*eARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Cute relationship between Zen and Lan. Until, well, you know.

Slow paced.

Lovely magic system, very interesting use of demons.

I was really into this one at the beginning. Everything seemed so promising. Action, a female MC with an attitude and determination to survive, and a lot of unanswered questions about her past. But then she gets rescued by the mysterious stranger with a dark secret and everything just really slowed down for me. We started just getting background and info dumping about the man I'm assuming is the love interest and his upbringing and it felt like nothing was happening for way too long. Plus his storyline was feeling very familiar and like one big YA trope. I finally DNFed around 35% or so. Wanted to love this one but it was starting to feel like a chore. I do hope others enjoy it though!

n a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died.

The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.

Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.

When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.

Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within—secrets they must hide from others, and secrets that they themselves have yet to discover. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.

Thanks for the publisher for the early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously considered DNFing this around 35% but pushed through given the very high ratings and how many early reviewers seemed to love this. Unfortunately despite ultimately finishing it I did not end up loving it the way I wanted to. I wasn’t pulled in and despite the drama and action of the story, I found it a bit of a slog to get through personally. I was also really hoping this was a stand alone which it definitely is not, but that’s my own fault for not checking. While I did enjoy the writing and the world overall, I didn’t feel entranced and invested in the characters.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a rich new YA fantasy that draws from Chinese mythology. Author Amélie Wen Zhao’s rich prose immediately immerses you in a different time and place. Zhao is equal parts world-builder and character developer. She strikes the perfect balance between the two, creating a fully-fleshed read.

At the center of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night are Lan and Zen, seemingly disparate characters who perfectly balance each other. Lan is a bright force in and of herself. From the beginning, she captures interest. She’s the more accessible of the two. Zen is more closed off, and it takes a bit longer to warm to him. Strong supporting characters help to fill out this grand world.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a fast-moving and compelling YA fantasy that you won’t want to put down. I’m excited to see where Zhao takes things in the sequel.

This was a challenge for me since I’m customarily not a fantasy reader, and I’m glad I stuck with it. The characters kept calling me back, even when I felt daunted by the page count. Loved the way the magic system intertwined with the culture. My favorite aspect was probably the impact of colonialism on the characters and plot.

From my blog post: I don’t know what it is but I love a fantasy that takes place in the past or is inspired by it…maybe it’s the history nerd in me but I always feel like there is a vividness that period pieces bring. If we add in magic with the historical, then I’m fully in my element and this book checked all the boxes for me. The story gives world building, imagery, different types of magic & how to access it, mythology/mythological creatures and high stakes along with dual perspectives (which y’all know I LOVE). Since this book takes place in the past, it also deals with colonizers, their shenanigans and the fight against their antics, which I deeply felt. I can’t wait to see what the next book brings because I feel like there is a battle to be had & I want to see certain heads roll (All Queen Of Hearts)!

This book was very fast paced and entertaining. There was never a dull moment, which kept me engaged and wanting more until the very end. That being said, I felt that the book was a bit rushed at the beginning. It felt like it was jumping from one major event to the next and didn't really give the reader time to take in the characters. I prefer books that start out more gently and then crescendo into the major conflict. I think that this is just a personal preference, however, and still found the beginning of the book captivating. I found the romance within the book believable and well-paced. I wasn't sure about Lan's character at first, but she grew on me as the book progressed. One of my favorite parts about this book is the addition of Chinese mythology and legends. I loved how the whole magic system is based on qi, the life force of all things. Even though there was some lore that I was not familiar with, I think that Amelie Wen Zhao did a great job of explaining everything to the reader. She left enough room in the book for a bit of imagination without leaving the reader clueless as to what just took place. You can really tell that the author loves her heritage and has put her very heart into this book. I am very excited to read the next book in the series!

I found this world to be fascinating and something I would read time and time again. I couldn't put this story down! And in light of recent events going on in the US, I read this at the right moment.

I have been waiting for this book forever ever since I saw it all over Booktok. And I was pretty excited to read this book when I received my copy in the mail.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night did not disappoint me at all. It may have started off slow, but once I got the hang of it, I dived right in. I will say that this book is mainly YA fantasy read, not YA romance fantasy read. Keep that in mind, you will truly enjoy it.

Song of Silver, Flame-like Night brings a different type of fantasy mythology. It focuses on different characters, but the main focus would be Lan and Zen. Both are different from each other, but yet they are connected in one way or another.

Lan has lost so much that she is more than willing to learn her mother's secrets. And she is willing to put her trust in Zen since he is more than willing to help her. He is also trying to uncover secrets, especially since people keep trying to attack Lan. They both are willing to go forward on their journey, but they will soon discover how much everything will change in their lives.

I won't give out any spoilers because it will ruin the fantasy read. But expect so many secrets to unravel between Lan and Zen. And also expect betrayals.

Before picking up this book, be sure you check out the content warning. There are heavy topics discussed and mentioned.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so charmed with a YA book, then along comes Amelie Wen Zhao’s Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. I cannot emphasize how much I loved this book. The worldbuilding is strong and layered, incorporating both Chinese history with Chinese mythology, the characters were interesting, and the plot kept me hooked the whole way through. This is probably my new favorite Chinese-setting YA novel.

The first thing I must talk about in this book is how fantastic the worldbuilding is. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is set after the fall of the The Last Kingdom, a close fantasy equivalent of the end of the Qing dynasty, after the Elantian Empire (white people) has taken over the seat of power and colonized most of the East of the country. When you first open the book, you get a short chronology explaining the different periods that have occurred through the history of the Last Kingdom, which the characters often reference back to throughout the story. It’s a fantastic way to showing how deeply layered history is in this book while not bogging the reader down with infodump after infodump. Granted, Zhao has a slightly easier time as much of this is a condensed, re-named version of actual Chinese history: the city we begin in, Haak’gong, is implied to be Hong Kong, the ruling ethnic majority right before Elantians arrive, the Hin, are a letter away from China’s most populous Han ethnic group, the Warring Clans Era has a similar equivalent to the actual Warring States period, etc etc. Yet, praise must be given in knowing what to keep and what to leave out. Perhaps my one criticism is that with the amount of dedication and care put into the worldbuilding of the Last Kingdom, I wish the Elantians had a more interesting portrayal than just Evil White Empire^TM.

On the more magical side, Zhao features Taoist shamans, known as practitioners in the book. (For those familiar with wuxia/xianxia, these are cultivators). I think this is the first time I’ve read a western novel that’s so fully committed to xianxia element and I’m so here for it. The practitioner deuteragonist we meet, Zen, is probably my favorite character in the book, in no short part because of how cool the practioning abilities are. In addition, the four cardinal beasts: Crimson Phoenix, Black Turtle, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon play important roles, especially in the latter half of the story as we learn that some of the popularly accepted history might not be so true after all. Zhao gives the White Tiger and Azure Dragon a color change so they’re Azure Tiger and Silver Dragon for some reason.

The plot and pacing in this book are fairly fast, yet it allows the characters room to breathe and interact. We open with our main character, Lan, attempting to learn about an invisible seal on she can see on her arm, and turning to shadier and shadier sources. When that gets her in trouble with the Elantians at the pleasure house she works in, There’s tensions and drama in that escape that made it hard for me to put my Kindle down. Once we get more into the practioning element, Zhao gives Lan and Zen the room to breath and fully take in the beauty and the calmness of the practioning arts, without losing the tension of the overarching plot. The characters themselves are great. I was never yelling at my book because of stupid decisions just to further the plot and no elements seemed to happen just because the author didn’t know how to transition from point A to point B.

Overall, I rate this book a 4.5/5. Zhao incorporates fantastic use of Chinese history and mythology with xianxia practices to writes a masterful first book in this new series. I can tell we’re only scratching the surface of this story and I can’t wait. to see what happens next.

Review will go live on my blog 27 Jan 2023

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!
AWZ really wanted to talk about her history and her intro about her grandmother was very heart touching. I can overall say I reccomend this book but it was not outstanding in its writing and pace. 3.5 stars
Themes:
Demon and gods in real world
Chinese history crossover
Slow burn romance ( real back burner if you like that)
Amnesia/forgotten family/past
Hidden past
Epic adventure
Big mouth FMC (in a good way)

Now overall i did like the characters, Lan especially. She had a mouth on her which i was surprised slightly but it was funny in her bantering. I didn’t care for the last second (literally ) plot twist with her and the master. The pacing was really off. Multiple times the Mc’s are walking through the countryside with tatted falling off clothes and it stays that way for days/weeks. It was off putting when they could have taken some or stolen if off grid but thats just me. There was a lot of traveling than plot the beginning and the end were interesting but i cant say the middle was great. It took me 2 months to finish this, not even 500 pages, though it felt like it.
I think it will be better action packed in the next book. The fighting is so fast because the characters black out and many people are dead, i want to see what more the metal magic can do!

I read this book in audio format, but the digital and print versions are gorgeous, with lovely art.
Song of Silver, Flame like Night is an exciting coming-of-age story set in beautiful places with deeply conflicted and hopeful characters. I loved each revelation and look forward to seeing where Lon's journey takes her next. I love a good heroine.

When I was younger, I went through an interesting phase of being obsessed with mythology. Greek. Roman. Egyptian. Chinese. Indian. The list could go on, but my top three favorites in mythology was Greek, Egyptian and Chinese mythology. All three knew how to capture my attention and exploring a bit of Chinese mythology inspired tales had been a fun foray into widening my literature scopes.


But the years passed by and these stories either weren't as popular anymore or they got lost in the types of books out there and when I got approved an eARC of this one, I was definitely overjoyed to dive in. The reader's note sold me on this being a good book.


I was not wrong.


Short Summary: A girl who could bring a nation to its knees with a hidden mark teams up with a runaway magician with plans to overthrow an empire to an adventure that fate has tied them together for.


Long Summary:In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died. The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.


Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs. When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.


Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.


This book is out now and it's a great way to start 2023, so get your copy now!


Overall: 5/5 stars

Almost lost interest in the middle due to ridiculous protagonist syndrome but then the twists started to hit and it redeemed itself.

full disclosure- i got this book as an arc!

but that doesn’t make this book anything less than amazing. the prose is beautiful- i have so many highlights for this book, moreso than any other. zhao seemingly sat down at a keyboard one day and went :) i am going to ruin my readers with prose and characters. and she truly delivered on that.

from the first chapter we are introduced to lan, and then next to zen. these characters feel real in their environment. we get to see their inner workings, and tidbit by tidbit is fed to the readers so that by the climax you not only feel for these characters but you understand them and their decisions.

often times when reading fantasy there’s a lot of worldbuilding text that bogs the read down, but here the worldbuilding flowed with the story and felt natural in the world. there was no initial fifty plus pages of world building to slog through- it’s interspersed through the story the whole way through.

definitely my first 5 star read of the year, and will probably end up on my best of 2023 list.

This is the first book I’ve read of Amélie Wen Zhao’s and I am in awe—what an absolutely thrilling and magical read.

This book is fast-paced and filled with lots of adventure. The writing style is so stunning and magical and the premise of the book is like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s truly such a unique and enthralling read. The world-building is incredible, from the magic system to the history of the clans and mythological creatures.

This book is pure magic.

I loved so much about this. The Chinese mythology and folklore, the magic system, the beautiful prose, the characters. I'm obsessed with the way that music is used in magic. The story started off a little slow for me at first, as the groundwork was laid. There is a decent amount of worldbuilding in this book, but I think it's done pretty well. Once I got past the first few chapters, everything started to flow, and I really enjoyed myself. I'd definitely recommend this to fans of Fantasy/YA Fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and Amelie Wen Zhao for the opportunity to read Song of Silver, Flame Like Night in exchange for an honest review.

Zhao has an amazing Letter to Reader that introduces some excellent information regarding her inspirations for this novel. Growing up having heard about her grandparent's experiences during China's Century of Humiliation was a major inspiration for this novel. The best way to describe Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is Zhao's explanation in the forward that the novel "is an interrogation of and a response to history. This is a tale of my heritage. Welcome to the Last Kingdom." The Letter to the Reader is important, powerful, and impactful. White the novel is fantasy, it delves deep into China's resistance to outside forces.

In the past, Lan had a different name, but now she is known by the name given to her by the Elantian colonizers when they took over her kingdom, killed her mother, and banned the use of magic by her people. She works as a songgirl in Haak'gong, a city that has been changed by the conquerors, and during the day, she searches for any remnants of the Hin people and links to the day her mother died. She is determined to understand the mysterious mark that her mother burned into her wrist upon her death by the Winter Magician. While the mark is of Hin origin, Lan cannot seem to find an accurate translation anywhere, and it sure doesn't help that no one else can see the mark on her wrist.

Zen is a skilled user of magic--called a practitioner--known as one of the legendary magicians from the Last Kingdom. It is said that a practitioner's was obtained through communicating, and even bonding, with demons. It is a magic that is believed to no longer exist and demon bonding is frowned upon by the masters of the Way. Either way, it is crucial that this magic is kept secret from the Elantians.

Zen encounters Lan after following a trail of qi, recognizing her as a potential practitioner, evidenced to him by in the symbol on her arm, which he seems to be able to see. He has never seen anything like it before, but he believes that the answers he seeks can be found in the dense pine forests of the Last Kingdom, where a group of skilled practitioners are plotting to overthrow the Elantian government.

Zen learns to control his own demon practitioning, while Lan learns how to use her own energies. When her past finally comes forth, Lan finds herself wrapped up in something huge, something that might just be the key to destroying the Elantians and bringing back peace to the Last Kingdom, and the lives the Hin people once knew.

This book has rich and detailed world-building based on Chinese history. This creates a sense of wonder and intrigue that keeps readers engaged throughout the book. The characters are exciting and complex, both with haunting pasts and a drive to secure a better future not just for themselves, but for their people as a whole. There is a light touch of romance, written in the Zhao well, with eloquence and risk.

After reading Zhao's Blood Heir trilogy, I was excited to see yet another history-based fantasy coming from this author. And another trilogy, no less! An exciting start to the Song of the Last Kingdom trilogy!

I enjoyed this, but did find it to be a bit slow and really long at times. I was a little conflicted and honestly a bit bored, but the ending of this book completely turned around my opinion around. The ending was amazing, the stakes so high, and I want book 2 right now.