I know we shouldn't judge books by their cover but this novel has one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen. I mean look at it! The flowers! Also, both the US and UK/AU/NZ covers are gorgeous! That's all it took for me to pick up this novel.
So, here is my review:
"We should appreciate the flower, regardless of its roots."
Daughter of the Mood Goddess
This novel is inspired by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess.
We are introduced to Xingyin, the daughter of the moon goddess, who grew up in isolation, with only her mother for company. Her mother, the moon goddess, was exiled for stealing the elixir of immortality from the Emperor. But Xingyin's existence is a secret, so when her magic starts to get her attention, Xingyin needs to leave her mother.
While on the run, she finds herself in the Celestial Kingdom, where alongside the Emperor's son, she learns to harness her magic and master archery.
Ultimately, though, Xingyin wants to free her mother from exile, so she goes on quest after quest to gain the Emperor's favour, so she can eventually bargain with him for her mother's freedom. But, in doing so, their realm could descend into chaos.
Now, my favourite thing about this novel is the fact that so much happens in this novel! Xingyin gets so much done, she is constantly on the move doing something, whether it's training, going to numerous quests with her team, or travelling around the realm; she is always on the move. And I love this so much. I have read plenty of books where characters are so trapped inside their own heads, that they don't actually act and do things, so reading about a character who is the complete opposite is very refreshing.
The setting and by extension, the world-building, felt rich and new. I've never read anything about the legend of Chang'e so I was fascinated with a lot of the details and bits of information given to us throughout the novel about this Chinese legend. Ultimately, it was fun and very interesting reading and learning about this legend.
My only issue was the writing style. It wasn't bad, it was just a writing style that I'm not very familiar with and as a result, I felt like I couldn't connect to the story as much as I would have liked to. This is the main reason why my rating is not a full 5-star. I did still read the sequel though! I won't be writing a review about the sequel (Heart of the Sun Warrior) but I can confirm it was brilliant.
Overall, it's an epic novel. So much is covered and we never get a chance to feel bored. It's entertaining, the world-building is divine and I love the adventures our main character goes on. So, that's it for my review! Thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely day.
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