I read fiction (!)

Two books inspired by Chinese mythology

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon a tik tok showing some books inspired by mythology other than Greek and Roman. The list included retellings of Korean, Chinese, and Middle Eastern stories.

I started reading The Daughter of the Moon Goddess written by Sue Lynn Tan. The story retells the myth about Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the Moon, who drank the immortality elixir initially intended to be for her husband.

The cover of Daughter of the Moon Goddess written by Sue Lynn Tan, and illustrated by Kuri Huang

But in Sue Lynn Tan’s retelling, the rulers of the immortal realm weren’t too happy about the fact that an unexpected person became immortal, so they punished Chang’e for exile on the moon. In the first book, the sequel Heart of the Sun Warrior, and most likely in the upcoming third book as well, we follow the story of Xingyin, the daughter of Chang’e, concealing her heritage and trying to make the best choices for her family and her friends.

Springtime, horseback archery time

After reading the first book I immediately started reading the next one. The read was pleasant and easy, and I really enjoyed a break from more complex reads. Also, the fact that the main character is an archer helped me prepare mentally for horseback archery training when in transit.

Generally, if you’re looking for a break from non-fiction and a book that encourages you to have Wikipedia opened by your side, I definitely recommend this one, and can’t wait for the release of the 3rd book!

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