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rorikae'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
'Daughter of the Moon Goddess' by Sue Lynn Tan is a superb debut fantasy story that follows the daughter of the moon goddess as she tries to free her mom.
Xingyin grows up with her mother on the moon, living a peaceful life unaware of the truth of her situation. But when she is forced to flee her home, she learns that her mother was exiled from the Celestial Kingdom for stealing something precious. Hiding her identity, Xingyin takes an opportunity to learn and get close to the Celestial Kingdom's Crown Prince. After a series of events, she takes up a position in the kingdom's army, one that will result in her battling mythical beasts and getting wrapped up in plots to overthrow the kingdom.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a fantastic fantasy. It's incredibly well paced with twists and turns and characters that are so easy to care about. Sue Lynn Tan does a great job of giving us enough time with each character that we come to care for them deeply and understand their motivations. There is a love triangle in this book but it was crafted well so that it made sense and wasn't aggravating. Xingyin is a great protagonist who it is easy to root for while also understanding her faults.
I cannot wait for the second book in this duology. This is Sue Lynn Tan's debut and it's absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait to read what she writes next.
Xingyin grows up with her mother on the moon, living a peaceful life unaware of the truth of her situation. But when she is forced to flee her home, she learns that her mother was exiled from the Celestial Kingdom for stealing something precious. Hiding her identity, Xingyin takes an opportunity to learn and get close to the Celestial Kingdom's Crown Prince. After a series of events, she takes up a position in the kingdom's army, one that will result in her battling mythical beasts and getting wrapped up in plots to overthrow the kingdom.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a fantastic fantasy. It's incredibly well paced with twists and turns and characters that are so easy to care about. Sue Lynn Tan does a great job of giving us enough time with each character that we come to care for them deeply and understand their motivations. There is a love triangle in this book but it was crafted well so that it made sense and wasn't aggravating. Xingyin is a great protagonist who it is easy to root for while also understanding her faults.
I cannot wait for the second book in this duology. This is Sue Lynn Tan's debut and it's absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait to read what she writes next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Violence, and Bullying
rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
This book is a very fun and emotional adventure. My biggest gripe with the book is that the protagonist has the most abundant plot armor around, even in situations that should be seriously harming toward her. Minor quibble I guess for essentially a chosen one type fantasy action adventure.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Vomit
There is violence throughout this story but the characters are immortals so that can undercut some of the tension a tiny bit. The author specifically has to write in that something is limiting their natural resilience but then there are healing magics to help characters recover. It leads to more emotional tension when paired with the action. I quite liked this novel and will read the follow up. That said the protagonist’s plot armor is abundant and strong. If that bothers you perhaps stay away. It’s a fun mythological adventure otherwisekbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a whirlwind. A wild ride. I listened to this as an audiobook at the same time that I read it in physical and I noted some… changes. I don’t know if the audiobook narrator was given an unfinished copy of this book to narrate or what but my copy did not have ableist language that hers did. I’m grateful mine didn’t but at the same time it was rather disconcerting to hear these ableist and noticeably different sentences than what I had in front of my eyes. Story wise I enjoyed it. It was really interesting seeing the growth and years pass for the main character and the traitor was not who I expected. There was a lot of romantic back and forth and a lot of angst. Nearing the end there was so much going on I was confused about the storyline. It felt like the author was throwing shit in there just for the sake of adding trials but when it all added up I totally understood. Also this author is very good at making villains and Liwei is such a cinnamon roll!! Excited for book two
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, and War
Minor: Ableism
st61826's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual assault
jenniferduann'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death of parent
a_alves00's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Confinement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Violence, War, and Death
maren_hemsath's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Kidnapping, War, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
Minor: Death of parent, Classism, and Sexual assault
solenekeleroux's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Kidnapping, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, and Grief
thereadingskeleton's review against another edition
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
rensreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
that was such a ride!! truly brilliant for a debut novel. i honestly can’t wait until i get my hands on the sequel coming out this year. whoever the illustrator is for these covers deserves a raise too. their artwork is absolutely stunning!
i really adored these characters. something aboutwenzhi gave me the heebie jeebies from the first instance where he and xingyin interact. i don’t really think he loves her like he claims to, he wants to possess her like she’s some sort of prize instead of a real person, yknow? now liwei , i had my reservations about but i was really rooting for them. their friendship was everything i wanted to see. their first parting left me as heartbroken as xingyin but i knew they weren’t truly over. and then wenzhi started acting super fcking weird and i just knew™️ he kept saying that he knew she was strong and could take care of herself, but also kept treating her like a damsel in distress too so i just immediately clocked him as a big old N-O, NO!
xingyin and liwei’s relationship really sold the deal for me. whether as friends or lovers, i adored them together. they would give up life and limb for one another bc they truly love each other. a kind of love where they give and do not expect anything back in return. when you’re both givers, taking also comes along for the ride which balances the relationship out. they absolutely are not a perfect couple but that’s exactly why i liked them so much. they were friends first(though im of the opinion that liwei was taken with xingyin from the moment they met) and lovers second. if one was in danger, there was no question about whether the other would come to their aid. even with liwei’s engagement to a princess and xingyin doing her best to forget they were lovers, their friendship was still intimate enough to raise brows. their chemistry was undeniable and the care they have for each other is heartwarming as well. i really hope they get their HEA once this duology is finished.
the descriptions were to die for. the plot was well thought out with only a few hiccups here and there. the characterization was a bit lacking, especially concerning xingyin, but it wasn’t horrendous either. she felt a bit like a mary sue, but not in a bad way, just a “gee-i-wish-she-didnt-have-an-unknown-hidden-talent” kind of way. she definitely struggled to make her way in certain areas but in others it just felt a bit too easy. tan’s voice was also constant throughout the novel with only a few instances where things felt off or bland for whatever reason. it’s very clear that tan spent a lot of time and effort on this novel and i truly cannot fault her in any way for that.
this novel wasnt perfect but i love it so much that i’ll give it it’s well deserved 4.5 stars anyway (:
i really adored these characters. something about
xingyin and liwei’s relationship really sold the deal for me. whether as friends or lovers, i adored them together. they would give up life and limb for one another bc they truly love each other. a kind of love where they give and do not expect anything back in return. when you’re both givers, taking also comes along for the ride which balances the relationship out. they absolutely are not a perfect couple but that’s exactly why i liked them so much. they were friends first
the descriptions were to die for. the plot was well thought out with only a few hiccups here and there. the characterization was a bit lacking, especially concerning xingyin, but it wasn’t horrendous either. she felt a bit like a mary sue, but not in a bad way, just a “gee-i-wish-she-didnt-have-an-unknown-hidden-talent” kind of way. she definitely struggled to make her way in certain areas but in others it just felt a bit too easy. tan’s voice was also constant throughout the novel with only a few instances where things felt off or bland for whatever reason. it’s very clear that tan spent a lot of time and effort on this novel and i truly cannot fault her in any way for that.
this novel wasnt perfect but i love it so much that i’ll give it it’s well deserved 4.5 stars anyway (:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Violence, War, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy, Infertility, and Vomit
the sexual assault is attempted in part three and never explicitly stated the assaulter had that intention, so it’s all in the context clues. the infertility concerns