Scan barcode
A review by ezwolf
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
This was an adventurous story about Xingyin, the secret daughter of Chang'e the Moon Goddess. Hidden away for most of her life, her mother sends her away when her life becomes endangered. Xingyin finds herself amongst the world of other immortals and strives to find a way to free her mother from her imprisonment. While also hiding her true parentage. Along the way she becomes an accomplished warrior and draws the attention of two powerful immortals, but Xingyin is not the only one with secrets.
I'll start with the negatives and go to the positives.
My biggest issue was with the love triangle, which is a plot point that always bothers me, no matter what the book. I hate when the main character is literally dragged between two love interests, especially when there's a more interesting plot as a whole (in this case, Xingyin's desire to save her mother and that felt pushed to the side fairly often to put attention on Xingyin's relationship with Liewi or Wenzhi).
I will give credit to the plot twist, I did not see it coming and I'm usually very good at spotting them a mile away. On that same hand, there were so many little plots going on I kind of forgot about the one that led up to the plot twist until it was revealed.
My only other annoyance was the way that the author described how Xingyin would guess at how someone was reacting to what she said or did based on their reactions, I started to noticing it about half way through and then noticed every time it happened after.
Overall I was very impressed with this book, Xingyin grows from a timid and sheltered girl to a powerful immortal and warrior in her own right and I loved that aspect of the story. It felt like I was reading a very gorgeous wuxia drama unfold in my own imagination with how the scenery, magic, and weapons were described. I am excited to read the next book in the series and see where it takes Xingyin and her family!
I'll start with the negatives and go to the positives.
My biggest issue was with the love triangle, which is a plot point that always bothers me, no matter what the book. I hate when the main character is literally dragged between two love interests, especially when there's a more interesting plot as a whole (in this case, Xingyin's desire to save her mother and that felt pushed to the side fairly often to put attention on Xingyin's relationship with Liewi or Wenzhi).
I will give credit to the plot twist, I did not see it coming and I'm usually very good at spotting them a mile away. On that same hand, there were so many little plots going on I kind of forgot about the one that led up to the plot twist until it was revealed.
My only other annoyance was the way that the author described how Xingyin would guess at how someone was reacting to what she said or did based on their reactions, I started to noticing it about half way through and then noticed every time it happened after.
Overall I was very impressed with this book, Xingyin grows from a timid and sheltered girl to a powerful immortal and warrior in her own right and I loved that aspect of the story. It felt like I was reading a very gorgeous wuxia drama unfold in my own imagination with how the scenery, magic, and weapons were described. I am excited to read the next book in the series and see where it takes Xingyin and her family!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Blood, and War
Moderate: Confinement and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Kidnapping