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oatesy's review against another edition
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
The pacing of this book was really weird. I found myself not enjoying the first bit of the book as it felt very surface level and shallow, and all these things kept happening but I didn’t have any context or background, so I didn’t care as much. Later on in the book I got used to the writing style and I really enjoyed myself. The adventures were fun and I loved the strong female characters. There were still some overdone tropes in there, but overall I found myself enjoying the book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Sexual harassment
iridescentjuniper's review
adventurous
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, and Gore
Minor: Sexual harassment
aexileigh's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual harassment
iaraya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Protagonist is briefly harrassed by a group of men with the threat of sexual assult, but is able to easily protect herself.nytephoenyx's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, War, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual harassment
thereadingskeleton's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Thank you to B2Weird Book Club and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
Rep: East Asian coded cast
I sat with my thoughts for a good while after I finished this book, and I’m still not sure that what I have to say is going to be helpful to anyone. First, let me say that I did not dislike this book. There’s nothing objectively wrong with it. But my overall opinion is, in this case, not particularly positive.
On the positive side, the writing is beautiful: lush and descriptive and often lyrical. The worldbuilding, too, is fantastic—extensive without being overbearing. I loved noting the different pieces of Chinese mythology woven into the story. I’d like to read more books set in this world (which is why I’ll probably check out the sequel) because there’s so much left to explore.
Unfortunately, despite those things, I found myself constantly bored. I never wanted to pick the book up, was never excited to read it. Perhaps it was a case of my mood being wrong for it, or perhaps this book simply wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel invested in the plot, and I had absolutely no interest in any of the romantic plotlines. Full disclosure, I despise love triangles (as defined by monogamous straight people), and that’s the situation in this book, which is undoubtedly a big reason why every little mention of the romances made me roll my eyes. I would have loved to see less focus on the romance aspects of the story and more on familial/familial-type relationships. Xingyin’s base mission is to save her mother, and while I saw familial love acting as a theme, I feel it could have been much more prominent.
Overall, I didn’t dislike the book; I just felt it was underwhelming. On paper, it should have been a story I loved, but I didn’t. I’m extremely disappointed that I didn’t, especially because many of my friends seemed to love it. Perhaps I’ll revisit it later.
PS: The audiobook narrator, Natalie Naudus, was amazing! Definitely a highlight of my reading experience.
Rep: East Asian coded cast
I sat with my thoughts for a good while after I finished this book, and I’m still not sure that what I have to say is going to be helpful to anyone. First, let me say that I did not dislike this book. There’s nothing objectively wrong with it. But my overall opinion is, in this case, not particularly positive.
On the positive side, the writing is beautiful: lush and descriptive and often lyrical. The worldbuilding, too, is fantastic—extensive without being overbearing. I loved noting the different pieces of Chinese mythology woven into the story. I’d like to read more books set in this world (which is why I’ll probably check out the sequel) because there’s so much left to explore.
Unfortunately, despite those things, I found myself constantly bored. I never wanted to pick the book up, was never excited to read it. Perhaps it was a case of my mood being wrong for it, or perhaps this book simply wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel invested in the plot, and I had absolutely no interest in any of the romantic plotlines. Full disclosure, I despise love triangles (as defined by monogamous straight people), and that’s the situation in this book, which is undoubtedly a big reason why every little mention of the romances made me roll my eyes. I would have loved to see less focus on the romance aspects of the story and more on familial/familial-type relationships. Xingyin’s base mission is to save her mother, and while I saw familial love acting as a theme, I feel it could have been much more prominent.
Overall, I didn’t dislike the book; I just felt it was underwhelming. On paper, it should have been a story I loved, but I didn’t. I’m extremely disappointed that I didn’t, especially because many of my friends seemed to love it. Perhaps I’ll revisit it later.
PS: The audiobook narrator, Natalie Naudus, was amazing! Definitely a highlight of my reading experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: War, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Torture
flamingoshirt's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This. was. absolutely. amazing. The writing was descriptive and made you feel like you were there with the characters. The events kept me on edge and always anticipating what would come next, though I suppose you could most likely figure it out if you thought about it. As for the characters, each is complex and has their own set of qualities and motives completely unique to themselves; I loved the ones that were worthy of it. The series of events from beginning to end got me so invested and everything ties together so well in the end. Nothing was left unsolved and was satisfying and moving to finish because of it. I don’t think I will ever forget reading this. Totally recommend.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
lujisa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Murder, Death, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Sexual harassment and Torture
bookedbyelizabeth's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan
CW: violence, death, loss of parent, sexual harassment
I’ve seen so many wonderful reviews for this book, and I’m here to say that I loved this book too and recommend it!
Like with most fantasy books, it took a few chapters for me to get into it, but then I found I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the world building and the incorporation of Chinese mythology, specifically the legend of the moon goddess Chang’e. I loved the main character Xingyin and how strong-willed she is. She learns magic and archery, and she grows a lot as a character while remaining true to her core values.
I enjoyed the action scenes and plot twists, and I thought the pacing was great. There’s also a love triangle that I thought was done well. At first, I was worried it would be predictable, but I ended up liking the romance aspect of the plot. Overall, this was an entertaining fantasy book that explores the idea of choices, specifically choosing to do what’s right over what’s easy. It’s also about following your gut, the seduction of power, and trusting actions over words (even though words can be powerful too). I’m definitely excited for the second book, Heart of the Sun Warrior, that comes out later this year!
“I had always thought life was a road, twisting and turning with the vagaries of fate. Luck and opportunity, gifts beyond our control. As I gazed across the endless night, it dawned on me then, that our paths were forged from the choices we made. Whether to reach for an opportunity or let it pass by. To be swept up with change or to hold your ground.”
CW: violence, death, loss of parent, sexual harassment
I’ve seen so many wonderful reviews for this book, and I’m here to say that I loved this book too and recommend it!
Like with most fantasy books, it took a few chapters for me to get into it, but then I found I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the world building and the incorporation of Chinese mythology, specifically the legend of the moon goddess Chang’e. I loved the main character Xingyin and how strong-willed she is. She learns magic and archery, and she grows a lot as a character while remaining true to her core values.
I enjoyed the action scenes and plot twists, and I thought the pacing was great. There’s also a love triangle that I thought was done well. At first, I was worried it would be predictable, but I ended up liking the romance aspect of the plot. Overall, this was an entertaining fantasy book that explores the idea of choices, specifically choosing to do what’s right over what’s easy. It’s also about following your gut, the seduction of power, and trusting actions over words (even though words can be powerful too). I’m definitely excited for the second book, Heart of the Sun Warrior, that comes out later this year!
“I had always thought life was a road, twisting and turning with the vagaries of fate. Luck and opportunity, gifts beyond our control. As I gazed across the endless night, it dawned on me then, that our paths were forged from the choices we made. Whether to reach for an opportunity or let it pass by. To be swept up with change or to hold your ground.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
mattiedancer's review
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment
Minor: Blood, Bullying, Infidelity, Torture, Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, and Emotional abuse