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strawb3rrysugar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death of parent
ctara2123's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Classism, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping
theonlysentree's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
1.5
Honestly the saving grace for this book, for me, (and why it still got a 1.5 stars) was the atmosphere. The author writes a really beautiful setting. Other than that, the main character was over-powered with little character development, I didn't like the love interests, the pacing was so jumpy, & I disliked the first-person narrative in the way the author uses it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Death of parent
madamenovelist's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Death, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gore, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Moderate: Torture and Alcohol
wpapnik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
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
4.0
I really liked this book! The tone and pace of the book reminded me a bit of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It was a pretty easy read and overall enjoyable. I did find the political systems and history to be a little hard to follow - thus making it more difficult to immerse myself in the book. Regardless, it found it to be a nice read and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse
alyssajp's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and War
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
moon_peach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and War
meant2breading's review against another edition
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!! 🌙
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!! 🌙
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment and Death
lavender_chai's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death
Minor: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
hmunger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
While there are valid critiques of the pacing and some plot choices, this novel never failed to enthrall me and envelope me in the world. I love the characters, as they each hold an important role in the plot and the messaging. I was truly torn between Xingyin’s choices and thought her inner dialogue, while at times extensive, was vital to the understanding of how she grew as a character and how she made sense of the world she did not grow up in. Highly enjoyed, excited to get the sequel!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Blood, War, and Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse, Classism, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Death of parent, and Death