4.5 - 5 Stars

A deeply romantic, deeply beautiful retelling of a legend, for fans of The Song of Achilles, She Who Became the Sun and Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

This was a fast-paced story that pulls you in immediately, into an epic, romantic story full of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and beauty. Set in a world at war, where our main character Xishi knows very well the ravages and horrors that war can lead to. Her beauty is a blessing, and perhaps also a curse, when she catches the attention of her king's young military advisor Fanli, who presents her with the opportunity to wield her beauty like a blade, and potentially help bring down their rival neighbouring kingdom.

This is a story of womanhood, power, beauty, sacrifice, and what we do in the name of war and survival. I found myself deeply invested in the story and its characters, and as the stakes got higher and higher, I was more and more enthralled. This book kept me on my toes - causing me tears, and butterflies, at equal turns.

3/5 stars

A Song to Drown Rivers is a lush Asian-folklore inspired story about the beautiful Xishi who is recruited to spy for her now conquered kingdom by acting as a bride/concubine in the court of the conqueror. This book hits a lot of nice plot points for a romantic folklore story - the beautiful heroine, the handsome but unaccessible love interest, the independent, fiery best friend and sidekick and a promise of espionage and war. The writing is well done, with just enough description to paint nice pictures without being overly purple. Natalie Naudus does a lovely job as the narrator, as expected.

While nice, I find this book to be fairly one dimensional and forgettable. Maybe its because its the same narrator, but it gives me the attempts at being something like Daughter of the Moon Goddess, without the elements that made that story memorable or unique. The Asian-inspired elements feel very surface level and we get know real sense what the actual kingdoms are like, why the two kingdoms are at war and how they are different from each other. Besides knowing that some farmers produce silk - what kind of trade is there? Does one kingdom specialize in something? Are their landscapes different? Some plots points also seem to be introduced and then ignored. Xishi's heart problems occasionally pop up, but seem to have no effect on either her actions or the plot - why even mention them? Same with (mild spoiler) how she is attacked on her way to the Wu king - it happens but then there seems to be no discussion as to why, how it fits into the political scheming, potential consequences. It is just immediately forgotten.

It is categorized as fantasy, but so far there has been nothing that makes it fantasy in my opinion - no hints of mythical creatures truly existing, no daughters of gods or goddesses, nothing paranormal or magical. It is also categorized as adult, but the story beats read very YA to me - Xishi spends 10 weeks learning how to be a courtier and somehow becomes amazing at everything (a very YA trope to me), the romantic interactions are very quick and the longing is a bit over the top. The relationships seems a bit one dimensional as well, partially due to a lack of a good sense of how much time has gone by.

Overall, a solid story, but ultimately not memorable or unique.

This was such an incredible retelling of an ancient story. I was so invested in Xishi's quest, and just like her, I felt so conflicted about her relationship with the king. It was a bit of a slow start, but around 40% in I was completely devoured and couldn't bring myself to hit pause. I hope Ann Liang writes more of these stories, because I will voraciously read them all!

This book was both beautiful and devastating. It follows Xishi as she weaponizes her rare beauty against Fuchai thanks to the training she received from Fanli. Liang’s writing itself was beautiful. I was impressed with ability to keep readers interested and even invested in the flawed king, Fuchai. I do wish we got to experience more time with Xishi and Fanli. The chemistry between them was easy to pick up on but I wanted more than what we got. I enjoyed the world building, but it wasn’t over the top where readers would get lost in the details. The plot was well paced especially for a character and politically driven read. It kept my interest from start to finish. I was not ready for all of the heartbreak in the last chunk of the book but it was well depicted. I read this via audiobook and really enjoyed Natalie Naudus. Naudus’s narration was captivating and made sure my mind remained firmly on the book. Naudus played into Xishi’s emotions and made sure those came across in the narration. Overall, I would highly recommend the audiobook of this story.

3.5 / 5 stars, rounded down

Xishi is known in her village for being a great beauty, and her reputation reaches the king of Yue. His handsome, stoic young advisor, Fanli, comes to recruit Xishi for an important mission: she will go to the enemy king of the Wu as a tribute concubine, but she will in actuality be provided intelligence back to her own kingdom. Fanli trains Xishi in everything she must know to survive at court, but the two develop a forbidden bond before Xishi set out on her mission.

Once Xishi reaches the court, she finds that King Fuchai can be as brutal and capricious as the rumors warned, but he also displays a boyish vulnerability at times. Xishi uses her beauty and her newly honed wiles to win Fuchai's love, but she is playing a dangerous game with kingdoms at stake.

I appreciated listening to the audiobook for this novel since I am not familiar with the pronunciation of Chinese names. Narrator Natalie Naudus brought the character voices to life beautifully and helped me establish pronunciations that I never would have gotten correctly on my own.

I found the pacing of the novel to be a little off for me. The early chapters of establishing Xishi's character and her budding relationship with Fanli seemed to have missed the opportunity for the author to show their feelings for one another developing. When Xishi is getting ready to part from Fanli, she reflects back on the many tender moment that they had shared together, and I wish that the reader had been able to experience them as well.

The marketing of this book as a fantasy also seems to be a bit of a miss for me. There are some supernatural elements late in the story, but this book will likely not satisfy fans of the romantasy genre.

A lush historical fiction detailing a story that I didn't know, but I wish there had been stronger character development. The narration was excellent on the audiobook.

🌊A Song to Drown Rivers 🌊

THIS BOOK. Oofa, that was a journey.

Xishi is a beautiful villager who is selected by her king and training by his minister, Fanli. She is to be a gift concubine to the rival neighbor Wu king, to seduce him and then ruin him. Xishi also wants what she can’t have and Fanli is always just out of reach.

This is emotional and heart wrenching. Stressful and heartbreaking. WOW.

Check this one out for:
🌊 Romantasy / forbidden love
🌊 Master manipulation schemes
🌊 War time angst

I’m still REELING about the ending, y’all. What!!! So wild.

I alternated between the ALC and the ARC. The narration was absolutely fabulous, the intonation, and the fun of hearing the name pronunciations really added to the story experience.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the ARC/ALC! A Song to Drown Rivers is on shelves now. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for my complimentary eARC, and to MacMillan Audio for my complimentary ALC of A Song to Drown Rivers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Song to Drown Rivers is an enchanting retelling of the Legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. I had not heard of this legend, but it is now one of my favorites.

Love, betrayal, family, war and sacrifice are all front and center in this historical fiction/fantasy/ YA romance. I could not put this one down. I kept saying just one more chapter, and before I knew it, I had read half the book!

Xishi and Fanli are playing a dangerous game and kingdoms will fall. Will their love survive? Or will they fall victim to a ruthless king???

I paired the audio with the eARC, and Natalie Naudus is a wonderful narrator.

I was provided both an ebook and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The audiobook narrator was great and really brought Xishi's story to life. Her story is an emotional one filled with sacrifice, forbidden love, espionage, and loss. The narrator does a wonderful job with the various characters and really brings the emotions forward when appropriate and masks them as Xishi would according to her training to carry out her mission.

I'm not familiar with the Legend of Xishi or the Four Beauties of China, but you bet I'll be looking into them after reading this. For me a good author inspires me to look more into what inspired the writing, and this certainly did. Our main character Xishi is very beautiful, and she has been selected to infiltrate the enemy kingdom and seduce their king and bring down the kingdom from the inside. She enters training to be his dedicated concubine and her goal is to pass information back to her people. She is all to happy to join the cause to avenge the brutal murder of her younger sister. As she spends time in the enemy court she learns much, but she never expected to gain the kings true affection and get to know him as a person.

This was a beautifully told story. It is filled with emotional moments as Xishi navigates the dangers and politics of the enemy palace and the enemy kings moods. She must carefully craft her every movement and everything she says to ensure she is portraying the loyal, faithful concubine while maintaining her double agent role. Everywhere she turns someone is plotting and she must be careful to not let something slip. She suffers great losses and must never let any emotions show.

This is my first book by Ann Liang, but it certainly won't be my last. It was such a wonderful book an it has such a beautiful cover. I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction that feels a bit like a fairy tale.

This audiobook was a solid listen, especially with its strong narration bringing the story to life. The plot is inspired by the legend of Xishi, and while it doesn't stray too far from the original tale, it’s still enjoyable, particularly if you’re not already familiar with the legend. The story picks up after the second chapter and is packed with twists, action, and some emotional moments, especially toward the end. Fair warning, the last part might hit hard, so have tissues ready.

While the plot was a bit predictable in places and leaned more on telling than showing, the audiobook format definitely made it more engaging. If you enjoy ancient Chinese dramas or are looking for a new historical fantasy, this one’s worth a listen!

I really enjoyed this take on a historical fantasy story inspired by the legend of Xishi. It was different for sure. I enjoyed the infiltration of enemy territory aspect in the form of a woman going in to pretend to fall for the King. This story definitely had me intrigued the whole time and even though she was sent in as a spy, I felt chemistry so she did her job well. I definitely wasn’t ready for the story to end on such a cliffhanger!

Historical Romance • War Story • Fantasy
Publication Date • 1 October 2024

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for the free digital and audio review copies. #MacAudio2024

Memoirs of a Geisha meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in this historical war story set in Ancient China, with mild fantasy elements, and a star crossed love story.

Xishi, a rural girl of unparalleled beauty, is groomed to be the trojan horse that will bring her King’s enemies to their knees. Sent in as a tribute and concubine, a pawn in a den of wolves, she’ll have to manipulate everyone around her in a game of kill or be killed, while working her way into the heart of the enemy King Fuchai.

I absolutely devoured this book. I know some others said it felt more YA; I personally did not feel that way although there is no spice. There is plenty of romance and it worked for me. By the end I was heartbroken. War is never kind to either side especially long and prolonged wars.

I read most of this one with my eyes, caressed by the poetic prose, highlighting many passages. For this reason I recommend written format, although I listened to one or two chapters on audio and didn’t find fault with the narration.

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you are in the headspace for a historical romance and love story. It’s a highly recommended from me.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC Audio Copy!

This is my first Ann Liang book so I did not really know what to expect from this story. I was hoping for a tale that was deeply steeped in mythology and tradition and found that that those elements were somewhat lacking. The world was somewhat vague but regardless of that it was still a beautiful story, very lyrical and whimsical. The FMC has to make the hard decision to leave everything behind to save her people from the tyrant king, it read a lot like a YA, which is not a problem at all, I read a lot of YA, I just though that this was an Adult book so that may have been where my disconnect lied. Regardless, I really enjoyed the story.

This was a beautiful book. I enjoyed the story very much. It tugged on the heartstrings and showed the hardships of war. I liked the fantasy aspects of the story, it added to it.
It kept my interest because everything was not as it seemed. It showed that in this was there were good/bad people on both sides. Sometimes the ones who are “supposed” to be the bad guys are not as bad as they seem and vice versa.
This was definitely a great book that would satisfy both the history and fantasy reader. I have read a few fantasy books set in China, and this one did not disappoint.
The audio version was excellent. I enjoyed the narrator very much; she made the narration flow smoothly and made it easy to follow along.

3.5⭐️

I loved the narrator for this! She kept me on my toes and engaged in the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. It feels really unique in the sense that I haven’t read another book where the concubine works behind the scene to overthrow the king. I have seen other kdrama or cdramas where the concubine works in secret… So it was nice to see this in a book format.

I think the thing that fell flat for me was I wanted to see more power struggle when she was trying to become the top concubine. It felt like a very easy win for her… I thought things moved a little too smoothly…. And I think her journey to becoming the favorite concubine should’ve been explored more.

I also wished that Fanli’s story was a little bit more flushed out. It kind of felt flat.

I’ll start of by saying this book will NOT be for everyone.

This is a story that is slow going, tragic, and it’s more about coming to terms with/learning how the world works with people in power. The stakes don’t seem very high when Xishe infiltrates the palace of the neighboring to be a concubine spy because the king seems like a lost puppy and easy to manipulate. But that’s NOT the point.

It’s about the destination not the journey with this one. I’ll admit that for 75% of the book I was just coasting along waiting for the ‘good stuff’ to happen, but then I got hit with the last bit of the book and it made much more sense. It’s dark and raw and unveils the reality of war when you least expect it. If you want a full out fantasy, this is not for you. If you want a romance for the ages, this is not it. If you want an action packed spy book, sorry but no.

This story is about endurance, patience, loss, survival, and power — who has it, who doesn’t, who wants it, and what one will do to get and keep it.

Loved the audio! The narrator did such a great job!

“What a bittersweet fate we shared, balanced so precariously on the fine line between life and death, union and separation, joy and despair.”

Fantasy is a genre completely outside of my wheelhouse but a fellow reader suggested I give this new novel a try. Inspired by an Ancient Chinese legend, Ann Liang provides stunning imagery with her prose and after one chapter I was hooked.

Xishi has a rare and exquisite beauty and a thirst for revenge. A young minister to her king recognizes her exceptional elegance and makes her a pawn in a dangerous game. After rigorous training, Xishi is embedded into the court of a rival kingdom, to seduce their king in hopes of gathering intelligence to regain her kingdom’s independence. The minister Fanli guides her through lengthy training and delivers her to the den, setting into motion an entangled plot where life hangs in the balance for multiple characters.
Xishi’s beauty is a blessing and a curse as she navigates a minefield of duty, affection and guilt, while she is confronted with blurred lines about heroes vs victims.
The Helen of Troy (the face that launched a thousand ships) undercurrent is just one aspect of what made this an appealing read for me, and those who enjoy Madeline Miller mythology retellings, may find this to be their ideal fall book.

Natalie Naudus has become a go to narrator for me and her performance, as anticipated, was outstanding!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review!

Generous 3 ⭐ - until the end I was really rating it 4-4.25 ⭐

<b>GOOD:</b>
Don’t get me wrong, I binged the audio hard and adored 75%. The audio was extremely immersive and I loved the narration by Natalie Naudus. There were so many parts of this book I loved. The setting and the writing were some of my favorites. Espionage, power games and court politics in a warring kingdom? YES PLEASE. I loved when Xishi started to realize she had her own power even if it was different than that a man has.

<b>BAD:</b>
Where was the fantasy? Other than being a world loosely based off a Chinese myth, there is absolutely no magic or fantasy elements. Our FMC was just a random village girl with immeasurable beauty & her friend felt like a knock off Mulan even though we forgot about her quickly.

<b>UGLY:</b>
The ending made me rage - a few days later I'm still pissed while writing the review. I cared for the relationship and interactions with the king, not her insta-love wannabe romance. We never saw any of the pining and tension between Fanli and Xishi. The relationship that Xishi built over multiple YEARS with the Wu King Fuchai was more impactful to me than the 10 week relationship she decided she had with Fanli.


Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin's press for the eARC & ALC of A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

I am one of an apparent minority on this book since it’s been chosen as a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, an Indie Next pick and a LibraryReads pick for October 2024. But it just did nothing for me.

The story is based on a Chinese legend about Xishi, a famous beauty from centuries ago. This should be promoted as historical fiction, but seems to be marketed as fantasy. The only fantastical element came at the very end and it was pretty small, not impacting the rest of the tale at all. It also felt very YA to me.

There were a lot of descriptions of flowers and scenery but I never got the feel of really being in ancient China. The characters were pretty stereotypical and flat. I didn’t find it believable that a country bumpkin, no matter how pretty, could be trained to be a super spy concubine in a matter of ten weeks. (We only read about her learning to play an instrument and learning to school her facial expressions.) The love interest was barely there. There was very little court intrigue explained on the page and that could’ve made the story more interesting. Xishi has some sort of heart problem that is never explained and never becomes important to the plot, so why include it? I could go on.

Although I bounced between the ebook and the audiobook, I mostly listened to the audiobook and that was an excellent choice. Natalie Naudus did a beautiful job with the voices and (I assume) the Chinese pronunciations. Because I was so bored, I did speed it up a lot, though.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

🌊 Book Review 🌊

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
🌊
This is a captivating, poetically written, stunningly tragic book filled with yearning, heartbreak, female rage, and vengeance. It’s an epic tale about war, duty, sacrifice, and love. I adored the characters, especially Xishi, Fanli, and even Fuchai. This book was intriguing, fast-paced, and almost hauntingly beautiful. Natalie Naudus does an excellent job with the audio. She truly embodies Xishi, and brings her character to life perfectly. I was completely unprepared for the ending; it absolutely destroyed me, and I may never recover. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
🌊
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️
🌊
Read if you like:
▫️Chinese legends
▫️historical fantasy
▫️warring kingdoms and court politics
▫️arranged marriage
▫️forbidden love
🌊
Thank you to St. Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Ann Liang for the ARC. I received an advanced copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is an ambitious retelling of Chinese myth, and, for the most part, it is an incredibly intriguing story. I found myself leaning in to the characters right off the bat. (Plus, the audiobook narration is superb!)

This is my first book by Liang, and her writing is truly a gift. I will be reading more by this author in the near future.

However, I did find myself waning interest as the story progressed as my investment in the characters waned. That being said, it is still worth a read (or a listen).

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.



I will be posting my review to social media on October 9th.