My experience with the story of Houyi and Chang'e has been fairly minimal other than a little research done after reading another fiction book inspired by these characters so this was a wonderful opportunity to delve into this mythology and folklore once more. I had a wonderful time reading this book and I thought that overall it was a very strong story with some great character moments and some excellent action scenes. It has the feel of a multi-part tv series with all sorts of different story arcs all rolled into one book which in another work might have felt chaotic or rushed but in this case felt just right.
I'm someone who loves a training montage and this book is just full of them. It reminded me that often all it takes for me to love a character is that they have a desire to learn and Xingyin has that desire in spades. She manages to have the right balance of naivete and common sense that so many authors get wrong.
The story at the heart of this book is simultaneously very complex, with multiple monsters to defeat and challenges to surmount, and incredibly simple - one woman's attempt to right the wrongs done to her family - that dual complexity and simplicity is another part of what carries this somewhat lengthy narrative.
I will say I found it a tiny bit slow to start, but once things get going it is a thrilling ride for sure.
I am blown away by the fact that this was a debut, I am so excited to see what will come in the future from Sue Lynn Tan who I am sure will be a household name in no time!
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This is a YA Fantasy based around the legend of Chang’e - the moon goddess. Release date 20th Jan.

Wowza, what a way to kick off the reading year, with perhaps my now fave YA fantasy novel. I picked this up as an eARC, of which I am so grateful to the author and publisher. I did scream when I got the email from NetGalley.

Having lived in Hong Kong, I was already familiar with the legend but was intrigued to see it transformed into this fantastical novel. This book is unique in its cultural references such as tea making, use of traditional Chinese instruments and also the myths seamlessly weaved throughout.

The writing was gorgeous and created such vivid imagery that really appealed to my senses. The book is long, but I thought the pacing was excellent and it did not feel like reading a 500 page book - I never wanted to put it down! There was a lot of world building but it was done so skilfully that I am in absolute awe of the authors skill, I can not believe this is a debut!

There was such amazing character development and I loved seeing the strength build of our main character Xingyin and I was really rooting for her throughout.

Overall I highly recommend this book if you want to read about merfolk, dragons, celestial empires and magic!

3 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review an eArc of this book.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a charming debut steeped in rich Chinese mythology as it draws its inspiration from the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess. I'm impressed with the exquisite imagery that almost felt tangible.

• Forbidden Romance
• Immersive world-building
• Love Triangle
• Fairytale-like
• Magic
• Court drama
• Hidden Identity

The story follows Xingyin the daughter of the moon goddess and the legendary archer Hou Yi. Xingyin lived a solitary life on the moon with her mother—unbeknownst to her that she is in hiding from the Celestial Emperor who sentenced her mother to exile for stealing his elixir of immortality.

When Xingyin's magic is felt and she is discovered, she must leave her home and her mother behind.

Xingyin finds herself at the Celestial Kingdom and so she must remain in-disguise for her own safety and she shall embark on a quest to save her mother and return home.

The story started out promising but I couldn't ignore the flaws in the book later on.

The pacing was unstable. The characters came off as one-dimensional and I couldn't connect to them much. Love triangles are my pet peeves especially in YA so there's that.

I did not root much for the romance as I did not warm up to either love interests.

The world-building is exhilarating and it truly felt rich. This was my favorite element of the book. The author crafted this world so intricately.

The other issues felt like it dampened the vibrancy of the story to me, it's still a solid YA fantasy debut but I don't think I'll read the sequel in the duology.

I was interested in the general concept of a story about Chang'e's daughter, and the plot was engaging in terms of wandering what would happen next. Also a nice mix of quieter scenes and action sequences.

Weaknesses:
- The love triangle aspect, which wasn't handled well at all-- one character keeps returning instead of giving Xingyin space for her own growth, and their arguments were frustrating to read; a cliched twist is used to get rid of the other love interest, who was underdeveloped
- The antagonists (Celestial Empress/Emperor, Demon Realm) weren't developed enough to be able to fully be a threat until the climactic moments
- The world in general just felt lacklustre, with everything being described as beautiful and not having enough emotional significance to the characters

I want to be clear that I was given an arc of this to read in exchange for a review! So, I want to say a massive thank you to the author, Sue Lynn Tan, her UK publisher Harper Voyager and Netgalley.

So, I very much enjoyed this debut story of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan and I, very much, look forward to the sequel.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the plot development but I did feel like there were times when it was too jam packed which I felt suffocated the plot. However, the plot was very action packed and very fast paced which really keeps you hooked from start to finish! Speaking of pacing I really loved how consistent it was throughout the story.

I also really adored the world development as I loved learning about the different immortals, their cultures and the legends behind them but I also felt like the world development was too suffocated by the plot sometimes and I wished some of the world's was explored more. The story used prose in a really beautiful way which I really adored!

Lastly, the character development in this novel was fantastic, it's definitely the strongest element of the story. Our main heroine goes on a fantastic hero journey from start to finish and it was so enjoyable getting to go through the journey with her.

So, overall I really loved the debut and I look forward to the sequel.

Honestly, this book is so good. It is one of the books I read very slowly, just in order to make it last a little bit longer.

We follow Xingyin's flight from her mother's the Moongoddesses' home when her existence is discovered and we follow her as she starts to make her own way in the Celestial Kingdom, hiding the truth of who she is from every one.

We follow her as she makes her way through the treacherous grounds of the Celestial Palace with its never ending intrigues, antics, and resentments.

She meets two dashing young men and eventually sets out onto adventures within the Celectial Realm to redeem her mother and get things sorted for her family.

This novel is the perfect blend between Ashes of Love and Pride Prejudice for YA readers, Chinese mythology plays another big role and then there are the martial arts.

And dare I mention it, there might even be dragons in the story, and hopefully more of them in the second book.

For a debut novel, I think this book is awesome. The language is lyrical, beautifully flowing throughout and I loved it just for this, apart from having an awesome female main character who grows so much through this story and comes into her own and the world and the other characters we discover more and more about as the story progresses.


This review refers to an eARC I received via Netgalley from the publisher in return for an honest review.

After getting approved for an e-arc, I was so excited that I knew I had to save this book until winter break to binge it. THAT'S how much I thought I'd love it. I couldn't be more wrong. Once again, the beautiful covers and synopsis duped me, and I was the fool.

Let's start with the writing. This book started off so beautifully, I instantly fell in love with the writing! It was whimsical and easy to follow but had a lot of similes, which I didn't mind until the end of each chapter was a simile that ended up getting boring quickly. Everything in this world was so beautiful, but there is such a thing as being overly descriptive. The writing became flowery and dense and the constant comparisons to light, lanterns and all things pretty became annoying. Although I loved how the garments and settings were described, it became apparent how under developed the actual character relationships and plot was. There were too many instances where action scenes were skipped, while our main characters inner monologue was detailed through pages and pages. There was so many time jumps, that I constantly felt like the pace was just all over the place. I have to agree with other early reviews that the writing is more telling than showing. If this book was shorter, maybe I wouldn't have been as annoyed. Still, there were times where the dialogue was really pretty. But when you're bleeding and paralysed by a monster, it really doesn't fit the context. The characters spoke to each other in overly descriptive ways, and it just got to the point where it was so unrealistic.

The plot (along with the characters) was the most disappointing of all. Our main character Xingyin is on a quest, but it fell so flat. The monsters she fought were bland. Her journey to save her mother was bland. Everything was just so predictable. Nothing remotely interesting happened. If the characters were developed a little more, maybe I would've felt something when there were some reveals, but no. It was all just so mediocre. I felt like the writing was so focused on being gorgeous and whimsical, that everything else was just thrown in. Even then, the writing didn't make it any better. You'd think a book with dragons and monsters, and magical pearls would be fun and enjoyable, but most of it was skipped and the battle scenes were some of the blandest I have ever read. The magic system was also not explained fully. It sounded so cool- conjuring up clouds to travel, and using your essence to withdraw power?? So cool. But none of it was explained. Xingyin could just conjure it, much like everyone else.

Oh the characters.
Xingyin was such an interesting character at the beginning of this book. But guess what had to be thrown into the mix? The romance. Yes, we have a love triangle, (which I usually love) but there was no development AT ALL. It just happens. And BOTH love interests were BLAND. They were literally interchangeable. Xingyin constantly had feelings for both at the same time, and the fact that this boring romance overpowered the story and her whole 'quest' really frustrated me. Her monologue would constantly jump from 'I have no time for love', to when she glances at Liwei again and thinks 'oh okay, maybe I'll sacrifice everything for him, even though he is betrothed and isn't doing anything to actually be with me'…excuse me? He's a prince, yes, but this is literally his entire personality. He's rich and betrothed and says he loves Xingyin, but really doesn't show it. A few years in each others proximity, and BOOM they're in love. When general Wenzhi was introduced as a stoic love interest, I though YES, I know who my ship is. But NOPE, his stoic personality vanishes when he meets Xingyin and a few scenes later, BOOM he's in love with her too. What was the point? Both these men were the SAME, except for their positions in this world. Xingyin of course, couldn't decide and her feelings were constantly changing. Even until the end.

I enjoyed the first 20% and then it all just went downhill. There are so many filler chapters! If you've watched any C-dramas, then you know there's a LOT of fillers. This was no different. I kept checking how many pages were left. If you like really slow pacing, and just aesthetic vibes, I think you'll like this one. But if you're looking for well-developed characters, a compelling plot, and complex relationships, this isn't it :(

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

First of all, can we all take a moment to appreciate this beautiful cover.....I love it!

Xingyin is the daughter of the banished Chang'e, who flees to save their lives and hopefully to change their lives.

Xingyin ends up in the Celestial Kingdom with Prince Leiwei and what follows is a journey badically of self discovery.

Here are a few bits:
* The world building is utterly fab,
* The writing is so good, 
* The romance is cute but the dreaded triangle!
* Loved Xingyin, Leiwei and Wenzhi for different reasons!!!
* The pacing was fast, then slow......I did find it dragged a bit in the middle.

The ending had my heart melting and shouting I can't wait! What will come next?!

3.5 rounded up to 5.

I wanted to love this and in the end it was an enjoyable read - but it didn't feel like adult fantasy. The episodic nature of the narrative and the writing style both feel like the surface level worldbuilding of a YA Fantasy not the detailed description and building plot of an adult fantasy novel.

I wanted clearer understanding of the rules of the magic system, the nature of being immortal (do any choose to die? Is the world overrun by sheer volume of people etc).

The characters were fine. Xingyin was the most clearly rendered and I liked her friend in the army even though she was less developed.

This was a long novel and I did enjoy it but am not sure it was as good as I was expecting. I would read book two now that I understand what kind of novel it's likely to be.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the most adventurous fantasy I've ever read. A fantasy story inspired by the Chinese legend of the moon goddess, we are told a tale lush with magic, quests and forbidden romance. Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess, has to navigate the deadly court of the Celestial Kingdom, learn and master her magic and combat skills, all the while looking for a way to free her mother from exile and keeping her identity a secret. I loved her transition from a naive and oblivious young girl to a fierce and brave woman. I am not a fan of love triangles but Liwei and Wenzhi are the exceptions. I liked how we get to know each of them and how they burrow into Xingyin's heart. Both had their faults but were charming and intriguing at the same time. The romance was very natural without feeling forced and left me conflicted about whom I ship more. I was entranced by the magic system and the fearsome challenges faced by Xingyin. I binge read the whole book in just a couple of hours. It was so addicting with a perfect blend of romance and fantasy.
This has
- secret identities
- enemies to lovers/forbidden romance
- magical quests
- love triangles
- myths, legends, and of course dragons
If you love any of these tropes, you would absolutely enjoy it.

Ancient Chinese Mythology? Check.
Forbidden magic? Check.
Legendary creatures? Check.
Badass Heroine? Check.
Court politics? Check.
Friends to lovers to enemies? Check.

Based on the ancient Chinese myth of Chang’e, who found herself banished to live on the moon after drinking the elixir of immortality that was given to her husband by the Gods. This book follows the daughter of Chang’e, Xingyin, as she goes on an epic quest to have the Gods forgive her mother and release her from exile.

This book is filled with pages upon pages of epic battles, creatures, forbidden magic, and even forbidden love between Xingyin and her enemy’s son. I was hooked from page one right up until the very last word, the world building was absolutely phenomenal from the get go and the plot was beautifully executed while being fast paced enough to keep you gripped but not being too fast you feel like the book is being rushed. Believe me, this book is over way too quickly as it is! I was left wanting more the second I finished reading, but I put that down to the evil plot twist from the author, I honestly never saw it coming!

Xingyin has fast become one of my favourite characters of this year. She’s strong, intelligent, kind, and always puts her family first in her journey. She reminds me a lot of Mulan, always trying to do right by her family and their honour, even when the odds are against her and she has to go to battle.

I’m now in desperate need of book two in this series and I’m going to be feeling lost until I get it, this book is an absolute masterpiece. Sue Lynn Tan is an absolute word wizard and you all need to read this book ASAP.

"We should appreciate the flower, regardless of its roots."
This book had a slower start than I was expecting and took me longer to get into than I was hoping, especially considering how jam packed it was with action. That being said the second half really made it up to me and I left wanting more of this authors writing.
Overall, this book is filled with messages of family ties, overcoming expectations of you and keeping true to yourself. Alongside the great atmosphere it has a romantic quality about it and is definitely the right amount of whimsy and myth alongside some pretty hard hitting action scenes. The friends to lovers plotline that is also weaved throughout is done very well.
Whilst the plot and pacing did seem a little bit off at first, I am so glad I stuck with it. The atmosphere and mystique of the mythology used as inspiration is truly captivating and transports you to the celestial kingdoms page after page. There were some great characters and definitely some wise moments of learning too.
I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a very atmospheric fantasy that is still fast paced, often times these types of books can lack plot which I know can turn some readers off. This seems like a happy medium that I am sure lots of people will enjoy.
Overall a great start for a deb

I am sorry, but this is not an adult fantasy book. It doesn't even have crossover appeals. That's why I'm rating this so low. It's a fine YA book but not a mediocre adult book. The prose is good but nothing else makes much sense. Immortal royals are appointing people without proper background checks...and romance is not really romance...we do not see them falling in love and yet they are willing to die for each other....

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I am not the intended audience for this book, but I've discovered it while reading it, because from the plot I thought it would be something I could enjoy.
Sadly, I was hugely disappointed by this book; first of all, for a 512 pages novel, there's no depth to anything. The characters are one dimensional, the plot points seem disjointed and the relationships did nothing for me.
The main character was annoying and she had like two characteristics, which she reiterated every two pages, but it was more of a tell than a show. The book in general was more of a tell than a show.
The plot, as I said, felt disjointed, because it was a succession of fantasy tropes and it seemed like the author had made a checklist of the most popular tropes in fantasy and just added and added without a real motive. Everything was also very quick and I didn't have the time to care about any of it.
This influenced the relationships, which were flat and devoid of any emotion. I didn't care for any of them and I have no attachment to any of the characters.
While reading, I had this weird feeling and was constantly reminded of ACOTAR by SJM, which I hate. If you are a fan of SJM, I think this book will be for you; if you are looking for a more diverse ACOTAR and with no smut, you should definitely give this book a try, because I think you are the intended audience, while I clearly wasn't.
I won't be reading book two, especially because I don't think there's anything more to add to the story, which should either have developed as a trilogy or as a standalone, in my opinion.
Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this eARC of Sue Lynn Tan's debut novel 'Daughter of the Moon Goddess'

Honestly, I adore Chinese mythology and Tan did justice to this tale. The characters were spectacular and the romance throughout was lovely and really well communicated and fleshed out. I am so excited to read the second book of this duology when it comes out.

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.

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.

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.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Daughter of the Moon Goddess. A wonderful retelling of the Chinese Moon Goddess myth. A riveting story about a daughter fighting for her mother's freedom and her love. If there was a book that I'd like to see it adapted to a series, it'd be this one. The writing was rich with descriptions and metaphors that helped me picture this world easily. I found Xingyin's character very well written. While I liked all of this, the story lacked many conflicts and felt drawn out at times. I didn't mind the love triangle but the constant change in Xingyin and Liwei's heart gave me whiplash. Overall, this is a great debut and a perfect start for the duet. I'm excited to read the next book.

(Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC)

<b> Thank you to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review </b>

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....