god I love LOVE when authors take mythology of their culture and spin it with their own touches. It allows for a unique touch without fully taking away from the original.

also the cover is GOREGOUS.

I read Song of the Six Realms back to back with a few other Asian-inspired fantasies. What stuck out to me was that it was not an edge of your seat read (not a bad thing here) as compared to the other novels. The pace was slower and less tension-filled. It gave me a chance to soak it all in. It even felt like lighter fare despite having some gothic elements.

Rather than swords, it was words that cut as Xue tried to help discover who was trying to bring ruin to the celestial realm. With a focus on court politics and political intrigue, there was not as much action until closer to the end. Political intrigue is a favorite, so I didn't mind.

While I liked the political intrigue, I also could not help but hope for romance. When it happened, it did not provide the rush I was expecting. I needed more interaction or subtle displays of affection and tension between the characters to fall for them falling for each other.

Overall, this was a good read, and one I easily recommend.

I really enjoy Judy I. Lin's work so I had high hopes for this one -- and it didn't disappoint. It was beautifully written, with characters that you really root for. I'm always one for a romance and this absolutely delivered. I enjoyed it -- even if it felt a bit fast towards the end. Absolutely wonderful, 5/5 stars.

I think that the characters and prose were done beautifully and the emphasis on folklore and music were well done, I think where it fell a little for me was the plot, but otherwise a solid time.

Intricately Detailed With An Interesting Plot

Quote📖
I am surrounded by many splendors, and yet I Am alone.

Thoughts 💡
This was a beautiful story with a detailed world and exquisite details. I loved Xue, she was demi and an outcast so I felt immediately drawn to her. She had dreams and wishes but was extremely pragmatic about her circumstances and tragedy.
I thought it was really interesting how the story was formatted. It was separated into parts with verses with interludes that were distinctly different.

✨Note✨standalone

⚠️Content Warning⚠️
Death of parents (off page), Grief, death of Fantasy Animals

Stats📊
Characters: 💙💙💙💙💙
YA Romantic Fantasy: slow burn, Chinese dramas/folklore, gothic influences, gods and
monsters, quiet longing, who is she to you📘
First Person, Past Tense, Single POV

I adore Judy I. Lin, and ultimately really enjoyed this tale!

Song of the Six Realms is a fantasy that was inspired by various Chinese folktales, and it is utterly enchanting and exciting. I loved all of the songs and folktales that were interspersed within the story, and how they ultimately ended up connecting to the overarching conflict and plot. I loved Xue as an MC, she is both soft and creative as well as fierce and brave. She faces so, so much hardship as well as so many absolutely out-of-this-world reveals and expectations from the beings around her, and she handles it all in an impressive but also reasonable and organic way. I loved how driven she was by her family and correcting history.

I wasn't as grabbed by the LI, the Duke. There isn't anything strictly wrong with him by any means, I just didn't find him to be as interesting as Xue. I also, likely as a consequence of this, wasn't feeling all that jazzed by the romance. It felt like it moved too fast to believable, and that honestly lends itself to what was overall my least favorite part of this book. It just felt... very rushed. The last 50% moves SO very fast, and its not just action, its a lot of dense world building and reveals as well. I found myself feeling overwhelmed and confused sometimes throughout, and eventually just kind of had to get okay with the fact that maybe it wasn't going to make perfect sense. The writing style is still absolutely stunning all throughout, even in the more fast-paced second half, and the action is incredibly engaging. I just think this probably would have benefitted from being a duology.

Regardless, I am honored to have gotten an eArc for another of Judy I. Lin's books. I adored a lot about it, and really just think the downfalls come from it being an ambitious standalone (especially for one that isn't terribly long.) I think if you are a fan of Chinese-inspired fantasy, beautiful prose, action and folklore, you'll still really enjoy this! My actual rating is 3.5. Thank you to Macmillan Children's, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for this eArc!

While I finished reading this book a while ago, it’s taken me this long to write this review and tbh, even now, I don’t have the right words to describe my feelings about this book which is definitely gonna make my top favorites list at the end of the year.

I’m usually more of a wuxia fan and haven’t actually watched more than a couple of xianxia dramas. But this book is like my kind of xianxia drama in prose - serene and poetic with just enough angst and a low key romance between two demisexual individuals. I could totally see everything playing out in front of my eyes, which really shows the beauty and vivid nature of the writing and the Cang Lan Jue vibes and a minor nod to Wei Wuxian completely have my heart.

The world the author creates is very interesting, with mortals and celestials and demons, their politics and enmities, the hypocrisy of these immortals who look down on mortals for their “emotions” but are equally susceptible to all kinds of corruptions themselves. We get to meet all kinds of immortals - the ones who are entrenched in their power and can’t see reason, ones who can be persuaded and finally ones who can see the truth and treat all beings - mortal and immortal alike.

And among all these characters are our MCs - lonely, orphaned Xue who can mesmerize anyone with her qin playing, and the mysterious Duke Meng who keeps a lot of secrets but is slowly creeping into her heart. It’s a slow building of trust and friendship between them which I appreciated, slowly turning into love for the ages and lifetimes. There are revelations and twists aplenty in this story, with little tales and legends in between that both help flesh out the world building and also weave the complete narrative together.

I know this review doesn’t really showcase how much I loved this book but I promise you, if you are a xianxia fan, you’ll love this. Despite the angst and the very typical cdrama ending, I was only left feeling satisfied at the end of it. Now all I need is a qin playlist for the book which I’ve already requested from the author, and hope I’ll get to listen to all the musical pieces the author feels will go well with this amazing story.

I loved The Book of Tea duology so my hopes for this book were high. I went into it with high expectations and it did not let me down. I couldn't put the book down.

Song of the Six Realms was a clear winner for me! It was beautifully written, with great characters and perfectly developed romance that kept me glued to the pages. It has enough intrigue and vivid world building that I found myself easily transported to the story once I came back to it. Plot wise, I think it was very well crafted albeit the ending was a bit too much as everything came to a head. I like how throughout the story, we see how Xue contrasted against the Celestials with her way of thinking, talent, and emotions. I also like how it shows that the demons and the Celestials all experience the same emotions and tribulations the mortals have, despite trying their best to be above it all. I would say that technically, the romance between Xue and Jinglang isn’t really slow burn by the normal standards. There were some push and pulls yes, but with time doesn’t have a marker here the story could take time within days or weeks. However, I just feel like it has the perfect slow buildup as they really spend their time getting to know each other, both past and present.

Xue’s past is marked by a tragedy that left her orphaned and her family name struck from memory in an ancient custom. Taken in by her uncle, he does everything he can to help Xue prosper in a society that treats her as lesser. She’s a talented musician, and he arranges an apprenticeship at the esteemed House of Flowing Waters, a house that provides entertainment from the most skilled entertainers in the kingdom.

While Xue is treated well at the House, her future is bleak. Unlike the other adepts, her low social status means that her only option is to play the qin for rich nobles. A life that would turn her love of music into one of servitude rather than letting her explore her music and travel. So when an unusual noble asks for her to perform for him several times, leading to him offering to buy her contract. It’s unexpected, but Duke Meng is offering Xue a future that she thought would never be possible. It’s a chance she has to take.

Xue has no way of knowing that the estate Duke Meng is taking to her isn’t in the mountains… it’s on the Celestial Plane, and he’s actually the Duke of Dreams, a Celestial who watches over mortal’s dreams. He needs Xue’s help, her music is the only thing that can help unlock secrets that will save the Six Realms from a malevolent evil.

In Song of the Six Realms, Lin has once again created a magical combination of East Asian folklore and fantasy. In the Book of Tea duology, tea and poison were the foundation of her world-building and in this new book Lin has focused on music, poetry and dreams. These themes suffuse every fibre of this book as Lin tells us Xue’s story, weaving her and Meng’s stories together along with their shared love of music and poetry.

This is a romance, however, it is one of many themes and sub-plots in Song of the Six Realms. If it isn’t something you’re a fan of, or like me, you can take it or leave it, then there is plenty more happening. Lin’s world-building is beautiful and filled with wonderful twists and turns that kept my interest piqued from start to finish. The only thing that kept this from being a four-star to me was that I felt the big reveal and related details were a little rushed.

Other than that, everything else was the quality I expected to find in a book by Judy I. Lin, with strong character writing, and backstories that drew me in at every turn. Song of the Six Realms is a must-read!

'Song of the Six Realms' feels like a first draft. Other than the descriptions of food, music and the general world, nothing else feels fully fleshed out. The characters and plot are a little flat. Not in a bad way, it was a fairly enjoyable read but it seems like there should've been more of everything.

My favorite part was probably the ending. I won't say more for spoiler reasons but since I do believe this is a standalone, it really worked for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends (MacMillan) for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Lin's Book of Tea duology, and I had high expectations coming into this book. Xue is a talented musician who is sent to a popular entertainment house to help her increase her skills. When her guardian dies suddenly, she becomes a ward of the house. On her first performance she catches the attention of young man who subsequently invites her to come to his estate for three years in exchange for her freedom. Once there, she quickly realizes that not all is as it seems and she is, in fact, no longer even in the mortal realm. Plunged headfirst into a situation that is beyond her, Xue nonetheless is able to hold her own. I really wanted to love this as much as the first book, but it fell flat in several places. The story is good and the characters are interesting, but the story felt like it dragged in several places. I found that I would be sucked in completely but a few minutes later would have trouble keeping my attention on the story line. The breaks to add the mythology and background added to this disconnect. It made those areas feel like info dumping rather than like the next piece of the puzzle. Overall it was good, but not great like her previous duology.

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin is a dreamy gothic Y.A. fantasy full of emotion and atmosphere. I really enjoyed it and hope to read more by Judy I. Lin in the future. Well done!

Xue, a mortal-born qin (musical instrument) apprentice, lives a normal life (as normal as any outcast could live) trying to become an official player in the House of the Flowing Water until Duke Feng requests her to play for him privately. She is warned of the rich or the conmen who deceive the players with false promises, so she’s wary of the Duke’s interest in her. Though she’s not interested in interacting with him, his knowledge of music and poetry slightly changes her opinion of him.

But one day, he makes a tempting offer to play only for him in his residence in exchange for settling all her contracts with Auntie Wu (who runs the song house). But it was not until he saved her from a formidable beast and expressed his doubts regarding her uncle’s death that she accepted his offer.

The Duke’s residence holds many mysteries, including the Duke himself. She unlocks many truths that leave her shocked and determined to learn more about her uncle’s death, for it was the thread that tied her to the Celestials.
————
Of the three books I have read by JIL, I liked this book the most. For the most part, the pacing was sluggish. I wanted the events to move faster in the second quarter, but the atmospheric setting and progress of the plot piqued my interest, so I put up with the pacing.

Although the book has six realms, most events happen in the Dream realm. It was interesting to read how everything was connected to this realm. Dreams, songs and memories were three main plot devices intricately implemented to solve the mystery in the book.

The final quarter of the book was more action-packed than the other parts. I wanted some of the events there to happen in the second quarter. It would have made it easier to keep up with all the characters and twists in the climax.

I recommend Song of the Six Realms to Xianxia enthusiasts out there, or those looking for an atmospheric, gothic Chinese fantasy.

Thanks to the publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours for the review copy of the book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 4.5 stars
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC of this book via TBR and Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review!

Song of the Six Realms is a story about Guxue, a talented young qín player. One night, she meets Duke Meng, who is enamoured by her playing and offers to buy her contract in exchange for her to serve as a musician for one year in residence at his manor.

“My world shrank down to only the seven strings and my ten fingers, to the entirety of my soul, laid bare for the listener to hear”

The story starts off slowly and takes the time to introduce you to the main character, Xue, and her earlier years. How she came to be at the House Flowing Water, her training and her love for the qín. I liked this slow introducing into the world.

The magic system is not as prominent as others, where a lot of powers are shown, but it is very much interwoven into the very core of the story itself. The different beings, the different realms, all are slowly explained during Interludes, as Xue learns about them. I really liked the slow and paced way the information was given and how it was not one big info dump. At the beginning there was an explanation to the different realms and its governing, which also helped in understanding it all.

The writing of this book is absolutely beautifully done! It is very descriptive and I loved how the author used poetry within the story itself. It was very easy to imagine all that was writing. At the same time, the pacing of this book is very slow and it can be a bit repetitive or feel as if nothing is really happening.

Xue is such an amazing character and I really enjoyed her look on the world and how she lives for the music she performs. The music helps her understand everything around her and that really show. She is sweet, determined, selfless and grows beautifully as the story progresses.

The romance was really sweet and felt very fitting to the story and its setting. What starts out as a tentative partnership, working together to try and solve the mystery, slowly blooms into something more. It was well balanced in its progression and made me swoon whenever the romance finally bloomed!

The ending was worked towards slowly and when the reveals came, it didn’t come as much of a surprise who was behind it all and how that all played out. Still, I enjoyed reading about it all. The pacing wasn’t suddenly rushed and it was still easy to navigate. The book does have a hopeful ending, which is something I usually don’t mind, but in this case it somehow felt as if the story itself wasn’t done yet. Still, the theme of the book really shined in those last few chapters, the perception of good and evil and the sacrifices we make for those we love.

Overall, Song of the Six Realms is a beautifully written, slow-paced, standalone with a whimsical atmosphere and music woven into the pages.

Admittedly, I didn't get around to reading this one before it came out, but I bought the finished book and I'm so sure I'm going to love it that I'm giving it five stars here!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dreamy? And gothic? Yes please!

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin is a YA fantasy novel that is nothing short of gothic. Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract. With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. For a young man of nobility, he is strangely kind and awkward, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture. But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent. The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

Okay, I will admit that Lin's previous title of A Magic Steeped in Poison was not my favorite. And neither is this one. I can't just get past the writing style. Yet, I still found myself enjoying this one. It's beautiful in all sorts of way. And though it's not my top recommendation, I will wiggle this one into every conversation at least once.

This was a very enjoyable read. It was quite fast paced, and the story was well thought out! However, I couldn't identify myself in the main character at all, which made the book a struggle to get through at times. Despite this I can definitely recommend the book!

An excellent fantasy with incredible world-building. The characters could have been developed more. I would still recommend this to patrons.

Song of the Six Realms is a lyrical and fantastical book with a lots of inspiration from Chinese poetry and history but a lack of character development and a crazy ending.

This book has strong Spirited Away vibes. Xue unexpectedly finds herself in a celestial spirit world without much clue as to what's going on and is forced to learn about herself and find her purpose in order to save the ones she loves. The world-building is elaborate, and the slice-of-life feel of meeting secondary characters make everything feel lived-in but leaves you wanting to hear more of their stories. And the bittersweet romantic ending is hopeful but ultimately unfulfilling.

What worked for this book? The cover, for starters; it's absolutely gorgeous. The main characters, Xue and Jinglang, are both well-developed and interesting. Xue's love for music, her courage, and her tenacity are relatable, and Jinglang's dedication to saving his father and to his friends is admirable. The mythology, the Chinese poetry, and the vivid descriptions of everything from the music, the scenery, and the outfits really bring the world to life.

So what didn't work? The ending. The story flowed slowly, but not in an unpleasant way, and then the final few chapters were chaos. The author threw in a massive lore dump, a magical girl-esque transformation, and the big battle all at once, and it's a bit hard to follow what's going on. And then the story just sort of...ends? There's a hopeful tone at the end, but the ending itself was unexpected and not entirely satisfying.

I think this book either would've benefitted from being a longer standalone or a slightly more expanded duology. The story had a lot of potential, and the vibes were definitely there, but the ending really threw everything off. I felt the same way about the ending of the author's other duology, so maybe it's just her style? But Song of the Six Realms just sadly didn't do it for me in the end.