Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is SO good. One of the best fantasy i have read in a long time

Another stunning cover for a less than mediocre book. The more I’ve sat on this book, and thought about my review, the more I realized there was essentially nothing I liked about it besides the cover, which is s t u n n i n g, and the idea of the premise, which sadly fell very short when it came to execution.

First and foremost, this book could have been about three books or at least two. There was SO much going on, and yet there wasn’t much detail to anything. The world was vague, the magic system even vaguer (half the time I forgot there was magic) and the point, plot, story was so all over the place that half the time I wasn’t sure what exactly the story was supposed to be. There were multiple times while reading this that I thought “Okay, this the the grand finale, the end, the big showdown/boss” and yet it would carry on, and on, and on… Lots and lots of pages with little substance.

The characters, especially the MC Xingyin, were extremely two dimensional and shallow. The side characters felt like they were just placed about the pages because a main character must have friends, right? I could barely stand Xingyin with her pick-me-girl energy and the way she flitted from one love interest to the next. Seriously, the world would be in ruins and she would not only be having a romantic moment with one love interest and it would cut to the next page and she’s having a different romantic moment with the OTHER love interest. And when I say cut I really mean it. The writing did not flow and it gave me the feel of watching a stop motion movie, cut to this scene, cut to that scene. Xingyin didn’t feel real or relatable, she felt like a caricature of a person and her love interests were love interest #348972 and love interest number #349494 with stock love triangle plot #498754. I h a t e love triangles in general, I feel that they are lazy writing and add drama just for the sake of drama, but I especially hated this one. Everything about it was absolutely cringe: the jealousy, the pissing contests, the possessiveness, and again, the way Xingyin bounced around and around, falling in and out of love with the breeze.

And this being in first person? No thank you. Not it. Xingyi's inner monologues, how she thought of herself and the world around was just.. weird? Her voice read like a child who was trying to convince themselves that they were grown. A very very young voice.

As a huge Sailor Moon fan, I’m sad about this one. I really feel like there was so much that could have been done with this story, it’s such a cool premise, and for a book about the Moon Goddess and her daughter I feel like there wasn’t much about the moon.. or the goddess… Ugh, this could have been the most epic of romances, an amazing adventure, but I felt like Sue Lynn Tan was trying to pack so much into this book that it was all a bit of an underdeveloped mess.

If I hadn’t listened to this on audio, at 2X speed, I would have DNFed.

When I saw this being promoted, I was immediately so excited based on nothing but the cover alone. The world-building is pretty great in this and the writing seems solid but I just didn't like the characters at all and it just seemed too forced and grandiose.
Full review on YouTube.

I honestly did not like this bored at all. I ended up quitting at the end pf part 1. I had three main issues with this book. The first was with the main character. She annoyed me so much. I also hated the pacing and how things just jumped ahead constantly. Lastly, I spent the entire first part so confused because there was no explanations on things.

Even though this isn't a book for me, I am still purchasing it for my library. I think my students would really enjoy it.

I didn’t intend to start and finish a 500-page book today, but here we are.

WOW. This is one of my favorite books of the year. Xingyin is my new idol and the baddest bitch I know!!! 1) Able to attract the attention of TWO hotties? 2) The greatest archer in the Celestial army?? 3) Skilled in magic?? WHAT CAN’T SHE DO??

Adored the strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to maybe more??? This whole book was just… impeccable. Can’t wait to add this one to my physical bookshelf.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

WOW! Stunning cover? Check. Gorgeous story? Check check AND CHECK! I loved every second of my read of Daughter of the Moon Goddess and CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2!!!!! So glad there will be more books in this series and also more books by this author! So so good.

I... really hated this one. I went in so excited, but everything from characterization to the weak worldbuilding let me so so down. I ended up, instead of DNFing like I would have, rage finishing this book, and by the time I got to the end, I wanted to scream about it, and not in a good way.
I felt that the MC had zero personality and was a "special snowflake" kind of character - everything is handed to her, she learns archery and becomes the BEST at it in the entire ARMY in three months (absolutely would never happen, sorry); has two love interests that are 1. boring and 2. dote over her from the moment they lay eyes on her when they don't even have chemistry together, and honestly, the character had ZERO change from start to finish. This lack of character arc made the book itself feel like it happened over a couple months, rather than years like it apparently does.
Also, the end? Saw it coming a mile away. And I'm still salty about the dragon encounter -- what should have been the most difficult thing and should have been an epic plot point was ONCE AGAIN handed TO THE CHARACTER AND FIXED IN THREE PAGES.
So yeah. Don't recommend. Super sad about it, too, because the book is so beautiful on the outside, and I wanted this world/mythological retelling/reshaping to really, really work for me.

I didn't finish this book the first time I picked it up, but I came back to it after a few weeks and it felt much better at that time because I'm a mood reader. The prose was beautiful and lyrical, but at times it felt as if everything was just too convenient for the main character.

This dazzling fantasy novel follows the journey of Xingyin, the secret daughter of the moon goddess, as she flees the moon and strives to secure her mother’s freedom. Inspired by the legend of Chang’e, Tan imaginatively expands upon the Chinese myth for Xingyin’s backstory. 
 
I was surprised by how much happens in this book—romantic moments in a peach blossom forest, fighting a nine-headed serpent, a merfolk rebellion… and that’s just in the first half! Despite a central love triangle storyline, I found the bond between mother & daughter to be the most memorable relationship in the book. As Xingyin grows into someone who decisively chases her dreams, she never forgets her mother. 
 
Tan’s world-building is delightful; the details and descriptions bring the dreamy immortal realm to life. However, I was hoping for more tension, urgency, heartache, more character depth and maybe some devastation. The way that time jumped sometimes felt jarring.
 
Overall, I still enjoyed this! Reading it felt like entering a familiar world, reminding me of the fantasy c-dramas that I enjoy watching. This is the first book of a duology, but thankfully doesn’t end on a cliffhanger & offers plenty of threads for the sequel to build upon. Curious to see what’s in store for Xingyin!

This debut is nothing short of captivating and stunning. Having this book played out in my head is such a rich and lush experience that I wouldn't mind repeating. It was fast paced and exciting. The main character, Xingyin is portrayed as someone with a lot of potential and ambition which made me fall in love with her character instantly. The way she carried herself throughout the entire book had me reeling. She had a few missteps in the process but I think that's what makes it even more beautiful; how I get to see that the process is not always a paved road. The love story is also heavily present in this which makes it all the more entertaining.

This has been such a lovely read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read Chinese myth retellings.

4.5/5 but I'm rounding up for good reads

I loved this, it was fast paced and exciting. The character growth was consistent. The plotting was magnificent. I'm excited to see where the next book will take us! I have so many thoughts but it's too soon after finishing this masterful story to get them all down now. I recommend this book for sure.

This is such an enchanting fantasy novel based on Chinese folklore. And the cover is absolutely gorgeous! This was packed full of action and adventure and there was never a dull moment. I also loved that the plot was not predictable at all. There was enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I am thoroughly looking forward to the next in this duology.

It has a great concept and good intentions. I loved the use of Chinese mythology and epic fantasy. Overall it was good, but sadly for me, didn't quite wow me like I had hoped.
.
The setting and world building is a highlight. What a beautiful and interesting universe with a celestial kingdom weaved with magic.
The flow was a little hit or miss. This book is 500+ pages long and sometimes it felt it, other times it was action-packed. There was a love triangle that surprisingly didn't drive me bonkers 👍 but also, not very invested in the romance.
.
I always appreciate a strong female lead - Xingyin had a lot of potential. She was ambitious and determined. Problem was I had very little connection to Xingyin - a lot of her decisions I just didn't understand and slowly she became that stereotypical hero where things work out but no effort was put in??
Anyway, while it didn't quite work for me, there's potential here.

Incredible, amazing, so well written. All I can say is this book blew me away! Cannot believe this is a debut, what an incredible first book. I look forward to more from this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I don't know how to describe the writing in this novel as anything other than beautiful. Lyrical, maybe. Definitely not what I was expecting. I think even those who were not fantasy fans, would be fans of this.

This novel was written so beautifully and was filled with lyrical writing. The characters were so loveable and this book just made me feel so many emotions. Xingyin is such a strong character that grew so much over the course of this book. She starts out as a young and innocent girl and grows into a strong and amazing woman. I loved the lore that is in this book. The ideas of gods and goddesses along with dragons is just so cool and had me hooked from the beginning.

I received an ARC of this audiobook by the publisher via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a beautiful retelling of the Chinese myth of Chang'e, the moon goddess. It, however, doesn't focus on Chang'e but her daughter Xingyin, who grew up hidden away on the moon. Xingyin must escape when her presence is detected by the Celestial Empress, and this event kicks off the story. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is the first book in a duology. I enjoyed the mystical world built around Chinese mythology, and all of the characters felt three-dimensional and realistic. They all have their strengths and flaws, which impact the story.

The summary of the novel makes it seem like the focus of the book is a love story but I think that's a disservice to this novel. There are a few different love stories but they don't dominate the plot. Xingyin's core motivation is towards bettering the life of her family. And she embarks on adventures in order to achieve that goal. There are also many twists and turns throughout the novel that keep you on your toes.

This is the best fantasy novel I've read in a long time and I look forward to reading the second novel in the series. Plus look at how beautiful the book cover is! I give Daughter of the Moon Goddess 5 out of 5 stars.