Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a 2022 adult fantasy novel by Malaysian writer Sue Lynn Tan. Tan's debut novel was inspired by Chinese mythology and the legend of the moon goddess Chang'e. Published on 11 January 2022 by Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins, it is the first book in a planned duology. It follows Xingyin as she embarks on a journey to free her mother from the ruthless Celestial Emperor.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

First edition
Author	Sue Lynn Tan
Country	Malaysia
Language	English
Genre	Young adult, Fantasy
Publisher	Harper Voyager
Publication date	January 11, 2022

Plot

Xingyin is an immortal and has lived in isolation with her mother. Her existence has been kept secret for years from the others in the Celestial Kingdom unaware of her mother's history.

When her existence is discovered by the Celestial Emperor, she flees from her only home to the Celestial Kingdom and swears to free her mother from imprisonment.

One day, when Xingyin was rummaging through the palace library, she uncovers a book detailing how her father, Houyi, had managed to kill ten sunbirds with an enchanted ice bow. She only manages to read about the ice bow, when her mother forcefully snatches the book away from her. Unaware of the titular figure of the book that she had read, Chang'e tearfully reveals to Xingyin that the archer Houyi was her father.

Chang'e became the moon goddess when she drank her husband's elixir in an effort of self-preservation and for the survival of Xingyin, and she lost Houyi after. She was granted immortality, but the Celestial Empress became angry after hearing of Houyi's killing of the sunbirds, and imprisoned her in the Palace. Reasoning that the Empress bore a grudge against Houyi, she concludes that the Empress would therefore not hesitate to hurt Xingyin. She then gave birth to Xingyin in secret. She also had to confess her theft of the immortality elixir, which led to her being exiled to the moon for eternity.

Xingyin accidentally discovers and uses her magic one day when she was examining a plant in the Palace's garden, and the Celestial Empress catches wind of the magic that Xingyin had used. After this incident, Chang'e hurriedly tells Xingyin to hide in her room and stay quiet. Shortly after, The Celestial Empress, accompanied with 6 attendants and a minister named Minister Wu, confront Chang'e about the magic, stating that the aura of the moon had a significant change. Chang'e makes up an excuse stating that the Azure Dragon's constellation had entered the path of the moon, and that it had caused the aura of both the moon and Chang'e to change, and that it would return to normal when the constellation passes. The Empress accepts this answer, but warns her that she would be coming back to inspect their home. Successfully managing to buy time for Xingyin, she convinces her to flee from her home with the palace's servant, Ping'er, to the Southern Sea. They flee atop a magical cloud, but midway through their escape, they are spotted by six Immortal soldiers. Xingyin, sensing imminent danger, makes the difficult choice to drop off at the Celestial Kingdom. She convinces Ping'er to let her split off from her path to the Southern Sea, to which Ping'er initially objects to, but after reassurance from Xingyin that she would be perfectly fine, she follows with her plan to drop her off. Ping'er manages to allow Xingyin to drop into the Celestial Kingdom, but is drained of stamina and rapidly approached by the soldiers. Before Xingyin can witness what happens afterwards, she crashes into the ground.

Later, she discovers her skills for archery which she inherited from her father and works hard to get enough status to bargain her mother's freedom. She befriends the Crown Prince Liwei, the Captain of the Celestial Army and she learns more about magic while disguising herself as an archer. Xingyin works undercover to free her mother, while others plot against the Kingdom but the Emperors are also staging a malicious plan. Xingyin eventually succeeds, and she and her mother's lives return to normal, and they live in the palace without fear.

Reception

The book was ranked as one of the most anticipated books of 2022 by several magazines and literary websites including Polygon , PopSugar, Book riot and Tor.com. It received several positive receptions from reviewers, and starred trade reviews from Publishers’ Weekly, Library Journal and BookPage. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly noted that "Tan paints a lush, sparkling world in her inventive reimagining of the age-old Chinese folktale. The result is a riveting page-turner that will leave fantasy lovers satisfied and eager for more". Library Journal calls the book “an exquisitely detailed fantasy with a strong, vulnerable protagonist. The intimate prose makes Tan’s wonderful debut an immersive experience…”. A review from Kirkus Review called the novel "A standard court fantasy, unique in its expansion on the story of the Mid-Autumn Festival". The BookPage starred review comments: “Filled with intricate world building, heartbreaking romance and mind-bending intrigue. Tan’s story is mythic in its scope yet personal in its execution…The result is an all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its suspense.”