I was initially intrigued by the story but then I didn’t find what I was originally looking for. While advertised as a historical fantasy and romance, the only true thing about that is it is historical, but there was no fantasy element, beyond it being a retelling, and I found the romance lacking. I would’ve appreciated a better romantic build up between Xishi and Fail, but instead we got something of an insta love where we never get to see them actually fall in love and barely interact in there time together. I just didn’t believe that she would’ve had such intense feelings for him. On the other hand she could’ve had a good romantic arc with the King of Wu, who could’ve been a great morally grey character but instead felt like a child so enchanted with Xishi even after the barely doing anything. For an adult book, there were little adult scenes or even the hint of an adult scene and it read more like a ya novel. I was looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunate it was not as advertised in multiple ways.

Personally, This book was not for me. I did enjoy the characters and the premise but I felt the timeline to be a bit confusing. I felt at times it was dragged out where as others it was rushed. I would read more by this author, I do believe she is talented and I would read another book by her. This one did not land with me personally but it would not stop me from recommending it to people. I know many people loved this book! Unfortunately the pacing and the almost insta love between the two characters did not work for me.

Overall a good story but felt like there was not a lot of effort put in to the characters love interest which kept it from unfolding better.

Every now and then, a book comes along that sweeps you off your feet, dunks you in its world, and leaves you gasping for air. The Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is exactly that—a spellbinding, heart-wrecking experience that had me clutching my metaphorical pearls and an actual tissue box. What is it about being drawn to books that ultimately break your heart?

Our main character Xishi is the kind of protagonist you can’t help but root for. Her story is a testament to resilience, and her journey feels as intricate as a silk tapestry.

Let's talk about the romance. Oh, the romance. Xishi and Fanli’s dynamic is a masterclass in tension and subtlety. This is my personal favourite when it comes to romance —you don’t need explicit scenes to bring the heat, and these two proved it.

But it’s not just the characters or the romance; it’s Liang’s writing itself. Her prose pulls you under like the tide, immersive and impossible to resist. From the opening sentence to the final, bittersweet page, the story never lets you go.

If you’re into historical fantasies with rich Chinese and Japanese-inspired settings, this book will hit all the right notes. It’s beautiful, emotional, and unforgettable.

I would absolutely recommend The Song to Drown Rivers. Just be prepared for it to steal your breath and break your heart—because it will.

A quick read that got me out of a reading slump. It could have been so much more if it was a true adult fantasy, but felt right f0r what it ended up being, which is a YA historical fiction. Once I adjusted my expectations, I had a good time with the story.

This was a fascinating read and one that I will stick with me for a while. Devastating and heartbreaking.

Thank you, NetGalley and author for this arc. This book was absolutely amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. I really enjoyed this every moment of this book. It was a very quick read with an unexpected twist. I’ll never forget the way this book made me feel. I definitely recommend that everyone should check it out.

I had the amazing opportunity to read this before it was officially released. This is NOT a fantasy, though I’m seeing some promote it as such. So be aware. However, it is a beautiful story based on the ancient Chinese tale of Xishi- one of the Four Great Beauties of China. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, though the characters and storyline came across almost too YA- I’d call it a borderline YA/Adult fiction novel.

Wonderfully done 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A beautifully written meditation on grief and memory, though its slow pace may not suit all readers. Still, for those willing to immerse themselves in its reflective world, it’s a powerful and evocative read.

A very good story. I was unaware that it was based on a myth until after I finished, so I just read it thinking it was a good story that sucked me in from beginning to end. There was romance, espionage, and drama that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang tells the story of Xishi helping out her people.

Can Xishi topple the kingdom of Wu?

Xishi
Xishi is a beautiful young lady from a small village in the kingdom of Yue. Her mom had Xishi hide her beauty with a shawl so no one could kidnap her for unseemingly things. Xishi got hired by Fanli, the military advisor for the kingdom of Yue, for a mission that could easily be Xishi's end. The reason is that her beauty would be perfect to use as a weapon against the Wu. Xishi ends up honing everything Fanli has taught her and does excellent work in getting everything the kingdom of Yue needs.

I must say that I loved Xishi and how she has done everything. Xishi is an excellent character, and I like how Ms. Liang tells her story.

The Story
Xishi ends up leaving her small village to help her kingdom get the kingdom of Wu to go down. She uses everything Fanli taught her during their lessons and while she was in the kingdom of Wu, getting their king wrapped around her fingers. Xishi does this for revenge. I have to say that I did look up Xishi, and her story is sad. Ms. Liang does an excellent job of telling the story in her own way while also giving the story an end that the original legend never did.

Five Stars
Ms. Liang is a fabulous storyteller and this one is my first story from her. My rating is five stars for A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang and I'm recommending it. Ms. Liang brings forth a fresh look on a legend while giving enough angst to bring everyone to tears.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang.

Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

That ending truly hurt my feelings and made me feel physically unwell!! 😭 I’ve never read a book quite like this one. It was so beautifully written, Ann Liang is an expert at immersing readers into her stories. This one started a little slow for me and I had some trouble staying focused, but once Xishi infiltrated the Wu kingdom I was HOOKED!! I thought I was going to hate Fuchai but why do I kind of love him?!?! I’m so sad his story ended tragically. I was really hoping for a redemption arc and then he was just…gone. Humanizing the enemy is no easy task but it was done SO well in this book!!

Fanli, my sweet Fanli 😭😭😭 I don’t have the right words I just love him so much. He deserved so much better from the world and my heart is broken for him. Xishi….ANN WHYYYYYY?! 😭😭😭😭😭 I am so beyond hurt and shocked by her fate and that ending. I was not expecting her to actually die, I was hoping Fanli would find her in time but she just DIED?! This is some game of thrones level plot twist. My heart hurts so much and I cried so much reading the last 10%. I’ll never get over it but I also hope I never have to think about it again.

The romance in this book was so tender and full of passion. I wish we had some more moments between Xishi and Fanli, but I understand they had to be apart. It’s just so unfair 😭 One thing I’d like to point out is that this labeled as a Romantasy, but there was no fantasy in this book?? There was romance but no spice, so I do feel like it’s not categorized correctly. I would honestly put this down as a YA book.

Other than that, I loved it and would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to cry 😭 thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc!!!

Based on the ancient Chinese legend of Xishi (Xi Shi), one of the renowned Four Beauties, A Song to Drown Rivers tells the tale of a poor village girl discovered by Fanli, minister to the Yue King Goujian, and gifted to the enemy King Fuchai of Wu as a concubine – and spy – to exact revenge after humiliating losses. Fuchai becomes so preoccupied with Xishi that she drives a wedge between him and his closest advisor and gives the Yue the key to Wu’s defenses, allowing for Goujian to defeat his enemies.

Ann Liang’s version is a tragic romance, preoccupied with the longing feelings between Xishi and Fanli, and Xishi learning to become devious and manipulative enough to change the course of history. Coming in having never heard original as I was, I enjoyed this as an introduction to an important piece of an unfamiliar canon.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 stars

This book is a bit of historical fiction blended with some magical realism. I don't know if I'd classify it as fantasy, yet I truly enjoyed it and inhaled it immensely. It's beautifully written even if also has some tragedy flowing throughout.

In ancient China, there are two main factions (or kingdoms), The Wu and the Yue. The Wu kingdom has conquered the Yue, and it was brutal and bloody. They believe that they've conquered them, and all is good but what they did was leave behind a group of people who have a thirst for vengeance. This is where our main character, Xishi comes in. She watched Wu soldiers kill her younger sister. She wants nothing more than to avenge her. She's recruited by Fanli to go undercover as a concubine to the Wu king. Fanli is the adviser to the Yue king and is responsible for training Xishi to function in the Wu court.

During their time together, Xishi and Fanli find themselves connected in a way that can never be. As she is destined to go to the Wu court and he has to deliver her there, their feelings can never be acted upon. The author does an outstanding job of writing Xishi's character. Her feelings are so confused at times as she connects with some of the people at the Wu court. She comes to slowly realize that things are often a matter of perspective. The Wu people viewed the Yue as violent monsters when she and her people had always thought of the Wu that way. It just depends on which side of the battle you're on.

A Song to Drown Rivers delivers several messages and also shows that events are unpredictable. It's an excellent book.

I was also fortunate enough to receive an early copy of the audiobook and it was outstanding. The narration truly made the book feel as if it came alive. I enjoyed it even more because of being able to listen to the story at times. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for both of the early copies. I chose to read and listen to them to be able to review them. The thoughts and opinions in my reviews are my own.

After this book, I will read anything Ann Liang publishes, even her grocery list if she lets me. My queen, please never stop writing these angsty romances that give me just enough to keep me on my toes. I adore the characters in this book and although it is not technically a love triangle, I still ate the romance up. Yes, I am still upset about the ending. I was not expecting this to be a standalone fantasy, since that is not typical of the genre. I appreciate Ann Liang and how she is able to craft the plot twist. She created an atmosphere of tension and hope, balancing the two so that you can never really know if it will be a happy or sad ending. I really enjoyed this book and I wish it got more love.

I was very eager to read this book as I have heard many good things about Ann Liang's other works. This was the first book of hers that I was reading and went into it with high expectations. Unfortunately, this novel missed its mark for me. The writing felt quite flat and the main characters failed to be compelling as individuals and within the purpose of the story. I assumed I was simply not the target audience for this novel only to find out that this is considered to be in the "Adult" genre, however to me - it seemed written like a Young Adult novel. I found certain plot points to be convenient and the romance felt forced and inorganic. Lastly the fantasy aspect of this novel was extremely minimal.

This book could have definitely with more time. More time to develop the plot and characters as well as editing and writing. Overall it felt like a story that was still in its initial stages of development and drafting. I was disappointed since I was looking forward to experiencing this author's writing especially given this was her first official foray into the fantasy and adult genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 🎧
4.5⭐️

First thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the free ARC and ALC of this book. @annliangwrites honey someone was cutting onion in my house as I finished this book last night. This had to be one of the most beautiful and emotional endings to a story I’ve read in a long time. 🥰 Before I started I had never heard of the xishi tale. Xishi the main character in the book was the ultimate beauty. Like the kind that causes empires to crumble. Her beauty was used as a weapon for her people. One thing that hasn’t changed for centuries is the greed of men. Of course with beauty comes the men that must have it. Xishi heart belongs to fanli. His character was mysterious but their love was palpable through the pages. He trained her to be a beautiful weapon for another man. Fuchai the wu king, he grew on me. I saw so much potential in him and xishi relationship. As they grew closer and seeing the character growth he displayed I felt like he deserved so much more. Talk about blurred lines. As I sat and thought about this book I really thought about Romeo and Juliet, yesss that type of tragic ending. I really encourage you guys to give this one a read. It was a recent @gmabookclub pick as well as it’s available through @bookofthemonth.

ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ǫᴜOᴛᴇs:
“I am afraid of you. I’m afraid of what comes over me when I’m around you. I’m afraid of how tempting it is, to ignore my own rationale, of how many excuses I can invent just to be closer to you. I’m afraid of how much—how much I want.”
“I don't remember closing my eyes. But even as darkness fell over me, I was aware of the warmth of his body, the evening scent of his skin; all that should have been foreign to me, now as intimate as the back of my hand. As the drums of war sounded in the distance, signaling a new age, a new dawn, there I lay, falling sound asleep in the arms of the enemy.”

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I wanted so much more from this book for so many reasons. I mean I really, really, really wanted this to be so much more than it was. It wasn't a total waste to read, but it fell so far short of all the hype that I almost wanted to cry - the tragedy was not in the tale but in how flat the tale fell.

The characters were not that great, one dimensional at best with little development. World building was lacking and could have been so rich and beautiful. Politics could have been explored more, fleshed out a bit more. And when you say romance I expect the other party of the romance to be a part of the book a little more than what occurred here. We barely got to know the love interest - what a deep, deep disappointment.

This was a first for me from this author, however, I want to read more from her. Maybe this tale just fell flat, maybe it was overhyped and in that I was just expecting more than I should have in the first place.

This past year I have been reading more fantasy/romantasy stories so needless to say I as elated to have gotten an ARC of this novel. It sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately it did not meet my expectations. It was severely disappointing. The romance did not hit and I just wasn't into either main character or the story in general. It's a shame because you could tell there was so much potential there but ultimately was not reached or even tapped.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will say after reading this I went and immediately bought the sprayed edge copy at Books A Million. There is a bittersweet romance as part of this historical fantasy. This was a very easy read and even though I don't think it was the best book it was still addictive. I will say this will leave you heart broken and it was a rollercoaster of emotions. Definetly a must read if you like torturing your heart.