Daughter of the Moon Goddess Review: I Love You to the Moon and Back

Daughter of The Moon Goddess
By Sue Lynn Tan
10
Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a fun read to combine mythology, action, and romance. If you enjoyed Percy Jackson, then you’ll enjoy this more mature take on the same genre.
What is Daughter of the Moon Goddess About?
Daughter of the Moon Goddess follows the story of Xingyin on her journey to free her mother from imprisonment on the moon. Since Chang’e, Xingyin’s mother, took the elixir of immortality instead of Xingyin’s father, the Celestial Emperor is furious, which leads to Chang’e’s sentence.
From there, Chang’e hides Xingyin’s existence, however, one day, the illusion breaks, and the Celestial Empire is aware of Xingyin’s existence. From there, Xingyin attempts to flee with her retainer, however, they are intercepted by Celestial soldiers, which splits the pair up. Xingyin is stranded in the Celestial Empire and has to figure out a plan to save her mother.
Who is in Daughter of the Moon Goddess?
Xingyin, daughter of the moon goddess Chang’e and the mortal hunter Houyi, is the protagonist of this novel. Prideful and hotheaded, Xingyin is a goal-oriented character who does all she can to save her mother from imprisonment on the moon. Besides Xingyin, another prominent character is Liwei, the crown prince of the Celestial Empire. Although of royal background, Liwei is down to earth and is opened minded. He and Xingyin share a special relationship filled with banter.
Daughter of The Moon Goddess Review
Of the recent books I’ve read, it’s been a while since I’ve read a book that has captured my attention as much as Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The Percy Jackson series was one of the first I’ve ever read, so the mythology mixed with action genre has held a special part in my heart. As such, it’s not a big surprise that this novel was a page turner.
I think the easiest way to gauge if you would enjoy this book is if you enjoyed Percy Jackson. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is essentially a more mature version of Percy Jackson, but instead of Greek gods, there’s Chinese myths, and instead of demigods, you have immortals. I think what I liked even more about this novel was the maturity.
As the reader, you follow Xingyin as she grows up. The bulk of the story happens when she’s an adult, which helps the story mature. Another area that gets developed is the romance. Now, I usually don’t like stories that focus on romance much, but this an exception. To me, I felt that the romance in the novel was implemented really naturally into the story.
Whereas in other forms of media, it feels like the romance was thrown in there, just so that there’s romance. But in Daughter of the Moon Goddess, it flows naturally with the story. I also appreciate the maturity of the romance. In other novels aimed roughly at a teenage audience, the romance is usually surface level, and there isn’t too much depth. In this novel’s case, it really explores all the intricacies of love. It’s a fun read, which isn’t something I say often about romance novels.
Delving into the specifics, plot was great. Although the start was a bit slow, and somewhat awkward, the pace does pick up and there’s a nice balance to what’s happening in the story. Besides that, the characters are also really fun. Everyone felt unique, and their actions were natural. There wasn’t really a point in the story where I was angry at a character for the illogical responses. I also appreciate the ease of reading. This story has a nice balance of difficulty, which made it both a quick and enjoyable read.
Overall, if you enjoyed books such as Percy Jackson, and you’re ready for something just a bit more mature, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is the way to go.
Daughter of the Moon Goddess now has a sequel! Check out our review of the second book in The Celestial Kingdom Series.