Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Quotes

The Celestial Kingdom

Genre

• Fantasy
• Young Adult
• Mythology
• Romance
• Fiction
• Retellings

Triggers

• Violence
• Blood
• Gore
• Alcohol Consumption
• Death
• Separation
• Attempted Assault (brief)
• Kidnapping
• Bullying

*There will be spoilers in this review. I will try to avoid major spoilers but some need to be brought up to be discussed.

Summary

A young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart. Based on the Chinese myth for the moon goddess Chang’e, this lyrical retelling adds a motivation that reshapes the nature of the moon.

Characters

• Xingyin – Secret daughter of the moon goddess and the archer Houyi
• Prince Liwei – Celestial Crown Prince
• Captain Wenzhi – Captain in the military
• Chang’e – Goddess of the moon
• Houyi – archer that slew the phoenixes
• Celestial Emperor and Empress – Rulers of the Celestial Kingdom
• Ping’er – Mother’s handmaiden and friend
• Mei’ling – Lady of the Golden Lotus Mansion
• General Jianyun – General in the military
• Lady Hualing – former Flower Immortal
• Prince Yanming – Prince of the Fragrant Coral Palace
• Shuxiao – Xingyin’s friend in the military
• The dragons – mythical beings with great power

Setting

The story takes part mostly in the Celestial Kingdom. Xingyin grew up on the Moon with her mother and we do spend a touch of time there. Descriptions of the lands and realms aren’t very memorable and more time could have been spent developing an atmospheric setting. To be fair though, the lyrical writing and rich characters more than made up for it.

There were some scenes, like Xingyin and Liwei escaping the palace, that used the backdrop well to give a certain feel to the scene but it felt out of sorts and jarring without the overall image of what they normally experienced to compare it to. Again, to be fair, I was listening to the audio book and so if there was a map I never saw it. It probably would have made way more sense with a map. The one true flaw of audio books.

The immortals have magical gifts that reflect their origins and families (I’m guessing they have origins in the mythology as well, I haven’t gotten to those yet) and again the author has such a lyrical way of writing even the expected takes on a new poetic aesthetic;

“Some scars are carved into our bones—a part of who we are, shaping what we become.”
― Sue Lynn Tan

“Never did I imagine such luminous joy existed, and never again would I be content to remain in the shadows.”
― Sue Lynn Tan

Overview

Once I actually got started on this one, I couldn’t stop. At risk of sounding redundant, the writing was incredibly good, the scenes painted in a lyrical poetry that just made it a joy to listen to. The characters and their dialogue was accessible and realistic while maintaining the lovely writing. I felt like I was watching one of the really good dramas.

The characters were engaging and incredibly enjoyable though many of the side characters felt a little one dimensional. Xingyin was fun to follow and was probably my favorite in the series so far. I will always love a girl with a healthy dose of self-respect.

Pros

The writing is the most remarkable part of the work. It has a lovely poetry to it while remaining readable and relatable.

Xingyin herself is incredibly easy to relate to. She is admirable and respectable but the thing I appreciate the most is how she sticks to her priorities. Her mother is why she is risking herself playing the game in the Celestial court and that never wavers, no matter how many lovely men throw themselves at her.

The pacing I appreciated. It kept my interest moving while still allowing for realistic time lapses. There are places where she trains in archery, goes to school with the prince or travel and the narrative accounts for the time without detailing every moment.

Cons

I wanted more of some of the side characters and some of what the characters were doing felt a little forced to keep the narrative moving. Liwei and his actions towards Xingyin feel inconsistent part way through the story. He’s so likeable though it was more of a personally distracting nitpick.

Honestly another nitpick but there was a bit of the insta-love. It did feel like the boys all very quickly interested in Xingyin. It did not bother me as much as it usually does and it felt like it fit in the genre (Chinese dramas more than YA) better than the others I have read. Both of the main relationships felt earned and had believable chemistry.

I do wish there was more on the different realms and how the immortals live day to day. But I suppose that is more in its favor. I wanted to stay in that world longer. There is the sequel I suppose!

Final Thoughts

Alright all of that to say…

The writing is by far the best part of the whole experience. The book read like a painting.

The characters are enjoyable but can feel more like a tableau rather than characters. It is another element that works in this book where it wouldn’t elsewhere. As immortals, they tend to be more fixed than the ever changing mortals. It worked well with the mythology backdrop.

I was definitely left wanting more (thank goodness for the sequel) and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s accessible enough that any type of reader could enjoy it and it could open the door to new interests.

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