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sarahjoyk26's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and War
Minor: Gore
kels_18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This did not live up to my expectations. I really wish that I liked this more than I did, but there were too many time skips and difference in locations, jumping from one thing to another for there to really be any cohesive thought process from me. I don’t know how this could be turned into a duology. Too much happened in this book, way too much. The only thing tying everything together was Xingyin’s quest to free her mother from her prison on the Moon. That was the only thing tying everything together. Then you add in the love triangle between the two main MMCs, ugh. These two men you jump off of a cliff for all I care.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual assault
iridescentjuniper's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Gore, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual harassment
lucielockettreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This book has so many good quotes in it, a lot of them felt like lessons and I’ll always take them with me now. The only reason I lost a quarter of a star was because I guessed a later plot twist and that frustrates me when I do that I’m just too observant sometimes and this book has made me want to look into more Chinese mythology!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Kidnapping
leigh13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
anapthine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol
kindra_demi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was my first story of Chang’e and Houyi and I devoured it! I always love reading retellings of myths and legends from various cultures of the world.
There are times where cliché tropes can still be well done, and I believe Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a case of that. The major twist isn’t the most shocking thing, but that being said, the build up to the twist makes it still hurt a bit when you find out.
I will own I am a sucker for a messy love story with two interests fighting for the main character’s attention, and this book is full of that. While it is technically a subplot line, it is a very prominent part of the story. There are several smaller storylines that are included simply to build the romance part of the plot.
The writing style is very descriptive (with a heavy repetition of certain words *cough* jade *cough*) so if that is not something you enjoy, I would caution you with this book.
I think my one major critique is the fact that the story wanted to show so many small moments between the main character and the characters surrounding her that it felt that many of the scenes were wrapped up nicely (relatively speaking. I mean this is a book about a girl who becomes a soldier so…)
Overall though, this was a super nice read if you want a story about what we will do to help those we love (with a nice side of messy romance). I am super excited for the next book to come out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
readerperson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Where do I start. This is one of the few books that genuinely made me laugh, cry and gasp with shock. I absolutely fell in love with this book and would think about the characters long after I would close the book and try to sleep.
Only thing that stuck out a little for me is the amount of description in the book, sometimes warranted, sometimes not, each to their own on how much detail they need but
sometimes I found myself not caring what a person was wearing, even though the description of this was most of the time meaningful of the character's mood, circumstances or intentions in the scene.
The main character is such a badass and I absolutely loved seeing her fight her way through some super tricky situations.
There was so much adventure and romance and loss packed into it that I almost feel lost now after finishing it.
I loved the weaving of mythology and magic throughout the book, I also like that there's a limit to what they can do and they don't just have some endless well of power, it's feels more realistic that a being faces the risk of over exerting themselves, even if they're immortal. It also adds intensity and urgency when you can tell a character is using too much of their powers to sustain themselves.
I love that Xingyin had genuinely made friends and allies in the celestial kingdom outside of Liwei, it felt like she had more people that trusted in her and could back her up.
I could go round and round talking about Liwei and Captain Wenzhi but I'm going to stop myself before I get emotional lol.
One of my favorite reads this year I think. The characters and story have stuck with me so much.
Only thing that stuck out a little for me is the amount of description in the book, sometimes warranted, sometimes not, each to their own on how much detail they need but
sometimes I found myself not caring what a person was wearing, even though the description of this was most of the time meaningful of the character's mood, circumstances or intentions in the scene.
The main character is such a badass and I absolutely loved seeing her fight her way through some super tricky situations.
There was so much adventure and romance and loss packed into it that I almost feel lost now after finishing it.
I loved the weaving of mythology and magic throughout the book, I also like that there's a limit to what they can do and they don't just have some endless well of power, it's feels more realistic that a being faces the risk of over exerting themselves, even if they're immortal. It also adds intensity and urgency when you can tell a character is using too much of their powers to sustain themselves.
I love that Xingyin had genuinely made friends and allies in the celestial kingdom outside of Liwei, it felt like she had more people that trusted in her and could back her up.
I could go round and round talking about Liwei and Captain Wenzhi but I'm going to stop myself before I get emotional lol.
One of my favorite reads this year I think. The characters and story have stuck with me so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
cndillon17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Blood, and Death of parent
maple_dove's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Chinese drama Vibes
One of this book's most prominent subjects was Xingyin's character arc.
One of this book's most prominent subjects was Xingyin's character arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent