Scan barcode
spicycronereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.25
This fantasy book is deeply steeped in Chinese mythology.
FMC Xingyin is the immortal daughter of the moon goddess and an mortal heroic archer. Her mother is trapped in the celestial territory of the moon due to having offended the emperor of the celestial realm. The novel is Xingyin’s quest to free her mother. It takes place over a traditional, four-part east Asian style storytelling structure, where you have the introduction, development, twist, and then conclusion. So the pacing was a little different from the western fantasy structure that I read more of. Things that I kept expecting to be parts of the quest that would take the duration of the novel and take us even into the second part of the duology were actually resolved fairly quickly. It was kind of refreshing from an angst point of view.
Themes of being the chosen one, found family, and self-love and sacrifice resonate across cultural differences in storytelling style. There are lots of mythical adversaries and action sequences to keep your interest piqued. There are interesting secondary characters. And seeing Xingyin develop into a bad*ss warrior is a lot of fun.
This is a fantasy romance and so we do have a love triangle between Xingyin, and two male characters, Liwei and Wenzhi. I usually hate a love triangle. But I didn’t mind it so much here. I’m still not certain it’s resolved. Especially after I went back and looked over my notes from the earlier part of the book and although it ends with what seems like a clear choice, I’m not convinced we’ve seen the last of the other suitor.
It did take quite a while before we got to anything even resembling a romance plot. And I have to admit it didn’t seem like a slow burn so much as a friendship that suddenly erupted into love. Maybe it’s because Xingyin was not picking up on the signs of the love interest, but for me, it kind of came out of left field. From then on there are many swoony moments, including Xingyin’s journey to self-love. 💖💖💖
Normally, in these reviews, I talk about diversity. But that’s a little bit complicated here. By the strictest definition of diversity, the novel is not all that diverse. The characters are all of one race and they are all cis gendered and hetero. They all even come from relatively high class stations. However, the novel does feature mythology and characters (written by an author who is) underrepresented in popular fantasy in the U.S. So while it does not meet the definition of diversity in the strictest sense of the word, it definitely ticks a lot of boxes in the spirit of diverse representation about which I am usually writing.
Oh, and did I mention there are dragons? There are dragons! They play a relatively small role, but they are there all the same.
Overall, it took me a little while to get into this, but once it picked up, I really was hooked. I will definitely be reading the next installment in the duology. And luckily it’s completed so I don’t have to wait! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 💖💖💖
FMC Xingyin is the immortal daughter of the moon goddess and an mortal heroic archer. Her mother is trapped in the celestial territory of the moon due to having offended the emperor of the celestial realm. The novel is Xingyin’s quest to free her mother. It takes place over a traditional, four-part east Asian style storytelling structure, where you have the introduction, development, twist, and then conclusion. So the pacing was a little different from the western fantasy structure that I read more of. Things that I kept expecting to be parts of the quest that would take the duration of the novel and take us even into the second part of the duology were actually resolved fairly quickly. It was kind of refreshing from an angst point of view.
Themes of being the chosen one, found family, and self-love and sacrifice resonate across cultural differences in storytelling style. There are lots of mythical adversaries and action sequences to keep your interest piqued. There are interesting secondary characters. And seeing Xingyin develop into a bad*ss warrior is a lot of fun.
This is a fantasy romance and so we do have a love triangle between Xingyin, and two male characters, Liwei and Wenzhi. I usually hate a love triangle. But I didn’t mind it so much here. I’m still not certain it’s resolved. Especially after I went back and looked over my notes from the earlier part of the book and although it ends with what seems like a clear choice, I’m not convinced we’ve seen the last of the other suitor.
It did take quite a while before we got to anything even resembling a romance plot. And I have to admit it didn’t seem like a slow burn so much as a friendship that suddenly erupted into love. Maybe it’s because Xingyin was not picking up on the signs of the love interest, but for me, it kind of came out of left field. From then on there are many swoony moments, including Xingyin’s journey to self-love. 💖💖💖
Normally, in these reviews, I talk about diversity. But that’s a little bit complicated here. By the strictest definition of diversity, the novel is not all that diverse. The characters are all of one race and they are all cis gendered and hetero. They all even come from relatively high class stations. However, the novel does feature mythology and characters (written by an author who is) underrepresented in popular fantasy in the U.S. So while it does not meet the definition of diversity in the strictest sense of the word, it definitely ticks a lot of boxes in the spirit of diverse representation about which I am usually writing.
Oh, and did I mention there are dragons? There are dragons! They play a relatively small role, but they are there all the same.
Overall, it took me a little while to get into this, but once it picked up, I really was hooked. I will definitely be reading the next installment in the duology. And luckily it’s completed so I don’t have to wait! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 💖💖💖
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Death of parent
k_fry's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
If I had to pick one word to describe this book it would be “lush”. Tan does an amazing job of bringing the glittering richness of the immortal realm to life without bogging down the story with extraneous description.
There were a couple of predictable plot points and character types, which I think is because it followed a similar tale to any major YA fantasy produced recently, but overall was done so well I didn’t mind. Even though some things have been done before, it felt fresh in this book because so much else was uniquely done.
There were a couple of predictable plot points and character types, which I think is because it followed a similar tale to any major YA fantasy produced recently, but overall was done so well I didn’t mind. Even though some things have been done before, it felt fresh in this book because so much else was uniquely done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Body shaming, Classism, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
hazel_oat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: War, Alcohol, Child death, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Minor: Self harm and Drug use
gracielou2000's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
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: War and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
nclausel25's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Kidnapping
rissaread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Gore
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and War
melist6's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: War, Murder, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual harassment and Kidnapping
sarahb919's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s in first person POV.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Blood, Gaslighting, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Sexism, and Sexual content
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
polaris1117's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and War
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny