all at once a shattering tale of power and a heart-wrenching tale of destiny elegantly woven in with momentous themes of colonialism and embellished with glittering elements of fantasy, song of silver, flame like night, penned by amélie wen zhao is a book that’ll have you enthralled from the very first line.

without a doubt the one of the finest books i've had the pleasure of reading in 2022. with a prose that sings, a plotline that grasps your mind and refuses to let go, and characters which will definitely own your heart, this book is nothing short of a literary tour de force.

What a phenomenal book. Not one, but two interesting magic systems, plus a likeable main character in a YA novel? Delightful.

This book really hooked me in the beginning but lost some steam in the middle. It picked up towards the end - overall a great fantasy read.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is exciting and magical! A thrilling read that is based on Chinese folklore that Wen Zhao's own mother told her as a child.

The novel follows Lan, a song girl with a scar only she can see in a language no one knows how to read. Lan lives in The Last Kingdom, a country conquered by the Elantians. Her mission is to figure out what her scar means, the last gift her mother gave her after she died while protecting Lan during the beginning of the Elantian invasion. And so begins Lan's journey, assisted by the practitioner Zen and a few more quirky characters.

The thing that I liked the most about Song of Silver, Flame like Night was the amazing magical system and the backdrop of a conquered land struggling to hold on to its culture, people, and land. Song of Silver, Flame like Night is undoubtedly set in a fantasy world, but too many things ring true to our current and historical reality. I felt like I was reading historical fiction, but with a hearty load of magic. I loved it!

My one-star deduction is mainly because I felt that at some point that there was a bit too much repetition of events that got a bit tiring after a while. I still absolutely recommend this book to anyone and everyone and believe that it will be a must-read for 2023.

Oh, also, Lan and Zen are cute but oh, so heartbreaking. Looking forward to book #2!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5. Thanks to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

"Strength with restraint and power without balance are akin to a path into darkness without light."

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a lush, layered and beautifully written fantasy tale based on a turbulent time in Chinese history. It will be a duology. Amelie Wen Zhao pulls from her family's history to create the world of the Last Kingdom, born from the power struggles of the 99 clans as they are subsumed under one emperor and what remains of those clans are forced to assimilate as the Hin people. Each of these clans has a magic specialty passed down through the bloodline, but under the new regime many clans are wiped out and these magical abilities seem to have disappeared. Then from across the sea the Elantians invade and topple the Last Kingdom using their metal based magic and the Hin people are forced into subservience and the remaining clan magic users are hunted and killed.
Lan was orphaned after the Elantians killed her mother and she performs as a songgirl in a teahouse that serves the ruling Elantians. At her death, Lan's mother pressed a design into her skin that she has been trying to decipher ever since. An encounter with a vicious Elantian guard forces a stranger at the teahouse to save Lan's life and she and Zen then flee to escape pursuit. This sudden partnership leads Lan to a secret school, new friends, new skills, revelations and danger.
There is just so, so much to love in this story. You can tell Amelie poured her heart into telling a version of her family's story. The world feels like you could walk right into it. From the history and cultures represented to the food, clothing, languages and then add on the amazing magic of both the clans and the Elantians and it's a thoroughly fleshed out world. The qi based magic of the clans founded on the flow of yin and yang energies is fantastic. Both Zen and Lan are compelling characters and their actions and choices feel realistic and they have consequences that both have to deal with. Erascius is a wonderful villain and counterpoint to Zen and Lan.
I was completely captivated throughout this entire story so I would certainly recommend it to fantasy fans and absolutely if you are looking for Asian-based fantasy this is a must read!!

This one is super difficult for me to review. There were things I truly loved about it and things that I struggled with. At times I loved the writing (like really loved) and at times I felt it was hard to keep up with and stay invested in. And the ending left me confused on how the characters could make the decisions they made (it didn’t really track to me) but also left me excited to read the next book.

So I know this is the most confusing review ever. And though I’m only giving it 3 stars, I would recommend it for anyone who likes Chinese mythology inspired tales with magic, romance, and action! And I am so happy I preordered it because this book cover is gorgeous!

4.5☆

I really enjoyed this! It was my first book by Amélie Wen Zhao, and also my first Chinese mythology/folklore read! The worldbuilding was great and very interesting (I did get a little overwhelmed at times, but I never felt confused).

My favorite part was the magic. It made me think of Zelda + Dr. Strange, also got some Naruto vibes at times with the school lol.

I liked the characters as well. I really loved the dynamic between Lan and Zen in the beginning. I would've loved to see more romance between them, but it was sweet.

I was hooked at the beginning and then things seemed to slow down until the very end. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this series to YA lovers who want an epic fantasy with a small amount of romance. Can't wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

"Yīn and yáng, good and evil, great and terrible, kings and tyrants and heroes and villains. The tropes in the classics of old are but a matter of perspective. Really, they are two sides of the same coin. He who lives to tell the tale decides which side to pick."

Saw me hating on a YA fantasy just last week? No, you didn't. Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the only novel I have ever read by Amélie Wen Zhao, so I had nothing to expect regarding writing style, world-building, etc. However, I found myself moving through this novel relatively quickly each time I managed to pick it up because while the writing style is incredibly lyrical, it does manage to flow very well. While the central part of the story is something we have all heard before, Zhao manages to reinvent it using two unique magic systems—practitioning and the siphoning of magic through different metals. Lan, our main character, is a songgirl at a teahouse in Haak'gong, an outpost occupied by the Elantian conquerors. For twelve years, she had been driven by her mother's death and the characters burned into her arm as her mother's final action. Zen is another interesting character, yet also familiar—he's dark and broody and driven by a terrible past. Early on, these two work together to discover the mysteries hidden within Lan's scar.

While the formula is very familiar, I found that I wasn't necessarily bored by the way Zhao executed it because of the themes prevalent throughout. Colonialism, forced assimilation, and constantly being regarded as other and lesser because you are different are heavily discussed in SoSFLN, and I enjoyed reading them in a YA novel. The interactions between Lan and Zen were sweet, the magic system (even though the use of metals kind of reminded me of "Mistborn") was intriguing, and the adventures and action throughout kept me interested. I'd recommend it to fans interested in a fast-paced, action-packed novel that highlights culture, power, and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for the eARC!

There is a lot to love in Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, and I think this book will capture the hearts of a large audience. Gritty, adventurous, magical, inspiring… it features many of the things I love in YA fantasy, and yet something felt off. I realized at around page 300 that it’s too slow for YA. 500 pages is a lot for the first book in a series, and I think at least 100 pages could be cut, which would make the whole thing much more immersive. There is a lot of hurry up and wait in the middle, but it’s worth it to keep reading because the characters are super interesting. I like the characters but there are so many and many of them contribute very little to the story. I liked this, but it feels pretty dense for YA.

An absolutely stunning, resounding novel. Though there’s magic and mayhem, the plights of the characters are all too real and raw, and it was impossible to put this book down. I loved the magic systems and the different settings, but most of all Lan…what a beautiful character. A tragic backstory, a tragic future — and yet she is undeterrable and brave beyond belief.

★ 4.25 // 5

"Live not for those whose souls rest in eternal slumber in the next world... but for those still struggling to find peace in this one."

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is my first novel by Amélie Wen Zhao, and I can honestly say that it was well worth the wait. I've always considered reading her Blood Heir trilogy, but this book solidified her as a stunning writer in world building, lore, and characterization. I'm gonna have to do some backtracking via her older work. I expected a few of the plot trajectories within SOSFLN, but overall, I was STUNNED by quite a few revelations. I think this duology has a good chance of becoming a highly recommended one.

Now the characters were immensely interesting. Lan reminds me a bit of typical YA girl protagonist with her love of comfort food, snarky sass, and fast proficiency at utilizing her magic—aka her qí—so it took me a bit longer to fall for her because she felt a bit copy and paste at first glance. But once she started to interact with other characters, specifically Zen, Lan really starts to grow and develop into what she was meant to be. Zen is actually a great foil/ contrast to Lan because both are surrounded by ying energies (pain, anger, death, etc.), but they act on those feelings in completely different ways. Lan has an outlet for her pain through her experiences with loved ones and friends; whereas, Zen has always internally coped with his feelings, particularly because nobody ever accepted him due to certain circumstances (aka spoilers haha). These two are the central POVs of the story, and while a few new POVs pop up at the end, Lan and Zen driving forces.

Now let's get to my favorite part of this book—the world building and lore. I'll admit that Amélie likes to lean heavily into info-dumping throughout the course of Lan's tutelage and qí discovery. It gets old a bit because a lot of information gets thrown at you in a sort of lecture context, but I'm willing to let that critique slide quite a bit because it allows readers to jump faster into the history and lore. They're four Demon Gods (Azure Tiger, Silver Dragon, Crimson Phoenix, and Black Tortoise) that plague the Hin kingdom and their respective clans throughout the course of their histories, and of course, minor demons cause plenty of strife too. These demons are not brought to the forefront of the story until about 50% into the book, so our first antagonist is actually the Elantian people who have been decimating the Hin for over a decade. Instead of qí the Elantians use a metal magic, and their goal for years is to completely eradicate the practitioners of qí and possibly find any information on the Demon Gods. Elantians killed Lan's mother in the opening prologue, and they are the shadows hot on her heels for the entire book. Readers do get the truth of what happened exactly the night lan's mother dies, and it is without a doubt the most impactful scene within SOSFLN.

At the end of the day, this first book in the duology is about Lan's journey to finding answers about her mother. I get so tired of authors constantly killing off parents to their protagonists, but SOSFLN is one of those rare examples where I felt the death and parental-child relationship were done right. I saw myself in Lan's shoes because her mind was constantly drawn back to her mother. Lan doesn't even know her mom's name at one point due to her trauma/ memory issues of that time, so her discovery of her mother's truth felt very personable and raw. This whole book is about relationships, particularly ancestry and what that means for descendants, and by the end, you'll lean back into her pillows or wherever you read and just wonder about the implications of everything within SOSFLN.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5⭐️

"In a conquered land, the only way to win was to survive".

Song of silver, flame like night was an intricate, clever and gorgeous story, it blew me away. I'm completely delighted with this book.

There's a lot I want to talk about but I can't find the right words to describe it because this book is amazing.

I know the author used several books as references to describe SONG but if it's up to me to describe it, I would say that Song of silver, flame like night is The poppy war but make it YA. That's it.

I love The poppy war, it's one of my favorite series of all time so I'm pretty sure that those who love TPW and love YA fantasy are going to love this book.

There is Chinese history beautifully woven into the description of the world, there is a lot of discussion about the use of power, about imperialism and the consequences of it. And a beautiful romance. Seriously, Lan and Zen have my heart. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic had me LIVING, pls I need these two to be happy in the second book, I'm on my knees begging for a HEA even though I know the odds of that happening are very small.

This is my first time reading Amelie but after this book I need more. Her vivid writing style with the peace and tone of the book made it possible to tell a magnificent story in SONG, a story that definitely leaves you craving more once you finish it.

I've no idea how I'm going to survive without the sequel 😭

"Power always came at a cost, and victory never without loss"

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it took a while to get into the story, it was worth the wait. The character backstories were interesting and unique to the mythology being told and they were easy to fall in love with. The struggle between light and dark that takes place within Zen is raw and relatable.

I did not expect the twist that came near the end and that also made me enjoy the book more.

Following Lan as she unravel the history of her mother and family kept me engaged as did the desire of needing to know how Lan would interact and adapt to the new characters she met

The pacing was a little off to me, there were long periods of what seemed like no changes and just a lot of filler descriptions suddenly interrupted with bouts of action, just to slide back to a slower pace that didn't seem to match what should be happening.

overall I will definitively be reading the next book in this series as well and this was a great read

This book was MIND-BLOWING
The story building, the characters, the magic - I LOVED IT
However, I feel as though when information was shared it was not imbedded within scenes but almost dumped into them (so I had to skip a few to get to the main dialogue)
Moving on from that, Zen and Lan have a special place in my heart, they both deserve a happy ending 😭❤️
This book ends on a cliff hanger so I’m looking forward to the next book!

This book gave me everything I needed. The Love, the culture that you see the author put soooo much effort into. This book had all of the above plus some. Once i finally got into it, I didn’t want to put it down. This book made me wish all I did was read all day everyday. But unfortunately I can’t. I think this book is forsure worth your time. Beautiful story overall. Thank you for all of the time your put into this enchanting book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ability to read this book in advance

Easily one of my favorite 2022 reads. AWZ's beautiful writing had me hooked from the very beginning. SoS, FLN's world is wonderfully built, with lore rich in magic and violence. The Elantian colonizers struck me as a mix of British and Spanish, and their metal-based magic was a cool counter to the Hin qi-based magic. A corruption arc, Chinese mythology, star-crossed love. What more could a girl ask for?

I wish we could've gotten to know the side characters better. Shàn'jūn is a sweetheart and his relationship with Chó Tài is so lovely. Poor Dilaya just kept getting beat up. I hope they're more fleshed out in later books. I adore the (coughtragiccough) love story between the two leads, Lan and Zen, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the ARC! I'll post this review on my instagram on 12/20.

The book had me in awe I could not put it down. The writing is done so beautifully and the descriptions immersed me in the world.

𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘧 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 tells the tale of kingdoms coming undone and lives lost by unbalanced energies. Lan and Zen, both the sole heirs of their respective clans have lost but survived and are now destined to carry forward the true history of their Kingdom while battling their fated demons.

- ~ -

Sòng Lián or Lan, our protagonist, is still haunted by that one night in the snowfall, twelve cycles ago, when a destiny was chosen for her. To this day, she searches for the menaing of the seal burned on her wrist.

When she chances upon a black-cloaked Zen who had sensed a strong qì coming from her, he had no idea the sweet looking girl he can't get out of his mind, is high on street cred but has no knowledge that she's a practitioner.

Together with some begrudged friends and masters of a school - last on its kinds - hidden deep in the mountains, Lan and Zen battle their destinies and learn the true meaning of Yīn and Yáng, the good and the evil and how they are nothing but two sides of the same coin.

- ~ -

Ok so I don't remember now what I went into this expecting, but I came with a lot more than I had anticipated - all in a good way.

I think my favourite aspect of the stort is that while it is a purely fictional craft, it speaks a universal truth that can be easily applied to our lives in general.

All I can say is that I'm very excited for the next part and can sense that it's going to be more thrilling as the plot fully unravels and star-crossed lovers realise that they miss each other. Also, I think we'll get more of the two demon gods unaccounted for as well as Dilaya, Shàn'jūn and Tài.

- ~ -

4.01 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Beautiful. This word encompasses this entire story for me. It is beautiful from start to end. It is beautiful in its writing, in its world-building, in its dialogue, and in its beautiful leads. Just beautiful.

The world the author has created here is lush, immersive, and captivating. At times it did feel a bit info-heavy, but I was always patient in slowing down to ensure I fully engaged with the material. I didn't want to miss a single nook or cranny in what was born within this world. It was magic, it was heartbreak, it was hope. There is so much to devour from the world created.

And there are some magnificent characters to fill this world.

I loved Lan. I loved that she wasn't the typical super strong, wise, has-all-the-answers protagonist. Instead, she learns as she goes along. She makes mistakes, has shortcomings, mouths off to the point she gets herself in trouble, and I loved her for it. Loved her! She felt multi-dimensional, relatable, and inspiring. She was easy to get to know because she was this beautiful open book (minus those hidden secrets). She was so earnest in learning (even if she fell asleep a few times during important lessons, ha!). I loved her journey because it never went static, she was an evolving lead.

Then there's Zen. He's complex, brooding, guarded, and intriguing. So very intriguing. I did not get to know him in the same way as Zen. His character wasn't easy to crack, but when he's on the page he had my full attention. His character's allure is irresistible, and his arc produces more questions than answers. Yet I felt committed to go to the end of the line with his journey.

My qualms are mere nitpicks. I didn't fully feel Lan and Zen's chemistry fully unlocked in their burgeoning romance. I think I would have enjoyed more romance--more love story-- to develop, it felt it was from a very lengthy, cautious camaraderie to sudden, rushed late game romance. Other nitpicks include how I did not quite understand a choice Lan made, as it felt rather contradicting to a big moment she has prior to it. And the book felt a bit too long. I actually believed I was reading a standalone until it became clear this is only the beginning.

Yet, those qualms feel minor, because, indeed....this is only the beginning. The above nitpicks feel they can easily be "remedied" once the sequel arrives. So I leave this not wishing for this or that, but embracing what was given.

And it was beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Delacorte Press for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lan is a songgirl working in a Haak’gong teahouse. Indentured up to her eyebrows, she spends her nights singing to Elantian patrons and her days hunting for clues about the mysterious mark burned into her wrist that only she can see. The mark appeared when her mother died fighting the Elantians, an invading force now occupying her country and wiping out Hin culture. Inadvertently catching the attention of both Elantian sorcerers and a mysterious Hin practitioner, Lan must run for her life.

This xianxia-inspired fantasy has some beautiful imagery (hinted at by that marvelous cover), a magical school, a boy with a dark past, and a rather slow-burn romance. I suspect a lot of readers, as indicated by early reviews, will enjoy this a lot. I was impressed by the theme of imperialism and the wiping out of a culture— it gave the YA novel unexpected depth.

I devoured the first half but found myself really slowing down through the second half— it felt less believable and less immersive. I quickly became emotionally attached to Old Wei and Ying at the beginning because we can see their close relationship to Lan. But later on, there are big reveals that didn't have the necessary weight because they didn't yet have that deep connection to Lan. And while the descriptions of the Elantian impact on Hin culture cut deep, I feel like the portrayal of mythology and the magic system was often drowned in exposition.

In a fallen kingdom Lan carries her mother's secret which could be the key to saving her people from the invading Elantians and the power of the Demon Gods. Inspired by ancient mythology and folklore of China Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night is the first in the Song Of The Last Kingdom fantasy series.

The magic system is interesting and something I haven't read before. There are actually two systems of magic, one for the enemy Elantians who use metal and Hin who use Qi. I would have liked to learn more about the metal magic and whether one side can use another's. When the metal magic was first introduced I actually wanted to research metals. That's how interesting everything was.

There is a lot of action and some really creative scenes which were fun to watch unfold in my mind. Some moments are even creepy. There is also a lot of history which is important for the story, not just for the reader but the characters as well. It is a lot to learn though.

The main characters are Lan and Zen. Lan can be annoying and acts childish at times. Her transformation isn't fully believable. Zen is a strong character. Both of their backgrounds are talked about a lot but it would be nice if we could see more of it. I don't really feel the romance or love. I believe in it but I don't feel the depth the characters suddenly act like it is. It's supposed to lend weight to the climax but it doesn't for me.

There is some repetition and overly descriptive writing at times. I feel that without it the book would then have been shorter or more time could have been spent on relationships with other characters. Some characters towards the end seem to contradict themselves so some of their actions are not fully understandable and slightly frustrating.

This is a darker story. Secrets are revealed and there are a few twists but everything is not resolved. You are left wanting more and since so much is established in this first entry that leaves me ready for the sequel.

3.75 stars