3.5 stars. This is a well written stand alone young adult fantasy based on Ancient Chinese folklore. I enjoyed reading but not sure it will stick with me for long. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

I devoured this book. I never wanted to put it down. This is a historical romance- not a romantasy since there is zero fantasy. The fmc is based upon one of the four legendary beauties of China. Xishi is chosen to infiltrate the enemy kingdom as the concubine to the king and make him so obsessed with her he won’t notice her bring his kingdom to ruin.

The politics of this story were very simple and easy to follow, and the characters are distinct and easy to keep track of. This is no grand epic, but it beautifully romantic. The hardcover is also gorgeous. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes Chinese history and romantic historical books. Forbidden love. Hidden identities. Arranged marriage sorta.

Based on an ancient myth, this book tells the story of Xishi of the Yue kingdom who is sent to the neighboring enemy Wu kingdom as a concubine. She gets caught up in impressing the king and engaging in court intrigue to the point that her plan of toppling kingdoms gets twisted and alliances are tested.

This was entertaining! I thought it was missing the depth of character development that I enjoy in myth retellings but it was still atmospheric and fast-paced enough to keep me guessing.

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

Xishi is a beautiful maiden who agrees to be a sacrifice for her country of Yue by training to be a courtesan and spy. Her mission is to distract King Fuchai from statecraft, among other things. Inevitably, and quite early on, she falls in love with Fanli, the young minister who trains her. Thus, Xishi must not only plot to ruin Fuchai’s kingdom but keep her heart’s desire a secret.

I wasn’t familiar with the legend of Xishi before reading this book, but I’ve gleaned through other reviews that this is a pretty straight-forward retelling. I can’t fault the author then for some aspects of the book that irritated me, like the main character being so stunningly beautiful that nearly every man she encounters falls in love with her. In some ways, it’s rather nice to encounter a retelling that sticks pretty closely to the original story– I feel like there’s often just change for the sake of change.

All that said, I found this to be a a slog. The story is all tell and no show. Xishi and Fanli’s relationship suffers from insta-love, and there’s an obnoxious pseudo love triangle shoehorned in. Problems are easily solved with a few demure words or pure luck. Xishi has a heart issue that seemingly disappears after it’s no longer convenient. And despite Xishi being a concubine, the story is surprisingly chaste– she apparently sleeps next to Fuchai for several years with nothing but a few kisses.

Lovely!!! Beautifully written, absolutely tugged at the strings of my soul. Highly recommend to fans of She Who Became the Sun.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

On a positive note, the prose is gorgeous and I will definitely read something else from the author. The narrator was wonderful and I felt the she embodied the main character's strength and capability in a situation where she could have easily become a victim. On the negative side, the relationship between the characters all felt surface level and the plot felt disjointed. It felt very YA at times as well. Overall I probably won't think much if this story in the future.

I've been a huge fan of Ann Liang's contemporary YA books, so I was super excited to read a little something different from her. I ended up thoroughly enjoying this one! It was fairly simplistic and digestible, so I think this book could be easily accessible to a wider audience (especially if this is your first dip into this type of fantasy romance). I'm excited to see what Ann Liang's whips up next!

The love story was sweet - but I had a hard time buying into the seemingly-forced culture references. Overall, solid book - but hard to get into. Liang is phenomenal at writing a truly sweet romance and love.

I had heard nothing but rave reviews about Liang's YA contemporaries and I have been a fan of the rise of Asian inspired fantasies, so given that and the gorgeous first edition, I was very excited about this book. Unfortunately, I struggled through a lot of this.

For one, this is marketed as a fantasy but it really isn't. Or it is, but in the sense that books like [book:Circe|35959740] are fantasy. What it actually is, is a retelling of the Chinese myth of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, who because of her beauty is chosen to spy on the king of a neighboring kingdom. Honestly, I should have known based on that, that my expectations were too high.

The best part of this was the prose by far, so I am intrigued to see what else Liang writes, but the rest of it was very mid in my opinion. In the first 25% I kept finding myself pulled out of the story because the insta-romance and pace made the story feel like we went from 1 to 100 so I kept thinking I missed chapters. Once we settled into life at the palace, things started feeling more even, but because the first part felt so rushed I was never able to fully sink into the story. And then every time it was mentioned that Fanli spent so much time training Xishi my brain kept going but did he though? This left my mind to wander in some of the more emotional beats of the book, which left me feeling disconnected because I could tell that certain scenes were intended to make me feel deeply but I just didn't.

Overall, I think the bones of this book are great but it needed more in depth execution for me. Especially if you're marketing this as an adult fantasy. Like there was a smidge of fantasy at the end but it was 99% historical and the characters read incredibly young. So maybe that was part of my disappointment because if I had gone in expecting YA fantasy the tone and lack of depth would have been less jarring.

Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers is a mesmerizing exploration of love, loss, and the power of memory, woven into a narrative as fluid and unpredictable as the rivers it depicts. The book’s poetic prose and atmospheric imagery create an immersive experience that pulls readers into a world where myth and reality collide.

Liang excels in crafting vivid, almost tactile descriptions that bring her settings to life, making every moment feel steeped in mystery and melancholy. The characters, particularly the protagonist, are deeply complex, their struggles resonating with universal themes of identity and belonging. The interwoven folklore adds layers of depth and intrigue, creating a tapestry that feels both timeless and fresh.

The pacing, however, occasionally stumbles, with certain sections feeling overly drawn out while others rush by too quickly. This unevenness can distract from the story’s emotional core. Additionally, while the narrative’s ambiguity is part of its charm, some readers may find themselves yearning for more resolution in the ending.

Despite these minor flaws, A Song to Drown Rivers is an unforgettable debut that showcases Liang’s immense talent and potential. It’s a book that invites readers to lose themselves in its pages and ponder its themes long after the final chapter.

This was an interesting book. I liked that it was a retelling of a fable but found it to be a little repetitive. By the end I was invested in the characters and sad to learn their fates.

A Song to Drown Rivers is the epitome of duty to ones country over their own wants.

Xishi is forced to use her beauty to become a concubine to Fuchai, the king of a rival kingdom. If she succeeds in her quest to seduce him and have him catering to her every want she may save her country. She has to leave all she knows behind including her new found love interest. Is it all worth it in the end?

Ann Liang does a phenomenal job of creating an emotional attachment to these characters.

Inspired by the Legend Xish; from ancient China. Rival Kingdoms are battling, our POV Xish sets out to seduce the King Enemy Wu. On an offer from a young Military Advisor who finds her and trains/prepares her for battle. While under his training, They develop a romance. Things start to unravel while she then find herself in King Wus Palace and catches the kings eye.
So many twists, action packed, love triangle! This was a great story! My only difficulty was all the politics; just not my thing. I would have loved more Fantasy elements in the story given the genre. The romance could have been a little more. Found the plot pace wonky and scattered. Overall, really enjoyed it. wonderful YA historical Romantasy!

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy, in exchange for my honest review/opinion.

A Song to Drown Rivers is the retelling of the Chinese legend of Xishi. Renowned for her beauty, Xishi catches the eye of a military advisor, Fanli, and is given the opportunity to be a spy for her kingdom. She is trained to infiltrate the Wu kingdom, seduce the king, and bring down his empire from within.
I thought the writing was beautiful, and I found myself mostly engaged while reading. However, I was hoping for more action, considering Xishi is supposed to be a spy, but we barely got any thrilling spy scenes. There was also definitely a case of insta-love here. The love interest is absent for much of the book, so I just didn’t understand how Xishi loved him so much already. The romance didn’t impact me as emotionally as I think it was supposed to. Ultimately, I think it should’ve been a bit longer. If we had more time, we could have seen the romance develop properly, and more of Xishi’s training, which was lacking. Also, I’m not sure why this is categorized as fantasy, because it felt more like historical fiction to me, with the smallest pinch of fantasy. Overall, the story was enjoyable, but needed a bit more time to flesh out the characters and the romance.

This is one of my top books of 2024! I loved everything about it. The writing, plot, characterization, romance... it was all absolutely amazing. I loved learning about the story of Xi Shi and Fan Li. I think Ann Liang did an amazing job handling this story and leaning into the difficult aspects inherent to this kind of story. I can't wait to read more from her and hope she writes more novels based of ancient Chinese history.

I want to shout from the rooftops about how much I loved this book! I went back and forth between the ebook and the audio. Usually I am not a big fan of historical mythology fantasy. But I absolutely adored this book. The m/c is so bad a**, she made such a good character!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. martins Press for the chance to read a copy in exchange for a honest review.

This story was a beautiful retelling of the legend of Xishi. One exceptionally beautiful woman holds the fate of two kingdoms in her hands. She must go undercover and work as a spy to infiltrate a kingdom by bewitching the ruler and becoming his favored concubine. All the while, her heart remains in her kingdom. It was heart-wrenching to read at times, and I still feel raw after that ending.

Thank you NetGalley, Ann Liang and St. Martin's Press for this incredible e-ARC.

I picked this up exclusively because Shelley Parker-Chan said it was "exquisite and devastating," and I've read a lot of wonderful books thanks to their reviews. Unfortunately this one did not work for me at all.

The truth is that it's absolutely bog-standard romantasy, complete with all of the requisite trembling and jaw-clenching and ridiculously communicative facial expressions and plot devices like a "trained spy" accidentally saying her boyfriend's name while kissing her spy target. The characters pine for each other the same way my cat pines for his chicken paté every night: as bluntly and unambiguously as possible, so as to telegraph to the audience via billboard-obvious body language that "HEY. I WANT THAT." Someone's knuckles going white as their eyes roll back in their head every time their crush walks by is just lazy writing. It just is.

The saving grace of the story is the ending. I liked that, full stop. But everything that happens up until that point is basically just poorly written.

Inspired by a true legend? Fantasy? A strong, beautiful heroine who is also a death-or-glory warrior? A forbidden love interest?
All these storylines serve as utterly transporting themes in this historical fiction that mixes fantasy, romance, espionage, politics, loyalty, revenge, and the mystical landscape and culture of two kingdoms bound to destroy one another.

We all need a fantasy world more than ever right about now, don’t you agree?
This immersive, epic novel, "A Song to Drown Rivers," by Ann Liang, takes you to another world. To another magical time and place.

The story will lead you to ask yourself, “What would you sacrifice for love?”

At the heart of the novel is Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, and Fanli, the dedicated young military advisor, who on behalf of their king, presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon to save their people from the evil Wu empire. And to seal the deal, she will avenge the bloody death of her sister in one of the Wu kingdom’s village raids.

Beauty is power. Xishi’s beauty is the realm of the coin of the realm that Fanli uses as a weapon to eventually score the ultimate Wu defeat.
Fanli’s strategy is to lure the Wu ruler King Fuchai so that his total infatuation with Xishi could lead to the Wu downfall.

The story brings us into the mysterious, mythical legend as Xishi trains as a kind of Mata Hari; rising to the top of Fuchai’s court, influencing politics and executing her job as a spy. A very, very cunning spy.
Fuchai takes the bait and falls hard for Xishi. You can’t help aligning yourself with him, looking beyond his savage ruling and painful warring.
That she manipulates the king while holding off any actual consummation in their "love" relationship is a tender triumph.

The deep love that has blossomed between Xishi and her dedicated, heroic trainer, Fanli, unfolds with a palpitating throb beat that pulses with vibrating passion, unrealized because loyalty to their mission to save their kingdom is paramount. The seduction and their mutual parts in the plan ate an enormous yet delicate balance.

The seasons change with a mystical beauty, friendships are formed and alliances are built. Deceptions abound.
Bit by bit, the suspense crescendos.

In the end, you will cry with deep emotion as a more invested, devastating, nuanced kind of Romeo and Juliet fate awaits the lovers. Or does it?

"A Song to Drown Rivers" offers a spellbinding tale of Love manifested in many relationships: with one’s homeland, family and friends, a romantic lover; a cause.

What would you sacrifice for love?

I so very much enjoyed this novel and heartily recommend it to you. Liang’s mastery of storytelling is sublime.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book.
(I look forward to the film 🤩)

"A Song to Drown Rivers" is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, a Good Morning America book club pick, an October 2024 Indie Next Pick, an October 2024 LibraryReads Pick.

Further, according to the publisher, you can order now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring a gold foiled cover, gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, as well as exclusive metallic ink patterned endpapers and unique foiled front and back case stamps. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run, a must-have for any book lover.

Happy Reading.

I was initially intrigued by the story but then I didn’t find what I was originally looking for. While advertised as a historical fantasy and romance, the only true thing about that is it is historical, but there was no fantasy element, beyond it being a retelling, and I found the romance lacking. I would’ve appreciated a better romantic build up between Xishi and Fail, but instead we got something of an insta love where we never get to see them actually fall in love and barely interact in there time together. I just didn’t believe that she would’ve had such intense feelings for him. On the other hand she could’ve had a good romantic arc with the King of Wu, who could’ve been a great morally grey character but instead felt like a child so enchanted with Xishi even after the barely doing anything. For an adult book, there were little adult scenes or even the hint of an adult scene and it read more like a ya novel. I was looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunate it was not as advertised in multiple ways.