Daughter of The Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan Review
An absolutely breathtaking debut, filled with endearingly relatable characters and beautifully immersive world building—the Celestial Kingdom will sweep you into a world of magic, romance and betrayal that’s simply unputdownable.
It’s Inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang'e and follows a young woman whose quest to free her mother sets her against the most powerful immortal in the realm.
Xingyin is used to solitude growing up on the moon, with no idea she’s been hidden from the powerful Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when her magic flares and her existence is discovered Xingyin is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.
Alone and scared she finally makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom—a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her true identity, she seized the change to train with the kingdom’s Crown Prince learning to master archery and her magic (as well as the attraction that blossoms between them.)
To save her mother she’ll embark on a dangerous quest, facing legendary creatures and vicious enemies.
But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, Xingyin must challenge the ruthless Emperor for a change at her dream and striking a dangerous bargain—torn between losing everything (and everyone) she loves or plunging the realm into chaos…
I can’t put into words how stunning this book was, I absolutely loved the lyrical writing and the beautifully detailed world Sue Lynn Tan has created and though it was a little slow to begin;it didn’t take long for the action-packed fight scenes,backstabbing courtiers and delicious intrigue to speed up the pace—I was quickly hooked!
The characters are really well written, especially Xingyin who’s an absolutely endearing protagonist. I loved her and the range of emotions and conflicts she experiences was brilliantly handled—juxtaposing the perfection of the Immortal Realm that she’s strives for and the emotional vulnerability that the Celestials’ deem weak.
I also loved the romance which was definitely swoon-worthy. Though I literally couldn’t choose which of Xingyin’s love interests I liked more, as there were pros and cons to both of them. I may have skewed a little more towards Wenzhi but I did really like Liwei as well.
Overall, this is an addictively immersive, fast paced and action packed YA Fantasy with an epic fairytale vibe that’s simply breathtaking. If you love YA Fantasy, Fairytales or beautifully evocative writing then I definitely recommend reading this. I’d say it’s definitely a must read for 2022.
Also a huge thank you to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the e-arc.
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