From the Bookshelf of 2025 Reading Challenge…

Daughter of the Moon Goddess (The Celestial Kingdom, #1)

Sue Lynn Tan,

Kuri Huang (Illustrator)

Start date: April 1, 2024

Finish date: April 30, 2024

Discussion: August 2025 Group Read

Why we're reading this: April 2024 Group Read
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Showing 2 of -3 topics — 116 comments total

August 2025 Group Read

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Mid-Reading Discussion
By Winter , Group Reads · 6 posts · 45 views

last updated Sep 01, 2025 06:43AM

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Reviews by 2025 Reading Challengers
By Winter , Group Reads · 6 posts · 40 views

last updated Aug 25, 2025 09:24PM

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What Members Thought

May 17, 2023 Kat rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I first heard of this book, maybe from the pop sugar challenge for duology (was it pop sugar challenge 2022 or 2023 though? Don’t recall). And this year after finding the joy of online library books (Thanks Queens!) I was able to start exploring the Libby app and kindle loans (I can wax poetic for a long time!). The wait for this book was long. But I was still reading another book (that’s proving to be a bit challenging and would take some more time), so when I saw the due date for this book com I first heard of this book, maybe from the pop sugar challenge for duology (was it pop sugar challenge 2022 or 2023 though? Don’t recall). And this year after finding the joy of online library books (Thanks Queens!) I was able to start exploring the Libby app and kindle loans (I can wax poetic for a long time!). The wait for this book was long. But I was still reading another book (that’s proving to be a bit challenging and would take some more time), so when I saw the due date for this book coming soon, and that there was a queue behind me so I couldn’t extend the loan, I had to kickstart reading this (and practically ignore my work).

A deceptively long read.

Despite having lived in SE Asia all my life, although I’ve heard of some of the Chinese folklore, I didn’t know all of them and the connections. I knew of the Moon Goddess yes. I knew of the guy that shot down the 9 suns yes. I didn’t know they were husband and wife. Asked a friend, and she said “yeah they are husband and wife.” So at first I was approaching this as a “using folklore characters randomly to write a new story”, apparently it was really using those folklore canon to build the background for this.

(I only went to check that 1 point. I don’t know of the others. But I was satisfied when the first checkpoint passed LOL).

Again, it was deceptively long. When I reached a part where I thought “huh, this sounds like the ending is coming,” and then whoosh! A new facet springs out and the story goes the other way. But it was done nicely, not abruptly, so it did NOT feel like the story was being dragged out for the sake of dragging it out.

I enjoyed the final… twist? It wasn’t a deception. More an… argument of a loophole, but, okay.

Overall, I really enjoyed the read, and also enjoyed seeing the little snippets that I actually recognized from the "canon" folklore (admittedly, not much).

Possible spoiler or not, one just wishes to strangle that Minister Wu guy.

Returned the book early so the next person can loan it. Happy reading!

And now. Let the waiting begin to queue for book 2. ...more

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