This debut fantasy is inputted by the Chinese legend of the moon goddess. I have never heard of the legend but this book intrigued me.

Xingyin lives with her mother on the moon and is not aware that her mother has been hiding her from the Celestial Emperor. When Xingyin’s magic seeks to reveal her cover, she must escape and leave her mother behind.

Xingyin must make her own way while finding a path back to her mother. I enjoyed this YA fantasy that is unlike any other that I have read.


Thanks to Harper Voyager for my review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I asked for this book because the cover is gorgeous, and luckily the book is just as beautiful. The prose is absolutely stunning, and you're transported to a transcendent world of Chinese high fantasy. This is an instant buy for my library.

First of all, I want to start with how much I love the story, the plot, the characters, and the struggles. I love the writing style, the descriptions of characters, places, and landscapes. I love how it made me feel throughout the story. I loved the relationship between characters and how you could tell there was love, strain, companionship, and indecisiveness between them. The connections were sublime.

I loved how much I hated the Celestial Majesties. I loved how much I routed for our MC, Xingyin. I loved the dragons and their pearls. I was happy, sad, heart broken, angry, proud, and scared throughout the story. Emotional rollercoasters are my favorite.

It is, however, a cliche storyline. You know everything is going to work out in the end. You know she’s going to make it out on the other side, she’s going to find love, she’s going to do everything she set out to do. You KNOW she is. You just have no idea HOW.

How is she going to get out of there alive? How is she going to avoid the wrath of the Celestial Majesties? How is she going to free her mother? How, how, how? And man, as you go along this journey with Xingyin, she takes you on all her highs and all her lows. It’s fantastic. Not gonna lie, I thought she wasn’t going to make it out of her situations 50% of the time, but I’d look at the progress and think, how am I only 45% of the way through and she’s about to die? What’s going to happen next?!

It took me four days to read, only because I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to drag it out as long as I could. But then it started picking up around halfway through and I ended up not putting it down until I finished at 3am the next morning. Her adventure finally ended and I was at peace.

Even though it’s a cliche storyline and you know it’ll all be alright in the end, the meatiness of the story is what separates it from, let’s say Twilight. Yes, there’s a love triangle and she has all these ordeals. But, A) it’s not creepy or toxic and B) she wants to reach her goals on her own, she wants to earn her merits by her own means, she can receive help but stubbornly she wants to earn her battle scars on her own doing. Xingyin’s personal struggles and sacrifices are what makes this story so much better. You can feel her struggles and you can understand why she must struggle and sacrifice.

What a fantastic story! I decided about halfway through that I WILL purchase this book and keep it on my shelf and sturdily in my reread pile. I might even purchase it in a week’s time and reread it for my own pleasure.

I WILL READ LITERALLY WHATEVER WORDS SUE LYNN TAN PUTS ON A PIECE OF PAPER! OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO AMAZING!

The Daughter of the Moon Goddess is such a magical book filled with adventure, love, betrayal, mythical creatures and my personal favorite, a strong female main character.

This book was a slow start for me but once I was about 30% in, I could not put this down. Xingyin is the daughter of the Mood Goddess, stuck her whole life on the moon with little excitement. One day she finds out the truth about her family and instead of letting it go, she pulls at her own magic, making the Celestial kingdom aware that someone is on the moon who shouldn’t be. Xingyin had no idea that that person was her and is soon forced to leave her mother and life if she wants to keep her mother’s secret safe. She is dropped into the Celestial world where she has to work to become someone. She is in luck when she meets the imperial prince and they become great friends. Under his wing, she learns everything she needs to in hopes to free her mother. She is set on freeing her and nothing will stop her from her quest.

I truly loved Xingyin. The reader see’s her grow from a child who does not have a care in the world, to a strong soldier who has been put through every test that the universe could hand her. I am very impressed with everything that she has accomplished and the friendships that she has created over the years. I absolutely love her relationship with Liwei, even though I wish things were different for them. I did find the twist rather shocking and I had to literally put down the book when it happened because I did NOT see that coming.

I am so excited for the second book and I wish it was already here! I could not put this book down because there was truly always an adventure for Xingyin. There was the main quest to find her mother, but multiple small ones along the way. I adored this book and highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this retelling of the myth, especially because I saw this book right after I saw the Netflix film Over the Moon. This particular story featured a strong female lead who had softness as well. The balance between strength and vulnerability isn't always done, well, but Sue Lynn Tan did an amazing job creating a character I rooted for in an intricate world that I loved.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is one of the most magical, beautiful books I have read in the last year. The character development and world-building are incredibly deep and authentic, Xingyin's heartbreak and love for her mother are integral to the story. Xingyin's choices are her own and as a reader it was wonderful to read a story about someone who leaned into a path of her own with a singular goal, but was still a dynamic person with diverse skills and relationships.

"Some scars are carved into our bones- a part of who we are, shaping what we become."
This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and oh boy it did not disappoint! Immediately from the first sentence I was sucked into this world and I loved every second of it! I had never read a book inspired from Chinese mythology so this was such a great introduction and I fell in love~ There are so many twists and turns, and it has some of our favorite tropes! Our main character is Xingyin, daughter of the moon goddess, Chang'e, and the archer Houyi. After living in insolation with her mother on the moon for her who life, she is forced to flee after her presence is discovered and she ends up in the Celestial Kingdom. From here we follow her journey and her end goal of ending her mother's exile. I absolutely loved the relationship Xingyin had with her mother. I myself am really close to my mom so there were definitely some moments where I would get teary-eyed. Prince Liwei was such a gem and the concept of first love is so beautifully explored that I found myself swooning so many times throughout the book. This story has everything, it has action, hope, romance, betrayal, magic, family, friendship, the list goes on and on! The way magic was implemented was so fascinating to read about, and it fit so well with the story. The descriptions were so beautiful that sometimes my brain was in awe of what it was envisioning. Sue Lynn Tan has such a way with her writing that it's impossible to not become completely enraptured. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up if you want to follow the badass journey of an intelligent and strong young woman! Xingyin and her ability with the bow was so fun to read about because of course she takes after her dead in that sense 😌 The dragons in this book were also so much fun to read about! There's just so many wonderful aspects of this book that it feels impossible to talk about them all. This novel is definitely memorable and I cannot wait for the sequel because at this point I will read anything Ms. Sue Lynn Tan writes!

Just like Legendborn and Iron Widow, this book right here has soared into the top five books I love this year-and it’s only the second month of the year. Sue Lynn Tan has written a wonderful world full of gods, goddesses, demons and love. It is inspired by the legend of the Moon Goddess Chang’e, and it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever read in a long time.

The story is about the title character, Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess. She is trying to free her mother from her enchantment that was placed on her, as punishment for drinking an elixir. One day, she left her home because of a visit from the Celestial Empress and the fact that she sensed someone at the home. Leaving her home was painful, but she had to do it as she left to escape the Celestial Goddess to go to another kingdom so she can live a better life.

That better life starts out by serving a very horrid girl. She had to lie about her family as she worked, and it was one of those days where she met Crown Prince Liwei. The two talked a bit, and then (I honestly forgot the name of the girl Xingyin served honestly, she was trash) and then invited the both of them to a contest. Xingyin won the contest, and she and Liwei are together a lot-training, going to school…falling in love.

But Xingyin doesn’t want that, even after she finds out Liwei is going to get engaged to another royal. She joins the Celestial Army and is right next to a man named General Wenzhi. The both of them go on adventures and encounter monsters like the bone devil and the Governor Ruyi when she is finally rewarded with what she craves: a seal and a wish for whatever she wants. She reveals herself as the daughter of the moon goddess, and everyone is up in an uproar about it. Even though it was just a simple wish, and she had to hide it for reasons, the Celestial Emperor came up with a task for her: get the pearls from the dragons.

And she does, only to learn that the Celestial Emperor once controlled the four great dragons. So Xingyin comes up with an idea: she’s going to return the dragon’s essence to them. She does so, and then danger strikes when she’s kidnapped by Wenzhi-and is revealed that he’s a demon prince and he had feelings for her (shocking-and this happened before she released the dragon’s essence to them). Thanks to his younger brother, Xingyin escaped the Demon World and went back to the Celestial Kingdom, where she gave the pearls back to the Emperor (who was fucking furious) and learned that Liwei broke the bethrothal to his betrothed, because he was in love with her.

This book was so good and I think EVERYONE should read it. It was slow at first, but then it ramped up, and I loved every bit of it.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever picked up.
I loved the entire story and all the plot twists. It broke me and healed me and gave me everything I look for in books. The myth and folklore was so interesting and the way the author wove it into the story so seamlessly, wow.
I loved the romance aspect as well, as that is something I look for in most books. The intrigue and angst did not disappoint!

✨why do I always end up falling for the sexy villain? 😏✨

I have certainly outgrown YA fantasy over the years, but every now and then I find a gem like this one and I am reminded of why I loved the genre so much.

Tropes:
🙌🏽 well-done love triangle
😏 friends to lovers to enemies
🤤 angst
🥺 pining
🔥 slow burn
🥵 hot villain hero
🗡 betrayals
🐉 dragons, magic, and more!
📚 fairytale retellings
🤝 strong friendships
🥰 Own Voices

This book shimmered with potential the moment I read the description and it fully taped into it 😍🙌🏽 Sue Lynn Tan’s beautiful writing, infused with the magnificence of sweeping Chinese mythologies made for such a beautiful read 😍

This book was full of romance, magic, dragons, betrayals, enemies, and more! I was hooked from the very first page and I never wanted to let go 😩🙌🏽 I was swept away in the adventure and the story. It was fast paced, mature, and engaging 🤩

I cannot wait to read the next installment of this duology.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Thank you to Avon, Netgalley, and Sue Lynn Tan for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

you know i love a good book about chinese mythology but this just wasn't it
characters weren't super fleshed out and the storyline in general dragged at a lot of points
for such a long book i expect to be completely captivated for most of it but i wasn't feeling it
prose writing style is good but i just wasn't super enthused about the rest

Dragon pearls, unearthly beautiful Celestials, Demon Kings, and a romance that would win the gold medal for angst-filled pining.

Tan's writing is lush, evocative, and makes her story play out like some kind of C-drama in the reader's head, fully transporting one into this world of Chinese-inspired mythology and fantasy. While I wish I'd known this was going to be a duology before I started, it did not in any way tarnish my enjoyment of the novel. Once I fell into it, I was hooked -- I couldn't put it down and didn't want the story to end.

If there is any critique I have it would be of the novel's pacing: it's uneven throughout, but in a way reminds me of the few Chinese fantasy webnovels I've read.

That being said, this novel is a gem in the genre and I cannot wait for the sequel so that I may continue on in this imaginative, colourful world.

I thoroughly enjoyed the middle of this book. The beginning felt extremely rushed and the ending was okay. The worldbuilding and lore was absolutely gorgeous and I loved the main character's drive to save her mother. Unfortunately the love interests left a lot to be desired. I really liked them when they were first introduced, but both became ridiculously controlling as the book went on. Xingyin just needs to stay single.

I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I'm not familiar with Chinese mythology, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. I'm looking forward to the second book in the duology!

This was a beautifully written, descriptive book. It did read a bit more YA than I was expecting - and a bit more melancholy than I was expecting, but nonetheless it was a lovely story and written very well.

daughter of the moon goddess, a fantasy retelling of the legend of chang’e, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022, but it turned out to be quite a disappointment.

i’ll start with the positives: the world-building was brilliantly done, and i loved the positive mother/daughter relationship. xingyin’s loyalty to and love for chang’e (and vice versa) were really lovely.

as for the negatives: i found the characters frustratingly flat compared to the vivid, beautiful world they occupied. the entire book relies too heavily on telling and not enough on showing—there was very little build up to significant events and revelations and the relationships felt underdeveloped. the battle scenes were particularly lacking and disjointed, and i would have liked more insight into xingyin’s training too (because she was somehow good at just about everything).

i really wanted to love this, but at the end of the day i just didn’t.

I loved this book! I loved the Chinese mythology incorporated into the story, the magic, the immortal beings, and the dragons. The thread of romance is also woven into the story as well as the growth experienced by a young girl. I loved the imagery in the book which describes the Chinese culture. I look forward to reading the sequel.

So, let’s start by calling this book what it is: One of my favorite reads for 2022!!
I honestly don’t think there’s a single thing about this book that I dislike, and I can not wait for the second part of this Duology.

Let’s start with the world building. Whenever I read magical realism, I look forward to how the author builds out the visuals as well as the rules of magic within their realm. This world was well-described and easy to follow while also allowing space for creative interpretation by the reader. The magic was consistent across the book and also followed my own spiritual beliefs.

This story follows Xingyin who is forced to flee from her home due to the new found knowledge of her lineage and magic as well as the Empress threats against her mother which ironically ends with her at the Empress’s home to serve as her son’s Liwei companion. From there, we see the budding romance between Xingyin and Liwei before their first twist or should I saw twists enter their relationship. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s say it’s juicy!

Xingyin then vows to herself to get back to her bigger goal of freeing her mother which leads her to serve as the First Archer in the Celestial Army under Captain Wenzhi which leads to one of the best Love Triangles I’ve ever read. I will say that my favorite quote came from Captain Wenzhi. “Why would a falcon want to be a nightingale?” This quote spoke to me on so many levels, and I loved how this entire scene played out.

The plot twists weren’t complete secrets, but the story did it in such a breadcrumb way that you felt rewarded by it. I finished this book in one sitting while saying things like, “She’s giving us more!” “Sis wrote this book!” And numerous screams of “What?!” There’s love, drama, intimacy, great action scenes, consistency across characters, romance, actual character development/growth. There’s also development of honor, journey to self-worth, and dragons.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a book I have been anxiously waiting to read. I had hoped to read it in early January, but alas, I was unable to get to it until recently. This book was quite the ride. There were several plot lines involved, and a lot of action. Overall, I did like it, though I feel it could have benefitted from being a little shorter.

While Daughter of the Moon Goddess was certainly not bad by any means, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would have. Had I been in a different reading mood, I might've felt differently, but unfortunately, this one fell a little short for me. The story itself was interesting and my favorite part. Watching Xingyin navigate an uncertain world and come into her own made for a fun ride. So much happens in this book. There are smaller plots inside of the larger plots, and there was so much adventure. While this created an edge of anticipation and kept me wondering where the story would go next, I never felt fully drawn to the characters, which is probably where my biggest disconnect to the story comes from. Xingyin was an interesting protagonist, and my favorite character of the bunch. She was the most compelling, in my opinion, as she is stubborn in the way that she'll always fight for what she believes in, but is compassionate, too. Liwei was the second most interesting character, but unfortunately, I felt less and less connected to him as the book went on; otherwise, I might've really liked him.

My other issue was the love triangle. I enjoyed the buildup of the first romance plot, because I thought it was well done and the most developed character arc. But then there was another love interest introduced, and I lost a bit of interest. I will say, though, that the love triangle was not done poorly. My dislike for it stems from my general dislike of the trope. This was certainly less aggravating than most of the love triangles I’ve read in the past, and it made sense to me why Xingyin would fall in love with another person. Like I said, I’m simply not a fan of the trope, so I had a hard time getting into that part of the plot.

Despite all this, the world building was excellent. Drawn from mythology, I thought the imagery was stunning, and I had no problems envisioning the intricate places. This had to have been my favorite part of the book, and was what kept my interested for the majority of it.

I feel, had Daughter of the Moon Goddess been shortened and more focused on character development and the development of the various relationships (not necessarily romantic ones), I would've enjoyed it a lot more. Still, I did like parts of it, and I don't regret having read it. I'm glad a lot of people love this one. I just wish it had been more for me.