I can see why people love this book. It's lush and the writing has moments of clarity and beauty. However, I found it a bit too much telling rather than showing. For all the info-dumping we get at the beginning, I felt reading to be a bit of a slog. Reading many 3 or below star reviews gave me a sense that my early aversion of this book was well-founded. I couldn't bring myself to get into it, even though my book club friends devoured all available books in the series. Maybe I'll find my way to it again in another format, for now I'm putting it down.

3.75/5, rounded up

Fantasy is not often my go-to genre, but I was in awe of this powerhouse fantasy debut.

DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS is a captivating story 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 first in a duology, this story introduces us to an enchanting, romantic world 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.

At first, I was intimidated by the book’s length and extensive worldbuilding, but I quickly realized that this magical story is the equivalent of an ancient epic, like The Odyssey or The Aeneid. It’s rich and truly takes the reader on an extensive — and rewarding — journey. It’s got magic and romance and adventure, twists and turns, heart and humor. Massively impressive read.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan is a captivating read for fans of fantasy and romance who crave a sweeping adventure infused with ancient Chinese mythology, mythical creatures, and a strong female protagonist, perfect for those who enjoy stories of family, honor, and the eternal struggle between love and duty.

I loved this book! It was the first in a long line of Asian inspired fantasies and it stood out, even after reading the others. Xingyin seeks justice and to free her mother. She becomes a highly skilled warrior on her own, using her intelligence and skills to excel in the Celestial Kingdom. The romance between her and Liwei, as well as her and Wenzhi, is deep and believable, even when Wenzhi betrays her.

The broad form storytelling, more telling instead of showing, and delving into emotions and events, was very nice. It propelled the story forward, always moving and rarely lingering. There were moments when the story slowed to allow for romance and tension to build, before moving on. It made the book very consumable and difficult to put down.

I very much look forward to more in this series and more from Sue Lynn Tan! I highly recommend this book to anyone, honestly, no matter the age.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

dnf @ p 104 / 21%


I was really, really looking forward to this book, but it didn't end up working for me. :/

It's clear that the author is drawing from traditional Chinese literature -- not just in terms of subject matter, but style as well. The writing is rather formal and a lot seems to be based on telling rather than showing. Which, imo, is fine when you're trying to channel that writing style! So I don't find that a failure at all, rather a quality that would have made this book really interesting & compelling if it had fallen together better.

However, with that writing style, we barely get any emotion. I felt like I was watching Xingyin's emotions through a pane of glass, even as she was narrating them to us. This made it hard to form an emotional connection to her as a character. If the author had done this over the course of a short story, I think it could have worked because then the reader would not be expected to have a sustained investment in the characters. Beyond that, at 20% in I know as much about the secondary characters (all two of them ://) as I do about a cardboard cutout of them.

That being said, I do really want to try more from this author in the future. Just because this one didn't work for me doesn't mean I have given up!

Absolutely fabulous fantasy novel set in a Chinese mythological world. I enjoyed so much learning about Chinese mythology. The author did a fabulous job with her character development and the plot. I'm definitely downloading book number two in this series. Fantastic read.

Have you ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look at some of your favorite novels? In Tales of the Celestial Kingdom, author Sue Lynn Tan moves through time with nine short stories that take place before, during, and after her novels Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior. The novels focus on the journey of Xingyin, the daughter of Chang’e, the moon goddess, and the mortal archer, Houyi. Raised on the moon, away from the wrath of the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin has to flee her home when her magic reveals her to the ruthless ruler. But it’s not just her own fate at stake, and over the course of the two books, Xingyin must vie for her mother’s freedom—as well as face a power that threatens everything she loves.

While readers might be able to pick this up without reading the first two, be wary of spoilers! Fans of the first two books will be excited to see new stories from multiple points of view, giving them deeper insight into these stories of immortals and quests, of immortality elixirs and heavenly vengeance.

This book is so enchanting and I just loved this incredible retelling. I really love fantasy retellings and myths all rolled into one. Daughter of the moon goddess is beautifully written and richly whimsical. It's easy to follow and I enjoyed getting lost in the story. I can't wait to read the next book because there are so many unanswered questions.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this as an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

this was so enchanting, an incredible retelling of a fairytale. I love love love East Asian retellings, myths, and stories and Sue Lynn Tan delivers a story just as beautiful as the cover

Wow, this was easily one of my favorite reads. It was utterly breath taking and I could not put it down. Daughter of the moon goddess has an amazing story about a daughter finding her place and searching for her mother. Just wow, can't wait to read book two.

What a beautiful story. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Whimsical. Fantastical. This book had so much loveliness and depth. I highly recommend this one.

I really wanted to love this more than I did, but it just really came down to my personal preferences on writing & storytelling.

This wasn’t a bad read by any means. I think a lot of readers will love this, especially if you’re intrigued by Asian folklore & legends. It’s a retelling of the Chinese Moon Goddess, a story I grew up with as a child. So I was very excited to read this one.

Unfortunately, for me, it felt like a really long read. I mean, yes. It’s about 500 pages, so of course it’s going to be a longer read. But what I mean is, the writing felt wordy and a bit heavy handed. Making it a much longer read (for me), and a bit of a slog to get through. I like my fantasies to be faster paced and lighter.

Overall, the story itself was good. Just not my style, or one that I could binge read.

A beautiful telling of the Chinese myth about the moon goddess daughter. Xingyin is a wonderfully written character and I loved reading her beginnings. I can't wait to read book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess" by Sue Lynn Tan is an enjoyable fantasy romance novel with a love triangle that kept me invested in the story. While it didn't leave a lasting impression on me, I still found it to be an entertaining read that I would recommend to fans of the genre.

Tan's writing is engaging and easy to follow, with a focus on character development and romantic tension. The love triangle, while tropey, is well-executed and kept me invested in the story. I am interested in continuing the series to see where the story goes next.

I don't even know where to start with this book. It was everything I wanted it to be. The characters were amazing. The author did a wonderful job with character development and really made us readers get attached to them. This book was the authors debut novel and it was just about perfect. I loved the story and I cant wait to see what is going to happen in book two.

This was a whimsical gorgeously written novel. It was romantic and atmospheric and the main character was exceptional.

I’m ashamed to admit I’ve had this sitting in my Kindle for over a year. I’m always reluctant to start unfinished series, so I pushed it off. Big mistake. This book was absolutely magical!

Xingyin is the daughter of the exiled moon goddess, who, decades earlier, had grievously offended the Celestial Emperor and Empress. As Xingyin’s magic develops, she is forced to flee the only home and family she knows, and ends up in the Celestial Kingdom. Through a series of surprising turns, she becomes the companion to Crown Prince Liwei, who is nothing like his parents. But betrayal and danger lie ahead, as Xingyin learns to forge her own path, with the ultimate goal of ending her mother’s imprisonment.

This lyrical, gorgeously written fairytale packs a punch. Despite having a baby permanently attached to me, I devoured this in two days. Ms Tan is an incredibly talented author, and I cannot fathom that this is a debut!🤩

Although this ends in a good place, there are so many unanswered questions and loose ends, and I am incredibly thankful I can jump right into the next book!

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpervoyager for the e-ARC! As you can see, I splurged on the paperback as well!

If you haven’t read this yet, what are you waiting for!?