ARC Review: Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

by Sue Lynn Tan

Publication Date: January 11th 2022

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Find This Book: Daughter of the Moon Goddess

Rating: 4/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Daughter of the Moon Goddess was a fantastic debut for Sue Lynn Tan. Our main character, Xingyin, is an immortal so the pacing was really unique in this book. The story takes place over many, many years while Xingyin struggles to try and free her mother from her exile on the moon. The immortal realm and their magic system was well developed and fascinating to read. There are a lot of cool characters in this adventure that each added on to the twists and turns!

The writing style was absolutely magical, and sucked me right into the scenes I was reading. Xingyin and Liwei have some beautiful platonic and romantic moments together, with prose I'll remember as quotes for a long time.

My one and only qualm was with the pacing of events. As I was reading I was never quite sure what the arc of the story was headed towards because every event and battle seemed like *the* most important. I kept thinking "this seems early/late for a climax" which was a bit off-balance feeling. This book an awesome epic with A LOT of plot crammed into the pages — so just be ready for that and I think this work will blow you away. Seriously, it almost felt like a standalone story, you get a lot of content when you pick up Daughter of the Moon Goddess! It’s marked as a duology so I’m curious to see what’s in store for Xingyin in book two!

10 Books Perfect for Spooky Season

The books below contain spooks both natural and supernatural that are perfect for October.

1. Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

A monster, a familial curse, and three girls that are too curious and can't let legends stay hidden.

*standalone

2. Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Victorian Gothic lit meets the hot sands of Ethiopia as debtera Andromeda attempts to exorcise a spooky castle and gets more than she bargained for.

*standalone

3. Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Indigenous legends meet European fae and vampires in this vibrant supernatural fantasy set in Texas.

*standalone

4. All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

A string of serial killings in the 1950's will have you wondering if vampires are real, and what version of events you should believe.

*standalone

5. For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig

Jetta sees spirits and can control them with blood magic. Her world suddenly gets much bigger when she's forced to question her past, her current governing regime, and her future.

*trilogy

6. The Bright & The Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

A heist brings Valeria  back to her roots on Knnot Mountain, where something sinister still slumbers.

*duology

7. The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis

A small-town girl enacts her revenge on her best friend turned enemy — the Cask of Amontillado-style.

*duology

8. The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

When wishes come with consequences, what would you sacrifice to be remembered? A historical fantasy re-imagining of Nannerl and Wolfgang Mozart.

*standalone

9. Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Rich in Norse and Celtic mythologies, can enemy clans unite to fight an even darker threat?

*standalone

10. Department Nineteen by Will Hill

In a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural,  join Jaime as he attempts to take down a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

*pentalogy

What Spooky Books Are You Reading?

Month In Review: September 2021

 

monthly recaps; including life updates, upcoming, and book hauls

I haven't done one of these posts in a looooong time, but I posted a bit this month, and I've read a lot and have some upcoming posts planned so I find it particularly relevant again!

Life Updates

Life has been so busy these last couple of months! My last update was almost a year ago, when I hadn't even graduated from my master's program yet. Since then I graduated in December of 2020 and started working as a Marketing Specialist in June of 2021. I love my new job, but working a traditional 9-5 has given me less time to blog compared to when I was in school. I've still been pretty active over on bookstagram, but it's a goal of mine to start posting regularly on the blog again soon.

Currently Reading

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

How gorgeous is this cover?? Daughter of the Moon Goddess is my first 2022 ARC. I'm about halfway through and it's a very rich Chinese Fantasy inspired by the mythology and legend of Chang'e, 

the moon goddess.

The Marvelous by Claire Kann

I'm actually almost done with the audiobook of The Marvelous! I'm at about 70% done. This one has a really cool concept: users of an app are invited to the app creator's house to compete in a mystery game for money. It kind of reminds me of The Westing Game, except contemporary and with a diverse cast. I will say that with such a large cast of characters, I recommend reading over listening to this one.

My Recent Posts

• Review of Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta
• Top Ten Tuesday #16
• Top Ten Tuesday #17

Coming Soon

• Review of Daughter of the Moon Goddess
• Book lists
• Top Ten Tuesdays

Book Haul

For Review

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer

Bought

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Vengeful by V.E. Schwab

How was your month?

Top Ten Tuesday #17

Created by The Broke and The Bookish 
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

8 Books On My Fall 2021 TBR

I actually did a really good job of completing my Spring TBR list, 

so hopefully that trend continues with the books below.

1. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini

It's big (800+ pages), it's intimidating, and my goal is to pick it up and finish it before the end of the year. That sounds easy enough, but it's been on my "TBR soon" list since January! I really loved Paolini's Inheritance Cycle and I'm excited to see how he handles the genre of science fiction.

2. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

The first book in this series is actually the book that has been on my TBR the longest. You know it's been a long time when the books get reprinted with completely different covers (whoops lol). After how fantastic Mafi's latest standalone was, it feels fitting to go back to this series for my Fall 2021 TBR.

3. The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) by Rick Riordan

I'm actually re-reading this series right now in preparation of reading the finale for the first time! This book came out last October and when my pre-order arrived I was so excited to start it ASAP, but when a series is this long and comes out one book a year, the details start to get fuzzy. I'm actually in the middle of The Burning Maze right now, so autumn sounds like an easy target for me to hit.

4. Steelstriker (Skyhunter #2) by Marie Lu

This is an upcoming pre-order of mine that should be arriving any day now! It's the sequel of Lu's latest duology and it pubs on September 28th. I'm so excited to find out what happens next in this vibrant sci-fi dystopian world. 

5. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

I absolutely love greek mythology and myth retellings so of course I was drawn to this one! I actually have it on hold at my library right now, so I plan on reading it whenever it's my turn to check it out. Madeline Miller has set the bar pretty high for the niche of “greek myth retelling standalones," so I have some high expectations for Jennifer Saint.

6. The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer

I have a physical ARC of this book, thanks to Booksparks and Razorbill, that I'm planning to read before the pub date on October 5th. The synopsis of best friends growing apart and trying to find out who they want to be (tinted with a murder mystery) is all right up my alley, so I'm really excited for this one! 

7.  Within These Wicked Walls by Lauren Blackwood

Fantasy standalones are so rare that they feel like precious gems when I come across one! Within These Wicked Walls is is Blackwood's debut, and the description of an Ethiopian fantasy retelling of Jane Eyre had me scrambling to get a copy! I am so fascinated to read how fantasy and gothic spooks and Ethiopian culture will blend together in this one, but I'll have to wait until October 19th to find out.

8. You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

I won a ARC of this book in a Wednesday Books giveaway recently, and I'm so dazzled by the gorgeous cover. It looks like it will be a sad and/or bittersweet book, as the synopsis is about a girl moving on from the death of her boyfriend, and having a second chance at goodbye. This one is slated to pub on November 9th!

What's On Your Fall TBR?

ALC Review: Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

Gearbreakers

by Zoe Hana Mikuta 

Publication Date: June 29th 2021 

Publisher: Feiwel Friends

Find This Book: Gearbreakers

Rating: 4/5

**An Advanced Listening Copy was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Zoe Hana Mikuta’s stellar debut is an intense dystopian sci-fi about the country of Godolia and their army of Windups. Mikuta’s take on mechas (a 200-foot giant humanoid robot suit that has a pilot inside) was refreshing and dynamic. One of our story’s main characters, Sona, is one such pilot. Our other MC is Eris, a Gearbreaker, who’s one mission is to fight Godolia and destroy the existing Windups.

When Eris is captured on a Gearbreaker mission, she’s thrown into the midst of her enemy with no friendly faces. Or are there? Sona is a victim of Godolia’s cruelty too, but sided with them because she had nowhere else to turn to. She sees escape in Eris, a place to run to. As they team up and plan their deadliest mission yet, Eris and Sona have to learn to trust each other—as teammates, friends, and perhaps something more...

The Pros:

-Well developed sci-fi/dystopian world as the backdrop to the story
-Cool giant robots
-Amazing character creation and development. You will grow attached to Eris and Sona, as well as several of their friends! It’s always an amazing thing when a book is driven by fantastic characters, and Mikuta has done so with this debut.
-Catherine Ho and Cindy Kay are fantastic narrators who each bring such vibrant life to these characters and their story.

The Cons: 

-The book ends in a cliff-hanger that will leave you dying for book two. With how attached to the characters I became, and with the ambiguous ending, I’m hanging off the edge of my seat over here!

Top Ten Tuesday #16

Created by The Broke and The Bookish 
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

10 Books Covers That Made Me Buy/Read the Book

1. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Bought and Read

I just adore the classic 

gold on black contrast and 

the pretty title font. The foiling 

and minimalism really drew me in to this book. 

2. Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Bought and Read

How gorgeous are these pastels?!? 

I need more books to pub with 

cute pastel aesthetics like this one,

and I need the trend to start NOW.

3. The Bright & The Pale by Jessica Rubinkowski

Read as a Library Book

This gorgeous blue cover actually 

caught my eye on the EpicReads instagram 

account, and it did not disappoint.

4. The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

Bought and on TBR

This author is actually local to 

the Seattle area so I heard a lot about this book 

and fell in love with the purple stormy cover. 

I preordered this beauty,

 but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet.

5. Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

On TBR

The bold yellow drew me in 

instantly. I've added this to my TBR, but 

haven't gotten myself a copy 

or checked it out of the library yet.

6. The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh

Expected to Pub Feb 2022

I adored Axie Oh's latest book so 

this is not a 100% cover buy, but oh my goodness 

look at this cover?!?!? I need this ASAP!!

7. Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Bought and Read

What can I say, black and gold 

together is iconic. The smokey crow is 

so cool and ominous!

8. Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

Read as a Library Book

I fell in love with this cover 

on NetGalley, didn't get approved, but 

eventually read the library's copy. I was so drawn to 

the lotus flower forest the Heroine walks into.

9. Skyhunter by Marie Lu

Bought and Read

The colors in this one are so 

rich a deep, like the ending of a sunset. 

The naked hardcover underneath 

the dust jacket is just as beautiful!

10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Bought and on TBR

I actually just bought TNC this weekend 

at a used book store. Again, the contrast with 

black was eye-catching and I've had 

it recommended to me in the past so the 

cover really caught my attention.

What Have You Cover-Bought?