#prince liwei

[littlemoondance]

I couldn’t resist making mood boards for the Daughter of the Moon Goddess duology. I loved everything about these books so much.

[themusesof75]

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

[octopusoptimusprime]

i’m on part 3 of daughter of the moon goddess by sue lynn tan and can i please just say. FUCK liwei. with my entire soul oh my god??? he’s so rude to xingyin wtaf. if she doesn’t get her happy ending w wenzhi i’m gonna riot

[teartra]

Liwei is such Adrien Agreste

[in-dire-read]

Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Book Review)

Rating: 4.25 ⭐

Information

Author: Sue Lynn Tan

Number of Pages: 551

Format Read: Paperback

Genre: Fantasy

Summary

Raised on the moon, Xingyin is used to a life of isolation, unaware that she has been concealed from the mighty Celestial Emperor who banished her mother for taking his immortality elixir. However, when her magic unexpectedly surges, revealing her presence, Xingyin is forced to escape, leaving her mother behind.

Thoughts

I’m typically not a fan of love triangles, but in this book, it works remarkably well, largely due to the main character’s growth. Xingyin, having been sheltered for most of her life, undergoes rapid development as she’s forced to confront challenge after challenge. Her journey felt authentic, especially in how her thirst for avenging her mother wavers as her own desires evolve—a relatable struggle as she tries to define her purpose. I particularly admired how she freed the dragons from imprisonment at the Celestial Emperor’s behest and cleverly outwitted him. Her refusal to wield control over the dragons, despite being entrusted with their lifeforce, showcased her strong morality and integrity. In the end, even though she didn’t end up with the character I had hoped for, Xingyin still earned her happy ending, which was satisfying in its own way.

That said, there were aspects I disliked. It felt unrealistic that every man she encountered seemed either romantically interested in her or intent on destroying her. It was also disappointing to see Prince Liwei prioritize his own feelings over Xingyin’s. I had been rooting for Wenzhi, which made his betrayal particularly heartbreaking. And, in the end, the fact that the Celestial Emperor and Empress remained alive and in power was frustrating.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

Little Moments with Massive Impacts

I absolutely adored Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun God, and there is something lush and comfortable and quietly gripping about Sue Lynn Tan's writing. When Tan's original duology ended, I was satisfied, but honestly this is one of those worlds where I would happily take anything more the author was willing to give us. And she has given us some new small moments and an epilogue that just wrapped my heart in a warm blanket and squish hugged it. Let's talk Tales of the Celestial Kingdom.

SPOILER WARNING!!! I am going to spoil not only TotCK, but DotMG and HotSG. BE WARNED.

This little short story collection is divided into three main sections: "Dusk," "Twilight," and "Dawn." Each section covers moments before, during, or after the main duology. The only story from Xingying's perspective is the last one; the other stories are from the perspective of other characters.

"Dusk" focuses on Chang'e and Houyi and expands their relationship before Xingying's birth. It also explores the toll killing the sunbirds took on Houyi and the choices that led to Chang'e taking the immortality elixir to save her own and Xingying's life. Seeing their relationship and their clear love for each other before decades of grief and change have colored and complicated it was a delight. Chang'e and Houyi in this version of their tale are fiercely in love, and that is ultimately what makes their story so tragic.

I also loved that, despite the brevity of the stories, the emotions were clear, complex, and communicated effectively. That can be hard to do in short form (I have always been terrible at it; I like to have a little more space to really wallow in feelings when I write) and I've never been a major short story girl; I like novel-length stuff. But I was entirely here for this reimagining of the Chang'e myth.

"Twilight" fills in spaces that were implied but not explored during the DotMG and HotSG timelines. We get a little more Liwei and Xingying as students, with a quick little adventure just as Liwei realizes he is beginning to fall in love. We also get a little more Wenzhi and Xingying in the Celestial army, also as Wenzhi realizes he is falling in love. I absolutely adore seeing Xingying through their eyes, and it was very instructive to see how they perceive their relationship with Xingying. I was ALWAYS a Wenying (Xingzhi? I dunno, reblog with your preferred ship name) girl, because quite frankly Liwei had too many Prince Jonathan of Conte vibes for me to think he was a good idea. Getting into Liwei's head just strengthened that perception, and while I can understand that he and Wenzhi were both inherently flawed characters...frankly I could support Wenzhi's flaws a lot more smoothly than Liwei's. (Honestly y'all, I might actually need to slap Liwei, especially when he's out here being an UTTER DICKHEAD).

Our boys aren't the only perspectives in "Twilight." We also get Shuxiao and Mengqi's mission to free the Celestial Emperor from Wugang. We are always here for BFF Shuxiao, and honestly if we were ever to get another short story collection in the Celestial Kingdom, I want a slice-of-life first date for these lovely ladies, because they have SUCH A SPARK. Like, we get one short story for them. It is 19 pages. And yet I am HERE for them to have a long, happy life snarking off at each other. The chemistry was just beautifully done. Give our girls their own book.

Finally, "Dawn" gives us a little more from Wenzhi in his mortal life, and Yingxing inserting herself into it. It's darling, and I appreciate the subtle nuances and differences that highlight that yes, this is definitely Wenzhi, but it's not Wenzhi the Prince of the Demon Realm. And yet he and Xingying are still perfect for each other, still love each other. And they have their first mortal date at Wenzhi's favorite tea house. It's DARLING.

What the final story does, however, is give me the ending that I desperately hoped for--but notably did not get--at the end of HotSG. The end of that book gives us the hope that Wenzhi and Xingying will have an immortal life together with Wenzhi's memories and experiences as an immortal restored to him. It was a wonderful, uplifting end to a book that had a lot to do with grief, but the thing it didn't do was make it too easy. Which I think is so important for good storytelling.

That said, actually getting Xingying and Wenzhi reuniting as immortals, and--for Wenzhi--picking up after he had just sacrificed himself for Xingying was SO. SATISFYING. We had the hope, we knew it was a possibility, and that's often what we have to sit with and exist with in real life. That's fine. But every once in a while--a very great while, it seems--we get the fruition of that hope and promise. We actually get the unambiguously happy ending and we, along with Xingying, remember that happiness is crucial.

Y'all, the end of this collection is so soft and happy, and I'm so deeply grateful that it's in the world with me.

[argentumcor]

Uldwyn, Uldren, Crow, and Father Figures

One of the things that stands about the Sov siblings is that they don’t have a dad. They just have Osana, who is not a very good mother, being uninvolved and not affectionate (the fact Osana is not the mother kestrel in the story is another essay, but she isn’t). Considering the tech and how matriarchal the Yang Liwei seems to have been, given it adapted a monarchal matriarchy right quick in the Distributary, they might not have ever had a father outside the most bare biological sense. Osana might have opted for test tube twins. At any rate, no father is mentioned in any entry for the Sov twins. Not even a father figure.

I don’t think this was good for either of them, but I think it hit Uldwyn the worst. I spent a lot of time around young men in my time in the Army. The ones who didn’t have dads involved were obvious. They and a certain flavor of aimlessness and desire to prove themselves, a bad combo. Of course, men with involved fathers can have these problems, but it has a different feel to it.

We see this pretty plainly on display from Uldwyn when we’re introduced to him, all those years and a whole universe ago on the Yang Liwei:

Uldwyn grins messily at Mara over his opponent's shoulder. He's fighting a big, brutal woman from Gravity Ops, a woman who's had her myostatin genes knocked out so she can swell up into a giant plug of brawn. Uldwyn doesn't have a chance. He took the fight for the same reason he wanted to join the Amrita expedition—he measures himself by the bravery of his losses. By what he can survive losing. (Brephos II)

This is not a recipe for a stable young man. My uncle once told my mom “what a man wants most is for his father to tell him that he is proud of him.” You can argue that point if you want, but it is hard to deny the intensity of father-son relationships or the way in which they affect men as they grow from boyhood.

Uldwyn, and as such Uldren, had no such relationship. He didn’t even have a vague hint of it from what we can tell. Osana’s apathetic form of motherhood left him with Mara, who played a dual role of sister and mother- and filled in for some of the father relationship, badly. It’s too much pressure on Mara, I think, and it was really only a matter of time that their relationship became the ugly thing it did. Even if there had never been the cosmic powers and great wars, it would have gone wrong.

Whether this mess is just a function of their screwed up family or coming at least in part from the hyper-matriarchy of the Yang Liwei/Distributary isn’t clear to me. It was, at any rate, never going to be alleviated because of the Sov twins’ contrary independence and, later, the way Mara bound Uldwyn/Uldren to her when he struggled to become Awoken.

I imagine this made it all worse for Uldwyn by this...not really friendly to men environment in the Distributary:

...that the women should hold care and protection of the men and the others until more could be born. (Ecstasiate III)

It seems, based on this and the fact every single Distributary character we get a name for is female, that men were not allowed to hold any authority. How far this second-class citizen status extended is your guess. Interestingly, while men don’t seem to be inclined to hold authority in the Reef, it doesn’t seem they are blocked from it (Uldren is a prince, a title that isn’t mentioned in the Distributary, and holds authority as spymaster, while we have male cryptarchs, which are probably equivalent to Distributary eutechs, predecessors for the all-female techeuns) while they explicitly are in the Distributary. Could this have been a major appeal for them following Mara? Which would have posed a problem to those who didn’t want to leave, maybe not out necessity but at least culturally if men were...commodified to some degree.

So Uldren was living as a second-class citizen. He seems not to care overmuch when we do see him, being an independent sort who’d rather be in the wilderness (Hunter gonna Hunter), but we know he wants respect. He revels in praise. Mara’s in particular, but anyone’s will do. In the Distributary’s system, he wouldn’t get a lot, or if he did, it would be of the ‘dog walking on its hind legs’ sort. None of this helps his issues. No one has taken the time to teach Uldren the hard lessons, either, such as Saladin’s bitter lesson about mercy. He’s just sort of left to flail.

The rest is nearer history. Mara’s great destiny unfolded before her and he tried to tag along, win her attention and praise in increasingly insane ways, while she went her own way and grew colder. The Black Garden drives people insane and it exacerbated all of Uldren’s already existing issues. Things go wrong.

Then he becomes Crow. Crow, unlike Uldwyn/Uldren, is tossed a succession of potential father figures. First, we have the bad ones: Spider- he is getting off too easy for what he did- and then “Osiris”. “Osiris” behaves in a motherly fashion to him, and it’s what sold me on the rumor that this was actually Savathun.

It’s interesting to me that the mother figure Crow gets is a toxic one, but in a way opposite uninvolved Osana. Savathun finds herself caring about him, maybe a little out of the fact that she can’t actually love any of her real children (I wrote a one-shot about this whole dynamic). But she is a broken creature and a monster as well, and so her care for Crow is twisted, like every other mother figure in Uldwyn/Uldren’s life.

At any rate, enter Zavala and Saladin, positive father figures for Crow. Zavala, well, we all know how paternal he is. Saladin is harder and it’s a hardness Uldwyn/Uldren/Crow needed in his life. He tells Crow that it is not wise, or useful, to measure oneself by the bravery of one’s losses. He tells him mercy is a complicated beast. He demands self-discipline. He grants him authority and praises, soberly, his accomplishments for their practicality and contribution to the goal. After a long road of his own, he ends up sacrificing himself for Crow (yeah, maybe not much of a sacrifice it turns out, but it didn’t seem that way at the time).

No one, in Uldwyn/Uldren/Crow’s life, has put themselves between him and pain or danger before that point. It’s what a father should do, but no one has done it for him ever before.

So a lot of our boy’s life is influenced by the lack of father figures, and it is a major part of his current relationships and development. Would a lot of the trips we have seen with his story gone better if this theme had been kept in mind? Yes, but it is there, if unintentionally; it takes some doing to seize a story entirely for yourself, they are their own things, and better when you give them just the right amount of rein. The saga of Uldwyn/Uldren and the influence the lack of father figures had on him, and how that plays out for Crow, is an interesting story to tell and one that is well worth telling in this world of ours, frankly. 

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: The stunning sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin—the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer, Houyi—as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope. After winning her mother’s freedom from the Celestial Emperor, Xingyin thrives in the enchanting tranquility of her home. But her fragile peace is threatened by the discovery of a strange magic on the moon and the unsettling changes in the Celestial Kingdom as the emperor tightens his grip on power. While Xingyin is determined to keep clear of the rising danger, the discovery of a shocking truth spurs her into a perilous confrontation.Forced to flee her home once more, Xingyin and her companions venture to unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm, encountering legendary creatures and shrewd monarchs, beloved friends and bitter adversaries. With alliances shifting quicker than the tides, Xingyin has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined she would. As an unspeakable terror sweeps across the realm, Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation—to rise against this evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love . . . even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.

Review:

The daughter of the Moon Goddess, finally reunited with her mother after freeing her mother from her imprisonment and healing from the betrayal from both her love interest must now face off against the Celestial Kingdom who threatens to destroy everything she holds dear... and she must choose between the two love interests that are once again in her life as she faces off against a new evil.  Xingyin is still reeling from the betrayal of Wenzhi, who still haunts her dreams and visits her while also dealing with her feelings for Liwei, the prince. Wenzhi is the prince of the demon realm who trapped her but she defeated him, yet now he comes back begging for her forgiveness, telling her he regrets everything and that the only thing that matters to him is her. He’ll do anything she wants yet she is firm in her refusal of him. She firmly believes that he broke her trust, thus forever closing the door to anything between them. Now there is Liwei, the prince who was betrothed to someone else and wanted her to remain his mistress but now he is no longer betrothed but his family is bent on killing her and her family. Despite everything Xingyin is in love with both of them, despite the entire book being her denying and refusing Wenzhi and trying to stay firm in her love for Liwei ( obviously I am all for Wenzhi, honestly, Liwei is as bland as they come and the guy had basically zero character growth, I just didn’t like him despite him being considered the sweeter love interest). Wenzhi on the other hand is willing to do anything for her to get her to see that he loves her. While this back and forth is going on in the love triangle, there is also the issue that the Celestial Kingdom has kicked out Xingyin and her family, they are being hunted, a evil rises that wants to destroy them, and she might have found her father whom she thought was dead. Xingyin must find a way to save those she holds dear and finally pick a path for herself and who she wants to be and who she wants to be with. Overall it was an okay ending to the series, in terms of the love interests, the one I wanted ended up doing nicely so yeah, in the end it all worked out. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[chanelslibrary]

🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Xingyin grew up as a secret on the moon with her mother, who was exiled there for stealing an elixir of immortality from the Celestial Emperor. When the Emperor discovers her identity, Xingyin flees and seeks an opportunity to train with the Crown Prince, Liwei, of the Celestial Kingdom. Her only goal is to free her mother, so when the ruthless Celestial Emperor offers a bargain for her mothers freedom, will Xingyin risk everything even love to free the moon goddess?

I really liked the world of the Celestial Kingdom. Since it is the first book, there is a lot of world building which is why it has a slow start. But once you get into this book it picks up speed, and I liked the character development. Xingyin is so headstrong, but still romantic and sometimes reckless which is very relatable. The love triangle between Xingyin, Liwei, and Wenzhi is great and honestly I still don’t know who I want her to choose!! It’s so refreshing to read a story about Chinese mythology that is written well!

Read if you love:

🐲 Dragons, Merfolk, Snakes

🏹 Romantasy

🐅 Chinese mythology

⚠️ Love triangle

✊🏼 AAPI rep

[lifblogs]

Shit is constantly going down in Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The main character is Xingyin, the daughter of the Moon Goddess. But it turns out Xingyin’s mother is there as punishment (the moon is her prison) and she is not supposed to have anyone else there by law of the Celestial Majesties. The Celestial Empress sensed Xingyin’s presence, so Xingyin was forced to flee.

Her flight took her to the Celestial realm. For awhile she was an attendant for a Lady there, and was mercilessly bullied by the other attendants.

One day she met a young man, and it turns out he is the Celestial Prince, Liwei. He was holding a contest to see who his learning companion would be. He allowed Xingyin to enter the contest, and she won (partially because Liwei wanted her to).

Given her supposed lowly station she was made his attendant as well as his learning companion. In the mornings they were taught by instructors, and in the afternoon they trained in weapons and magic. Xingyin became a great archer.

Xingyin and Liwei fell in love, but at his birthday dinner she learned that he had just been betrothed to a Lady from the Phoenix realm.

Xingyin couldn’t stand this and decided to join the army.

There is more background too that makes things more complicated. Xingyin’s father was a mortal man of great archery skill. He had saved humanity. Before all of this happened and before Xingyin’s conception there were ten Phoenix immortals connected to the royal throne. They were young and decided to all ride across the sky at once, creating ten suns, and scorching the Earth. Xingyin’s father shot nine of them down, saving the world from its destruction. The Celestial Emperor was pleased and gave him an elixir that would make him immortal, but he refused to drink it even while he had it in his possession.

The Celestial Empress was once from the Phoenix realm and it was her kin that were felled by Xingyin’s father.

Xingyin’s father and mother fell in love and the mother became pregnant. The father was called away to war, and the mother left all alone. Physician after physician told her she and the baby would die in childbirth. She went into labor and felt herself dying and feared for her baby, so she stole the elixir and drank it, something that was against the will of the gods. So she was imprisoned on the moon, and Xingyin was her secret.

This book is insane, and the political intrigue, as you can see, does not stop. I don’t know what will happen with Xingyin next, but I am loving this book.

[moplayspoke]

Finished the Heart of the Sun Warrior, the final chapter in the Celestial Kingdom Duology… Overall a 3.5/5. Did I have fun? Yes. Would I read it again? Nah. Here is my mini review for it:

It had some elements that I loved from the first book and it started strong... and then it just became a whiplash of event after event. For one, I had a hard time believing Wugang would so easily take over an empire of celestials with such ease and quickness. I also felt like a lot of confrontations went a little too smoothly despite the main characters running out of places to flee or hide. And then when we finally get to the primary showdown it just felt so rushed and fast, it almost felt like more was expected or there would be some major twist that occurred.

I feel like too much time was spent on the dramatics of the way-too-drawn-out love triangle and less on the actual final battle. I mean we're talking a civil war amongst the heavens surely it should take a large chunk of the final book at the very least?

Speaking of love triangle, holy mother of god did it try my patience! I am not even going to blame the love interests here, the FMC was the problem. The whole "I love them both" rhetoric and selfishness was so grating I wanted to faceplant straight into my palm every time. I had a hard time believing either of her relationships with both men were based in real love and not love of convenience with a naive character. Her inner dialogue read to me like that of a 14 year old girl who had several pretty pieces of jewelry to pick from but refused to choose just 1 because her "heart was divided". Please.

And although I liked Whenzi more than Liwei in terms of interesting character dynamic (and for his more romantic side), I feel the first book made his character almost irredeemable to remain a love interest. It would have made more sense if there was a stronger reason to believe his character had good intentions all along (e.g. if he had held her hostage as a ruse to deceive his father/kingdom but did not get the chance to tell her his plan or could not reveal the reason for his fake betrayal?). And if that were the case, it would not have been a true betrayal of trust after all, redeeming his character in full. But alas, that was not what happened and his "excuse" for it was pretty weak.

Liwei would have been an alright option as well if he did not feel like he had the personality of a cardboard box. His entire personality was just the "good son" and being in love with the FMC. He had so much more personality in the first book with his swagger, candid frankness and sense of humor.

Honestly, I feel like she should have gone for the not-so-obvious options #3 or #4: Prince Yanxi or, honestly? Herself. This girl needed more healing and to needed to learn how to love herself first. She needed to learn how to love before she could entertain any more princes throwing themselves at her feet. For how could she truly, and I mean TRULY, love someone if she did not understand what love really was? It took a death to get her to admit to having feelings for one person, she clearly needs to learn what deep, committed and irrevocable love is at its core before she can promise herself to another. Ok, rant over.

And I'm also not a big fan of characters coming back from the dead unless there's a deeper reason or they never really died. I feel like her dad coming back into the picture felt like it cheapened the impact of his "death" from the first book and left a bit of a plot hole (why did the dragon think he was dead if they are supposedly all knowing? especially if they have such a magical connection with him).

Despite all my gripes, I did actually have a lot of fun with this story and enjoyed it. The world was just as beautiful as the first book. I enjoyed learning more of the world, its descriptions and its prose and learning more about the various realms.

And Shuxiao is an absolute *queen*, long may she reign! I wish we had seen more of her in this. I am glad she ended up where she did. I also liked how things ended as a whole and that everyone got their very sought after and very fair happily ever after.

[nyovette]

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Synopsis: Growing up on the moon, Xingyin is accustomed to solitude, unaware that she is being hidden from the feared Celestial Emperor who exiled her mother for stealing his elixir of immortality. But when Xingyin’s magic flares and her existence is discovered, she is forced to flee her home, leaving her mother behind.

Alone, powerless, and afraid, she makes her way to the Celestial Kingdom, a land of wonder and secrets. Disguising her identity, she seizes an opportunity to learn alongside the emperor's son, mastering archery and magic, even as passion flames between her and the prince.

To save her mother, Xingyin embarks on a perilous quest, confronting legendary creatures and vicious enemies across the earth and skies. But when treachery looms and forbidden magic threatens the kingdom, she must challenge the ruthless Celestial Emperor for her dream—striking a dangerous bargain in which she is torn between losing all she loves or plunging the realm into chaos.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Spoilers ahead ⚠️

Xingyin's inner conflicts were handled well. She starts her journey with the fury of her mother's fate and the desire to set her free, but as time goes on her resolve starts to waver, and she is tempted by the idea of building a new life for herself. I like that she had that struggle with whether she was being selfish by wanting to leave the danger of what she was trying to achieve behind.

The only thing about her character that I questioned was whether she would adapt as well as she did in such a short amount of time. She was essentially trapped on the moon as well as her mother. There were no visitors, she's never left their home. Yet, socially, she didn't struggle at all and actually was confident enough to be somewhat confrontational to people in positions of power. She handled the bullying from Lady Meiling's other staff with a lot of strength and defiance. I feel like having her struggle with interacting and standing up for herself to begin with would've been a great way to reinforce her sheltered upbringing.

I really liked the Liwei/Xingyin/Wenzhi dynamic. Xingyin is torn between her first love, who broke her heart, and the prospect of a new love. I was going through the book thinking, "I can't tell who's gonna be endgame," which was refreshing because usually you can always tell. But then - plot twist - Wenzhi was never even an option because he was evil the whole time. Though, that's not to say The Celestial Kingdom was therefore 'good', they also suck. I was genuinely surprised by that reveal, like I did not see it coming at all. I liked that Wenzhi's love for Xingyin seemed genuine until his betrayal. After revealing his true self, he said that his love for her was real and that he was going to stop his plans after falling for her, but then the opportunity came up to get the dragon pearls. And while that sounded feasible, I still got a slimy, icky feeling when every time he said he still loved her. Like,, I don't trust this man anymore but maybe he's not lying? But it would make sense if he is? I don't knowww D:

The overall story was nice. I did enjoy it and I think it's one of those books that I'd take with me somewhere, like on the train or on holiday. It works great as a stand-alone, but there is the option to continue Xingyin's story with the rest of the series, which I appreciate. (And I will be reading the next installment!)

[jwlsmacray]

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn TanMy rating: 5 of 5 starsExcellent book, loved the writing. The story was interesting. Xingyin is a terrific character and a strong woman. I love her spunk. Her friendship and love for Prince Liwei is outstanding. Then you throw in Wenzhi, darkness adds to the chaos. Fighting of the different kingdoms and dragons and different magic that is used. I like…

[fatedefyd]

   Xingyin has.. a complicated relationship with romance. 

   when it comes to her mother, Chang’e, Xingyin has heard all of the various iterations of the tragic story between her mother and father.  she’s heard the tales where Chang’e was the greedy and vain villainess, where Hou Yi had an affair and planned to make himself and his lover ageless, and iterations where both parties were victims of terrible timing and at the mercy of the universe. 

��  as for Xingyin herself, she’s only ever had two people in her life that she had ever seen romantic interest in ; however, both of these people, like her, had their own important secrets to keep.  

   Liwei, the only crowned prince of the Jade/Celestial Emperor, was not only a close friend, despite being the only son of the Celestial/Jade Emperor, but also her classmate as they tutored privately together for a handful of years.  they’ve exchanged gifts, been each other’s confidants, and developed feelings for each other through their constant closeness ; but, ultimately, it is suddenly revealed to Xingyin the day of an agreement for an arranged marriage between Liwei and another that comes from a powerful family to keep strong alliances.  the relationship between him and Xingyin was more a relationship filled with yearning and temptations, but after the fallout of their friendship, the girl throws herself into the military to put distance between her and the pain that came with the fallout.  by the end of the novel, the two become amicable enough to be friends.

   Wenzhi on the other hand, the young and accomplished Captain of the Guard, is a seemingly tight-laced man, but has nuggets of relativity that draws her in.  he’s darkly handsome, sympathetic in his own quirky ways, but treats Xingyin like he does anyone else in his unit as he departs bits of wisdom to her.  In the following years, though she is more weary of her feelings, the two grow close not just as comrades, but as friends that  ; it’s his respect and view of her as an equal that makes his later betrayal that much more heart-wrenching, especially when, at the same time, he is using the one thing that could free Xingyin’s mother from her bindings to strengthen his own personal matters.  as the novel comes to its end, he and Xingyin are on rocky terms, at best. 

[reviewsthatburn]

The worldbuilding unfolds slowly, with early mentions of the various kingdoms supplemented later on by more detailed descriptions once Xingyin actually travels there. The descriptions are evocative but not overwhelming, tending to focus more on her thoughts about what she observes. There’s a strong focus on Xingyin’s internal life, as her relationships get more complicated but she’s still keeping her parentage a secret. She’s the daughter of the moon goddess, having grown up in secret since her mother was exiled to the moon after claiming the immortality meant for her husband, Xingyin’s father. 

Full Review at Link

[eccentric-ocean]

I finished Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan! And it surprised me with its big twist. I didn't see it coming at all. Before I dive into spoilers, just wanna say it's a pleasant novel about a character going on big adventures. There's love! There's dragons! I think I will check out the second book. I'm curious what will become of the antagonists tbh.

Ok now for the spoilers. Mostly romance related.

I really liked Wenzhi, damn it! I got whiplash from the big reveal of his identity. He was presented as a great warrior and caring lover with mysterious origins. Suddenly he's a scheming prince with cruel methods. Xingyin immediately took that on board, my brain was slower to catch up.

I was excited that an author had managed to make me like the love interest that came second. Turns out it wasn't meant to be! I'm curious what happens to him in book 2.

The characters' interactions and relationships were well written though. Xingyin's feelings felt realistic, as much as a fantasy novel will allow. And she did manage to sell me that great love of hers with Liwei. Probably because, as much as she was ready to risk for Liwei, a part of her always was still selfish. She loves herself and that's lovely to read about.

I loved Liwei at first, then he decided to put his duty first (fair enough!!) and was a jealous idiot for a good chunk of the novel which cooled my feelings somewhat. Although his character made sense, and in the end he went against his terrifying parents for Xingyin.

Theirs is a complicated love and the structure of the book is such that Xingyin spends a lot of time trying to get over him, and as a reader I was doing that work with her... so in the end, I was kind of over him when he came back on the scene. No matter how many descriptions of Xingyin's broken heart I had read and how much he still affected her. He wasn't her only choice and she could see herself fall in love with someone else...

Anyway the dragons were really cool creatures! And she set them free, which was a great scene. Also her family reunion on the moon!! Loved it.