Do you love watching beautiful and exciting xianxia dramas? Well, have I got a book for you! I recently finished reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess by debut author Sue Lynn Tan and it delivered exactly what I was looking for.
Sue Lynn Tan was born in Malaysia and currently lives in Hong Kong with her family. Her debut novel is inspired by the Chinese myths and fantasy novels that she enjoyed as a child. This book is a retelling of the story of Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. If you are familiar with Chinese mythology, you probably know the story of Chang’e and her heroic husband, archer Houyi. There are a few versions of their ill-fated love story. All versions involve Chang’e drinking the elixir of immortality that was intended for Houyi and spending the rest of her unending life on the moon.
In Daughter of the Moon Goddess, the author posits a new reason for the drinking of the elixir. In this version Chang’e is neither deceitful nor under external threat. In this version, she is pregnant and not expected to survive the child’s birth. Suffering what she believes to be the start of a miscarriage, Chang’e takes the elixir in hopes of saving the life of her unborn baby. Before her husband can return home, Chang’e is punished by the vindictive Celestial Empress and exiled to live alone on the moon forever. However, she is not alone. She gives birth to a daughter, Xingyin.
One day, after living for years in the quiet solitude of the moon, Xingyin comes into her magical powers which alerts the Celestial Empress to her existence. Her mother sends Xingyin away to hide in the Celestial realm in order to keep her safe from the Empress’ wrath. What follows is a sort of mixing of a Cinderella tale with something more like Mulan. Xingyin becomes a servant to a wealthy household before catching the attention of the Crown Prince. At the palace, Xingyin learns to use her Celestial magic and discovers an affinity for the bow which sets her up for some wild adventures.
This story would make an excellent drama. It has all the features that one looks for in romantic YA fantasy. There is action, magical creatures, multiple romantic potentials, and some very scary bad guys. While I read the book, I couldn’t help picturing it as something like The Untamed or Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. The prose was a little more flowery and precious than I generally like, but it didn’t deter from my overall enjoyment of the story. The sequel is scheduled to come out later on this year, however I found that this book stood quite well on its own. There’s no cliffhanger ending, just promise of more adventure to come.
So if magic and mythology and Chinese dramas are things you enjoy, or you’re a fan of YA adventures and fairy tale retellings, I highly recommend checking out Daughter of the Moon.
For other YA Fantasy Adventure recommendations check out my thoughts on Six Crimson Cranes, Iron Widow, and The Keeper of Night
For more book discussions, have a listen to our episode on Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl