Read this as both an ebook and an audiobook and the audio version definitely helped me get invested in the story. The plot was a lot more fleshed out and compelling compared to Lin's debut duology and the world-building was more developed as well. The ending lowkey wrecked me and almost makes me wish this was also a duology

I just simply adored this book. The writing and world building felt so whimsical. I felt like I could see the story playing out in front of my eyes. The magic system was easy to follow and I loved the asian mythology. Every story I read from Judy I Lin just sucks me right in. THe romance takes a back seat which I didn't mind. I enjoyed the more story driven plot. After Xue lost he Uncle, she thought she would be tied to the House of Flowering Water forever until Duke Meng comes along and promises to set her free after a year of service. I felt a lot of the reveals pretty early on but still enjoyed the story. The way this ended has me wanting an extended chapter with my two favs reunited on page. I will continue to read anything else Judy I lin. has to offer!

3 stars

A fresh YA fantasy that stumbles occasionally but has a rich soul. This novel feels like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, but with a Chinese setting, celestial beings, and a musical leitmotif. If you’re looking for a YA gothic romance, this is the book for you!

I loved the historical setting, especially the richness of Xue’s knowledge of and love for qin music and its accompanying poetry. In fact, I loved the historical setting so much that I found myself less invested when Xue is taken from her apprentice-house to the Celestial Realm, which felt less grounded (no pun intended) and interesting by comparison. I also found the timeline a little vague in the Celestial Realm and its history, which perhaps contributed to my ambivalence about it.

I enjoyed the various side characters, including some really well done queer rep that fit well into the story. However, I didn’t feel much chemistry between our two main characters, Xue and Duke Meng, and so their romance was one of the weaker parts of the book for me.

The climax crescendoed in a way that felt more appropriate to an anime battle than a gothic romance, even considering the way the gothic has historically been intertwined with melodrama; there is likely an element of Chinese/East Asian storytelling traditions here that I am failing to appreciate due to my limited reading of non-Western-based or -inspired literature, which isn’t the book’s fault. It’s a charming narrative and worth a read if you enjoy YA fantasy.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

What a beautiful fantasy story. Judy Lin does it again taking a simple object and infusing it with magic to tell a wonderful story. It takes a minute to understand what the story is going to be about but it doesn't take long to appreciate the beautiful story telling. And that's exactly what this book did. I was absorbed into this wonderful story and the characters within it. As the story unfolds, it really builds. I enjoyed the mystery behind the memory stones and how everything was connected. The writing itself is lyrical which is perfect for the musical setting of the plot. While this is more of a lyrical written book, it can be slow so be prepared to push through these parts!

Xue was such a great main character. Raised by her Uncle but left at an entertainment house really helped develop her character. It was easy to see the influence her Uncle had on her but the raising in the house. Her beautiful music playing is destined and her place within the realms but sometimes I felt like her personality was a little too strong in some instances. However, I still really enjoyed her point of view.

Overall, Song of the Six Realms by Judy I Lin was a beautifully told story. The lyrical way of writing can lead to some parts being slow but it fits the story itself. Lin has a way of taking ordinary items and blending them into the magic of her stories which I love. Xue was a strong character, and I enjoyed her point of view. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy lyrically told stories with magical folklore.

1 whole star for the breathtaking cover. Unfortunately, the story failed to get me engaged and hooked since the very beginning. It was all tell and not showing. I can't care with what Xue was thinking. The characters are boring and flat....

The world building is actually pretty cool. It has potential to be a well written one. The premise is promising but again, the execution didn't live up to its advertisement.

The second half to the end was actually pretty intriguing. It's unfortunate that the sudden many realms were underdeveloped. I prefer a more action packed pacing and a great character development arc.

And the romance dynamic was not there....

The writing's oke, the interlude was a nice touch ✨👌🏼

If you're into slow paced Chinese inspired fantasy, give this book a go.

Thankyou for the arc in exchange of honest review.

Utterly enchanting and captivating. Judy I. Lin wove a beautiful story within this book. One that had me sitting at the edge of my seat and devouring it within less than 24 hours.

I’d recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy!

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC for early review.. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

Song of the Six Realms is a new, standalone title from Judy Lin, where romance and mystery swirl together to form a story of magic, intrigue, and destiny.

While I enjoyed the lush worldbuilding and characterization of this story, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, and it ended up being a slow downfall for me as I continued to push through. Our main character, Xue, is intelligent, kind, and brave, but other than her talent for music, specifically her magical qin, she is a bit of a flat entry. Her love interest, the Duke of Dreams, was nice, friendly, a bit awkward, but overall had good chemistry with her, but due to him being gone for large portions of the story, I felt mostly apathetic towards the romance as a whole. The family drama going on in the celestial realm was not interesting enough for me to stay 100% tuned in. So, while the writing style, characters, and plot were quality, I sadly didn't find myself enjoying this one as much as other stories.

i really enjoyed the prose and lush writing but the plot was definitely lacking and the pacing was so slow sometimes i couldn’t be bothered to read

thank you netgalleu for the e-arc!

Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy standalone romance about a talented musician swept away to the Celestial Realm by a handsome duke in Song of the Six Realms.

This book had the most gorgeous writing and setting but the plot was lacking.

This book is very slow-paced and despite the interesting world-building, I could not keep my attention on the pages. This is not to say this is a bad book; it just was not what I was expecting.

Review: 3 stars

I don't know what to make of this book. The cover is just so darn pretty, and the synopsis is intriguing....

This story is a beautiful representation of Chinese folklore and homage to traditional Chinese music and poems -the nod to it is brilliant, and kudos to the author for all the research she has done as she weaves this into the story. The vivid descriptions of the lush world-building from the Duke's palace to the delish food descriptions are heaven.

However, because the focus is so much on worldbuilding, the character development suffers, and the plot is just chaos of confusion. After reading this book, I still can't tell what the whole purpose of this main character was —that's how confusing it was for me. The love plot was seriously a side development and there were a lot of instances where the plot dragged and had no focus. There were some moments where the pacing suffered, and there was so much information dumping...

If you are looking for a book with pure aesthetics like a beautiful cover, this will be for you.
But if you are looking for an intense story, I highly recommend you look elsewhere.

Xue is an orphan and an apprentice musician at the House of Flowing Water. However, one night, while performing, she catches the eye of a mysterious lord. He whisks her away to his estate where she discovers that he is actually The Duke of Dreams and that her memories may be the key to saving all the realms!

The premise for Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin sounded promising and Meng's estate felt magical and beautifully atmospheric, but the story's execution fell flat to me.

Pacing-wise, I feel like a lot of the first three chapters could have been cut and gradually revealed throughout the story. Either that, or I wish there had been some sort of stakes or conflict—like competition from the other apprentices or Xue struggling with her lessons, or at least something to make things more interesting!

I was also disappointed in Xue's lack of character motivation. Give us a dying promise from her parents that she's trying to fulfill or some sort of goal so readers can to root for her! I think I found Ning from Lin's first series (The Book of Tea) a more compelling character because she was at least fighting to save her sister.

I typically adore C-drama inspired stories with Demons and Celestials, but this book unfortunately lacked heart to me and I found it difficult to care about any of the characters.

I just finished this after a month, and i think it was definitely better than Judy's last works. The better part of this book was its characters. I found several dynamics with the characters, making the plot vividly alive in my head.

The plot was fine, although there were some personal complaints of the choice of words.

Judy's writing is improving i can tell.

Very interesting world building but the characters were just not doing anything for me. They felt very flat and one-dimensional. I think there is something so I'd read book two for sure.

This new Chinese Fantasy follows a gifted qin musician as she decides to take up an offer from the Duke to earn her freedom but ends up journeying to the Celestial Realm to solve a mystery.

I liked our two main characters and felt that they were interesting. The main protagonist Xue is young and naive but not in an annoying way, while the Duke Meng is mysterious and strange. There is some romance between these two characters but it wasn’t something I felt strongly for or felt like it was a main part of the plot.

The story takes place in a Chinese period drama world with interesting magic types like music and shapeshifting. The author uses descriptive imagery that can be a little flowery to describe this world, which feels very fitting for the setting.

I enjoyed following Xue on her journey and felt like it was interesting and fun to read but nothing that was intense or a page turner. Some of the plot points were a little predictable but there were a few good twists that I enjoyed.

Overall, I enjoyed this slower fantasy read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Asian fantasy reads or someone looking for a lighter fantasy read.

I’d like to thank Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I enjoyed it so much, I did purchase this beautiful Owlcrate edition with my own funds. All opinions are my own.

Cawpile: 7.57/10

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 50% of the way through.

The world is well made and structured well--my main issue was with the flat characters and slow pacing. I really couldn't care less about the protagonist and the main love interest guy--who barely spoke a word and had no chemistry with the protagonist. It's a shame because I did end up liking it but everything moved so quickly...yet also moved at a snail's pace. It just was...dull, for lack of a better word.

First off the most pressing thing I need to share is that this cover is GORGEOUS!!! This book was full of magic and great characters. I really enjoyed reading and finding out what would happen to Xue and the Duke and how their stories were connected. The world was interesting and intriguing plus I enjoyed the musical aspect. I did get a little lost in the magic system a bit but it was still enjoyable.

An absolutely captivating read! This book seamlessly blends compelling characters with an engaging plot that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The writing is eloquent, and the story is both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. A must-read for anyone looking for a profound and enriching literary experience. Five stars!

DNF@ 66%

I really wanted to like this, everything about it is something I could love. The writing was actually very well done, the world was interesting. The main issue I had were the characters. They were so dull that I couldn’t finish it. I had no emotion or care for any of them, I didn’t care what was happening to the main character. Even though the world had so much potential, you didn’t really see any of. And when you saw something it was only telling you, now showing you. Romance is a huge marketing tool for this book but there really isn’t any really connection between the two leads that would make this a romance.
I would love to try this author’s other series in hope that I like that one but.