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emzhay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This was a pretty flat book all around. Huge stakes would be set up with no follow through on the action or risks. Things just happen as the plot needs. Problems would be encountered and solved within one or two chapters. Our MC Xingyin would express dread, but the writing itself and execution lacked any real build up or sense of danger.
The characters were one dimensional with fairly black and white morality. They had no little to no chemistry which really dragged out the love triangle to the point of fatigue. Neither love interest or Xingyin really brought anything to the table in terms of personality or redeemable qualities other than status or combat ability. Also almost every man with a name Xingyin encounters is immediately enamored with her leading to weird jealously from other characters. She, of course, is completely oblivious to all of this and is confused by the emotions of the men around her. A trope I’m sick of seeing. A good portion of the book is focused on the love triangle, and for a book called Daughter of the Moon Goddess, I was hoping there would be more introspection on mother/daughter relationships or filial piety.
There was a lot of potential here. The writing itself was decently enjoyable. It wasn’t difficult to read and didn’t feel like a chore to get through. I enjoyed the descriptions of clothing particularly.
The plot wrapped itself fairly cleanly to the point where I don’t really feel a the need to complete the duology.
The characters were one dimensional with fairly black and white morality. They had no little to no chemistry which really dragged out the love triangle to the point of fatigue. Neither love interest or Xingyin really brought anything to the table in terms of personality or redeemable qualities other than status or combat ability.
There was a lot of potential here. The writing itself was decently enjoyable. It wasn’t difficult to read and didn’t feel like a chore to get through. I enjoyed the descriptions of clothing particularly.
The plot wrapped itself fairly cleanly to the point where I don’t really feel a the need to complete the duology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Violence
Moderate: War, Blood, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
mcire's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Death of parent
happysami'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
tashtasher's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, War, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Blood, Bullying, and Gore
txikimandy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.75
This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. The plot was intriguing and the characters were likeable. The only things keeping me from giving 5 stars are the role of the supporting characters, which is where all of the other women in the story were, and Tan’s prose.
The plot of this story was a more complex plot than I was expecting. Every new obstacle was a surprise, but each one contributed to Xingyin’s journey and her growth. I really enjoyed reading each adventure she took!
I’m not someone who is overly familiar with Chinese mythology, though I am aquatinted with a few deities and legends. Tan did a fantastic job with the world-building— she never sounded like she was taking time away from the narrative to explain the mythological roots of the story like the readers were children; instead, she wove the lore of the world into the narrative with the skill of an expert.
The characters were all likeable (and the villains, you liked to hate). Xingyin experiences many traumas and tragedies, and her flaws are apparent, which all lend a wonderful depth and realism to her character. The male leads are interesting and have enough differences to evoke the “pick a side” attitude of the Hunger Games and Twilight franchises. The nostalgia attached to that feeling wasn’t something I necessarily loved, but it added to the complexity of Xingyin’s emotional growth in a respectable way.
My two complaints keeping me from giving the book 5 stars lie with the supporting characters and Tan’s prose. All of the other women in this story are supporting characters, which didn’t sit extremely well with me. I wanted some of Xingyin’s female friends to have a larger role and was left extremely wanting. The supporting characters are also static; even when they have a deep conversation with Xingyin about their lives and futures, nothing changes for them.
While she’s an amazing story-teller, Tan’s prose is lacking. There are many instances of sentence fragments that do not work as fragments, and caused me to read the passage once or twice more. She uses a lot of chiches, including frequently calling eyes “orbs”, which is one of my personal pet peeves.
The plot of this story was a more complex plot than I was expecting. Every new obstacle was a surprise, but each one contributed to Xingyin’s journey and her growth. I really enjoyed reading each adventure she took!
I’m not someone who is overly familiar with Chinese mythology, though I am aquatinted with a few deities and legends. Tan did a fantastic job with the world-building— she never sounded like she was taking time away from the narrative to explain the mythological roots of the story like the readers were children; instead, she wove the lore of the world into the narrative with the skill of an expert.
The characters were all likeable (and the villains, you liked to hate). Xingyin experiences many traumas and tragedies, and her flaws are apparent, which all lend a wonderful depth and realism to her character. The male leads are interesting and have enough differences to evoke the “pick a side” attitude of the Hunger Games and Twilight franchises. The nostalgia attached to that feeling wasn’t something I necessarily loved, but it added to the complexity of Xingyin’s emotional growth in a respectable way.
My two complaints keeping me from giving the book 5 stars lie with the supporting characters and Tan’s prose. All of the other women in this story are supporting characters, which didn’t sit extremely well with me. I wanted some of Xingyin’s female friends to have a larger role and was left extremely wanting. The supporting characters are also static; even when they have a deep conversation with Xingyin about their lives and futures, nothing changes for them.
While she’s an amazing story-teller, Tan’s prose is lacking. There are many instances of sentence fragments that do not work as fragments, and caused me to read the passage once or twice more. She uses a lot of chiches, including frequently calling eyes “orbs”, which is one of my personal pet peeves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Confinement, and Death
spcandybars's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gracious, I loved this book. It moved quickly, guiding you quickly through a childhood, spending more time in adolescence and dedicating the final half or so to the adventurous tale of our heroine’s ultimate purpose. The romantic relationships have such solid footing and even in the presence of my most loathed trope - the love triangle - I couldn’t deny that I appreciated what felt like legitimate chemistry with both male leads. And the plot feels important. It feels so reasonable to be so driven, to endure so much for the mother you love to no end.
There are definitely things that give away this being a debut novel - the pacing has its stumbling points, friendships that mean so much by the end never get ample time in the lead, and there are moments where Xingyin over explains to herself as a way to guide exposition and it almost always feels unnecessary narratively because the doubt she experiences that leads to these monologues feels out of character somehow. There are also things l believe may dissuade the typically adult fantasy reader - the story is very insular with only a small set of characters that will ever mean anything significant, it has a very approachable feel to the writing style that could be mistaken as YA at points, and the world building/lore is on the sparse side to accommodate for general plot progression. It’s enough insight to make you curious about the Chinese legend that exists behind Xingyin’s mother - enough to get the story - but not enough to ground itself in a way that I believe would be sustainable beyond this small cast.
In spite of its flaws, that’s all encapsulated within wonderful writing, relationships that feel so fulfilling, angst that’s so justified, and an overall story that’s just so interesting you don’t want to stop.
There are definitely things that give away this being a debut novel - the pacing has its stumbling points, friendships that mean so much by the end never get ample time in the lead, and there are moments where Xingyin over explains to herself as a way to guide exposition and it almost always feels unnecessary narratively because the doubt she experiences that leads to these monologues feels out of character somehow. There are also things l believe may dissuade the typically adult fantasy reader - the story is very insular with only a small set of characters that will ever mean anything significant, it has a very approachable feel to the writing style that could be mistaken as YA at points, and the world building/lore is on the sparse side to accommodate for general plot progression. It’s enough insight to make you curious about the Chinese legend that exists behind Xingyin’s mother - enough to get the story - but not enough to ground itself in a way that I believe would be sustainable beyond this small cast.
In spite of its flaws, that’s all encapsulated within wonderful writing, relationships that feel so fulfilling, angst that’s so justified, and an overall story that’s just so interesting you don’t want to stop.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: War
linneak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Confinement
morvvenna's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Classism, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Minor: Torture and Pregnancy
kylieqrada'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Withholding my review in solidarity with the Harper Collins Union strike. I will post upon the union receiving a fair bargain.
I really liked this, but it did have some problems that I didn't initially realize. Overall, I'm glad I read it but I won't be continuing in the series.
I really liked this, but it did have some problems that I didn't initially realize. Overall, I'm glad I read it but I won't be continuing in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
charmander17's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Blood, and Kidnapping