Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.
This book is absolutely captivating. It is the start of a duology, but this book on its own is three parts, each one an epic in its own right. This story is inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm, but it is so much more than that. I grew up with a lot of Japanese folklore & fairytales, with a few other East Asian stories thrown in here and there, so the ability to read a fantasy debut that bridges the line between YA and Adult based on a Chinese legend I had never heard of before was really exciting. I now want to learn the original legend and see where the differences lie, because this book was beyond anything I could have expected.
Each character is not only well developed but nuanced. Good and bad are not so clearly delineated for some of the characters (some are pretty clear in my opinion), which I think brings depth to the story. I was never quite sure where the story was going to go next, and I had a hard time putting this book down as things progressed. While it is a duology, I do appreciate that the ending was not so painful that I am going to be counting down the days for the sequel; I appreciate when a book can stand on its own even when I know what loose ends can be tied up, and where the story might continue to go in the next book.
I appreciate the opportunity to have read this book so much and I cannot wait to read the second one. I also cannot wait to read anything else Sue Lynn Tan writes. Easily 5/5