The love triangle between Xingyin-Liwei- Wenzhi is more powerful and reasonable. At the first book, things heated a little instantly and we couldn’t feel true intimacy between characters. But thankfully the author solved this problem at second round. Wenzhi is so adamant to make his wrongdoings right by giving his full protection and working as devoted ally. Liwei already confronts with his parents to choose Xingyin over them. First of all, the writing is very stiff. The dialogue does not flow nor does it feel relatable in any way. I almost never felt any real emotions from these characters whom I had so greatly loved in the last book. What in the Disney? What about the original tale of Chang'e, where Houyi took his own life in despair? Who is this grouchy old man too cowardly to approach his wife and cold to his daughter? To say I am surprised by the depth of my feelings for this story would be a lie. I could feel the under currents of talent in every word Sue Lynn Tan wrote in Daughter of the Moon Goddess. To still be sitting in awe over what I experienced, that's what I am surprised by.

I think that Sue Lynn Tan's writing is absolutely stunning - it's lyrical and descriptive, but if there's one thing that she truly excels at, it's an action scene, which I feel like isn't a combination that you see very often. The pacing of this book is, in my opinion, much faster than the first book - I think a common complaint that I've seen of DOTMG is that the first half the book is too slow, and I think if you were one of those people, you'll be much happier with this book. The pacing is very similar to the second half of DOTMG, and it's just non-stop, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but it works really well here. I always envisioned the story as a duology, with Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Heart of the Sun Warrior, inspired by different elements of the core mythology. R.I.P. Xingyin's character development and all the stuff in Book 1 she did to prove that anyone can be a hero despite not coming from an overpowered immortal family. R.I.P. any chance of seeing Chang'e learn to overcome her grief over his death and be her own character after twenty years of mourning. A lush, dreamy gem of a novel." — Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of The City of Brass on Daughter of the Moon GoddessThat said, there were some things that I didn’t love about this. Some of which I will put in spoilers. Xingyin’s whirlwind adventure through the beautifully described Immortal Realm is an intricate dance that encompasses multiple quest lines, thrilling battles, romances, magic, and mythological creatures. Tan raises the stakes significantly, grounding Xingyin’s strength in love even when her heart is buffeted by shifting loyalties and tragic sacrifices, and leads the reader to a bittersweet yet hopeful conclusion." — Booklist (starred review) The author should've let him actually die in Book 1 if his character was going to be nerfed this hard in the name of a ship - and this is coming from someone who was rooting for Wenzhi!

I’m not sure how to rate this book. It’s interesting. The magic is unique, but the dialogue, characters and romance are terrible. I can't wait to see where Xingyin's choices take her next. I already can't wait to read this again.

Summary

Xingyin loses what little braincells she had and makes some of the most ridiculous decisions for the sake of plot. She does not develop as a character in the slightest as everything falls into place for her. Also, could she not shut her mouth in dangerous situations for TWO SECONDS??? Xingyin may be amongst the worst protagonists I've encountered in the genre AND THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING. Can’t wait for the next Celestial Kingdom novel! Even though the characters are new, I HOPE Xingyin, Wenzhi, and Liwei will make appearances!

With all the beauty and heartbreak of a Chinese fantasy drama, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an enchanting joy from start to finish.” I’m just really overwhelmed with how empty this book is. I left this book feeling like the last chapter and maybe one plot point could’ve been the epilogue for DOTMG. This book was truly unnecessary. Yes the writing is still very nice, lyrical and beautiful but it had hardly any action and the little it had was mediocre. This is essence is just a romance with a hint of fantasy. Every once in a while, you read a book that just feels so special that you struggle to put it into words. That is this series for me. I'll start out by saying that I don't actually think that this sequel was absolutely necessary - I think you can definitely read Daughter of the Moon Goddess as a standalone if you wanted to, and overall, I did still prefer it over Heart of the Sun Warrior. However, I think that if you, like me, were craving more from these characters and this world, you will absolutely find that here.I think Xingyin's character was dumbed down to excuse her forgiveness of Wenzhi. Now I'm not against second chance romances but this was too far. Wenzhi didn't make a silly mistake, his betrayal was calculated up to the right moment. His actions were beyond abhorrent and all for his own means.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***

Discussion

Some may call this true love at its finest. I call this crap. Wenzhi emotionally scarred Xingyin for the rest of her life and destroyed any chance she had at a happy future with either himself or Liwei. He knew that his death would haunt her till her final days. He cared less about Xingyin than he did about "conquering" her heart over Liwei (made very obvious in their stupid catfighting over her).