Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - 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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killeenm18's review

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense 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? Yes

4.5

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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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aliriri's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

This was a wonderful story and I was completely satisfied with it from start to finish, it didn't let me down in anything, it met all my expectations, didn't sag anywhere in quality, absolutely wonderful. The plot is tied entirely to the conflict of the MC; it was nice to see the her develop; also, the author skillfully showed us more about the world without infodumping. This is simply a book right up my alley. ❤️

The best part is the author's strict adherence to the heroes' characters. The MC doesn't make decisions mindlessly, her character very much influences her actions as well as her thoughts. She feels real. I love that the MC never tolerates the way others treat her, including her love interests; even in the face of death, she stubbornly looks it in the eye. She has her own path, she has chosen it herself, and she won't let anyone bend her to another just because they think it's better for her, and she won't back down from what she wants, but she also has an understanding of honor and dignity, and she doesn't want to hurt others just to reach her goal.

The MC's relationship with both love interests was good. Both guys are different, as are her feelings for them. With Liwei she had her first, still adolescent, naive love (which eventually grew into more as they matured), while her relationship with Wenzhi was already more thoughtful, having learned from her bitter experience with the prince (and then vice versa). Wenzhi gave her what Liwei could not, and there were none of the weights of the past between them that there were between the MC and Liwei; but in the end, Liwei was the one who stayed by her side until the end and respected her choices no matter what.

While describing some of the situations in the book to a friend, it briefly all sounded like the plot of some ridiculous novel, but it's all so well written that you enjoy it. A less skillful author would have come out with a very different story.

The other characters, besides the MC, also feel real. They have their own dilemmas, which conflict in some places with the MC's path; they are neither nefarious villains nor innocent angels; none of them are presented in a totally bad or good light, and each of them is understandable.

In addition to showing what was going on, there was a lot of telling of what was going on. But that didn't confuse me or affect my enjoyment of the story. Sometimes "not showing" is a sign of poor writing skill, but in this case I think it was appropriate, otherwise the book would have stretched to all 800 pages or more. And the fact that some of the character bonding was left off-screen is not critical either, because romance is not the absolute primary focus of this story, but only one part of it.

I will 100% be reading the next book. Very interesting to see where the story goes and how it ends for her (and who she stays with, if not alone). The author has earned my trust after this book, and hopefully they won't let me down.

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laneyreadz's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I adored this book! It’s slow to start as it builds the mythology, but it picks up after about 80-100 pages. That may sound like a lot, but it’s a big book so I didn’t mind the slow build! My only complaint about this book and its sequel is that many of the main character’s enemies are men. She faces several disturbing situations fighting these enemies. More details in the content warnings!

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mcire's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

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

4.25

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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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