Sue Lynn Tan

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting, romantic duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

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

Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor’s son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess begins an enchanting duology which weaves ancient Chinese mythology into a sweeping adventure of immortals and magic, of loss and sacrifice—where love vies with honor, dreams are fraught with betrayal, and hope emerges triumphant.

Amira BEN

He inclined his head gravely. “Perhaps. However you see me, I will wait until you do.” ”Do what ?” ”Love me again.” His fingers brushed the side of my head, lightly stroking my hair. “Or at least, not hate me anymore.”

A classic ! Wenzhi doesn't bind to the rule 

Wenzhi’s gaze fixed upon the blood trickiling down my hand, from old wounds torn anew. “What happened to you ? Why are you weakened?” His tone was rough wirh urgency.

“If you attack him, his soldiers will strike us. And if he hurts you again,” I raised my voice so Wenzhi would hear, “he’ll have a lighting bolt through his heart.” 

”You’ve already broken it, Xingyin. What other damage could you do ?” he said quietly.

“I should sink this into your wicked heart.” His gaze burned into mine as he took a step closer. “Why don’t you then?”

Wenzhi’s arms tightened, holding me closer. “As long as you are mine as I am yours, we have all the time in the world.”

Wenzhi never stopped with the swooning lines... Most of the quotes are his lmao

“You are my equal. More than my equal.”

He lowered his head to mine, our brows almost touching, his breath warm on my skin. “Your dreams will be my dreams, too.”

“I want you to come with me- to my home, to my family. For us to share our lives together.”

As though sensing my distress, he reached across the table and touched my arm.

“Why would you want to look like her ? Why would a falcon want to be a nightingale?”

“Thank you for listening,” he said quietly. “I hope we will always speak like this. That you will share with me any worries you have.”

Captain Wenzhi waited for me outside. My pulse leapt unexpectedly as I walked toward him. He was striking tonight in a forest green robe, with a gleaming length of black silk knotted around his waist. His hair was gathered into a carved jade ring, falling over his shoulder like waves of night. It was as though my eyes were rinsed, finally seeing with startling clarity all the fine features which Shuxiao had described.

Our FMC always remember this line later in the duology...

It was Captain Wenzhi, carrying a stool, which he placed before me. Bending down, he whispered in my ear, “When the battle lines are drawn, advance with a clear mind.” I swallowed hard, nodding to him in thanks. His words were a comfort to my debilitating ear.

“Do you think your appearance so pleasing ? Not everyone is struck with admiration at the sight of you.” ”I would be interested to hear what you think of me.” His brows were arched in a seeming challenge. ”Even if it does not please you?” ”Especially, is so” he said, his voice deepening.

“I meant to say, in this dress you don’t look like the warrior you are.”

“Don’t tell anyone who you are. But never forget either.”

Wenzhi? Prince Yanxi? I don’t know their eye colour. 

Elin Hakvoort

His face was concealed by a helmet, but his eyes gleamed silver bright as they bored into me.

“My final assignment will be to inspect the troops at the border of the Golden Desert”

I felt this. Well, not the serpent-slaying part. The fraud part. 

While I was lauded for slaying Xiangliu, deep down I felt I was a fraud—that such praise was undeserved.

I am keen to learn. But a student’s interest also depends upon a teacher’s skill.

Save your tears for something which matters

Mari

I would not taint today with doubts of tomorrow or fears of the past

…there can be no respect without fear. To be a powerful leader, one needs to govern with an iron hand, to crush resistance with even greater strength.

Some knowledge beats in our hearts, while others are learned by the body and mind.

ITA: retelling del mito di chang’e e houyi. molto bello, con personaggi profondamente umani, soprattutto la protagonista. imperfetta e a volte anche irritante, ma io l’ho amata. UNICA volta in cui ho apprezzato il triangolo amoroso, nemmeno io so chi scegliere.

ENG: it’s a retelling of the myth of chang'e and houyi. this book is very beautiful, with deeply human characters, especially the protagonist: she’s imperfect and sometimes even irritating, but I loved her. it’s the ONLY time I enjoyed the love triangle, even I don't know who to choose.

Mary

ITA: retelling del mito di chang’e e houyi. molto bello, con personaggi profondamente umani, soprattutto la protagonista. imperfetta e a volte anche irritante, ma io l’ho amata. UNICA volta in cui ho apprezzato il triangolo amoroso, nemmeno io so chi scegliere.

ENG: it’s a retelling of the myth of chang'e and houyi. this book is very beautiful, with deeply human characters, especially the protagonist: she’s imperfect and sometimes even irritating, but I loved her. it’s the ONLY time I enjoyed the love triangle, even I don't know who to choose.

I liked this book, it was super cheesy at parts but some things were a little plot twists.

Jazz

akynn 

3.68 stars

It's actually so hard to rate this because I enjoyed it so much but it also disappointed me just as much.

Alissa 

Julie Rubens

I loved this book so much! It is so incredibly well written and I loved the characters and the storyline, I can't wait to read the next one!

This is the first book in a while that made me sit down and read over 100 pages in one sitting. Usually, with my ADHD, I can only do about 20 pages at a time before I need a break. So… I really liked it!

This book was almost nostalgic to read despite being a newer release. It contained a lot of common fantasy-romance tropes, and the plot was pretty standard and predictable for the genre. What made this book stand out to me was the protagonist and the ease of the writing style. Xingyin is everything I want from a book like this, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her journey. She just never made a choice that didn’t make sense to me, and even when I disagreed with her decisions I could still understand why she made that choice. 

The first person writing style was unusual for adult fantasy and reminded me more of YA, but I never felt like this book was meant for a younger audience. One thing that did get on my nerves a little was the constant descriptions of what people were wearing and very little description of any other defining features. I get that their clothing is meant to signify their status and reinforce the setting, but I was left with very little to go off of when picturing the characters in my mind. It felt like I was just supposed to insert the faces of generic hot people and dress them up in fancy outfits, which is boring to me, sorry. 

The most impressive thing about this book, to me, is the fact that it got me to care about not one, but TWO male love interests. I am a whole lesbian and usually when I read a book with a male love interest I spend the whole time thinking “ugh this dude suuuucks why is she attracted to him?” But in this book I was thinking, “ugh this dude sucks but like…. I get it.” I will say this book would have been about 30% shorter without the romance subplot, so if you don’t like love triangles in your fantasy novels then stay away. Honestly, I hate love triangles but I didn’t mind it in this book. I think it was successful because the main character had her own goal that was separate from the romance plots, and she never let her love life get in the way of her main goal. It’s another part of what made me like her as a protagonist. 

I’m glad I finally read this one! I bought it when it came out but I’ve been avoiding reading it because, unfortunately, I’ve developed a bias against fantasy books with beautiful covers; it’s starting to be a red flag for books that check the “marketability” box but not the “quality writing” box. I’m pleased to say this book is a rare example of one that accomplishes both! I could tell that the author loves stories and put a lot of thought into what makes them work well, and used that to make this book the best it could be. 

Cloudface

This is the first book in a while that made me sit down and read over 100 pages in one sitting. Usually, with my ADHD, I can only do about 20 pages at a time before I need a break. So… I really liked it!

This book was almost nostalgic to read despite being a newer release. It contained a lot of common fantasy-romance tropes, and the plot was pretty standard and predictable for the genre. What made this book stand out to me was the protagonist and the ease of the writing style. Xingyin is everything I want from a book like this, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her journey. She just never made a choice that didn’t make sense to me, and even when I disagreed with her decisions I could still understand why she made that choice. 

The first person writing style was unusual for adult fantasy and reminded me more of YA, but I never felt like this book was meant for a younger audience. One thing that did get on my nerves a little was the constant descriptions of what people were wearing and very little description of any other defining features. I get that their clothing is meant to signify their status and reinforce the setting, but I was left with very little to go off of when picturing the characters in my mind. It felt like I was just supposed to insert the faces of generic hot people and dress them up in fancy outfits, which is boring to me, sorry. 

The most impressive thing about this book, to me, is the fact that it got me to care about not one, but TWO male love interests. I am a whole lesbian and usually when I read a book with a male love interest I spend the whole time thinking “ugh this dude suuuucks why is she attracted to him?” But in this book I was thinking, “ugh this dude sucks but like…. I get it.” I will say this book would have been about 30% shorter without the romance subplot, so if you don’t like love triangles in your fantasy novels then stay away. Honestly, I hate love triangles but I didn’t mind it in this book. I think it was successful because the main character had her own goal that was separate from the romance plots, and she never let her love life get in the way of her main goal. It’s another part of what made me like her as a protagonist. 

I’m glad I finally read this one! I bought it when it came out but I’ve been avoiding reading it because, unfortunately, I’ve developed a bias against fantasy books with beautiful covers; it’s starting to be a red flag for books that check the “marketability” box but not the “quality writing” box. I’m pleased to say this book is a rare example of one that accomplishes both! I could tell that the author loves stories and put a lot of thought into what makes them work well, and used that to make this book the best it could be. 

the characters have no depth. they are very boring to begin with and they remain stagnant throughout the entire novel. the plot is all over the place and half of the plot points hold no significance, they just Happen. also i love a good romance but the romance aspect of this book so boringggggg do betterrrr 

samiha

This is a book about family, love, and most importantly, courage in the face of fear.

Unfortunately I had a few qualms with this one. My interest in this book would wax and wane. The pace would pick up, then slow down, then really slow down for me. The battle sequences would feel too long and wear me out, and the love triangle had me winded. Actually, this book focused a lot more on the romance than I thought it would.

Despite this, I enjoy just how magical, mythological and romantic this book is in its densely detailed prose. I love following Xingyin's journey alone among Celestials, discovering her magic and her talent in archery. I love how pure and passionate her story began with Liwei when she previously had never seen a man before lol. 

This was a long read, and at times challenging for me, but what a fascinating world it placed me in!

joana ashley

SABC Jan 2024 pick 

This is a book about family, love, and most importantly, courage in the face of fear.

Unfortunately I had a few qualms with this one. My interest in this book would wax and wane. The pace would pick up, then slow down, then really slow down for me. The battle sequences would feel too long and wear me out, and the love triangle had me winded. Actually, this book focused a lot more on the romance than I thought it would.

Despite this, I enjoy just how magical, mythological and romantic this book is in its densely detailed prose. I love following Xingyin's journey alone among Celestials, discovering her magic and her talent in archery. I love how pure and passionate her story began with Liwei when she previously had never seen a man before lol. 

This was a long read, and at times challenging for me, but what a fascinating world it placed me in!

Kierra Block

nina 

mid, but i’m always here for a sun moon couple

dnf at 10% .. ive never dnf-ed a book so fast lmao

it was just so boring and i honestly dont care for any of the characters (they all felt so one dimensional ??) and the writing style is not for me. its pretty, but thats it: its just pretty. just a bunch of pretty proses after another without any depth that only slows down the pace. idk its just very boring for me, im sorry.

Kaede

Edited my review bc I LOVE this one better than the second book and yes the lore should’ve stopped at this book

Macy Johnson

this was absolutely epic and so fun to be exposed to some cool asian folklore. We love a good female warrior queen, and also friends to lovers is the best. Also did not end tragically which is amazing and I wasn't positive going in if I'd be weeping going out

chloé

3,5*? 

the last 100 pages were definitely my favourite part of the book, except maybe for the few chapters where xingyin and liwei train together and their relationship starts growing. 
the plot twist definitely took me by surprise, but i really enjoyed it that way. i like that i wasn't able to tell where it was going until the very end. 
i didn't really enjoy the love triangle and the way every man seemed to fall head over heels for the mc upon meeting but oh well. 
the pacing in some part, especially action scenes, was also very much chainsaw man worthy but i didn't mind it that much.

overall a really nice book that i really enjoyed!! though i feel like it could have been enough as a standalone? and am a bit scared of what the sequel will bring

*3.5 stars

---

Ngl the beginning of the book was kinda bland as I'm not really into the whole mystical fantasy style stories. But after the first couple of chapters it gets more interesting. Although Xingyin's dialogue with the constant (!) is making me question how old she is in this story (cause she sounds like a child half the time - whiny and all over the place). 

Liwei wasn't super charismatic as I thought for being the main male character but also he seems a bit distant. On the other hand Captain Wenzhi just came in strong and hard hitting lol. 

(view spoiler)[I actually lost interest in the plot when Xingyin and Wenzhi went to the sea mission thing aaaaand also the fact that I read ahead in Heart of the Sun Warrior (Daughter of the Moon Goddess #2), Wenzhi dies when Xingyin choose him and Liwei becomes the solo Emperor. This just demotivates me further to continue tbh.

Overall, I liked the build up of the chemistry and how there was some conflict in choosing your own happiness over family but the character interaction and fighting scenes didn't really do it for me. (hide spoiler)]

> Placing on DNF @ Ch 20 - might comeback to it later

Divisha 

This book had been appearing in my Goodreads recommendations quite frequently and thus I decided to give it a try. As soon as I picked it up I was totally immersed into it.

Xing Yin, the female protagonist intrigued me from the very beginning and I liked her even more as I read the book. 

Plus, I was really liked that she could fight both physically and politically for herself and others. She became a master in archery and knew how to forge a path for herself when things didn't work out.
Like all characters she had her flaws which made her quite a realistic character. The other characters were also great and complemented the book well. 
Great book indeed!

Joy Bush

What a wonderful epic high fantasy with Asian mythology ! 🌕

B Sai Sushma

A very lyrical read. The most I knew about Chinese mythology was the story of the four dragons, so it was a pleasure to lean more and watch old stories get reinvented into a refreshing and beautiful fashion. I love how the primary goal of the main character does not change despite the many love interests & politics & war. After a point, the descriptions became a little annoying though.

So unpredictable! The writing is exquisite, such a mix of emotions, an awesome tale in an awesome setting, very heartfelt <3

akshita

Plot was paced well and easy to follow - made it a really enjoyable read. Also loved the use of multiple plots. Was never short on anticipation

Jels

 is a highly evocative and captivating fantasy steeped in Chinese mythology

I knew this book would be quite something right from the start, where we jump straight into it with a chase scene shortly after the brief introduction. 

All the settings were gorgeously drawn, with very vivid descriptions

 (at one point, I could almost smell the flowers!), and the worldbuilding was absolutely on point! 

, and even though I was a bit confused by all the names at first (alas, a common problem for me with fantasy), by the end I had it all pretty much clear in my head. There were intrigue, drama, politics, secrets and backstabbing, and it was delicious. Plus, dragons!

 and I loved watching her grow up throughout the book. Her journey from servant to archer in the Celestial army was a delight to follow, as she finds new ways to make her own fortune, constantly trying to free her mother. I also liked the bond she developed with her study companion - none other than the Celestial Emperor's son. The 

relationships were probably the best thing

 in this: be they family relationships, romantic ones or just friendships, they all felt teased out perfectly and given a chance to grow in a way that made sense within the story. 

, which I honestly wasn't terribly keen on but it did make sense so I wasn't too annoyed, despite rolling my eyes maybe a few times.

 for a while, trying to guess at all the mysteries and secrets, and there were a few surprises there! 

I struggled a bit with the pace in certain sections

 towards the middle that felt a tiny bit repetitive but maybe it had more to do with me being extra tired when I read them rather than it being the book's fault.

great epic fantasy and a fantastic first book in the duology

. I'm curious to see where the story will go next, since most of the mysteries seem to have wrapped up in this one.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Beatrice

Well, what a ride this book was! Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a highly evocative and captivating fantasy steeped in Chinese mythology and I was so here for all of it!

I knew this book would be quite something right from the start, where we jump straight into it with a chase scene shortly after the brief introduction. All the settings were gorgeously drawn, with very vivid descriptions (at one point, I could almost smell the flowers!), and the worldbuilding was absolutely on point! This world feels rich and deep, and even though I was a bit confused by all the names at first (alas, a common problem for me with fantasy), by the end I had it all pretty much clear in my head. There were intrigue, drama, politics, secrets and backstabbing, and it was delicious. Plus, dragons!

Xingyin was an interesting main character and I loved watching her grow up throughout the book. Her journey from servant to archer in the Celestial army was a delight to follow, as she finds new ways to make her own fortune, constantly trying to free her mother. I also liked the bond she developed with her study companion - none other than the Celestial Emperor's son. The relationships were probably the best thing in this: be they family relationships, romantic ones or just friendships, they all felt teased out perfectly and given a chance to grow in a way that made sense within the story. There is a love triangle, which I honestly wasn't terribly keen on but it did make sense so I wasn't too annoyed, despite rolling my eyes maybe a few times.

The plot kept me on my toes for a while, trying to guess at all the mysteries and secrets, and there were a few surprises there! I struggled a bit with the pace in certain sections towards the middle that felt a tiny bit repetitive but maybe it had more to do with me being extra tired when I read them rather than it being the book's fault.

Overall, this is a great epic fantasy and a fantastic first book in the duology. I'm curious to see where the story will go next, since most of the mysteries seem to have wrapped up in this one.

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

I absolutely loved this book it had just about everything I love about fantasy and romance. My only gripe is that a few moments felt rushed and that I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles. I loved the main love interest, I loved the story and I cannot wait to read The Heart of the Sun Warrior

Kira Del Caro

One of the most beautiful books I've read.

Kirsty Dyer

Daughter of the Moon Goddess has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

I really enjoyed this book, for me it was a well made love triangle truly making my heart constantly shifting both ways, plus I've always liked the story of the moon goddess so I knew I would love this

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

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