Fantasy

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

  • Downloads：8866
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-26 09:52:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sue Lynn Tan
  • ISBN：0008479291
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang'e， the Chinese moon goddess， in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm。

Growing up on the moon， Xingyin is accustomed to solitude， unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality。 But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered， she is forced to flee her home， leaving her mother behind。

Alone， powerless， and afraid， she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom， a land of wonder and secrets。 Disguising her identity， she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son， mastering archery and magic， even as passion flames between her and the prince。

To save her mother， Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest， confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies。 But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom， she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos。

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting， romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor， dreams are fraught with betrayal， and hope emerges triumphant。

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Reviews

Monogamist ，

Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book。I’m sorry it took me so long to write this review。 I read this book during the busiest period at work and I didn’t want to rush it。 I took my time to enjoy it and I’m so glad I did。 This book can be described with just one word: perfect。 It is absolutely worth all the hype around it。 Many of you heard a lot about this book， but in case you didn’t know， Daughter of the Moon Goddess is based on the myth of Chang’e， who was forced Thank you HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book。I’m sorry it took me so long to write this review。 I read this book during the busiest period at work and I didn’t want to rush it。 I took my time to enjoy it and I’m so glad I did。 This book can be described with just one word: perfect。 It is absolutely worth all the hype around it。 Many of you heard a lot about this book， but in case you didn’t know， Daughter of the Moon Goddess is based on the myth of Chang’e， who was forced to exile to the moon after drinking the elixir of immortality that was gifted to her husband HouYi from the gods。 The story takes Chang’e daughter， Xingyin， on an incredible quest to release her mother from exile and ask the gods to forgive her。 And what a story！ While reading it， I found it very difficult to believe this book is a debut novel。 I can’t believe the impressive amount of details of this story。 From world-building to every single character， up to every little description of their dress patterns and accessories， it was such a fantastic story， perfectly crafted in every single aspect。 Everything is impeccable and the writing is so beautiful that I felt if I had a paper copy of this ARC I would have highlighted a few lines every single page。 I am not a massive fan of stories told in first person， but Xingyin words got me trapped。 The plot is filled with fighting scenes， romance and court politics， and it never failed to keep me intrigued。 On top of everything， you get a love triangle that is perfectly executed。 With forbidden lovers， friends to lovers and lovers to enemy tropes – this book has it all。 I know this looks like a simple and tiny review， but I have honestly nothing to complain about this story， which became one of my all-time favourites。 The ending had a massive plot twist but the writer managed to wrap up everything nicely。 I know there will be a sequel， and honestly， I can’t wait to read it as there is so much to explore in this world and Xingyin is such an amazingly powerful character， I want to see what she will achieve next。 Guys， you really need to read this one。You can read this review and more on the The Monogamist Reader Blog 。。。more

Layna Blurton ，

This was such a luscious book， the writing was gorgeous and detailed without being overly flowery and metaphorical。 It’s an epic story with world building that is strong but subtle and doesn’t involve a huge info dump （I hate that）。 the breadth of Xingyin’s journey is incredible。 She starts as part of her mother’s captivity on the moon and escapes to the celestial kingdom where she becomes part of their army， all to win her mother’s freedom。 She fights monsters， wins over dragons， and becomes a This was such a luscious book， the writing was gorgeous and detailed without being overly flowery and metaphorical。 It’s an epic story with world building that is strong but subtle and doesn’t involve a huge info dump （I hate that）。 the breadth of Xingyin’s journey is incredible。 She starts as part of her mother’s captivity on the moon and escapes to the celestial kingdom where she becomes part of their army， all to win her mother’s freedom。 She fights monsters， wins over dragons， and becomes a strong badass but utterly believable heroine that you will root for throughout。 There is a magic that infused the whole story。 The romance was weaved in nicely and felt authentic but was not the whole focus which is something I also appreciate！ I really loved this story and would recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy。 I cannot wait for #2！ 。。。more

Bonnie Stevens ，

 *I recieved an eArc of this book from NetGalley。 I am not sure that I can recommend this book enough！ I am not sure how to describe it except it feels both epic and also light and airy。 Sometimes it feels sort of dreamy， but other times you're in the midst of a dark battle。 I would say it feels like a Chinese folktale （from someone without much experience with those）。 I loved it and can't wait to see what happens next！  *I recieved an eArc of this book from NetGalley。 I am not sure that I can recommend this book enough！ I am not sure how to describe it except it feels both epic and also light and airy。 Sometimes it feels sort of dreamy， but other times you're in the midst of a dark battle。 I would say it feels like a Chinese folktale （from someone without much experience with those）。 I loved it and can't wait to see what happens next！ 。。。more

Chris Monceaux ，

Check out more of my reviews and other bookish content here！***Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books & Harper Voyager for a copy of the book！ My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience。***I knew I had to read this book the second I saw the gorgeous cover on Twitter and rushed to request it on NetGalley when it became available。 I'm glad I did because this story was as beautiful inside the cover as on the outside。 The writing was absolutely stunning with a wonderful lyrical Check out more of my reviews and other bookish content here！***Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books & Harper Voyager for a copy of the book！ My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience。***I knew I had to read this book the second I saw the gorgeous cover on Twitter and rushed to request it on NetGalley when it became available。 I'm glad I did because this story was as beautiful inside the cover as on the outside。 The writing was absolutely stunning with a wonderful lyrical quality to it。 Reading it felt like I was transported into this mythological world on one of the fluffy clouds the immortals used to get around the Celestial Kingdom。 I couldn't get enough of Tan's descriptive genius and was enthralled by the setting and world-building。 Xingyin was a really great protagonist with good characterization。 I enjoyed reading her perspective and getting her thoughts on love and honor as she worked stubbornly toward the goal of freeing her mother。 The rest of the characters were a bit flat， but I didn't mind it much because I liked their interactions with Xingyin。 Surprisingly， I didn't hate the love triangle， and it turned out to be one of my favorite things about the book。 I liked both of the love interests and appreciated how each of them represented a side of the internal struggle within Xingyin。 The pacing of the book was a bit uneven and it became somewhat repetitive in the middle with the main characters going off on several quests one after the other。 However， it all came together well in the end in a satisfying way， and the writing， world-building， and relationships kept me engaged even when the pace was a bit off。 If you are looking for an Eastern mythology re-telling with court intrigue， magic， plenty of action， beautiful writing， love and betrayal， and a well-developed female protagonist， look no further。 I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars。 。。。more

Stella ☆Paper Wings☆ ，

This was an interesting & engaging read。。。 with just a bit too much plotless meandering in the middle。Review to come

kat ，

holyyyyyyyyy i mean come on - how good does this look ！！！○ chinese mythology & legendary creatures○ fierce female warrior fighting for her family○ a gentle prince & a ruthless soldier○ friends—lovers—enemies。。。

Kat ，

I got this as an ARC on NetGalley。 My actual rating is a 4。25！I loved this！ The writing flowed beautifully and was very immersive。 I loved the culture and the setting。 The plot was interesting！ But my favorite would have to be the relationships - I loved seeing the development between various characters。Why this isn’t a 5:It’s kind of predictable - not horrifically so， but there were things I saw coming The pacing - some segments drag and then we time skip around。 It’s a little jarring。I could h I got this as an ARC on NetGalley。 My actual rating is a 4。25！I loved this！ The writing flowed beautifully and was very immersive。 I loved the culture and the setting。 The plot was interesting！ But my favorite would have to be the relationships - I loved seeing the development between various characters。Why this isn’t a 5:It’s kind of predictable - not horrifically so， but there were things I saw coming The pacing - some segments drag and then we time skip around。 It’s a little jarring。I could have used a little more characterization of each major characterOverall I thought this was beautifully written and very captivating。 I read it slowly to savor the experience。 So thankful I got the chance to read this！！ 。。。more

Sky ，

So， I don’t know if this is a 3。5 or a 4。 The frustrating thing is， it had the potential to be a 5 star book。 It was beautiful， atmospheric， and has an interesting magic system。 I even enjoyed our main character and the love interests。 But， it has a few negatives as well that nagged at me。 It felt pretty repetitive at times。 The biggest issue though is that I really feel as if this could have been an astounding short story collection。 The book spans over a few years worth of happenings and it do So， I don’t know if this is a 3。5 or a 4。 The frustrating thing is， it had the potential to be a 5 star book。 It was beautiful， atmospheric， and has an interesting magic system。 I even enjoyed our main character and the love interests。 But， it has a few negatives as well that nagged at me。 It felt pretty repetitive at times。 The biggest issue though is that I really feel as if this could have been an astounding short story collection。 The book spans over a few years worth of happenings and it does it decently well， I just think that perhaps a collection of short stories about our main character’s journey could have fleshed out the interesting battles and could’ve helped build and explore the relationships。 I did enjoy it quite a bit， I just wish there was more time for each friendship， relationship， battles， and arcs to truly grow。 。。。more

Jennie ，

TL;DR: A straightforward mythological tale that won't surprise but still might endear（eARC provided by NetGalley）Daughter of the Moon Goddess has a sweet simplicity about it， with familiar narrative beats and character types， but a lot of heart。 I like that the characters are immortals， as we surprisingly don't get a lot of fantasy from that angle， but I suspect the setting will mean more to people more familiar with and invested in the mythology。 I also think that your judgement on the book wil TL;DR: A straightforward mythological tale that won't surprise but still might endear（eARC provided by NetGalley）Daughter of the Moon Goddess has a sweet simplicity about it， with familiar narrative beats and character types， but a lot of heart。 I like that the characters are immortals， as we surprisingly don't get a lot of fantasy from that angle， but I suspect the setting will mean more to people more familiar with and invested in the mythology。 I also think that your judgement on the book will rest heavily on your opinions on love triangles in general and this particular love triangle: for me personally， I wasn't quite convinced， but I did appreciate the maturity of the main character in the situation。 I'm slightly surprised that this is a duology as， although there are certainly some loose threads， I feel like all the major emotional elements reach their （mostly satisfying） end - I hope book 2 dives a bit deeper into this world and its people。Rating breakdown3。5 stars rounded down to 35/10 in personal rating system 。。。more

Heather L ，

I'm so conflicted about whether I'm more team Liwei or Team Wenzhi there were so many twists and turns I don't know who I'd rather support for book 2。 Xingyin embarks on a journey from the moon to find a way to save her mom the moon goddess from her imprisonment for drinking the immortality elixir。 She falls into the Celestial kingdom and after a fateful encounter one day she is able to work her way into being the Crown Prince's companion。 While alongside him she learns combat and magic。 Her com I'm so conflicted about whether I'm more team Liwei or Team Wenzhi there were so many twists and turns I don't know who I'd rather support for book 2。 Xingyin embarks on a journey from the moon to find a way to save her mom the moon goddess from her imprisonment for drinking the immortality elixir。 She falls into the Celestial kingdom and after a fateful encounter one day she is able to work her way into being the Crown Prince's companion。 While alongside him she learns combat and magic。 Her combat takes her to fighting a multi-headed creature Xiangliu and even helps squash a rebellion by merfolk。A Kidnapped Princess。Fights to near death。Dragons。Demon kingdom。 Mind magic。2 love interests。Betrayals。 Celestial kingdom Emperor and Empress who are crazy angry and retaliate。This book was full of so much action and content it was like reading multiple books at once。 I am curious to see what happens to the Celestial Kingdom and Demon Kingdom in the next book。 I want to see more Liwei and Wenzhi as well。 。。。more

Lesley Murray ，

This is such a beautiful story and the writing just feels so magical。 It follows the journey of Xingyin， who is the daughter of the banished Goddess Chang’e， and her escape from the moon。 It is a journey of self discovery for the love of a Mother and Xingyin is a really interesting and likeable character。 There is romance， warriors， politics， Chinese mythology， dragons … it was perfect。 This was sent to me through Netgalley and Harper Collins and I am so glad I had an opportunity to read the e-a This is such a beautiful story and the writing just feels so magical。 It follows the journey of Xingyin， who is the daughter of the banished Goddess Chang’e， and her escape from the moon。 It is a journey of self discovery for the love of a Mother and Xingyin is a really interesting and likeable character。 There is romance， warriors， politics， Chinese mythology， dragons … it was perfect。 This was sent to me through Netgalley and Harper Collins and I am so glad I had an opportunity to read the e-arc。 I have preordered the physical book as I enjoyed it so much。 。。。more

SSShafiq ，

Dec 2021Saw this on BookTube and had to add it - look at that cover

Bentgaidin ，

'Daughter of the Moon Goddess' is a competent teen fantasy， inflected by Chinese mythology， about a young girl hiding her heritage as she tries to make her way in the Celestial Kingdom and free her mother。 I'm intrigued to note that my advance copy says that this is the start of a duology; the ending was a very good wrap-up， which I really appreciated。 It is very much an uncomplicated teen novel -- there's only one plotline， and no one else really has lives or anything going on outside the main 'Daughter of the Moon Goddess' is a competent teen fantasy， inflected by Chinese mythology， about a young girl hiding her heritage as she tries to make her way in the Celestial Kingdom and free her mother。 I'm intrigued to note that my advance copy says that this is the start of a duology; the ending was a very good wrap-up， which I really appreciated。 It is very much an uncomplicated teen novel -- there's only one plotline， and no one else really has lives or anything going on outside the main character; there's a love triangle between two boys who both want her to choose them and are willing to put their own lives on hold until she does， and to be honest， despite her exciting adventures I found myself skimming the last half of the book -- but that's because I'm not the target audience here。 If you're a new teen looking for good fantasy， especially if you want to see Chinese stories， this is a good choice。 。。。more

Beverly Diehl ，

The cover is absolutely gorgeous - but the contents are even better。 Xingyin is the sheltered daughter of the Moon Goddess， Chang'e， but she will be forced to grow up in a hurry when she is forced to leave the moon， and make her own way in the Celestial Kingdom。 Without betraying her origins， lest the mother， whom she misses deeply， be punished further for bearing and hiding her， on the moon。Disclaimer: I received a free ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review。Disclaimer 2: I'm a white The cover is absolutely gorgeous - but the contents are even better。 Xingyin is the sheltered daughter of the Moon Goddess， Chang'e， but she will be forced to grow up in a hurry when she is forced to leave the moon， and make her own way in the Celestial Kingdom。 Without betraying her origins， lest the mother， whom she misses deeply， be punished further for bearing and hiding her， on the moon。Disclaimer: I received a free ARC via Netgalley in return for an honest review。Disclaimer 2: I'm a white American woman， unfamiliar （up until now） with legends of immortal beings from Chinese culture。 This did not subtract from my enjoyment of this work at all， but I suspect that this book is even better if one IS familiar with said legends。 The writing is exquisite， poetic， the characters distinct and compelling， and the danger to Xingyin and her mother， ever present。 She also has allies， in a friend， and in two young men who are both romantically interested in her。 Loved this。 Can't wait for the next one。 。。。more

bookishly izzy ，

daughter of the moon goddess by sue lynn tan （releasing january 11， 2022） is a high fantasy inspired by chinese mythology， specifically the legend of the moon goddess， chang’e。 the book follows her daughter， xingyin， who risks everything as she is forced to leave the moon and hide her identity living in the celestial kingdom as she embarks on a dangerous quest to save her mother and challenges the celestial emperor。 daughter of the moon goddess is beautifully written and deeply evocative， with i daughter of the moon goddess by sue lynn tan （releasing january 11， 2022） is a high fantasy inspired by chinese mythology， specifically the legend of the moon goddess， chang’e。 the book follows her daughter， xingyin， who risks everything as she is forced to leave the moon and hide her identity living in the celestial kingdom as she embarks on a dangerous quest to save her mother and challenges the celestial emperor。 daughter of the moon goddess is beautifully written and deeply evocative， with its lyrical prose， detailed world-building， and complicated messy characters。 it’s one of my most anticipated 2022 releases and i’m so excited about it！just to preface， i love everything mythology and i’m a little too irrationally attached to the legend of chang’e so maybe this is a little biased， but i think daughter of the moon goddess is not only a really interesting story but a well-executed reimagining。 i like the interpretation of the events of chang’e’s ascendance to immortality， and how she’s sympathetic and complex despite not being in most of the book。 i also loved how the book incorporated many elements of chinese culture and folklore， such as the various mythological creatures throughout。 additionally， the worldbuilding of the celestial kingdom is lush and so incredibly detailed。 when i first started reading the book， i feel like it was a little slow and it took a bit of time for me to really get invested into it （but i’m also willing to just chalk that up to starting the book during the dead/review week of the semester）， but it was definitely so worth it。 all of the characters really grew on me， especially the main character xingyin。 she was messy and complicated and relatable， as she navigated her life away from home and tried to balance pursing her goals with her new friendships and relationships。 it was really interesting to see the celestial kingdom through her eyes。 in addition， daughter of the moon goddess has lovers to enemies， forbidden romance， political intrigue， and so much going on but manages to pull it all off without it feeling rushed or confusing。 i really loved reading daughter of the moon goddess， and i'm so excited for the untitled sequel！ i'm so grateful to have had the chance to read an arc; thank you so much to harper voyager！a review by izzy find me on instagram: @bookishlyizzyand my website: https://jemi。so/bookishlyizzyizzy （@bookishlyizzy） is an asian-american bookstagrammer and book reviewer。 she primarily reads young adult books， and especially loves reading fantasy and science fiction， but also enjoys exploring other genres and categories。 she identifies as chinese and bisexual， and is very enthusiastic about promoting diversity in books。 thank you for reading this review！ 。。。more

Mariya T （msbookworld） ，

Things I Enjoyed: The author does a great job of transporting us into the world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess。 I can imagine myself inside the palaces and the clothing and jewelry are amazing。In terms of the protagonist， I really liked Xingyin。 I found myself sympathizing with her struggle to save her mother。 I also could relate to her struggle with the prejudices of others due to her assumed lowly station and her gender。In my opinion， the plot was a good mix of adventure and romance。 I though Things I Enjoyed: The author does a great job of transporting us into the world of Daughter of the Moon Goddess。 I can imagine myself inside the palaces and the clothing and jewelry are amazing。In terms of the protagonist， I really liked Xingyin。 I found myself sympathizing with her struggle to save her mother。 I also could relate to her struggle with the prejudices of others due to her assumed lowly station and her gender。In my opinion， the plot was a good mix of adventure and romance。 I thought that the love triangle in this one was very well done。 Both Wenzhi and Liwei were well developed and they each had a unique relationship with Xingyin making it hard to choose between the two early on in the story。Things I Didn’t Enjoy: The pacing was off for me。 The first third and the last were great， but the middle felt almost like a fillerOverall Thoughts: This was 3。5 star read for me。 The pacing proved very detrimental with regards to my enjoyment of the story。 However， if you enjoy a slower paced story and like YA fantasy then consider giving this book a try。 。。。more

Rheanna ，

Daughter of the moon goddessSue Lynn Tan’s debut Daughter of the Moon Goddess is inspired by the Chinese legend of Chang’e and Houyi， although it is set years after that story ends。 Xingyin is the daughter of the immortalised Moon Goddess Chang’e， and is drawn out of the safe-haven her mother created for her on the moon when they are attacked and her existence can no longer be kept secret from the Celestial Emperor – the reason for her mother’s banishment to the moon – if she remains there。 So X Daughter of the moon goddessSue Lynn Tan’s debut Daughter of the Moon Goddess is inspired by the Chinese legend of Chang’e and Houyi， although it is set years after that story ends。 Xingyin is the daughter of the immortalised Moon Goddess Chang’e， and is drawn out of the safe-haven her mother created for her on the moon when they are attacked and her existence can no longer be kept secret from the Celestial Emperor – the reason for her mother’s banishment to the moon – if she remains there。 So Xingyin moves to Earth to find her fortune， and perhaps a way to help her mother find freedom after all these years。Daughter of the Moon Goddess By Sue Lynn TanIt took me a little while to get settled with this story – for the first third or so， I felt like Daughter of the Moon Goddess was like many of the fantasy novels inspired by fairy tales I’ve read， and it felt predictable。 Especially early on， many of the events felt a bit too convenient， which meant I found myself rolling my eyes at the book。 But as the story went on， I found myself more and more immersed， and ended up falling for it。By the end， I was in love。 I’m very happy to say that my first impression of this one was wrong and that it really comes into its own after the setup is done and Xingyin can start establishing herself as a person rather than trying to carve her place apart from her mother。Daughter of the Moon Goddess is well-written， poetic， and lyrical。 It is also an action-packed story with a very slow-burn romance。 I loved to see the relationship between Xingyin and her prince develop and steer away from the instalove that it seemed to pivot towards in the beginning。 Oh， and I should mention the dragons。 There are some pretty epic dragons in this story and to be honest， dragons always make books better in my opinion。All in all， this feels like a popcorn-y crossover fantasy with some smart aspects that ultimately takes some time to really come into its own。 Once it does， it sucks you in and makes you enjoy the intricacies of the worldbuilding and Chinese mythology background in a more traditional Epic fantasy setting， which I think will make many readers enjoy it。 And it doesn’t hurt that both the UK and the US editions of Daughter of the Moon Goddess are among the most stunning books to be released in early 2022， either 。 。。。more

Skye Noelle ，

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is one of the most impressive debuts I've ever read， and one I won't soon forget。 One of the highest compliments I can give a book is that while I was reading it I forgot about the outside world， and such was the case with this novel。 I was easily swept away into this whimsical fantasy， and when it ended I found myself sad to be saying goodbye–though I anxiously await the sequel。 Sue Lynn Tan is a phenomenal talent， and her skills are on full display in this book。 He Daughter of the Moon Goddess is one of the most impressive debuts I've ever read， and one I won't soon forget。 One of the highest compliments I can give a book is that while I was reading it I forgot about the outside world， and such was the case with this novel。 I was easily swept away into this whimsical fantasy， and when it ended I found myself sad to be saying goodbye–though I anxiously await the sequel。 Sue Lynn Tan is a phenomenal talent， and her skills are on full display in this book。 Her writing， world building， lore， magic system and characters were fully realized。 Even when the characters made decisions that frustrated me， I couldn't truly fault them because they felt like real people。 I experienced a range of emotions over the course of the novel and shed a fair amount of tears， but it was a journey I genuinely loved。 Sometimes it gave me whiplash， as the pace of this book is breakneck at points， but there was truly never a dull moment。 Romance， dragons， battles， politics， magic–there's seldom a second to catch your breath， but it kept me on my toes。 The only thing that truly wavered for me was the romance。 There was a lot of back and forth between the two options， which made my opinion flit around as well。 But given that Xingyin is struggling with two hot men pining for her， can I really fault her？ I'd be the same。 As the book went on， I also found that the romances grew on me and， by the end， I thoroughly enjoyed the direction they went。When I look at the moon at night， I wouldn't be surprised if Chang'e and Xingyin come to the forefront of my mind unbidden， and I will be glad to see them。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Hallie ，

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is the first book in a duology focused on the daughter of Chang'e， the Chinese goddess of the moon， and is set almost entirely in the immortal realm。 Xingyin's existence has been hidden from the Celestial Emperor and Empress， as her mother was imprisoned on the moon as punishment for stealing an elixir to give her immortality。 Xingyin finds herself separated from her mother and far from home at the court of the Celestial Emperor as a companion to the emperor's son。I Daughter of the Moon Goddess is the first book in a duology focused on the daughter of Chang'e， the Chinese goddess of the moon， and is set almost entirely in the immortal realm。 Xingyin's existence has been hidden from the Celestial Emperor and Empress， as her mother was imprisoned on the moon as punishment for stealing an elixir to give her immortality。 Xingyin finds herself separated from her mother and far from home at the court of the Celestial Emperor as a companion to the emperor's son。I will start with what I enjoyed: the immersion into Chinese folklore and mythology， the beautiful descriptions of the clothing， food， and mythical lands。 It just feels so epic to go on this journey with Xingyin who， while being an immortal deity， is seeing everything for the first time as she has never been away from home。 There are parts of the story that drag， and I think the book might have been a bit too long， but I enjoyed that it felt like such an epic and lush fantasy。Although there are some unresolved threads， I really feel that this didn't have to be a duology。 But my bigger issue， and this is more of a personal preference， is that this includes one of my least favorite tropes。 The emperor's son， Liwei， is the main love interest for Xingyin。 The two fall in love， but he is betrothed to another woman。 While it wasn't his choice， he decides that it is his duty to marry his betrothed as the son of the emperor， etc。 etc。 But the part that I don't like is that he keeps going back to Xingyin and leading her on and telling her all these great things about how much he loves her like HELLO？！ Let her move on！ It is one of my least favorite tropes because it isn't fair to the poor girl he's betrothed to， it isn't fair to him， and it definitely isn't fair to Xingyin， who can't move on because Liewi won't let her。 But again， that's just my personal dislike of the trope coming through。Other than that， this was a decent debut， and Xingyin is such a great heroine you can't help but root for her。 。。。more

Erin ，

The Daughter of the Moon Goddess takes the myth of Chang'e from Chinese mythology and spins a new tale around the invented character of Chang'e's daugther。 Sue Lynn Tan did a wonderful job weaving this Celestial world that felt like it was ripped straight out of the pages of myth and legend。 Plot wise this book was split into a few sections of plot， almost like a collection of short stories。 Because of this I did find myself a little more interested in the short term plots of the book than the o The Daughter of the Moon Goddess takes the myth of Chang'e from Chinese mythology and spins a new tale around the invented character of Chang'e's daugther。 Sue Lynn Tan did a wonderful job weaving this Celestial world that felt like it was ripped straight out of the pages of myth and legend。 Plot wise this book was split into a few sections of plot， almost like a collection of short stories。 Because of this I did find myself a little more interested in the short term plots of the book than the overarching long term plot。 This book also has a strong romantic subplot that I really enjoyed。 It was a love triangle， and honestly it was probably the most well done love triangle I have read in a while。 Both love interests had unique relationship dynamics with our heroine and both were well developed and realistic and so I couldn't figure out who she was going to pick。The writing of this book was very well done and had the same kind of tone to its prose that I would expect to encounter when reading myth or legends and so it was very fitting for this book。 But as a result it's also the kind of prose that feels a little distant from the characters so depending on how much you need a close connection with the characters this could be a hit or miss for you from that angle。Overall a very enjoyable read！ And I'm very intrigued as to what direction the sequel is going to go in as this book did not end where I expected it to。 。。。more

Kelli ，

Thank you to NetGalley

Emma Reid ，

It's breathtaking， really。 The world she crafted based on Chinese mythology feels truly magical and immersive。 While a lot of the worldbuilding is never laid out for you verbatim， I felt as if I really got to experience the world。 There are many twists and turns in the plot， some of which I'd never expected， and just OH SO much content！ I feel like most books would pick 2-3 of the plot elements for a single book， but we're blessed with 6。 And even better， I have no idea what's going to happen in It's breathtaking， really。 The world she crafted based on Chinese mythology feels truly magical and immersive。 While a lot of the worldbuilding is never laid out for you verbatim， I felt as if I really got to experience the world。 There are many twists and turns in the plot， some of which I'd never expected， and just OH SO much content！ I feel like most books would pick 2-3 of the plot elements for a single book， but we're blessed with 6。 And even better， I have no idea what's going to happen in the sequel （i。e。 there's NO cliffhanger thank goodness！）。 I'd classify this book firmly in the NA fantasy camp， purely due to its inherent readability。 A 500 page book seriously flew by just due to how clear the writing was。 Basically I loved it and you will too。*Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review* 。。。more

Carly ，

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan “There are many legends about my mother…” “Whichever story you believe， my mother， Chang’e， became immortal。 As did I。”~~~ This book was good。 I loved the world building， the detailing of it。 The determination of the main character was outstanding。 I loved the characters' descriptions and their developments。 This was an amazing retelling; and Tan is a phenomenal writer。 If there is another book after this I absolutely can’t wait to read it。 Thank you Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan “There are many legends about my mother…” “Whichever story you believe， my mother， Chang’e， became immortal。 As did I。”~~~ This book was good。 I loved the world building， the detailing of it。 The determination of the main character was outstanding。 I loved the characters' descriptions and their developments。 This was an amazing retelling; and Tan is a phenomenal writer。 If there is another book after this I absolutely can’t wait to read it。 Thank you so Sue Lynn， Harper Collins Publishers， and NetGalley for the eARC！ 。。。more

Daisy ，

Quality Rating: Three StarsEnjoyment Rating: Three Stars◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆Ultimately， Daughter of the Moon Goddess wasn't for me， and the cutesy romance was not enough to keep me around。 I made it 19% of the way through and had been considering giving up from very early on。 I wanted to give it a chance and see how the early story developed， but more and more I realised most of my problems were with the writing style and general storytelling decisions which wer Quality Rating: Three StarsEnjoyment Rating: Three Stars◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆Ultimately， Daughter of the Moon Goddess wasn't for me， and the cutesy romance was not enough to keep me around。 I made it 19% of the way through and had been considering giving up from very early on。 I wanted to give it a chance and see how the early story developed， but more and more I realised most of my problems were with the writing style and general storytelling decisions which weren't going to change。 I don't think it's a bad book， but its style is not something I want to invest more time into。This book reads like middle grade， probably aspiring to jump into teen themes a little later in the series。 There's so much inner monologuing （with a protagonist who collects information pretty slowly） and little actual drama in the outside world。 Xingjin really didn't seem that bothered by anything happening to her， including what you'd imagine are some pretty traumatic experiences。I'm also slightly sad that the worldbuilding is a little sparse。 We get some little tidbits of what I believe to be Chinese myth （apologies if I'm a little off）， but considering this is literally set on the moon there's very little description or aesthetic inclination to help us build what I imagine must be a fantastical empire on a celestial body - a really cool and unique thing to this story。The reason I gave up where I did was the lack of direction in the actual story。 Xingyin is supposed to get somewhere to escape the events at the beginning of the book， but she isn't very rushed to do so。 I sort of forget she had that goal。 Every obstacle she faces on the way to that goal is also very easily tied up without much input from the protagonist herself。As I say， I don't think Daughter of the Moon Goddess isn't worth reading， it just isn't for me。 I was expecting something aimed at a higher age range， whereas this reads very middle grade to me - nothing wrong with that， it just wasn't what I was expecting and lends itself to a few of my pet peeves that just makes reading it not as enjoyable an experience。 。。。more

EJ Choi ，

Just finished this book。 It's probably one of my first fantasy books since I usually don't read much of the genre， but definitely not the last one since I can't wait for the sequel！First of all， the beautifully and thoroughly described details of each character's appearance and their surroundings are mesmerizing and help a lot to visualize the image， which makes you feel like you're watching a movie。 The action scenes do the same， and at one point my hands were sweating from the intensity of the Just finished this book。 It's probably one of my first fantasy books since I usually don't read much of the genre， but definitely not the last one since I can't wait for the sequel！First of all， the beautifully and thoroughly described details of each character's appearance and their surroundings are mesmerizing and help a lot to visualize the image， which makes you feel like you're watching a movie。 The action scenes do the same， and at one point my hands were sweating from the intensity of their conflicts and hardships。 The author's great command of language effectively leads readers to a deep level of empathy with the characters。Additionally， all the characters are very vivid， and Xingyin's development as a character during the plotline is very persuasively illustrated。 I really appreciate the fact that she doesn't have to depend on anyone to achieve her goals。 It's a great influence for young girls today。The relationships and chemistry among these characters are beautifully written， and I struggled to move on to the reality where this is mere fiction after finishing。 There are so many intense layers of symbolism to interpret that make the book an even more interesting read。 It was also very inspiring to see the incorporation of traditional Chinese folktales， and is a sure sign of the diverse reading culture that is now （hopefully） rising to prominence。All in all， this was a great book and definitely something I will be recommending to everyone in the future。 。。。more

Angie ，

Still thinking about this。。。 but I wanted to love it more than I did。 A really strong main character， lovely world-building。 A lot of plot， but I wanted some stronger emotional beats。 Thank you Harper Voyager for the e-arc！

Chloe Louise ，

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review Holy。 Shit。 THIS IS A DUOLOGY？！！！！ That can't be right。。。 this book was so jam-packed with action and had good pacing that it would probably be fine as a standalone and now I'm scared that something really， really bad is going to happen in the sequel。。。 and I have to wait， most likely， over a year。 Yep。。。 that wait is going to be torture。This book， I didn't expect to like it as much as I Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review Holy。 Shit。 THIS IS A DUOLOGY？！！！！ That can't be right。。。 this book was so jam-packed with action and had good pacing that it would probably be fine as a standalone and now I'm scared that something really， really bad is going to happen in the sequel。。。 and I have to wait， most likely， over a year。 Yep。。。 that wait is going to be torture。This book， I didn't expect to like it as much as I did。 I don't have much knowledge of Chinese Mythology/Legends， so I did a brief bit of background knowledge before going in。 This being said， I am White British and not part of that culture， therefore cannot comment on representation on that part。I want to start off by commenting on the pacing of the book。 It the first roughly half of the book， time went fast， which I loved。 There were no unnecessary events happening that would have made the book boring。 It did feel weird but， I did enjoy it so I can't complain。The characters， ugh I loved them so much。 Especially， Xingyin and Liwei。 Their friendship。。。 I loved it。 I did want to see more and how their companionship evolved over the years and I would have loved to see some tension， because there， without a doubt， would have been。 Wenzhi。。。 I loved him and I loathed him。 Even when I should have been loathing him I loved him and felt myself being emphatic。 However， I would never excuse anything wrong a book character does purely based on the fact that I loved them。 The setting， I loved the descriptors of it。 I could easily imagine what it looked like。 It just felt so magical and I wanted to be there so badly but also not because I would not last half a second。 Overall， this book is just amazing， I found it really hard to put down， and I did have to put it down a few times to adult but guys。。。 if you don't pre-order/read （depending on when you're reading this review） like right now。。。。 。。。more

siu ，

2 stars✨ this was my most anticipated 2022 read。。。 （hmu if you want my signed copy bc I regret buying it）This reads like a children's book。 If you ever heard of the phrase "show don't tell" in writing， this book is the exact opposite。The writing style is like SJM but worse if that's possible。 It's crazy how this book has a love triangle and there was not a single moment building up to EITHER love interests。 It just ✨happens✨ The dialogues are mostly informative。 There is no teasing or bicker 2 stars✨ this was my most anticipated 2022 read。。。 （hmu if you want my signed copy bc I regret buying it）This reads like a children's book。 If you ever heard of the phrase "show don't tell" in writing， this book is the exact opposite。The writing style is like SJM but worse if that's possible。 It's crazy how this book has a love triangle and there was not a single moment building up to EITHER love interests。 It just ✨happens✨ The dialogues are mostly informative。 There is no teasing or bickering。 I don't understand how the author expects us to believe the romance when we have nothing to go off of besides the MC telling us lines like "our ill-fated love" PLEASE。 EVERY CONVERSATION YOU HAVE IS BLAND。 ALL YOU DO IS EXCHANGE INFORMATION。There is no build-up to anything， actually。 No inkling that she is afraid of taking a life， only after she slays monsters we get an "i'm sad" or "i'm crying" sentence。 Okay gurl I wish I could be sad with you but I literally did not know this mattered to you until this very moment and it never gets addressed again🤨There is no rising climax， no tense moments， it is bland all the way through。 It was 300 pages of filler before something finally started to pick up， and even then it was nothing special。 Everything in this book is all bark， no bite。 The danger that threatens the kingdom？ Mediocre。 Her perilous quest？ Mediocre。 Fight scenes？ Mediocre。 They have a dangerous creature to take down and the captain tells them the plan AT THE DOORSTEP OF THEIR ENEMY？？This book keeps describing flowers and lanterns， how about describing training and fight scenes instead of skipping over them PLEASE。 That's literally the best part of a book。 How am I supposed to care for our MC's journey if we don't get to go through the struggles with her？ Every single moment is sped up， glossed over。 "we fight terrifying monsters， ravenous beasts —" OKAY SO SHOW US😭😭 Why are we skipping over the good stuff and instead have to read filler after filler？The characters fell flat。 BOTH love interests as well， absolutely NOTHING romantic happens between them。 And when they kiss？ Okay damn， I didn't know you liked her until then。 That's the problem。 It's awkward。。。 so terribly awkward。The dialogue？ Everyone sounds the same。 You're telling me servants， Imperial Majesties， and ancient dragons sound the same？ Some even sound cringe because they are trying so hard to be threatening but the word choices。。。 it's like kids fighting on a playground。。。 aren't you supposed to be hundreds of years old？The fight scenes。。。 tell me why， WHY she is able to be struck by dangerous， paralyzing venom and still fight？ Or have a sword impaling her shoulder and she is fine in the next sentence。 It is so consistent with what is happening。 Just like her feelings。 This is the second book where I went "how many more pages left？" because it was so frustrating to read。 。。。more

Krys Lenore ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“I had been terrified of getting hurt， of failure， and most of all— of death。 To never see my mother again， or my loved ones。 To regret all the things left unsaid or undone。 To leave my life… unlived。”—Thank you HarperCollins， NetGalley， and Sue Lynn Tan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ This book… it had the most heartbreaking plot twist since Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen。 Except this one was more toward the 65% mark and didn’t leave you wondering what happened。 It just ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“I had been terrified of getting hurt， of failure， and most of all— of death。 To never see my mother again， or my loved ones。 To regret all the things left unsaid or undone。 To leave my life… unlived。”—Thank you HarperCollins， NetGalley， and Sue Lynn Tan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ This book… it had the most heartbreaking plot twist since Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen。 Except this one was more toward the 65% mark and didn’t leave you wondering what happened。 It just hurt。 BUT！！！ You did get to see the aftermath of said plot twist and that was so， so satisfying。 This book was so amazing。 I’ve loved Chinese mythology and the story of Chang’e for a while now， so receiving this ARC was a huge mood booster for me。 It was so amazing to see this story spun into a private movie screening in my head。 The setting was beautiful and the whole story was so magical I couldn’t stop reading。 It made me feel what felt like every emotion under the sun。 I laughed， I cried， I yelled， both in anger and in joy， and I got butterflies from the sweet romance。 Most of all， what I felt from this book was an overwhelming sense of warmth。 Xingyin is a main character that quite literally stops at nothing to save her family。 She became a servant and humbled herself immensely， while being a daughter of a goddess， just to free her mother。 Seeing her journey from being 16 to， I believe， almost 20 at the end of this book？ It was so satisfying and I really felt for her。 She was already a multifaceted， driven character but her development was so amazing to see。 Family， specifically her mother， is a huge motif in this book and I’m so thankful I have a good relationship with mine。 There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for mine， but even I know I wouldn’t survive。 Mostly because I’m not immortal but fighting the way she did？ I couldn’t do that in my wildest dreams。 Once again， thank you so， so much for this ARC， stan Sue Lynn Tan for clear skin， and go preorder Daughter of the Moon Goddess。 。。。more

Jenny Lawson ，

A lovely fantasy novel based on Chinese mythology。 Very action-packed although sometimes it could feel a little repetitive。 GORGEOUS cover。 Ready for the second book。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Daughter of the Moon Goddess

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Daughter of the Moon Goddess&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Daughter of the Moon Goddess&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0