The imagery in this book is absolutely glorious.

On the very first page, the reader is immersed in cold, quiet snow, "white pines in the gray of ash", "the quiet of a winter caught in rosewood and rock, sky and ice".

Amelie Wen Zhao weilds words like a paintbrush and calligraphy pen. With each moment, the reader is swept into the pages. Almost like being caught up in the story itself.

Remember the feeling of becoming part of The Neverending Story? Amelie's writing holds that kind of sway.

This story is the best kind of high fantasy, the kind that moves with adept strokes of color and action, across time, and through a world that feels almost familiar, but brilliantly artistrated to become something wholly unique.

Lan and Zen are two sides of the same coin, the perfect YA archetypal protagonists. But their journeys are far from perfect, and their end is uncertain.

"Gently, Lan touched her fingers to the last painting... 'I understand now,' she said."

Highly recommend.

This series broke me in a good way but also not a good way😂. I cried through almost this whole book it was really good. Not exactly the ending I would’ve wanted but an ending that was perfect for the story and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night; Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White...Much like the second title of this duology builds its rhyme from the first, so does the story of the second book build upon the bedrock of the first. This sequel picks up the pace of action a bit too. Since the foundation of the world and its magic system was mostly laid out and we know our main characters, there was less time spent laying groundwork. We pick up with Lan and Zen shortly (about a month) after we left them, each following their own path, each taking their own approach to their destiny and their Demon. Their paths converge, since their destinies are intertwined, and we get closure to the romance that was slowly built up in the first book. Perhaps it is not the relationship that some may have expected but it is an appropriate outcome in my opinion. We also discover the remaining Demons and the myth plays out, yin and yang, beginning to end the tale of Lan and Zen, Dragon, Tortoise, Tiger, and Phoenix is complete. It was a nice, easy to read romantic fable, and much like yin and yang need each other to be complete, so do Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White.
I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Children's, Delacorte Press) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

#chinesemythology #ownvoices #xianxia #fantasy
“In this life and the next, and ten thousand more, I would choose you.” — DARK STAR BURNING, ASH FALLS WHITE
Epic , Sublime , Devasting ,Beautiful sequel and conclusion to the Song duology

Amelie Wen Zhao has crafted an epic sequel to her song duology .This duology draws from the rich history and mythology of China and Zhao has poured her heart and spirit into this duology and its evident to see. The characters are all so awesome and Lan and Zen have my heart . Iconic star crossed couple.

The stakes have been raised higher as Lan , Zen and her friends race against time to defeat the Elantians , Zen is possessed by a Demon God and hunts for a secret army of slumbering demon practioners that can eliminate the Elantians and Lan hunts for a weapon that can kill the 4 Demon Gods , who she believes are tools for the Elantians to be unconquerable . The place that holds what they seek is Shakhlahira , a long vanished stronghold of the Imperial court . Does Shaklahira hold all the answers ?, Will the Hin find their freedom ? And , What sacrifices will Zen and Lan make for their freedom....and their love ?


Dark star burning , Ash falls white is out January 2nd 2024 !

Exceptional sequel. Much like everything Amélie Wen Zhao writes.

This book also illustrates a gap in the YA fantasy industry. Longer fantasies with worldbuilding that you can actually sink your teeth into. While lots of teens I talk to love trope-y YA, they often comment that they ring hollow or feel false (and become tired very quickly.) Here, there isn't an overreliance on tropes, gimmicks, or poorly-written romance--everything feels fresh, well-written, and crisply wrought. An interesting world and magic system (built off from the first) with an engaging story that kept me interested the entire way through.

This was such a good read! I was fully sucked into the story right away and I really enjoyed the characters. The journey the author took these characters on was exciting and unique which is something I am really interested in with books now. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.