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

adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

what a delightful read! i had this sitting on my shelf for a year and i finally got round to it due to being recommended for people who enjoyed ‘six crimson cranes’. i have not long since finished ‘journey to the west’ and needed to fulfil my chinese mythology craving. 🤍

the world feels like a fairytale, one that you’d enjoy as a child but remade with the intention of adults to enjoy too. i found the world-building to be okay, it wasn’t cinematic but it was written in a way that was simple enough to perhaps be classified as a young adult novel? the romance was the highlight for me which is shocking to say as i tend to prefer a romance subplot and even then i find it hard to enjoy, but with this one, i absolutely did! love triangle and all! for once the character i was rooting for is the one she actually gets with and he’s incredibly likeable, reminding me of seryu from ‘six crimson cranes’. 

the pace is all over the place, almost too fast in a way where you don’t really have time to think about what you’ve just read before “sleep evades” our main character and then the next chapter begins. or she will constantly bite her mouth and taste blood. there are fights all the time, tense dialogue between xingyin and wenzhi or liwei, so much drama! (which i was wanting more of. not with the love interests but just in general) i also found it funny in a chapter where her friend (who’s a girl) has a good reason not to join her for a fight so that means the 2 love interests get to go! no questions asked for some reason? like how is the prince allowed? 😭 it’s just so silly but i loved it nonetheless. 

everything is predictable but in a way that feels safe, stakes are high but everyone has plot armour so i was never truly worried. overall though, this book encapsulates the daydreams you’d have before going to bed and i love it for that. xingyin is a likeable protagonist and i loved following her for a very rewarding and well deserved journey. she had the potential to be a villain but instead stays true to herself which makes her even stronger and admirable. all the characters are memorable, even ones who were only mentioned a few times, although i wish there were more than the main trio. this book honestly feels like 2 in one with how many events play out and with character progression due to it taking place over the course of years. the ending is very satisfying and beautifully written with no cliffhangers or unanswered questions so you can easily read as a standalone. 

overall i highly recommend this one!! and the cover is so beautiful! 😭🩷

“And as I was discovering, there was no end to love— it was something which grew and renewed endlessly, expanding to encompass each new horizon. Family. Friends. And other lovers, too—none of them the same-yet each precious in their own way.”