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

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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

12 reviews

macgbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

REVIEW (scroll for a spoiler filled overview if you want)

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a book I wanted to read for some time now. The book is a retelling of Chinese mythology, with a sprinkling of romance. The story primarily follows the story of Xingyin and her journey from isolated girl to honored warrior. Chinese mythology is not something I am well versed in, but the premise is fascinating and the book was captivating.

I do think there are some pacing issues within the book. The world building feels rushed at some points, almost like a training montage in a classic 90s/00s movie. While I understand if time was dedicated to every battle and every story the book would have been loooonggggg it felt like there were moments when the story was overly rushed. For example key battles are resolved in seconds rather than given the time to crescendo and fall.

Another drawback for me was Xingyins perception of herself. While she is humble, especially in terms of men, she acts in such a way that it seems as if she doesn’t play a key role in others lives. I understand she is keeping a secret from everyone, but there are times when she is so incredibly daft it’s hard to believe she is such an incredible warrior.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and fully intend on reading the next in the series.

OVERVIEW

Daughter of the moon goddess closely follows the journey of Xingyin, daughter of the moon and

mortal archer Houyi

. The story begins with heralding the isolation of Xingyin, her mother, and their attendant on the moon. The descriptions are luminous and illustrative, covering not only the stunning backdrop of the moon, but also the internal turmoil of the characters in isolation. We see their longing and deepest desires.

However, everything is not as it seems on the idyllic moon. The tranquility of the beginning chapters is quickly broken when Xingyin

first reaches for her magic, described as floating light in her minds eye.

It is after this grave error Xingyin learns of her mother’s true reality and her hidden existence on the moon. In a bid to save everyone, Xingyin flees the moon to the immortal realm.

Xingyin finds herself in the Celestial Kingdom, isolated and alone. She brings work as an attendant to an aristocratic, where she is treated badly by both her master and her fellow attendants. After one such episode, she goes to the river to clean a damaged garment when she is discovered by

Crown Prince Liwei.

He invites her to compete in a competition to become his companion at the Jade palace, which she eventually wins.

Once in the Jade Palace, she is instructed alongside the young prince in all subjects, including war. She is particularly adept at archery, impressing both the prince and many instructors. For nearly two years she trains, until joining the Celestial Army as an archer.

In the coming years she goes on various missions and defeats various monsters under the command on Captain Wenzhi.

In one such harrowing mission, she saves the crown prince and his betrothed the Phoenix Princess.

After this she is granted a favor by the Celestial Emperor. She begs for her mother’s freedom from the moon. The Celestial emperor grants her request, but only if she manages to collect the pearls of the four imprisoned dragons.

Xingyin departs with Liwei and Wenzhi in search of the dragons, but not everything is as it seems.

The dragons explain that their pearls are their power, and whoever holds them has control of the dragons. Xingyin is gifted the pearls, and is immediately betrayed. She is captured by the Demon Realm and held prisoner until she manages to escape. In order to protect the dragons, Xingyin returns the dragons their power that is trapped within the pearl.

While this deeply angers the Celestial Emperor, he uphold his bargain and releases Xingyin’s mother from her isolation on the moon. In the end, Xingyin returns home to her mother.

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passionatereader78's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an amazing world to visit. I loved the determination of Xingyin. She was determined to find a way to save her mother who is being held prisoner by the celestial emperor. Xingyin is forced to leave her mother and find her way in the immortal world. She becomes the companion of Prince Liwei so she can learn more about the world she is in. I enjoyed her relationship with Liwei. The adventures she goes on are beautifully dangerous. This was a fun adventure!

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internationalreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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morvvenna's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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chrisljm's review

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Another book that didn’t live up to the hype. The writing is flowery and pretty, but that’s it. The plot and characters lack depth and it felt like 400+ pages of just trying to fit every plot point the author had planned.

The characters were so boring. Xingyin the female main character, is two-dimensional and lacks growth, but the worst thing to be done to her character was to end up having her centered around her love interests. The romance was definitely the worst thing about the book, and I could not have cared less. The characters had no chemistry, the two male leads had no personality, and the development in their relationships came off even worse because the pacing in the story was poorly done.

This book had me apathetic at best. The romance? Didn’t care. Xingyin only likes these boys because they’re there and the male leads. The plot? Also didn’t care. It’s hard to feel bad for any of her issues when there is no emotional impact in the writing, and so much telling and no showing.

This book just lacked in so much: personality, depth, climax, tension. The only thing it has going for it is pretty words but at the end of the day, who cares.

And you know what. You know how ridiculous it felt, reading about how hurt Xingyin was that Lingwei chose another woman, only for her to tell Wenzhi she wants to leave the army with him and be with him in the next fucking line. And then for Lingwei to come back in the next scene and have her be depressed over him again. Girl stfu.

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The worldbuilding unfolds slowly, with early mentions of the various kingdoms supplemented later on by more detailed descriptions once Xingyin actually travels there. The descriptions are evocative but not overwhelming, tending to focus more on her thoughts about what she observes. There’s a strong focus on Xingyin’s internal life, as her relationships get more complicated but she’s still keeping her parentage a secret. She’s the daughter of the moon goddess, having grown up in secret since her mother was exiled to the moon after claiming the immortality meant for her husband, Xingyin’s father.

I like the first third and I love the second half, in between those sections the pacing gets a little weird though it’s still pretty good. Mid-book events which in some other story might be a training montage instead are collapsed into a very brief mention as several years are skipped at once. Xingyin ends up in the Celestial palace, surrounded by people who despise her for her class and who would detest her if they knew who her mother really was. After spending several years as the prince’s companion, she tries to make her own way by excelling at arms, becoming a formidable archer. Her goal is to earn a favor from the emperor in order to request her mother’s freedom.

Once place where this excels is in relationships, specifically the way that Xingyin’s relationships with Prince Liwei and Captain Wenzhi change over time. It is a love triangle, but one which at each stage feels like there are good reasons for the choices Xingyin is making. She proceeds as well as she can while figuring out who she wants, if anyone. I love the ending, it pulls things together in a fantastic way and lays the ground for what the sequel might cover while still letting this first book feel complete.

Content Warnings

st61826's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

nytephoenyx's review

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Love, love, loved this. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a long book, but it’s beautifully written and the mythology behind it is fantastic and compelling. I will confess that I’ve gotten accustomed to shorter books and as such, the length was a bit intimidating for me (and likely one of the reasons it took me so long to get through). Nevertheless, the story was a reward in itself and I found myself reading large chunks of the novel every time I sat down with it. All this to say… don’t let the size of Daughter of the Moon Goddess put you off. It’s a wonderful introduction to the Chinese myth of Chang’e (嫦娥).

Except, Daughter of the Moon Goddess isn’t another YA fairytale or mythology retelling. Rather, it takes the Moon Goddess’s story and instead follows the thread of the forbidden daughter. Xingyin barely has time to learn the truth of her mother’s story (and even then, only a small part) before she is forced to flee the Moon for her own safety. From there, Xingyin has to find her own way in the world and fights for every opportunity. Are there a few too many coincidences that put her on the path to prestige? Well… yes. There are a few times where the plot seems too simple, where events fall into place too easily. The storytelling is very tightly contained and unforgiving in its intended direction, even when the transitions are a bit awkward. These moments did not take away enough of my enjoyment to sully the story.

The independent mythological encounters made up the best parts of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. At times, the binding between scenes was loose or sloppy. This felt like a book that was written in pieces and tied together afterwards. The pieces themselves are vibrant and Xingyin’s drive was good.

For me, there were definite “debut flaws”, and I think a lot of this cynicism comes from being an older, well-seasoned reader. The characters were a bit flat – we knew their motives, their feelings, and their intentions because the reader was told these things, not because they were subtle and deduced. It took away a little bit of the intimacy between Xingyin and the reader to have things shared so outwardly. In addition, there’s a love triangle. If I had to compare the style of love triangle, I’d most closely relate it to America’s love triangle in Kiera Cass’s The Selection – the history, the relationships, and the level of distraction all felt similar. Sue Lynn Tan handled it better than Kiera Cass (or maybe I just liked Xingyin better than America – slightly more important things on her mind!) but the awkward romance is still there and while I’m solidly on Team Liwei, I could have done without the romantic asides altogether.

I enjoyed the dragons, I enjoyed the scenes in the Eastern Sea. I enjoyed the action scenes (even when getting to them was a little bumpy). I got distracted enough by the gosh darn love triangle and judging the two men as unsuitable romantic partners that I failed to anticipate the major twist. Overall, I enjoyed the time spent reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I liked that the story was wrapped up enough that it doesn’t need a sequel. I like that Heart of the Sun Warrior is coming out this year anyway, so I can dig a little deeper into this world. I think Sue Lynn Tan had a lot of challenges in writing a book that covered such a long time period (growing up montage!) and she faced it well. I will be reading more and watching for this author in the future.

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rensreading's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

that was such a ride!! truly brilliant for a debut novel. i honestly can’t wait until i get my hands on the sequel coming out this year. whoever the illustrator is for these covers deserves a raise too. their artwork is absolutely stunning!

i really adored these characters. something about

wenzhi

gave me the heebie jeebies from the first instance where he and xingyin interact. i don’t really think he loves her like he claims to, he wants to possess her like she’s some sort of prize instead of a real person, yknow? now

liwei

, i had my reservations about but i was really rooting for them. their friendship was everything i wanted to see. their first parting left me as heartbroken as xingyin but i knew they weren’t truly over. and then

wenzhi

started acting super fcking weird

and i just knew™️

he kept saying that he knew she was strong and could take care of herself, but also kept treating her like a damsel in distress too so i just immediately clocked him as a big old N-O, NO!

xingyin and liwei’s relationship really sold the deal for me. whether as friends or lovers, i adored them together. they would give up life and limb for one another bc they truly love each other. a kind of love where they give and do not expect anything back in return. when you’re both givers, taking also comes along for the ride which balances the relationship out. they absolutely are not a perfect couple but that’s exactly why i liked them so much. they were friends first

(though im of the opinion that liwei was taken with xingyin from the moment they met)

and lovers second. if one was in danger, there was no question about whether the other would come to their aid. even with

liwei’s engagement to a princess and xingyin doing her best to forget they were lovers,

their friendship was still intimate enough to raise brows. their chemistry was undeniable and the care they have for each other is heartwarming as well. i really hope they get their HEA once this duology is finished.

the descriptions were to die for. the plot was well thought out with only a few hiccups here and there. the characterization was a bit lacking, especially concerning xingyin, but it wasn’t horrendous either. she felt a bit like a mary sue, but not in a bad way, just a “gee-i-wish-she-didnt-have-an-unknown-hidden-talent” kind of way. she definitely struggled to make her way in certain areas but in others it just felt a bit too easy. tan’s voice was also constant throughout the novel with only a few instances where things felt off or bland for whatever reason. it’s very clear that tan spent a lot of time and effort on this novel and i truly cannot fault her in any way for that.

this novel wasnt perfect but i love it so much that i’ll give it it’s well deserved 4.5 stars anyway (:

Content Warnings

aardwyrm's review

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The worldbuilding is sumptuous and shameless, a high fantasy, myth-infused delight. The plot is fun, though oddly episodic, coming across like a monster of the week in novel format, with every obstacle dispatched after a brief, dramatic struggle and Xingyin being just way better than anybody else. Xingyin is enjoyable in a slightly 90s girl-power kinda way. Every dude she meets falls in love with her immediately but she's sure to tell you how plain she is. Magical weapons and awesome gifts just hurl themselves into her hands because she's the coolest. Just ride with it. Liwei and Wenzhi have exactly zero personality between them, but I suppose they don't really need one. They're just handsome props. Altogether everything is very pretty and very thrilling and there's dragons. A gift to the eight year old inside us all.

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