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The Celestial Kingdom #1
Дочь лунной богини
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2022), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Debut Novel (2022)Синъинь - дочь богини, приговоренной Небесным императором к вечному заточению на Луне. Само существование Синъинь должно оставаться тайной, и когда магия девушки вызывает изменения в ауре Луны, она вынуждена бежать из дома, пообещав однажды освободить и мать. Она попадает в Небесную империю, где изучает боевые искусства вместе с наследным принцем, столь непохожим на своего отца. В надежде заслужить милость императора для Лунной богини, Синъинь отправляется в путешествие по земле и небу, сталкиваясь с легендарными монстрами и древними драконами. Но когда запретная магия погружает империю в хаос, Дочь Лунной богини заключает опасную сделку, рискуя потерять все, что ей дорого.
512 pages, Hardcover
First published January 11, 2022
About the author
Sue Lynn Tan
13 books9,795 followersSue Lynn Tan is the NYT, USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and the Celestial Kingdom books, Immortal and Never Ever After. She writes stories of mythology, fantasy and romance, for adults and older teenagers. Her books are being translated into eighteen languages, have been nominated for multiple Goodreads Choice Awards, and won the American Library Association Alex Award.
Born in Malaysia, Sue Lynn studied in London and France, before moving to Hong Kong. Her love for stories began with a gift from her father, her first compilation of fairytales from around the world. and she spent much of her childhood lost in magical worlds.
Find her on Instagram @SuelynnTan, or on her website www.suelynntan.com.
Born in Malaysia, Sue Lynn studied in London and France, before moving to Hong Kong. Her love for stories began with a gift from her father, her first compilation of fairytales from around the world. and she spent much of her childhood lost in magical worlds.
Find her on Instagram @SuelynnTan, or on her website www.suelynntan.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 22,088 reviews
July 21, 2024
2/5
Why can’t I have my anticipated releases ever be five starts unless they’re from authors I already love? We shall never know. I am so so so sad I didn’t like this book but if a book could bore me to death it would be this one. It’s pitched as a feminist retelling of the Chinese myth of Chang’e , the moon goddess. Chang’e herself is barely in this book and she really does nothing of any relevance whatsoever besides drinking the elixir of immortality. With a title so centric to her and of course her daughter, I’d think their bond would be a central point but it was really only relevant at the beginning and end.
Xingyin is our main character, and I despise her. For a not even fifteen year old at the beginning, her narration is the exact same throughout the entire book, showing no growth, development, or even aging. She talks and thinks the same way for years and then wonders why things go wrong for her! Except nothing goes wrong. She masters archery in mere months (just because her father is an excellent archer does not mean she should be able to magically be amazing at it as well), can fight in battles after being severely poisoned and injured like it’s nothing, somehow make two men fall in love with her, and do impossible tasks in just 2 chapters of the book.
Her character has such a lack of personality and growth it’s hard to believe how everyone can like her so much, and it’s hard to agree with anything she says. The dialogue of this book is so unnatural. It fits in with the beautiful writing but the fact is no one actually speaks in fluent sentences like that. Seriously. Love confessions and denials are never spoken how they are in this book, it was all so formal- every character spoke to each other the same way they spoke to the emperor. What?
Liwei is our first love interest, the Emperor’s son. He’s boring. He’s supposed to be the sweeter love interest I suppose, but he has, again, such lack of growth I don’t see it. Anytime another guy, just some other guy the same age as him talks to Xingyin, he gets all jealous and cold. The amount of times he would get cold with Xingyin because she spoke to another guy was ridiculous.
Then we have Wenzhi, the captain of the guard. He’s the more mysterious love interest but acts the same way as Liwei- getting jealous when Xingyin gets attention, never developing, and overall lacking in any personality.
The plot? Forget it. It was all over the place with time jumps and random sub plots that held no relevance whatsoever to freeing Chang’e. Halfway through and I had no clue what the main plot even was (spoilers below). First there’s a competition to be Liwei’s companion, Xingyin wins. Then we have a time jump, she learns he’s betrothed (which always happens with royals), she gets mad, and leaves to become part of the army. The army goes to defeat creatures, we have a whole sequence defeating the mer people. Then, oh no, Liwei’s betrothed is kidnapped, some flower goddess wanted revenge on the empress, but that’s not the end! We finally get to the plot where Xingyin had a quest to free her mother, she must obtain 4 dragon pearls. She does so in two chapters. Not even. Then we have a dramatic plot twist where Wenzhi is actually prince of the demon realm (a place never really spoken of directly besides it’s bad) , and wants some power? But who even cares because Xingyin escapes from the realm and the book ends with her mom free and all is happy. So much happens but it’s all described with such a lack of emotion that it’s hard to see what importance any of this has to our characters. There’s so much that’s happening that it feels like nothing has any importance.
The romance was terrible. No development is made between either relationship. Xingyin walks away or is silent anytime either of the love interests talks to her about it. She kisses them, says she loves one, and then the next morning promises to live her life out with the other one! What?????
And at the end of the day the only redeeming factor is the writing. It’s very beautiful. But nothing can redeem the book itself for being poorly executed.
Anyways here’s to another book that let me down. 😕
Why can’t I have my anticipated releases ever be five starts unless they’re from authors I already love? We shall never know. I am so so so sad I didn’t like this book but if a book could bore me to death it would be this one. It’s pitched as a feminist retelling of the Chinese myth of Chang’e , the moon goddess. Chang’e herself is barely in this book and she really does nothing of any relevance whatsoever besides drinking the elixir of immortality. With a title so centric to her and of course her daughter, I’d think their bond would be a central point but it was really only relevant at the beginning and end.
Xingyin is our main character, and I despise her. For a not even fifteen year old at the beginning, her narration is the exact same throughout the entire book, showing no growth, development, or even aging. She talks and thinks the same way for years and then wonders why things go wrong for her! Except nothing goes wrong. She masters archery in mere months (just because her father is an excellent archer does not mean she should be able to magically be amazing at it as well), can fight in battles after being severely poisoned and injured like it’s nothing, somehow make two men fall in love with her, and do impossible tasks in just 2 chapters of the book.
Her character has such a lack of personality and growth it’s hard to believe how everyone can like her so much, and it’s hard to agree with anything she says. The dialogue of this book is so unnatural. It fits in with the beautiful writing but the fact is no one actually speaks in fluent sentences like that. Seriously. Love confessions and denials are never spoken how they are in this book, it was all so formal- every character spoke to each other the same way they spoke to the emperor. What?
Liwei is our first love interest, the Emperor’s son. He’s boring. He’s supposed to be the sweeter love interest I suppose, but he has, again, such lack of growth I don’t see it. Anytime another guy, just some other guy the same age as him talks to Xingyin, he gets all jealous and cold. The amount of times he would get cold with Xingyin because she spoke to another guy was ridiculous.
Then we have Wenzhi, the captain of the guard. He’s the more mysterious love interest but acts the same way as Liwei- getting jealous when Xingyin gets attention, never developing, and overall lacking in any personality.
The plot? Forget it. It was all over the place with time jumps and random sub plots that held no relevance whatsoever to freeing Chang’e. Halfway through and I had no clue what the main plot even was (spoilers below). First there’s a competition to be Liwei’s companion, Xingyin wins. Then we have a time jump, she learns he’s betrothed (which always happens with royals), she gets mad, and leaves to become part of the army. The army goes to defeat creatures, we have a whole sequence defeating the mer people. Then, oh no, Liwei’s betrothed is kidnapped, some flower goddess wanted revenge on the empress, but that’s not the end! We finally get to the plot where Xingyin had a quest to free her mother, she must obtain 4 dragon pearls. She does so in two chapters. Not even. Then we have a dramatic plot twist where Wenzhi is actually prince of the demon realm (a place never really spoken of directly besides it’s bad) , and wants some power? But who even cares because Xingyin escapes from the realm and the book ends with her mom free and all is happy. So much happens but it’s all described with such a lack of emotion that it’s hard to see what importance any of this has to our characters. There’s so much that’s happening that it feels like nothing has any importance.
The romance was terrible. No development is made between either relationship. Xingyin walks away or is silent anytime either of the love interests talks to her about it. She kisses them, says she loves one, and then the next morning promises to live her life out with the other one! What?????
And at the end of the day the only redeeming factor is the writing. It’s very beautiful. But nothing can redeem the book itself for being poorly executed.
Anyways here’s to another book that let me down. 😕
June 18, 2026
Eastern folklore: inspired by the story of Chang’e moon goddess meets vivid, dreamy, action packed, adventurous, mythological fantasy with intriguing love triangle plot line !
The world building is dreamy! You feel like you walk in a spiritual world, smelling that beautifully described multi colored flowers, walking at the path to see the different houses of kingdoms and jumping on a cloud to fly between moon and different earths, tasting the delicious foods, being mesmerized and also threatening by mythological creatures including glorious and heroic dragons!
This is mind blowing story of young girl who wants to discover her supernatural powers, is bold enough to challenge to her enemies in expanse of her own life to protect her loved ones!
Xingyin: daughter of imprisoned moon goddess learns the hard truth about her mother’s past: she’s blamed to steal the elixir which made her immortal instead of her hero archer husband!
When Celestial empress’ sudden visits their house after sensing an unconventional existence, Xingyin reluctantly flees away to protect her mother to walk her first steps into Celestial Kingdom to sharpen her warrior skills, finding her true identity and powers.
She becomes companion of the prince: the son of empress who threatens her mother to ruin her life. An intimate friendship blooms between prince and her till she’s forced to get an important decision to fight beside a powerful soldier for fulfilling her potential. Learning to be a strong soldier may help her to set for mother free from imprisonment.
I normally don’t like love triangles but this story needs that kind of conflict to test Xingyin’s emotional boundaries, learning to survive after true heartbreaks to become the person who she is.
Overall: it’s amazing, fairy tale, epic fantasy! There’s a sequel but it seems like most of the mysteries already unfolded in this book including the big and heartbreaking twist at the last third. But I’m still curious to read its conclusion and the choices Xingyin will make for her own future!
Giving my five mystical and dreamy stars! I highly and extremely recommend it!
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The world building is dreamy! You feel like you walk in a spiritual world, smelling that beautifully described multi colored flowers, walking at the path to see the different houses of kingdoms and jumping on a cloud to fly between moon and different earths, tasting the delicious foods, being mesmerized and also threatening by mythological creatures including glorious and heroic dragons!
This is mind blowing story of young girl who wants to discover her supernatural powers, is bold enough to challenge to her enemies in expanse of her own life to protect her loved ones!
Xingyin: daughter of imprisoned moon goddess learns the hard truth about her mother’s past: she’s blamed to steal the elixir which made her immortal instead of her hero archer husband!
When Celestial empress’ sudden visits their house after sensing an unconventional existence, Xingyin reluctantly flees away to protect her mother to walk her first steps into Celestial Kingdom to sharpen her warrior skills, finding her true identity and powers.
She becomes companion of the prince: the son of empress who threatens her mother to ruin her life. An intimate friendship blooms between prince and her till she’s forced to get an important decision to fight beside a powerful soldier for fulfilling her potential. Learning to be a strong soldier may help her to set for mother free from imprisonment.
I normally don’t like love triangles but this story needs that kind of conflict to test Xingyin’s emotional boundaries, learning to survive after true heartbreaks to become the person who she is.
Overall: it’s amazing, fairy tale, epic fantasy! There’s a sequel but it seems like most of the mysteries already unfolded in this book including the big and heartbreaking twist at the last third. But I’m still curious to read its conclusion and the choices Xingyin will make for her own future!
Giving my five mystical and dreamy stars! I highly and extremely recommend it!
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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twitter<
April 28, 2022
“Some scars are carved into our bones - a part of who we are, shaping what we become.”
You know, I didn't think I'd be saying this, but I was so here for this romantic angst.
That's not all I liked, but it is the most surprising part. Daughter of the Moon Goddess pretty much opens almost straight onto a chase scene, with Xingyin fleeing the only home she has ever known to hide her existence from the Celestial Emperor who imprisoned her mother on the moon. So it's quite exciting from the get-go.
Through a combination of chance and quick-wittedness, Xingyin moves from being a servant to a student to a soldier. A bond forms between her and her study partner, none other than the emperor's son, but he has a duty to his kingdom and they can never be anything more than friends with lusty glances.
I found the mythology fascinating, as I did all the questing. Mostly, I think, because Xingyin's motives to finally free her mother were an emotionally-engaging and worthy cause. The stakes seemed high, especially if Xingyin should be discovered before she'd proved herself to the emperor.
There is a love triangle, if that's something that bothers you, but I found it realistic and felt that it made sense within the context of this story. Plus it adds some delicious tension that I, frankly, couldn't get enough of!
The only thing I wonder is if the author will be able to sustain the excitement through the second book now certain aspects key to this installment seem resolved. If the second book is all about winning wars, I'm not sure I'll like it the same.
Read
November 12, 2021Daughter of the Moon Goddess is my debut novel—inspired by the beloved legend of Chang’e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm. It is an enchanting and romantic fantasy of immortals and magic, of loss and love.
A few things you will find in the story:
🐉 Chinese mythology & legendary creatures
🏹 Fierce female warrior fighting for her family
⚔️ A gentle prince & a ruthless soldier
💔 Friends—Lovers—Enemies...
I believe Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a crossover between Adult and older YA. Content warnings include: violence, blood, gore, alcohol consumption, death, separation, attempted assault (brief), kidnapping, bullying.
Thank you so much for reading this! I am both excited and a little nervous at the thought of the book going out into the world. You can also find me on Instagram or Twitter at @suelynntan, where I share most of my key updates—or through the contact form on my website: www.suelynntan.com
A few things you will find in the story:
🐉 Chinese mythology & legendary creatures
🏹 Fierce female warrior fighting for her family
⚔️ A gentle prince & a ruthless soldier
💔 Friends—Lovers—Enemies...
I believe Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a crossover between Adult and older YA. Content warnings include: violence, blood, gore, alcohol consumption, death, separation, attempted assault (brief), kidnapping, bullying.
Thank you so much for reading this! I am both excited and a little nervous at the thought of the book going out into the world. You can also find me on Instagram or Twitter at @suelynntan, where I share most of my key updates—or through the contact form on my website: www.suelynntan.com
August 18, 2022
this is one of the most jam-packed books ive ever read. im so surprised this is the first in a duology because i feel like theres enough content for two books in this alone. so im super excited to see what else this series is going to give.
i mean, what a wild journey this is. from xingyin hiding away on the moon, then training with the prince, to her service in the royal army, and her quest to search for the missing dragons, all while trying to free her mother, this story is a rollercoaster. i loved the magic, the setting, the plot that keeps on giving, and the asian mythology. its such a cosy fantasy tale that is rich in culture.
what a wonderful debut and such a captivating start to a series. a great book to look forward to if you are wanting to fill the void from ‘six crimson cranes’ earlier this year.
thank you so much, harper voyager, for the ARC!!
↠ 4.5 stars
i mean, what a wild journey this is. from xingyin hiding away on the moon, then training with the prince, to her service in the royal army, and her quest to search for the missing dragons, all while trying to free her mother, this story is a rollercoaster. i loved the magic, the setting, the plot that keeps on giving, and the asian mythology. its such a cosy fantasy tale that is rich in culture.
what a wonderful debut and such a captivating start to a series. a great book to look forward to if you are wanting to fill the void from ‘six crimson cranes’ earlier this year.
thank you so much, harper voyager, for the ARC!!
↠ 4.5 stars
April 4, 2022
2 stars✨ this was my most anticipated 2022 read...
No way this is an adult book when it reads like a children’s book😭
The writing style is all surface level. There is no depth to anything. It's crazy how this book has a love triangle and there was not a single moment building up to EITHER love interests. It just ✨happens✨ The dialogues are mostly informative. There is no teasing or bickering. I don't understand how the author expects us to believe the romance when we have nothing to go off of besides the MC telling us lines like "our ill-fated love" PLEASE. EVERY CONVERSATION YOU HAVE IS BLAND. ALL YOU DO IS EXCHANGE INFORMATION.
There is no build-up to anything, actually. No inkling that she is afraid of taking a life, only after she slays monsters we get an "i'm sad" or "i'm crying" sentence. Okay gurl I wish I could be sad with you but I literally did not know this mattered to you until this very moment and it never gets addressed again🤨
There is no rising climax, no tense moments, it is bland all the way through. It was 300 pages of filler before something finally started to pick up, and even then it was nothing special. Everything in this book is all bark, no bite. The danger that threatens the kingdom? Mediocre. Her perilous quest? Mediocre. Fight scenes? Mediocre. They have a dangerous creature to take down and the captain tells them the plan AT THE DOORSTEP OF THEIR ENEMY??
This book keeps describing flowers and lanterns, how about describing training and fight scenes instead of skipping over them PLEASE. That's literally the best part of a book. How am I supposed to care for our MC's journey if we don't get to go through the struggles with her? Every single moment is sped up, glossed over. "we fight terrifying monsters, ravenous beasts —" OKAY SO SHOW US😭😭 Why are we skipping over the good stuff and instead have to read filler after filler?
The characters fell flat. BOTH love interests as well, absolutely NOTHING romantic happens between them. And when they kiss? Okay damn, I didn't know you liked her until then. That's the problem. It's awkward... so terribly awkward.
The dialogue? Everyone sounds the same. You're telling me servants, Imperial Majesties, and ancient dragons sound the same? Some even sound cringe because they are trying so hard to be threatening but the word choices... it's like kids fighting on a playground... aren't you supposed to be hundreds of years old?
The fight scenes... tell me why, WHY she is able to be struck by dangerous, paralyzing venom and still fight? Or have a sword impaling her shoulder and she is fine in the next sentence. It is so inconsistent with what is happening. Just like her feelings.
This is the second book where I went "how many more pages left?" because it was so frustrating to read.
No way this is an adult book when it reads like a children’s book😭
The writing style is all surface level. There is no depth to anything. It's crazy how this book has a love triangle and there was not a single moment building up to EITHER love interests. It just ✨happens✨ The dialogues are mostly informative. There is no teasing or bickering. I don't understand how the author expects us to believe the romance when we have nothing to go off of besides the MC telling us lines like "our ill-fated love" PLEASE. EVERY CONVERSATION YOU HAVE IS BLAND. ALL YOU DO IS EXCHANGE INFORMATION.
There is no build-up to anything, actually. No inkling that she is afraid of taking a life, only after she slays monsters we get an "i'm sad" or "i'm crying" sentence. Okay gurl I wish I could be sad with you but I literally did not know this mattered to you until this very moment and it never gets addressed again🤨
There is no rising climax, no tense moments, it is bland all the way through. It was 300 pages of filler before something finally started to pick up, and even then it was nothing special. Everything in this book is all bark, no bite. The danger that threatens the kingdom? Mediocre. Her perilous quest? Mediocre. Fight scenes? Mediocre. They have a dangerous creature to take down and the captain tells them the plan AT THE DOORSTEP OF THEIR ENEMY??
This book keeps describing flowers and lanterns, how about describing training and fight scenes instead of skipping over them PLEASE. That's literally the best part of a book. How am I supposed to care for our MC's journey if we don't get to go through the struggles with her? Every single moment is sped up, glossed over. "we fight terrifying monsters, ravenous beasts —" OKAY SO SHOW US😭😭 Why are we skipping over the good stuff and instead have to read filler after filler?
The characters fell flat. BOTH love interests as well, absolutely NOTHING romantic happens between them. And when they kiss? Okay damn, I didn't know you liked her until then. That's the problem. It's awkward... so terribly awkward.
The dialogue? Everyone sounds the same. You're telling me servants, Imperial Majesties, and ancient dragons sound the same? Some even sound cringe because they are trying so hard to be threatening but the word choices... it's like kids fighting on a playground... aren't you supposed to be hundreds of years old?
The fight scenes... tell me why, WHY she is able to be struck by dangerous, paralyzing venom and still fight? Or have a sword impaling her shoulder and she is fine in the next sentence. It is so inconsistent with what is happening. Just like her feelings.
This is the second book where I went "how many more pages left?" because it was so frustrating to read.
May 12, 2023
Now a Goodreads Choice Finalist in Fantasy and Debut Novel!!
When I first saw this cover and went to post about my excitement for Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I wrote that I was sure this was going to be “an incredible fantasy epic”. And that was exactly the right word: epic. Like a classic narrative epic poem, Sue Lynn Tan recounts the story of Xingyin, daughter of banished immortal Chang'e, and her quest to free her mother and herself from their eternal confinement.
From the moment Xingyin escapes the moon on a cloud (yes, really), there’s feeling of immensity to her story. And as we follow her down the path of self-discovery, I couldn’t help but match up each stage of her tale with the traditional Hero’s Journey—a la Joseph Campbell. From the three “acts”: Departure, Initiation (& Descent), and Return; to specific elements like ‘supernatural aid’ and ‘apotheosis’ (raising a mortal to a god-like level), Xingyin more than rivals classic Homeric heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles. She endeavors to staggering heights and perilous depths, and is at her strongest when she’s acting on the behalf of those she loves.
But in Xingyin’s quiet moments, we get to feel a number of dueling loyalties play out. Will she stay behind with the first boy in the Celestial Kingdom to show her true kindness, or will she follow the one who can help her achieve what she’s always wanted to be? Is Xingyin willing to sacrifice her own chance at happiness for a way to free her mother? Exactly how far is she willing to go in order to accomplish some of these goals?
It would be reductive to say any of these questions fall into the expected fan-service style tropes. These motivations come so naturally to the character, and by extension the audience. Every bit of longing feels real and every betrayal fully stings. To read Daughter of the Moon Goddess is to become Xingyin, her strengths, flaws and internal discord all included.
Every word of this over five hundred page novel is thoughtfully chosen, crafted with the utmost care. It’s poetic without being overly flowery, and never light on plot or action. While there’s many stages of the journey Xingyin goes on, it all feels like a natural extension—one story bleeding into the next. I’ve seen a few reviews mention how full this book is, that it could almost be split into two, but I think that would have been a mistake. Daughter of the Moon Goddess ends exactly where it should, with Xingyin completing this arc and preparing for whatever unknown is to come. And I can’t wait to embark with her on that one as well.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
When I first saw this cover and went to post about my excitement for Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I wrote that I was sure this was going to be “an incredible fantasy epic”. And that was exactly the right word: epic. Like a classic narrative epic poem, Sue Lynn Tan recounts the story of Xingyin, daughter of banished immortal Chang'e, and her quest to free her mother and herself from their eternal confinement.
From the moment Xingyin escapes the moon on a cloud (yes, really), there’s feeling of immensity to her story. And as we follow her down the path of self-discovery, I couldn’t help but match up each stage of her tale with the traditional Hero’s Journey—a la Joseph Campbell. From the three “acts”: Departure, Initiation (& Descent), and Return; to specific elements like ‘supernatural aid’ and ‘apotheosis’ (raising a mortal to a god-like level), Xingyin more than rivals classic Homeric heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles. She endeavors to staggering heights and perilous depths, and is at her strongest when she’s acting on the behalf of those she loves.
But in Xingyin’s quiet moments, we get to feel a number of dueling loyalties play out. Will she stay behind with the first boy in the Celestial Kingdom to show her true kindness, or will she follow the one who can help her achieve what she’s always wanted to be? Is Xingyin willing to sacrifice her own chance at happiness for a way to free her mother? Exactly how far is she willing to go in order to accomplish some of these goals?
It would be reductive to say any of these questions fall into the expected fan-service style tropes. These motivations come so naturally to the character, and by extension the audience. Every bit of longing feels real and every betrayal fully stings. To read Daughter of the Moon Goddess is to become Xingyin, her strengths, flaws and internal discord all included.
Every word of this over five hundred page novel is thoughtfully chosen, crafted with the utmost care. It’s poetic without being overly flowery, and never light on plot or action. While there’s many stages of the journey Xingyin goes on, it all feels like a natural extension—one story bleeding into the next. I’ve seen a few reviews mention how full this book is, that it could almost be split into two, but I think that would have been a mistake. Daughter of the Moon Goddess ends exactly where it should, with Xingyin completing this arc and preparing for whatever unknown is to come. And I can’t wait to embark with her on that one as well.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
August 10, 2022
Reread - As far as I know this is still 4.5, I fell asleep a few times like I do when an audio is on…. Sigh, I wanted to make sure before the next book. It’s pretty bad when you read so many books you can’t remember how you felt and I read this not long ago!!! I think I might get more out of them memory wise when I actually read instead of listen 🤔
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
*******
Yay!! I loved it 😊💕🌸 4.5 Stars
**
I love this books cover, the original and the Fairyloot edition. I better love this book because wait until you see this beautiful edition Fairyloot has given us this month!! I CAN’T EVEN!
My Blog With The Goods:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
*******
Yay!! I loved it 😊💕🌸 4.5 Stars
**
I love this books cover, the original and the Fairyloot edition. I better love this book because wait until you see this beautiful edition Fairyloot has given us this month!! I CAN’T EVEN!
My Blog With The Goods:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
February 10, 2026
4.5 Celestial freaking Stars!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌙
WOW 😲 WOW!! I don't know how to express I'M SOOO EXCITED since my adventure starts!
FALLING BOOM! to Celestial Kingdom
HOOKED to every realm I lay my feet on
GIGGLES, GIGGLES to all familiar vibes!!
HAHAHAA and also in rage with the romance!!!!
You guys curious? ALL THE FREAKIN' FEELS my friends. Since the Conflict till the Romance till the Action in many realms I'm so exhausted. Ouchhhh I even wanna slap Xingyin sometimes *ugh*
🌙 Not Xingyin, ME. ME gossiping Celestial Emperor & Empress with my Celestial Court Friend about Chang'e 🌙
Helping Xingyin, I'm trying sooo hard to dig the secrets from my Celestial Friend. He told me that Moon Goddess Chang'e was punished by Celestial Emperor and Xinyin's father was utterly hated by Celestial Empress! Uhhh "Why they hate Xingyin's parents so much? such nonsense!" Headache. Headache. I tried to ask him more. Alaas! he shuts his month up. Shove the book "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" toward me. "Read it!" He said. *facepalm*
🐉 Celestial Emperor & Empress
"I hate them! I hate them! and I even hate myself! because I love their son." *sigh*
TALK ABOUT ROMANCE?
Agony! Angst! Angst! Angst! - as much as I enjoy this journey so much my friends, I have to strip 0.5 star out of my love. Why? THE LOVE TRIANGLE ANNOYS ME TO HELL! No! to the bottom of Demon Realm is more exactly right! I annoys everytime when that Captain Wenzhi gets into the scenes. I want to call Long Dragon to take this man out ofmy eyes'sight Xinyin's life. When this man come? My Prince hurts. When this man come? My Prince's heart broken.
Many people might don't understand how I felt until reading the book! but I'm sure a lot of Throne of Glass Fans might understand me well. Yep, it's feel like Celaena-Dorian-Chaol's chaos romance all over again! Badass heroine with archery skill & Kind-hearted Crown Prince with tyrant father. FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS Then BOOM! that fierce Captain comes later. Take advantage as a new comer! Made my Prince jealous, made me cry so muchhh. 😭😭😭
I know I'm so emotional right now but yeah, it remind me of that romance which all Dorena Shippers suffered before. I can tell.. if Dorena Fans read this book, you will be emotional wreck! So engrossed in this story and yes SO MUCH FUN! with their warm-cold TENSION across Demon Realm and Celestial Sky. 😭😭😭
"Dump it! Dump this stupid Love Triangle to the deepest of Demon Realm and never see the sun again!!"
Anyway, If you crave for STAR-CROSSED LOVERS IN FANTASY, Read it! No need for hesitation. 😁
APART FROMHEAD HEARTACHE ROMANCE..
"Daughter of the Moon Goddess" is an Enjoyable ride full of action-adventures among Heaven and Earth. Chinese myths and mystical creatures. Evil conspiracy. And beautifully familiar vibes that made me giggle, giggle throughout the book. Boost my fun 10x! You guys will never know what I mean untill reading the book by yourself! HAHHAHAAAAA
CAN I LEAVE MY LITTLE NOTE? 🤭🤭🤭
As a cute fan of this series. I beg the author and pray to the Celestial freaking Stars. To let my friend Xingyin have a happy ending with Prince Liwei. *puppy dog eyes* <*;
Love, Pang
WOW 😲 WOW!! I don't know how to express I'M SOOO EXCITED since my adventure starts!
FALLING BOOM! to Celestial Kingdom
HOOKED to every realm I lay my feet on
GIGGLES, GIGGLES to all familiar vibes!!
HAHAHAA and also in rage with the romance!!!!
You guys curious? ALL THE FREAKIN' FEELS my friends. Since the Conflict till the Romance till the Action in many realms I'm so exhausted. Ouchhhh I even wanna slap Xingyin sometimes *ugh*
🌙 Not Xingyin, ME. ME gossiping Celestial Emperor & Empress with my Celestial Court Friend about Chang'e 🌙
Helping Xingyin, I'm trying sooo hard to dig the secrets from my Celestial Friend. He told me that Moon Goddess Chang'e was punished by Celestial Emperor and Xinyin's father was utterly hated by Celestial Empress! Uhhh "Why they hate Xingyin's parents so much? such nonsense!" Headache. Headache. I tried to ask him more. Alaas! he shuts his month up. Shove the book "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" toward me. "Read it!" He said. *facepalm*
🐉 Celestial Emperor & Empress
"I hate them! I hate them! and I even hate myself! because I love their son." *sigh*
TALK ABOUT ROMANCE?
Agony! Angst! Angst! Angst! - as much as I enjoy this journey so much my friends, I have to strip 0.5 star out of my love. Why? THE LOVE TRIANGLE ANNOYS ME TO HELL! No! to the bottom of Demon Realm is more exactly right! I annoys everytime when that Captain Wenzhi gets into the scenes. I want to call Long Dragon to take this man out of
Many people might don't understand how I felt until reading the book! but I'm sure a lot of Throne of Glass Fans might understand me well. Yep, it's feel like Celaena-Dorian-Chaol's chaos romance all over again! Badass heroine with archery skill & Kind-hearted Crown Prince with tyrant father. FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS Then BOOM! that fierce Captain comes later. Take advantage as a new comer! Made my Prince jealous, made me cry so muchhh. 😭😭😭
I know I'm so emotional right now but yeah, it remind me of that romance which all Dorena Shippers suffered before. I can tell.. if Dorena Fans read this book, you will be emotional wreck! So engrossed in this story and yes SO MUCH FUN! with their warm-cold TENSION across Demon Realm and Celestial Sky. 😭😭😭
"Dump it! Dump this stupid Love Triangle to the deepest of Demon Realm and never see the sun again!!"
Anyway, If you crave for STAR-CROSSED LOVERS IN FANTASY, Read it! No need for hesitation. 😁
APART FROM
"Daughter of the Moon Goddess" is an Enjoyable ride full of action-adventures among Heaven and Earth. Chinese myths and mystical creatures. Evil conspiracy. And beautifully familiar vibes that made me giggle, giggle throughout the book. Boost my fun 10x! You guys will never know what I mean untill reading the book by yourself! HAHHAHAAAAA
CAN I LEAVE MY LITTLE NOTE? 🤭🤭🤭
As a cute fan of this series. I beg the author and pray to the Celestial freaking Stars. To let my friend Xingyin have a happy ending with Prince Liwei. *puppy dog eyes* <*;
Love, Pang
September 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC!
Ah yes, yet another ARC I read after it was released. In my defense, I did actually start it before it came out.
I was so freaking excited about this book when I found out about it. First of all, Chang’e is one of my favorite Chinese myths (out of the admittedly small number that I know). Second of all, a female warrior protagonist? And an Ancient Chinese fantasy aesthetic setting? Yes.
In reality, I was a bit disappointed.
I was expecting something so immersive and exciting, and while this book started out that way, it didn’t last and it wasn’t strong enough for me to really get that experience.
The plot follows Xingyin, the daughter of Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. Her mother has been imprisoned by the Celestial Emperor for becoming an immortal, and when the Celestial Army threatens her mother, Xingyin is forced to flee from the palace of the moon.
She lands herself - quite literally - in enemy territory, falling into the Celestial Kingdom itself. She earns a position as the Crown Prince Liwei’s companion, training alongside him in all things. From there, she struggles to find a path back to her mother while navigating the romance between herself and the Prince.
I was honestly expecting more from the storyline. I wanted something more action-packed, more intense. I wanted to feel more emotions about the events of the book. But I just couldn’t.
Too many things in the story were just too obviously rigged. It felt like they were there to keep things going without much real intrigue. There were so many time skips where Xingyin just says something like, “The next two years I spent by his side”, or, “I spent my time training and the months flew by.” I don’t want detailed depictions of every day, but this felt too much like the author trying to get to specific parts of the plot with minimal effort.
The part where Xingyin enters the competition to become Liwei’s companion should have been so much more tense. A competition that, according to Xingyin, could change the course of her life - but it only took up a few pages?
The events of the competition were so quick and way too easy that it was almost laughable. It was set up for Xingyin to win from the beginning, and that took away any excitement I as a reader had about that scene.
“I was no longer a child willing to drift with the tide - I would steer against the current if I had to. And if I won, by some miraculous stroke of luck, I would never be helpless again.”
Honestly, my main issue was Xingyin. Her decisions were what got her into this mess. “Oh, it’s the energy that my mother told me not to reach for! It can't be that bad, I’m going to reach for it!” I can understand her going into a ~rebellious teenager~ phase, but this one random instance just once again felt set up in order to advance the plot.
Half of her problems were caused by her own stupid decisions. “Oh no, I have to join the Celestial Army now!” But technically she doesn’t because she could have just left at that point if she wanted to, and she only stayed out of a sense of obligation and because she was ~in love.~
She as a character was very compelling, but her narrative wasn’t that exciting. I really enjoyed her development, and I loved the way she grew as a person through the book, but I didn’t feel a strong connection with her and therefore wasn’t as invested in her perspective.
I liked that she was stubborn, and ambitious, and held herself to a high standard, but I feel like she as a person could have been developed so much more. I was fully prepared to enjoy her character and didn’t get to do that as much as I wanted to.
“A glorious future beckoned on the horizon. Yet I still clung to a shred of my past, as a flowering peach blossom tree yearning for its fallen bloom.”
Liwei was an interesting character, but I liked him a lot better when he was first introduced compared to him later on. It felt like, instead of getting more fleshed out as Xingyin got to know him, he just gradually became more and more bland compared to his first impression.
Honestly, he felt like a lot of other characters in a lot of other books. He was the Crown Prince who wasn’t interested in his responsibilities or betrothal arrangements, and all he wanted to do was paint and spend time training, but when it really came down to it he was invested in the good of his kingdom.
“I do care," he ground out. "Despite my sense, my judgement and honor - I cannot help but care.”
Wenzhi was very interesting but felt a little bit cliché as well. He was the famous army man who was known for his skill and had a distaste for the court he served. He was tough but understanding and had a very mentor vibe to him but then had a hidden romantic side. I thought he was interesting when he was introduced, being a powerful captain and seeming important to the story, but I stopped really paying attention after a few chapters.
The romance was okay, but it just didn’t feel interesting. Xingyin and Liwei got along well and their banter was fine, but there wasn’t any of the “passionate romance” that the synopsis was promising.
Also, the love triangle that developed about 40% into the book was completely unnecessary. It added nothing to the plot except for obliviousness on Xingyin’s part (“Why are these two attractive men competing for my attention and getting hostile toward each other whenever they’re in the same room”).
Oh wait, I do know what this added. A healthy dose of not-like-other-girls™ to Xingyin’s character. I was not here for the “I’m not beautiful, why would these two men ever want me, I’m just average and plain - EVEN THOUGH I’M THE BEST ARCHER IN THE WORLD I HAVE THIS ONE TALENT” narrative.
Xingyin was fine at first, but she gradually just became this stereotypical heroine. For example:
“It was only later that I learned the Chamber of Lions was reserved for the army’s most skilled warriors. While most had taken months, a year even to master every trap, it took me a matter of weeks.”
Wow she’s so strong and gifted, it doesn’t matter that she’s not pretty because she can do archery! And archery comes naturally to her!
Honestly, a lot of this book just felt the same as other books I’ve read. The first-impression scene where Xingyin meets Liwei? They have an ~honest conversation™~ because he “just wants honest companionship” and “a break from court” and she doesn’t recognize him until someone calls him by his title. It was honestly the same as so many other stories that I’ve read and none of it felt special pertaining to either of the characters. I don’t see the appeal of this cliché anymore.
What really saved this book for me was the writing and the setting.
The writing came across really nicely, and I liked the lyrical quality there was to the words. I’m a sucker for fantasy writing, and while this wasn’t the most flowery, gorgeous writing in existence, it really didn’t have to be. It melded with the story well and got across without an overuse of metaphors.
“Some scars are carved into our bones - a part of who we are, shaping what we become.”
The setting was beautiful, because I love ancient-Chinese mythology and I love the way mythological Asian settings come across. The intricacies of the world-building and descriptions of the environment were just so enjoyable.
Overall, this book could have been so much better than it was for me. Maybe I just went in with too-high expectations, but can you really blame me?
But still. I really wanted this to be more powerful, intense and immersive, and it just didn’t get there for me. It started out really strong and exciting, and something about it declined as I went.
I enjoyed this book a lot, despite how salty I sound about it. It was beautiful and I liked the narrative, and while it wasn’t my favorite book ever, it was still a good one. I would absolutely recommend it. It just fell short of the hype for me.
July 6, 2026
4 stars ⊹ ࣪ ˖🪈. ˚🐉‧₊˚ ⋅
𓍼ོ mythological retelling
𓍼ོ heavy love triangle
𓍼ོ hidden identity
𓍼ོ the chosen one
𓍼ོ quest for family vindication
𓍼ོ forbidden love
⋮ ⌗ ┆ premise:
The only reason this wasn’t a full 5 star read was Xingyin's lack of character development on which Ashlyn and I both agree. Until about the halfway mark, Xingyin struck me as somewhat dim, immature and self-absorbed. Though I don’t mind characters being fragile her execution felt a bit less skillfully drawn which became frustrating. The book was narrated from her pov alone and her inner monologue felt really shallow at times, particularly regarding her love life. She felt like someone who simply couldn't let go of an ex and move on. Granted, the fallout between her and Liwei wasn't either of their faults- it was entirely a product of their circumstances but a bit of forward momentum would have been refreshing. It’s hard to root for a character who refuses to look ahead.
Aside from the heavy love triangle trope, this story did deliver plenty of adventure. On the romance, Liwei is a total sweetheart and a great friend and I desperately hope he stays in the friend zone in book 2. I am firmly team Wenzhi! He is absolutely THE ONE, even after that massive betrayal. I mean- look at him saying, "Your dreams will be my dreams." I was like- ahhhhh! The way this line melted me! Look, I wouldn’t forgive him right away either obviously, but given enough time, I totally would with that much shower of love from him.
Without a doubt, the world-building and Chinese mythology were my favorite part of the novel. They kept me utterly captivated from start to finish. My only major critique is that the characters lacked a bit of depth. At times, it felt a little surface-level, leaving me thinking, “please, just give me a little more.” Overall, though, it was a really enjoyable ride. And I absolutely cannot wait to read the second book to see how the next part unfolds. Please let the final one be Wenzhi, please!
#teamwenzhi<3
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ
pre-read
My very first book by this author! And I'm reading this with the sweetest, Ashlyn. Manifesting 5 stars for us<3
𓍼ོ mythological retelling
𓍼ོ heavy love triangle
𓍼ོ hidden identity
𓍼ོ the chosen one
𓍼ོ quest for family vindication
𓍼ོ forbidden love
⋮ ⌗ ┆ premise:
The Chinese folklore and the world-building, here, were extremely lush and mesmerizing. The story follows Xingyin, who has grown up in a tranquil isolation on the moon completely unaware that her existence is a dangerous secret. Her mother, the Moon Goddess Chang’e, was condemned to eternal exile by the Celestial Emperor for consuming an immortality elixir. When Xingyin's accidental flare of magic alerts the Celestial Realm to her presence, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind. Alone and powerless, she disguises her identity and goes to the dangerous and glittering Celestial Kingdom. She seizes an opportunity to train alongside the Emperor's son, Liwei, transforming herself into a master archer and a brilliant warrior without having any idea that her life would change from that moment. What lies ahead is a wonderful web of political intrigue, forbidden love and conflicting loyalties along with a treacherous quest against legendary beasts and dark magic.
The only reason this wasn’t a full 5 star read was Xingyin's lack of character development on which Ashlyn and I both agree. Until about the halfway mark, Xingyin struck me as somewhat dim, immature and self-absorbed. Though I don’t mind characters being fragile her execution felt a bit less skillfully drawn which became frustrating. The book was narrated from her pov alone and her inner monologue felt really shallow at times, particularly regarding her love life. She felt like someone who simply couldn't let go of an ex and move on. Granted, the fallout between her and Liwei wasn't either of their faults- it was entirely a product of their circumstances but a bit of forward momentum would have been refreshing. It’s hard to root for a character who refuses to look ahead.
Aside from the heavy love triangle trope, this story did deliver plenty of adventure. On the romance, Liwei is a total sweetheart and a great friend and I desperately hope he stays in the friend zone in book 2. I am firmly team Wenzhi! He is absolutely THE ONE, even after that massive betrayal. I mean- look at him saying, "Your dreams will be my dreams." I was like- ahhhhh! The way this line melted me! Look, I wouldn’t forgive him right away either obviously, but given enough time, I totally would with that much shower of love from him.
Without a doubt, the world-building and Chinese mythology were my favorite part of the novel. They kept me utterly captivated from start to finish. My only major critique is that the characters lacked a bit of depth. At times, it felt a little surface-level, leaving me thinking, “please, just give me a little more.” Overall, though, it was a really enjoyable ride. And I absolutely cannot wait to read the second book to see how the next part unfolds. Please let the final one be Wenzhi, please!
#teamwenzhi<3
𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆🌷͙⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ
pre-read
My very first book by this author! And I'm reading this with the sweetest, Ashlyn. Manifesting 5 stars for us<3
November 13, 2022
Why I chose to read this book:
1. I saw this book featured recently on Goodreads, and because I enjoy fantasy inspired by myths, legends and folktales from various cultures (in this case, Chinese), I decided to sign out a copy from my local library; and,
2. April 2022 my self-declared "Fantasy and Science Fiction Month"!
Positives:
1. I liked how the Chinese legends about Chang'e, the moon goddess and her mythological Chinese archer husband, Hou Yi, as well as the four dragons that represent China's four largest rivers, were incorporated in this story;
2. plot - the beginning starts off with a bang! I really enjoyed the escapades and battle scenes that MC Xingyin was a part of as an archer in the Celestial Army;
3. includes a map of the Mortal and Immortal Realms (helpful!);
4. details - Oh wow! The descriptions of various settings, fashions, architecture and artifacts were astounding! My visual and tactile senses came alive!
Niggles:
1. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, and this book was a little romance-heavy. I'd be okay with that, except it's not very believable and a little boring. Even though there's the typical "love triangle", I felt that Xingyin and her "guys", Liwei and Wenshi, treated each other more like formal friends rather than love interests (not warm at all);
2. as stated above, I love a descriptive story, but sometimes author Sue Lynn Tan went overboard. Unless they're unusually distinctive, don't use the word "orbs" for "eyes" (lose the thesaurus!). Also, Tan would use certain color words, like crimson, vermilion and azure ad nauseam! Speaking of which, Tan had Xingyin constantly sick to her stomach (gagging, retching, nauseated, roiled, choking down her bile, churning - just to name a few). My "orbs" were frequently rolling every time this was mentioned!;
3. I had to laugh at some of the challenges Xingyin and other competitors had to "endure" to earn a place as a fellow companion for Crown Prince Liwei, like (get this) tea brewing! Seriously? What was this? A MasterChef competition? Too bad Gord Ramsay wasn't a judge, because he would have spewed Xingyin's tea all over the place, and that would have been funny!;
4. The "Sky Drop Tassels" Liwei and Xingyin exchange to warn one if the other was in danger seemed pointless, as one wouldn't know of the other's dilemma until it was almost too late; and,
5. in my opinion, my biggest complaint is the shortfall of character development. Besides the absence of a true love story, I was unhappy with the lack of growth in Xingyin's character. From beginning to end, she comes off as impulsive. I was hoping that she would grow as a kickass First Archer like Legolas in The Lord of the Rings or Katniss in The Hunger Games. Instead, she often seems unsure of her abilities, and at times, wasn't that adept. The author always has her recovering from various injuries that easily killed off other soldiers. I don't think any of this book's characters will be memorable.
Overall, I give this book 3 stars, because it did have some good points and a gorgeous cover, but I probably won't be reading the next book in this duology, Heart of the Sun Warrior.
1. I saw this book featured recently on Goodreads, and because I enjoy fantasy inspired by myths, legends and folktales from various cultures (in this case, Chinese), I decided to sign out a copy from my local library; and,
2. April 2022 my self-declared "Fantasy and Science Fiction Month"!
Positives:
1. I liked how the Chinese legends about Chang'e, the moon goddess and her mythological Chinese archer husband, Hou Yi, as well as the four dragons that represent China's four largest rivers, were incorporated in this story;
2. plot - the beginning starts off with a bang! I really enjoyed the escapades and battle scenes that MC Xingyin was a part of as an archer in the Celestial Army;
3. includes a map of the Mortal and Immortal Realms (helpful!);
4. details - Oh wow! The descriptions of various settings, fashions, architecture and artifacts were astounding! My visual and tactile senses came alive!
Niggles:
1. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, and this book was a little romance-heavy. I'd be okay with that, except it's not very believable and a little boring. Even though there's the typical "love triangle", I felt that Xingyin and her "guys", Liwei and Wenshi, treated each other more like formal friends rather than love interests (not warm at all);
2. as stated above, I love a descriptive story, but sometimes author Sue Lynn Tan went overboard. Unless they're unusually distinctive, don't use the word "orbs" for "eyes" (lose the thesaurus!). Also, Tan would use certain color words, like crimson, vermilion and azure ad nauseam! Speaking of which, Tan had Xingyin constantly sick to her stomach (gagging, retching, nauseated, roiled, choking down her bile, churning - just to name a few). My "orbs" were frequently rolling every time this was mentioned!;
3. I had to laugh at some of the challenges Xingyin and other competitors had to "endure" to earn a place as a fellow companion for Crown Prince Liwei, like (get this) tea brewing! Seriously? What was this? A MasterChef competition? Too bad Gord Ramsay wasn't a judge, because he would have spewed Xingyin's tea all over the place, and that would have been funny!;
4. The "Sky Drop Tassels" Liwei and Xingyin exchange to warn one if the other was in danger seemed pointless, as one wouldn't know of the other's dilemma until it was almost too late; and,
5. in my opinion, my biggest complaint is the shortfall of character development. Besides the absence of a true love story, I was unhappy with the lack of growth in Xingyin's character. From beginning to end, she comes off as impulsive. I was hoping that she would grow as a kickass First Archer like Legolas in The Lord of the Rings or Katniss in The Hunger Games. Instead, she often seems unsure of her abilities, and at times, wasn't that adept. The author always has her recovering from various injuries that easily killed off other soldiers. I don't think any of this book's characters will be memorable.
Overall, I give this book 3 stars, because it did have some good points and a gorgeous cover, but I probably won't be reading the next book in this duology, Heart of the Sun Warrior.
September 13, 2023
All the stars and the moon.
This novel was wish fulfilment, you guys. Seriously, it was all my smol Chinese-drama-loving heart could have wanted and more. I loved how it delved deep into a well of Chinese mythology and culture. I loved how authentically rendered it was, stirring an ache within me−a longing for a world of immortal beings, whimsical deities and glowing, mythical beasts, of blossom fields and full moon nights melding together.
The writing was vividly mesmerising, and yet languidly wrought, as if from a dream. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was the perfect novel for me (yes, I'm very whipped for it). I'd not fault it for anything, although fair criticism has been directed at its plot, or rather, how repetitive it was. And repetition is a trait that has traditionally typified Chinese high fantasy stories, particularly in xianxia. But at the same time I can argue that this repetitivity is what grows and nourishes the story, shaping it into something meaningful, that it is to the story as repeating beats are to the heart.
I'd love to write more about how perfect this novel was for me, but that'd be a rather futile pursuit, I feel. All I can say is that if you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, lovers-to-enemies, mutual pining and angst, court politics, deceit and enduring love, and needless to say, fairy tales and ancient mythology, this is the story for you.
5.0/5
This novel was wish fulfilment, you guys. Seriously, it was all my smol Chinese-drama-loving heart could have wanted and more. I loved how it delved deep into a well of Chinese mythology and culture. I loved how authentically rendered it was, stirring an ache within me−a longing for a world of immortal beings, whimsical deities and glowing, mythical beasts, of blossom fields and full moon nights melding together.
The writing was vividly mesmerising, and yet languidly wrought, as if from a dream. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was the perfect novel for me (yes, I'm very whipped for it). I'd not fault it for anything, although fair criticism has been directed at its plot, or rather, how repetitive it was. And repetition is a trait that has traditionally typified Chinese high fantasy stories, particularly in xianxia. But at the same time I can argue that this repetitivity is what grows and nourishes the story, shaping it into something meaningful, that it is to the story as repeating beats are to the heart.
I'd love to write more about how perfect this novel was for me, but that'd be a rather futile pursuit, I feel. All I can say is that if you're a fan of friends-to-lovers, lovers-to-enemies, mutual pining and angst, court politics, deceit and enduring love, and needless to say, fairy tales and ancient mythology, this is the story for you.
5.0/5
March 26, 2022
The love of my life. Pure perfection. I don't know how I'm supposed to move on.
If you want somewhat more coherent thoughts, here's my video review
If you want somewhat more coherent thoughts, here's my video review
March 11, 2022
Here comes the salty Brenda …
Wooow this is just another special snowflake story, the main character who did the BARE MINIMUM but can survive everything, can won and beat everything and best of anyone else and of course the PLUS … all the boys freaking love her!!! what a flawless main character 😂🥱 i have enough with this trope *yawn* 500 pages long book and i don’t hell care to any of these characters, there is no sense of tension through the book because well, we know the main character is just flawless and can do anything and have luck as wide as the sky… nor there is character growth, the romance is flat like a board and NOT believable, by the time i type this review i no longer remember their names (yes there is love triangle trope in this book) 😂 the writing style is lyrical (i usually enjoy lyrical writing style) but this one just felt dense and definetly not work for me
The only thing i like in this book is the Xianxia/ Chinese mythology aspect and the freaking beautiful covers (both UK and US) 😅 other than that i don’t have any positive things to say. Definetly NOT going to read the sequel
Thank you next…
Wooow this is just another special snowflake story, the main character who did the BARE MINIMUM but can survive everything, can won and beat everything and best of anyone else and of course the PLUS … all the boys freaking love her!!! what a flawless main character 😂🥱 i have enough with this trope *yawn* 500 pages long book and i don’t hell care to any of these characters, there is no sense of tension through the book because well, we know the main character is just flawless and can do anything and have luck as wide as the sky… nor there is character growth, the romance is flat like a board and NOT believable, by the time i type this review i no longer remember their names (yes there is love triangle trope in this book) 😂 the writing style is lyrical (i usually enjoy lyrical writing style) but this one just felt dense and definetly not work for me
The only thing i like in this book is the Xianxia/ Chinese mythology aspect and the freaking beautiful covers (both UK and US) 😅 other than that i don’t have any positive things to say. Definetly NOT going to read the sequel
Thank you next…
October 9, 2023
this was beautiful!! 🤍✨️
to be honest, I usually don't get excited over the prince-meets-secretly strong fmc-brings her live in his palace for a contest trope but this was too cute for me to a hater 🤠
I wanted more magic and drama than game/magic practice. I also wanted to meet more side characters and get to know the ones that were introduced better especially the celestial queen 😔
Xingyin is not relatable but she makes up for it by being likeable- I'm rooting for her and Prince Liwei. This reads like an Elizabeth Lim novel and if you love gorgeous Asian mythology/folktales retellings, you'll probably love this ♥️
to be honest, I usually don't get excited over the prince-meets-secretly strong fmc-brings her live in his palace for a contest trope but this was too cute for me to a hater 🤠
I wanted more magic and drama than game/magic practice. I also wanted to meet more side characters and get to know the ones that were introduced better especially the celestial queen 😔
Xingyin is not relatable but she makes up for it by being likeable- I'm rooting for her and Prince Liwei. This reads like an Elizabeth Lim novel and if you love gorgeous Asian mythology/folktales retellings, you'll probably love this ♥️
November 10, 2022
Fantastic story! I'm rarely caught by surprise by plot twists because normally I can see the foreshadowing from afar, especially if it's a retelling or inspired by mythology. Nonetheless, "Daughter of the Moon Goddess" managed to surprise me. There was one Big Twist I didn't see coming, and so was mad at, but in a good way because I'm like that, I celebrate when an author cleverly fools me and catches me off guard. Bow to Sue Lynn Tan for pulling it off.
I am a declared hater of love triangles. Mostly because I detest them on principle and for the drama & angst they bring to the story, but also because in the quite rare cases I've been able to tolerate triangles for the sake of the plot, the chosen lucky bastard is usually not the one I favour for the main lead to end up with. I was made to suffer for my preference of character in this book, but fortunately not everything was killed in the bud, and I'm so looking forward to what is to come. No, I can't name which character I'm favouring, as it'd be a huge spoiler, but once you read the book, you'll easily see who it is.
The worldbuilding of this book is credible without being overdone or underdone, no complications and excessive descriptions. It's mostly at court, but with incursions around so you can be shown the world the Immortals inhabit. If you know nothing about Chinese mythology, you'll still both understand and identify the references because it all trickles in at correct doses for you to get an idea about how things work in the universe of Chinese immortals. I am not familiar with their folklore beyond knowing Chang'e was the Chinese goddess of the Moon, but at no point did I feel lost or confuses. It's easy and readable.
I'm also pleased with the fact that, for once, it's the male character that is the Good Boy whilst the female lead is . . . well, complicated. But lovable. Does this mean the era of hot jerks that dominate Fantasy and YA is coming to a close and we'll be seeing more and more upright, good boys (but still hot)? Still, I am also pleased by the prospect of seeing a properly done redemption arc in the next book for a certain someone.
I am a declared hater of love triangles. Mostly because I detest them on principle and for the drama & angst they bring to the story, but also because in the quite rare cases I've been able to tolerate triangles for the sake of the plot, the chosen lucky bastard is usually not the one I favour for the main lead to end up with. I was made to suffer for my preference of character in this book, but fortunately not everything was killed in the bud, and I'm so looking forward to what is to come. No, I can't name which character I'm favouring, as it'd be a huge spoiler, but once you read the book, you'll easily see who it is.
The worldbuilding of this book is credible without being overdone or underdone, no complications and excessive descriptions. It's mostly at court, but with incursions around so you can be shown the world the Immortals inhabit. If you know nothing about Chinese mythology, you'll still both understand and identify the references because it all trickles in at correct doses for you to get an idea about how things work in the universe of Chinese immortals. I am not familiar with their folklore beyond knowing Chang'e was the Chinese goddess of the Moon, but at no point did I feel lost or confuses. It's easy and readable.
I'm also pleased with the fact that, for once, it's the male character that is the Good Boy whilst the female lead is . . . well, complicated. But lovable. Does this mean the era of hot jerks that dominate Fantasy and YA is coming to a close and we'll be seeing more and more upright, good boys (but still hot)? Still, I am also pleased by the prospect of seeing a properly done redemption arc in the next book for a certain someone.
January 23, 2022
There's no way that this is a debut. I'm having such a hard time believing that. I'm not the biggest fantasy reader, but when I say that this is one hell of fantasy book I mean that with every fiber in my body. Tan did such an excellent job with this story that I can't wait for the second book in the duology.
I didn't necessarily know much about Daughter of the Moon Goddess before reading it. I knew that it was getting a lot of buzz and that most readers were enjoying it; however, it wasn't one that was high on my radar. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. Based on the legend of Chang'e and ancient Chinese mythology, this novel follows Xingyin as she is forced to leave the moon once she finds out that her mere existence and powers are a danger to her mother. Eventually, she finds her way to the Celestial Kingdom where she must hide her identity to survive. She not only befriends the prince of the kingdom, but becomes his aide of sorts. Eventually she joins the military where she embarks on dangerous journeys in attempt to save her mother.
I don't even know where to begin in my praises of this novel. It's definitely well-written and accessible which makes it a good fit for those who are looking to transition from YA fantasy to adult fantasy. I know that Tan describes this as a sort of a "in-between" novel when it comes to target audience and I definitely can understand how it could be targeted at an upper YA audience and an adult audience. One thing that this book made me realize is that I really enjoy fantasy novels that include some form of political intrigue. It inevitable means that someone isn't who they say they are and betrayal is a guarantee. Tan used the politics of the world to not only shape the plot, but also her characters leading to one of the craziest plot twists that I've read in a fantasy in a while. This crazy political intrigue also led to some intense and interesting battles with mythical creatures (including mer people, dragons, and more). Combined with elemental magic, these scenes were some of my favorite parts of the book. It is clear from the beginning that this is an expansive world and there is potential for readers to see more of that in the second book.
Tan is not only a gifted writer, but also a pro at character development. Xingyin is easy to root as a reader. I appreciated that every move she made was to put herself into a better position to help her mother. While we don't necessarily get to see a lot of their relationship on page, those small moments were so beautiful. Additionally, the other main characters were extremely interesting. While I can't reveal too much about them, I will say that it is interesting to watch the ways that they change throughout the course of the novel. Tan also introduces a love triangle in this book, BUT it's a love triangle done right. The fall out that comes from it is EPIC and I don't feel like it happened just for the sake of happening. It was a necessary move and it made sense in the context of the story. Also, there is a lovers to enemies trope in this novel that was "chefs kiss." I'm not sure I've ever seen it done before and my goodness I LOVED it.
If it isn't clear from the context of this review, I absolutely loved this book. I will say that the writing style may not work for everyone as Tan is extremely descriptive, but I think it works well for the world building. Definitely one of my top books of 2022.
I didn't necessarily know much about Daughter of the Moon Goddess before reading it. I knew that it was getting a lot of buzz and that most readers were enjoying it; however, it wasn't one that was high on my radar. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. Based on the legend of Chang'e and ancient Chinese mythology, this novel follows Xingyin as she is forced to leave the moon once she finds out that her mere existence and powers are a danger to her mother. Eventually, she finds her way to the Celestial Kingdom where she must hide her identity to survive. She not only befriends the prince of the kingdom, but becomes his aide of sorts. Eventually she joins the military where she embarks on dangerous journeys in attempt to save her mother.
I don't even know where to begin in my praises of this novel. It's definitely well-written and accessible which makes it a good fit for those who are looking to transition from YA fantasy to adult fantasy. I know that Tan describes this as a sort of a "in-between" novel when it comes to target audience and I definitely can understand how it could be targeted at an upper YA audience and an adult audience. One thing that this book made me realize is that I really enjoy fantasy novels that include some form of political intrigue. It inevitable means that someone isn't who they say they are and betrayal is a guarantee. Tan used the politics of the world to not only shape the plot, but also her characters leading to one of the craziest plot twists that I've read in a fantasy in a while. This crazy political intrigue also led to some intense and interesting battles with mythical creatures (including mer people, dragons, and more). Combined with elemental magic, these scenes were some of my favorite parts of the book. It is clear from the beginning that this is an expansive world and there is potential for readers to see more of that in the second book.
Tan is not only a gifted writer, but also a pro at character development. Xingyin is easy to root as a reader. I appreciated that every move she made was to put herself into a better position to help her mother. While we don't necessarily get to see a lot of their relationship on page, those small moments were so beautiful. Additionally, the other main characters were extremely interesting. While I can't reveal too much about them, I will say that it is interesting to watch the ways that they change throughout the course of the novel. Tan also introduces a love triangle in this book, BUT it's a love triangle done right. The fall out that comes from it is EPIC and I don't feel like it happened just for the sake of happening. It was a necessary move and it made sense in the context of the story. Also, there is a lovers to enemies trope in this novel that was "chefs kiss." I'm not sure I've ever seen it done before and my goodness I LOVED it.
If it isn't clear from the context of this review, I absolutely loved this book. I will say that the writing style may not work for everyone as Tan is extremely descriptive, but I think it works well for the world building. Definitely one of my top books of 2022.
January 7, 2022
daughter of the moon goddess which caught my attention because of the stunning cover, is a fresh, impressive debut about the daughter of moon goddess chang'e, xinyin as she embarks on a journey to free her mother from her exile.
i loved the visuals painted by the lyrical writing. it perfectly fit the atmosphere of the book as xingyin explores different kingdoms and tasks. while it took a while to get used to the writing, i was soon captivated by the descriptions, the fairytale (and cdrama!) vibes and the Chinese folklore imbibed in the story.
the themes of—family, striving for freedom, loneliness and honour—are very well explored in the book. i especially enjoyed reading about xingyin's courage and determination to act with honour and stay true to her goals. watching her grow throughout the novel is a delight.
despite my overall enjoyment, daughter of the moon goddess fell flat in many places. the pacing is irregular and given the length of the book it dragged a lot with the repetitiveness. the third act turned out to be the most interesting part of the story. while the characters' personalities was intriguing, i genuinely did not find myself caring about them or their motivations. ultimately because i didn't feel the urgency of the stakes. it's all passive to be honest. and xingyin having two love interests didn't help as i wasn't inclined to root for any of them. though i'm most curious about wenzhi!
in the end, daughter of the moon goddess is a solid debut which is sure to take readers on adventures along with xingyin accompanied by Tan's beautiful writing. though it's not strong on the emotions or characters, it is sure to appease YA readers. i'm eager to see how Tan moves the story forward in the sequel.
thank you harper voyager and netgalley for the arc!
i loved the visuals painted by the lyrical writing. it perfectly fit the atmosphere of the book as xingyin explores different kingdoms and tasks. while it took a while to get used to the writing, i was soon captivated by the descriptions, the fairytale (and cdrama!) vibes and the Chinese folklore imbibed in the story.
the themes of—family, striving for freedom, loneliness and honour—are very well explored in the book. i especially enjoyed reading about xingyin's courage and determination to act with honour and stay true to her goals. watching her grow throughout the novel is a delight.
despite my overall enjoyment, daughter of the moon goddess fell flat in many places. the pacing is irregular and given the length of the book it dragged a lot with the repetitiveness. the third act turned out to be the most interesting part of the story. while the characters' personalities was intriguing, i genuinely did not find myself caring about them or their motivations. ultimately because i didn't feel the urgency of the stakes. it's all passive to be honest. and xingyin having two love interests didn't help as i wasn't inclined to root for any of them. though i'm most curious about wenzhi!
in the end, daughter of the moon goddess is a solid debut which is sure to take readers on adventures along with xingyin accompanied by Tan's beautiful writing. though it's not strong on the emotions or characters, it is sure to appease YA readers. i'm eager to see how Tan moves the story forward in the sequel.
thank you harper voyager and netgalley for the arc!
February 8, 2022
In a Nutshell: Loved the plot. Loved the Fantasy world and everything out-worldly. Liked the characters. Hated the writing style.
Story:
Where the book worked well for me:
😍 The book has a distinctly episodic feel to it. Each segment of the story can be compartmentalised, and each has its own appeal. Some segments work better than others, but most were pretty good. I enjoyed the action sequences most of all, what with dragons and mind magic and octopuses and what not, each fight sequence was astounding to read.
😍 The author’s world building is exquisite. The story had a genuine feel of a Chinese legend, even though it is only partially based on Chang’e’s story. The Celestial Kingdom, the various creatures, the magical weaponry, everything was enjoyable.
😍 The characters are going to leave their marks on your mind, though you may not like them all. Xingyin is outspoken, impetuous and rude. She thinks only about herself and hardly ever learns from her mistakes. As such, she makes for quite an irritating protagonist. I suppose it’s a YA thing because many YA books seem to have such unlikeable leading characters. It works for the story, and that’s the most important thing. The two male leads have decently-sketched characters too, though both go through drastic behavioural changes as the story proceeds. Nevertheless, the characters shoulder the story well.
😍 The female representation in the story is amazing. I loved how many of the soldiers in the Celestial army and other key characters were women and the plot uses them well. This is unlike usual legendary fantasies.
😍 While there are the usual Fantasy-Romance tropes such as romantic triangles and an all-surviving MC who always wins despite the odds, they are handled pretty well and don't feel boring.
😍 The book is volume one of an intended duology, but it has no cliffhanger ending. The story sets the foundation well for whatever is to come and at the same time, satisfies its readers with proper closure.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
😒 The only but biggest factor against the book: its writing style. God, how I hated it! As it comes to us from Xingyin‘s 1st person pov, I expected a certain amount of rambling, What I didn’t expect was for almost every paragraph to contain at least 3-4 sentences on her personal thoughts, even in between dialogues. This inner monologue became so irritating after a while. A typical scene in the book would be as follows:
This is even worse in audio because you feel like you are listening to the most egotistical person on earth who wants to talk about EVERY SINGLE DAMN EMOTION!!!!
There are also too many similes and metaphors. While many of them were apt and beautiful, it was an overkill. All this adds too much of clutter to the proceedings. The story would have worked even better had it been crisper by chopping out such needless flourishes.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 15 hours, is narrated by Natalie Naudus. I appreciate the decision to take an Asian-American narrator for the story. She performs remarkably, and her voices and her emotions are good. The problem was, her accent is strongly American. While I am okay with this usually, the word that bugged me the most was her pronunciation of “duty” as “doody”. I understand this is quite common in some American accents, but it was very distracting to my ears! Thus, in a book where Liwei was constantly struggling with his “doody”, I just ended up rolling my eyes multiple times.
I was pretty torn over my rating for this one because I loved the story so much and I hated the writing style almost equally. But what it boils down to is this: do I want to read the second part of this duology? Turns out, in spite of all my complaints, I do, eagerly! And that tilted the balance in favour.
4 stars from me. (5 stars for the plot, world-building, fantastical elements and action sequences. 3 stars for the character sketching. 2 stars for the writing style.)
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Daughter of the Moon Goddess”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
Inspired by the Chinese legend of the moon goddess, this story tells of a young girl Xingyin accustomed to living alone on the moon with her mother Chang’e. What she doesn’t know is that Chang’e has been exiled for stealing the elixir of immortality from the Celestial Emperor. Due to her presence coming to light, Xingyin is forced to escape from the moon and somehow lands up in the Celestial Kingdom, working as a maid for a local wealthy family. When there’s an opportunity to train alongside Crown Prince Liwei, she grabs at it, not knowing that her life will change from that moment. What follows is an interesting story of secrets and scandals, battles with strange and scary monsters, and even forbidden romantic entanglements.
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Xingyin.
Where the book worked well for me:
😍 The book has a distinctly episodic feel to it. Each segment of the story can be compartmentalised, and each has its own appeal. Some segments work better than others, but most were pretty good. I enjoyed the action sequences most of all, what with dragons and mind magic and octopuses and what not, each fight sequence was astounding to read.
😍 The author’s world building is exquisite. The story had a genuine feel of a Chinese legend, even though it is only partially based on Chang’e’s story. The Celestial Kingdom, the various creatures, the magical weaponry, everything was enjoyable.
😍 The characters are going to leave their marks on your mind, though you may not like them all. Xingyin is outspoken, impetuous and rude. She thinks only about herself and hardly ever learns from her mistakes. As such, she makes for quite an irritating protagonist. I suppose it’s a YA thing because many YA books seem to have such unlikeable leading characters. It works for the story, and that’s the most important thing. The two male leads have decently-sketched characters too, though both go through drastic behavioural changes as the story proceeds. Nevertheless, the characters shoulder the story well.
😍 The female representation in the story is amazing. I loved how many of the soldiers in the Celestial army and other key characters were women and the plot uses them well. This is unlike usual legendary fantasies.
😍 While there are the usual Fantasy-Romance tropes such as romantic triangles and an all-surviving MC who always wins despite the odds, they are handled pretty well and don't feel boring.
😍 The book is volume one of an intended duology, but it has no cliffhanger ending. The story sets the foundation well for whatever is to come and at the same time, satisfies its readers with proper closure.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
😒 The only but biggest factor against the book: its writing style. God, how I hated it! As it comes to us from Xingyin‘s 1st person pov, I expected a certain amount of rambling, What I didn’t expect was for almost every paragraph to contain at least 3-4 sentences on her personal thoughts, even in between dialogues. This inner monologue became so irritating after a while. A typical scene in the book would be as follows:
↳ Some character mouthing sentence 1 of his dialogue.
↳ Xingyin with her thoughts: My heart thudded. My mind was in tremor. My hands shook… Blah blah blah medley of body parts and their reactions…..
↳ Some character mouthing sentence 2 of his dialogue.
↳ Xingyin with some more thoughts; I couldn’t believe what he said. I felt like … insert descriptive simile here… Heat rushed into my cheeks … more body parts mentioned….
↳ Some character mouthing sentence 3 of his dialogue.
↳ You guessed it. Xingyin coming up again…. Sigh.
This is even worse in audio because you feel like you are listening to the most egotistical person on earth who wants to talk about EVERY SINGLE DAMN EMOTION!!!!
There are also too many similes and metaphors. While many of them were apt and beautiful, it was an overkill. All this adds too much of clutter to the proceedings. The story would have worked even better had it been crisper by chopping out such needless flourishes.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 15 hours, is narrated by Natalie Naudus. I appreciate the decision to take an Asian-American narrator for the story. She performs remarkably, and her voices and her emotions are good. The problem was, her accent is strongly American. While I am okay with this usually, the word that bugged me the most was her pronunciation of “duty” as “doody”. I understand this is quite common in some American accents, but it was very distracting to my ears! Thus, in a book where Liwei was constantly struggling with his “doody”, I just ended up rolling my eyes multiple times.
I was pretty torn over my rating for this one because I loved the story so much and I hated the writing style almost equally. But what it boils down to is this: do I want to read the second part of this duology? Turns out, in spite of all my complaints, I do, eagerly! And that tilted the balance in favour.
4 stars from me. (5 stars for the plot, world-building, fantastical elements and action sequences. 3 stars for the character sketching. 2 stars for the writing style.)
My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Daughter of the Moon Goddess”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
July 8, 2022
This read like I am reading a Xinxia drama script. Good thing is I like that genre of drama and this book was decent enough.
I loved the beautiful world building and writing. What I didn't like were the characters. Everything was presented on a silver platter to the girl be it the companionship, or be it his love, or be it the place in army. And all I heard was her whining about how tough and miserable her life was. Pfftt..
I loved the beautiful world building and writing. What I didn't like were the characters. Everything was presented on a silver platter to the girl be it the companionship, or be it his love, or be it the place in army. And all I heard was her whining about how tough and miserable her life was. Pfftt..
January 14, 2022
Nothing like starting off the new year with a very anticipated read and.. well, not hating it, but this took a lot of willpower to push through over the course of the first few days of 2022 and honestly, with the exception of one plot point, I did not enjoy.. any of this?
This is a long book, see above page count, however the problem was it also felt long. The beginning especially seems to go on forever with very little happening and also a very strange sense of time passage within the story itself. And considering how things started, and all the urgency that kicks off the story, well.. it dissipated as quickly as my New Year diet resolutions.
And I think overall that's my issue with the whole story. The sense of forward motion, of urgency, of our main character's dedication to saving her mother totally vanishes into the mundane doldrums of a whole other different story. And it's only near the end that she suddenly seems to phase back into that main concern. Yes, she was working towards a thing that she maybe could use to her advantage but.. I don't know. This felt like three different books in one and not in a good way.
As for the romance, well. I appreciated what the author tried to do with this love triangle, which was a more mature way of handling the usual YA fallback, however, at the same time, it didn't work for me. And I worry about what awaits us in book two in that regard. Though.. I don't think I'll be reading it.
Normally I'm full of second (third, fourth, fifth..) chances for authors, particularly debuts, but nothing in this writing was passionate. Or compelling. Or enthralling. It was lovely at times but honestly it was pretty dry. Again, where was the urgency, the tension, the stakes, and, yes, the passion. Hell, emotion of any kind. I felt nothing, no matter how hard I tried. Sadly this read likely tripled my screentime for the month because I kept putting it down.. which, yeah, added to the time it took me to finish but goodness I took any excuse to look away.
Again, this is a huge disappointment as I fell in love with this cover months ago and thought it sounded utterly captivating and unique. But for me? It wasn't it. As always, of course, don't just take my word for it; I highly encourage you to check out other reviews as this low rating is but a drop in the current rave review ocean.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This is a long book, see above page count, however the problem was it also felt long. The beginning especially seems to go on forever with very little happening and also a very strange sense of time passage within the story itself. And considering how things started, and all the urgency that kicks off the story, well.. it dissipated as quickly as my New Year diet resolutions.
And I think overall that's my issue with the whole story. The sense of forward motion, of urgency, of our main character's dedication to saving her mother totally vanishes into the mundane doldrums of a whole other different story. And it's only near the end that she suddenly seems to phase back into that main concern. Yes, she was working towards a thing that she maybe could use to her advantage but.. I don't know. This felt like three different books in one and not in a good way.
As for the romance, well. I appreciated what the author tried to do with this love triangle, which was a more mature way of handling the usual YA fallback, however, at the same time, it didn't work for me. And I worry about what awaits us in book two in that regard. Though.. I don't think I'll be reading it.
Normally I'm full of second (third, fourth, fifth..) chances for authors, particularly debuts, but nothing in this writing was passionate. Or compelling. Or enthralling. It was lovely at times but honestly it was pretty dry. Again, where was the urgency, the tension, the stakes, and, yes, the passion. Hell, emotion of any kind. I felt nothing, no matter how hard I tried. Sadly this read likely tripled my screentime for the month because I kept putting it down.. which, yeah, added to the time it took me to finish but goodness I took any excuse to look away.
Again, this is a huge disappointment as I fell in love with this cover months ago and thought it sounded utterly captivating and unique. But for me? It wasn't it. As always, of course, don't just take my word for it; I highly encourage you to check out other reviews as this low rating is but a drop in the current rave review ocean.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Want to Read
December 28, 2021DNF at 37%
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc of it through NetGalley. As a Chinese reviewer, I was greatly excited to read a book inspired by the moon goddess. Unfortunately, this book was just not it for me. I pushed through it as much as I could just because it was a book that I've been looking forward to for so long. However, this book just could not grab my attention at all.
There are quite a few problems that stand out with this book. To me, the most notable is the unbearably slow plot. It is almost entirely filler chapters. Daughter of the Moon Goddess started out with a bang, immediately catapulting readers into the world. For the first couple of chapters, I was obsessed and could not put this book down. But as the book progressed, I found myself caring less and less about anything that happened. Liwei and Xingyin had zero chemistry. There was nothing that could have possibly indicated romance between them, other than very obvious hints torward it. I had no idea that there was a love triangle in this book either. Captain Wenzhi was slightly more compelling than Liwei, and I stuck around just in hopes of him and Xingyin having some good scenes together. But, still, I just did not care about them or their relationships at all.
Some of the things I did enjoy about this book were the prose and the worldbuilding. The writing was beautiful and completely immersed me in the world. The worldbuilding was also great. I' m not normally a huge fan of first-person point of view books, but this was actually quite well done.
Final thoughts: While I did not enjoy this book, do not let my review discourage you from picking it up. My review is one not-so-good-one in a sea of hundreds of 5-star reviews. Plus, the cover is so beautiful that even if you don't find yourself enjoying the book, it will be a great item to display!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, so I was ecstatic to receive an e-arc of it through NetGalley. As a Chinese reviewer, I was greatly excited to read a book inspired by the moon goddess. Unfortunately, this book was just not it for me. I pushed through it as much as I could just because it was a book that I've been looking forward to for so long. However, this book just could not grab my attention at all.
There are quite a few problems that stand out with this book. To me, the most notable is the unbearably slow plot. It is almost entirely filler chapters. Daughter of the Moon Goddess started out with a bang, immediately catapulting readers into the world. For the first couple of chapters, I was obsessed and could not put this book down. But as the book progressed, I found myself caring less and less about anything that happened. Liwei and Xingyin had zero chemistry. There was nothing that could have possibly indicated romance between them, other than very obvious hints torward it. I had no idea that there was a love triangle in this book either. Captain Wenzhi was slightly more compelling than Liwei, and I stuck around just in hopes of him and Xingyin having some good scenes together. But, still, I just did not care about them or their relationships at all.
Some of the things I did enjoy about this book were the prose and the worldbuilding. The writing was beautiful and completely immersed me in the world. The worldbuilding was also great. I' m not normally a huge fan of first-person point of view books, but this was actually quite well done.
Final thoughts: While I did not enjoy this book, do not let my review discourage you from picking it up. My review is one not-so-good-one in a sea of hundreds of 5-star reviews. Plus, the cover is so beautiful that even if you don't find yourself enjoying the book, it will be a great item to display!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 28, 2022
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up 😊
“Titles are inherited, talent might be blood-bound, but true greatness lies within.”
Xingyin is the daughter of the Moon Goddess. Her mother has been imprisoned on the moon since before she was born by the Celestial emperor and empress. She has kept Xingyin’s existence a secret ever since.
But when the Celestial’s become suspicious Xingyin knows her life is in danger. She flees the only home she has ever known to live in the Celestial Kingdom, and to find a way to free her mother by any means necessary.
I loved the world building, the secrets and betrayals. I could have done without the love triangle however it was done very well here.
“Do not try to insult or guilt me into doing what you think I should do. How will we have a future together if you do not see me as your equal.”
Xingyin is a fantastic protagonist, I loved her and her character is well fleshed out. She isn’t simpering and holds her ground when necessary, even when it is hard. I enjoyed learning more about Chinese mythology as I have no experience with it. I am really excited for book 2!
“I would not yearn after what had been lost, impossible to regain. I would look to the days ahead, to the happiness which awaited me there…if only I were brave and steadfast enough to reach for it.”
“Titles are inherited, talent might be blood-bound, but true greatness lies within.”
Xingyin is the daughter of the Moon Goddess. Her mother has been imprisoned on the moon since before she was born by the Celestial emperor and empress. She has kept Xingyin’s existence a secret ever since.
But when the Celestial’s become suspicious Xingyin knows her life is in danger. She flees the only home she has ever known to live in the Celestial Kingdom, and to find a way to free her mother by any means necessary.
I loved the world building, the secrets and betrayals. I could have done without the love triangle however it was done very well here.
“Do not try to insult or guilt me into doing what you think I should do. How will we have a future together if you do not see me as your equal.”
Xingyin is a fantastic protagonist, I loved her and her character is well fleshed out. She isn’t simpering and holds her ground when necessary, even when it is hard. I enjoyed learning more about Chinese mythology as I have no experience with it. I am really excited for book 2!
“I would not yearn after what had been lost, impossible to regain. I would look to the days ahead, to the happiness which awaited me there…if only I were brave and steadfast enough to reach for it.”
May 8, 2024
I went into this one full on thinking it would be on my DNF list. 😝 I lack imagination and magical worlds are not usually my thing- not to mention this is a hefty one. 🤓 But guys… this… is… awesome! 🤩 I loved this story. 😍 The characters are strong, the battles are epic, it’s got the right amount of flirt for that triangle. ❤️ Excited to start the next one!! 🌟
September 8, 2022
I love this book so much, it's a new all-time favourite.
January 27, 2022
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book!
This book is one that I was eagerly anticipating, and my god did it live up to my hopes. Taking inspiration from Chinese Mythology, this story is a wild celestial adventure full of many twists and a whole lot of magic.
I knew from reading the very first page that I'd enjoy this one. The writing captivated me immediately, and it seemed only natural to ease into such a rich and colourful world. I loved learning about this world, especially how the legends and history would intersect, and discovering everything along with Xingyin proved an interesting perspective, having been isolated in one place her entire existence so far. Having her learn how her world was interconnected with the lives of those elsewhere proved a smooth way to build the world without being overwhelming. Paired with Sue Lynn Tan's beautiful writing, I found myself just really enjoying sinking into this story each time I came to read.
The story itself is one that's quick moving, with endless amounts of magic and monsters to keep the pages turning. Not to mention the relationships - wow did it make things intense! I'm not usually one to be caught between a love triangle, but the rising tension brought to the surface each time Xingyin was near danger was just too addictive to not get sucked in. Even the family dynamics, and the conversations surrounding what you inherit from your parents and how their actions impact generations to come, added a layer of tension to the story that was inescapable. Watching these characters try to figure out what's right vs their own desires proved to be an endless tug-of-war that you couldn't help wanting to see the outcome of.
I really loved this one, and I'm certain many others will adore it too. I already can't wait for the sequel!
This book is one that I was eagerly anticipating, and my god did it live up to my hopes. Taking inspiration from Chinese Mythology, this story is a wild celestial adventure full of many twists and a whole lot of magic.
I knew from reading the very first page that I'd enjoy this one. The writing captivated me immediately, and it seemed only natural to ease into such a rich and colourful world. I loved learning about this world, especially how the legends and history would intersect, and discovering everything along with Xingyin proved an interesting perspective, having been isolated in one place her entire existence so far. Having her learn how her world was interconnected with the lives of those elsewhere proved a smooth way to build the world without being overwhelming. Paired with Sue Lynn Tan's beautiful writing, I found myself just really enjoying sinking into this story each time I came to read.
The story itself is one that's quick moving, with endless amounts of magic and monsters to keep the pages turning. Not to mention the relationships - wow did it make things intense! I'm not usually one to be caught between a love triangle, but the rising tension brought to the surface each time Xingyin was near danger was just too addictive to not get sucked in. Even the family dynamics, and the conversations surrounding what you inherit from your parents and how their actions impact generations to come, added a layer of tension to the story that was inescapable. Watching these characters try to figure out what's right vs their own desires proved to be an endless tug-of-war that you couldn't help wanting to see the outcome of.
I really loved this one, and I'm certain many others will adore it too. I already can't wait for the sequel!
Want to Read
July 31, 2021“inspired by the famous Chinese legend of the Moon Goddess, in which a young woman must flee her cherished home on the moon when she is hunted by the Celestial Emperor” [x]
it also features:
- an exiled goddess
- girl fighting for family
- ancient myths
- fierce friends
- gentle prince & enigmatic warrior
- friends to lovers to enemies (!!!!) [x]
guys I just .... love my life right now knowing I’ll get to read this someday
I thought this came out in 2021 but it's actually 2022 okay guess I'll just die waiting for this one then
it also features:
- an exiled goddess
- girl fighting for family
- ancient myths
- fierce friends
- gentle prince & enigmatic warrior
- friends to lovers to enemies (!!!!) [x]
guys I just .... love my life right now knowing I’ll get to read this someday
January 30, 2022
In a sad minority on this one: I didn’t like it at all. It sounded wonderful: I love mythology/fairytale-inspired books, and was so curious about the celestial and moon elements.
Unfortunately, nothing worked for me. We are thrown into the action from the start, but that means that we never see the bond and love between Xiangyin and her mother, the Moon Goddess. The whole book revolves around this love, it’s at the centre of the main character’s motivation, but because she just tells us about it, I didn’t really care.
I had the same problem with the other relationships in this story. For me, there was no depth to them. A couple of scenes and a lot of telling later, I should believe that there are super strong and emotional attachments between Xiangyin and Liwei, and later Wenzhi? I just didn’t feel anything at all, so the whole hot and cold relationship with Liwei, all the pining and drama, it was all meaningless to me.
It didn’t help that I really disliked Xiangyin. She felt like a complete Mary Sue to me. Best flute player, best archer, best soldier who learns faster than all the rest and completes all difficult quests, not interested in material gain, super honourable and fair, and so selfless too (everything she does is to free her mother). Oh, and she doesn’t consider herself pretty, so she’s completely oblivious that the prince and hot captain like her, and she really doesn’t get their jealous behaviour.
At the same time, she was extremely proud and ridiculously competitive. And when it comes to her relationship with Liwei, I thought she was very selfish and mean. She went from not even realising she was in love, to blaming him for toying with her and breaking her heart, just because his family forced him to put duty and political alliances first.
Characters aside, there was no clear plot. Yes, Xiangyin has a goal: to obtain her mother’s freedom. But that’s not plot to me. The plot is Xiangyin studying with Liwei, then joining the army and going on several quests where she pretty much single-handedly saves the day.
In terms of writing, there were two sides to it for me. I thought the writing was beautiful, in the sense that there were beautiful sentences and a lot of beautiful comparisons and descriptive passages. At the same time, that descriptive style didn’t always work, because it affected the pacing in some scenes. You have a tense chase and you’re telling me the character has time to notice and describe all the surroundings?! It just lost the sense of urgency when the action stopped to give way to descriptions.
There was also something very formal about the writing, particularly in the dialogue, although this might be a cultural characteristic. I didn’t like how focused on internal monologue it was. Yes, it’s 1st person narration, but Xiangyin constantly explained every feeling and thought. It became very repetitive.
Anyway, this was not what I’d hoped it would be, unfortunately. I hate not finishing a book, so I pushed myself to read it, but was tempted to DNF around a third into it. I switched to the audiobook so I could listen while doing things around the house, otherwise it would have taken a lot longer (even though I really didn’t like the narrator’s voice…😅).
Unfortunately, nothing worked for me. We are thrown into the action from the start, but that means that we never see the bond and love between Xiangyin and her mother, the Moon Goddess. The whole book revolves around this love, it’s at the centre of the main character’s motivation, but because she just tells us about it, I didn’t really care.
I had the same problem with the other relationships in this story. For me, there was no depth to them. A couple of scenes and a lot of telling later, I should believe that there are super strong and emotional attachments between Xiangyin and Liwei, and later Wenzhi? I just didn’t feel anything at all, so the whole hot and cold relationship with Liwei, all the pining and drama, it was all meaningless to me.
It didn’t help that I really disliked Xiangyin. She felt like a complete Mary Sue to me. Best flute player, best archer, best soldier who learns faster than all the rest and completes all difficult quests, not interested in material gain, super honourable and fair, and so selfless too (everything she does is to free her mother). Oh, and she doesn’t consider herself pretty, so she’s completely oblivious that the prince and hot captain like her, and she really doesn’t get their jealous behaviour.
At the same time, she was extremely proud and ridiculously competitive. And when it comes to her relationship with Liwei, I thought she was very selfish and mean. She went from not even realising she was in love, to blaming him for toying with her and breaking her heart, just because his family forced him to put duty and political alliances first.
Characters aside, there was no clear plot. Yes, Xiangyin has a goal: to obtain her mother’s freedom. But that’s not plot to me. The plot is Xiangyin studying with Liwei, then joining the army and going on several quests where she pretty much single-handedly saves the day.
In terms of writing, there were two sides to it for me. I thought the writing was beautiful, in the sense that there were beautiful sentences and a lot of beautiful comparisons and descriptive passages. At the same time, that descriptive style didn’t always work, because it affected the pacing in some scenes. You have a tense chase and you’re telling me the character has time to notice and describe all the surroundings?! It just lost the sense of urgency when the action stopped to give way to descriptions.
There was also something very formal about the writing, particularly in the dialogue, although this might be a cultural characteristic. I didn’t like how focused on internal monologue it was. Yes, it’s 1st person narration, but Xiangyin constantly explained every feeling and thought. It became very repetitive.
Anyway, this was not what I’d hoped it would be, unfortunately. I hate not finishing a book, so I pushed myself to read it, but was tempted to DNF around a third into it. I switched to the audiobook so I could listen while doing things around the house, otherwise it would have taken a lot longer (even though I really didn’t like the narrator’s voice…😅).
Did Not Finish
January 3, 2024dnf at 20% (🥲)
just way too slow for me and the writing feels more middle grade than ya so i just can't do it. might pick this up again in the future tho.
pre-read:
consuming asian mythology books like it's the air that i breathe
just way too slow for me and the writing feels more middle grade than ya so i just can't do it. might pick this up again in the future tho.
pre-read:
consuming asian mythology books like it's the air that i breathe
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