I just finished A Song of Drown Rivers by Ann Liang and here are my musings.

What do you say when your face, your incredibly beautiful face, could be used to win a dangerous war but you will be in more danger than you can ever know..

Xishi has the chance to become the concubine to a powerful king, the same King who is responsible for the murder of her sister. She must learn the ways of seduction and how to spy without detection while trying to keep her heart safe from a man she cannot have…

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book but I am pleased to report I was wrong. It was a beautifully written masterpiece. Xishi isn’t just some girl with a face that can launch 1000 ships; she has the wit and charm of a siren without knowing the weapons she wields. It was good, it was damn good.

I loved that no matter what she felt, the hatred for a King who kills without thought, she couldn’t help but get to know the young man behind the crown and you can see she starts to waver ever so slightly with the humanizing of a monster.

The book was so tragic. So much loss in the pretty words and I listened to the audio as well as the kindle version and both hit their mark. It was truly a stunning piece of literature and if you haven’t grabbed a copy yet… You should do that today!

There wasn’t anything I didn’t love. Do I wish it had a HEA? Yes but I understand the need to end things the way the author did even if it did break my heart.

5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

Another killer from Ann Liang!
Beautiful and tragic. I felt like the romance in this was very convincing and made sense.
The last couple of pages destroyed meeeeee!

2.5 rounded up. I really wanted to like this one more, and there were definitely parts that I did, but overall a miss for me. I didn't buy-in to the romance, and most of the book I was just a little bored?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang. All opinions are my own.

In this historical retelling, Xishi finds herself as a spy undercover in the king’s palace to use her beauty to gain the affection of the king. This is a story of sacrifice, betrayal, and loyalty. Xishi learns that her situation isn’t as black or white as she expected and must make difficult choices that could hurt the people she’s come to care for.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, so I didn’t know what to expect. Before going into this story, know that this is not a book that’s supposed to make you happy. It’s heartbreaking and honestly hard to read at times because of how tragic the story is.

The story was interesting, and I really grew to love the characters. I liked that many of the characters were morally gray in the types of decisions they had to make. I also liked how I didn’t know what would happen next.

Without spoiling what happens in this story, I really enjoyed the first 90% of the book and had no issues with it. It’s the last 10% of the book that made me only rate this four stars instead of five.

I would recommend this book for some people, but it’s definitely not a book for everyone because of some of the content and the futures of some of the characters.

This is a romance novel with a different culture than my own so I really enjoyed that. The book has fantastic world building and paints a beautiful picture for you. The FMC brings female empowerment to a whole new level. She is brought in to be trained to be beautiful but deadly. Her beauty needs to be used to find a way in to the arms of the enemy king and his war room in order to bring back intel for the armies of her kingdom. This enemy king has taken everything from her and she knew she couldn’t let him get away with it. However while she was being trained…. Well of course she falls for the trainer, but her family and her people meant more. She had to help her family before she could follow her heart.

<i>"You are made of flowers...And rainwater. And silk. And lanterns. You are made of good things."</i>

I'm GAGGED. I will need 5 to 7 business days to recover from this book. The people were not lying - this book is NOT for the faint of heart. I mean, I knew that going in, but I'm still unbelievably unwell. Although the ending is deeply heartbreaking, Ann Liang somehow manages to suture the wound closed. The conclusion is as devastating as it is beautiful, and there is nothing to do but be awe-stricken by Liang's ability to infuse this legend with new life and stakes.

Sorrow and tragedy BLEEDS out of this book, and it's such a timely retelling in this moment of expanding warfare, nation-building, and history-making. Only empires stand to gain from war; people will always pay the price.

<i>A Song to Drown Rivers</i> carried resonances of Sue Lynn Tan's <i>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</i>, for anyone who enjoyed that book!

Gratitude and thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written, concise retelling that brings Xishi's story to life with rich world-building and well-drawn characters. Xishi, trained to use her beauty as a weapon by the military advisor Fanli, is a compelling protagonist whose inner conflict drives much of the emotional tension in the book. Her mission to infiltrate the court of the Wu kingdom, seduce the king, and weaken the empire to avenge her sister’s murder unfolds with palpable angst, and the chemistry between Xishi and Fanli adds layers of complexity.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Liang's evocative writing and the deep emotional beats, I found myself wishing the story had more room to breathe. The relationship between Xishi and Fanli, as well as her interactions with the King Fuchai, could have been even more intense if given more time to develop. There were moments between the characters, particularly those that Xishi reflects on later, that felt fleeting. I think this story could have benefited from a longer format to fully explore these dynamics.

That said, the ending is as heartbreaking as it is satisfying, and Liang's storytelling does justice to the themes of sacrifice, womanhood, and love that are woven throughout the narrative. Overall, A Song to Drown Rivers is a poignant, emotional journey that delivers on its promise of epic historical fantasy.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a very intriguing story with a lot of political intrigue.

Xishi is known for her looks. So she is bought to use her looks as a weapon. She is trained in many arts to sway men to do what she wants.

There is no bigger target than an emperor. Once at the palace Xishi is mostly on her own and has to think quick to get herself out of messy, potentially deadly situations.

Xishi is my favorite character. At first I wasn’t a huge fan of her but as time went on we see how relationships can be complicated. Even though she should hate the emperor she recognizes that she sees a side of him most do not. She recognizes this but still knows she has a duty to fulfill. The complexity of her maneuvering a new place and dealing with people who want her out of the picture really made A Song to Drown Rivers stand out to me.

Wow! The imagery and character development in this book is amazing! This is historical fiction, with a love story wrapped up in it. I usually don't read those type of stories but the cover was so beautiful...it drew me in! What an amazing story of love, revenge, betrayal, and ultimately redemption. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

A Song to Drown Rivers is a retelling of the legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Xishi is a woman from a small village who is recruited and trained to become a concubine spy to take down a neighboring kingdom. The bulk of the novel follows the trials and tribulations of Xishi as she navigates blending into an enemy's royal court while trying to complete her mission with hints of a slow-burn romance.

Once this book hits its stride (which, for me, is around the end of Xishi's training montage), IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT DOWN !! I've never heard of this legend before, but I do love reading historical fiction, so I enjoyed reading about the royal courts and kingdom drama thoroughly! I won't really classify this book as a fantasy, though. There weren't really any fantastical elements that would bring the book into that category. The romance elements were enjoyable to read (they got me giggling and kicking my feet), and they didn't overpower the other central themes. I felt like the recurring thought of "Who are truly the good guys? Who are really the monsters?" could have been pushed a bit further. There were so many aspects to the rival kings' characters as well as the people of the rival courts that felt superficial and didn't go past, "Hmmm... maybe they aren't the bad guys after all..." The complexity of the characters and their potential were there!! Regardless, that ending was BRUTAL!! (in a good way!) I definitely recommend this book for folks who love historical dramas and romances!

I loved this book that I purchased it immediately once it was available.

I rate this book a 4.5.

All I have to say is read this book.
It was beautifully written and I was in awe with the book. This book had me going through all the emotions- loved the themes of this book -political pawns, forbidden romance, historical fantasy, betrothed to the enemy,

The writing style/prose was really well done. It kept me hooked the entire time, and I would definitely read more by the author. The pacing, however, felt rushed. There were large time jumps that, to me, detracted from the sense of importance or urgency of the plot. The narrator's habit of referencing future tragic events also sort of ruined the moments when they did happen. There was less emotional poignancy than there could have been. I would also not call this a fantasy novel - historical fiction, certainly, but there weren't any fantasy elements present.

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is a gorgeous piece of historical fiction befitting the beauty and elegance of its main character. Told in an almost poetic manner, it follows the story of Xishi, one of China's famed Four Beauties, as she moves from tiny village to imperial palace and from shy maiden to favorite concubine. It is a revenge story as much as a love, historical, or coming-of-age story, and its ending will haunt you long after you finish reading.

While A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS does not contain much character development, any such growth in Fanli or Fuchai is unnecessary to the story because, simply put, it isn't their story. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is Xishi's story. In it, Ms. Liang focuses on how Xishi's actions impact her thoughts and feelings rather than what she does for her people.

When we first meet Xishi, she is a simple girl from a poor family in a poor village still recovering from the previous war between the Kingdoms of Yue and Wu and grieving her little sister's death at the hands of Wu warriors. To her, her beauty is an imposition, a cruelty of fate that causes her more hardship than pleasure, forcing her to hide from the world to avoid extra unwanted attention.

By the time the book closes, Xishi is more than that simple village girl. She has come to accept her beauty and wield it like a weapon Fanli wants her to be. More importantly, she understands and recognizes that the real ills of the world are not found in one person or kingdom. Moreover, she recognizes the mind-f*ckery that is her role in Fanli's plan, and, like everything in life, our impressions and beliefs about ourselves and others are a matter of perception of reality as we see it.

Her character development is a subtle growth, as Xishi spends much of the novel alone with her thoughts and dreams. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is not an action novel. While there are some scenes during which fighting occurs, there are no epic battle sequences to entertain the reader. Instead, readers must sit with Xishi as she contemplates her fate and her growing awareness that monsters as humans rarely exist.

One of the adaptations Ms. Liang makes with A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is her timeline compression of Xishi's story. While the Internet tells me that Xishi's training with Fanli took three years and her time with Fuchai in the Wu kingdom lasted twenty years, Ms. Liang's version sees Xishi's entire story cut down to no more than three years. This time compression does make a few things more difficult to accept, namely her love for Fanli, and her. accomplishments in the Wu kingdom. Her love for Fanli feels like insta-love, which is always difficult to stomach. Meanwhile, her time at Fuchai's side feels brief, which lessens her sacrifice. Given that we see almost none of her machinations and maneuverings within the imperial palace, it is easy for readers to scoff at her purpose and her achievements as part of the Yue revenge plot.

Despite the odd flow of time, I finished A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS blown away by its beauty and tragic ending. I like that Fuchai is not a complex character, no matter how odd Xishi finds it. I love that Fanli hides his feelings away from himself and the world. It makes any emotional outburst of his much more powerful. I appreciate Xishi coming to realize that not only is revenge seldom the answer, but also that sometimes the monster isn't the enemy you think it is. The last scene with Fuchai is as poetic as it is bleak, and Xishi's fate left me unable to sleep as I contemplated its place within the story. A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is not a complex story, and its simplicity is what makes it so powerful

REVIEW SHOULD RUN WITHIN NEXT TWO WEEKS
Xishi is washing silk at the river when a young girl, begging for mercy, collapses in front of her. A Wu soldier is chasing the child with a drawn sword, clearly planning to kill her. Xishi intervenes and expects to die in her place as a result, but the most beautiful man she has ever seen arrives just in time, saving her life. His name is Fanli. Dressed in silks and clearly of the noble class, he nevertheless claims that he is there to see humbly born Xishi. Whispers of her exquisite loveliness have reached as far as the palace, and he, the emperor’s chief advisor, needs just such a woman. There is a plan for vengeance afoot that requires courage as well as charm. Xishi, who lost a sister to Wu violence, is more than happy to be a part of it.

Just like that, her adventure begins. She undergoes thirteen weeks of intense training to become a spy for the Yue. She will be sent as a concubine to the Wu capital, where she is to seduce their young emperor, Fuchai'. Once she has him in her thrall, it will be her task to drive him to do two things: empty the treasury and build a canal that will connect the two kingdoms so the Yue can more easily attack the Wu.

After her short training period, Xishi enters the Wu court with her handmaiden Zhengdan, a close friend and confidant from the same village who is well-trained in swordsmanship. But it is not easy to gain Fuchai’s attention. He has many concubines, and the battle for his affection is fierce. It is especially difficult for Xishi to simper and seduce this emperor whom she despises when she already holds her rescuer in her heart.

This novel is based on the legend of Xi Shi, who is one of the Four beauties of Ancient China. Like most legends, their are multiple iterations of the tale, with this book mostly sticking to the basic story line.

Several things work well in the story. The author does a nice job of introducing the conflict between the Wu and the Yue and also showing us how, in reality, the people we think are monsters are often just people who think the same of us. I liked how the author showed the devastation of war; almost everyone we encounter has lost someone to the fighting It was refreshing to read a story based on a non-western legend. I love fairy tales and it is fun to compare the stories I am familiar with with those of other lands.

How well you tolerate the flaws in the narrative will depend upon whether or not you are someone who enjoys romantasy. Like most (all?) of that genre, the court politics here make no sense. Problems tend to be resolved far too easily. There is a scene towards the sixty percent mark in the story where Xishi does something that was so stupid I wanted to reach through the pages and smack her. The behavior was not atypical for a romantasy. Naturally, the characters have a lot of modern sensibilities. The characters read and behave like young/new adults although the positions they hold would require someone with wisdom and experience. The author fails to create any tension in the story since Xishi is never truly conflicted. It’s not a story to provoke thought but is more a teen/twenties romp through history.

For some audiences, none of that will be a problem. For others, it will be completely unacceptable. Again, how you accept it will all depend on whether or not you like books in that genre.

There were a few things, though, that the author could have done better even within the confines of her literary form. One is to create a real romance between Fanli and Xishi. The two spend almost no time together, and their love is all cryptic comments and longing glances. In the legend, Xishi trains for years. Shortening it to months for the sake of the story made it seem almost ridiculous. The court politics should have been handled in more detail.But most importantly what made Xishi so alluring for Fuchai and why he succumbed so easily to her machinations needed to be addressed more thoroughly. In this tale, Xishi was one pretty girl among many. She was meant to be a beauty that birds would descend to get a closer look at and the moon would hide in shame from. Using that would have been good. I would have preferred the author choosing the happier of the two possible endings to the tale as well. I didn’t grade down for the latter but I do want to warn readers that there isn’t an HEA here.

I went with a B for my overall grade of A Song to Drown Rivers because it is a good, if not great, example of romantasy and because I enjoyed this look at a legend from a different culture. If you like that genre, I would recommend it.

Q: Has a book ever left you reeling when it’s over?

This book made me so unwell. Like I loved every minute of it but that ending caught me right in the gut. The writing was beautiful and atmospheric. Xishi was such a strong character and it’s unusual to see a book written from the POV of someone who is using their beauty as a weapon. And very strategically too.

I also adored Fanli. Both of them were all in saving their people and it created such a bond between them. The tension in this book was OFF THE CHARTS. Like if you love Pride and Prejudice for the tension and the carriage hand scene? This book is for you.

This turned out to be nothing like I expected...and honestly, it was even better! The characters felt so authentic, and the conflicts and politics were impressively nuanced. While I’ve read many stories about a beautiful girl seducing a king to bring down his kingdom, this one set itself apart. It’s less a romance and more a profound exploration of the will of kings, making Xishi’s journey all the more powerful and resonant! I need more!!

This book went back and forth for me - for the most part it was interesting and enjoyable, but there were many other parts that seemed forced, or from another story. The writing is beautiful, the characters interesting, but I felt like the plot was somewhat scattered. And there was a twist that will make you either love or hate the story.

Regardless, I am glad I read it as the imagery was well done.

Thank you Net Galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. It was a really interesting premise and overall it was quite a fun read. However, I wish that the romance was developed a little more.

OMG IF YOU LOVE BETRAYAL AND TWISTS, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. Oh I love when a woman gets her revenge! Oh, I ate this book UP. I received it as an ARC in March, but I didn’t pick it up until a few days before it was published. This book is crazy - I love a powerful woman’s story finally being told. UGH. If you love stories about women being spies and enacting their revenge, if you are a die-hard Mulan girlie (similarly set in China, a strong woman saves her kingdom but is shamed for being a woman.) this is THE book to read. omg loved it!!!

This book GAGGED me. If you haven’t picked it up from the library or your nearest bookstore, you have to immediately! It had so many twists and turns, suspense, and a gut-wrenching romance! If you love stories about women having their stories finally told, please read this book!

**Features:**
- Retelling of the legend of Xishi
- Court intrigue, deception, and a complicated love triangle
- Set in a fantasy version of ancient China
- Explores themes around revenge, sacrifice, and beauty

**Summary**

Beauty is a blessing. Beauty is a curse. Beauty is a weapon. Xishi is said to be so beautiful that nature itself is humbled by her presence. However, in a time of war where the Wu are a constant threat, Xishi remains hidden in her tiny village, away from any great fortune she once would have been fated to bring to her family. However, when she is discovered by Fanli, one of the Yue king’s advisors, it seems that fate might have its hand after all. But instead of the happily ever after everyone had envisioned, Xishi’s beauty will become the weapon that will take down the Wu from within.

**Thoughts**

Wow! This retelling of the legend of Xishi had me hooked from the start! I was somewhat familiar with the original Chinese legend before picking up this book and it seems to follow it pretty closely. Despite that, I found this rendition captivating and tragic with some twists I wasn’t quite expecting and it is worth picking up whether this story is new to you or not. Though Xishi is really only made interesting by the situation she is trying to navigate, the characters that surround her all stand out in their unique ways. Though Liang’s previous books have been romcoms and the synopsis makes it sound like this story will take a similar approach, don’t be fooled! This story quickly becomes a complicated and sad tale of deception and revenge that is only enhanced by the love triangle at its center. If you are unfamiliar with the legend of Xishi, know before going in that this is a tragic tale. This is the first book I have read by Liang and unless I had looked it up, I would not have known from this book that romcoms have been her bread and butter up until now. That alone deserves a round of applause!

What really made this book a stand out read for me was the writing itself. The story is written with poetic prose that feels appropriate for a ‘legend’ story and rarely feels overdone. You really feel transported to the time and place that this story is unfolding and are truly allowed to experience the world through the characters rather than sitting through bouts of long exhibition. Even with the rich world and storytelling that this book contains, it remains extremely accessible and never gets bogged down with details. There are definitely some slower parts of the story, but it never overstays its welcome and just feels like a natural part of the storytelling. This phenomenal read came just at the right time for me even though the ending left me in tears and I would highly recommend it!