4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this down. I was engrossed throughout the whole book and then THAT ENDING happened!!! I was not expecting that and not prepared for it. You can call this beautifully tragic!

*thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review*

This heartbreaking tale of beauty and devastation enchanted me from page one and had me hanging onto every detail all the way through. Ann Liang has woven a historical fantasy so morally grey and tragic that you might never recover from its terror and wonder.

She claimed it was like a c-drama, and she delivered. This book reads like a tv series with all the intrigue and twists to keep you going from chapter to chapter. And now that it’s over, my heart is broken. What a triumph. This book will wreck you in the best way. All good war stories always do.

Reading this book, I felt so torn, and I can’t imagine how Xishi felt as she had to face her task. In a war like this one, it really is hard to say who is right and who is wrong when both sides have hurt so many and been so brutal. She had to make her choice, and I experienced SO many feelings about it.

This is not my first Asian historical war fantasy of the year, but it is most certainly the best.

A Song to Drown Rivers tells the story of Xishi, one of the Four Great Beauties of China. Xishi lives in a Yue village with her parents where she is discovered by Fanli, a great military advisor to the Yue King Goujian. Known for her beauty, Xishi is recruited along with her friend to train to behave as noblewomen and infiltrate the enemy Wu Kingdom. Xishi's job is to distract the Wu King Fuchai from his duties and help Fanli and King Goujian invade the Wu Kingdom to take it back for their people. Xishi will have to contend with members of the court being distrustful of her, making it difficult for her to get close to the king, hiding her true purposes in the Wu Kingdom, and dealing with her growing feelings for Fanli.

The writing style of this book was really beautiful and lyrical, which made it a quick read. However, it felt like the writing also kept the characters at a distance a bit. This might be in part due to the fact that Xishi and Fanli are away from each other for much of the book, so it is a bit difficult to understand their connection to each other. I was also a bit confused by the way that this book is being marketed as a fantasy book when there really isn't any fantasy elements to it, unless they were so subtle that I missed them. As a historical fiction book, I found the story and the conflict interesting, I'm just not certain that it is a fantasy novel. I would recommend this to people who enjoy beautifully written historical fiction.

A Song to Drown Rivers takes a story you might think you know - a beautiful woman sent in as a spy - and portrays a story of love, sacrifice, and war. It's a story that touches upon, and begins conversations, about the 'casualties' of war. The innocent lives, civilians, that hang in the balance that rulers and kings never think about. The dehumanization, and perceived monstrosity, of our enemies which, as shadows, all look the same. A Song to Drown Rivers is also a story about love struggling to remain beating despite all the odds against them.

I have mixed feelings about this one. There were some aspects I liked a lot and some aspects that I didn’t care for at all. Also, in case nobody warns you, this book is a tragedy. I would place this novel as a historical fiction novel than a fantasy as there’s no magic or anything fantastical about it at all. And I’m mad about the ending. Big mad. Anyway thanks to NetGalley for early ARC access.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book. I do plan to try again in the future, but it may not have been the right book for me, and that’s okay! I thought Ann Liang’s writing was very descriptive, allowing me to see each scene, it felt like there was almost too much description for me. I felt like I was getting bogged down in the details instead of enjoying the flow of the story. I can see where others would absolutely love this story and from the portion I did read, it would probably make a great tv show because of the added details. Unfortunately for me, it was just too many details and a bit slow.

With beautiful and evocative prose, A Song To Drown Rivers is an enthralling and tragic novel that teems with intrigue, yearning and the heartbreaking consequences of ambition and war. Peasants, women and those who simply lose favor with a king are depicted as potentially disposable and the the precarious nature of Xishi’s position as a concubine within a court that mistrusts her adds to the tension of the story. For even as she seems to win King Fuchai’s affections, there is always potential for a deadly misstep.

Present throughout most of the novel, Xishi and King Fuchai’s relationship receives much of the attention, though there are still brief moments where her longing for Fanli and his own restrained desires serve as a source of pining and even danger for the characters. As I am not very fond of love triangles, I appreciated that A Song To Drown Rivers depicts the complicated aspects of these relationships without becoming tedious.

I did find myself wishing that there were more scenes with minor characters, especially since one was given such an abrupt departure and that Xishi was able to exercise her training beyond acting elusive at times and merely requesting that Fuchai did what she wanted. I also felt that the story leaned more towards historical fiction than fantasy, but that may simply be my own impression.

But, oh, the ending! What is the reward for those who sacrifice everything? While I harbored some suspicions regarding how things might unfold, I was slightly disbelieving of what I was reading nonetheless. Days have passed and I am still contemplating it, which is a credit to its effectiveness.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for access to this ebook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This book absolutely wrecked me; enough said. I'm writing this almost exactly four months after I finished it, and I still remember that day vividly. It's really once in a lifetime that you're in the office on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, reading a book, all of a sudden you reach the end and you're bawling your eyes out uncontrollably. That all happened, folks, and A Song to Drown Rivers is the book that did that to me.

Have you ever wished you could read a C-drama? Well, you're in luck, because this is probably as close as you'll ever get to that experience. The imagery is so beautiful it made me want to gasp. The best books are the ones that transport you to the place and time they're set in, making you feel like you're right there with the characters, and ASTDR did exactly that. Even without music, I might add!

It's not just the setting that's astounding, the tropes and storyline had me hooked from start to end. The angst, the longing, the forbidden romance... Yes, this is a retelling, but it's so much more than that. Whether you're familiar with the legend of Xishi or not, prepare to be devastated. Another aspect of the book that drew me in was the exploration of grey. So much of the story considers the morally grey, and, when you stop to think about it the line between good and bad is extremely blurred. Who is the real villain of the story?

ASTDR is one of those books that's best experienced firsthand, rather than described, so let me conclude by saying that this a book you will end up thinking about for a long time. All it took was one sentence, and I couldn't stop reading.

Truly an astonishing piece by Ann Liang. A Song to Drown Rivers follows Xishi, one of the 4 great beauties of Ancient China as she is trained by Fanli to go into the enemy king's kingdom and seduce him a one of his concubines. With two love interests for the female lead, the readers are left rooting for one and feeling bad for the other. Nevertheless, I finished reading this book in less than a day and I can say that it indeed, led me through a whirlwind of emotions. From the tension between characters to the plot twists, I could not put this book down. Liang gave truly vivid, picturesque descriptions in both the settings and with the events occuring in the book. This is perfect for fans of the Untamed and people into Chinese Historical Dramas.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

I’m a huge fan of Ann Liang, so I was really excited to get an ARC for this book. I didn’t expect this book to absolutely destroy me, but I loved it so much! This book is a historical romance inspired by the legend of Xishi. I was unfamiliar with the legend it was inspired by, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

I was a big fan of the romance in this book. I didn’t expect there to be a love triangle, but I didn’t mind it. I thought the love that Fanli and Xishi had for each other was so sweet. I also didn’t expect to love Fuchai as much as I did, but I would give anything for him. He was such a sweetie and so misunderstood. I also liked Xishi as a MC. I thought she was so strong and brave to do what she did for her kingdom.

Also, the ending? The way I sobbed as soon as I finished reading. I was not prepared at all for that ending!

In A Song to Drown Rivers, Ann Liang weaves an intricate tale inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. This historical fantasy immerses readers in a world of war, sacrifice, and espionage, with political intrigue driving much of the plot.

The story’s focus on using beauty as a weapon, combined with Xishi’s mission to infiltrate the enemy palace, was both intriguing and unsettling. Liang skillfully portrayed the high stakes, making the plot gripping, but the intense political schemes and brutal consequences made parts of it hard to read. The darker aspects of war and sacrifice pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I still appreciated the rich exploration of themes like womanhood and power. The complex dynamic between Xishi and Fanli added emotional depth, though it was the constant danger of her mission that kept the tension alive throughout the novel.

Though not an easy or light read, A Song to Drown Rivers is a compelling, epic fantasy that showcases the strength and resilience of its heroine. For fans of historical fantasy with a political edge, this is a story worth delving into.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is about a beautiful young girl name Xishi whose people were defeated and she witnessed firsthand the brutality of that on her family and village. She's chosen and trained (by a very handsome soldier name Fanli) to use her beauty to gain favor with the King while playing double agent in order to overthrow their oppressors.

I enjoyed this very much. In fact I enjoyed it much more than I expected. It has this Nikita element to it, where Xishi elicits both desire and respect, while maintaining her virtue which in fact makes her even more powerful because she’s more of a fantasy.

Yes, it's a romance, but not what you'd expect, because the mission is always the priority. There were some brutal scenes, but they were quite lovely in the way they were presented.

This book is about war, love, and sacrifice and one I won’t forget anytime soon. The ending was surprising but I liked it. Sometimes a book seems to end too soon, and I love how we get to see the aftermath of everything. So if you like historical fantasies, double agents/spies, forbidden romance … I highly recommend.

I am enjoying Asian themed book and this one did not disappoint. I have been enjoying talking about this book with other readers.

When authors know how to do young adult books you get one beautiful piece of work. It feels almost artistic. Love this book and the special edition just adds to it.

First, I think the cover deserves a round of applause; it is gorgeous!

This story is a mix of historical fiction, mythology and romance based on Xishi (one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China) who uses her beauty as a weapon to take down a kingdom and avenge her sister's death.

I loved the story, the setting, and the character development. The prose is beautifully written which gives a glance to and helps draw out the emotional depth of the story. You may or may not be shedding a tear...or two... by the end.

After a hiatus in reading, I finally found the time to read and finish "A Song to Drown Rivers" and I have thoughts. This book frustrated me to no end, both in a good way and a bad way. The plot was very intriguing to me; I have a particular soft spot for east Asian fantasies, especially if it is based on Chinese legends. However, I had several qualms:

1. The romantic relationship between Xishi and Fanli didn't make sense to me. How was she so in love with this guy she met and interacted only for 10 weeks versus Fuchai, whom she developed a relationship over the two years they were together? Fanli was in the book for about 10% and the development of the of Fanli and Xishi's romantic relationship was practically nonexistent besides a couple stolen glances and inherent curiosity of two people living in the same residence.

2. Fuchai had lots of potential in terms of character development. Many elements in his life could've been elaborated. For example, his hatred towards his father's legacy and expectations, his relationship with his mother. These could've been explained further to allow the reader to understand why he is the way he is and understand the emotional tug-o-war Xishi was having.

3. Lots of telling, not enough showing. We skipped many aspects of Xishi's training that could've been a great place to get to know this character more and her developing relationship with Fanli. Although, I respect the possible decision of the author to keep this book as a standalone which would necessitate parts to be chopped.

Although this book did fall a little flat for me, the writing in some parts of this book absolutely slapped.
"They say that when I was born, all the wild geese flew down from the sky, and the fish sank beneath the waves, having forgotten how to swim. Even the lotus flowers in out gardens quivered and turned their heads away, so ashamed they were of their own diminished allure in my presence."
BARS.

Overall, the potential of this book was astronomical; I think maybe if the plot was explained and we got to know more about the characters, I would have given this at least a 4 stars. To my knowledge, this is Ann's first fantasy book and it's a good start nonetheless. Thank you NetGallery for allowing me to obtain this ARC for my review.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot. The beginning of the book was a bit slow, but the ending was very poignant. Xishi is a great protagonist and I enjoyed her character arc. A solid read with romance and politics.

i really loved this book despite some areas feeling lackluster in their development. for example, i wish the romance between fanli and xishi was developed more because it felt rushed, and it seemed like her attraction to him was the primary driving force for committing to the plan. i think some of her motivations could have been delved into a little more (ex. her sister, which was mentioned very minimally after she is in the kingdom). also i love fuchai even though i know he’s the “bad guy” but i’m a sucker for love interests who would burn the whole world down if they asked for it. i wish his character was developed more to highlight the ideas of “no good vs bad side”/“morally gray.” there is some moments of that, like when she recognizes that some people in the wu kingdom view the yue kingdom as monsters, but it’s underplayed. i also wish there was a more “punchier” or more developed moment in the book when she realizes there are no winning sides in war. i mostly enjoyed reading her inner monologue about fuchai and how he was so beholden in her presence.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4 stars
Spice: 🌶️

Tropes:
✨Legend/Mythology retelling
✨Court intrigue/politics
✨Spies
✨War
✨Insta-love

I genuinely don’t even know what to say. How to feel. What to think. My flabbers are gasted and I am destroyed.

Based on the legend of Xishi, one of the four beauties of ancient China, this book aims to bridge a gap between epic war, star-crossed love, sacrifice, and betrayal. Xishi has long been viewed as the most beautiful woman of her village, and as such, she is selected to be trained as a concubine to the king of the enemy Wu nation on the surface, and a spy for her own king beneath. Xishi initially leapt at the chance to take down the leader of her sister’s murderers, but as time goes by, her own internal conflict arises. She’s fallen for the man training her to be his spy on the other side and would give up the entire mission to be with him, but she also can’t help but see the good—however limited—there is in the one she’s been sent to destroy.

I’m so conflicted as to how I feel about this book as a whole. While I enjoyed it immensely and most definitely teared up at that ending, there are issues.

This book was categorized as adult where I bought it, and yet it reads so YA. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, just something to note. It also kind of held back the author I feel in both her storytelling and her characters. While the war is gruesome and a suitable amount of time is dedicated to showcasing the trauma these people have survived, I felt like things could have gone just a touch darker. The stakes just didn’t feel real in Fuchai’s court. I’m sorry, I’m meant to believe the most beautiful woman in existence has been given to this man as his own personal property, in a time when that’s all women were, and in two years he never lays a hand on her? And that’s not even mentioning that said man has a known proclivity for possession, women, and violence? And perhaps this is just the product of me reading too much dark romance recently, but was anyone else disappointed in how Fuchai’s arc turned out? He had so much promise, was by far the character I was most interested in. I was literally broken by his ending. Dammit, Xishi. 🎶You ruined eeeeverythiiiiiiiiing…🎶

My bigger problem with this book was the telling not showing. I can normally look past this sin for a little while, particularly if it’s used for like a montage scene or what have you, but it was relied on way too heavily in this book. We’re told Fanli and Xishi are in love and have this mutual pining thing going on, but we see almost none of it develop, and so I don’t feel as much of a separated-lovers-trope as I’m supposed to. We’re told Xishi is an awesome spy doing awesome spy things for the two years she lives in the enemy’s court, and yet we see very little of it—and what we do see is her colossally fucking it up half the time. We’re told Fuchai is evil, sadistic, disgusting, etc, and yet we’re not shown a ton of evidence to support that. Yeah, he stabbed Fanli that one time and also made the Yue king his horse bitch for a while, but in the scheme of ancient Chinese emperors? My guy that doesn’t even make the top 100 list of baddies. Being a white American, I also probably don’t have the right to speak on this, but I also felt like this book could have taken place in any western European court in any time period and you wouldn’t know the difference? I kept waiting to be introduced to so much ancient Chinese culture, and found myself so disappointed every time I read about Xishi’s “skirts” or her “curtsying.” I know these words are fairly equivalent to their Chinese counterparts so I’m being nitpicky here, but why not at least use them once or twice? It just felt kind of bland.

I loved the side characters. Zhengdan, while a huge departure from her original legend counterpart, was refreshing and fun. Luyi was hilarious and adorable and I wanted more of him on page.

In fact, that’s probably my entire complaint about this book in a nutshell: I wanted more. More darkness, more stakes, more political intrigue, more spying-from-the-shadows. Give me K-drama or give me death! (Let’s be honest, I also really wanted Xishi to turn traitor and fully commit to Fuchai—the POTENTIAL.) But for what it was, this book was an extremely quick, very beautiful and poignant story that I will definitely be revisiting. It had the potential to be something so massive and tragic and life-changing, but I’ll have to appreciate it for what it is.

A deeply romantic, deeply beautiful retelling of a legend, for fans of <I>The Song of Achilles</I>, <I>She Who Became the Sun</I> and <I>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</I>.

This was a fast-paced story that pulls you in immediately, into an epic, romantic story full of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and beauty. Set in a world at war, where our main character Xishi knows very well the ravages and horrors that war can lead to. Her beauty is a blessing, and perhaps also a curse, when she catches the attention of her king's young military advisor Fanli, who presents her with the opportunity to wield her beauty like a blade, and potentially help bring down their rival neighbouring kingdom.

This is a story of womanhood, power, beauty, sacrifice, and what we do in the name of war and survival. I found myself deeply invested in the story and its characters, and as the stakes got higher and higher, I was more and more enthralled. This book kept me on my toes - causing me tears, and butterflies, at equal turns.