Five suitors. Five impossible tasks. Who will win the heart of the Moon Prince?

In the kingdom of Moshotan, a childless bamboo cutter discovers a glowing infant inside a bamboo shoot. Named Akihiko, the boy grows into an ethereal young man whose beauty and prophetic visions earn him the title of Moon Prince.

But when admirers flock to court him, Akihiko wonders whether any of them see beyond his appearance. He presents five persistent suitors with five impossible tasks, expecting each one to fail.

As his twenty-first birthday approaches, their choices will reveal more than any magical treasure—and show Akihiko what truly matters in love.

The Moon Prince began with the Japanese folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, also known as The Tale of Princess Kaguya. I gender-swapped the central character and welcomed suitors of multiple genders, adding bisexual representation to the traditional courtship.

I retained many of the folktale’s familiar elements: a miraculous child discovered in bamboo, mysterious gifts, extraordinary beauty, five persistent suitors, and five impossible tasks. But I changed the heart of the challenge. In the original tale, Kaguya wants her suitors to fail. Akihiko expects failure too—but what he truly wants to discover is how each person responds when the impossible proves impossible.

This story also carried me beyond Tessagonia’s shores for the first time, into the kingdom of Moshotan and glimpses of the wider world surrounding it.

A light, refreshing read. In particular, I recommend this to anyone who loves fairy-tale stories, fantasy, or romance.

— Elizabeth Wilcox

Beautifully written, and it has all the elements you expect from a tale: a touch of magic, a lesson in morality and the ability to make you dream a little bit of this fantastical world.

— Chandaly

It uses a new fairy tale as a way that I enjoyed. It had characters that I was invested in…different and unique.

— Kat M