A review by sharon_reads
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

adventurous challenging inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

This is a coming of age story, with a strong female protagonist who suffers but perseveres, male protagonist(s) who will charm you with their earnestness and passion, excellent action sequences, emotionally powerful moments, and some magnificent creatures. All of this with the backdrop of a daughter’s devotion towards her mother. This is a beautifully written story which I have high expectations for its upcoming sequel.

When I first read the description for this novel, I knew this was going to be a novel I would love. What I didn’t expect, was how quickly I’d come to love it when I began reading. By the time I was five chapters in, I adored the story, wanted to know more and had tabbed at least thirty things. This was a truly unforgettable story, and is defiantly apart of my favourites now. 

Mythological retellings have always intrigued me, and even though I didn’t know the story of Houyi and Chang’e before reading this novel, I loved that aspect within the book. Right away, this story had me, and maybe it’s because of my lack of knowledge, but I had hoped, that in the end, we’d see the pair reunited. But having this story in the background, as a “legend”, “truth” that the people in the story know and love, drives our main character. It is her purpose. To discover who she is, to save her mother, to learn about her father. It is one of the main aspects of this novel that I adore, and without it, our main character’s arc would be lacking. 

The author doesn’t disappoint with her beautiful descriptions. She creates the perfect atmosphere for the Celestial Kingdom that I found myself lost in it. The writing is poetic and lyrical when it needs to be, but also heart wrenching and emotional, then violent when necessary. The pacing varies throughout the novel, but is still able to match the tone of narration. One thing this novel does well, is the shift in time/places. Some fantasy novels I’ve read have that awkward transition from time and place, but the author does it well here. Before we move onto another section, or plot point in our main characters journey, everything gets wrapped before we move on. There is no, things being left unanswered. We get this smooth transition like it was always meant to be. We get the sense of the flow of time, and we see the progression of Xingyin and her growth through this changes without feeling lost or something is missing. 


And this gorgeous world is topped off with wonderful characters. Xingyin starts off as a happy but naive girl content with her isolated existence, until her idyllic life is shattered by old truths about her mother. But her arc is just spectacular. She is devoted to her mother and determined to secure her freedom no matter the cost, which gives her the conviction to pursue any opportunity available to come closer to her goal. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of Liwei at first. He had my attention when he first appeared in the novel with his respect for those below him, and not letting a persons job/responsibilities define them. He is a kind hearted person, and no matter how hard his mother tries, he will never become a ruthless ruler. It’s near the middle of the book, before Xingyin becomes this great warrior, that he loses me. Despite the decisions not being his own, how he handled them, and how he treats her after the fact, make me lose respect for him. Despite everything we’ve seen from him, he becomes this selfish person that isn’t considering the other forces and feelings at hand, and keeps ignoring them since he believes it will suit him best, only putting Xingyin in “harms way.” 




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