Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Daughter of the Moon Goddess

I originally picked this up in an effort to read outside of my comfort zone; I don't pick up a lot of fantasy books and know next to nothing about Chinese mythology. I have to give due credit to Kuri Huang, the book's cover illustrator, whose work is absolutely stunning. This isn't usually relevant in book reviews for me, but as an illustrator myself, it would be dishonest to say it wasn't a factor in me buying this book.

High points: the descriptions and setting are beautifully described and well developed. The book reads as very atmospheric and immersive, which definitely enhances the experience of reading an adventure series. I felt like I was right alongside Xingyin and her journey to return to her mother. While I'm not the biggest fan of a love triangle (and in the least spoiler-y way possible, there is an obviously correct love interest made apparent from the start), but there's enough angst and drama for it to fit within the story. The dragons are very cool - I will never complain about the presence of dragons in a book.

Low points: the pacing and the tension are where this story lacks the most. Scenes that feel like they should be more important or momentous are glossed over pretty quickly in summary, which makes Xingyin's development feel a little stale (considering the author's prose is on the flowery side, it surprised me that there's very little tension built). The beginning is a little slow, and it took me a while to fully get into the book. The Act 3 plot twist made the ending a little sour for me, as I felt it started to bring up elements of the story/worldbuilding that should have been established much earlier. Many of the side characters, *especially* the women, deserved a little more background/development and time to shine. And this is more of a nitpick, but this book's magic system seems kind of vague (though this might be due to my lack of knowledge in Chinese mythology).

Overall, while the pacing and some of the tropes weren't my favorite, I looked forward to curling up with this book, along with a blanket with a cup of tea in hand. If you like Chinese mythology, romantic angst, and want a more adventurous fantasy, you might enjoy this.

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jess_tries2read's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The world of this book is so magical. It has a mythological setting, but it's not really a retelling so much as a framework.

The daughter of the Moon Goddess grew up sheltered but happy on the moon. Her life is uprooted as she is forced to leave to the Celestial Kingdom. You get to go with her on her journey has she meets odd characters, learns skills and magic, and becomes a more powerful immortal. The characters are good, their motivations strong. The setting is perfect for a dramatic yet classic adventure story.

I am so stoked I own the sequel (thanks, daily deals!l

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weareinheritors's review

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adventurous challenging tense fast-paced

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

3.0

This is a very YA book, for decent and for worse.

The world and descriptions of locales and some people are great, I really would've loved to see more. I also liked the magic and, of course, always love me some

dragons

.

The plot feels rushed and a little too easily resolved, but intriguing all the same. I don't like how *easy* it was to resolve a lot of long-standing worldbuilding issues (

dragon pearls, really?!

). Like, I expect a little Mary Sue-ness in a YA novel, that's fine, but it was too easy for the MC. And there is ittle to no character growth, especially for the MC.

I really didn't care for any of the main characters (Shuxiao is a real one, though. I want more of her, please). The sorta-kinda rebound love "triangle" almost made me DNF (specifically the

West Lake Inn and godawful shared room, one bed trope 🤮—that thankfully didn't follow through

).

I'll read the sequel for the worldbuilding, but I'm not rushing into it.

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meant2breading's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

This debut fantasy from Sue Lynn Tan is inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e. The story is centered around a daughter fighting for the freedom of her mother and I was pleased how this did not change throughout. I had a very difficult time putting this down so I’m not mad I finished it in 2-3 days, but dang it! I wish I could have given myself more time to sit with the pure joy I had from reading this story. This was my first time reading about Chinese mythology and it truly enthralled me from beginning to end.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess had everything I could want in a book: A fierce female main character, lyrical descriptions and world building, a plot twist I didn’t see coming, magic, and friendship (Shuxiao you’re a real one for sure), and dragons…duh🐉! It also had some romance that didn’t overpower the enjoyable adventures throughout Highly recommend!! 🌙

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lavender_chai's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.75

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runefiction's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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christineplum's review

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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foxwish's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

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

2.0

Enjoyed the writing style, but the characters weren't interesting, our main character was insanely good at everything with very little practice and the love triangle (arrow) situation was painful to read. Very disappointing.

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