A review by satunrus
An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan

3.0

(3.5/5) the first chapters were good and i already thought to give it a minimum 4 stars rating, but as the story went on, it turned out to be flat. it didn't get better, nor did it get worse. it was a constant ride, without any memorable climax or exciting things happening. however, i personally think that the houyi-chang'e legend was portrayed uniquely as i have only read two retellings of them. it was uncommon yet enthralling to have the legend set in 1991 US, with the life of two high schoolers who were later in love. on the other side, another thing that bothered me was that the truth of the whole magical events was only revealed at the very end of the book, leaving me guessing in my entire reading journey (which should have been fun, but considering that the ending was so unsatisfying, it rather left me bewildered). it took me time to realize that emily x.r. pan is also the one who wrote the astonishing color of after (which i have read in 2021) and i reminisced how both beautiful and depressing her writing was in tacoa, and i could feel that she also put her best in aattm. this book might not be for me but i will always remember luna and hunter cute love story, they were so sweet and lovely i want to have them in my pocket.