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
August 31, 2026
I will admit to procrastinating a bit as I read this book. Not because it wasn't fun, but just because I knew the end was coming and I didn't want it to! I was happily following Nayi's adventures and I didn't want to reach the end.
No spoilers here!
I loved this book. This was just so much fun and I kept smiling so often through all of this.
Watching (reading) as Nayi first has to come to terms with life, then suddenly it's life with kids, and then life with kids who also need lessons!
I can so easily relate to the mentality of "I have ALLLLL of this experience and you don't, you aren't really listening to me, and I don't know how to communicate on your level so you understand." Because of that, it was honestly very entertaining to watch as Nayi has to figure out how to communicate to his children/students how to do something in the classes. He has done these things for so long that he has the same issue that so many people do, where the first explanation is "You... you just DO it."
But it was fun, the characters are well thought out and while I may not always agree with them (this is good, I like having a variety of characters!), the characters stayed true to who they were. They learn things and expand themselves with that, but they don't break character for no reason. The disparate ages are distinct, even secondary and tertiary characters are distinct unto themselves.
It was just fun all the way through. Definitely a recommended read!
No spoilers here!
I loved this book. This was just so much fun and I kept smiling so often through all of this.
Watching (reading) as Nayi first has to come to terms with life, then suddenly it's life with kids, and then life with kids who also need lessons!
I can so easily relate to the mentality of "I have ALLLLL of this experience and you don't, you aren't really listening to me, and I don't know how to communicate on your level so you understand." Because of that, it was honestly very entertaining to watch as Nayi has to figure out how to communicate to his children/students how to do something in the classes. He has done these things for so long that he has the same issue that so many people do, where the first explanation is "You... you just DO it."
But it was fun, the characters are well thought out and while I may not always agree with them (this is good, I like having a variety of characters!), the characters stayed true to who they were. They learn things and expand themselves with that, but they don't break character for no reason. The disparate ages are distinct, even secondary and tertiary characters are distinct unto themselves.
It was just fun all the way through. Definitely a recommended read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received this book as an ARC.
This book follow the story of a young godling who fell from heaven and has to live as an almost immortal afterward.
I felt the first half of the book was really interesting from a "word building" point of view. This story talk about myths and gods and I had a good time reading it, especialy once I realized it was set in the same universe has "Sun Slayer" (an other book buy the same author)
However, my favorite part of the book was definitively the 2nd half. In this second part, the book turn into an almost classic "magic school" kind of story except that the main character is the teacher and not a student.
This 2nd part was really a lot of fun, cozy and heart warming and I honestly wish I could have had more of it.
Unfortunately, this cozy and heart warming part doesn't last forever and soon we are near the end of the book where the story talk about more serious things (like war, injury and death)
I am not gonna lie, this last part made me cry a little. It isn't a sad story but regardeless, it is always hard to say goodbye to characters that you have come to love, even if those characters have lived a very long and rather happy life.
In any case, this was definitively a really nice read and I would absolutly recommand it
This book follow the story of a young godling who fell from heaven and has to live as an almost immortal afterward.
I felt the first half of the book was really interesting from a "word building" point of view. This story talk about myths and gods and I had a good time reading it, especialy once I realized it was set in the same universe has "Sun Slayer" (an other book buy the same author)
However, my favorite part of the book was definitively the 2nd half. In this second part, the book turn into an almost classic "magic school" kind of story except that the main character is the teacher and not a student.
This 2nd part was really a lot of fun, cozy and heart warming and I honestly wish I could have had more of it.
Unfortunately, this cozy and heart warming part doesn't last forever and soon we are near the end of the book where the story talk about more serious things (like war, injury and death)
I am not gonna lie, this last part made me cry a little. It isn't a sad story but regardeless, it is always hard to say goodbye to characters that you have come to love, even if those characters have lived a very long and rather happy life.
In any case, this was definitively a really nice read and I would absolutly recommand it
September 19, 2026
This was a phenomenal read. It follows a fallen god, no longer totally immortal. A dragon god tortured by many aspects of being mortal while not being totally mortal. Nayi falls in a strange love with Moon (a human) whom he teaches his ways to.
Later in life he finds out he has many children and one comes to find him. Then the father must become a teacher and figure out how to parent as well as be a master to many of various ages.
I think this novel will be greatly loved by fathers. Juzi weaves a fantastic eastern tale and you can feel for Nayi in many ways. His difficulties, his personality, everything about the fallen dragon god is a bit endearing. There is so much passion, love, and difficulty in the novel that drive you to continue reading. It is a quick read and every moment feels pertinent. Once Immortal is a fresh read and unlike most things I have read before. Very different vibe than Sun Slayer by the same author but also a piece of the world that gives you a separate vibe that is still just as beautiful.
I adored every moment of this novel and is an easy 5 star read.
Later in life he finds out he has many children and one comes to find him. Then the father must become a teacher and figure out how to parent as well as be a master to many of various ages.
I think this novel will be greatly loved by fathers. Juzi weaves a fantastic eastern tale and you can feel for Nayi in many ways. His difficulties, his personality, everything about the fallen dragon god is a bit endearing. There is so much passion, love, and difficulty in the novel that drive you to continue reading. It is a quick read and every moment feels pertinent. Once Immortal is a fresh read and unlike most things I have read before. Very different vibe than Sun Slayer by the same author but also a piece of the world that gives you a separate vibe that is still just as beautiful.
I adored every moment of this novel and is an easy 5 star read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A story that combines deep world-building, a humorous presentation, and some deeply emotional themes.
A dragon god discovering the nuances of mortality. An exploration of parenthood. A very unique magic school where young dragons learn about cultivation. A cautionary tale about risk taking and balancing idealism with pragmatism.
A lot of ground covered, and it all works out very well.
Full review on my blog.
A dragon god discovering the nuances of mortality. An exploration of parenthood. A very unique magic school where young dragons learn about cultivation. A cautionary tale about risk taking and balancing idealism with pragmatism.
A lot of ground covered, and it all works out very well.
Full review on my blog.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Received this as an arc read.
This was a really fun and emotional read for me and I'm happy I found this randomly. Getting to see the growth of the characters throughout the book I was surprised with how light hearted it could be with the comedy. But when it wasn't being serious once it got into those heavy topics towards the end I was locked in all the way through. Nayi was the best character for me I loved his growth so much!
This was a really fun and emotional read for me and I'm happy I found this randomly. Getting to see the growth of the characters throughout the book I was surprised with how light hearted it could be with the comedy. But when it wasn't being serious once it got into those heavy topics towards the end I was locked in all the way through. Nayi was the best character for me I loved his growth so much!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advanced copy from the author and it doesn't affect my review
I have never laughed so hard before until I read this book.
I enjoyed the found family aspect, Nayi– one of the gods growing as a person was beautiful to read.
Although his development was subtle, it was obvious to readers too.
Then there is Kai, i love that little muchkin😌
I have never laughed so hard before until I read this book.
I enjoyed the found family aspect, Nayi– one of the gods growing as a person was beautiful to read.
Although his development was subtle, it was obvious to readers too.
Then there is Kai, i love that little muchkin😌
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews