This was quite good. I do think the love interest and romance could have been built out further. The attraction felt not fully there and didn’t feel substantial. It read quite quickly and interestingly. The passing of time also felt quite quick and it felt like certain things happened a bit too conveniently. Overall it was a fun read and felt like a c-drama!

You know that feeling you get when you know that you’re going to read a book with a tragic ending? I could not get rid of the feeling of dread the entire time as I was reading this book, in fact it just kept growing into a large lump in my stomach. This historical fiction novel is based on the legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. She is chosen as a bride for the rival Wu king and trained to be a spy for the Yue people. The handsome and disciplined advisor to the Yue king complicates her mission as she has to seduce the seemingly corrupt Wu king.

This book has everything: espionage, a romantic triangle with heartbreakingly handsome male love interests, history, and poetic prose.

Ann Liang breathes life into these legendary characters, but man… she really had me wishing and hoping for a happy ending even though I knew she was setting me up for emotional damage. I wished this book was just a happy tale where a girl is swept away by a handsome man for an important mission. Instead, it was a tale of two star-cross ponds who were just dispensable pieces of a larger chess game between greedy kings.

I think this book would be great for those who loved Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and the Song of the Last Kingdom duology by Amelie Wen Zhao. I am excited for this book to finally come out and receive the love that I think it truly deserves.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

A whole romance book where the romance isn’t even developed… that was definitely a choice. 🫤



This review is VERY LONG, so the summary is:
➤ The romance wasn’t developed at all (they fell in love in the first 25% of the book, off-page).
➤ The MC is a terrible spy and only survived because of plot armor.
➤ The story was full of nonsense (there’s only so much disbelief I have to suspend).
➤ The SCs were irrelevant.
➤ Most of the possibly-interesting action happened off-page.



The in-depth review:

The book starts with the MC Xishi (who is very VERY hot) being saved by a man (who is also very VERY hot). You instantly know than man is going to be the LI simply based on the fact that he’s the only person who got a really long and poetic physical description (he has beautiful clear skin, shiny hair and eyes, sharp angles in his face, his features are “beautifully refined”, he’s so tall her head only reaches his shoulders uwuuuuu, he’s literally described as “ethereal” at some point, he’s so strong he can lift her as if she “weighed no more than a feather”, etc.). I have 3 things to say about this:

1) I need authors to STOP making it so obvious from page 1 who the LI is simply based on how long his physical description is. It’s tacky and annoying.
2) Xishi and Fanli (the LI) were described as hot coooooonstantly throughout the book. I understand that HER beauty was central to the plot, so I kinda get that, but HIS??? I get it!!! His features are sharp!!! He is sexy and hot and you’re very very into him!! ENOUGH!!! 🤚🏻🤚🏻🤚🏻
3) Basically every Ann Liang LI looks the same: smooth skin, beautiful nose and lips, shiny dark hair and eyes, sharp jaw, very tall and skinny but still kinda strong… you literally can’t tell them apart. The only thing that made Fanli physically different was the fact that he had long hair. I’m begging Ann Liang to learn how to describe men differently, because this is getting absurd. Write a short king next, girl! A dude with tanner skin! Somebody with curlier hair! A wide nose! Some acne, for fuck’s sake! I believe in you! you don’t need to copy-paste these men!

Fanli then reaches out to Xishi and tells her: “Yeah so basically we want you to pretend to be a concubine for the enemy king while in actuality you’ll be spying on him and distracting him from his work bc we want to conquer his kingdom”. It was very dumb that Fanli (who’s supposed to be SUPER intelligent) was just telling this whole plan to a stranger (like, you’re compromising your mission. What if she tells that plan to other people?), but okay. She immediately accepts that mission and is whisked away to a remote place to train as a spy for 10 weeks, alongside Zhengdan, a friend of hers from her village who will pretend to be her maid. I wish her reasons for accepting putting herself at risk were better explained. The author should’ve emphasized her poverty and her desire for revenge for her sister’s murder.

In the first 1/3 of the book Xishi is training to become a spy, while simultaneously getting closer to Fanli. Almost all of this happens off-page. We did get a couple of moments that showed her training and her talking to Fanli, but they were mostly inconsequential. The dumbest scene for me was the one where Fanli does that thing men do in romcoms where he stands behind the woman with his arms around her to teach her something (in this case, how to play an instrument)…… I just had to check that this is in fact a historical book released in 2024, and not a silly modern romcom from 2005. 🤐 Xishi then insisted on playing that instrument until her hands were “slick with [her] own blood” for literally NO reason other than the fact that she wanted to learn to play in a day instead of leaving it for tomorrow, and she wanted to prove she could play better than girls who’d been learning from childhood… This is just one of the MULTIPLE times where it becomes evident that this bitch is STUPID 🤨

This whole section of the book had a lot of *telling instead of showing*, which is disappointing, firstly, because I’d really like to see a commoner being trained as a spy. That sounds SO COOL!!! Why not show it? It was such a missed opportunity! ☹️ But, most importantly, the decision to barely show anything that happened in those 10 weeks made the romance extremely poor.

I’m truly shocked that Ann Liang (an author who’s written 3 pretty well-developed romances) decided to NOT develop the romance in her 4th romance book…???????????? Literally WHY??? Why didn’t she show ANY of it???!! I’m not joking when I say I cannot list A SINGLE REASON for Fanli and Xishi to like each other, other than the fact that they’re hot. That’s it. There was no development, no bonding, nothing. They talk to each other sometimes, but they’re instantly feeling an immense attraction, and by the 30% mark they’re already in love, when, to me, they were barely even ACQUAINTANCES. I was seriously going insane. Like, what do you MEANNNN you’re feeling all of this for a man you BARELY EVEN KNOW?????? 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

The poorly developed romance is extremely egregious because she then spends the last 70% of the book barely even interacting with Fanli, because she’s working as a spy-concubine in the enemy’s castle (this period spans for over a year, btw!). And SOMEHOW, even after all that time, Xishi is STILL pining over that cardboard cutout of a man. 😭🤚🏻 It would already be hard to believe she fell soooo deeply in love in only 10 weeks and that love didn’t falter at all after over a YEAR. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to believe it when you didn’t even bother showing them ACTUALLY getting close and falling for each other. Absurd. The “romance” in this book was absolute shit.

There were A LOT of dumb things in this first section of the book (like the fact that Xishi’s final test was simply to seduce 1 random man at a tea-shop, and boom, she was officially a spy. 🙄 Or the time she got shot in the shoulder with an arrow and ended up in a coma for A WEEK??? Bffr… 🥴. Or the fact that despite having trained for 10 weeks to seduce the enemy king, Xishi never even bothered to ask his age… no braincells found in that pretty head of hers lol 💀).



But then Xishi FINALLY gets to the enemy kingdom and into the palace, and I was actually excited! I thought we’d get scenes of her lurking around, spying on people, going through rooms, climbing walls to get to important, locked rooms through windows……. But we barely got anything. 🤡🤡🤡

Most of her “spying” is done off-page (just like her training), and is told instead of shown. All we ever see Xishi do is manipulate the king by making little requests here and there, and, because Ann Liang refuses to let Xishi struggle for anything, the king is never suspicious of her, and immediately does everything she asks of him. This man (who is also very VERY hot, obviously) literally “fell in love” with Xishi the moment he saw her, and like… I get that he’s frivolous and she’s oh-so-hot, but still – you CANNOT convince me that a king wouldn’t be suspicious of her. The only reason Xishi wasn’t questioned whenever she denied the king’s demands or requested things of him was because of some very strong plot-armor. You reeeeally need to suspend your disbelief with this book, because nothing in that palace made any sense. 😵‍💫

Her time at the palace was also riddled with extremely dumb things (other than the fact that the king somehow didn’t find her suspicious), like:
➤ how Xishi managed to bring a whole ass sword into the palace (did they not check her belongings before letting her go CLOSE TO THE KING, especially knowing damn well she’s from the enemy kingdom?? 😑).
➤ how she was ignored for days after arriving and yet when she yelled for a doctor THE KING HIMSELF immediately showed up? And then started applying medicine on her bloody wound (mind you, this is a person he spoke to ONCE). So unserious… 🥴
➤ how she literally just asked a guard to let her leave the palace and he immediately did?? And then she met up with a messenger from her kingdom so she could trade information she got by spying. Lollll okay it’s THAT EASY 😐.
➤ the fact that the KING let one of his concubines convince him to get drunk before an important meeting, and then let her join the meeting, where important information was being divulged…. Once again, in WHAT WORLD? + everything is SO EASY for her. 🙄
➤ the amount of times Xishi mentioned seeing someone’s BLACK EYES darken, or their colour deepening, was also quite mind numbing. That’s not something you can see, especially not that often. Ann Liang PLEASE try to find a different way to convey emotions. Please and thank you. 🥱

Everything was handed to Xishi. She never had to struggle for anything in this book, which made this story have no stakes. That, in addition to the fact that we rarely ever *see* her do anything, made this book extremely dull.

The moment she gets found out (kinda) is when she’s kissing the king and she says Fanli’s name (that’s the cardboard cutout of a man that she was barely acquainted with, yet was supposedly deeply in love with even though she’d known him for 10 weeks, and hadn’t seen him in like a year, btw!). I giggled because like…. Bitch?? I knew you were dumb, but SERIOUSLY?? 🤣🤣🤣 The king then brings Fanli over to his palace to torture him in front of Xishi to see her reaction. Somebody straight up just pierces Fanli’s chest with a sword, twisting it around and everything. Fanli, who’s apparently invincible, barely even flinches. Afterwards Xishi and Fanli meet up, because of cooooourse the king just let them go instead of… idk… keeping guards around them??? 🙄 One of them if your enemy, the other is the woman you’re suspicious of… But okay. Ann Liang can’t let these characters struggle + she needed an excuse to get these 2 *acquaintances* together again, to show their “romance” or whatever. Yawnnnn. 🥱

And guess what?! THE KING IMMEDIATELY TRUSTS HER AGAIN AFTER THIS! 🤡🤡🤡 Some months later the king invites Fanli for a banquet and then tells Xishi to show Fanli around the palace (once again, with no guards…. 😑). This was just another forced way for Ann Liang to put those 2 in a room together. It makes NO sense that they wouldn’t be followed, or that they would even RISK showing their emotions for each other in a palace full of servants, guards, maids, etc. Ridiculous. In this scene Fanli does that horrible crusty men do in romances where he grabs her wrist and pins her to the wall, trapping her 🤢🤢🤢. It’s supposed to be hot, but to me it’s gross 🤮. Ann Liang also did this in her book that just came out last month, in case you needed more evidence that her LIs are starting to be noticeably copy-pasted.

At this point you might’ve noticed that I haven’t mentioned anyone other than the MC, the LI and the king she spends most of the book with, and that is for a very simple reason: the SCs are completely irrelevant to this story. Remember Zhengdan (Xishi’s bff and maid I mentioned at the start)? Yeah, neither did the author, because she’s barely in the story. She could’ve been a cool character, but since we rarely saw her and her friendship with Xishi was told instead of shown, it is impossible to care about her. I didn’t feel a thing in Zhengdan’s last scene in the book lol. 🫤 Fanli’s friend (whose name I don’t even remember) was literally only there to praise Fanli. Xishi’s family was mentioned a handful of times, but they didn’t matter at all. Every SC in this book was underdeveloped, irrelevant and completely forgettable.

I also need to say that THIS IS NOT A FANTASY BOOK!!! I genuinely don’t know why it’s being marketed as such. The only fantasy elements are some vague mentions of ghosts/afterlife in the last 10 pages of the book. This isn’t fantasy *at all*; it’s just a (very underwhelming) historical romance.

Overall, while this wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, it is definitely a huge disappointment, given that I like Ann Liang’s other books. This is also definitely a REEEEALLY dumb book. 🥴 If you can turn off your brain perhaps you’ll be able to look past all the dumb/nonsensical plot points, but the romance isn’t even good enough to indulge in, so I personally wouldn’t recommend. 🤷🏻 Given the fact that I literally couldn’t go more than 3 pages without finding something really stupid that I NEEDED to complain about (just go through my reading updates lol), I cannot give this more than 2 stars.



ARCs available for everyone to download on Netgalley.

Ann Liang is easily one of my favorite authors. I absolutely adore her writing and A Song to Drown Rivers was a stunning work of art. I have never been so happy to be emotionally destroyed. I fell in love with these characters and their depth. I was fully immersed into the world and the lore and I never wanted the book to end.

What a captivating read! Dive into the enchanting world of this fantasy novel where a courageous young woman embarks on a daring mission to gather vital intelligence for her kingdom. Entrusted by an advisor of the enemy king, she undergoes rigorous training to navigate the royal court with finesse, all while grappling with her growing affection for the advisor, Fanli. As she delves deeper into her mission, the protagonist's resilience and determination shine through as she navigates political intrigue and romantic entanglements. I found myself immersed in her journey, rooting for her every step of the way. With its gripping plot and well-developed characters, this book is a testament to the author's storytelling prowess. I eagerly await more adventures from this talented writer!

Ann Liang, this is my formal request for emotional compensation.

This book took me awhile to read, and it wasn't because I didn't like it; if anything, it ended up being the contrary. I was fully in a reading slump when I started, but it single-handedly got me out of it, and I ended up savoring it because I didn't want it to end. This is the first book that I've finished so far this year, so I have nothing to compare it to yet, but I'll be surprised if it isn't my favorite by the end.

Such a good book!
This is the story of a beautiful young woman who goes on a mission to the kingdom of her enemy to gather intel and help her country. She is chosen by an advisor of the king and trains for several weeks with him to learn how to act around the King , etiquette, etc. During that time she comes to have strong feelings for the advisor, Fanli.
After she finishes her training, she goes to the other kingdom and tries to get close to the King. We follow her as she tries to get information that would be helpful to her country.
I really enjoyed the story. I liked how she worked to get closer to the King without letting her emotions get involved and never forgetting her feelings for Fanli. I will be looking forward to other books by this author! Happy reading!

⋆⁺₊✧5 stars★
⤿ mild (marked!) spoilers in this review ⋆⭒˚

i was going to wait until october to post a full review, but i just couldn't wait.

this book is a siren. it’s wretched and wicked and beautiful, sucking you in until you’re drowning. it's lyrical and unique—a mesmerizing tale of beauty, betrayal, and courage.

⤿ the plot. xishi’s beauty is both a blessing and a curse. a renowned military advisor notices her and offers a rare opportunity: infiltrate the enemy palace, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within. trained by the advisor, xishi refines her allure into a lethal blade, but their growing attraction complicates the deception. danger lurks as she rises in the enemy court, and betrayal threatens to unravel everything.

⤿ the writing. ann liang has mastered ya romance and is on track to master historical fantasy with this singular book. her writing is lyrical and masterful, transporting us to an enchanting world where love and loyalty collide. amidst a tumultuous kingdom, this epic historical fantasy immerses readers in a realm where beauty hides danger and sacrifice paints the sky. it's the most beautiful tragedy i’ve ever read.

i started this book last month, set it down for a month, and read the remaining 85 percent in a single day. could not put it down. a song to drown rivers is the perfect example of the right book at the right time. it found me and called to me until it was all I could think about.

⤿ the characters.

xishi is an anti-hero. her beauty is her armor, weapon, curse. her journey from village girl to spy testifies to her resilience. ann realistically portrays her inner conflict: desire for vengeance versus yearning for love. XISHI IS MY WIFEY, i swear. she’s a hero for the ages and an incredible representation of the exploration of womanhood. she defies societal norms, challenging gender roles, grappling with duty and sacrifice. a song to drown rivers celebrates resilience, intelligence, and agency. it’s a tale for all ages.

ೃ➛❝you act like you’re afraid of me.❞
❝i am afraid of you,❞ he said, the truth tumbling fast from his lips. his body was trembling, even as he held his spine rigid. ❝i’m afraid of what comes over me when i’m around you.❞

fanli doesn’t do anything without a reason. he’s composed and strategic, and nothing is more important than his loyalty to his kingdom. he’s so afraid of xishi because he suddenly wants more than just his kingdom to be safe. he formed her into a weapon but had to long and grieve for her, knowing their obligations kept them oceans apart. her relationship with him is so different because all we’re left with is breath-stopping tension and heart-wrenching longing without any representation of what their relationship is like.

ೃ➛ ❝sometimes i swear— i only feel like a person when i’m around you. does that make sense?❞

gahhh, i have such mixed feelings about fuchai! i feel so much pain when i think about him. he fell so hard for xishi and really tried to change himself for her. i wish he was as cruel as he was supposed to be because he truly was such a sweetie pie at heart. AND HE'S SO PRETTY. i could never hate him, and wish i could because now i’m just depressed. he’s just a cute babygirl that just wants to be loveddddd. he’s trapped in his father’s shadow, so he overcompensates by leading with power and fear. xishi is his mommy, BYE.

all supporting characters are equally compelling. the king, advisers, and servants all have their own secrets and motivations. everyone is a lovely shade of gray, blurring the line between hero and villain, making for a realistic portrayal of humankind. the development of xishi’s relationship with and emotions toward fuchai throughout the story was believable. i even found myself rooting for fuchai at times.

🚨🚨SPOILERS: having her cry over fuchai’s body after killing him was cruel yet beautiful, solidifying her growth as a character.🚨🚨

the book, in a way, has a happy ending, but the way liang wrote certain scenes evoked strong emotions. it makes for such an epic story!

the romance. normally hate love triangles, but this one actually slapped. it unfolds from three different perspectives, defying the conventional romance label. the two love interests, fanli and fuchai, embody opposite sides of the same coin. fanli sacrifices for his kingdom, while fuchai sacrifices for love. picking a side becomes challenging as both characters exhibit flaws and endure significant consequences. beyond the tragedy and romance, the narrative delves into the complexity of xishi's evolving perspective on morality. the story highlights the power dynamics at play, showcasing how those in authority often prioritize their gains over the suffering of those below them, turning the narrative into a compelling power play. begs the question: what are they sacrificing for—their country or their happiness? which one is worth more?

the romance is just so well done because i felt more from a glance or brief touch than i do from kisses and sex. also…he (i won't say who hehehe) pinned her wrists above her head I'M DEAD AND DYING BUHBYE. it’s tender, yet forbidden, and every betrayal is gut-wrenching. ann liang paints a beautiful story of longing, heartache, and courage.

these characters are not just names on a page. they're living and breathing, with personal motivations that drive the plot forward and unravel like a meticulously crafted tapestry. xishi and her journey are the perfect representation of women trying to thrive in a male-dominated world.

it was painful to me how much happier xishi was in her village, living a hard life and washing silk than in the palace with all the king’s affection and luxuries laid at her feet.

worldbuilding. it’s exquisite! briefly familiar with the legend of xishi, and ann did an incredible job blending historical accuracy with fantastical elements. political intrigue and simmering tension between the kingdoms came alive. though parts are slow at times, the pacing always propels us toward a climax that promises to leave you breathless.

this book reminded me so much of ‘crash landing on you’ because of the forbidden romance, sacrificing for your country, the greater good, and the ones you love. the 'i want to be with you for forever, but we don't have forever' kind of energy BROKE MY HEART.

bottom line. nobody is ready for this book. not for it to hit the shelves, and certainly not to read it. it’s an epic tale and an epoch for the ages, an emotional story of heartbreak, sacrifice, and duty. truly believe people will be better by reading this book because it’s a transformative experience. swear it’s worth every heartbreak.a song to drown rivers is perfect if you love political intrigue, c/k-dramas, and doomed love. it's outside of my typical wheelhouse, but i'm genuinely speechless. this book is 100% worth it, and so glad i read it, even if i need a therapist and i'm resorting to banging my head against a concrete wall. this book may not be complete and total perfection, but it’s damn near close and makes you feel soooo much.

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

out oct 1, 2024!!

Utterly enchanting and entirely captivating, shattering hearts along the way. I devoured this wretchedly wicked siren of a book. Absolutely brilliant!

This is one of the most unique books I've read. I wish I could give higher than 5 stars. The one word I can think to describe it is lyrical, like a ballet of words. I can honestly say this is the best book I've read in a decade.

The story is set in ancient China, about a girl who is the most beautiful in her kingdom. She is pulled from poverty and trained to be a concubine for the enemy king, but secretly she is meant to act as a spy to bring down the enemy kingdom through her beauty and power of persuasion.

This is quite simply a mesmerizing tale of beauty, betrayal, and courage. “A Song to Drown Rivers” by Ann Liang is a captivating tapestry woven with threads of ancient legends, forbidden love, and the indomitable spirit of a young woman. Ultimately, this is a triumph of storytelling. This book will haunt your dreams, linger in your thoughts, and leave you yearning for more. I highly recommend this read for fans of historical fantasy and epic romance.

Liang's lyrical voice transports us to a world where beauty is both a blessing and a curse, and where love and loyalty collide. Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous kingdom, this epic historical fantasy transports readers to a world where beauty conceals danger, and sacrifice becomes a symphony.

Meet Xishi. Her beauty is both a blessing and a curse. The villagers believe that a girl's best fate lies in a prosperous marriage, but Xishi harbours a secret purpose. When she captures the attention of the renowned military advisor, her life takes an unexpected turn. He offers her a rare opportunity: to wield her beauty as a weapon against the rival kingdom. To achieve this, Xishi must infiltrate the enemy palace, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within. Trained by the military advisor, she hones her allure into a lethal blade, but the attraction between them blurs the lines of deception. As Xishi climbs higher in the enemy court, danger looms, and betrayal threatens to unravel everything.

This is a lyrical masterpiece that I was immersed in and couldn’t leave - I read this in one sitting! We enter a world of political intrigue, forbidden desire, and the clash of empires. Liang's prose flows like a silken river, carrying us through lush landscapes, opulent palaces, and treacherous corridors. Her vivid descriptions evoke the scent of lotus blossoms, the rustle of silk, and the taste of forbidden fruit.

In this novel, we get a heroine for the ages. Her beauty is her armour, her weapon, and her curse. Liang skillfully portrays her inner conflict: the desire for vengeance versus the longing for love. Xishi's journey from a village girl to a spy in the enemy court is a testament to her resilience and cunning. Her relationship with certain people crackles with tension, and their forbidden romance adds layers of complexity to the plot.

The world-building is exquisite! Liang seamlessly blends historical accuracy with fantastical elements. The court intrigues, the delicate dance of alliances, and the simmering tensions between kingdoms come alive. The mythical creatures, from the river spirits to the moon dragons, add an enchanting touch. The pacing is relentless, propelling us toward a climax that leaves us breathless. As stated previously, I could not put this book down. I was in it until the last page from the moment I finished the first page.

Liang's exploration of womanhood is poignant. Xishi defies societal norms, challenging the roles assigned to her gender. She grapples with duty, sacrifice, and the cost of wielding her beauty as a weapon. The novel celebrates female resilience, intelligence, and agency, making it a timely message for our world.

The supporting characters are equally compelling. The immoral king, the enigmatic advisors, and the loyal servants: they all have their secrets and motivations. Liang paints them with shades of grey, blurring the line between hero and villain. Each revelation deepens the intrigue, keeping us guessing until the final page.

This book is a symphony of emotions. Liang's prose swells with longing, heartache, and courage. The romance is tender yet forbidden, the betrayals gut-wrenching, and the sacrifices heart-rending. As Xishi navigates treacherous waters, we root for her, fear for her, and ultimately celebrate her triumphs.

With her impeccable storytelling, Liang has crafted a gem that shines brighter than the moon on a clear night. Whether you're a lover of historical fiction, a seeker of forbidden love, or simply someone who craves a tale that sweeps you away, “A Song to Drown Rivers” will leave an indelible mark on your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was beautifully written. I was hooked from the beginning to end. It had a bit of everything and more. The way the story unfolded with waves moving in many ways just had me hooked! I had to know what was going to happen to Xishi. So much richness, emotions and actions! Even the relationships in this story was amazing. Such a beautiful story.

I love the cover of this E-Arc too...well if the physical book comes out like the E-Arc or the photo up above, I am definitely going to buy a physical copy of this beauty.

So much...it's a must read if you like historical, action, drama, richness and a tiny bit of romance! I will admit this story did have me yell a few times which is a good thing. You must get this when it comes out October 1, 2024, trust me!

Wonderful story about Xisty, a beautiful Chinese maiden who beauty and cunning skills helped capture a kingdom. A love story that has been shared over may centuries. Beautiful tragedy.

4.5 ⭐

A beautiful retelling of the legend of Xishi (one of the four renowned beauties of ancient China). Xishi is recruited and trained to spy on the enemy, King Fuchai. She is to seduce him to do her bidding in order to bring about it's downfall. She, alongside her best friend, Zhengdan, is honed to be the perfect weapon for the Kingdom of Yue. She is trained by the king's trusted advisor, Fanli. Xishi learns that war isn't as black and white, enemies are human as well, shaped by their circumstances and environment.

This was exquisite writing. Some parts felt slow in the book but overall it read quickly. The main characters were relatable and I was invested in the outcome. The ending was unexpected, which I love, but others may not. If you love political intrigue, forbidden love, and historical fiction this book is for you.

This story was beautiful and devastating. It’s not a book that’s usually my style, but it was so well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ann Liang is one of my favorite authors she just weaves such beautiful stories. The tragedy of it all really got to me, but the best books are the ones that make you feel and this definitely succeeded.

Xishi, a rare beauty, is conscripted by Fanli to wed the rival King of Wu. She is taught the art of seduction and how to gain what she wants. Her lessons fuel her hatred of Wu and prepare her to lull the country into complacency. Once ensconced in the palace, she gains the trust of the King and slowly enacts the plan to topple a kingdom.

Overall, I thought this was an ok book. The plot seemed a bit predictable and the characters a bit lacking. Perhaps more points of view would have helped the storyline and development. The ending of the book felt extremely rushed. I wish the author had taken more time to allow the story to unreal naturally. Unfortunately, not a book I would re-read or recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

A Song to Drown Rivers intrigued me with its premise and promise of a strong female main character who is asked to use her beauty to bring down a king, but what will really make me remember this story for a long time is the amount of emotions Ann Liang has evoked from me through her writing.

The way Ann Liang writes character development is absolutely beautiful!!! The emotions Xishi goes through in accordance with the decisions she makes and the reactions to the actions of the other characters around her is so genuine and thoughtful!

One thing I did not expect to do while reading this book was SOB. I think of this story and it makes me want to cry all over again just knowing the characters and their endings.

(Spoilers!:)
The character development of Xishi's emotions toward Fuchai throughout the story was so believable to read! Having her spend so much time with the enemy then getting to know him and understand him and having that conflict with her original feelings towards him (while her still having love for Fanli) felt so real and right!

Having Xishi cry over Fuchai's body after delivering the killing blow was so cruel but beautiful in her character development and I'm glad there was a scene like that to really solidify growth of Xishi's character.

Liang really wounded my heart with the scene where Fanli was burying Xishi and he told the boy to spread the word that she was still alive and travelling the world because it was the ending she deserved for her hero's tale.

And I absolutely understand why the king had Xishi killed in the end (war and kings and such mindset) and Fanli's response to it just devastated me! So cruel, tragic, and beautiful!

I know there is happiness in the end of the story, but just the way Liang wrote the scenes where Fanli is in ruins just really evoked strong emotions from me.

It was like I wanted a happy ending because it was such a tense situation that was successfully pulled off, but at the same time somewhere in the back of my mind I knew an immediate happy ending was too easy for an epic story like this.
(End of Spoilers!)

The story of Xishi is one of bravery, of selflessness, and a cruel but beautiful mix of evoked emotions!

This was such a beautiful book from start to finish. I fell in love with characters and I grew to hate others. The world building was so interesting to see, especially with the two kingdoms. I absolutely loved the tension between Xishi and Fanli. The small moments, the hesitation, the secret touches, everything was just amazing to see! I was pleasantly surprised at the ending and it only confirmed the range and depth of Ann Liang’s writing skills. I loved every second of it! This is a beautiful read for anyone who is looking for a new YA fantasy book.

I love the themes that this book brought forth, the cost of war and the concept of people not being wholly good or wholly evil. I went into this book thinking it would be a romance at its heart and came out with so much more. This book will make you think, sweep you away in its atmosphere, and have your heart pounding throughout. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read "A Song to Dorwn Rivers"
This book was about a girl sent to destroy a kingdom. and that she did.
I will have this book in my heart for a while. GREAT JOB