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A review by kindredbooks
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
YES! It's always such a great feeling when one of your most anticipated reads of the year meets all your expectations and more. Daughter of the Moon Goddess has been on my anticipated list since I first heard about it last year, I preordered my copy, and completely just devoured the book within days. This is a read that kept me up late into the night because just "one more chapter" was not enough.
I absolutely loved the fantasy world in the Celestial Kingdom that is based on ancient Chinese mythology and the idea of the MC being the daughter of the Moon Goddess, Chang'e. Basically stories and characters that I have known about since I was a child but now in a magical and whirlwind of a fantasy novel. Sue Lynn Tan weaves an absolutely enchanting story filled with incredible detailed descriptions of the world. I would be reading her descriptions of a place, like the Fragrant Coral Palace in the Eastern Sea and be able to really envision it in my mind because of her beautiful words and narrative.
I really enjoyed Xingyin's character development in this story as we start off with her so content yet isolated living with her mother on the moon. Throughout the story, her determination to return home and to free her mother becomes a guiding motivation for who she is. But she is not a character who just miraculously has all things work out her way with ease. She struggles, errs, and even falls in love - all of which made me like her more as a character.
Just absolutely fantastic and magical and I do not know how my heart can take any more in this epic tale - but I know that this is the first in the Celestial Kingdom duology. I will have to brace my heart and eagerly await book two.
I absolutely loved the fantasy world in the Celestial Kingdom that is based on ancient Chinese mythology and the idea of the MC being the daughter of the Moon Goddess, Chang'e. Basically stories and characters that I have known about since I was a child but now in a magical and whirlwind of a fantasy novel. Sue Lynn Tan weaves an absolutely enchanting story filled with incredible detailed descriptions of the world. I would be reading her descriptions of a place, like the Fragrant Coral Palace in the Eastern Sea and be able to really envision it in my mind because of her beautiful words and narrative.
I really enjoyed Xingyin's character development in this story as we start off with her so content yet isolated living with her mother on the moon. Throughout the story, her determination to return home and to free her mother becomes a guiding motivation for who she is. But she is not a character who just miraculously has all things work out her way with ease. She struggles, errs, and even falls in love - all of which made me like her more as a character.
Just absolutely fantastic and magical and I do not know how my heart can take any more in this epic tale - but I know that this is the first in the Celestial Kingdom duology. I will have to brace my heart and eagerly await book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Sexual assault, and Grief