Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

DNF @ 34%
I hope to give this another try in the future, at which point I would update this review. For now, though, I just can’t find the motivation to get through this.

This book falls into what I’ve taken to calling the Addie LaRue category: the prose itself is beautiful and quotable and whimsical, but the characters and plot are less developed. Books like this tend to be pretty divisive, because your enjoyment rests entirely on what you enjoy as a reader. I, personally, need a bit more focus on character development or plot development to get into a book.

What I loved about Daughter of the Moon Goddess was the world building. The myth of Chang’e is a personal favorite, and the author builds such a stunning world of immortals and magic around it. He world building is pretty detailed and extensive, and I didn’t mind it one bit. As mentioned before, the prose is beautiful too, and I appreciated the lyrical quality of it.

Unfortunately, though, the characters and plot fell flat. I couldn’t tell you a single trait of any of the characters; Xingyin’s characterization varied wildly, changing to fit each new plot point, and while the prince was endearing enough, the character overall was a bit too bland for my taste. Pacing in the first third is another huge issue for me; I see a lot of reviewers calling it action-packed, and it is, but to the extent where it feels as if nothing is happening. The layout and pacing of this book, in my opinion, would’ve lended itself amazingly to a novella or series of novellas—which is to say, in a different format I am sure I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more.

All of the overwhelmingly positive reviews gave me high expectations for this book, and to me it just failed to live up. Maybe after the first third the book improves, but with how little I enjoyed the first part I wasn’t really inclined to stick around and find out. I truly hope other readers have better luck than I did, though; this was one of my most anticipated releases and although I didn’t like it, it’s still beautifully written.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book, though I tried multiple times. The premise is so fascinating, but I did not find myself engaged by the style of the writing, and the characterization came across as fairly bland. I did like the mythic world-building, but it wasn't enough to pull me through the story in the end.

dnf @ 25%

I am pretty disappointed about this one. I simply could not get through this one. The characters were bland. There was very little plot development, and many things that happened were way too coincidental. The world-building was interesting, but I just found myself feeling bored. I did enjoy the author's writing style, though, so I'm hoping that her later books improve since she is a debut author.

I'm giving this two stars because, as I stated above, I did enjoy her writing style. Also, I do think this book would appeal to a slightly younger audience and maybe I am simply too old to enjoy some of the story. The world-building and mythology was really interesting, but the plot needed to be streamlined.

This is another fabulous debut novel which sweeps us into the realm of Chinese fantasy. Like it's cover, it's a magical story that was totally unfamiliar. I think that fact added to my enjoyment. It's a tale of Chang'e the Chinese Moon Goddess, who is being held captive and her daughter Xingyin who sets a goal for herself to free her mother. There are the expected various quests that help shape Xingyin's character and sense of right and wrong. There is some romance as well as magic and dragons. Loyalty to family is the main focus and is beautifully captured. The prose is lush and enchanting, the action is non-stop and there's a book 2 coming to finish the loose ends.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I am eagerly looking forward to book 2 and future writings of Ms. Tan.
4.25* rounded up.

This cover grabbed me right away and I knew I was in love. Sue Lynn Tan has delivered a good debut book in Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

I love the world building and the aesthetic of this book. I do feel like there may have been a little too much happening and that I needed more showing and less telling. At times it could feel like I was overwhelmed with information. I was also a little put off by all of the tropes in this book, especially the love triangle, which felt too easy and a little flat. The characters could have used a little more depth/personality, some felt one dimensional. I definitely forgot this was an adult novel and thought it felt more along the lines of a YA.

Lyrical from the beginning, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a story about truth, love, and the nature of perception. Xingyin's story is one that questions the very foundational bricks of a story. Of what purpose a story serves depending on who is telling it. Daughter of the Moon Goddess examines perception and spin in a world of court intrigue and legends. While I was drawn to this mythical almost legenday scale of Daughter of the Moon Goddess, what I ended up loving was Xingyin.

Her story is one of romance, adventure, and self-discovery. There's plenty of romance for those seeking a swoony fantasy, but Xingyin's character development was fascinating to watch. She has to come into her own as a person without the shadow of the moon. Xingyin must learn to thrive, to figure out what's right and wrong, and to decide who she wants to be. Together with a fantastic sense of pacing, and adventure, Xingyin's story is enchanting.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a refreshing YA take of the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese Moon goddess.
I have been told of this story many times before bed and just reading about this take with a lot more details and romance made my childhood heart happy.

The book starts off with Xingyin, young, naive, and curious all which lead to the tragic beginning of her story.
She is not content with her life on the moon and is always searching for more. She searches too hard and lands up being told to escape from the moon to protect herself.

I interpret this portion in the story as a light re-telling of Cinderella, where she is forced to work and slave away to some rich woman and work with her sinister co-workers. This ends up with the prince (Prince Liwei) rescuing her and "giving her the glass slipper" where she is now placed in the Celestial Palace. Now that she is in the enemy's hands, her true story begins. This portion of the story, I interpreted it as a very loose re-telling of Mulan. Xingyin disguises herself and in the process learns more about herself, becomes a total warrior, and falls in love.

This story is filled is a steady progression sprinkled with twists and turns. Betrayal and decisions have to be made in order for Xingyin to fulfill her duty to her mother and most importantly, to her honor and heart. The world building is EXCELLENT, very detailed, and just beautifully descriptive. This was a wonderful debut novel for Sue Lynn Tan. I am impatiently waiting for the second book to find out what happens next.

Magical. Everything about Daughter of the Moon Goddess was beautiful and captivating. The writing was lush and descriptive, and Sue Lynn Tan has an incredible and unique voice.

Ok so imagine if the Song of the Lioness Quartet was condensed into one book, and then make that book based on Chinese mythology, and that is what we're working with here, friends! Writing this review, I am SHOCKED to see it's the first in a duology. Because, dang, did you see where I said the book was like four books in one? I actually thought this book itself could've been a duology, so I'm really surprised to see there's another one coming. And the ending seemed final enough to me, although it did seem a little abrupt.

As for the book itself - it starts with our main character fleeing her home and her mother in order to save her mother from the vengeful empress. Pretty quickly, she becomes the training companion of the prince and there's some romance (Alanna and the First Adventure). Then, she decides to go Do Army for a little bit and becomes the best archer in the world and starts hunting down some monsters, fighting in battles and whatnot(Hand of the Goddess). And THEN there's some other stuff that happens that I don't want to go into because spoilers. Anyway, to say that a lot happens is putting it pretty mildly, but our main character still gets developed.

That said, this might've worked better as two books and the characters would've had a little more room to breathe. There's a twist involving one of the characters that left me cold because they weren't super developed. The writing is good, but sometimes leaned a little middle grade for me. Otherwise, though, I would generally recommend this to most fantasy readers, especially those interested in different mythologies. Even though it's really long, I can see reluctant readers getting into it. 4 stars - I really liked it!

Can I give a book more than five stars? If so, this is a book that I will be doing exactly that. DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS by Sue Lynn Tan is a beautifully written, achingly romantic adult fantasy, with pining, a love triangle I am living for, ancient Chinese mythology, and sweeping eternal magic. I couldn't put the book down, and will never stop praising the twists and betrayals. I can't wait for more with Xingyin in the Celestial Kingdom!

2020/2021 are being hard years for everyone, but books like this one can bring some light back to our lives. It's a breathtaking debut novel, so full of details that the reader can picture exactly the same thing the author describes. As a huge fan of Chang'e stories, I was excited with the plot since I first read the synopsis. This book is pure magic and reminded me a LOT of Elizabeth Lim's books, but in a 100% good way.
The story takes place in a few years, but it's not the kind of story that develops quickly and without depth, it's quite the opposite. The author manages to explore a completely new literary universe with exceptional mastery, manages to fit one of the most beautiful legends into a story that involves magic, love, dragons, very bad teas and, above all: loyalty for family. for those who are not a blood family, and yet become beloved kin at our hearts.
One of the things I loved most about Xingyin, our main character, is her courage and her willingness to do anything to free her mother, but never hurting other people and always taking her actions with honor.. Everything it's just so new to her, and watching her develop from an initially fragile drizzle to a warrior woman is beautiful. Not being afraid to do the right thing is one of the things, if not her most admirable quality.
And for those who like a good romance, the subplots are just adorable. Romance isn't such a strong point of the book, since Xingyin has other worries and issues running through her head, but even though it's not one of the main focuses of the book, it's very sweet. Let's say we have 2 guys vying for our heroine's heart, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book, after all: all is fair in love and war.
This book is heartwarming, heartbreaking and extremely beautiful at the same time, it's one of the most original stories I've read so far this year and I can't wait for y'all to meel Xingyin, Liwei and Wenzhi!
Last but not least, many thanks to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this fabulous book!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was an utterly captivating and magical read. From the start, the prose has a unique feel; as soon as I adjusted I was absolutely entranced by the lush world-building and action-packed plot. I was amazed at how much happened within this novel without any of it feeling rushed or confusing. Xingyin was such a compelling protagonist, and I was so invested in her quest to free her mother and her growth as a character. And I haven’t event mentioned the romance yet! I think this book redefined yearning and angst, and even the love triangle didn’t feel like an overused trope. At so many points throughout the story I thought I could predict where it was going — and then it would twist off in a new way I didn’t see coming. I loved the infusion of ancient Chinese mythology, and thought it was a captivating retelling of the legend of the moon goddess. This book just felt epic in myriad ways: Xingyin felt like a warrior heroine out of myth, the action was the thing of legends, and the emotional and romantic aspects of the story were at times achingly tender, heart-wrenching, and overwhelming beautiful. I can’t wait to see where this duology will lead Xingyin next!

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a beautiful, whimsical tale that's perfect for all fantasy lovers. Although it's over 500 pages, I tore through this fast-paced, action-packed adventure in less than a day.

I absolutely loved Xingyin, the protagonist. I admire her ability to balance her ambition with her morals. And the romance subplot? **chefs kiss** and the lovers to enemies trope is my absolute favorite

Oh! also, this book is the first of a duology; I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

I absolutely adored Daughter of the Moon Goddess. First off, the cover is absolutely vibrant, stunning and whimsical and it tells the story of the book perfectly. I loved that the story was heavily dosed in Chinese Mythology and the author did a beautiful job of making everything come to life. Her writing and descriptions were so vivid and I felt like I was watching the story unfold as if it were a movie. Xingyin was such a badass female lead and I adored reading her journey unfold and watching her discover more and more of who she was. This book is action packed, magical, vivid in world-building and descriptions and will tear at your heartstrings. I think my favorite mythology in this book though was that the Moon Goddess was in control of the moon rising every night and had to light lanterns, the description of this just put such a beautiful and magical image in my head. I cannot wait for book 2!

My first NetGalley ARC and I am obsessed!! In actual agony over the fact that I already can't wait for the second book when the first book hasn't even been released yet

This is a great debut for lovers of mythology and adventure. The places in the story are vibrant and take you to a whole new world.

In this heartfelt and action-packed debut, a Chinese myth is captivated into a beautiful work of art.
This book was simply as stunning as its cover. The jammed-packed story had beautiful imagery, a plentiful enriched history, and a constant moving plot.
I was drawn in by the first few pages and couldn't seem to put it down after that. Everyone needs to try this gorgeous debut from Sue Lynn Tan.

Thank you NetGalley & Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had to double-check that this wasn't a YA novel. I was going to use this as an example to myself of why I don't read YA novels anymore. But no, it's adult fiction. Everything is very flat. The prose, the characters, the romance, and the magic system. The prose is very telling and not showing. I never felt the conflict. It doesn't help that it takes a paragraph for Xingyin to conflict.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was, without a doubt, one of THE BEST debuts I’ve ever read in my entire life.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess surprised me in all of the best ways possible. I shrieked with excitement when I got approved for this ARC. I’ll be honest, this gorgeous cover is what made me interested in this initially. I was not very familiar with the legend of Chang’e, so that only made me more excited to read it.

After finishing, I’m stunned. This is the type of book that makes me want to lower all of the books I rated 5 stars this year to 4. It’s THAT good.

Xingyin is the type of heroine I have been longing to read about for some time now. She’s truly a breath of fresh air, and someone I never wanted to stop reading about. I love her so much.

The writing was beyond lush & magical. Sue Lynn Tan has a gift with words, and it’s very apparent in the way she writes. Every page is more beautiful than the last. The way the story and legends are woven together was just beautiful, even when brutal.

While the ending was not a cliffhanger, I’m absolutely dying with anticipation to go back into this world and be with these characters again. I’m so glad this is not the end!

Everyone go pick this book up on January, 11, 2022!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This book is simply magical and atmospheric.

Xingyin is the daughter of the moon goddess, who was imprisoned on the moon after drinking immortal elixir in an attempt to save her and her baby's life. Xingyin is forced to flee the moon as the empress from the Celestial Kingdom gets a read on her magic. She unintentionally ends up in the Celestial Kingdom and becomes the Prince's study companion. They soon become friends and then something more blooms between them. But when he is promised to another she vows to steel herself against her affection for him and becomes a warrior in an attempt to gain a favor from the emperor to free her mother.

She goes on multiple quests, earning a reputation and becoming close with her General (W because I will botch this name). She soons earn the favor but the emperor and empress are furious with her and set her on one more final, near impossible task. She must get the pearls from the dragons. But she learns these pearls are their essence and whomever has them controls the dragons and can easily use them for evil. She gets kidnapped by W (turns out he's the Prince from the Demon Realm) and he wants to use the pearls to fight the Celestial Kingdom and he wants her as his bride. She manages to escape and warn Prince L (her real love) and they are able to escape and ambush. She frees the dragons, knowing they should not be used by another and returns to the emperor with the empty pearls.

The emperor is forced to release her mother but attacks Xingyin (and she was already weakened by releasing the dragons). Xingyin returns to the moon and tells her mother she is free.

Can't wait for book 2. This book feels kind of like reading the Odyssey but it's better because it's a little more fast paced and we have strong female characters who shirk typical female roles.