This story is based on the Chinese tale of Lady Xi Shi, one of the Four Great Beauties of Chinese history, who trains and goes undercover to infiltrate the enemy kingdom and help win the war for her people. I love the cover art for this book and I really wanted to love the book so much but it fell flat for me. There were parts where I was truly engaged and empathizing with the characters… I was really rooting for Xishi and Fanli throughout but it also seemed to drag on with only some excitement or plot/character development here and there. I did keep reading as I was drawn in and wanted to see what happened at the end but it is a sad story and many of the outcomes I was hoping for never came to fruition, leaving me feeling disappointed. I was also hoping for more fantasy elements, based on the cover and synopsis. I liked the premise of the story but feel the execution could have been better. Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Liang, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The war has ended with the Wu, but many are feeling the aftermath. Xishi and her family included.

Xishi has always been known for her beauty, which is why her mother has her wear a veil when going out so men do not fall all over her.

One day, she attempts to save a girl, but ends up being saved by a mysterious handsome man, that she never learns his name.

The following day, this same man comes to her family’s home and says he is looking for a potential bride of unmatched beauty for King Fuchai of the Wu Kingdom as tribute from the Yue, and he thinks Xishi is the perfect candidate to go as the bride and be their spy.

She now has ten weeks of excessive training, that will be overseen by Fanli, to become the perfect candidate as a bride for the Wu king, to seduce him and bring about revenge against him and his kingdom.

So so good!!! That ending though 😭😢😭😭😭 This story left me an emotional wreck!

This to me was a masterpiece of playing with your emotions. The romance in here left me WANTING and dragged my heart through the mud. It was horrible and wonderful at the same time. It was so heart-and-gut-wrenching.

The world was not largely built on, but I think the focus was more on the fact that no matter who rules, the same outcome may come about regardless who is on the throne, and how women were treated as pawns and discarded when no longer needed. It was such a moving story involving so many emotions. The moment you think “yes, we’re getting what we want”, or “yes, things are going well”, then it doesn’t or it doesn’t go the way you expect.

I’ve never felt such pining for a romance before. This was such a slow burn, with a huge twist. I have to read a more lighthearted book after this one because that ending, though realistic and very well done, left me a mess.

I truly loved this moving book and highly recommend this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of finding someone who has no training in court manners, arts and literature, and spying to be a court spy in another kingdom and training this person for 10 weeks is too much for me to buy. And the worst is that after these 10 weeks, that we get a brief overview, she is portrayed as the best in everything that she never had any contact with. It's just so unbelievable.

The love interest is present for only 25% of the book and it's extremely instalove-y.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one! Great world-building, Eastern mythology, and forbidden love. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it and plan to read more books by Ann Liang in the future!

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𝑨 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐 𝑫𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔




After reading this all the way in February I am finally ready to write my review for this book. I did eventually decide to drop a star after having noticed some points the second time around which escaped my notice the first time, which, considering that ending, I’m not at all surprised about.




Soo, let’s talk about the following points:


𓆩☾𓆪Plot
𓆩☾𓆪Pace
𓆩☾𓆪Writing
𓆩☾𓆪Romance
𓆩☾𓆪Characters
𓆩☾𓆪Further points
𓆩☾𓆪To conclude
𓆩☾𓆪End quotes






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༊·˚𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕


Even before ASTDR was written, I always used to think how while I love reading stories with badass fmcs that wield swords and are deadly fighters, I’ve experienced those kinds of characters in quite a few different books. There’s another type of power too, in manipulation, in politics, in being able to crush your enemy, not with a giant mace, but a single word. To utilise the charms, talents and skills that you have naturally available to you but are considered unimpressive for some reason. To pave your way with intelligence and strategy.


Which was why from the moment I read the blurb I could not wait to immerse myself in this story and I think from that aspect, it did indeed deliver in what it promised.




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༊·˚𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒆


The pace was one of the slight issues I had this time around. I personally felt that it was a little slow up until the point where Xishi enters the Wu palace, from where it definitely picked up. The chapter lengths also felt a little long and inconsistent, some were double the length of others which made it feel more difficult to get through.




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༊·˚𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈


One of my favourite parts about this book, Ann Liang’s writing is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures she paints with her words, the descriptions of palaces and scenery and clothing, it’s all so pretty and vivid.


-rolls of glimmering fabric so soft they looked to have been spun with magic, glittering hairpins carved into the shape of butterflies and cranes with jewels for eyes, zodiac animals shaped from melted gold sugar, pastries pressed into intricate flower moulds-


A set of wedding robes had been laid out on my bed that night. They were the deepest red—the red of spilled blood, of spoiled wine, of kissed lips—and embroidered with gold thread. All along the sides and down the wide sleeves and sash, there were images of soaring birds and phoenix tails and floating clouds, chrysanthemums and lilies in full bloom, stars crowded around a blazing sun.


A series of wide green canals glittered in the late afternoon light, the clouds fat and heavy and brushed gold-pink at the edges. On each side of the banks stood neat clusters of houses, their smooth walls faded white from the steady erosion of wind and water, their roofs curved with slate-grey tiles, strings of round lanterns hung from their balconies, fringed with delicate silk tassels. We floated under little arched bridges, their reflections swimming over the canal surface so that from afar, they formed the perfect shape of a full moon. It was not a land of corpses and smoke as I’d thought, but one of ponds and gardens, water and earth, fishing boats and floating lights.


I mean, exquisite, ethereal, elegant, excellent. There are so many more, ugh.




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༊·˚𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆


Here’s where it gets interesting.


Firstly we have Xishi and Fanli, the man she loves. Their romance was definitely very sweet, I did notice this time that Xishi does spend a little too long gazing at Fanli and admiring his features which made it a little repetitive and boring in my opinion. I’m hesitant to call insta-love, partly because what we see mostly is Xishi admiring how Fanli looks and acts, which-despite being a little overdone at times-is natural as despite the kind of romance, attraction is a necessary and essential part of that. Furthermore neither of them have any hope of their attraction becoming anything more since they’re stuck in their respective roles, so love doesn’t really enter into the equation until later on.


Then we have Fuchai. In my opinion, I don’t view this as a love triangle at all. The reason being that Xishi was literally instructed to go and seduce him, it wasn’t that she just happened to be there and they bumped into each other causing her to second guess her feelings for Fanli. So… I don’t think it can be called that when the circumstances weren’t even natural, but planned.




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༊·˚𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔


Xishi:


I really liked Xishi, she was brave and quick witted and strategic. Despite being told over and over how beautiful she was, it never made her into a narcissist, which was a very real possibility. She understood that she was here for a job and that she had to follow through with it, despite whatever may come. I loved how she was so ready to manipulate everyone and honestly, I was impressed by her disregard for the consequences others faced at her hands. I know that sounds callous but when you remember that she’s in the enemy’s territory and after what she suffered herself, I feel like her reactions were understandable. That’s not to say she was cold-hearted though, by the end of it you could definitely see how guilty she felt.




Zhengdan:


My favourite character, I love her so much. She was so brave and determined and fearless and then her bond with Xishi, like that of two sisters, was so so so beautiful and heartwarming and I loved how she’d go from Xishi’s determined protector one moment to her little sister curled up next to her for comfort and affection the next. How she was always determined to be strong and never show weakness, even when she was really hurting inside. She had a lovely personality and brought such a fun side to everything.




Fanli:


I don’t have much to say about him as he wasn’t around for much of the story but I would absolutely love to read a book on his backstory, how he reached the position he has today and more time seeing his mind work, from his own perspective.




Luyi:


I just loveee him, he’s so funny and brought so much character to the story and everyone around him.




Fuchai:


When I went into this, I was expecting Fuchai to be a typical, ‘morally grey’, sarcastic, flirty man who followed all the stereotypes and would be super predictable. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find a… boy? I suppose? I mean, he was the same age as Xishi but in some ways he was just so much younger. We see this even in the way he interacts with her and he’s not after something sexual necessarily, but just her company and knowing that there’s someone who actually cares about him. Not for his title or wealth but for him as a person, that there was someone on his side, with him against all those who just sought to use him to further their own purposes. I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him he’s not alone.




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༊·˚𝑭𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔




This is sort of related to what I was saying about the romance and Fuchai, but I wanted to touch briefly on how through Xishi and Fuchai’s relationship, which I definitely wasn’t expecting, Ann Liang reminds us of how many different kinds of love there are. It’s not all just lust and sexual and rushed feelings and flings. Love can be quiet. It can be subtle. It can be slow. There’s the love between a child and their parents, of all the memories they share, their lives spent together and the warmth and comfort they hold. There’s the love of a dear friendship, of nights spent laughing and sharing secrets. The love of siblings, protective and firm, despite how badly you may want to strangle them at times. Love that grows even deeper through promises and assurances that they’ll always be there for you, that you’ll never be alone. A love that is born purely of knowing you matter to someone. And I love that despite the actual romance being somewhat limited, all these other, just as beautiful kinds of love were thrown into such sharp relief.




Another thing I love is the idea of duty before self, mostly because it just makes everything far more painful when it comes to the individual and the self, but also because it puts everything into perspective. That you’re just another piece of the puzzle, that you have a purpose here that isn’t necessarily to make yourself happy and enjoy life. That one day, you won’t even be remembered. But yes, primarily because of that sense of helplessness and sorrow (I’m a sadist, I know) with knowing that you have a task to accomplish and nothing, nothing can come before it. I admire those characters for being selfless enough to push aside their grief and desires and move forward regardless, because they can see a bigger picture that does not show itself to just anyone.




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༊·˚𝑻𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆


This was a beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking read that made me feel like I was reading a c-drama at some points. I’d definitely recommend you try this if you enjoy Historical Fiction, Romance, beautiful writing and despair.




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༊·˚𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔




It was a reversal of the popular stories passed among the villagers. The beautiful girl with blood under her nails, who did not need saving from danger but was instead the danger itself.




“So this is how it feels,” he murmured, almost under his breath, “to be cut by your own blade.”




“When the hares have all been caught, the hunting dogs are cooked.”




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I just finished A Song of Drown Rivers by Ann Liang and here are my musings.

What do you say when your face, your incredibly beautiful face, could be used to win a dangerous war but you will be in more danger than you can ever know..

Xishi has the chance to become the concubine to a powerful king, the same King who is responsible for the murder of her sister. She must learn the ways of seduction and how to spy without detection while trying to keep her heart safe from a man she cannot have…

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book but I am pleased to report I was wrong. It was a beautifully written masterpiece. Xishi isn’t just some girl with a face that can launch 1000 ships; she has the wit and charm of a siren without knowing the weapons she wields. It was good, it was damn good.

I loved that no matter what she felt, the hatred for a King who kills without thought, she couldn’t help but get to know the young man behind the crown and you can see she starts to waver ever so slightly with the humanizing of a monster.

The book was so tragic. So much loss in the pretty words and I listened to the audio as well as the kindle version and both hit their mark. It was truly a stunning piece of literature and if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet… You should do that today!

There wasn’t anything I didn’t love. Do I wish it had a HEA? Yes but I understand the need to end things the way the author did even if it did break my heart.

5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

Another killer from Ann Liang!
Beautiful and tragic. I felt like the romance in this was very convincing and made sense.
The last couple of pages destroyed meeeeee!

2.5 rounded up. I really wanted to like this one more, and there were definitely parts that I did, but overall a miss for me. I didn't buy-in to the romance, and most of the book I was just a little bored?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang. All opinions are my own.

In this historical retelling, Xishi finds herself as a spy undercover in the king’s palace to use her beauty to gain the affection of the king. This is a story of sacrifice, betrayal, and loyalty. Xishi learns that her situation isn’t as black or white as she expected and must make difficult choices that could hurt the people she’s come to care for.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, so I didn’t know what to expect. Before going into this story, know that this is not a book that’s supposed to make you happy. It’s heartbreaking and honestly hard to read at times because of how tragic the story is.

The story was interesting, and I really grew to love the characters. I liked that many of the characters were morally gray in the types of decisions they had to make. I also liked how I didn’t know what would happen next.

Without spoiling what happens in this story, I really enjoyed the first 90% of the book and had no issues with it. It’s the last 10% of the book that made me only rate this four stars instead of five.

I would recommend this book for some people, but it’s definitely not a book for everyone because of some of the content and the futures of some of the characters.

This is a romance novel with a different culture than my own so I really enjoyed that. The book has fantastic world building and paints a beautiful picture for you. The FMC brings female empowerment to a whole new level. She is brought in to be trained to be beautiful but deadly. Her beauty needs to be used to find a way in to the arms of the enemy king and his war room in order to bring back intel for the armies of her kingdom. This enemy king has taken everything from her and she knew she couldn’t let him get away with it. However while she was being trained…. Well of course she falls for the trainer, but her family and her people meant more. She had to help her family before she could follow her heart.

<i>"You are made of flowers...And rainwater. And silk. And lanterns. You are made of good things."</i>

I'm GAGGED. I will need 5 to 7 business days to recover from this book. The people were not lying - this book is NOT for the faint of heart. I mean, I knew that going in, but I'm still unbelievably unwell. Although the ending is deeply heartbreaking, Ann Liang somehow manages to suture the wound closed. The conclusion is as devastating as it is beautiful, and there is nothing to do but be awe-stricken by Liang's ability to infuse this legend with new life and stakes.

Sorrow and tragedy BLEEDS out of this book, and it's such a timely retelling in this moment of expanding warfare, nation-building, and history-making. Only empires stand to gain from war; people will always pay the price.

<i>A Song to Drown Rivers</i> carried resonances of Sue Lynn Tan's <i>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</i>, for anyone who enjoyed that book!

Gratitude and thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written, concise retelling that brings Xishi's story to life with rich world-building and well-drawn characters. Xishi, trained to use her beauty as a weapon by the military advisor Fanli, is a compelling protagonist whose inner conflict drives much of the emotional tension in the book. Her mission to infiltrate the court of the Wu kingdom, seduce the king, and weaken the empire to avenge her sister’s murder unfolds with palpable angst, and the chemistry between Xishi and Fanli adds layers of complexity.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Liang's evocative writing and the deep emotional beats, I found myself wishing the story had more room to breathe. The relationship between Xishi and Fanli, as well as her interactions with the King Fuchai, could have been even more intense if given more time to develop. There were moments between the characters, particularly those that Xishi reflects on later, that felt fleeting. I think this story could have benefited from a longer format to fully explore these dynamics.

That said, the ending is as heartbreaking as it is satisfying, and Liang's storytelling does justice to the themes of sacrifice, womanhood, and love that are woven throughout the narrative. Overall, A Song to Drown Rivers is a poignant, emotional journey that delivers on its promise of epic historical fantasy.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a very intriguing story with a lot of political intrigue.

Xishi is known for her looks. So she is bought to use her looks as a weapon. She is trained in many arts to sway men to do what she wants.

There is no bigger target than an emperor. Once at the palace Xishi is mostly on her own and has to think quick to get herself out of messy, potentially deadly situations.

Xishi is my favorite character. At first I wasn’t a huge fan of her but as time went on we see how relationships can be complicated. Even though she should hate the emperor she recognizes that she sees a side of him most do not. She recognizes this but still knows she has a duty to fulfill. The complexity of her maneuvering a new place and dealing with people who want her out of the picture really made A Song to Drown Rivers stand out to me.

Wow! The imagery and character development in this book is amazing! This is historical fiction, with a love story wrapped up in it. I usually don't read those type of stories but the cover was so beautiful...it drew me in! What an amazing story of love, revenge, betrayal, and ultimately redemption. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

A Song to Drown Rivers is a retelling of the legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Xishi is a woman from a small village who is recruited and trained to become a concubine spy to take down a neighboring kingdom. The bulk of the novel follows the trials and tribulations of Xishi as she navigates blending into an enemy's royal court while trying to complete her mission with hints of a slow-burn romance.

Once this book hits its stride (which, for me, is around the end of Xishi's training montage), IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN !! I've never heard of this legend before, but I do love reading historical fiction, so I enjoyed reading about the royal courts and kingdom drama thoroughly! I won't really classify this book as a fantasy, though. There weren't really any fantastical elements that would bring the book into that category. The romance elements were enjoyable to read (they got me giggling and kicking my feet), and they didn't overpower the other central themes. I felt like the recurring thought of "Who are truly the good guys? Who are really the monsters?" could have been pushed a bit further. There were so many aspects to the rival kings' characters as well as the people of the rival courts that felt superficial and didn't go past, "Hmmm... maybe they aren't the bad guys after all..." The complexity of the characters and their potential were there!! Regardless, that ending was BRUTAL!! (in a good way!) I definitely recommend this book for folks who love historical dramas and romances!

I loved this book that I purchased it immediately once it was available.

I rate this book a 4.5.

All I have to say is read this book.
It was beautifully written and I was in awe with the book. This book had me going through all the emotions- loved the themes of this book -political pawns, forbidden romance, historical fantasy, betrothed to the enemy,

The writing style/prose was really well done. It kept me hooked the entire time, and I would definitely read more by the author. The pacing, however, felt rushed. There were large time jumps that, to me, detracted from the sense of importance or urgency of the plot. The narrator's habit of referencing future tragic events also sort of ruined the moments when they did happen. There was less emotional poignancy than there could have been. I would also not call this a fantasy novel - historical fiction, certainly, but there weren't any fantasy elements present.

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is a gorgeous piece of historical fiction befitting the beauty and elegance of its main character. Told in an almost poetic manner, it follows the story of Xishi, one of China's famed Four Beauties, as she moves from tiny village to imperial palace and from shy maiden to favorite concubine. It is a revenge story as much as a love, historical, or coming-of-age story, and its ending will haunt you long after you finish reading.

While A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS does not contain much character development, any such growth in Fanli or Fuchai is unnecessary to the story because, simply put, it isn't their story. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is Xishi's story. In it, Ms. Liang focuses on how Xishi's actions impact her thoughts and feelings rather than what she does for her people.

When we first meet Xishi, she is a simple girl from a poor family in a poor village still recovering from the previous war between the Kingdoms of Yue and Wu and grieving her little sister's death at the hands of Wu warriors. To her, her beauty is an imposition, a cruelty of fate that causes her more hardship than pleasure, forcing her to hide from the world to avoid extra unwanted attention.

By the time the book closes, Xishi is more than that simple village girl. She has come to accept her beauty and wield it like a weapon Fanli wants her to be. More importantly, she understands and recognizes that the real ills of the world are not found in one person or kingdom. Moreover, she recognizes the mind-f*ckery that is her role in Fanli's plan, and, like everything in life, our impressions and beliefs about ourselves and others are a matter of perception of reality as we see it.

Her character development is a subtle growth, as Xishi spends much of the novel alone with her thoughts and dreams. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is not an action novel. While there are some scenes during which fighting occurs, there are no epic battle sequences to entertain the reader. Instead, readers must sit with Xishi as she contemplates her fate and her growing awareness that monsters as humans rarely exist.

One of the adaptations Ms. Liang makes with A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is her timeline compression of Xishi's story. While the Internet tells me that Xishi's training with Fanli took three years and her time with Fuchai in the Wu kingdom lasted twenty years, Ms. Liang's version sees Xishi's entire story cut down to no more than three years. This time compression does make a few things more difficult to accept, namely her love for Fanli, and her. accomplishments in the Wu kingdom. Her love for Fanli feels like insta-love, which is always difficult to stomach. Meanwhile, her time at Fuchai's side feels brief, which lessens her sacrifice. Given that we see almost none of her machinations and maneuverings within the imperial palace, it is easy for readers to scoff at her purpose and her achievements as part of the Yue revenge plot.

Despite the odd flow of time, I finished A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS blown away by its beauty and tragic ending. I like that Fuchai is not a complex character, no matter how odd Xishi finds it. I love that Fanli hides his feelings away from himself and the world. It makes any emotional outburst of his much more powerful. I appreciate Xishi coming to realize that not only is revenge seldom the answer, but also that sometimes the monster isn't the enemy you think it is. The last scene with Fuchai is as poetic as it is bleak, and Xishi's fate left me unable to sleep as I contemplated its place within the story. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is not a complex story, and its simplicity is what makes it so powerful

REVIEW SHOULD RUN WITHIN NEXT TWO WEEKS
Xishi is washing silk at the river when a young girl, begging for mercy, collapses in front of her. A Wu soldier is chasing the child with a drawn sword, clearly planning to kill her. Xishi intervenes and expects to die in her place as a result, but the most beautiful man she has ever seen arrives just in time, saving her life. His name is Fanli. Dressed in silks and clearly of the noble class, he nevertheless claims that he is there to see humbly born Xishi. Whispers of her exquisite loveliness have reached as far as the palace, and he, the emperor’s chief advisor, needs just such a woman. There is a plan for vengeance afoot that requires courage as well as charm. Xishi, who lost a sister to Wu violence, is more than happy to be a part of it.

Just like that, her adventure begins. She undergoes thirteen weeks of intense training to become a spy for the Yue. She will be sent as a concubine to the Wu capital, where she is to seduce their young emperor, Fuchai'. Once she has him in her thrall, it will be her task to drive him to do two things: empty the treasury and build a canal that will connect the two kingdoms so the Yue can more easily attack the Wu.

After her short training period, Xishi enters the Wu court with her handmaiden Zhengdan, a close friend and confidant from the same village who is well-trained in swordsmanship. But it is not easy to gain Fuchai’s attention. He has many concubines, and the battle for his affection is fierce. It is especially difficult for Xishi to simper and seduce this emperor whom she despises when she already holds her rescuer in her heart.

This novel is based on the legend of Xi Shi, who is one of the Four beauties of Ancient China. Like most legends, their are multiple iterations of the tale, with this book mostly sticking to the basic story line.

Several things work well in the story. The author does a nice job of introducing the conflict between the Wu and the Yue and also showing us how, in reality, the people we think are monsters are often just people who think the same of us. I liked how the author showed the devastation of war; almost everyone we encounter has lost someone to the fighting It was refreshing to read a story based on a non-western legend. I love fairy tales and it is fun to compare the stories I am familiar with with those of other lands.

How well you tolerate the flaws in the narrative will depend upon whether or not you are someone who enjoys romantasy. Like most (all?) of that genre, the court politics here make no sense. Problems tend to be resolved far too easily. There is a scene towards the sixty percent mark in the story where Xishi does something that was so stupid I wanted to reach through the pages and smack her. The behavior was not atypical for a romantasy. Naturally, the characters have a lot of modern sensibilities. The characters read and behave like young/new adults although the positions they hold would require someone with wisdom and experience. The author fails to create any tension in the story since Xishi is never truly conflicted. It’s not a story to provoke thought but is more a teen/twenties romp through history.

For some audiences, none of that will be a problem. For others, it will be completely unacceptable. Again, how you accept it will all depend on whether or not you like books in that genre.

There were a few things, though, that the author could have done better even within the confines of her literary form. One is to create a real romance between Fanli and Xishi. The two spend almost no time together, and their love is all cryptic comments and longing glances. In the legend, Xishi trains for years. Shortening it to months for the sake of the story made it seem almost ridiculous. The court politics should have been handled in more detail.But most importantly what made Xishi so alluring for Fuchai and why he succumbed so easily to her machinations needed to be addressed more thoroughly. In this tale, Xishi was one pretty girl among many. She was meant to be a beauty that birds would descend to get a closer look at and the moon would hide in shame from. Using that would have been good. I would have preferred the author choosing the happier of the two possible endings to the tale as well. I didn’t grade down for the latter but I do want to warn readers that there isn’t an HEA here.

I went with a B for my overall grade of A Song to Drown Rivers because it is a good, if not great, example of romantasy and because I enjoyed this look at a legend from a different culture. If you like that genre, I would recommend it.

Q: Has a book ever left you reeling when it’s over?

This book made me so unwell. Like I loved every minute of it but that ending caught me right in the gut. The writing was beautiful and atmospheric. Xishi was such a strong character and it’s unusual to see a book written from the POV of someone who is using their beauty as a weapon. And very strategically too.

I also adored Fanli. Both of them were all in saving their people and it created such a bond between them. The tension in this book was OFF THE CHARTS. Like if you love Pride and Prejudice for the tension and the carriage hand scene? This book is for you.