This book surprised me. While I have my complaints about it, I honestly enjoyed it and finished it in less than 2 days. I thought this was a Romantasy going in so I was kind of let down by the lack of magic, so to clarify this is an Asian inspired Fiction/Romance. It focuses on Xishi who uses her beauty to become a concubine for the enemy king as a means to spy on him and help overthrow him. However the extremely attractive minister of war may put a wrench in everything... At times this book was cheesy, predictable, unbelievable, and the writing was sometimes clunky. I'm sorry I fail to believe that a man would keep a concubine for 2 years and do everything he did for her and NOT sleep with her, though thank you for not putting any spice or r@pe in this book! The book takes place over an extended period of time and so there are frequent time jumps that are kind of abrupt. However I did enjoy this book! It was entertaining and there is something engaging about the idea of a woman conquering empires without ever having to lift a sword... The ending was unexpected and tragically beautiful. I don't normally like tragic endings but this one worked really well. It felt realistic and fit perfectly. I also felt like it was an accurate commentary on how a change in power or monarch doesn't change things for the people and that power can corrupt any many. Overall this was a solid book and I would recommend it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! All feedback is my own.

This was really enjoyable. I believed in the motivations of each character, though I do wish some side characters were more fleshed out.

It took me a while to get to read this due to the loss of my sister's dog. Why is that semi-important in this review? well I lost the drive to read so it is highly possible that that has clouded my view on this book.

My main issue is the romance in this - I LOATH instalove, I love the slow burn build up and this just didn't give that to me.
My next issue is that I want to be dazzled with world building, character building, and just plain detail. I want to be able to "see" firsthand what characters are doing, not a turnaround tale of what happened.

It just lacked everything I was hoping for and needed for this to be higher than 3 stars.

I'm going to maintain a 3 star rating for this book primarily because I like the author's writing style and description style. I didn't feel connected to the characters that much. I would have liked to read a bit more characterization and understand their motives. I understand that Xishi and Fanli are in love but I wanted to be able to feel why they loved each other a bit more. The book felt like we were just going through the motions.

This was a really enjoyable book! I liked the twist on the legend of Xishi, which I did not know about until after I read this book. Xishi was a strong character, and I enjoyed watching her grow into herself. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is a magical fantasy standalone novel. I was enchanted by Xishi. I cannot wait to read a finished copy.

I thought the writing was lovely but the story really fell flat. I was more than halfway through before I realized wow nothing has really happened. Ironically the tragic ending was the best part because at least something finally happened. But I felt we didn’t get hardly any character development. The main love interest was hardly around. The king was villainized but did no wrong that we saw, especially no more wrong that her own king did. Also this girl was a horrible spy. We see at the end her being congratulated for all the things she did to make “winning the war” possible but what did she actually do??? We don’t know because we got a lot more telling than we got showing.

*I received an e-arc via Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for the opportunity to review. All thoughts are my own*

A Song to Drown Rivers was my first book I’ve read by Ann Liang! I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. The story was heartbreakingly beautiful, and one of the few books that has made me cry recently. It’s inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the Famous Four Beauties of Ancient China.

Xishi’s beauty has been seen as favorable to her village. They expect her to marry well and support her family. Xishi draws the attention of Fanli, a military advisor, who convinces her to use her beauty as a weapon. If she succeeds, she could avenge her sister’s murder, help her village, and topple the rival kingdom of Wu. To do this, she must worm her way into the enemy kingdom as a spy and seduce their king.

She is trained by Fanli to prepare her as a spy, and as they work together, the attraction between them grows.

Once Xishi is in the palace, she is watched by all the king’s advisors, but the king himself shows her great affection. She begins to climb in the Wu court, and she knows that she and Fanli risk everything if she is unmasked as a traitor.

With amazing world building, fascinating mythology, and forbidden love, this is one book you don’t want to miss!

Definitely recommend!

👉🏻 For my friends who want a lightweight espionage story inspired by Chinese legend.

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS by Ann Liang

Thanks, @stmartinspress and @Macmillan.audio, for the review copies of the book and audiobook. (Available now)

Inspired by an Ancient Chinese legend, this felt like young YA with little emotional depth, character development, or plot. The premise was great: a country beauty is trained to become a concubine for a rival king to spy on and attempt to overthrow him. Unfortunately, the story skims where it could have been great and ultimately left me wanting more. I’m fine suspending disbelief for a story, but the author never made me believe in the crash course into court intrigue or the intimacy between Xishi and the king. They seemed more friends than lovers.

I loved this book! Xishi was such a great character. The story arc was perfect, and that ending...oh my. Highly recommended if you enjoy mythical retellings or historical fiction. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This started off a bit slow and I had a little trouble getting into it, but it got so much better! By the end I was bawling and recommended it to several friends. Loved the bittersweet ending. I will definitely read more by this author!

This novel was beautifully written, but the overall storyline fell flat for me. The romance seemed rushed, and then they had no time together. I would also categorize this as a tragedy more so than a romance. I had a hard time focusing, as I would find my mind wondering more times than not. I did not feel a need to keep reading.

The narration was good, but did not do much to keep me listening.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced reading and listening copies of this book.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A beautifully written and heartfelt novel, A Song to Drown Rivers is an insightful read for those interested in stories of cultural identity and personal growth. Liang’s writing is beautiful and immersive, skillfully blending moments of lyrical prose with raw emotional depth. The novel explores themes of cultural displacement, generational conflict, and the quest for personal freedom with sensitivity and nuance. Lira’s internal journey is relatable, especially for readers familiar with the immigrant experience, as she contends with the weight of her family's past while trying to carve out her own future.

One of the book’s strengths is its rich character development. Lira is a fully realized, multidimensional character whose growth feels authentic and earned. The pacing of the novel is well-balanced, keeping the reader engaged throughout, though some readers may find the slower, introspective sections a bit drawn out.

It took me some time to get into this one. The small details of the world building eventually sucked me in and I loved it! Surprises at every turn that kept me guessing.

The cover of this one drew me to this book and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would! This story is the retelling of the myth of Xishi and how she works to aid in the downfall of the Wu kingdom with her beauty. I was completely captivated. I wanted to know if Xishi would be successful, if she would get the love she deserved and the revenge she so desperately wanted. This was a good book that left me reeling at the end. This touches on the topics of war, womanhood, survival, and friendship. This is not in my usual genre, but I am glad I read it!

2.75/5

This was my least favorite book from Ann Liang. I was expecting the fantasy part of the story to be more prominent than just the small bit in the end. It felt like it was just thrown in there to draw the fantasy readers, but she just ended up leaving us high and dry. I love Ann's writing style so that was enjoyable. I did not like that the story felt rushed. I felt like there was so much missing. I rarely complain about missing details because I'm usually able to fill in the gaps myself based on the many books I read and it would not be an issue. However, this type of story is very new to me and I just couldn't fill in those gaps like I wanted to. I loved the fact the Xishi was at war with her feelings for Fuchai. You spend so much time with a person who worships you, you can't help but be confused with your feelings. I also felt like Fuchai's arc could have been more fleshed out. I felt for him until the end. I was disappointed that her feelings for Fanli evolved so quickly in 13 weeks and then nothing. And we are supposed to believe that was enough time for her to never stop having feelings for him. puhhhlease. This book can be done better. I would like to find another rendition of Xishi and Fanli somewhere in this universe and hope it is a better story.

Brilliant. Breathtaking. Poignant in a way that much of contemporary literature attempts to evoke but cannot. Absolutely one of the best reads of the year, and I will be looking forward to anything Ann Liang publishes in the future!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

This was not a romantasy. This was a tragedy. The premise of this novel started out so interesting but it got murky in the middle with the drawn out court intrigue. The action was too little, too late. Our main male love interest was also absent for most of the novel. And that ending? Ugggg. This was not for me. This story should have been promoted entirely differently. Don’t get me wrong, there are some books that do tragedy well. This one did not stick the landing for me.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written book filled with revenge, espionage and even romance. A retelling, of the Chinese legend Xishi, the author pulls together effortlessly pulls together pieces of the myth and inserts imaginative storytelling elements to create a story I absolutely loved. The characters are really well written and have their own independent voice. I enjoyed the complexities of the characters that matched the story. The telling is fully engaging. I loved how the story unfolded leading to an ending that was earned instead of conveniently created. There is also a sense of yearning and urgency in the story that grabs and pulls the reader through the story. Overall, a wonderful read and one I would highly recommend.