a prince and a snake spirit's fate was intertwined that momentous day 7 years prior to the book's main timeline. the prince was having a rare pearl to heal his mother from severe illness, and a white snake swallowed that pearl. the prince had been hunting for snakes since. 7 years later, the oracle prophesied that the antidote can be found at a certain city. the prince went to that mission. lo and behold, the snake he was searching for was closer than he was expected.

this book was a grower. i didn't really sure at the beginning, but it progressively get more interesting as the story went on. at 50% mark, i was hooked. a lot of things i still couldn't completely understand, idk what cultivation is and i dont really get what the extend of the snake spirit's ability. but the main couple dynamics was nice, the plot twist was unpredictable, and the ending was acceptable even though it made me frown a bit. pretty fine for a standalone.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed the lore but couldn't get a feel for the characters. I liked the romance but overall it felt very meh. I couldn't get invested in the characters through the writing. I would however recommend this book for readers looking for this specific story with tension and interesting worldbuilding.

i’m embarrassed i didn’t finish this book in time for its release but im also very glad that i prolonged my time reading it. coincidentally, one of my classes this quarter is ‘storytelling’ and the first part is all about retellings and such so of course i decided to do research on the legend behind this book, so as i was reading and saw realgar’ i, firstly, got excited that my research paid off but secondly it made me know what was about to happen, making the entire scene much more on edge (in a good way!!). the way that lee wove the original legend in while making changes and allowing it to have a happy ending. i’ve been in a reading slump recently but that ending really helped me to get out of it, truly felt like a flip switched while reading, allowing me to get back in the swing of reading.
anyways. this was incredible. i loved the twists and the characters. the found family of it all. xian and zhen’s relationship was also so well written and well done. the way xian never used his power over zhen in the bedroom and even when they weren’t on good terms, xian never wanted true harm to come to zhen. another thing i found lovely was the realistic aspects of xian being a prince. with the one character and consequences/discipline, xian wouldn’t be able to let him go free as zhen wanted. he needed to give them some public punishment because he is a prince, he needs to show his power to his people. even if he doesn’t necessarily want to. it added a level of reality that didn’t hinder anything in the book or even make xian look harsh or ruthless, but rather add dimension to his character. i could go on for ages but this was amazing and lee did it once again. i loved their other book, another one that helped me out of a slump actually! so i knew this would be amazing but it well surpassed any and all expectations. what a lovely read

After Sher Lee's debut, Fake Dates and Mooncakes, my expectations for Legend of the White Snake were high, and Sher Lee certainly delivered!

Legend of the White Snake is a queer retelling of a Chinese folktale, with elements of romance, magic and mythology.
When he was little Prince Xian's mother was bitten by a white snake and this bite has condemned her to a slow, painful death. The cure can only be obtained from a rare white snake, or from an even rarer snake pearl.
Zhen was an ordinary white snake before consuming a snake pearl transformed him into a snake spirit with the ability to take human form.
When Xian travels across the county in a desperate last bid to catch a white snake and save his mother, he crosses paths with stable boy Zhen. The two are immediately drawn to each other, but eventually the truth about Zhen's identity will put their relationship to the test.

The beautiful storytelling drew me in straight away, and I found myself turning pages and easily losing myself in the richly drawn world of this story and the poetic narration. I liked both characters, but had a particularly soft spot for Zhen. I enjoyed the element of court politics and intrigue and found the story at times gut wrenching in the best way.

Read this novel if you enjoy:
🤍 Chinese mythology
🤍 shape shifters/animal spirits
🤍 magic
🤍 prince X stable boy
🤍 sacrifice, devotion and betrayal
🤍 a doomed romance

5 Reasons to Read

Legends and Traditions

The Chinese Folklore that fills the pages of this book make it so much fun to read. I loved learning about the Yin and Yang, the traditions of the Chinese Royal court, and the legends that have been handed down from generation to generation.

Snakes

So many cool facts about all kinds of different snakes. The details around every type of snake described made me appreciate the reptiles even more. It was such a unique addition to the storyline.

Romance

Let there be Romance! I loved the slow burn between Xian and Zhen. It was well worth it. I also loved the side romance and the way each of the characters fell for one another. So good!

Friendships & Found Family

This is definitely a friendship/found family story. Zhen and Qing have a bond like siblings but have only known each other a short while. On the opposite side, Xian and Feng have been friends since childhood and are as close as family can get. I loved getting to know all the character dynamics.

Betrayals

Xian believes he’s only just met Zhen for the first time but in reality, Zhen has been hiding a secret long kept from anyone over the past seven years. When secrets are revealed, the ultimate betrayal is unavoidable.

Loved this book. Not a romance girlie but I think I might have found my space in what to look for if I am in the mood for it.

3.75 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4 for GR) for Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee

Legend of the White Snake is a beautiful story based on a Chinese Folktale. A MM romance between a snake spirit turned man and the unsuspecting prince. I loved the easy flow of Sher Lee’s writing style. The love story was sweet, and the twists and turns had me gasping a few times. I loved how Zhen and Xian’s fates were woven so closely. The magic was easy to understand, but a little too convenient at times, which took away from the emotion to me. This was a quick and easy book packed with plenty of action and romance.
Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee came out October 15, 2024 so you can get your copy today!

Thank you #netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books/Quill Tree for the opportunity to read this arc.

I'd like to thank the author for providing me the e-arc of this marvelous book.

i went in fully blind. i love sher lee's first book and i simply needed to read this one too. and let me say, it did not disappoint AT ALL. it left me hooked up on every page, even though the beginning was a bit slow paced (in comparison to the rest of the book)

speaking of pace, I really saw the potential for one or even two more books. the story was filled with many events and they really would have carried a duology even better than a stand alone book.

i LOVED the characters, they are really well written and they all left a bit of them in my heart.

the story is amazing, which is also why i would have loved to read more of it, and it really kept my attention high throughout the whole book. the setting was actually new to me but i loved it and the author made sure to explain everything so that even someone who knows almost nothing about imperial china culture and traditions could enjoy and i really appreciated it.

the writing was really good in my opinion. having already read fake dates and mooncakes i expect a certain style and that was what i found in this book. at the same time it felt (rightfully) a whole new different thing and i think this isn't something so obvious.

overall i just wanted to say that i wouldn't mind if sher lee decided to write some more of their story (just saying)

Thank you to netgalley, Sher Lee and the Harper Collins for the eARC!

3.5 stars for me. If you're a fan of queer retellings of Chinese mythology with xianxia vibes, this is for you! I would rate it higher but I think the world building could be more developed. Besides that, I enjoyed the story and I like the characters. I'm not familiar with the original legend of the white snake so I cannot compare. The romance was a bit too insta-love/lust for me. But I still enjoyed the story overall. It's fast-paced story with lovable characters in a really beautiful setting. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to read this early.

Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee is out now! Happy publication day 🤍🐍

This is such a beautiful 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 book!! Xian and Zhen’s #epiclovestory is one that will stay with me for a long time. I loved this queer retelling of a folktale that transported me to a new land and stole my heart.

Legend of the White Snake
By Sher Lee
Happy publication day to Sher Lee! LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE is here! 🐍

As some of you know, I am not a big YA reader, but this one is targeted toward an older YA audience, and it’s just lovely and even a bit spicy! 🌶️

White snake is a powerful figure in Chinese lore, and the legend (as shared in this queer re-telling) is that the snake stole a magic pearl from a young boy, thus preventing the boy - a prince - from using it to heal his ill mother (whom the white snake had bitten). Seven years later, the white snake, on the run with his sister and taking human form as Zhen, infiltrates the palace and meets the earnest and passionate prince, Xian, and their fated connection sparks and grows. The prince does not initially know of Zhen’s history and actions, and is trying to track down the pearl he had lost to Zhen in order to heal his mother. But then he learns of the terrible story, and his walls go up. Zhen, trying to figure out how to do the right thing, is devastated and then captured and fated (temporarily, as it turns out) to a long and agonizing torture by the secretly, doubly-evil palace scientist, who has been experimenting with snakes, ostensibly to find the cure for the queen. But, alas, no, it’s been to accrue his own dark power. 👿

This is the story of an heroic prince and a loving servant (a spirit snake in the form of a commoner), drawn together by a tragedy not truly of their own making. It is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-and-finally-back-to-lovers story. It’s an epic tale of the power of love and family and trust and understanding and healing. ♥️

The side characters are also beautifully drawn: the kind mother, the powerful father, the evil step-brother, the prince’s best friend, the prince’s loyal but suspicious guard, the two-faced evil scientist, the snake-boy’s sister, their protector, and more. 👸🏻

Ultimately, this a story about love and betrayal and honor and magic and one of my favorite tropes of all time - soulmates. Or, as it’s referenced here, zhi ji. 💞

In LOTWS, Sher Lee has undertaken deep and revealing research into Chinese history and lore and language and culture. It was amazing to read and learn along the way. 🧧

Thanks to the author and HarperCollins Children for the digital egalley! I can’t wait to get this gorgeous book - look at it! - in my hands! ✨

I’ve never actually watched the Cdramas based on the original legend of the white snake but I was always excited to know more about the story, and it was natural that I gravitated towards this retelling. And this felt so easy to read that I didn’t even realize that I finished it so quickly.

The writing just flowed beautifully and I felt carried away by the prose. It’s also a very simple tale of love - familial, platonic, romantic and more - made heartbreaking and angsty by the little twists of fate, destiny playing with the hearts of our beloved characters. The romance between our leads might come across a tad bit instalovey but it’s also a fated connection, so it’s not too unbelievable. I also adored the way the author depicted friendships in this book, full of trust and genuine affection for each other.

The characters are also very easy to love - Xian the dutiful prince who just wants to save his mother, Zhen the snake spirit who wants to experience a human existence and also save his adopted sister, Qing who will do anything to protect Zhen, and Feng the ever dutiful bodyguard who is equal parts exasperated and fond of his prince’s antics. They all make for a great story, making me smile and blush and cry at various times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this queer retelling of a famous legend and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I spent the last 15% of this book SOBBING my eyes out, I was grabbing tissues left and right and the tears are still coming even though I'm done. I loved this book so much.

It's super easy to read, and I think even if you aren't familiar with the legend this book is a retelling of, you'll have no problems getting into the story.

I really liked the pacing, there was a good balance between getting to know the characters, and working on moving the plot along. But we could've used some more pages to stretch the ending events out a bit.

Character wise, I loveeeeed everyone, but especially Qing, who was the funniest. I'd love to see her and Feng in their own spinoff at some point. Generally speaking though, everything was wrapped up nicely, so I'm not sure if there's a need for a sequel. But again, if we get it, I'm reading it.

At the start, I related a lot more to Zhen than to Xian, but I was won over by the latter somewhere along the way. I couldn't help but smile at their romantic scenes, they were so cute, and had so much tension from the moment they met. That's so hard to do!

As a retelling, this works well. I actually used to rewatch different adaptations of this legend religiously, so if I'm happy with this book, you will be too. Sher Lee did it justice.

And that extremely vivid worldbuilding?? I swear, I was THERE, experiencing every single moment with the characters. I'd give five stars just for that.

Now that (stressful!!) ending...I fear I'll be needing a few business days to recover. So much happened and I swear I was holding my breath in the entire time.

The amount of pain I went through while reading this is something I wasn't expecting, but I'm so glad Legend of the White Snake managed to hurt me so much. It earned its place on my ultimate favourite books shelf.

This is also my very first book by this author, but definitely not my last. I'll be going back to read her debut, and I'm seated for whatever she puts out next.

*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Always a fan of retellings (in general but specifically) of the classic Chinese folktale of The White Snake, Sher Lee’s tale was an absolutely delightful new addition!

Lee’s queer-normative approach brought a fresh perspective with tender insightfulness to the love story aspect. One couldn’t help but to be quickly wrapped up in its enticingly descriptive coils! And the adventure! The mystery! Truly shocking serpentine plot twists! This book was 100% pure magic! A captivating must read for fans of several genres (LGBTQIA+/fantasy/AAPI).

Much appreciation goes out to author, Sher Lee, and Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins) for the opportunity to experience Legend of the White Snake in advance of its October 15th, 2024 release.

This one has a zillion reviews already, so I don't really want to add more verbiage to the river. Basically, it's a workmanlike treatment of an otherwise rich wonderful Chinese myth that has been retold many times, in many ways. This one is a queer retelling, which I thought an interesting idea, but the boys fall into insta-lust. Which is fair, given teenage boys, but I hoped for better characterization. A slow simmer, and more period detail than we found would have made this reader happier.

Thank you so much to Sher Lee for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for a review!!

I greatly enjoyed this book and the approach which Sher Lee took with it. While it is a YA book, because of the time frame and society, there are many adult themes throughout. I find that Lee consistently does really well with pacing, and I enjoyed that this book never went too fast or felt rushed. The characters are very different from one another, but you can also see how they compliment each other, and how the love is able to blossom between them.

From the retelling perspective, I think it was done so, so well. When this book is described as lush, it absolutely is. It's hard not to actually envision the story as you read because of Lee's descriptions. There are moments of high emotion all around, and it has me all the more excited to see more from Sher Lee in the future!

“Do you believe in destiny?”
↳ “I believe destiny is an excuse people give not to fight for what they really want in life.”
“Will you fight for what you want?”
↳“Always.”

mini synopsis:
Prince Xian lost his only chance to heal his dying mother when a white snake swallowed the spirit pearl meant to cure her. Seven years later, he is still desperately searching for a way to save his mother. Along his journey he finds himself crossing paths with a boy named Zhen, who he can’t help but feel drawn to. Anddd the story takes off from there 😆

review:
The way that I was not expecting to FREAKING CRY from this book. I don’t know what I was expecting, especially going into this book blind, but a face wet full of tears WAS NOT IT. I am surprised in the best way, and I always feel like that a novel truly did its job well if it’s able to pull these emotions out of me. I was straight giggling, to worried and nervous, to full on tears.

Prince Xian and Zhen were everything to me. I loved the angst, the dynamic, the torture and internal conflict they both had throughout their relationship. I apologize if my review sounds vague, but I always find it so much more enjoyable to go into books blind. I felt like I was reading a Chinese historical angsty insta-love drama, and I LOVED IT. I am not usually one who enjoys when the characters are immediately attracted to each other, but I have to say the author did an amazing job. I felt like their relationship grew so perfectly in such a short amount of time, and I was screaming and rooting for them!!!

Overall, this was a fun time. It was fast paced, but in the best way. I cried, my eyes are still a little poofy from the tears, and I absolutely adored the heck out of these two silly boys, or maybe one who is not exactly entirely a boy? (hehe) I was delightfully surprised, and so happy that I was given the opportunity to read this early.

Thank you HarperCollins and netgalley for this e-arc.

First of all, let me thank @sherleeauthor for giving me an eARC of her latest book!

After loving "Fake Dates and Mooncakes" I must admit that I had high expectations for this book

Here the author gives us a queer retelling of a Chinese legend, the legend of the white snake, and yes, it exceeded all expectations.

I must admit that at first I was a little confused, especially because the author brings us some Chinese expressions and I didn't know this legend that well.

But after the first 3 chapters I was just asking for more and more! Sher Lee knew perfectly well how to make me fall in love with Xian and Zhen, and how to break my heart for the same reason.

Xian does everything to try to save his mother, at the same time that he falls madly in love with Zhen and discovers that he will have to sacrifice one love in exchange for another.

Honestly, I lost count of how many times tears came to my eyes while reading this book. Maybe it was a very sentimental day, but the truth is that when we reached the middle of the story, it was suffering after suffering.

The author leaves us in pieces with the ending to add a patch of hope with the epilogue.

But you know, as much as I suffered with this book, now when writing about it the only thing I think about doing is re-reading it.

The best advice I give is... read this book!

A retelling of the classic chinese myth of the White Snake with queer romance?? I need it immediately. The story follows Prince Xian who has been trying to find a cure for his mother's sickness, a pearl from a white snake.... but when another snake snatches it from him when he was a boy he has been desperate to find another. Now years later he has traveled to an oracle to help him find and capture a white snake. Then there is Zhen, a white snake... or rather the white snake who consumed the spirit pearl that Xian had and now has the ability to turn into a human. Zhen has always wanted to be a human and when he encounters Xian they become immediately drawn together... but with Xian hunting down Zhen, and Zhen hiding who and what he really is... when the secrets come out will they still want to be with one another? I love the classic story of the White Snake and couldn't pass up the chance to read a queer retelling of it. I adore Sher Lee's previous book and couldn't wait to read this one. It's definitely a unique take on the classic story and the relationship definitely had a lot of ups and downs from both characters. It just didn't really hit the mark for me but I do think if you like queer fantasy mythology inspired books, I would say give this one a go.

Release Date: October 15,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Xian is the prince who meets a snake spirit named Zhen, who he later decides he wants to be his concubine. Xian is after a spirit pearl that has magical abilities that can help heal his mother’s sickness. Zhen tries to keep his true identity a secret from Xian once he finds out that he’s the exact snake spirit the prince is looking for. i enjoyed this more than i thought i would but the romance between these two boys was so sweet and i loved how Xian never made Zhen feel pressured to do anything he didn’t want to. i also like the side characters and the plot kept my attention with no problems. the magic was interesting and the ending is sort of bittersweet but it was just so endearing to see the lengths they’d go to in order to be together.