It was so good, very sad. I might have to reread this. So beautiful. I was afraid to read this book but I’m so glad I did.

Haunting and lyrical, this book really surprised me and grabbed me from the first line. I really enjoyed the retelling aspect - this story is a big departure from Liang's other books, but very well done. Definitely recommend!

Thanks for the review copy. The cover is gorgeous. I ended up liking the mythology elements. This is a stunning book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure I know how to feel about this one. I get that it was based on a legend, but I just can’t get behind any of the ending. Any of it.

I didn’t really care for the characters and there was a lot of useless descriptive writing. Not my cup of tea. I don’t think the “love story” part of it made sense (unsure how to say more without spoilers). It also so boring in the beginning that I almost DNFed.

I cried and could not stop sobbing, It's been years since I have finished a book and just stared at the wall (I lied the only other book recently was the BOTM series, but that's an anomaly).

Honestly, I had not thought I was going to love this because while I do love all of Ann Liang's other works, I just didn't think this would stand out. BOY WAS I WRONG.
the tension>>>
the characters>>>>
the plot>>>>>

I loved Xishi, I loved Fanli, I loved the side characters(well except that one rat👑), and yes... I did even love Fuchai😃. That just shows how well Ann was able to master her craft and her writing was INSANE in this book.

I may come back to this review closer to or on release day to add my fav quotes and add my spoilery thoughts, which will merit a re-read so until then <3

Ann liang, that ending will forever haunt me 💞

This is an emotional, tragic, and heart-wrenching tale of love between Xishi and Fanli, and, in a certain way, between her and the so-called evil king. Xishi is plucked from her village life by Fanli, who discovers her and trains her as a spy to become a beautiful concubine for the king. But how far will she go for her revenge when she constantly feels a dilemma about the king's genuine affection for her, all while the war between the Wu and Yue kingdoms rages on? The story is beautiful and captivating, but it could benefit from more character development, particularly for Fanli.

Due to the Boycott against the publisher i will be withholding a full review
Due to the Boycott against the publisher i will be withholding a full review
Due to the Boycott against the publisher i will be withholding a full review
Due to the Boycott against the publisher i will be withholding a full review

This book. THIS BOOK! I was up until 1am finishing it. This is one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read - a heart-wrenching, fierce examination on the morality of war, and who gets caught in the crosshairs. About doomed love, impossible yearning. Political strategizing and the fun romp of court intrigue. Highly recommend to fans of The Song of Achilles and The Familiar!

Whoa! This book basically destroyed me! I loved the relationship between Xishi and Fanli. I will say I had to hold my breath during parts of this book and couldn't breathe. I absolutely devoured this book and need more from Ann Liang!!!

Well, I just ate that one up, didn’t I? I’m not usually a big fan of retellings, but something about the cover and description called to me, and I was not disappointed.

❤️ Interesting plot
❤️ Skillful depiction of the blurry lines of war
❤️ Interesting exploration of the cost of victory/revenge
❤️ Ending (I won’t say more!)
❌ Plot armour galore!
❌ Underdeveloped romance
❌ Inaccurate marketing

Trigger warnings: violence and torture, blood and gore, injury detail, death (including of a child) and grief, murder, war, physical abuse, misogyny, poisoning, suicide.

Plot:
Peasant girl Xishi’s beauty draws the attention of a young military advisor, who presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon to topple the rival neighbouring kingdom of Wu. To improve the lives of her people and avenge her sister’s murder, Xishi accepts to become the enemy king’s concubine. But the higher she climbs in court and finds ways to weaken Wu from within, the more she needs the watch out for suspicious advisors, jealous courtesans and, most of all, the young king’s volatile temperament.

Oh, how I love the “beautiful ingénue infiltrating the enemy’s court” cliché. There’s seduction, court intrigue, spying, political angst, etc. The plot was interesting and compelling, and the stakes high. Liang also managed to leave me with a growing sense of unease, and I LOVE that. The more the story progressed, the more I wondered if I was rooting for the good guys. However, if I’d been able to turn my brain off and ignore some nonsensical elements (that were always too convenient for Xishi), I would probably have given it 4.5⭐. But in the end, I’m convinced that a book—regardless of the genre—needs to be somewhat believable in order to be truly compelling.

Also, please note that this novel is wrongly labelled as “sci-fi and fantasy” and an “epic historical fantasy.” Except some minor paranormal elements at the very end, there’s no magic or fantasy themes.

Characters:
I feel like there’s not much I can say without spoiling anything. Overall, I thought the characters were well crafted and complex, although the only character for whom we saw true development was Xishi. Although she was (imo) a horrible spy who made tons of bad decisions and remained alive only thanks to plot armour, she was still a wonderful resilient, cunning, strong, and courageous character. I loved seeing her hide her female rage behind her beauty and question her choices and beliefs, but also the things powerful men tell her.

(Note: I’ve seen negative comments about the “love triangle” aspect, but I respectfully disagree. Yes, there are two love interests, but there’s no competition/rivalry or indecision. Why do LTs have such a bad rep, sheeesh? They’re not all made equals!)

Writing:
Overall, I enjoyed Liang’s lovely, evocative writing style and felt the pace was consistent enough. However, I feel like more “show, don’t tell” would benefit this book. Many important sequences took place off-page, and there’s a lot of exposition vs. sensory details, especially when it comes to secondary characters.

I will be withholding my review in support of the boycott on St. Martin’s Press and it’s imprints and I will continue to do so until all the concerns are addressed. Readers and influencers demand accountability and action.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is a captivating and emotionally powerful tale. This novel skillfully reimagines an ancient legend with a remarkable voice, making it a valuable contribution to the historical fiction genre. I was immediately drawn in from the very first page.

<i>How fitting that the one who saved my life should now be the one to lead me away from it</i>

Wow, is all I can say. That wrap was packed more full of an emotional knee jerk reaction than I was prepared for. These characters possessed some devastating backgrounds, on both the Yue and the ones we got to know on the Wu side. But even more devastating was the conclusion of it all.

Xishi, the FMC, is strikingly beautiful, and beauty is just the weapon the Yue need to yield in order to overthrow the Wu Kingdom. History is not so kind between the Kingdoms and it was only a matter of time before the Yue concocted a plan to fight back. Fanli, (one of the MMCs and the main love interest), a minister and the Yue King’s biggest weapon, was able to convince Xishi that they could train her to use her beauty to deceive and manipulate Wu’s king, Fuchai. She’d be leaving to serve the Kingdom and atone for her sister’s wrongful death. Her best friend, Zhengdan, had already agreed to accompany her on the mission as an advisor, because she sought to fight for vengeance following her father’s death.

With training accomplished and a plan in place, are they able to help the Yue conquer the Wu and take down the Kingdom? Or is everything just a deception?

This book could have been 5 stars if there was more show. I can’t even say, “more show, less tell”, because for the romance aspect, we didn’t even get a tell. All the developments between Fanli and Xishi are off paper and open to assumption and interpretation. While the character backstories are strong, their lack of development impeded the story. I couldn’t feel any connection between Fanli and Xishi because there was a whole lot of time that passed and little to no build-up. There was no raw emotion or angst, just some basic, off-page chemistry from training and their looks. The only romantic emotion I actually felt the whole book was actually Xishi’s forced connection with Fuchai, and it didn’t feel so forced. I personally think she loathed that she actually sprang to life around the Fuchai she got to know, as her goal in the end was to deceive and manipulate him into losing everything bits and pieces at a time.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC to read and review.

What sets this book apart is its masterful blend of mythology and world-building. The author has clearly done their research, drawing inspiration from a rich tapestry of mythologies from around the world. The result is a unique and immersive world that feels both familiar and fresh.

And can we talk about this deluxe edition? I freaking love it!

This novel was my first introduction into the legend of Xishi. As someone unaware of the history of this story to begin with, I went in without any expectations or thoughts on how the story would progress which made it very exciting for me and kept me on my toes. I can also see this being very enjoyable though to those who already are knowledgeable in the background of Xishi and the Four Great Beauties in Chinese history. One thing this story did an excellent job of is making me crave to learn even more about the Four Great Beauties and Chinese history in general. Ann Liang does a beautiful job of painting vivid scenes to bring ancient China to life. The beauty of the language is one of my favorite parts of this book.

I found myself most engrossed in the story in the first 25% of the book and the last 25% (give or take). The beginning and ending were super strong and left me unable to put the book down (especially towards the end). There were moments in the middle where I felt like there was some lack of connection between the characters that made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story during those times. Sometimes I struggle with novels about mythology for a similar reason to why I struggled with parts of this story - I just lose a bit of connection because there just seems to be some kind of emotional engagement lacking for me.

I would highly recommend this story if you enjoy mythology - especially if you are looking for something out of the norm that you may not already be familiar with!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

THANK YOU so much for the opportunity to read an ARC of this. It was such an absolute delight. Even with, you know, the ending. 😉

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy + Romance + Historical Fiction

This historical fantasy is based on the legend of Xishi, who was considered to be one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. In her village, Xishi's beauty is considered a blessing because the ideal destiny for a girl is to have a good husband and provide for her family. With the help of the renowned young military advisor, Fanli, who notices her, she is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to harness the power of her beauty. Her objective is to sabotage the enemy from the inside out by infiltrating their palace as a spy and wooing their ruthless king.

I don’t want to reveal more about the plot because it is left to you to see if her mission is successful or not. This is the first time I have read something by this author, and I can say that her writing is beautiful. Reading this book did not feel like a chore because I had problems with the story.

My first issue is that this book is classified as a fantasy—not only that, but the synopsis explicitly states that it is an epic historical fantasy. This is neither an epic fantasy nor a fantasy. It lacks all aspects of epic fantasy. There is no magic system and no glitter like those found in fantasy novels.

This was meant to be a romance. I mean, the romance was supposed to be the heart of the story, but even that did not work for me. I am not even sure when the two main characters fell in love. Was the romance off the page? I did not see enough chemistry between the two for them to fall in love. After finishing the book, I am not sure if they were in love or not. They rarely exchanged looks or words with one another.

For some reason, this version of the story did not convince me. The majority of the reviews were extremely positive, which gave me reason to have high hopes for it. My impression is that a great number of reviewers may have been moved by the tragic conclusion of the story, which is the reason for the high favorable ratings. In my opinion, this turned out to be an OK story, nothing more and nothing less.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Beautiful read! Love a novel with court politics and intrigue and this definitely ticked that box. I could not put this book down!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc.

This book was devastatingly beautiful, not only the characters but the setting and descriptions as well. The way Ann Liang describes the Yue and Wu Kingdoms was vivid in my mind as I imagined the view from Xishi's perspective. Her love for her family, home, and Zhengdan was heartwarming, but I wish there were more interactions with Zhengdan. The book has a way of telling, rather than showing, that leaves readers expecting what to feel instead of feeling it for themselves.

If there is one thing that stood out to me about this book, it was the real TENSION and strain between Xishi and Fanli; there was no need for instant romance and each interaction was with bated breath. Their forbidden love was heartwrenching, and I cried along with Xishi, but I still wish we could have seen more of them with a fleshed-out beginning to their romance. As one of the other reviews pointed out, most of their training happens off-page, and we are left to wonder about their moments together.

Overall, an enthralling read, 5/5 stars.

4.5 stars
Based on a Chinese legend, beautifully written, with well-developed characters. Good, evil (or are they?), love, sacrifice, political intrigue. Best book I've read in a while.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.