Erin Austen

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Erin is Currently Reading

Erin Austen is currently reading

The Death of the Necromancer (Ile-Rien #2)

by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: assassins, fantasy, female-protagonist, magic, morally-grey, multiple-pov, witchcraft, necromancy, currently-reading

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progress:

(page 210 of 544)
— Nov 28, 2025 12:25AM

Nov 28, 2025 12:25AM

Erin Austen is currently reading

Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)

by Sue Lynn Tan (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: alternative-fairytale, fantasy, female-protagonist, magic, chinese-mythology, female-warrior, feminist, gutsy-heroine, will-read-again, book-club, dragons, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in February 2022

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Erin Austen said: " The Cover Reflects the Book

This time, the review quote on the book cover is accurate - this truly was an outstanding debut novel!! I was drawn to this book, looking at upcoming releases for the year, and getting sucked in by its gorgeously detailed c The Cover Reflects the Book

This time, the review quote on the book cover is accurate - this truly was an outstanding debut novel!! I was drawn to this book, looking at upcoming releases for the year, and getting sucked in by its gorgeously detailed cover - and then the synopsis on the back was just as intriguing. I ended up picking it up shortly after its release and was a bit worried that for a debut novel it was rather long, but that quickly fled upon reading that first chapter. Words like "lush", "sweeping epic" are often applied too liberally for fantasy novels and they often fall short. Daughter of the Moon Goddess, however, is all that and more! Although I am only familiar with Chang'e, and not so much the rest of the mythology, the author does a great job of building and describing the world so it was as easy as breathing to visualise and become completely immersed. There's a ton of plot that happens in this book, yet it didn't feel cumbersome or disjointed. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of food when present - had my stomach grumbling at times! And the description of her drawing the bow early on in the novel really spoke to me and how I have felt setting up a good shot with my own bow. The characters were well written and I really appreciated how Xingyin (our main character) was not a perfect hero - how she struggled with her own emotions, including fear in the face of battle, yet pushing through it. Often female warriors in sci-fi fantasy can be written as skilled and unflappable in the face of danger being exclusive - which sometimes they are, but I also think most would have some level of apprehension knowing the stakes of losing and also just being human. Or at least there would be a battle where they aren't completely confident in victory. I also greatly appreciated the complexities in the villains and also the ruling Celestials - no one is two-dimensional in life, and I always think it's better when you can sympathize with a villain's motivation or find a flaw with those on the side of good, both tempting the hero to examine right vs wrong, actions vs words, etc and make the struggle all the more realistic. Likewise, I thought it was great where Xingyin would struggle and couldn't always rely purely on magic or weapons or even others to save her - and at the same time as a reader being so immersed in the story that you felt it along with her.

Again fantastic book - which will definitely be re-read again & again. For those wondering (as the back indicates it's a duology), the way this is written you could easily treat it as a standalone and be content (or maybe not happy) with the resolution. As for me, I will definitely be picking up book 2 the moment it drops in November and I will be following Sue Lynn Tan from now on. ...more "

progress:

(page 512 of 503)
— Feb 16, 2022 12:12PM

Feb 16, 2022 12:53PM · see review

Erin Austen is currently reading

Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem

by Bill Nye

bookshelves: biography, non-fiction, science, currently-reading

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progress:

(page 67 of 384)
— Mar 16, 2023 04:37PM

Mar 16, 2023 04:37PM

See all 8 books that Erin is reading…

Erin’s Quotes

“You know something? There are sandstorms that strip man and horse and bury them — I've seen them. I saw bones piled higher than my head for the folly of a bad king and those who wanted his throne. I lived through a blizzard that froze every other living creature solid. Against those things, you're only a man. I can deal with you.”
― Tamora Pierce, Lioness Rampant

tags: determination, hardships

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