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luverbyrd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was completely a cover buy. Going into it I only knew it was fantasy and like the title insinuates, the daughter of the moon goddess trying to free her mother.
This book was a fun, adventurous and twisty ride. The romance was sweet and not rushed, years actually pass in this book to make characters grow together.
The fantastical, mythological world that this is I am completely in love with. It doesn't info dump, it guides you along with knowledge that Xingyin has grown up learning and through in book storytelling.
So many unexpected magical creatures. Political intrigue as well.
Love this book!
This book was a fun, adventurous and twisty ride. The romance was sweet and not rushed, years actually pass in this book to make characters grow together.
The fantastical, mythological world that this is I am completely in love with. It doesn't info dump, it guides you along with knowledge that Xingyin has grown up learning and through in book storytelling.
So many unexpected magical creatures. Political intrigue as well.
Love this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Sexism
wellreadandhalfdead's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual assault
pastelmeganes's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really REALLY enjoyed the writing style of the author but felt the story and how it unraveled was a little lacking. I thoroughly enjoyed the world the author paints with their words but i felt some characters really fell flat. I didn’t find Liwei too likable to be the main love interest but i really liked Wenzhi! I felt Wenzhi had the most depth in character in my opinion. Xingyin was hmmm okay. Almost boarding marysue-esque territory. She did have some character development but not to the extent I personally would want for a main character. The story was definitely more plot based than character driven. Im giving a lot more points to the book for writing style, scenery/imagery than really the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
momma_needs_to_read's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, and Bullying
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual harassment
jayisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
4.0
This book got a little tiring as it progressed, partially because of the love triangle that I found a bit boring and predictable, but it was also because I found the protagonist, Xingyin, somewhat exhausting to deal with due to her incredible naïveté. There was something left to be desired in her character development (as well as others, to be honest), and I felt that Tan could have gone more into worldbuilding than she did. (Though, perhaps this is addressed further in the second book of this duology.)
And yet, I found myself making my way through this book rather quickly because I enjoyed how wonderfully Tan described the world this book takes place in, drawing out all the senses. In addition, I really enjoyed how it is grounded in the xianxia genre. It’s one I’m not entirely familiar with, but it’s so refreshing when so much of fantasy is Eurocentric.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping and Confinement
adrenabereading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
This book had so much going on, but I was definitely entertained! Xingyin does whatever it takes to free her mother, The Moon Goddess, from imprisonment. She takes us on an adventure through the Immortal Realm and Mortal realm, risking her life, family, and morality. There are love triangles, war, dragons, magic, etc.
This book was beautifully written. I could vividly imagine everything that was happening. Even though the book is kind of long, I felt like the story moved at a good pace and never dragged on too long. Also, I felt like the subplots were entertaining and didn't take away from the main plot.
The romance in this book wasn't spicy, but it was definitely sweet. I was excited to see who Xingyin was going to choose in the end.
The only thing I didn't like was that some elements of her adventures were predictable.
✨️Favorite Character✨️
Xingyin was my favorite character because she made everyone play by her rules. She didn't care what your title or rank was; you were not going to control her. I love that for her.
Overall, this book was really good. I was thoroughly invested in how everything would play out.
This book was beautifully written. I could vividly imagine everything that was happening. Even though the book is kind of long, I felt like the story moved at a good pace and never dragged on too long. Also, I felt like the subplots were entertaining and didn't take away from the main plot.
The romance in this book wasn't spicy, but it was definitely sweet. I was excited to see who Xingyin was going to choose in the end.
The only thing I didn't like was that some elements of her adventures were predictable.
✨️Favorite Character✨️
Xingyin was my favorite character because she made everyone play by her rules. She didn't care what your title or rank was; you were not going to control her. I love that for her.
Overall, this book was really good. I was thoroughly invested in how everything would play out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
samchase112's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This vivid fantasy is the definition of a whirlwind! It raced through (and I mean raced) Xingyin’s development from naive teenager to confident, powerful warrior. Her transformation was wonderful to witness, but I wish time was allowed to stop down and explore how she was feeling in each moment, and what built the changes to her character — not just the big moments that define her life, but the little things that made her who she is by the end of the book. I’ve seen many comparisons to Chinese historical dramas, and that definitely tracks. I enjoyed the adventure, romance, coming of age, and incredibly well-done world building — and flipping the pages became compulsive — yet I’m also still reeling a bit by how fast everything happened. All that to be said...I’m looking forward to book 2 to discover how Xingyin’s story wraps up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Violence, and War
Minor: Alcohol
modernmatilda's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-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? No
5.0
Wow! I don't read a lot of long fantasy books, but this one blew me away and I'm so glad I read it. The audiobook narrator is amazing, the writing is stunning, the fierce female protagonist is amazing, and there are dragons!!
Definitely one of those emotional damage kinds of books, but in the best way. So glad my book club read this book.
Definitely one of those emotional damage kinds of books, but in the best way. So glad my book club read this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Death, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Murder, War, Blood, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Torture
clairew97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Animal death, Blood, Medical content, Slavery, War, Alcohol, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, and Violence