Books Inspired By the Mid-Autumn Festival Legend to Add to Your TBR

In honor of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I thought I’d round up some books inspired by the legend of Chang’e (嫦娥). For those of you who don’t know, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a Chinese holiday that began as a celebration of the fall harvest. The tradition of eating mooncakes is associated with the legend of the moon goddess, Chang’e. Her husband, Hou Yi, was an archer who was granted the elixir of life for shooting down nine of the ten suns, but he never drank it because he didn’t want to leave his Chang’e. In one version of the story, Chang’e drinks the elixir to prevent a thief from getting it. In another, her Hou Yi becomes a conceited and cruel ruler, and she drinks it to save the people from his eternal reign. In both versions, she ends up on the moon and is associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival when the full moon arrives in early fall. This year the Mid-Autumn Festival is on September 21st. (Fun fact: other East Asian countries have their own holidays to celebrate on the same day, too!)

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Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Sue Lynn Tan
Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Retellings, Mythology

“A fantasy 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 and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.”

As you can probably guess from the title, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is about Chang’e’s daughter. Tan promises, “a story of love and family, immortals and magic – set in a lush fantasy world, with: an exiled goddess, a strong heroine who fights for her family, Chinese mythology and xianxia-inspired fantasy, a gentle prince and a ruthless warrior, and love which will wreck your heart: friends to lovers to enemies” I personally love retellings and angsty Asian romances and have been so excited about Sue Lynn Tan’s debut since I heard about it. I thought I would have a torturously long wait until I could read it, but the lovely people over at Harper Voyager grant my eARC request. I haven’t gotten around to it yet since it’s been a weird reading month, but keep an eye out for my review later this fall!

Review: Fly Me to the Moon (The Celestial Kingdom Duology: Daughter of the Moon Goddess – Sue Lynn Tan)
Related Posts: Colored Pages Book Tour: Daughter of the Moon Goddess (Sue Lynn Tan) – Mood Board and Playlist

An Arrow to the Moon, Emily X.R. Pan
Pub Date: April 12, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Retellings, Magical Realism, Mythology

“Romeo and Juliet meets Chinese mythology in this magical novel by the New York Times bestselling author of The Astonishing Color of After.”

I don’t know why 2022 is the year of Chang’e retellings, but I’m not complaining. An Arrow to the Moon is basically Chang’e and Hou Yi as high schoolers. I loved the short story anthology Emily X.R. Pan helped edit and can’t wait to read her sophomore novel. Pan calls An Arrow to the Moon, “my ode to the myths I breathed and swallowed and slept in all my childhood. This is my story for the Asian Americans like me, growing up in places they never quite belonged, and discovering their personal magic in that solitude.” I’m excited to read this because there are so few retellings in YA featuring Asian mythology/folklore in general and even fewer contemporary ones.

Related Posts: TBR and Beyond Blog Tour: Five Reasons to Read An Arrow To the Moon (Emily X.R Pan)

All Four Quarters of the Moon, Shirley Marr
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary

“For fans of When You Trap a Tiger and A Place to Belong comes a gentle middle grade novel about love and resilience, interwoven with Chinese mythology, a Little World made completely of paper, and the ever changing, but constant moon.“

For you middle-grade readers out there, All Four Quarters of the Moon follows Peijing Guo who struggles to keep her family together after moving to Australia. The opening sentence of the synopsis is literally “the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing Guo remembers her life being the same,” so you can bet there will be some nods to mooncake festival. Between the cute cover art (which is 75% of the reason this is on my TBR) and a “sisterhood story” inspired by the and Marr’s relationship with her own sister, All Four Quarters of the Moon sounds like a sweet family-centered story perfect for the holiday.

Lunar Love, Lauren Kung Jessen
Genres: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pub Date: Jan 10, 2023

“This sweet, enemies-to-lovers debut rom-com filled with Chinese astrology will undoubtedly prove to be a perfect match with readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Helena Hunting.“

While Lauren Kung Jessen’s debut doesn’t technically have anything to do with the Mid-Autumn Festival, the title literally references the moon and romance, which is basically the point of the legend.

Related Posts: Moon Playlist (Lunar Love – Lauren Kung Jessen): Playlist

The Shadow in the Moon: A Tale of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Christina Matula, Pearl Law (Illustrator)
Genres: Picture Books

“A unique blend of traditional folklore and contemporary customs brings the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival to life.“

If you have little readers who might want to learn about the legend of Chang’e, this picture book sounds like it’d be the perfect thing for bedtime. In The Shadow in the Moon, two little girls learn about the story behind the mooncake festival as they celebrate with their grandmother.

Six Crimson Cranes, Elizabeth Lim
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Mythology 

“A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse… Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this original fantasy from the author of Spin the Dawn is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.“

Six Crimson Cranes is primarily a retelling of The Wild Swans, but it also includes elements from Chinese and Japanese legends including Chang’e. It’s a fun and magical ride and happens to be the only book on this list you can read now. If you like Ghibli vibes, cinnamon roll love interests and family feels, you should definitely check it out. It is the first in a duology though, so you’ll have to wait until next year for the sequel.

Review: From Brothers to Birds (Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim)
Related Posts: TBR and Beyond Blog Tour: 15 Reactions While Reading Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim