I’ve been recommended this book a few times but never got around to it until I was in the library and found a copy! While I enjoyed this book, I do think that it’s a pity it was marketed slightly differently.

Billed as a “retelling inspired by the Mid Autumn legend”, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is NOT a retelling of the Chang-E and Houyi story. Readers who are familiar with the original legend and are looking for a retelling are likely to be disappointed because as the title indicates, this is the story of Chang-E’s daughter. As a result, it’s a wholly original story, though it draws on Chinese mythology for its worldbuilding.

In Daughter of the Moon Goddess, we follow Xingyin, the daughter of Chang-E. Her existence has been hidden from the celestial court, but when she impulsively follows her magic, the celestial kingdom’s attention is turned to the moon. Desperate to save her mother, Xingyin leaves for earth but ends up in the Celestial Kingdom, as the study companion of the Crown Prince nonetheless! Hiding her identity, Xingyin is desperate to prove herself worthy so that she can free her mother.

Honestly, I was here for the story. It didn’t really bother me that it wasn’t a retelling because I enjoyed the world and I liked Xingyin as a strong, independent character. It’s true that she has some Mary Sue-ish qualities because almost every man her age seems to fall in love with her, but she’s pretty feisty and I admired that her love for her mother drove her actions.

There is also a love triangle in the story between her, the Prince, and a soldier, but somehow I wasn’t annoyed. I think firstly because it didn’t seem like a love triangle (I don’t know why Xingyin entertained the soldier because it was clear from the start she harboured feelings for Prince Liwei) and secondly because I was reminded of something similar in a Chinese drama called 再生缘 (English title: Eternal Happiness). I think the Chinese drama vibes brought me back to my childhood and helped me to enjoy the story.

In terms of world-building, the book reminded me (again) of Chinese dramas. I could see this translating pretty well into a Cdrama, with the court intrigues and the hierarchical system. While I wished for a bit more about the court, I can appreciate that this wasn’t the main point of the book. Anyway, the book brought in dragons as depicted in Chinese mythology, though I think the book put its own spin on its interpretation of the dragon’s pearl.

Overall, this was a fun fantasy story that’s inspired by Chinese mythology. I read that it’s part of a series (duology?) but I think that it stands alone pretty well on its own. If you’re looking for something that is the book form of Chinese drama, I think this would suit your needs pretty well.