![]() ![]() Xingyin becomes a servant to a wealthy household before catching the attention of the Crown Prince. What follows is a sort of mixing of a Cinderella tale with something more like Mulan. Her mother sends Xingyin away to hide in the Celestial realm in order to keep her safe from the Empress’ wrath. One day, after living for years in the quiet solitude of the moon, Xingyin comes into her magical powers which alerts the Celestial Empress to her existence. Before her husband can return home, Chang’e is punished by the vindictive Celestial Empress and exiled to live alone on the moon forever. Suffering what she believes to be the start of a miscarriage, Chang’e takes the elixir in hopes of saving the life of her unborn baby. In this version, she is pregnant and not expected to survive the child’s birth. In this version Chang’e is neither deceitful nor under external threat. ![]() In Daughter of the Moon Goddess, the author posits a new reason for the drinking of the elixir. All versions involve Chang’e drinking the elixir of immortality that was intended for Houyi and spending the rest of her unending life on the moon. There are a few versions of their ill-fated love story. If you are familiar with Chinese mythology, you probably know the story of Chang’e and her heroic husband, archer Houyi. This book is a retelling of the story of Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. Her debut novel is inspired by the Chinese myths and fantasy novels that she enjoyed as a child. ![]() Sue Lynn Tan was born in Malaysia and currently lives in Hong Kong with her family. ![]()
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