By Megan Amato
Sometimes it’s okay to judge a book by its cover—especially when that book is Sue Lynn Tan’s magical retelling of a Chinese myth, Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Blessed with stunning UK and North American covers, Tan has crafted a tale that’s both lyrical and rippling with tension.
The day Xingyin discovers her magic is also the day she loses all that she has ever known. As the daughter of the Moon Goddess, Xingyin believes her mother universally beloved—until she’s forced to hide from the celestials who exile her mother to the moon for stealing the immortality the emperor gifted to her husband.
Stranded in the Celestial City, she works for a callous mistress until a chance meeting grants her the opportunity to study with the prince, learn more about her magic, and free her mother. As Xingyin’s magic, education, and skill with a bow grow, so do her feelings for both the gentle prince who’s nothing like his ruthless parents and the supportive and stalwart army captain. Caught between conflicting claims on her heart, Xingyin will face countless monsters, betrayal, heartbreak, and even dragons in her quest to unshackle her mother from the moon.
Xingyin is a gorgeously written protagonist who transforms from a sheltered and naïve girl into a warrior who doesn’t let her trauma stop her from being kind to those who deserve it. She fights for her place in the world, outside of her relationships with her mother and the prince, but she doesn’t forget them or leave them behind despite the complications and danger and heartbreak being connected to both of them bring her.
I’ve always disparaged love triangles, but I think that it’s the lingering effects of the first love triangle I read—you know the one that had most of us millennials picking “teams”? That one. However, the love triangle between Xingyin, cinnamon roll Prince Liwei, and seasoned Captain Wenzhi was so well done that while my heart would have pinged a little had she chosen one over the other, it would not have been broken. While neither character nor relationship is perfect, I loved how their feelings and dynamics grew in such different ways, yet each supported her sense of agency, unthreatened by her internal and external strength. While it seems clear that she has chosen one by the end, I have a feeling it's not the last we will see of their love triangle.
However, one thing I do hope to see in the sequel is more of her relationship with her only non-male friend, Shuxiao. I loved their friendship dynamic from the beginning, and I wish there had been more of her in the story.
As a writer who is often economical, I am always in awe of writers who seem to write sweeping prose as effortlessly as they plot their novels. Daughter of the Moon Goddess was beautifully written, and though I have never been to a celestial kingdom, I felt completely immersed with all my senses engaged by the breathtaking worldbuilding. From other reviews I’ve read, the lyrical writing may not be for everyone, but I never felt pulled from the story. Sue Lynn Tan’s debut novel was a delight to read, and I will be (im)patiently waiting for the next one.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.