Daughter of the Moon Goddess is inspired by the legend of Chang'e, the Chinese moon goddess, and follows her daughter Xingyin, whose existence has been hidden from the world. After learning of her mother's imprisonment, and being forced to flee the moon, her only goal is to find a way to save her mother, and reunite them once again. It's a story filled with heartbreak, tough choices, and mystical creatures, all tied together by Xingyin's love for her mother and her determination as she tries to complete her increasingly dangerous goal of freeing Chang'e.

I honestly had quite high expectations going into this book, as not only did it seem exactly my kind of story, but a friend also highly recommended it to me, saying I would most definitely love it. These expectations were only heightened when I received the absolutely gorgeous edition of this book from Fairyloot, and every part of me was now desperately hoping I'd love the story. And luckily enough, I did!

There's a lot to love about this book, and while I wasn't obsessed with the romance, it ended up not mattering for my overall enjoyment because of how much else I did enjoy. This book is chock-full, of action, of plot, of characters... of everything, honestly. This book alone could have probably been divided into a trilogy, with just how much was set up and then revealed as the plot was unwinding. We get to see so many sides of Xingyin, and we almost get to see her grow up, in a way. Her journey spans years, full of heartbreaks, danger, and new friends, and I loved seeing her grow stronger and more resilient without ever losing her compassion and her heart.

Generally, if a book has a love triangle, I get easily frustrated and annoyed, as generally that trope comes with a lot of annoying side effects. Somehow, the love triangle itself wasn't capable of annoying me, and I think it's because of Xingyin herself. While she leaves space in her heart for romantic love, she also has her own goals and dreams she's set out to accomplish, and she tries so hard not to stray from that. I also think there was a good balance of friendship/romance between Xingyin and the two love interests, and their relationships don't revolve entirely around whether she's going to choose them. Overall, there's just a good basis of friendship and respect in both relationships, and it allowed me to just go along with where the romantic plot line was going, rather than feeling, adamantly, that she had to choose one or the other for me to be happy. While I definitely do have a slight preference, it doesn't dominate the story for me, and I trust this story's path enough to trust in where it'll end up, eventually!

I only wish some side characters (beyond the love interests) had been given some more space within the story, especially Xingyin's friend Shuxiao. The story definitely seemed to orbit around the love triangle, and while this wasn't necessarily an issue, I would've liked a bit of a break from the romance at times, and it would have been nice to see more time spent with her friends!

I also just love Natalie Naudus as a narrator, and that only added further to my experience of listening to this book! There's just something about the way she narrates that truly brings the books to life for me, and adds a nice finishing touch to the story, overall.

In the end, there's a lot in this book to love (and in general!), and I seriously can't wait to see where Xingyin's story goes in the next installment. (Though, I'm also really glad I'm not left with a hole in my heart, desperately waiting for the next book. While I like a good cliffhanger ending here and there, not every book needs it, and I absolutely love how this book feels like a solid, cohesive story, while still leaving a few open threads for the next book to pick up on).