BOOKS | Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Name: Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom duology #1)

Author: Sue Lynn Tan

Publisher: HarperVoyager

Date published: January 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, retellings, mythology, adventure

Pages: 512

Rating: 5/5

This review contains mild spoilers.

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.

- From Goodreads.

I had a really enjoyable time reading this book. The writing style and pacing really fit with the retelling genre as it really felt like being told an old story from mythology. I liked how at first we were told smaller stories of the journey that Xingyin was on and then these smaller parts all started to build together towards a larger epic climax that was so exhilarating to read.

It was wonderful to follow Xingyin as the main character, she was so kind-hearted and thoughtful. I liked how she always tried to learn from every experience she went through and was aware of herself and both her her flaws and her strengths. She never wanted to hurt someone just because they had hurt her and I admired her strength and determination for getting through to the end.

The other characters were well written too, they were all interesting and multi-dimensional, Liwei was especially a favourite. He had a lot of heart and charm and I loved his relationship with Xingyin and how tender their feelings for each other were.

Captain Wenzhi was also an interesting character that was introduced a little later on. I do not usually like love triangles but I felt it was done well here because it was still focused on Xingyin and her story and what each person meant to her and it was always about her choices and what it would mean for her journey. I also liked how it resolved, it was a surprising twist but it worked well and still gave the characters plenty of depth.

The plot in general had quite a few surprises and was exciting to read. The action scenes were all gripping and the emotional ones really had me feeling for the characters. I felt very immersed in the world and there were a lot of beautiful descriptions of some really incredible places.

Overall, I had a really lovely time reading this book, it made me feel nostalgic for reading myths when I was younger and I really felt connected to the characters. I will definitely be reading the sequel and more from the author in general.