This book was good. I found the world building much easier to follow than other books rooted in mythology. It kept me engaged and really antsy about what would happen next.

The love story was full of longing and angst, which is everything you can ask for in romantasy! I will be looking to read more from Ann.

Stunning. This novel achieves something I haven’t seen done nearly so well in other books—balancing a delicate and floral prose with a sort of realism. It never dresses up the realities experienced by the characters, but rather enriches it, creating a melodic flow between interior and exterior life. This is especially apparent when you read passages about the beautiful and dangerous landscape, and see Xishi and Fanli balance surviving and loving within it. I won’t give anything away, but the ending is truly devastating, beautiful, and perfect . Fans of Song of Achilles will love this book.

📖 A Song To Drown Rivers 📖 by Ann Liang

- To be released October 1, 2024 -

It's been a long time since I had a 5 star read. A long time. Like a year! But I don't have to wait anymore. This book finally broke my dry spell 🙂

It is said that her face is the most beautiful of all women in the Yue kingdom. Word of Xishi's beauty reaches the ears of Yue's famed military advisor, Fanli. Fanli enlists Xishi's help in forming a plan to topple the oppressive kingdom of Wu. All Xishi has to do is enter Wu as a spy and seduce its young king. Fanli offers to train Xishi in the ways of Wu culture and gives her the opportunity to finally seek revenge on those responsible for the death of her sister. Will her beauty and training be enough to succeed?

🏞 This book was written SO well. Ann Liang's writing is eloquent and touching. The story never gets boring or slow. Each chapter and paragraph serves a purpose and moves the plot along 🏯

Xishi is a fascinating protagonist. Her character is the perfect balance of realistic flaws and fictional traits. She's humble, brave, smart, and elegant. Despite her beauty, a real character exists there. Fanli's character is stoic and solid. Xishi's friend and accomplice, Zhengdan, is funny but also has gumption. I even found myself liking other characters I wasn't supposed to, all due to Liang's writing.

The story in A Song to Driwn Rivers is heartbreakingly beautiful. I really loved reading about Xishi's training and how she went about infiltrating the Wu kingdom. The plot unfolded in ways I didn't expect, and the ending was....ugh I can't tell you. You just have to read it ❤️

A BIG thank You to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for giving me an early ARC of this book.

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice rating: 0/5
Language rating: 0/5

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC! Unfortunately, this was the biggest miss of the century for me.

I feel like I was given a different book from everyone else. The below review is my OWN opinion, but I cannot recommend this book to anyone. And please to Ann Liang, I'd recommend you not read father than my prefaces. You are talented but GIRL this was NOT IT.

We're going to preface this review with a few notes:
1. I adored Ann Liang's YA books. I think she has real talent and I love hearing her stories and her views on contemporary issues.
2. I only give out 1 star reviews to books that deeply offend me to a point where I cannot conceivably tell ANYONE to read the book and will actively tell people NOT to read it.

So where does this stem from? This book truly feels like Liang went to the Wiki page for the Legend of Xi Shi and copied the tale exactly, added enough "story telling" and dialogue to make it JUST long enough to be a book. I've read a few mythology retellings: Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Circe, maybe a few others. Those books took the generic story and gave us nuance, took liberties, brought in interesting twists..... This book did NONE of that. And that is where I really truly feel like this book should not have been written the way it was.

I liked nothing in this book. The "romance" between Xishi and Fanli was no fleshed out at all. Most of their interactions were done in a "telling, not showing" style and off-page. All of it happened in the first like 25% of the book. I have no idea why they love each other, nor why either one would sacrifice worlds for the other. They knew each other for TEN WEEKS. This whole book takes place over more than TWO YEARS. You heard that right. Xishi tells us she was at the palace for more than two years.

Two years in which they do not have any sex. Guys. ... This is supposed to be an adult book, right? An adult book about a CONCUBINE AND A KING. But there are ZERO SMUT SCENES. None. They kiss and that's it yall. That is it for MORE THAN TWO YEARS. What kind of king just sleeps NEXT TO their concubine??

There are so many things that just didn't really make sense for me. Not only the sex thing, but also... Xishi inserts herself into a military meeting by kissing the king. And then... SHE SPEAKS. A concubine SPEAKS in a military meeting and they all LISTEN TO HER???? What? Huh??

I really was hoping for some good spying action when she got to the palace but honestly? The king liked her right away with no real rhyme or reason even though she didn't give him any. And she just doesn't really do any actual spying. She just does that one thing I mentioned above, asks for a Palace and a canal... and a party. Done. Two years well spent! :)

That's the whole book.

The side characters were all throw aways. The only real interesting character was Fuchai, the king. I actually felt a little bad for him at the end. Like... poor guy didn't even want to be king. Which, btw was never really expanded on. And he was so happy to have to not deal with that if he got to keep Xishi. But nope, sorry dude, she's in love with brooding no-emotion guy over there. The guy who can get stabbed in the chest and be like "It's only a flesh wound."

Her palace lady friend? I feel like her plot was unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the story and we could have just had the little Xio girl instead (I forget her name, but she was the helper for a bit.) And when palace lady friend died, I was like "Oh, how...sad? I guess?"

The other side characters were all pointless. Liyu? Liyu who? HAHA.

OH, and also.... what was with her heart defect? We see it in a scene early on and she mentions it randomly a few times but then it's NEVER EXPLAINED. WHAT WAS THE POINT????

Also, the ending, after she died and was narrating as a ghost... I'm like "OH, look, the first fantastical thing in this historical FANTASY book!" Seriously. This wasn't historical fantasy. This was just a terrible historical fiction. And the ghost thing was SO incredibly stupid. I'm sorry. But it was bad.

I probably could have a lot more to say but honestly, I was SO HEAVILY disappointed in this book and that it was such a boring retelling of what could have been a very interesting tale. Had we gotten more intrigue and less plot armor. More romance and less telling us she loved a guy she met for a few weeks. More uniqueness and less "this is how the tale goes so this is what happens."

I don't think I will read any more of AL's historical / fantasy endeavors and stick to her YA. And I recommend anyone who tries her books to go read those first.

"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 our gardens quivered and turned their heads away, so ashamed they were of their own diminished allure in my presence. I have always found such stories to be laughably exaggerated, but they prove the same thing: that my beauty was something unnatural, transcending nature itself. And that beauty is not so different from destruction."
▪️Ann Liang, A Song to Drown Rivers, 5⭐

Thank you to @stmartinspress and NetGalley for an e-arc to read and review. I'm excited that I had the chance to read this for #Maythology though it doesn't publish until October 1. It's based on the Chinese legend of Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China.

This book is a delicious snack you can't stop eating! It's a swoony and twisting dark romance (closed door!) woven into a desperate story of war and oppression. The romance reminded me of Shadow and Bone's main love triangle except the characters are much better and consistent so the romance is simultaneously more satisfying and suspenseful.

This novel is easy to read, for older teens and adults both, creative, and so addicting. Though it sings with feelings of fantasy and magic, this is historical fiction. I can't recommend it enough! If you like Six Crimson Cranes, this should go to the top of your TBR!!!!

I love this book. The writing is captivating, and the characters are incredibly complex.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing this review copy.

"A Song to Drown Rivers" by Ann Liang offers a mesmerizing blend of history, myth, and romance. Inspired by the legend of Xishi, the novel transports readers to ancient China, where Xishi's beauty becomes a weapon in a dangerous game of espionage and intrigue. The richly developed characters and intricate plot kept me engrossed from beginning to end. With its vivid storytelling and poignant themes of sacrifice and love, "A Song to Drown Rivers" is a captivating read that will linger in the mind long after the final page.

This was so heartbreakingly beautiful, my head is still spinning since finishing this last night. Ann is by far one of my favorite authors to ever walk this planet (I would cry just by reading her grocery list) and she did not disappoint with this book.
Every description is written in such a gorgeous manner, it makes you feel like you can see what the characters are seeing, feel what they are. I am obsessed with the way Ann uses the story line to communicate the angst and the development of each character. She makes us connect with each one, and see both good and bad in every personality. The contrast between duty and beauty, right and wrong, and the revenge aspect while loving the characters really made this book impactful.
Xishi and Fanli are sooooo to-die-for characters. Literally. I wish we got more of them because every single interaction made me beg for more. The red string, the training, the secret moments… trust me when I say I have been screaming non-stop. But even when we are very much rooting for these two, we get a character that we are supposed to hate - Fuchai. And I found myself being so damn attached to him. He’s just a foolish dorky guy who didn’t have a care in the world besides Xishi and I couldn't help but adore and feel sorry for him.
That ending physically and emotionally wrecked me in the most devastating way possible. Knowing a little bit about the true tale this was based on, I couldn’t believe what was happening before my eyes, and I was out-loud screaming and crying to it. And yet, even when the knife was turning inside me after the whole thing, I was smiling - Ann really made this piece of folklore even more perfect. What a sad, beautiful and tragic love story.
The whole story is just breathtaking, the tension, the arcs within the characters, the political issues - everything was written beautifully and in a great pacing, i couldn’t turn the book down. It was so captivating. But then again, everything Ann writes is.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book knowing I would adore it, but I have to say that it exceeded my expectations in every way. Xishi was a beautiful main character whom I rooted for the moment she was introduced to me. Her gracefulness and strength were present in every aspect of her life, and I connected to her character in more ways than one. The side characters, including Fanli, Zhengdan, and Fuchai, were written with so much care and intricacy, giving the story more depth and complexity. The forbidden romance between Xishi and Fanli was heartbreaking and so beautiful; I found myself praying they would reunite safely. Ann Liang's writing never ceases to amaze me, and 'A Song to Drown Rivers' was no exception. The ending absolutely shattered my heart, and I do not know how long it will take for me to recover. I really enjoyed this story, and I couldn’t recommend it more!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author, Ann Liang, for providing me with an e-arc of this book!!

I really loved Ann Liang’s YA book I Hope This Doesn’t Find You, so when I found out she was going to release a fantasy like Shelley Parker Chen’s She Who Became the Sun, I couldn’t wait to read it (even though I’m not a huge fantasy reader).

The story left me in doubt, though. I started eagerly and just wanted to read more, more, more. Again, I loved Ann Liang’s writing. But after some chapters, my enthusiasm started to wane, and at times, I found the pacing challenging. The story was captivating enough, though, to keep me reading, and there were moments when it gripped me enormously.

Now I’m in doubt. Do I rate this story three stars because of my struggles, or do I round my 3.5-star rating up to four stars because of all the beautiful things? For now, it will be four stars. I might change my rating in the future, though.

Fanli, advisor to a defeated king, plots to bring down the victors. So he searches for a beauty to give to the victorious king who can act as his spy. The beauty he finds, Xishi, is more than a pretty face. She is adept and cunning and has her own reasons to want revenge. This is a fascinating story that flows along covering themes of revenge, sacrifice and the political realities of war.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a story about war and like all stories about war it is tragic. Ann Liang masterfully weaves a tale of love, deceit, and court politics.

Xishi embarks on a mission for her country and soon finds herself navigating unknown waters. Among the new waters is love. A forbidden flame is ignored while she must take on the task of seducing the enemy king. She agrees to avenge her people and her own loss.

A strength of the novel is it's characters. Each one felt multi dimensional. Zhengdan was one of my favorites. Her friendship with Xishi was beautiful. They grew as close as sisters. Zhengdan had her own motives and she was good with a sword. Xishi was a master at reading people.

The exploration of war and the people it affects was complex which made for a very gripping tale. There were no clear cut black and white morals. Instead, we see the ordinary people on both sides as well as the ruthless king that also has a soft side. Making it difficult for Xishi.

How this book talked about social issues was my favorite part. From its insight into womanhood under the patriarchy. To its views on regular citizens vs the ruling class.

This book made me a fan of Ann Liang. I will be picking up more of her books.

Thanks netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ann Liang has gone above and beyond to demonstrate her ability to craft beautifully written prose in this. This is the first time I have read historical fantasy and I am not sure if it is for me. Regardless, this was a great story of love and adventure.

I go back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars. I might just have to do 3.5 stars.
I think this book had a lot of potential. Sadly, it fell short for me.
The beginning was strong, the writing and imagery were wonderful, and I really got a feel for the story/world-building. However, I did not get a feel for the relationship between Fanli and Xishi, which is clearly central to the story. We are told how they feel about each other, but I wish there had been more to this part of the story because it felt superficial to me. I found Fuchai's feelings for Xishi more believable, but that was probably because it was given more attention and time within the story. Also, Xishi's metamorphosis from village girl to manipulative and plotting court lady seemed to happen rather quickly. Almost too quickly. I wish the middle of the story, where the bulk of Fanli and Xishi's relationship and her training occurred, were given more time. I think that would have pushed this story to a 5 star for me. Despite my struggles with this part of the book, the ending was worth pushing through. I did think that was well-done. I also loved most of the secondary characters. I would gladly read a story about Luyi and/or Zhengdan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautifully written historical fantasy. Based on the description, I was expecting a romantasy book, but the romance, although present, took a back seat to other elements. I really enjoyed the book, especially its influence from Eastern mythology.

Ann Liang is such a fantastic writer that you can't help but get swept away when reading her books, A Song to Drown Rivers included at first. While not my favorite book of hers, this was still beautiful to read. Filled with adventure and love,I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good historical fantasy.

A Song to Drown Rivers started off strong, and I really enjoyed the worldbuilding at the start. My students tend to be very interested in the romantasy genre, and I know that the Eastern hemisphere broadly is underrepresented on my shelves. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be recommending this one to students in the end. The main character, Xishi, wavers between Mary Sue and simpering, and while much is made of her intense and overwhelming beauty, little is made of her actual abilities. My girls are already insecure enough about their looks. Every single piece of media they choose to interact with reinforces the idea that their physical form is the only thing that gives them any value or merit. I am not particularly interested in adding even more to a pile of media with the worst intentions and effects. That is especially true since there isn't a single functional relationship in the book. The text treats Fuchai remarkably warmly, despite establishing him as a despot, Xishi spends the whole book mooning over Fanli, who has basically no established personality, the only character with any particularly interesting motives or movements was Zhengdan, who died halfway through (which reinforces the idea that the quiet, "good girl" who is sexually submissive to a tyrant gets all the rewards). For a story based in such a strong character and fascinating legend, it left me feeling at best "meh", and at worst, scummy.

Don't get me wrong, I think this book will have an audience. I am certain a lot of people will read and enjoy it and not think critically about it. I could see it doing well on TikTok, which might be the only thing that matters from a publisher perspective. I just think it needs some really thoughtful revision.

I'm going to have to re-read this a couple of times. This is a book that once you start reading, you can't put it down. I admit this isn't my normal style of book, but it was interesting for me to venture out of my normal domain

This book was beautiful. The world building and almost poetic language was enthralling. I loved the love triangle, the themes of sacrifice, betrayal and war. It was so well done. I loved the elements of mythology, it really added a whimsical element to this stunning story. I really have nothing bad to say. I loved this book and I don't want to add spoilers but do yourself a favour and read this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Giving this a 4.5 our of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This is my year to read all of the Asian mythology inspired stories, and this one did not disappoint. While a lot of the development of the Xishi's love interest happens off script, the romantic tension between those two could be cut with a knife. It reminds me a lot of Pride and Prejudice, in that little touches or glances here or there are relaying their desire instead of explicit scenes.

The pacing of the story starts off a bit slow during Xishi's training, but then once she is in the WU empire I feel like things start moving really really fast. You are jumping ahead months to a year from one chapter to the next, and I understand why this had to be done, but it was still jarring a bit while reading.

Overall this is a fantastic story and I hope the author continues with stories of the other Great Beauties of Chinese mythology.