Sadly this book wasn't a win for me. I loved the writing style but honestly it was the only thing that made me finish the book. I found the pacing a bit weird and even during "action scenes" i wasn't hooked. I think the whole story could have been told in only one book instead of being a duology. Also one of my main issue is that i didn't really like the main character so i couldn't connect with the story. It might be a me problem and not a book problem. The narrator for the audiobook was great.

OH MY GOSH this left me with no words. I love retellings especially retellings based on mythology from around the world that enables me to learn something I didn't know before and this hit every single mark. The book is beautifully written and almost lyrical in its prose - like honestly imagine cherubs fklying with little harps singing -its that beautiful.
It is a completely captivating book that I loved listening too and has made me want to get my hands on a physical copy in whatever edition or language I can get my hands on. Everything about this is so aethestically pleasing from the language to the vivid imagery and dont even get me started on the front cover.
I could gush about this all day and I still couldn't convey how good it is. I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT

When I signed up to NetGalley, I never once expected the stunning books I would be blessed to read in return for a review.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a beautiful example.
As you will see from my photos, I have the FairyLoot edition. I did not think I would read it because this edition is exquisite, and I didn't want to ruin the prettiest book I own. But the fabulous team at Harper Collins UK granted me the audio arc, and I decided to read along as I listened to the lyrical words as they flowed from the narrator into my ears.

This story is *chef's kiss* mesmerising. I wish I were as talented with words as Sue Lynn Tan is because trying to explain how much I love this is damn near impossible.
We fall into a world that, even in the darkest moments, is described with such delicate, vibrant, and enchanting details you cannot help but wish to be there too.
The characters, Oh, my god! They are wonderfully written. Be it the heroes or the villains, they all have depth, are alluring and seductive with vulnerabilities that add to their character, and, especially with the villains, helps disguise their true nature/desires. And I am not ashamed to admit that I fell for the main villain and even now love him and hope he returns.

This spellbinding story has everything fantasy lovers could want. I mean, friends to lovers to enemies. Ruthless Emperor/Empress and soldiers, a handsome Prince, legendary creatures both evil and benevolent, magical epic adventures and battles, and, of course, the most formidable, courageous warrior ever, who happens to be female. What more do you want? Oh, okay then, how about divine, heartwarming friendships and a love for one's family so true that the daughter risks her own life for her mother.

I feel any review I write will never do justice to the magnificence of this story. I don't have the words to articulate how much I love this book.
I can only hope that Sue Lynn Tan understands that my lack of words speaks volumes, and if not, I will direct you to my kid and best friend, and they will tell you how much I rave about this book.

The delight I found in reading along with the audio is that not only was the narration sublime, but I was able to hear how to pronounce the gorgeous Chinese names.
Mythology has a new place in my heart. And Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an exceptional addition.

Thank you, Harper Collins UK & NetGalley, for the arc audiobook in return for my honest review.

This was such a beautiful book! A retelling of a Chinese legend, this book was magical and so empowering! I loved the characters and loved the story!

I'm never keen on love traingles and whilst at times this one annoyed me, I can see how it added to the story. I also do feel like this book could have been shorter and in turn the story would have been tighter and cleaner.

This book was full of character development and amazing world building that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the conclusion of this duology.

I enjoyed the narration of this one but it was a lot to take in as an audiobook, but that's a 'me' problem.

Described by the author herself as an adult fantasy/YA cross-over, this debut novel was a true flight of fantasy - to use the cliché. I haven't read much fantasy lately, and this book made me decide to read more of this genre.

This story is inspired by the legend of Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e. With the main character, Xingyin - and a true heroine in every sense of the word - we go on an epic journey filled with magical beings, mythological creatures, brave quests and fierce battles. With a strong female lead, fighting to protect and save her family, this is a non-stop ride of adventures and discoveries. The writing is atmospheric, immersive, detailed and engaging and even though I found it going at quite a fast pace, it did transport me to a fantasy world, filled with enchantment and beauty.

Seeing that I listened to the audiobook, a few words about that as well. The narrator, Natalie Naudus, is a great fit for this book. She does a great job at telling the story, and bringing the characters, beloved or not, to life. I really enjoyed her narration.

The book was a wonderful 'change of scenery' for me. A strong 4/5 for me. What a fantastic debut! I'm already counting down to the second instalment "Heart of the Sun Warrior", coming later this year.

Thank you to #NetGalley and HarperCollins Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - January 2022 - HarperCollins
(Also, Jonathan Ball Publishers in South Africa)

I loved the asian mythology and world this book was set in. Especially the beginning had such a whimsical quality that it was like reading a well-written classic legend and I wish the book would have consistently stuck to that vibe.

The story in general had a very epic feel to it and I was very immersed in some parts, but I did struggle with pacing at times. Some parts were too rushed, while others dragged unnecessarily and a lot could have been edited out altogether.

The love triangle was too cliché YA for me to be really invested in. It got old very fast, especially since the love interests, while intriguing in the beginning, didn't really seem very fleshed out as the story progressed and it all lacked passion.
All three of them just pretty much annoyed me and the book would have been better without it. I would have preferred a fierce female protagonist that is more focused on her ambitions than pining over two guys that instantly fell in love with her and seem unhealthily obsessed for no other reason that she's the "not-like-other-girls" protagonist.
That aspect seemed rather mismatched in tone and juvenile compared to the rest of the story.

All in all I really enjoyed unique setting and story, even if it was unfortunately tarnished by overused YA tropes. It made me really curious about the legend that this book was inspired by.

The audio narrator however really did an amazing job here throughout the entire book. She was a delight to listen to and added so much emotion and atmosphere to the story. I absolutey recommend the audio over reading this book, it really helped getting through the parts that dragged on. If I was rating only her performance it would be 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Actual review: 4.5 stars

I absolutely loved this book, Sue Lynn Tan creates a beautiful and magical world with her words alongside a story filled with adventure and hope.

I was gripped not only by Xingyin's quest to free her mother, but also by the tension between her and her two love interests (love triangle!). I was constantly trying to guess who she would end up with, only to be left with a little bit of surprised at the end of the book.

This was my first time reading a book based on Chinese mythology, and it won't be my last, I can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a compelling romantic fantasy adventure, which I belatedly found out is inspired by the Chinese Legend of Chang'e - although I have to admit I am not at all familiar with this myth. Despite my ignorance, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of Chinese mythology which felt like an authentic cultural representation to me. The story is jam packed with action and the plot is fast-paced. I liked (but didnt love) the characters, although I did love the visuals painted by the writing. The romance is slightly tepid and I was conflicted between which relationship I rooted for most. With the story being told from a single PoV, and even with Xiangyin explaining every feeling and thought in detail, I didn't feel the chemistry - The romance may have been better if there were multiple PoV's - perhaps something to consider for the sequel?

I have no doubt that fans of Sarah J Mass and Jennifer L Armentrout will love this fantasy tale - and thankfully, unlike those Authors, Sue Lynn Tan does not finish this book with a cliffhanger ending. If you want to read this book as a standalone, you certainly could. I am excited to see what happens in the next installment, although I am satisfied with the ending of this one. It's a solid debut novel and I thank NetGallery and HarperCollins UK Audio for keeping me entertained with this book.

This was a good fantasy adventure in a Chinese mythology based world.
I liked the writing and the story with a few fun twists.
The romance (love triangle) was a bit too much for me, and very standard YA.
But the atmosphere and locations were well described and very interesting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not sure exactly what I expected of this book, but it wasn’t what I got, and what I got was so much better than I imagined.
The beginning of this book was more what I expected, but the adventure and intrigue as the book continued were a pleasant surprise. The characters felt real and I was able to empathise with them, and I enjoyed discovering more of the Celestial Kingdom and the surrounding realms as the story progressed.
I found the audiobook engaging and the narrator enjoyable, adding to the excellent story and representing the cast of characters well.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and can’t wait for the sequel to come out in November!

I've not read anything based on Chinese mythology before so I found this book really interesting.

It was beautifully written, the prose was lyrical and the characters and their surroundings were vividly described. I liked Xingyin as a character. She was bold and courageous and I admired her commitment to saving her mother.

It had everything you could want from a fantasy novel - mystery, romance, intrigue and even dragons. I found the love triangle was done well, although I didn't particularly warm to either of her love interests. I didn't find the twists particularly shocking but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. It did feel a little like I was reading a YA book but it's hard to pin down the reason why. Perhaps it was the romance element and some parts of it were just a little too "twee" for me.

The audio version was well narrated by Natalie Naudus. I found she added excitement to the story without detracting from the writing.

It was fun, enjoyable escapism and I'll be looking forward to reading the second book.

Fantastic debut, this book was beautifully written. I loved the narrator she did a brilliant job. I cannot wait for book two. I'm surprised this is just part of a duology as this book was pacts with action and adventure. Thanks to Netgalley

The writing is beautiful, very lyrical and pretty, but the plot was a bit all over the place, with too many subplots and predictable scenarios. I found the characters predictable as well so I wasn't kept to the page as much as I would've liked to be sucked into the story. I liked the writing and the legends/myths. Think the book would've been better if shorter and more concentrated on the original plot and direction of the character.

I absolutely loved this book! What a beautiful and magical story. The writing style was lyrical and I couldn't put the book down.

This one is so tricky for me to rate because there are parts that I definitely love and parts that I absolutely hate. It kind of averages out to 3 stars but normally I’m ambivalent about books I rate three stars - like it’s okay just not great, but with this book I really really enjoyed some parts and utterly hated ( like 1 star loathed ) others.

Sorry to people who loved this book - it just wasn’t for me.

I’m going to keep this non spoilery for the most part but I’ll include some marked spoilers at the end

I loved the combat and plot for the main character in this book. Xingyin is confident, resourceful but also selfish and scared. I really enjoyed her fallibility too. The other thing I found really interesting was how the author approaches immortality, as nearly all of the characters were. She managed to acknowledge and utilise this without taking all threat to the characters and suspense away. Where I really noticed this was with how time was viewed in urgency. Xingyin is desperately trying to free her mother, the Moon Goddess, but her sense of urgency covers years - because to an immortal what is a few years ?

The atmosphere as well was just so expertly crafted, you could almost feel the soft breeze wafting cherry blossoms and the epicness of court. Even with the difference between the immortal and mortal realms really has a vivid tangible difference.

The main thing that really annoyed me was the romance and the love interest both of them really annoyed me and tbh I cannot understand what Xingyin saw in them.

Xingyin’s character was also a bit annoying to me sometimes - it may be that she just felt very immature which tbh is very accurate for her character so just ignore me.

I really thought the narrator did an amazing job with this audio ! Each character had a distinct voice that never sounded silly or forced and the narrator carried so much emotion into their word ! I will definitely be looking out for other work that they have narrated !

SPOILERS BELOW

Honestly the romance reminded me of Mansfield park - like you have Liwei who basically lies and sort of cheats on her while expecting her to be okay with it ? And gets jealous when she tries to protect herself and move on ?

And then you have Wenzhi who was absolutely lovely to her right up until he turned into the Demon Prince and we found out he’s been lying and manipulating her all along - though I maintain before the whole kidnapping thing he treated her so much better than Liwei did.

So yeah … not great choices. I appreciate that at the end they didn’t rush things too, showing Liwei courting her properly but I’m still mad Xingyin isn’t mad at him 😂

Narrator 5 stars
Great voice.

Story 4 stars
I listened to this while playing Skyrim and I have to say it paired so beautifully together! I was so captivated with the story of magic while I was doing my own dragon slaying 🤣
Will definitely be recommending this to book lovers and gamers alike.

3.75 stars
This book is a retelling of the Chinese legend of Chang'e and it definitely has that whimsical, fairytale-like, feeling for the first third. I was a bit worried at that point but I was enjoying the writing and so I continued. As the novel goes on, it becomes darker and more intricate and there were some unexpected plot moments.
I really enjoyed the characters and while I'm not always a fan of the 'love triangle' trope, I really liked the way it was done here.
Also, even though this is the first book in a duology, I think it stands really well on its own too, so no worries about the (albeit, very short) wait for the sequel.

thank you for providing me with an arc!

wow, the amount of storytelling that is packed into this first novel was astoundingly executed. the entire way through I felt as though I was in a movie, the plot kept giving and Xingyin's constant goal of setting her mother free was always prevalent, she was a strong female lead and it felt as though you were joining her on this adventure.
the writing style was beautifully poetic but not too lyrical where it got overwhelming. you could tell that the language used to describe the action and the world was every bit intentional and thought out. seeing Xingyin progress through the story was yet again beautifully crafted.

not only was the writing stunning, but the narration of the story was done just as well. the book wasn't dragged out, and it felt immersive.
i'm excited to see what the second book brings!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Daughter of the moon goddess is a story based on the mid-autumn legend. It follows our protagonist Xingyin, who has grown up sheltered from society, spending her days with her mother. Then one day everything changes. With the arrival of unwelcome visitors, she discovers that her mother, the moon goddess, is a prisoner in her own home and that the celestial kingdom knows nothing of Xingyin's existence. To escape the wrath of the celestial kingdom, she hides in the center of court life and tries to mask her identity by hiding as a servant, but soon her secrets threaten to come to the surface.
Her will to see her mother again and save her from her life as a prisoner sends Xingyin on a journey that will turn her life upside down.


Let me start by praising the lyrical writing of this fantasy novel, which I enjoyed quite a lot. The fantasy world wasn't as fleshed out as I was hoping, but I liked the love triangle and the fact that this story was inspired by a legend. Xingyin wasn't the perfect protagonist, but who doesn't cherish a flawed character, who develops throughout the story. My least favorite aspect of the story was how quickly Xingyin grew up to be self-assured and brave. It didn't seem realistic to me that someone who has no one to rely on and who has to work as a servant would be as brave as to challenge emperors and what not. I wished there would have been more build-up to that. But all in all, it was a fun and intriguing story which kept me hooked and made me giddy to get my hands on the promising sequel.

The plot of this book remained consistently interesting. It was beautifully told throughout the audiobook and I was hooked from the very beginning. The main character, Xingyin was portrayed as a strong individual and I often felt connected to her emotions. Whenever she felt conflicting emotions about the celestial kingdom, different characters she came across, and her family, I feel that as a reader I was able to feel that through the incredible writing. There was so much content in this book following Xingyin's journey that not only made this book so interesting, it also helped to show her character development so well. Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook and I look forward to the next book in the duology.