A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang, 336 pages. St. Martin’s Press, 2024. $23.
Language: PG (5 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: R
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
From a poor family in a kingdom ravaged by war with the Wu, Xishi (20yo) washes raw silk and wishes that she could hold the Wu accountable for their wrongs—especially for the wrongful death of her younger sister. Fanli (22yo), the Yue king’s minister, asks Xishi to be a tribute to the Wu king and a spy for the Yue. In this new battle, Xishi’s overwhelming beauty will be her sword.
Based on Chinese legend, Xishi’s story is hauntingly beautiful. While Xishi is sent to the Wu king as a concubine, there are no vulgar scenes, and it’s even implied that sex is never involved in their relationship. The pressure of Xishi’s situation hangs over readers with little levity to offer contrast, making it hard to put down through to the last page.
The characters are implied Chinese. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, mentions of trafficking, partial nudity, kissing, and innuendo. The violence rating is for assault, blood and gore, mentions of child abuse, corpses, battle scenes, suicide, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

While I really enjoyed the writing style and thought it had a lot of potential in the beginning, the plot kind of fell flat.

My first big problem with the story was the insta love / insta lust. I believe this is marketed as romantasy where instalust is pretty common, but usually something interesting happens between the ml and fl to make it a bit interesting. Having the ml be absent for a big portion of the book did nothing to help sell me on this couple.

Among other things I felt like the history and world was very undeveloped. I wish there was more about the politics of the world, considering the fl was supposed to be a political spy.

Overall, I thought the world and characters fell flat and the story read as a run in the mill ya book (though I know it's marketed as adult, I do believe it would be better marketed as ya).

This is a stunning retelling of the legend Xishi, one of the four beauties of ancient China.

“The mind destroys. The heart devours.”

“How many women throughout history were blamed for the weakness of men?”

I am in awe of this book. This is my first book by Ann and it won’t be my last. She has a lyrical way to her writing. I experienced a ton of anxiety throughout the book, in the best way. This was a surprising story that had me laughing and crying.

-Who did this to you
-Arranged marriage
-Forbidden romance
-Vengeance
-Slow-Burn
-War and corruption
-“Exile” and “My Tears Ricochet” vibes

A solid adult fantasy debut from author Ann Liang, who has previously written YA - contemporary, with some romance and even fantasy elements - that I enjoyed. I will say that this book leans closer to older YA than true adult fiction, and it could have benefitted from deciding which side of the age line it wanted to be on. Still, it’s different and a wider world than Liang’s previous work. There is a ton of political intrigue along with a romance interwoven into court drama, with enough world building to carry it. The political intrigue was the most interesting to me, but the worldbuilding and character dynamics, including either the villain, were really engaging.

I was so excited for this book but its been disappointing so far. I'm just shy of 100 pages and I still don't want to pick it up. I'm not rooting for any characters and I feel like nothing is happening. And considering how short the book is, things will probably be rushed once they do start happening.

Maybe this book just isn't for me but I have no desire to finish it.

Devastatingly beautiful, A Song to Drown Rivers showcases the complexities of being a woman and how women are remembered in history. Inspired by legends of The Four Beauties of Ancient China, our story follows Xishi as she leaves her small village town for the chance to make history and save her people. We watch her transform from a sheltered young woman who had never left her small village to a capable, cunning spy with the power to alter the direction of history in the palm of her hand.

Throughout the story, we watch Xishi navigate difficult situations while always staying true to herself and her core beliefs. Liang weaves her tale exquisitely, along with Xishi, you will find yourself wondering who is a friend and a foe–and whether or not a person can fall in the middle. At its core, this story is the tale of a young woman’s sacrifice for her people while facing the realities of how she will be perceived from both sides in history, how women are always blamed for the follies of men.

All the while, between Xishi learning to be a spy and navigating complex court politics, a love story brews and simmers. One of the most exquisite, achingly beautiful love stories. A love so pure, so true, it defies time. 

If a book moves me to tears, it signals the author did their job correctly. And friends, I cried at the end of this book. Ann Liang, you know what you did, and you did it, oh so, well. Count me in for Liang’s next book. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

This book was full of twists and turns every step of the way. There were beautiful moments. There were tragic moments. I went through the feels all the way through. I'm still mindblown over many things that happened.

Enchanting and devastating, I finished this a few days ago and it continues to occupy my thoughts.

If you are a fan of mythology retellings abd books that make you ache, I think you’ll fall in love with this tale. It was beautifully written, I will surely pick up anything Ann Liang writes.

Fat-friendly rating: 🤍, neutral

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
Narrator: Natalie Naudus
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 10/1

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy, and to Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook! #macaudio2024
Xishi is a rare beauty born into extreme poverty in a kingdom broken by war. When she catches the eye of the king’s advisor, Fanli, she’s given the chance to change her fate and the fate of her entire people.

There is a lot to love about this one! Liang takes a familiar setup—using beauty to infiltrate and take down an enemy kingdom—and turns it into something fresh. This story is less about romance and more about survival, power, and the tough choices Xishi has to make as she plays a dangerous game between two kingdoms.

Xishi is such a relatable, raw character. You feel every bit of her pain, anger, and guilt as she struggles with the weight of her mission. Her relationship with Fuchai, the king she's sent to seduce, is one of the best parts of the book. It’s sweet at times, but there’s always an undercurrent of tension and danger that keeps you on edge.

The pacing is spot-on too. Aside from a few slow spots, the story moves at a steady pace, with lots of action and emotion. The politics and stakes are intense, and you can feel how much Xishi has to lose if things go wrong.

The narration by Natalie Naudus was so good! It really drew me into the story and enhanced my enjoyment overall.

I had a few minor issues with the story, one being that it’s not really a fantasy. It’s more historical fiction since it happens during a real time in Chinese history, and the only fantastical elements come at the very end. And the ending? Not happy. At least, not at first. It’s a sad ending that ends up being happy later on. Which actually made sense for the story, but as a standalone book marked as ‘romantasy’ I expected a happy ending.

I still enjoyed this one and had a hard time putting it down! I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a story with strong heroines, complex relationships, sacrifice, and a bit of heartbreak.

One of my absolute favorite books of the year…

I mostly read mysteries. But I do dabble a bit in other genres, and when the publisher offered me a review copy of Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers, it looked intriguing. So I grabbed it, and I am so so glad I did. Quite simply, I adored this book from start to finish.

A Song to Drown Rivers is so many things at once: a story of beauty, treachery, revenge, romance, hubris, evil, and love. And somehow, all of these emotions are woven together by Liang in a way that makes you, the reader, feel what the characters are feeling throughout the book. Which is, to me, the mark of a really great book. And although this level of immersion had me in tears for the last couple of chapters, everything seemed natural and fitting by the end. So don’t be afraid to read it, even if you think (like me) that you don’t like sad endings – you’ll be okay. But do read it - or at least the end of it - when you’re alone, and not while dining solo at a restaurant, like I did!

Per its blurb, A Song to Drown Rivers is based on a traditional Chinese legend, and Liang’s oh-so-elegant writing feels that way – sort of dreamy, like this really should be told orally, by a storyteller at a campfire. And although for me, the main impact of the book was emotional, when I look back at it a couple of days later, I realize there was also an almost perfect classical tale underpinning it all – something that would fit quite nicely (with only a tweak or two) into the mold of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I wish I could give A Song to Drown Rivers more than five stars. But I can’t, so all I can say is, just read it. And finally, my thanks to St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

“Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.”

This book had all of the vibes. It was hauntingly beautiful and poetic. Absolutely stunning. There were certain fantasy elements that were missing (I need more world building, and that is something I never say), but overall I really liked this book and would definitely recommend it.

A very special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

i hate that i hate this book. & an actual full review!

────── · · ⊹ · · ──────

anyways. i feel so MISLEADDD by this book. im actually upset that i ordered the sprayed edges/special edtn because i do not think ill be reading it again after this 😭 its like an ann liang book except without any enjoyable parts of an ann liang book

ok where to start ahhh 🙆‍♂️

✴ xishi & fanli:
wow did i HATE the mcs. maybe ive been reading too much litfic but they feel so forced and not well thought out at all, its like miss liang just opens wheelofnames.com and writes down 15 different examples of character trauma/emotional wounds lifted straight from any YA booktok book, and i love retellings because they open up new perspective and give more depth to characters, surroundings, etc etc. but if anything xishi felt more flat. like the way everyone acted + spoke was so western and so immature (how old are they?) i've read middle grade asian fantasy a hundred times more immersive and realistic--and yes a Where the Mountain Meets the Moon plug! because i loved that but not this. even during the more important parts of astdr i just couldn't bring myself to care.

✴ marketing:
okay maybe my memory serves me wrong but i read somewhere this was 'a love story that transcends time and space' and imm just. disappointed 🤕 love story where? & on how this is ann liang's first adult book--certainly not written for adults, though, with the mc's logic (or lack of) !!! xishi's seduction scenes were borderlining embarrassing territory. i put off reading this book to do optional work and go to sleep early which says a lott!

✴ misc/thoughts:
the romance was so eugh, HEAVY on instalove and the attempt at tension was so horrible (yea i miss ihtdfy), i felt like ann was just sprinkling in random tropes and trying to balance out the YA-like thought process somehow EVERY character went through by adding over-the-top purple prose about things that don't contribute to the plot at all (the water? okay). nothing had any depth at all and idk things were said and done just to fill checkboxes of what you should put in a plot i guess. before reading i was in the mood for something that would both break my heart and make me giggle but like.. i got nothing ahhh!

✴ basically..
im not a fan. & the amount of times i had to look away from the screen because i cannot believe this queen ann liang could ever have written something THAT diabolical 🥹 im not okay. (maybe) more concise rtc when im active in a few weeks!

────── · · ⊹ · · ──────

Where to start with this review? I adored A Song to Drown Rivers. The court intrigue was fascinating and there were so many twists and turns that I just did not see coming.

One of the major themes of the novel is how the only people who benefit from wars are the rulers who use their people as tools at their disposal. Xishi is manipulated by King Goujian because of her hatred toward the Wu, who invaded her village and killed her sister. But while living in the Wu kingdom, she talks to the maid who serves her and learns that she had family members killed when the Yue invaded the Wu kingdom. Xishi notices that the maid calls the Yue "monsters", which is a term Xishi herself has used against the Wu.

Liang does an amazing job of humanizing Fuchai. Even though we know what he did to Goujian and Fanli, and he's incredibly cruel at other points in the book, he shows a softer side of himself to Xishi. At times I almost forgot I was meant to hate him.

The ending was so incredibly bittersweet and it emotionally destroyed me. I wish Goujian a lifetime of sitting on a throne made of cactus needles for what he did to Xishi. I love how she got revenge on him from the afterlife, though. I hate that Xishi and Fanli didn't get their happy ending until after they both passed. If you're looking for the typical romance with a happy ending, this isn't it - but it's a wonderful and deeply moving book nonetheless.

I've read all of Ann Liang's other books and I'm a huge fan of her writing, so I was very curious to read her first adult fantasy, a very different genre from what I've read from her before. I immediately fell in love with the writing style, which I think matches this book perfectly: the style fits the genre really well, but it's also super accessible, which made me read the entire book in one sitting.

Xishi and Fanli's forbidden love story was filled with tension, and it ended up making me very emotional. This element of the story definitely deserves 5 stars in my opinion, but I felt like the book as a whole didn't completely live up to its enormous potential. The world, story and characters didn't feel as developed as they could have been, and I think there could easily have been 100 to 150 more pages to really flesh everything out, and make the story even more impactful.

absolutely heartbreaking and maddening and beautiful all at once. this played out exactly like a sageuk k-drama in my head as i read this (i know it's chinese, but my korean ass brain just automatically inserted sageuk material and kept jumping back and forth between korean and chinese visuals lol), and it was so incredibly to eat it up.

ann liang paints a rich world of a broken kingdom torn apart by war, and one of the lines (i'll paraphrase badly: they weren't killed by [one side], they were killed by the war- by two kings at play) will stick with me for a long time to come. this is my second liang read, and it's made me so excited to pick up her other books. she's so incredibly gifted in writing romance, in my opinion, and it's honestly refreshing to read a beautifully crafted non-spicy romance... though i will say romance isn't this book's main genre, so don't get into this if you're wishing for a feel-good HPE type of love story.

docked off half a star for the ending, as i'm not really into the whole beyond-the-grave thing, but i will say liang wrote it so... prettily??? that a tiny part of me doesn't care at all lol.

I was surprised to find out that this book isn’t categorized as YA. Although well written, this book was sorely missing complexity. The storyline is too convenient, the political maneuverings too obvious to actually work, the romance too instant. The reader is asked to care about these characters more than they can. Xishi considers the time she spent with Fanli (ten whole weeks!!!) to be her most formative. And they apparently were—Xishi was able to memorize every important poem in the Chinese canon, play guqin like a seasoned musician, school her facial expressions as well as the best of the best in these ten weeks. The actual legend of Xishi had her training for years.

I found Wu Zixu, King Fuchai’s minister, to be extremely compelling in the little scenes he had. I would have really liked to read about Xishi plotting her next move against him, to see her thought process and preparation, instead of having everything happen perfectly. It’s very one-dimensional to not be able to see the hard work that Xishi puts into her role as a spy and only just be given the justification that she is a natural.

It also feels like a missed opportunity that this book deliberately avoids the physical demands of a concubine, especially for a girl from a remote village who has never been kissed prior to her mission. Because I read The Voyage Home by Pat Barker right before this book, the difference between how sex is portrayed in that trilogy to A Song to Drown Rivers is especially stark, and illuminates another reason why Xishi doesn’t seem like an actual, fleshed-out character to me and why this story felt censored and sanitized. You’re telling me that Fuchai is the hottest young king ever and he can be brought to his knees without anything more than a kiss?

I do understand that this book requires a suspension of disbelief and that this book is ultimately meant for entertainment. I realize that Ann Liang has definitely considered all of these heavier angles, but ultimately did not actually want to go in depth on them beyond beautifully packaged ending in which Xishi demonstrates critical thinking when it’s too late. But I’ll be thinking of this book for a bit, wishing that she had.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of A Song to Drown Rivers in exchange for an honest review.

I have read a couple of Ann Liang’s YA novels and enjoyed them and so I was really looking forward to what was being described as her adult debut. I say described because none of the major characters really feel adult and the tone of the novel leans more to upper YA than adult. Maybe that sentence alone gives away some of my feelings on this book but I’m sad to say this is not what I thought it was going to be. I’ve seen this marketed as a romantasy and that could not be further from the truth. Firstly, the main couple of the romance do not actual interact all that much for the majority of the book. Secondly I would never classify this as anything close to fantasy. There is a somewhat speculative element at the very end of the novel, however, it is done in a way that I would not find out of place in any literary fiction novel. I would describe this as historical fiction and I think if I had gone in with that mindset I may have been inclined to feel a bit more generous with the book.

The first half of this was a slog, and I would say the last 10% could have been cut down. I was skimming for a lot of this book because it just wasn’t gripping me. I didn’t find the language used particularly evocative and overall found the tone too distant to feel much of anything for the characters. Once I managed to get to the half way point I did become more interested as that is where the political intrigue finally came into play and there were plenty of interesting moments. I would have liked to see Xishi struggle a bit more. A lot of moments in this book are too easy for her or she gets away with maneuvers that should not have worked. I’ll keep my eye on Ann Liang’s future adult endeavors but I don’t think I’ll be rushing out to buy them.

I'm not crying, you are.

I would have loved if this book was longer. If it had developed more in certain places. I think the politics in this would have been nice to see fleshed out, and the relationship between Xishi and Fanli and Xishi and Fuchai expanded on. But overall, I did enjoy reading this. I didn't want to put it down.

Need me men like Fanli and Fuchai ✌

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eArc!

Liang’s novel is one that has been on my radar ever since I saw the first edition hardcover with digital edges. I was really happy I got approved for an arc from NetGalley.

This book is inspired from Chinese Folklore and weaves a story about love, vengeance and mortality. I was hooked from the very start. The imagery was captivating through Liang’s writing. The book did lose a bit of steam for me in the middle however I enjoyed the ending. Not something I can say about a lot of books.

Hope you enjoy it as well.

This was ok.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style. There were some lovely lines throughout the book. The general plot held my attention well enough.

The specific plot points are where I struggled to buy in. The main character’s actions were presented as super smart and strategic but actually felt pretty incompetent. I regularly thought “there’s no way the king is buying this,” but he repeatedly did. It was too convenient to be believable and took me out of the story.