A review by whisperingleaf
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

adventurous emotional hopeful tense 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

It’s not just pretty cover, the book filled with amazing story. 

Three words describing this book 

• Unputdownable
• Emotional book
• A beautifully crafted story 

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Just like the title, the main character of this book is the daughter of The Moon Goddess, Xingyin. Xingyin and her mom live on the moon all the time. They never go outside other realm. Xingyin doesn’t realize she’s hidden from the dreaded Celestial Emperor, the strongest amongst Immortal Realm, who banished his mother for stealing the Elixir of Immortality. Because of an unfortunate event, she needs to leave her mother behind and flee from her hometown. This is where the journey of Xingyin began. Pretending to be an orphan, she looked for a way to free her mother. All the possibilities even she took the risk to enter the Celestial Kingdom by herself. 

The emotions of the characters and the description of the scene are very good, and I could imagine the scene myself. It’s really written beautifully; you won’t get bored reading it. I couldn’t stop myself from reading it because the story is indeed interesting and beyond my expectation. The book is not only focusing on Xingyin, but it also tells the surrounding characters strongly. 

I love how the book talks about tales of the realm, specially about the Immortal Realm. As the book was inspired by Chinese Mythology, I assure you the legend and culture background in this book is really well written. On top of that, there are moments of whimsicality, romantic, and unspeakable tension. I am not really into romance book, but this book talks about it differently, both fascinating and heartbreaking, noting that love story is not always beautiful and happy one. 

“I was learning that kings were not always as just as in the stories, and the mercy of gods was sometimes flawed.”. Xingyin was right. There are always two sides to a story. King (or leaders) is not always as wise or good as it tells. From the book, I learned that putting your trust in someone other than yourself means you are ready to be broken by. People could easily deceive you despite the trust that you give. There will be a huge and chaotic plot twist in the middle of the book. 

I was about to give this book 5 stars, and I was thinking if there are any flaws in this book. Sadly, so far, I am really in love with this book, and I couldn’t find any. I am stuck with giving 5 stars for this book! You must read this one if you need a ‘beautiful’ book. 

Some scars are carved into our bones—a part of who we are, shaping what we become.