Daughter of the moon goddess is a book I was highly anticipating after a sneak peek at VoyagerCon 2021. Oh my it is worth it.

Many Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review

Plot summary:
The daughter of the moon goddess should not exist- but she does.
Her father was a mortal archer, her mother also a mortal who gained immortality- and upsetting the natural balance of the celestials in the process.
When her existence may become known, Xingyin leaves her mother with a promise to free her one day and ends up hiding her identity and slowly becoming entwined with the celestials her mother warned her about- purely in the hope of freeing her mother from the prison the empress placed her in.
But as Xingyin grows closer to both the prince and a captain of the army, where will her loyalties and new life begin to take her in the quest to free her mother?

Review:
Plot and World Building – beautiful, expressive, fantastically done. If you are going to rewrite a tale in a new way and need to world build please use this as a perfect example of how to do it. The expressions and interlinks between the celestial kingdom, the mortal world and all those inbetween are written masterfully and are so detailed I felt truly engrossed in the world

Overall pacing of the story was very fast and it worked well, which is something not all Debut Stories get right but this one did extremely well.

Characters and Development- Xingyin is a flawed, impulsive and extremely naïve protagonist who had a lot of growing up to do. Seeing her overcome this to become the well-rounded heroine in her own right during this story was truly beautiful.
The Prince, Empress and the entire royal and aristocratic side of the celestials were as you would expect. Haughty, above everyone and desperate to show it, with the true villainess in the empress being put on proud display. It was masterfully done, and it genuinely made you despise them all- barring the prince in some cases.
Now the Captain, the other love interest in the triangle, I am fully on board and supportive of this. His initial grumpy demeanour led way to true growth and development and I was eager for more of him within each chapter after his introduction.
Genuinely each character is well imagined, developed and honestly I would not think this is by a debut author- it is up there with seasoned fantasy writers as one of my favourites of 2022 so far.
Final Thoughts:

A beautifully imagined fantasy retelling that is currently my highlight of 2022.

What a magical, beautiful, perfect book, easily one of the best fantasy novels I have read in years. It has the scope and feel of an epic poem, charting the story of Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess Chang'E who has been sentenced to imprisonment on the moon. When Xingyin is forced to flee the moon, she embarks on a journey to try and free her mother.

This book holds a lot of plot, a huge amount happens to Xingyin over the years she spends in the Celestial Kingdom but the story never feels hurried or rushed, in fact it was incredibly easy to read, the pages flew past as I was immersed in Xingyin's story.

It helps that the writing is beautiful, lyrical and poetic, it really creates a sense of magic and connects you to the characters, especially Xingyin since it's told from her perspective. I felt I lived the adventure alongside her, and I'll miss her now that I've finished, my proud, badass, honourable and loving heroine.

I also appreciated that this book didn't end on a wild cliffhanger. It is self-assured enough to know that a book of this quality will automatically guarantee that people will want to carry on reading Xingyin's story, without needing to end in the middle of a dramatic scene. I really enjoyed the way the story wrapped up, with some arcs concluded and others ready to pick up in book two, which I will certainly be pre-ordering as soon as possible!

Stunning cover! I was surprised with how quickly the story flowed, this really is a book where you are thrown head first into the story on the very first page. I’ve never had an issue with fast pacing in books before but at some points the timeline did seem quite jumpy and there were a few time periods which I was sad we didn’t get to see more glimpses of, due to how quickly the novel was progressing. Overall though I enjoyed how fast the story moved, and I found it hard to put the book down as the plot just kept thickening. Like seriously, there was SO much content in this book, it’s got everything - from dragons, to merfolk - to captured princesses. There’s something for everyone.

I always struggle to write reviews for books that I fall in love with, and this one is no exception. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a story woven from the strands of Chinese mythology, casting the moon goddess Chang’e as a mother and her husband, the Lord Archer Hou Yi as a father. In the original myth, Chang’e steals the pill of immortality from her husband and flees his wrath. Tan has changed things up a bit, casting the Celestial Emperor as the wrathful figure and the moon as a prison rather than Chang’e’s place of solitude. As for the pill of immortality, that too has been changed slightly too, and I’ll let you read Daughter of the Moon Goddess for yourself to find out more about the story 😉

Thrown into a world that she has never known, Xingyin begins an extraordinary journey that challenges everything she knows about herself. She struggles to learn about who she is, making up for years of lost time spent alone on the moon with just her mother and a servant of company, while dealing with the guilt of leaving them behind. This is very much a story of a young woman finding her place in the world, and of finding oneself while struggling with outside responsibilities (whether chaffing or not).

Tan deftly weaves a multilayered story with characters that are beautiful to behold in their emotional vulnerability. I connected with the protagonist Xingyin on a personal level, and Tan’s writing made that easy to do. Her characters, despite their immortality, are so very human. The magical world building in Daughter of the Moon Goddess never lets us forget just how powerful they are, while her writing reminds us that beneath power and riches there is always a person.

Everything about this book blew me away, from the stunning descriptions of the celestial kingdom that were so vivid you felt as though you walked alongside Xingyin, to the visceral fight scenes where this archer fan (you can blame Disney’s Robin Hood for the lifelong obsession) loved seeing a female archer in action. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a book about love, loss and learning, and readers young and old will appreciate how accurately Tann approaches these subjects through Xingyin’s journey.

I can’t wait for book two of The Celestial Kingdom Duology!

Thank you, Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and HarperVoyager, for the chance to read and review this brilliant book in exchange of an honest review.

Xingyin grows up on the moon and she's used to solitude, but she doesn't know she's being hidden from the Celestial Emperor, who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when her magic flares and she's discovered, she's forced to flee and leave her mother behind. Alone, powerless, Xingyin decides to hide in the Celestial Kingdom, seizing the opportunity to train in the Crown Prince's service, learning archery and magic...while hiding her feelings for him. Finding herself in a land of magic and secrets, Xingyin will do anything in her power to save her mother, confronting perilous creatures and enemies, in a dangerous quest. But when a forbidden magic starts to threatens the kingdom, she will have to challenge the cruel Emperor and strike a bargain, trying to save the people she loves and avoid to throw the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is the first book in a captivating duology, inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, in a fantasy filled with magic, love, family, a quest across the earth and skies. Xingyin is a wonderful and complex character, who finds herself alone and afraid in a unknown realm, filled with secrets and lies, against a cruel Emperor, trying to save her own mother. I love her resourcefulness, her adapting to a new and dangerous situation, finding herself in a path filled with dangers and battling against her feelings and her duty.
This adventure is enchanting, full of love, loss, sacrifice, duty and family, betrayals and hope. The story is interesting, fascinating and so engaging. I was attracted by the cover right away and even though I didn't know the Chinese legend, I fell head over heels in love with this book, from the brilliant and fantastic setting, to the characters, Xingyin for sure, to her journey.
The pacing was a bit slow in the beginning, recovering itself after a bit and sweeping me right into the story and gripping my attention until the very end.
I can't wait to know more about what will happen next!

(4.5) Thank you to Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book! Firstly, this is easily one of the most beautiful books ever. The cover is gorgeous, everything about the way it's set out inside is stunning, and it is full of lovely, aesthetic rich imagery and lyrical writing. The story itself is a celestial fantasy retelling of the story of Chang'e, the Moon Goddess from Chinese mythology and folklore. It follows Xingyin as she journeys to find her mother who has been exiled for stealing the elixir of immortality, and it is quick-moving and action-packed. It feels like a beautiful, epic fairytale.

Xingyin hidden away from the Celestial Emporer after her mother steals his elixir of immortality finds herself discovered when her powers soon start to come to light.

Forced to leave the home as she knows it, she soon starts serving the household of the Emporer who had imprisoned and exiled her mother and masquerades as the Crown Prince’s attendant.

The Crown Prince, Liwei we soon find out is betrothed to another but Liwei and Xingyin begin to fall for each other. Xingyin is faced with the possibility that they may never be with each other. It reminded me so much of the relationship between Romeo and Juliet, the two star crossed lovers. I loved her relationship with Liwei, there was some lovely moments between them.

Uncertain about her future, Xingyin has to do what she can to save her mother, facing some battles with magical creatures along the way. But she has some tough choices to make that could mean the difference between saving the Kingdom which is threatened with danger or faces losing her mother.

We learn a lot about Xingyin’s background and the different kind of kingdoms and realms. Xingyin’s father was once a famous archer. Xingyin is following in her father’s footsteps and doesn’t believe in learning how to draw, sing and sew and instead is learning all about how to fight as well as learning archery and martial arts. The Celestials all each have their own talent and Xingyin herself is trying to harness and understand her own powers.

There’s also some magical creatures included such as the Sea Immortals who like to be both on the land and water as well as the merfolk and dragons.

Enriched in culture and inspired by the Chinese Moon Goddess, Chang’e, ‘Daughter of the Moon Goddess’ is a beautifully written book. It’s a gripping and riveting read and I literally whizzed through it. It’s a very detailed story and every detail is eloquently described. I didn’t want this book to end and I can’t wait to hear what to see what the next book brings!

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Daughter of the Moon Goddess
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Sue Lynn Tan
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Adult, fantasy
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• Beautiful, lyrical writing
• Amazing and intricate world-building
• Fast-paced and compelling
• Love the characters and their growth

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
✔ Friends to lovers to enemies…
✔ Yearning, hidden identity, betrayal
✔ Court politics, mythical creatures
✔ Eastern Asian (Chinese) mythology and lore

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: family love, coming of age, love

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of Wuxia genre, fans of Spin the Dawn, Descendant of the Crane, Chinese lore and mythology, everyone

𝐂𝐖: death, violence, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, bullying

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher @harpervoyager_uk for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars
There was so much in this book! We get so much backstory told to us in such a short amount of time. It was very efficiant in giving us just enough of the story to move on to the next big part. What I found really fitting was the Xingyin was an immortal, and this book honestly felt like I was living her whole life so far and it felt like such a long time.
I really loved the characters in this book. Xingyin was a fantastic main character. She is so loyal to her mother and her friends. She is brave even when she is scared. The side characters were also great. I loved Leiwei, the prince. He was also incredibly loyal and I loved that he was not a product of his cruel parents. I also loved Xingyin's friend she makes in the army (I can't remember how to spell her name!)
There was so much plot to this book. We start out with Xingyin living on the moon with her mother. She learns that her mother is a prisoner because she stole immortal elixir and turned herself (and in turn Xingyin) immortal. Xingyin is supposed to be hidden, but gets found out by the Celestial Empress. She flees to the Immortal Realm and becomes a maid (for lack of a better word) to a royal type girl. Then she becomes the companion to the Celestical prince through a competition. THEN she joins the army to try to win the favor of the emperor to grant her mother's freedom. I can't believe so much is packed into this book.
The atmosphere and the writing style of this book are both fantastic. I felt immersed in the book and it was so easy to read. There were times when the pacing was a little weird, since it takes place over such a long amount of time. We would get a large section with one specific event and then months or years would go by. I totally understand that these jumps in time are necessary, but sometimes they just took me by surprise.
There was one twist in here I totally didn't see coming and I loved it. I loved how many things were quickly referenced early on in the book but became a large part towards the end. The second half of the book I much prefered over the first part, probably because that's where all the action was! I really can't wait for the second book!

This surprised me in the best possible way. I assumed I'd enjoy it but nowhere near as much as I ended up loving it. This felt so nostalgic to me in a way I can't explain whilst at the same time was so innovative and fascinating and a wonderful read. It took me a little bit to get through it but that had nothing to do with enjoyment levels.

The writing and imagery are lyrical and gorgeous and so expressive. The world-building is so expansive and in-depth and paints an incredible canvas for this story to unfold on. It's told in three distinct parts and it's so accurately split and paced exquisitely.

I really enjoyed the characters and the romance fitted the theme and wasn't too overblown.

I really really enjoyed this and it's a fantastic debut novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age story set in the mythical Celestial Kingdom, full of beauty and danger, and an old legend brought to life beautifully. I’ve heard the basic story of the Moon Goddess but don’t know too much about it and its context, but I love the way it was framed in this book, especially by making the narrator someone outside the original myth. Xingyin is a loveable main character, who is forced to make hard decisions throughout the story but always stays true to herself. Forced to leave the Moon, her mother’s domain, she finds herself in the heart of the Celestial Kingdom and realises that her mother is constantly in danger of the Queen’s anger and the King’s judgement for the way she ascended to immortality, so Xingyin has to hide her identity. Of course, though, she befriends the Prince, and though she is conflicted about lying to him, she has to protect her mother, and wants to find a way to free her from her confinement to the Moon.

The most interesting thing about this book, for me, was the setting. The Celestial Kingdom held a lot of sway over my imagination, and I was taken by surprise at how vast it is, initially. At first I was drawn in by the magical clouds, the ancient forests, the markets that only appear every thousand years, and the magic that infuses everything. Then, I got pulled in by the politics of it all. The Celestial King, being immortal, has been on the throne through many events and though the stories may paint him as perfect he has made many enemies, and the most interesting thing was the fact that the Demon Realm is simply an area of the Kingdom that dared to rebel. Tan does some interesting things with how myth and reality don’t always coincide, something that Xingyin has to come to terms with.

As I said, Xingyin is a good main character, with great strength both in spirit and body. I like that she is a warrior as well as intelligent and feminine, and that she sometimes has to make hard decisions. She was the perfect lens for the reader because though she is a Celestial, she comes from mortal roots, so it was easy to identify with her and learn about the world at the same time as her. I also liked the way the stories told within the book became elements of the plot later on, giving hints of the road ahead to the discerning reader while also providing atmosphere in the moment.

I did at times find fault with the plot and pacing, and rolled my eyes severely at the presence of a love triangle that felt a little forced, but the beauty of the writing and the setting made me forgive these minor transgressions. Also, I love anything to do with the moon so I can’t fault it too much… So, if you are looking for an etherial, lyrical twist on a legend that has not often found a Western audience, I highly recommend Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan.

This was a great start for my reading this year!

A beautiful debut, with great characters and stunning descriptions. The best thing about the story is the mythology aspects. This is a retelling and the myth that it is based it's so beautiful!

I can't wait to read the next book!

Thanks to the NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion

Books: 1 / 2

Dragons Magic Chinese Mythology Retellings Merman

Love triangle

Xingyin is a daughter of a Moon Goddess Change, and is living on the moon in complete isolated from the other realms. Once she discovers about her mother's punishment, she has to flee the moon.

Unfortunate circumstances bring her to Celestial Kingdom, where she has to learn new skills and hide her identity in order to survive.

There she will get involved in political games between the Kingdoms, will have to fight mythical creatures and most importantly, she will have to survive and find the way how to save her mother.

One of the best YA I’ve ever read, despite the love triangle present in this story (this annoys me a lot) I loved almost everything about this book.

Beautiful descriptions of the places, I was lacking authenticity (palace traditions, certain behaviors towards Royals, authentic names for clothes and places), but I know that many people struggle with these, so not much of a minus.

Author has involved a lot of alluring Chinese mythology creatures, four dragons, mermen, magical objects. The world she created is astonishing! People possess magic and travel on the clouds!

I was annoyed at the first quarter of the book, because characters were so naïve, but towards the end, everything made so much sense.

I’m a fan of the main heroine, despite her love hardships and attachments, she didn’t betray herself and that’s wicked!

It’s duology, but can be completely read as a stand-alone book.

I wish there were more books out there, like this one.

A captivating debut fantasy inspired by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.

The story was interesting, it kept me curious and intrigued. The world building was really nicely done and I appreciated the little details put into places and clothes descriptions. The plot follows a quest kind of idea; we have the main character that completes little adventures, quests and then you got a new piece to the puzzle or some character development. I enjoyed that. There was a twist at around page 350 that made me not want to put the book down. So, I read the last around 150 pages in one sitting. It was that good.

The characters were my favourite part of the story. I love the main character's (Xingyin) development during the book. The story happens over a number of years and you can definitely see her transformation over the years. I really like her and I think she is a great powerful person. There are other 2 characters that appear more often and they were very interesting. I am not a romance person, I rarely like romance in books, but I was surprised with this one. Considering the fact that the action is taking place over a number of years, the romantic aspects felt very natural and in no way forced. I rarely see such a good development for romance. There were some sad aspects in this book and the story of Xingyin's mother moved me deeply.

Honestly, I picked this book up because of the beautiful cover and the buzz words "Chinese mythology". After reading it, I have to say that the cover fits the book on so many levels. It presents the atmosphere so well. Also, the parts inspired by Chinese mythology were on point. It made me want to go and search more, read more.

I highly recommend this and I am so happy I read this! Incredible!

A magical book that transported me into another world. Couldn't stop reading only. I enjoyed it so much ❤️ Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan is a fantasy book that is also a myth retelling. It s the first book in The Celestial Kingdom Duology and was published on January 11th (US) and today (UK)

This was my first read on 2022 and it was also a 5 star read that I loved. It is a debut fantasy and it is inspired by Chinese mythology and more specifically by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese Moon Goddess.
I loved the writing style of the author, it is so whimsical and beautiful and the world - building and magic system are just phenomenal. The book is action packed and fast - paced and in my opinion it can stand pretty well as a standalone. Of course I am really intrigued to see how it will continue in the next one.
I loved the main character, Xingyin, because she is a fierce female warrior who fights for her family. She is smart and passionate. I also loved the relationship dynamics between her and the prince.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC

When I first heard about Daughter Of The Moon Goddess I really wanted to read it. It sounded so enchanting and I knew it was one not to to be missed.

I loved this story from the moment I started it. The bittersweet of losing a father you've never known to losing a mother and a life you've only known pulled the reader in from the beginning.
This story is one of bravery, sorrow, friendship, love and finally redemption.
The adventures and battles that all serve to reach Xingyin's final goal are an enjoyous read. You feel drawn in and are rooting for her as the underdog - the unfair treatment she has to suffer and the plight she has to go through to get what she planned.
The betrayals sting bad as a reader as you form a connection with Xingyin, whether you're rooting for her and Liwei or her and Wenzhi the betrayal is felt hard.

I loved the way the author made the main character connect to the audience, Xingyin isn't just another strong female lead, she has a powerful background story, a reason to her action and isn't just driven on ambition. This I felt made the connection between character and reader real.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is definitely a page turner, I felt compelled to keep reading to find out what happened next.
Every page turned came a new emotion! I was thrilled whilst thinking we were getting a love story, stunned when we got a betrayal and enraged when those at power were up to no good.

I loved Daughter of The Moon Goddess so much. It's one of those novels that you wish you could read it for the first time everytime. The connection to the main female characters is easy to relate to, everyone wants a sense of belonging, everyone is battling something in their lives. To me this novel maybe about folklore and magic but it also resonates on a more mundane level. The heartache and betrayal Xingyin faces we've all been there... Well to some extent! This novel is one of my favourite reads of 2022 - yes I know we're only in January but I'm being bold!

Daughter of The Moon Goddess is worthy of more than 5 stars.
I would highly recommend this novel to everyone. I loved the story of it and can't wait to read book 2.

☆☆☆☆

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a magnificent book I was very glad I picked up. I absolutely loved the story told and the magic was wonderful, it was a pleasure to read and I found there was not one full moment throughout the book, there was always something happening and it didn’t feel rushed or forced although a few time jumps left me feeling as if a little more could’ve been explored. I loved the relationships in this book from the relationship between Xingyin and her mother to her friendships (although I do wish we saw a more of them because I enjoyed them so much), even the relationships with side characters who we saw little with were good to read however I found the romantic relationships a little lacking whilst they were everything I enjoyed (trope wise), it just felt as if any romantic realisation happened a little too fast or any thoughts (and parts) on the romances were fleeting only then bought up again when they were important to the scenes. It feels a crime to leave the review on a negative note so instead I shall end my review by saying that Daughter of the Moon Goddess was worth the read and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

I really enjoyed this take on Chinese mythology. The novel tells the story of Xingying, the eponymous Daughter of the Moon Goddess who seeks to break the curse of her mother who has been banished to a life of eternal loneliness on the moon. It is based heavily on existing characters from Chinese mythology although I didn’t want to read up on them too much so as not to influence my reading of the book so I can’t comment as to how true to original mythology this might be. This book has been categorised as Adult Fantasy and I’m always conscious not to pigeon-hole own voices writers into YA as they so often are but if you enjoy YA (which I do) there are some familiar tropes and there’s nothing really in the book itself that precludes older teen readers.

Xingying was a likeable heroine who is badass enough to be fun to read about whilst not being ridiculously amazing and perfect in every way. I liked how her talent as an archer linked into her father’s story and thankfully there weren’t endless training montages which is a feature I absolutely loathe in fantasy books. I felt Xinging’s reactions to emotional turmoil were credible which is just as well because there is a lot of it in this book.

There is a love triangle which may be off-putting to some but I personally enjoy a good love triangle so this was an enjoyable aspect of the book to me. Xinying can certainly be guilty of being a little dense when it comes to her interactions with the opposite sex but I suppose if I lived on the moon with only my mother and servants for company I wouldn’t exactly be Casanova either. There are lots of twists and turns and some things I expected to happen didn’t, and vice versa. I was left with some questions after finishing the book and it certainly piqued my interest enough to be excited about what is coming next in Xinying’s story.

The writing is evocative and captures the fantastical aspects of Xinying’s world very effectively. I wish she’d spent more time on the moon (I’m a big moon fan) but maybe we’ll get to see more of that in the next book. I’ve honestly not read anything like this kind of setting before and it was a lot of fun to immerse myself in the world. The novel is effectively paced, and I didn’t find myself getting bored in the middle which can be a real issue with the fantasy genre.

I enjoyed this book enough to order a signed special edition from Waterstones which arrived today (!) and am very much looking forward to the next instalment.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the review, I want to take a moment and discuss the age group for this book. This is officially an adult fantasy, but looking at the story and the tropes, I would personally say this leans a lot closer to YA than adult. Readers looking for an adult fantasy may be disappointed.

There is a whole discussion to be had here about whether this book was mislabeled or not, and what makes something adult or YA, and how cultural inspirations can or can't impact that. The author very clearly states this is a xianxia story, and if you're familiar with C-dramas you will definitely get that vibe. I think that is also part of the problem when it comes to the adult vs YA debate: the tropes used here are tropes that are very popular in the YA category, but also popular in Asian dramas. Asian dramas are still adult even with these tropes, so this comes down to reader expectations, which is why I'm prefacing my review with this explanation.

Now let's talk about the book.

This has a solid start, a pretty good end, and a middle part that needlessly meanders. Our heroine Xingyin is forced to leave her home on the moon when the Celestial Kingdom almost discovers her existence. While fleeing she lands in said kingdom by mistake, and eventually ends up as a companion to the crown prince. Desperately hoping to gain the freedom of her exiled mother, Xingyin is determined to prove herself to the emperor and gain that most coveted of gifts: the Crimson Lion Talisman, and a royal favor.

The story is really more about the romance than about Xingying saving her mother, and we soon forget that is what she set out to do. Or rather, Xingying does, because there is no urgency whatsoever. It's a bit hard to keep track of how many years pass throughout the book, but it's somewhere between 4-7, and for most of that time she barely remembers her mother or Ping'Er, the woman who risked her own life to whisk her away from the moon, and who got hurt during. Not once does Xingying stop to wonder what happened to Ping'Er or think that it might be a good idea to set out and find her; weird for someone who claims to be so attached to the only family she knows. There are also plenty of plot conveniences. When it suits the plot, Xingying turns from a determined person into a very passive characters. Questions like "weren't we supposed to look into this thing?" conveniently don't get asked when she probably should and would have, because then the plot wouldn't work anymore. But there are pretty men around, so I guess Xingying's distraction is understandable.

And yes, it's men, plural, but if you remove the names I'm not sure I'd be able to tell them apart. The way both Liwei and Wenzhi interact with Xingying is very similar: respectful, teasing, kind, competitive, and driven to insane jealousy as soon as she talks to a new male character. There's a lot of talking with coldness and stony faces for these two, and Xingying stands in the middle of it, blissfully oblivious. I don't really have anything against the reverse harem trope, but just once I'd like to see one where the woman calls out the men for being jealous jerks. "You don't deserve a place in my harem, get out!" Xingying told them in my imagination, but unfortunately not in the book. I did enjoy the development of the romance with Liwei though.

The writing style in general was very simplistic. There's a lot of telling rather than showing, to the point that every single thought process Xingying goes through to reach a certain conclusion has to be spelled out and explained in detail so we understand exactly why she's thinking or feeling something. However, the descriptions and the subsequent visuals in my head were a true pleasure. I could easily imagine both the outfits and the gloriously long hair, and that I truly appreciated.