I'm always very wary of historical fiction, as I find it can get generic and boring. There have also been a lot of special edition books released lately that were pretty, but otherwise disappointing. Let me assure you, A Song to Drown Rivers is nothing like those books. It blew me away. From page one, I loved the author's writing. The prose is beautiful, the plot is immediately compelling, the main character is written with expertly balanced moments of lightness and darkness, the themes regarding war and feminism are grounded and touching, and the romance is fascinating. Both love interests have tender moments of yearning with Xishi, but neither is a perfect, or even good person. And towards the end of the novel, Xishi realizes her actions may have been equally callous, even if she had good intentions. This book was so bittersweet and beautiful. The ending managed to wrap up all the character work and themes perfectly. I can't recommend this story highly enough! I will undoubtedly be reading more from this author.

This was a beautifully written story. Thank you so much for this ALC opportunity the narration was beautiful, I likely wouldn’t have picked this up otherwise but I’m so glad I did because it was a great read and even made me cry

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, @macmillanaudio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

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? I did really like the narrator though!

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 listened to the audiobook, and I really liked Natalie Naudus as a narrator. Her voice fit Xishi, and she was able to differentiate the characters well. I would recommend this format. This format is especially great if you don’t know how to pronounce the names in this story.

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.

First of all, the audio narration was wonderful. Natalie Naudus did an incredible job.

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.

This was a surprising read. It’s historical fiction with a sprinkle or magic and romance. The romance portion of the story was developed in an unexpected way that I found unique and intriguing. And the story itself is more of a cautionary tale against revenge and taking care of not repeating the same mistakes. It’s gripping, enchanting and wise. I loved all the unexpected journeys this story took me by.

This book tore me apart! I’m still not whole! And the narrator p’s voice left me sitting on the edge of my bed just hanging on her every word, I will seek out her voice work again. Though the story she told me left heartbroken
Warning for those who like novels to end in a nice well tied bow….this is not for you.

The narration of this book was flawless, the character depth was beautiful and the story was engaging. I thought it was a little slow to dig in with the world/civics building aspects but once they were established it was smooth yet dramatic sailing straight through. The end was a perfect mix of bitter and sweet, devastating and beautiful. I really enjoyed this book!

I am so happy I got to listen to the audiobook! The narration was absolutely fantastic. It truly made listening to this book an experience. The story was… well just wow 🤯 it left me speechless. I have felt numerous things while listening to this audiobook. Mainly, this book broke me in more ways than one 😭

Based on a legend, this fantasy story is multifaceted and entertaining. Xishi is a woman known for her beauty but also demonstrates intelligence, quick thinking, passion and loyalty. She persists in her role as a spy against the enemy of her people in spite of the odds against her. I really enjoyed the personality of Xishi and felt like the author did a great job with development of her character. She faced impossible situations but found ways to fulfill her role. Of course, the relationship between her and the king was unrealistic but the book is a fantasy and I found Xishi’s vacillation between tenderness and hatred towards the king really added depth to the story. This book really delivered with strong female characters who used both wit and strength to help defeat the enemy. The tragic love story between Xishi and Fanli added another dimension but did not make it an overwhelming romance novel.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good for the most part except for minor “weird” voice inflections at times such as anytime a male character spoke to Xishi by name.

This book hurt my feelings, the end was not what I expected, and I may have had to rant about it to my Partner. But it was a really solid story, I thought the world building was done really well, I felt like I was walking around the palace with the FMC worrying about how to save her kingdom.

There were a lot of aspects of this story that I liked, the pace, the plot, the banter between the love interests, and of course I liked the “Villain” love interest more than the “Hero” one, which isn’t unusual for me.

Even though the FMC has been through terrible things, this story shows that during a time of war, both sides are hurting, and both sides see the other as monsters. That is a big theme in this story, I think often we come to find out that the people we see as enemies, might have more in common with us than one might think.

The romance could have been better, I feel like there was a lot of build up with both of the MMC’s, but it ended up being kind of anti-climatic, I appreciate the plot twist at the end, I truly did not expect it, but I felt like the build up should have led to something bigger. 4 ⭐️‘s

Thank you to the Author Ann Liang for sharing your story with me, and to the
Narrator Natalie Naudus for your excellent work.

Big thank you as well to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my audiobook copy of “A Song to Drown Rivers”

I received an advance review copy at no personal cost and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a book that makes you stop and pause. This is a book that makes you think about it when you are not reading it. This is a work of art. Even though my first encounter with this book was an audiobook, I will be buying the physical copy of this book. That's how good it is.
The audiobook version was such a wonderful experience. Natalie Naudus captures the essence of the book and characters perfectly. The author, Ann Liang is truly a lyricist in her own right. The landscape and characters are palpable as you venture deeper into this story.The way the Ann Liang has crafted a tale of love and sacrifice amidst turmoil. This book is for everyone. I can't recommend this enough.

“I promise… As soon as this ends, I’ll come find you, and we’ll sail the world together and live somewhere far from here, someplace we can be truly alone. And if my promise breaks…. Then let me suffer for as long as I live.”

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted ALC!

Meet one of my favorite books of the year. This one blew me away.

Ann Liang’s writing is gorgeous and lush. The tension and longing she writes into Xishi’s story made my heart ache. And while I wasn’t familiar with the legend of Xishi, I just had a feeling that this one was going to wreck me…. And it did. I’m still not emotionally recovered.

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is set in ancient China with two warring kingdoms. Xishi is recruited to become a concubine for the enemy’s king and also the spy who will hopefully lead to his ruination. While Xishi and Fanli have major forbidden love vibes, Xishi and Fuchi have “I’m going to destroy you” and “I’ll let you” vibes.

While this one is being marketed as a fantasy, there aren’t really any magical elements to it but there is the tiniest bit of the paranormal (kind of). That’s all I’ll say without giving anything away.
If you love tragic love stories, spy stories and books with beautiful writing, pick this one up!

A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS is out now!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6210005339
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DAqs2FnPGvt/?img_index=1

Oh my lanta. The most beautiful story I’ve listened to this month. I was in awe.

The way the narrator told the story of Xishi had me in tears by the end of the book. I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into since I didn’t know the lore of her.. but wow was I blown away. Natalie Naudus Could not have been more perfect to tell the story.

This was my first Ann Liang book and I was so very impressed with her story telling and writing. I was captivated from the beginning. This was one of those books I put off and regretted. Incredible beautiful.

Thanks so much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

🎧: A Song to Drown Rivers- a standalone

✍️ By: Ann Liang-new to me author

🗣️ Narrator: Natalie Naudus voices all the characters. The narrator' s voice fit the characters with standouts from Xishi, Fanli, and King Fuchai. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 10:22

🗓️ Publication Date: 10-1-24 | Read: 10-9-24

Genre: Historical Fantasy/Fic, Romance, Mythology

Tropes: slow burn, Chinese lore, military/political intrigue

🙏🏾 Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Ann Liang for this ALC 💛! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

🌏Setting: Kingdoms of Yue and Wu

⚠️ TW: misogyny, death of sibling-h, grief, beating-H

POV: 1st person, single

💭 Summary 💭: Xishi is a renowned beauty in her village found by military advisor Fanli to save their Yue kingdom. He offers to train her to betray and avenge the enemy Wu kingdom by becoming King Fuchai's concubine. Along with Xishi another village girl, Zhengdan, will become a palace lady and protect Xishi in her duty.

🚺Heroine: Xishi-jie- 20, a beautiful Yue village girl tasked w/ infiltrating the Wu kingdom as a spy posing as the King's new concubine.

🚺 Hero-Fanli-22, a military advisor to King Goujian of Yue who enlists Xishi to save their kingdom. He offers to train her to conceal her emotions, fight with swords, and seduce the Wu King.

🎭Side Characters

-Zhengdan- beautiful village girl from Yue who agrees to become a palace lady rather than marry an old man her mother arranged for her. She protects Xishi when they arrive at Wu. Self-taught sword play.

-King Fuchai- ruler of Wu

-King Goujian-ruler of Yue

-Wu Zixu-minister to King Goujian

-General Ma-killed Zhengdan's father

-Susu-Xishi's little sister killed by Wu soldier.

-Luyi-a guard Fanli met when he was 15 and trained in combat.



🤔 My Thoughts: Xishi was a strong heroine I rooted for. Her and Fanli pined for each other but chose duty over their love. I enjoyed the morally grey "bad guy" who didn't behavior as harsh as Xishi thought. He treated Xishi with respect even allowed her to listen in on military strategy meetings. Fanli suffered at King Fuchai's hands by being beaten, stabbed, and tortured emotionally.

🎧 Narration 4/5
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple 4/5
⭐️: Rating 4/5

A Song to Drown Rivers is a standalone story inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. Xishi is an exceptional beauty who is plucked from her village and trained by the advisor to the king. She is then sent into a neighboring kingdom with the mission to bring them down from the inside.

I feel as though this is a book that was mismarketed. That is part of the reason for why I didn't like this one as much as I hoped, but this is also an example of a book I should have DNFd. I was probably sitting at a 3 or 3.5 until the end. I was hopeful that it would get better, but overall, it just really killed this one for me.

So to start with the mismarketing. This one is marketed as a romantasy, and it has very little romance and even less fantastical elements. It really read like historical fiction with the names of the kingdoms changed. The writing was very flowery and pretty. There were moments that I think I would have really reveled in the descriptions, but I feel like the audiobook did not do those moments justice. However, I struggle with reading this type of writing via audio, so that should be taken with a grain of salt. Aside from that aspect, the narrator did a fine job. I love the idea of this story. It's a fascinating premise, but I just didn't love the execution.

I was intrigued to see where it was going to go, and I continued to turn the pages. For the majority of the book, I was thinking that it wasn't bad, but that I also wasn't loving it. The characters all read very flat and two dimensional. And the biggest issue for me was that we were told things and then shown something very different. There were so many moments when I was smacking my forehead and yelling at the audiobook because Xishi was doing something so painfully stupid. And we are told that she was turned into this fantastic tactician who is so cunning and wily and smart. And then all I saw over and over again after the 20-30% mark was that she was making really dumb decisions and mistakes. I am not going to go into them all for the sake of spoilers, but I was super irritated by some of them. There were moments when she would think to herself "oh, I'll have to be careful because this could be bad in the future" and then completely forget about it and be shocked when it came back around.

I think that part of the reason the characters felt so thin though was the way that the plot moved along. I think we covered probably 5ish years in the span of the book. However, there are big time jumps that aren't really called out. So it's hard to say. But basically we are just sort of told a lot of things that have happened and get to see very little, considering how much time passes.

The other big issue for me is the "romance." She spends 10 weeks with this super handsome advisor and falls completely and madly in love with him, and then proceeds to mourn him for the next 5 years. There was never anything between them but attraction - nothing happened, and no words were exchanged on the subject. It was super unbelievable to me. Especially considering her relationship with the Wu king. Supposedly there also was nothing physical really that ever happened there, but she manipulated him into falling in love with her, all while remaining completely aloof. I felt like it was always going to take a turn into enemies to lovers territory or that there would be some sort of a love triangle, but no. It felt icky to me because I feel like his personality and past and motivations were the most well-developed (even though they were still pretty flat), and I didn't like that he was being manipulated into ruin the whole time.

And then the ending happened, and I just could not deal with it. All the pieces that irked me in the first 80% were really amplified in the last 20%. All the characters were making terribly stupid decisions, Xishi and Fanli making some of the worst ones. And the end was supposed to be tragic and beautiful, but I was just so frustrated with how all these people I was told were the most intelligent ever were handling things that I couldn't bring myself to care. I also kept waiting for some of the themes to be explored further. It felt like we were picking up the idea of good and evil in war, the experience of the kingdom versus that of the kings, womanhood and how that was viewed, and some others, but we never really did more than scratch the surface. And the fantastical element only showed up at the very end.

I ranted about this one to my husband for a while, and I could go on, but I don't want to go into spoilers. And overall, this just confirmed for me that I should have trusted my gut and DNFd it. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the arc!
I found this book very frustrating. It was such a strong concept that ultimately fumbled. Xishi is described as incredibly intelligent and manipulative, but she doesn't actually DO very much on page other than be in love with the first man introduced. It is amazing to me that she survived the king's palace. Her manipulation is chalked up to ASKING for things and getting the king drunk. There were very little court politics actually involved, and the side characters had no effect on the general plot.
Ann Liang's writing is gorgeous, and I'm definitely interested in reading her other books. I'd love to see her grow into adult fantasy as genre, I think she has a lot of potential. This book just needed more, it felt more like an outline than a fully fleshed out novel.

what a beautiful book. absolutely loved it and absolutely perfect for me to listen to on a flight from the east coast to hawaii. will definitely be reading the physical book asap!!

Such an amazing adventure! I loved this story and it has it all-forbidden love, revenge, sibling death, adventure. It is a book you won’t want to put down because you need to know what will happen next.