Daughter of the Moon Goddess

 7/17/22

I have to be honest. I just grabbed this book because it looked so gorgeous. I know nothing about this book other than it has Chinese Mythology or Chinese Folklore. Or, its about it. I'm not a hundred percent sure. Either way I'm pretty excited to read this book. It's also pretty big, so it's going to take me a while to get through it. Unless I love it and just breeze through the book. So far I haven't found a book that has made me do that yet. I'm only a few pages in and not a lot is going on. Just some background things. Which is understandable because you have to do the whole world building. Especially in books like this that focus so much on the folklore and myths of a certain culture. I think that is why I am so excited about this book. Just the mythology or folklore behind the story amazes me. I love mythology and folklore, especially from other cultures. I like to see how different it is from the mythology and folklore I grew up with in the Native American Culture. 

7/20/22

First thing I must say about this book is that it is so long to read. It takes me forever to read because it is so slow. The only excitement I had was in the beginning when she had to run away from home because the empress was getting suspicious that the Moon Goddess was hiding something. Which she was because she was hiding her daughter. The daughter is our main character in the whole book. It's also told in her perspective. Anyways I'm hoping this book picks up very soon. So far nothing has really happened. The story explains how she was hiding in this one house as an attendant for the daughter of the house because it's a noble's home. She is mistreated because everyone sees our main character as someone below them because she has no family background. The lie she has been telling people in order to keep her true identity a secret is that her parents are dead. Well she doesn't straight out say they are dead but doesn't correct people when they assume that they are dead. Anyways there is a competition to find someone worthy of becoming the crown prince's study companion and our lead character tries out for it. Much to the empress's displeasure, our main character wins the competition and works along side the crown prince as well as being his attendant. After working together for so long the two end up falling in love but their love story comes to an end when the emperor announces the arranged marriage of the crown prince. Our lead character feels hurt and betrayed to the point she leaves the crown prince and joins the army. And, that is pretty much where I left off. I am now going through her time in the army. I hate to say but so far I'm very disappointed in this book. I thought I would love it because of the mythology and folklore, but it is so slow. Nothing is happening in this book and I kind of feel like falling asleep when I read it. Let's hope it picks up the more I read.

7/21/22

I will have to say that part two of this book is a lot more exciting. But that probably has to do with all of the main character's adventures while she is in the army. She is trying her hardest to earn a thing called the Crimson Lion Talisman. So she takes dangerous missions in order to catch the emperor's eyes. Hoping that she can gain this talisman in order to free her mother from the prison she is in. Of course our main character almost dies countless times and even got a marriage proposal. Well in a way, he didn't out right say "Will you be my wife or bride?" Instead he mentions that he is leaving the court and want to take her with him. But I know she wanted to free her mother first. Which she does achieve her goal in the third part of the book, but I haven't gotten far yet. I'm only a few pages and it was all due to her risking her life to save her first love. I do have to say that part two in the book is so much better and might have added a star to the book rating. Now I'm just curious on how the third part will go.

7/22/22

I will first have to say that I had no idea that this was going to be a series. I didn't realize it until I looked at the spine of the book and the library label said "book 1". Honestly, how this book ended, I don't see how you can continue the story. Yes, you have to beat the demon king and all but how are we going to be told that story? How long is this series planned for? I have questions and I need answers. I'm sure if I look on Goodreads, all of my questions will be answered. But I will be reading the next book when it comes out. Even though this book had a slow beginning, I still enjoyed it. I almost decided to put the book down and never look at it again. But I'm glad that I finished it. The book got so much better once you got the the second part. Part three of the book was even better. But I won't tell you all that happened because it would ruin the story. All I can say is that there is a twist and our lead character literally gives up half her lifeforce to keep balance on Earth. I highly recommend this book but I do warn that it has a very slow beginning, but if you work your way through the slow part, you will not be disappointed. But now my rating for this book was hard for me. If I could I would give it three and a half stars, but I can't. I had to weigh what I loved about the book and what I didn't love about the book in order to figure out whether to give it three stars or four. Sadly, I don't like slow beginnings and I did almost put this book down because it was so boring in the beginning, I had to give the book three stars.