Reviews with content warning for Gore - Daughter of the Moon Goddess

this book was absolutely stunning. i don’t know how to describe the beauty of it in great justice but i can tell the amount of work put into this book and it served it well. i loved xingyin and seeing her grow into a strong woman made me feel like a proud mother.

however, the love triangle ruined it a bit for me. perhaps i’m a bit too old for trope like this—younger me might have enjoyed it. in fact, i think younger readers aka the target audiences might savour it even. i imagine the idea of two beautiful men salivating at your feet would be attractive for the youngins.

for me? it’s a source of anxiety and annoyance. i have zero patience for wishy washiness of xingyin in this regard. i also heard that this trend follows into the second book. so, i decided to not pick it up and move on. be well!

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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3.5

Just some quotes I loved:

What use were adventures when there was no one to share them with?

Today, I had finally dared to gaze at the sun, allowing its radiance to blaze through me unhindered, spilling through my veins until I was aglow. Never did I imagine such luminous joy existed, and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows. and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows.

kings were not always as just as in the stories, and the mercy of gods was sometimes flawed.

Not everyone’s past was a path through sunlit fields. We each had our own corners that we preferred to leave in the shadows.

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momma_needs_to_read's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I absolutely loved this book! This is such a beautiful story. It’s the perfect combination of fantasy, romance and action. I loved all the Chinese mythology, it was so fun and interesting to read about. This book is also full of magic, which is a huge selling point for me. I love magical books and this was exactly what I wanted.

The writing of this was done fantastically. I felt like I could close my eyes and see exactly what she wanted us to envision. The characters were also so well written and developed throughout the story. Xingyin is such a fierce badass, not only because of the way she always fights for what she believes in and never gives up hope of helping her mother, but because she literally went from nothing to becoming a phenomenal warrior all through incredibly hard and exhausting work. Her personal character development was amazing. I was very torn over her romances. I won’t spoil anything but I will say I have a clear favourite who I want her to be with.

This is definitely a story of love. Love of a mother. Love of a daughter. First loves. New loves. From the very beginning, you know, this is a story driven by love. What Xingyin is doing for her mother and what her mother did for her.

I definitely recommend this book. If you love Chinese mythology, or any mythology, a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies trope, or a fierce female warrior and magic, this book is for you!

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