I adore this book! Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a perfect combination of fantasy, folklore, and mythology. With an amazing world and a fierce heroine, I will absolutely be recommending this book! I can't wait for book two!

Just wow. It’s sweet and exciting. I loved everything about this book. We get to learn about Japanese lore and some traditions. It kept me engaged all the way and the twist creat up out of nowhere.

But more then anything, I loved Xingyin. She is a wonderful heroine. She find the strength within to withstand anything and forge her own path against all odds. And despite getting her heart broken she chooses happiness and honor.

I can’t wait for books two.

I could stare at this cover all day actually.

I loved everything about this book: the writing, the world building and the plot !! Imagine my surprise when I found out this was the first of two books. There’s enough going on in this book for it to be a standalone. Even though I enjoyed the book, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters which I was disappointed about. But I’m still very interested in the plot to want to read the sequel !!

2 stars

I was highly anticipating Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Historical Fiction/High Fantasy derived from Chinese mythology, and specifically the myth of the Chinese Moon Goddess Chang'e (check out Over the Moon on Disney+ for an animated retelling!) with her daughter on a journey to free her from her celestial prison??? That sounded DIVINE.

However, for a novel over 500 pages, you would think that we would know the characters backwards and forwards, but this novel is a bit airless. Everything is one-dimensional, to the point where I feel like I’m hearing a folk story around a campfire.

For a novel, there needs to be some depth there, and I was expecting a lot of depth for a fantasy/folklore story. Maybe that’s my fault. But I couldn’t really tell you about anyone in this story or the plot points, and I just finished this novel a day ago. I only truly enjoyed the beginning, and then after around the 15-20% mark I had to force myself to read this at times. The pacing was wildly fast at times, but it felt so slow. I think the biggest issue for me was the writing style, and how everything was telling instead of showing. In a story like this, I need to emotionally connect to the character, the plot, a motive, anything.

My biggest gripe was that the main premise of the book (saving her mother, the freaking Moon Goddess, who is imprisoned on the moon) was completely dropped SO FAST from the story, and I never truly felt the stakes of our MC going off to find a way to free her. It was frustrating that any conflict in the story always shifted in our MC’s favor, so I knew that she was always going to be fine and she was always going to get what she wanted. To be honest, I just didn’t care for Xingyin in the slightest, and being in her head was god awful with the whole love triangle thing.

Also, I would categorize this as a YA; I don’t think this branches into the adult territory as some would suggest. I also have no idea why this is going to have a sequel - it should have just been a standalone. I really need an emotional connection or something to look forward to a sequel, and at the time I requested this, I did not see that a sequel was in the works.

This has a gorgeous cover, but I feel it’s deceptive since this book just did not work for me.

TW: Blood, Bullying, Violence, War

*Thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!*

I picked up this title because of the cover and the fact it is a Chinese myth retold. I was not disappointed but I do have a few things that I did not like. The pacing was a little slow in the beginning and then picked up fast and felt like a roller coaster. I loved the characters, the plot, and the world overall. The story itself was very descriptive and thus fit my style nicely. Overall, a great pick.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an beautifully epic debut from Sue Lynn Tan. I really enjoyed the scope and mythology of the story, and the vibrant characters leap off the page. The pace is a bit slow at times, but I still enjoyed it. This is a well-crafted book that I highly recommend.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess has an amazing premise to work with, but some of the execution did not hit the mark for me. However, I still found quite a lot of things here I did enjoy, so I'm split down the middle for how to rate this book.

My main problem with DOTMG is that especially in the beginning there is a lack of direction in the plot and Xingyin succeeds at everything way too easily. There were also issues I had with how the character interactions were written.

I think the thought behind planning the romances was well done, but the technical execution of said romances were not. The author gives ample time for Xingyin and both her boys, but there's a certain spark missing in the writing that I needed for it to be compelling. While I don't have a problem with the dialogue per se, I don't feel Xingyin's interactions with Liwei ... meet the my standard for good romantic banter. It's just non-subtle teasing and Xingyin didn't even realize that and went (pikachu face). The feigned modesty about how she's unworthy and not pretty etc, etc for the prince's affections was repetitive to read. It's ok if it's mentioned once or twice, but every single time Xingyin thinks about this man she has to repeat her self doubts.

Another repeated issue I had was Xingyin's naive style of narration getting in the way of what should be organic and heartfelt interactions. This problem is less prevalent later in the book because the dynamics between Xingyin, Liwei and Wenzhi are are shifting and being shown through action rather than repetitive narration. I feel like maybe the middle and later parts of the book are more polished.

I was quite disappointed with how Wenzhi's character was handled, but I am excited to see him come back in book 2. He had a lot of potential and I liked the subtle foreshadow and ultimate twist with him being the demon prince. Xingyin's naive and at times childish narration really put me off as her views on the Demon Kingdom were very black and white. Her views are challenged and shift throughout the novel, it's just that her protagonist plot armor and righteousness rub me the wrong way even though the book fully acknowledges that both the Celestial Kingdom and Demon Kingdom are not all good or bad. I think it's difficult to strike a balance between the caricature of the noble protag and the moral complexity of the world at play. Xingyin's relationship with Wenzhi could have made her character much more interesting if she felt a stronger urge to sympathize with him while condoning his actions. She does somewhat but still mouths off like "I hate you I won't forgive you" blah blah.

I tend to be a reader who likes strong thematic elements in a book, so I didn't get what I was looking for in DOTMG. I have to admit I was about to drop the book halfway because I felt DOTMG had a lack of direction in the plot and Xingyin's narration was not compelling. While many foreshadowings are introduced in the first half are brought back in the 2nd half, I feel this could have been done in a more elegant way. It was like a ball was kicked out of the field only for it to be brought back... as the same ball but later in the game. I actually did enjoy my experience with DOTMG, but it just felt a lot of things were lacking for this to hit in all the right places.

Yes, I sat and read all 500+ books in one sitting! The writing was amazing and beautiful. This story reminds me of Cinderella and the Selection. The. Win character was such a strong female character. She had so much Determination you couldn’t help but be rooting for her the entire time and cheering her on. The plot was amazing and so original!

I absolutely loved this debut novel! It's such a treat to be so enthralled by a world and its characters, especially for 500+ pages. Daughter of the Moon Goddess truly has it all. The worldbuilding is lush and beautiful with great depth and complexity but it never overwhelms the reader's experience. I was instantly intrigued by immortal characters and mythological creatures with BIG magic and mystery. The magic system is simple but effective and carries the mystical feel of the story well; it feels very much a part of the world rather than pushed onto it.

Of course a book can have an amazing world and still lose you but here you get the full package, an amazing world with characters who shine even brighter. What character did I *not* fall in love with would be the easier question! Xingyin is a marvel. I absolutely adore everything about her. She's fierce, she feels things to her core, she's fight and love all in one. I dare you to not root for her on every page. Everyone who surrounds her is enjoyable, especially the Crown Prince and the Military Man. I don't want to give their names away, for reasons you'll see when you read it.

My only very tiny qualm is that I would've liked to see more character development. There are some big time leaps in the story. A *lot* happens in this book, even considering its length. I appreciate seeing that Xingyin worked really hard to become who she does but so much happens I expected her to change a bit through it and she seemed pretty similar throughout. I only mention this because I'm trying to include all my thoughts but this is 1 percent of my 110 percent love for this novel.

I cannot WAIT for book two and to see what my girl Xingyin gets into next because I'm sure it's going to be an absolutely wild ride.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Being a Chinese person myself, I went into this book with really high hopes - I've heard the stories growing up as well and was interested in reading more about them and their backstories. Unfortunately, the story didn't draw me in and I couldn't identify with the main character. Sometimes I felt as though we had to simply believe what the character felt and she also seemed a bit young for what I enjoy. Overall, it had an interesting premise and I enjoyed the ending but I'm not sure that I would read it again.

I can't seem to review this book so this is my third try haha.

I absolutely loved it and it's an amazing debut. I can't wait for her next book and I really hope it's as good as this one.

The magic, the story, the journey.. What not to love? I dare to say this might even be one of my favourites!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a sweeping epic fantasy inspired by the story of Chang’e. I have read and loved many retellings of the story of Chang’e, and was excited to read a story from the perspective of her daughter. Unfortunately, I struggled with the beginning of this book. Xingyin, the titular character, often felt held at arm’s length from the reader; I struggled to care about her or any of the characters due to the “telling, not showing” nature of the writing. Particularly in the first half of the novel, Xingyin often fell into the “special snowflake” character trope. She is instantly the best at everything she tries and she has multiple men fawning over her while she protests that she isn’t beautiful. Months of practice are glossed over in a single sentence; without showing the work, it doesn’t feel earned.

Despite my issues with the book and writing style, as the story went on I gradually felt more engaged with the characters and the plot. The second half of this novel was much stronger than the first, eventually winning me over. Xingyin finally came up against things she couldn’t instantly conquer; her struggles were showcased on page. Instead of feeling like I was being buffeted between random events that popped up and were solved instantly, a more substantial plot and conflict emerged that had me invested in where the story was going. I finished a book I heavily contemplated dnf’ing halfway through eager to read the sequel!

Recommended to fans of Elizabeth Lim’s stories and Edith Pattau’s East.

I want to start out by saying that I was really excited for this book. The cover is gorgeous, the synopsis is intriguing and the promise of Chinese mythology is so alluring. Unfortunately this just wasn't the book for me. I found the writing to be too flowery and I found myself skimming over large chunks of writing. As well, I found the main characters inner dialogue to be very frustrating and her decision making process left me perplexed. I had a really hard time seeing the purpose of certain events in the beginning, it seemed very random and without direction, which didn't leave me wanting to read more. Granted there was a point where it all came together and I enjoyed that, but it wasn't enough to redeem it for me. I know that not every book is for every person, and this one just wasn't my jam. I do know many who have loved it though and if anything in the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, then it's definitely worth picking up and giving it a go. It may be the book for you.

This is the romantic fantasy of my dreams. Every line is lush, thoughtful, and just utterly beautiful. I wish I could live in this story forever!

An absolutely beautiful novel! I love the way it expands on the traditional myth, and brings it to the fore for English readers. This story has an epic scope, and is full of well-rendered characters, and a world for the readers to explore through their eyes. I was glad to learn that it's part of a duology. This is a great debut, and I have no doubt the second book will be too!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC for an honest review.

This book is...BEAUTIFUL!!!

I had not read a fantasy type book in awhile and this was so refreshing to read. Sometimes it was a slow read but I understand since world building needs to take place and writing style was different! Can't wait to read more from Sue Lynn Tan!

Also can't wait to buy a copy of the book! It's so pretty especially the hardcover from fairyloot!

Reveiw posted on Goodreads on 3/4/22

Stunning debut retelling of the Chinese legend of the Moon Goddess Chang'e. The writing creates a lush and immersive fantasy setting full of endearing characters and difficult choices. Although it read more like a YA more than adults fantasy to me, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I am looking forward to the next one.

A beautiful and romantic fantasy read. I recommend it to everyone. I loved the main romance and the twists and turns. I recently saw there will be a sequel soon, can't wait to read it as well! Thank you for the arc!

3 stars that occasionally shot up to 3.5. This really feels more like a YA book. If it had been published and marketed as such, many narrative and character choices would have made more sense and made this book more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a fantasy novel that is inspired by the Chinese Moon Goddess.
Xingyin lives in seclusion with her mother. When an incident causes Xingyin's power to surge, she learns that her mother has been exiled and the Celestial Emperor has no idea that Xingyin exists. She is forced to flee and leave her mother and her home behind and make her way in the mortal world on her own.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Xingyin and the growth she goes through in the book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the duology.