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asreadbyallie's reviews
241 reviews
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
4.5
This book was given to me as an ARC e-book copy from the publisher. Despite this, it does not influence my review of the novel at all.
With an enthralling synopsis, a dazzling cover, and an intriguing title, Daughter of the Moon Goddess was going to be a tale of magic, romance, and finding one’s place in the world. I had high expectations for this book when I first read the synopsis, however, this book far exceeded my expectations.
A hero’s tale through and through, Sue Lynn Tan takes us an adventure of love and loss, of friendship and betrayal. The story was amazing, and I’m writing this short review right after I have finished the book. A further, in depth one will be added later. But I just wanted to express how I’m feeling now: like I’ve just gotten off a Dragon’s back and lived to tell the tale.
--
Updated full review: Jan 6, 2022 (below)
With an enthralling synopsis, a dazzling cover, and an intriguing title, I knew from the beginning that Daughter of the Moon Goddess was going to be a tale of magic, romance, and finding one’s place in the world. I had high expectations for this book when I first read the synopsis, however, this book far exceeded my expectations.
A hero’s tale through and through, Sue Lynn Tan takes us on an adventure of love and loss, of friendship and betrayal, and homecomings and new beginnings.
Xingyin, the daughter of the Moon Goddess Chang’e, has her comfortable yet monotonous immortal life turned upside down after the Empress of the Celestial Kingdom visits her mother. She learns that her existence has put her mother in danger, and leaves in haste in the middle of the night. Her life-and existence-is committed to freeing her mother and returning home to the moon to be with her. She is offered a chance to pursue this goal after meeting Liwei, the Crown Prince. Within the lion’s den of the Celestial Kingdom, home of her friends and the immortals who imprisoned her mother, Xingyin learns, grows, and becomes her own person. She learns that being free comes with a heavy price to pay and that the truth isn’t always pleasant.
I really enjoyed Sue Lynn Tan’s writing, as this story was well-paced, beautifully descriptive, and honestly, has a lot of great life advice. If you’re looking for a mythology-inspired/fantasy novel that takes you on an adventure this year, I recommend this book. I finished it in the span of 2 days, unable to put it down, with my thoughts and heart racing at every turn of a page. It’s got everything you need: romance, adventure, mystery, magic, betrayals, and a heroine who grows in front of our eyes.
There are a lot of things that I pulled from this story: it’s a coming of age; it’s about falling in and out of love, and the meaning of love in general-for your friends, family, lovers and ultimately, yourself. It’s a story about being faithful to yourself when it’s so easy to take the easy route and fall in line.
However, one thing I pulled from this that really resonated with me the most: it’s a story about action and reaction.
The story centers around Xingyin trying to get her mother free and get back to her, but there are a lot of internal and external forces preventing her from doing so. The characters are all well-rounded and flawed in their own ways. Again, Tan’s writing is great, and she really knows how to make you love and hate everyone all at once.
A lot of things are a result of another person’s actions, causing a reaction from someone else, which leads to a lot of problems for everyone else to deal with. What I liked about this story, and about Xingyin, is that she understands that a lot of things are happening because she’s aware that her goals are ‘selfish’; and that she does put some thought into her next decisions (for the most part). And we see this development of her and her maturity, so it is a gradual thing; she does get tempted with many easy outs but she does put herself first. She does her best to just be a person (or being, as she is immortal) that she can live with at the end of the day.
There is a romance within this novel, but it doesn’t take away from the story; everything in this story works hand-in-hand. Although personally, I do think Xingyin and Liwei’s back and forth was annoying (I just wanted a solidified endgame and wanted her [Xingyin] to choose so I can commit to a pairing and not have my heart broken), I cannot say that it could’ve done without.
The story is left on a cliffhanger, as this is part of a duology. The story is wrapped up nicely and leaves you wanting more. There is a lot of unfinished business at the end of the novel, but I will say, where it ended did give me some sense of peace.
There is a lot I can say about this novel but it would take me forever to get the right words out. All I can say is that this is a great book to read. 2022 reads started off strong with DOTMG. This is a 4.5 out of 5-stars novel. Please read it so we can all discuss it (please - I need someone to bounce theories for book 2 with me).
With an enthralling synopsis, a dazzling cover, and an intriguing title, Daughter of the Moon Goddess was going to be a tale of magic, romance, and finding one’s place in the world. I had high expectations for this book when I first read the synopsis, however, this book far exceeded my expectations.
A hero’s tale through and through, Sue Lynn Tan takes us an adventure of love and loss, of friendship and betrayal. The story was amazing, and I’m writing this short review right after I have finished the book. A further, in depth one will be added later. But I just wanted to express how I’m feeling now: like I’ve just gotten off a Dragon’s back and lived to tell the tale.
--
Updated full review: Jan 6, 2022 (below)
With an enthralling synopsis, a dazzling cover, and an intriguing title, I knew from the beginning that Daughter of the Moon Goddess was going to be a tale of magic, romance, and finding one’s place in the world. I had high expectations for this book when I first read the synopsis, however, this book far exceeded my expectations.
A hero’s tale through and through, Sue Lynn Tan takes us on an adventure of love and loss, of friendship and betrayal, and homecomings and new beginnings.
Xingyin, the daughter of the Moon Goddess Chang’e, has her comfortable yet monotonous immortal life turned upside down after the Empress of the Celestial Kingdom visits her mother. She learns that her existence has put her mother in danger, and leaves in haste in the middle of the night. Her life-and existence-is committed to freeing her mother and returning home to the moon to be with her. She is offered a chance to pursue this goal after meeting Liwei, the Crown Prince. Within the lion’s den of the Celestial Kingdom, home of her friends and the immortals who imprisoned her mother, Xingyin learns, grows, and becomes her own person. She learns that being free comes with a heavy price to pay and that the truth isn’t always pleasant.
I really enjoyed Sue Lynn Tan’s writing, as this story was well-paced, beautifully descriptive, and honestly, has a lot of great life advice. If you’re looking for a mythology-inspired/fantasy novel that takes you on an adventure this year, I recommend this book. I finished it in the span of 2 days, unable to put it down, with my thoughts and heart racing at every turn of a page. It’s got everything you need: romance, adventure, mystery, magic, betrayals, and a heroine who grows in front of our eyes.
There are a lot of things that I pulled from this story: it’s a coming of age; it’s about falling in and out of love, and the meaning of love in general-for your friends, family, lovers and ultimately, yourself. It’s a story about being faithful to yourself when it’s so easy to take the easy route and fall in line.
However, one thing I pulled from this that really resonated with me the most: it’s a story about action and reaction.
The story centers around Xingyin trying to get her mother free and get back to her, but there are a lot of internal and external forces preventing her from doing so. The characters are all well-rounded and flawed in their own ways. Again, Tan’s writing is great, and she really knows how to make you love and hate everyone all at once.
A lot of things are a result of another person’s actions, causing a reaction from someone else, which leads to a lot of problems for everyone else to deal with. What I liked about this story, and about Xingyin, is that she understands that a lot of things are happening because she’s aware that her goals are ‘selfish’; and that she does put some thought into her next decisions (for the most part). And we see this development of her and her maturity, so it is a gradual thing; she does get tempted with many easy outs but she does put herself first. She does her best to just be a person (or being, as she is immortal) that she can live with at the end of the day.
There is a romance within this novel, but it doesn’t take away from the story; everything in this story works hand-in-hand. Although personally, I do think Xingyin and Liwei’s back and forth was annoying (I just wanted a solidified endgame and wanted her [Xingyin] to choose so I can commit to a pairing and not have my heart broken), I cannot say that it could’ve done without.
The story is left on a cliffhanger, as this is part of a duology. The story is wrapped up nicely and leaves you wanting more. There is a lot of unfinished business at the end of the novel, but I will say, where it ended did give me some sense of peace.
There is a lot I can say about this novel but it would take me forever to get the right words out. All I can say is that this is a great book to read. 2022 reads started off strong with DOTMG. This is a 4.5 out of 5-stars novel. Please read it so we can all discuss it (please - I need someone to bounce theories for book 2 with me).
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality by Bob Joseph
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Rooms by Lauren Oliver
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of my favourite books of 2021! Full review to come!
The Girl Who Reads on the Métro by Christine Féret-Fleury
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Juliette is a woman who is just living but isn’t entirely alive. She goes through the motions of life until one day, she accidentally stumbles upon a bookstore where she becomes a 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚞𝚛, who, in the words of the bookstore owner, Soliman, will pass the right book to strangers.
At first hesitant and feeling out of her comfort zone, she later falls headfirst into this new life and out of her comfort zone.
This book was lyrical and whimsical, with many little metaphors and descriptive language. It reminded me a lot of Petit Prince, which was a short novel full of metaphors and symbolism.
Overall, the story was okay. Just genuinely okay. It took me a while to read, as it was pretty slow in the beginning. I was in a place where I was torn between not finishing it and finishing it. As the book is less than 200 pages, I buckled down and let myself read a book about books.
It is a quick read about books, and how stories can help shape our lives. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and sharing the stories you have.
At first hesitant and feeling out of her comfort zone, she later falls headfirst into this new life and out of her comfort zone.
This book was lyrical and whimsical, with many little metaphors and descriptive language. It reminded me a lot of Petit Prince, which was a short novel full of metaphors and symbolism.
Overall, the story was okay. Just genuinely okay. It took me a while to read, as it was pretty slow in the beginning. I was in a place where I was torn between not finishing it and finishing it. As the book is less than 200 pages, I buckled down and let myself read a book about books.
It is a quick read about books, and how stories can help shape our lives. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and sharing the stories you have.
The Last Daughter of York by Nicola Cornick
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
The Last Daughter of a York is a beautifully descriptive novel that is perfect for the historical fiction reader–especially if you have a huge interest in English history. It answers the question: whatever happened to the princes in the Tower? To which, in many of our history books and common knowledge, there is a lot of speculation and suspicion, but no definite answer except they passed away under the guardianship of their uncle, Richard III.
What makes this a stand-out historical novel (for me), is the way it balances reality, history, adventure, mystery, and magic together, creating a world that makes you believe that there is always an answer to even the grimmest of circumstances. There are many tales out there that bring the past and present together, but this novel is one of the few that make it seamless and thought out without making it complicated to the readers.
For the full review: please check out my blog/bookstagram (asreadbyallie)
Overall recommendation:
I definitely recommend this book to my fellow history lovers. However, if you’re not into history, I still recommend this book to people out there that want to read a story of love, loyalty, commitment, and ultimately, closure.
For the full review: please check out my blog/bookstagram (asreadbyallie)
Overall recommendation:
I definitely recommend this book to my fellow history lovers. However, if you’re not into history, I still recommend this book to people out there that want to read a story of love, loyalty, commitment, and ultimately, closure.