Even the calendar, the rhythm of the months, had become a mere convention; the moon went forward in fits and starts, as though it were about to collapse. On these nights of low moon, people of a more unstable temperament began to do weird things. There was always a sleepwalker edging along the parapet of a skyscraper with his arms reaching toward the moon, or a werewolf starting to howl in the middle of Times Square, or a pyromaniac setting fire to the dock warehouses.
By now these were common occurrences that no longer attracted the usual crowd of rubberneckers. But when I saw a girl sitting, completely naked, on a bench in Central Park I had to stop. As I drove through Central Park at the wheel of my convertible, I felt myself bathed in a flickering light, like that of a fluorescent bulb emitting a series of livid, blinking flashes before it turns on fully.
The view all around me was like that of a garden that had sunk into a lunar crater. The naked girl sat beside a pond reflecting a slice of moon. I braked. For a second I thought I recognized her. I ran out of the car toward her, but then I froze. I did not know who she was; I just felt that I urgently had to do something for her.
Everything was scattered on the grass around the bench: her clothes, a stocking and shoe here and the others there, her earrings, necklace, and bracelets, purse and shopping bag with the contents spilled out in a wide arc, and countless packages and goods, almost as if the creature had felt herself called on her way back from a lavish shopping spree and had dropped everything, realizing that she had to free herself of all objects and signs that bound her to the earth, and she was now waiting to be assumed into the lunar sphere.
Nobody can do anything. The moon was above us, a convex shape almost crushing us, a ruined roof, studded with holes like a cheese grater. Just at that moment, the animals in the zoo began to growl. She spoke almost without opening her lips. She got up, walked across the grass. She had long copper-colored hair that came down over her shoulders. She was so vulnerable that I felt the need to protect her in some way, to shield her, and I moved my hands toward her as though to be ready to catch her if she fell or to ward off anything that might harm her.
But my hands did not dare even graze her, and always stayed a few centimetres from her skin. And as I followed her, in this way, past the flower gardens, I realized that her movements were similar to mine, that she, too, was trying to protect something fragile, something that might fall and shatter into pieces, and that needed thus to be led toward a place where it could settle gently, something that she could not touch but could only guide with her gestures: the moon.
The moon seemed lost. Having abandoned the course of its orbit, it no longer knew where to go; it let itself be transported like a dry leaf. Sometimes it appeared to be plummeting toward the earth, at others corkscrewing in a spiral movement, and at still others it looked to be just drifting. It was losing height, that was certain: for a second it seemed as if it would crash into the Plaza Hotel, but instead it slid into the corridor between two skyscrapers and disappeared from view in the direction of the Hudson.
It reappeared shortly afterward, on the opposite side of the city, popping out from behind a cloud, bathing Harlem and the East River in a chalky light, and, as though caught by a gust of wind, it rolled toward the Bronx. She shouted out a name like Diana or Deanna, something that could also have been an invocation. And she disappeared. In order to follow her, I jumped back into my car and began to search the drives of Central Park.
The beams of my headlights lit up hedges, hills, obelisks, but the girl, Diana, was nowhere to be seen. Sitting behind me on the trunk of my car was the naked girl, pointing toward the moon.
I wanted to tell her to get down, to explain that I could not travel across the city with her so prominently on view in that condition, but I did not dare to distract her, intent as she was on not losing sight of the luminous glow that was disappearing and reappearing at the end of the drive. She travels to the celestial realm where she undergoes trials to become the prince's companion and we follow her as she grows up amongst the court drama and her journey to try and save her mother from her imprisonment on the moon by getting into the celestial emperor and empress' good graces.
However sometimes I find with super flowery prose I lose some emotional connection to the characters which I did find a little here, I felt like sometimes the emotional stakes got a bit lost in layers of description. She also annoyed me a bit sometimes as she could occasionally be hypocritical but this also felt very realistic to how humans actually behave.
Additionally I really liked the other characaters; Liwei - the prince who has grown up with Xingyin and they have the best friends to maybe lovers angst going on which is very adorable to read but also painful and frustating at times. We also have Wenzhi, an up and coming captain in the army who takes Xingyin under his wing and was possibly my favoruite character in the book. I thought the love triangle was very well done and I was geniuely rooting for both relationships and it wasn't clear who she would ultimately end up with like it normally is lol - I think even if you are not typically a fan of love triangles this one is worth trying!!
Xingyin's friend at the place Shaxaoi I also really liked, she didn't have a big part but we love women supporting women!!! Chang'E as well was a great character, even though she is only in it right at the beginning and end you can feel Xingyin's connection with her mother throughout the story, how those bonds of love echo through all her actions and are the driving force for so many of her actions. Love in all its forms is a major theme of the book and I really liked that element to it.
The whole vibe of the book was just very enchanting and atmospheric. Everything is so vividly imagined and described - you feel so immersed in the world and it creates an amazing reading experience.
I'm very impressed this is a debut book - the writing and storytelling feel very confident. The magic added an extra layer of beauty and enchantment to the novel - it was just vague enough to be mysterious but also explained well enough to understand it and I think this fit the tone of the story perfectly.
I really liked the court politics and drama parts of the book, as well as the magical adventures our characters go on - it was a great balance between action and intrigue. Up until that point I was enjoying what I thought was a beautifully written slow paced story following Xingyin's journey to rescue her mother but then the drama ESCALATED and featured one of my favourite tropes and what is probably one of the best betrayals I've seen executed in YA and my enjoyment of the book definitely stepped up a notch.
The climax of the book is very well balanced and I was left very satisfied by how events played out. Honestly I just love a good bit of backstabbing lol. In conclusion if you are a fan of lush lyrical tales of growing up, finding love, familial ties and claiming your own fate this is a book you won't want to miss! Aug 19, jocelyn marked it as to-read Shelves: 5-asians , 1-anticipated , 3-fantasy , 3-myth-fairytale-retelling. Nov 02, nihaarika rated it it was amazing. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is such an incredible book.
I found myself drawn into it right from the start. Sue Lynn Tan's writing is so utterly gorgeous and I want to speak praises of it for days. The way she has described things, the way she has described the world of the Celestials is so enchanting. I lost myself in this book, in this wonderful story and the amazing characters in it. The pace of the story was also perfect. Never once did I feel it was going too fast or too slow; the pacing Daughter of the Moon Goddess is such an incredible book.
Never once did I feel it was going too fast or too slow; the pacing was just right, especially since the book is action packed. Xingyin is officially one of my favourite protagonists and I love her character development. She is brave and strong and courageous and her love for her mother burns bright within her. Honestly, I think I would love to be friends with her. Daughter of the Moon Goddess is an incredible debut, one that I highly recommend to everyone.
It's a book that will stay with you for a long time. I, for one, cannot wait to have a physical copy of this. Oct 06, kashvi marked it as to-read Shelves: asian-rep , arcs , releases. Aug 22, Elle rated it it was amazing Shelves: arcs. Wow just wow. Hands down an all time favorite read. This book spoke to my soul. It is beautiful.
The writing was exquisite. Full of luscious details, I felt like I had climbed on a cloud and entered the Celestial Kingdom myself. The beginning starts off with a bang and the pressure never lets up. At any point Xingyin could be discovered and every relationship she makes plunges her closes to losing her original goal of freeing her mother.
I love the overall theme of this story. It is steeped in loyalty and duty and how far would you go for family and those you love.
Xingyin character is inspiring. Her tenacity and motivation drives all of her decisions yet she remains kind and virtuous throughout the adventures. She might have been born into a quiet isolated life but after she is thrust into peril she owns her fate and learns to master her magic and her archery skills become legendary. This story really hit all of my favorite tropes. I love the relationships Xingyin makes. Especially with the crown prince. Ship to an address.
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