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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
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
sugaryplum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I loved this book so much! The author writes in such a beautiful way, especially the descriptions (through it felt a bit slow at times!). I loved the love triangle, it felt really respectful and the main character wasn't simply throwing people around! It honestly felt like the perfect YA book.
The only thing I wish was for the pace to be a bit quicker at times, it felt like there were too many descriptions of how things looked that were fitted between scenes making me really impatient to find out what's happening, I stopped caring about the ceiling when we are at a moment full of suspense and my eyes ended up skipping the descriptions to get going! It just felt a bit winded, HOWEVER, the book is so amazing that you honestly can very easily ignore these parts. There is so much story, the characters are so well written and there is a good amount of plot twists that you'd never expect. Another thing I congratulate the author for is closing all the plots so well in the end, the book would be great as a stand alone (not fully sure if I will read the sequel, it ended so well!) and I was left without questions. If you love fantasy, romances with princes, light and respectful love triangles with strong female leads without gore and unnecessary bloodshed this is for you!
This NEEDS to be turned into a TV show or something! It deserves the praise.
The only thing I wish was for the pace to be a bit quicker at times, it felt like there were too many descriptions of how things looked that were fitted between scenes making me really impatient to find out what's happening, I stopped caring about the ceiling when we are at a moment full of suspense and my eyes ended up skipping the descriptions to get going! It just felt a bit winded, HOWEVER, the book is so amazing that you honestly can very easily ignore these parts. There is so much story, the characters are so well written and there is a good amount of plot twists that you'd never expect. Another thing I congratulate the author for is closing all the plots so well in the end, the book would be great as a stand alone (not fully sure if I will read the sequel, it ended so well!) and I was left without questions. If you love fantasy, romances with princes, light and respectful love triangles with strong female leads without gore and unnecessary bloodshed this is for you!
This NEEDS to be turned into a TV show or something! It deserves the praise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Misogyny
hanz's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: War
hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Rape, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Abandonment, Confinement, Kidnapping, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Sexual assault
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and War
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Sexism, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
jessicaludden's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
“Yet as much as I loved him, I loved myself more. And as I was discovering, there was no end to love—it was something which grew and renewed endlessly, expanding to encompass each new horizon.”
So much happened in this book. I definitely feel like I read three books in one. It did feel a little slow at times, but the magic, action, and love made up for it. I loved the romantic angst in this love triangle. So much betrayal. So much longing. It was perfect. I loved getting to see Xingyin grow throughout these different phases of her life. Seeing her start out as a sheltered young girl with no powers and watching her learn how to fend for and eventually fight for herself. She’s very selfless and very determined when it comes to protecting the people she loves. I’m interested to see how the sequel goes because it feels like everything wrapped up pretty nicely at the end of this book. Although, if the next book focuses on war I may love it even more. Overall, I loved being in this world and being with Xingyin as she survived it.
So much happened in this book. I definitely feel like I read three books in one. It did feel a little slow at times, but the magic, action, and love made up for it. I loved the romantic angst in this love triangle. So much betrayal. So much longing. It was perfect. I loved getting to see Xingyin grow throughout these different phases of her life. Seeing her start out as a sheltered young girl with no powers and watching her learn how to fend for and eventually fight for herself. She’s very selfless and very determined when it comes to protecting the people she loves. I’m interested to see how the sequel goes because it feels like everything wrapped up pretty nicely at the end of this book. Although, if the next book focuses on war I may love it even more. Overall, I loved being in this world and being with Xingyin as she survived it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Confinement, Infidelity, Violence, War, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
booksthatburn's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
The worldbuilding unfolds slowly, with early mentions of the various kingdoms supplemented later on by more detailed descriptions once Xingyin actually travels there. The descriptions are evocative but not overwhelming, tending to focus more on her thoughts about what she observes. There’s a strong focus on Xingyin’s internal life, as her relationships get more complicated but she’s still keeping her parentage a secret. She’s the daughter of the moon goddess, having grown up in secret since her mother was exiled to the moon after claiming the immortality meant for her husband, Xingyin’s father.
I like the first third and I love the second half, in between those sections the pacing gets a little weird though it’s still pretty good. Mid-book events which in some other story might be a training montage instead are collapsed into a very brief mention as several years are skipped at once. Xingyin ends up in the Celestial palace, surrounded by people who despise her for her class and who would detest her if they knew who her mother really was. After spending several years as the prince’s companion, she tries to make her own way by excelling at arms, becoming a formidable archer. Her goal is to earn a favor from the emperor in order to request her mother’s freedom.
Once place where this excels is in relationships, specifically the way that Xingyin’s relationships with Prince Liwei and Captain Wenzhi change over time. It is a love triangle, but one which at each stage feels like there are good reasons for the choices Xingyin is making. She proceeds as well as she can while figuring out who she wants, if anyone. I love the ending, it pulls things together in a fantastic way and lays the ground for what the sequel might cover while still letting this first book feel complete.
I like the first third and I love the second half, in between those sections the pacing gets a little weird though it’s still pretty good. Mid-book events which in some other story might be a training montage instead are collapsed into a very brief mention as several years are skipped at once. Xingyin ends up in the Celestial palace, surrounded by people who despise her for her class and who would detest her if they knew who her mother really was. After spending several years as the prince’s companion, she tries to make her own way by excelling at arms, becoming a formidable archer. Her goal is to earn a favor from the emperor in order to request her mother’s freedom.
Once place where this excels is in relationships, specifically the way that Xingyin’s relationships with Prince Liwei and Captain Wenzhi change over time. It is a love triangle, but one which at each stage feels like there are good reasons for the choices Xingyin is making. She proceeds as well as she can while figuring out who she wants, if anyone. I love the ending, it pulls things together in a fantastic way and lays the ground for what the sequel might cover while still letting this first book feel complete.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Confinement, Blood, Animal death, Violence, Death, Toxic friendship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Vomit, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, War, Alcohol, Grief, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Torture
Minor: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
Daughter of the Moon Goddess swept me off my feet, and surprised me more than once.
I went into this book mostly blind, and didn’t know what to expect other than a Chinese inspired fantasy story. Little did I know, this book was more than it appeared to be! The plot was excellent, the pacing kept me reading at all hours of the night, the characters were compelling, and the TWIST was so unexpected! I also appreciate that while this is the first book in a duology, it still wrapped up its major plot points and felt like a complete story in its own right.
I couldn’t tell you why this isn’t a five star read, I just didn’t get the five star vibe when I finished the book. My guess is that it’s in part due to the love triangle, which isn’t my favorite trope. It was executed quite well, but I’m never a big fan.
This book was breathtaking. Tan’s debut was as beautiful as its cover, and I can’t wait to read the sequel. 4.5 stars.
I went into this book mostly blind, and didn’t know what to expect other than a Chinese inspired fantasy story. Little did I know, this book was more than it appeared to be! The plot was excellent, the pacing kept me reading at all hours of the night, the characters were compelling, and the TWIST was so unexpected! I also appreciate that while this is the first book in a duology, it still wrapped up its major plot points and felt like a complete story in its own right.
I couldn’t tell you why this isn’t a five star read, I just didn’t get the five star vibe when I finished the book. My guess is that it’s in part due to the love triangle, which isn’t my favorite trope. It was executed quite well, but I’m never a big fan.
This book was breathtaking. Tan’s debut was as beautiful as its cover, and I can’t wait to read the sequel. 4.5 stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Kidnapping
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping