I really loved the premise of this book, but sadly it just I wasn't everything I’d hoped for. I enjoyed the characters, I thought our main protagonists were very cute and I liked their relationship. I can only think it was the story or writing didn't connect with , it felt contrived at times and a bit over the top. I’m sure plenty others will enjoy this more than I did though

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

While I liked the idea behind this book, I just wasn't blown away by it. I think the writing style didn't quite agree with me, and I felt like the emnity between the two families was too contrived, as well as the 'danger' element to the storyline feeling a little OTT. Luna and Hunter were both very cute characters though, and I did like the progression of their relationship.

I didn't like this as much as The Astonishing Colour of After. I don't know why really. It just fell a bit flat for me. I do wonder if it's just that I wasn't in the right mood for this book. It's a fantastic story, based on the Chinese legends of the Moon Goddess. It skilfully wove the legends together with the contemporary setting to make a beautiful new story. Maybe I'll reread it sometime and see if my opinion of it changes.

I'm really glad that I was already acquainted with the story of Chang'e and Houyi. I could read a lot deeper into this book and all the foreshadowing because of that knowledge. If both books appeal to you, definitely read Daughter of the Moon Goddess or at least read through the legends before you read this one because you'll have so much more appreciation for the story.

In all, I'm really disappointed that this book didn't live up to what it should have done. I don't think this review gives it any kind of justice. Maybe I'll re-review it some time in the future. It was really a beautiful story and I feel I should have enjoyed it a lot more.

now this was interesting, i certainly admire the effort. chinese mythology is underutilized and in general should be more popular! but chang'e and houyi are such an adult, thinking myth and i don't think it's well suited to a high school setting

The book introduces itself as 'Romeo and Juliet meets the story of Chang'e and Houyi'. I loved this premise, the brilliant mixing of a classic and a folktale from two different cultures and languages.

The book has a slow pace with short chapters from many perspectives. The more I read, the more eager I found myself to know how the story would unfold. To be honest, sometimes I felt like it was too slow for my liking and a bit repetitive. But I loved reading it nonetheless.

The characters are what I loved the most! Luna, Hunter and Cody, you have my heart! The book explores themes of identity and prejudice along with myth and magic. The protagonists are teenagers and I found that I could relate to both of them sometimes.

The ending was unexpected! I was becoming increasingly worried that this book might be part of a series because nothing major happened till like 85% of the book, but then came the unpredictable ending that was bittersweet and broke my heart.

If you love mythology and retellings, you should check this one out ASAP!

I was really looking forward to this but unfortunately it didn't really work for me as a novel. I liked the idea of it as a retelling of legend, but it felt a bit like it wasn't sure if it wanted to be fantasy and contemporary. I know it was supposed to be magical realism, but I don't think the two sides were pulled together well enough. I'm sure others will love it, but it wasn't for me sadly.

Thanks to the publisher via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This one has rated highly on anticipated YA releases of this year and it's no wonder - the blurb promises star-crossed lovers meets Chinese mythology. It starts out strong - when Luna and Hunter meet at a party neither is supposed to be at, they are flung together for Seven Minutes in Heaven. After a mysterious earthquake rocks their town, strange things start happening. Luna's parents warn her not to have anything to do with Hunter, which turns out to be really difficult.

Unfortunately, this book fails to get going in any persuasive way. The pacing is slow, despite the notably short chapters. Anyone familiar with the Chinese myth can see what is supposed to be going on and what will eventually happen and the author seems to be trying to obscure this by revealing as little as possible for the first three hundred pages. The effect is just a little frustrating.

I think that the fact that this is on the market at the same time as Daughter of the Moon Goddess, which makes use of the exact same story but with a degree more success, is unfortunate for Pan. Overall, this just felt like it wasn't ready for publication yet. There's plenty there to work with though - I'd be interested to see what Pan does next.

Oh my gods. Words can not explain how much I loved this book. I was hooked and read it in one sitting. I loved the characters, the dynamics between the characters and most importantly the plot. I can not wait to read more by this author!

Honestly thought I would enjoy it more — I mean Romeo and Juliet plus Chinese mythology? Ultimately it did not give what I wanted it to give, but it was still enjoyable. Everything just felt meh and okay, but it didn't wow me so much. The beginning felt so strong but it started losing steam as it went on and I ended up not really caring about anything that was going on by the end. It had its good moments, but I don't think this one is for me.

An Arrow to the Moon is a retelling of Romeo & Juliette, mashed up with the Chinese legend of Houyi and Chang'e.

Hunter Yee's family has been living in hiding, and he is a constant disappointment to his parents. The only things preventing him from running away are his love for his younger brother, and the intriguing girl at his new high school. Luna Chang feels stifled by her parents' expectations, and getting to know the new boy at her school leads her to question their views.
As Hunter and Luna get to know each other, the world around them starts to fall apart. Cracks in the ground are spreading, magical fireflies appear, and a secret from the Yee family's past is about to catch up with them.

I enjoyed the references, from the location 'in Fairbridge, where we lay our scene' and a mention of Verona Street later on, to the Baz Luhrmann vibes and the fishtank scene. And while the book is aimed at a YA audience, Gen X readers and millennials will appreciate the cultural references to films and music from their own youth.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Children's Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a review.

Absolutely beautiful writing. Chinese mythology and Romeo and Juliette, what more do you want. Also, it felt like an arrow to my heart, I highly recommend this book.

I was initially drawn to this title due to loving the author's previous work "An Astonishing Colour of After". Then I read that it is a mash of Chinese mythology and Romeo&Juliet and I was hook, line and sinker sold on it.

Emily X.R. Pan has a beautiful voice as an author and does fabulism incredibly well. I enjoyed the tone of the story and the soft whimsical tones despite the darker undertones (or straight up dark moments). I, however, felt that the characters fell short on development and their chemistry and bond and closeness was not an aspect that I was too keen on. I thought the story was odd and the perfect amount of quirky, but there were a lot of elements, a lot of which felt underdeveloped, and the ending fast forwarded and I lost my pace with it.

Beautiful work with elements that just didn't work together in my head. I was so ready to love this, but I just am landing in the middle of the scale and a 2.5

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan is a modern day Romeo and Juliet retelling which has been blended with Chinese mythology .
Hunter Yee and Luna Chang come from families that have an irrational hatred of each other, but they find themselves inexplicably drawn together. Hunter is the black sheep of his family, who are constantly disappointed by him and most recently by his expulsion from the private school he was attending. Luna is the perfect daughter, a dedicated student aiming for an ivy league college. These two seemingly ordinary teenagers are not quite what they seem however, Hunter seems to have a strange affinity for the wind, and Luna has begun to notice that she is being followed by a swarm of strange fireflies.
As Hunter and Luna work together to understand what is happening in their town, more of their families secrets will be uncovered and they will discover a fate that is beyond their wildest imaginations.
I really wanted to love this book, the premise sounded intriguing and I loved the idea of mythology being incorporated into the familiar story, but unfortunately it just did not quite work for me. The characters just didn't connect for me, and I couldn't get invested in their story. The secondary characters also seemed under developed and unrealistic. The whole thing fell a little flat for me unfortunately.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Honestly is like something I have never read before.

This story is a Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology with constellations. Two families, a feud, a magical object, strange abilities and the idea of fate and star crossed lovers in an entirely new way. It almost has the magical realism style, but also a bit more.

What I loved most about this book and is how it didn’t shy away from areas that books have shied away from for years. It talks about race but it also talks about periods in a way that is rare to see. I found the characters and love story really Intriguing and loved Cody and his rabbit.

The story worked really well and it’s a great way to share the Chinese mythology and the idea of the constellations in an accessible and enjoyable way.

3.5 Stars

I don't know why I expected a Romeo And Juliet retelling to have a happy ending.!

Okay so it's happy in a way. It was emotional and touching and will leave most readers in a puddle on the floor crying.

But I personally couldn't connect to the characters, so I didn't quite feel that emotion. I didn't find them dislikable, I just felt neutral about all of them. Nothing about this book sucked me in. I never felt invested, and whenever I was reading it my mind would just go somewhere else because it wasn't holding my attention.

But it's not a poorly written story, and it's definitely got it's merits. I just think this one wasn't for me.

The story is told from multiple points of view and it was interesting to see all the people involved giving their own opinions about the events. Especially that of Hunter's younger sibling.
There are fantasy elements to the story, especially regarding artifacts that their parents are studying, but they aren't big enough to fully call this a fantasy book.

In theory, this is an interesting story. In practice... it fell short for me. It felt simplistic and a little too childish (even for YA), there were moments where the characters, particularly Luna felt about 12/13 rather than a young adult about to go to college. The writing style also wasn't a good fit for me, it just didn't flow well.

This is still an interesting story, and it had some very poignant and timely commentary and it's not bad, it just didn't mesh with me sadly.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc!!

This was amazing! I loved this story and the rich culture it featured! Amazing!! I can’t wait to receive the physical copy that I have on preorder!

Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Children's group, for allowing me to read the E-ARC of An Arrow to the Moon for an honest review.
I really enjoyed An Arrow to the Moon.
Although it's been pegged as a Romeo and Juliet retelling, I don't agree. Yes, there are 2 families in disagreement, but that's the only similarity.
This story is based on the folklore of Chang'e and Houyi (which is one of the sadest and loveliest folklore ever!)
The words just flow through this novel. Each chapter is for each character, which I liked. I found myself wanting to read more about Luna and Hunter.
I loved how it all tied together, and I didn't expect any of it to happen.
I definitely recommend this novel to everyone!

on paper, it is an interesting story to tell and one that should be very compelling.

yet i found the execution quite mediocre. i was not at all surprised by anything nor was i amazed by any aspect of the book. the writing style was simple, and it's certainly easy to read, yet the story did not quite pull me as the author had intended and it was also too rudimentary. i thought it brought the storytelling quality down a notch. and the dialogue had a tendency to be repetitive and shallow to me. there was also a distinct lack of internal monologue for our two main characters, which made them feel one-dimensional to me. the other POVs added another layer to the story for sure, and yet i was not interested in them (as the author did not really give us a reason to care abt them) and it made the main characters' characterization weaker.

it had so much potential to be so good, but i just did not feel the stakes. it felt cartoonish and i was not convinced to care abt their problems. it's a pretty mediocre YA book for sure, which would usually garner 2-3 stars from me, but after much consideration-- i could not find a single thing i liked abt the book. i did not enjoy any aspect of the book and was actually thoroughly bored by everything. and ofc i'm upset bc the author's previous work has won a few awards, even tho i haven't read that yet, i was expecting a better writing style and execution at least.

lastly, questions like how did hunter start archery? how could his parents afford lessons in the first place? or think of such a niche hobby to teach their son? especially when he was a sickly child? should have been addressed, because though this detail is minute and doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, it makes the story more grounded and believable. perhaps the only thing i liked were the Chinese traditions shown, but unfortunately they were not enough to bring up the rating. and if i may nitpick, the pinyin should include the tones.

what sent me over the edge was the boring romance and the horrible resolution, that did not resolve anything at all. their storylines were just abandoned and it felt like all that running around was for nothing. i wouldn't recommend this anyone.