I very much enjoyed Amelie's debut Blood Heir trilogy, so I was excited to dive into her new series. Amelie really hits her stride with Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. It's clear as a reader that she's passionate about her storytelling. The prose is beautiful and the magic is fascinating. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

This book is excellent for fans of Daughter of the Moon Goddess or A Magic Steeped in Poison. Or even fans who are trying to find more Asian historical-fantasy type books. This book delivers on melding Chinese history and culture with unique world building rich in magic. Creating fantasy that also draws on history and culture is its own unique category of fantasy for me, similar to how steampunk encapsulates the industrial age and fantasy all in one.

I am in love with this series and highly recommend it as a new light-fantasy read, a BIPOC read, or a YA read.

I almost gave up on this one so many times. But then I'd be like, no, it's not so bad, maybe I just have to give it another chance...

This is... all right? The characters are flat as pancakes and the writing is definitely not my favorite. The fact that this is an audiobook helps gloss over the awkward writing in places. Every time I think I'm going to give up and Dnf I get just barely interested enough in the plot to keep listening. I can't decide whether I like the plot or not. But at around 60% in, right when some drama happened and they were fighting for their lives, i switched to another book which is telling...

Finally I've let myself DNF at 70%.

This book just isn't for me. I need more character development and I need characters to have at least a little bit of personality and depth. The only characters I was really interested in - the medical one and the seeing spirits one - were only on page for a tiny amount of time. I also need the plot to be more than just a series of events strung together. I don't even know if that makes sense but it just felt like plot points on a string.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an early copy for review.

"magical in every way possible" is one quote I would use to describe this book. AWZ has masterfully crafted a story that is powerful, writing that is lyrical, a plot that is adventurous, and characters that are heartfelt. I'm obsessed with the vivid mythology and tangible soul of this story. However there are a couple aspects that could use some work. AWZ has already written a pretty successful series before, however I am hopeful that this is going to be a series that will make her a well-known author. I feel she deserves a ton of attention and praise for this book. Overall, I would give this book 3.75 stars and I want to say a big thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC! Here’s a few of my pro's and con's, except I'm having a hard time deciding if they are pro's or con's:

Lan: I would say she’s most definitely an acquired taste. She's either the character you're going to love, or hate. I can imagine seeing a lot of readers enjoying her, but also a lot of readers not liking her. She doesn't make the best decisions but she grows on you and I liked her by the time I finished the book.

Zen: I feel like Zen spoke similar to that of a robot half the time, I enjoyed what he brought to the story, however he definitely needs to see a therapist ASAP.

Plot: Girl has no idea how to wield the insane power she has but she must save the Universe. I never know how to feel about these kinds of plots. Sometimes they have the tendency to be solid outlines, but they also have the capacity to be mediocre or possibly forgettable books. I truly enjoyed the author's previous trilogy so much so that I had hope that the end would pick up. One positive thing that I did enjoy was that there were more than the two “good” and “bad” sides. I would say the book picks up around 75-80%. This leads me to pacing.

Pacing: This book was written as a first book in the series, which it is in fact and I sincerely appreciate that the story was thought out and sectioned into different books. However, the entire book felt like exposition! Yes, I now really want to know what will happen in book two, but at what cost.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting strong world-building, fantasy, and powerful female MC. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was so lovely to read. It is so vivid and pleasing. Zhao created such a wondrous and imaginative world with characters you are equally as obsessed with.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. It sounds so good and I absolutely loved the beginning of it but it lost me around 150 pages in.

thank you netgalley for this arc!!
this book kind of reminded me of the poppy war!! the world building was such a good job and the characters are really interesting, but i feel like something was missing for me. maybe because many things were just talked about and not shown. THE ENDING THO? i’m seated for the second book!!

I got this from NetGalley last year and never got around to reading it but had also preordered the UK edition so I went between those two formats AND also got the audiobook from Libby. I ended up enjoying this a lot. There definitely was as a lot of information but it is the first book in a series and a magic system and society that don't exist so it was necessary but having Zen know everything and Lan know nothing was kind of...ugh really, the man knows all and must teach the innocent, naïve woman? But later on, I liked the team they made. Looking forward to the second book!

This was rough going at first, but stick with it because it picks up! I think I had a hard time following all the technical terms for the magical elements portrayed in this book, but once you become familiar with them, they take more of a back seat comprehension-wise. Excited to read more by this author! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to the publisher for graciously providing me with an early copy of "Song of Silver, Flame Like Night." This compelling fantasy novel immediately captivated me with its beautifully crafted prose. The intricacies of the magic system and the complex web of politics among the clans fascinated me throughout the read.

While the world-building and prose were exceptional, I couldn't help but notice that the character development fell a bit short. The relationships and individual traits seemed to blend, and I didn't find any of the characters particularly endearing. For the sequel, I hope to see more well-fleshed-out and multidimensional personalities that will truly engage readers on a deeper level.

Nonetheless, I am eagerly looking forward to how the story unfolds in the next installment. With such a promising foundation, I have high hopes for the future of this series.

I loved this book. The world building was so rich and beautiful and I loved the characters. The romance, the found family, the TWIST! I loved it all. I can’t wait to read the next book.

One tiny thing to note is that this is dense world building. I will mostly likely need a reread before reading book 2 in order to properly appreciate all of the details.

This was actually my first book by Amelie Wen Zhao and I’m certain it will not be my last.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night…wow! That cover is beautiful. Amélie’s writing is mysterious and creative. Her prose is just so satisfying. I didn’t want this to end. I needed to be in this world! She nailed it with the world building and characters, and the plot! A+!

I think my favorite part of this book was the world building and magic system. It felt like all the world building aspects of this story were very thought out and thoroughly mapped out as the story was being written. The magic is truly unique and unlike any other fantasy I've ever read. Where I kept sort of fading in and out when I was reading was the pacing not necessarily of the story but of the main characters development. It felt like she was helpless and trying to catch up for most of the book and then by the end it felt like she just comes into her power.

I definitely did love the world and I want to know more about the mythology and I'm interested in continuing the series and see how the rest of the story unfolds. This is my first Amelie Wen Zhao book and it for sure won't be my last.

4/5 stars

I received a free copy of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
 
My first impression after finishing this book was WOW. I am not too familiar with Amélie Wen Zhao’s books or with Chinese mythology/folklore, but this book was fantastic! A book has to be pretty impressive to get me to make it through 500+ pages, and I was surprised at how well this book held my attention.

This book checked off several boxes for me: Asian-inspired story, fantasy romance, folklore/mythology, dragons, and a unique magic system! Sometimes, YA fantasy romances prioritize the romance aspect so much that the plot suffers, but I am so happy to say that was not the case here! The world-building was excellent, the plot lagged at times but remained riveting throughout, and the magic system was incredibly interesting. The middle part of the book was the hardest to get through, but the ending made everything worth it!

The story is told through the dual POVs of Lan and Zen. Both of them were well-written characters, and I liked the mystery surrounding Zen and his past. I also liked the mystery behind the symbol on Lan’s wrist, left behind by her mother right before she died. Some side characters were introduced in this book, and I hope we see more of them in the second book since their roles weren’t explored much in this one. In particular, I want to see more of Tài (I hope I spelled his name right) and his powers!

I liked the dynamic between Lan and Zen a lot! They balanced each other out so well, and it reminded me of the relationships in c-dramas!

There were a few times where I felt like the plot was a little predictable, though it didn’t really prevent me from enjoying the story. I did feel like there was a lot of info-dumping, especially in the beginning. The ending was my absolute favorite part! The plot picked up speed, and the action scenes were amazing! I can’t wait to see how things will end in the sequel!

If you like the YA fantasy romance genre and/or enjoy Asian-inspired reads, I think you’ll like this one! The length and the pacing might be problematic for some readers, but I thought this was an interesting story and am looking forward to the sequel!

Content: violence, death, demonic magic, explicit language, mentions of sexual assault

I enjoyed this book and purchased for our collection. This was requested as part of a program and shared with high schoolers at a book talk.

I wish I had more knowledge of Chinese mythology. This book has sparked an interest in me that I cannot wait to explore. I found the writing style magical, and I will keep my eye on AWZ for future stories.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. The main character, Lan, seemed childish and whiny and petty. The book also felt long and drawn out, which I usually don’t mind in fantasy, but it really bothered me here.

As I sit to write this I am torn. Every thought I have falls into a o K“did I like this?” gap. I really, for example, loved all of the small details in the world building. I think it is clear that Zhao put more thought into the world she created than I did reading it, which isn’t true often enough. But the flip side of that is the info dumping. Just paragraphs of info being dumped - and because she wrote the book with dual POVs we often got the same info dumped twice.

I liked the characters - I thought there was enough nuance that I understood why characters made choices I didn’t agree with. But the characters also felt like Star Wars fanfiction? I don’t even like Star Wars, but it felt so much like it that I kept noticing.

The book, while the first in the series, felt like a sophomore slump - that second book in a series that just exists for transport. Having finished it, all the info dumping now feels like Zhao just wanted to get us to the end so she could do the really cool things she wants to do for the rest of the book and series - because the last quarter of the book? It popped off!

I was unsure I would finish the series at about half way through, but I finished the book and immediately looked for the publications date for the next.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night starts out strong, however starting a few chapters in the book becomes very similar to a slew of other books on the market. The magic system is interesting and probably is the thing that helps this stand out most, but the characters fell a bit flat which made it a bit harder to read through.

If you can push through it it picks back up enough by the end to leave you wanting the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of SONG OF SILVER, FLAME LIKE NIGHT!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Brief synopsis: Songgirl Lan enters a world of magic and ancient practices when she is forced to escape her town with the help of the mysterious practitioner Zen. With the help of Zen and other in-hiding practitioners, she discovers the mysteries behind her late mom’s legacy and the history of her land before Elantian colonizers took over.

I’ve read so many books lately that are inspired and influenced by Chinese mythology and boy I think I’ve found one of my favorite sub-genres. I’ve always been interested in mythology, culture, and history (proven by my minor in history in college), and this book is absolutely filled the brim with new things to learn and epic world-building. This book is long and well worth it, since it establishes so much and needs time to build to the climax of the story. The whole commentary on colonization by the people being affected directly by the colonizations too brought an important perspective to reflect upon.

This felt like I was in a lecture but I love learning, so it made the experience so much more enjoyable. It was so well written and the author helped the reader understand the different elements of everything with decent time to process it. It was a slow book (probably due to all the world building) and a little too long for my liking, but the length and pace were to be expected because of how much was in it.

I LOVED the cast of characters, no matter how insignificant or very significant they were. Lan and Zen’s relationship felt authentic and had great dynamics, but I felt like the romance being established wasn’t needed (at least during the first book, since I know this is most likely gonna be a series based on the ending and the Goodreads information). However, the two (maybe queer) side characters need to survive and I support that romance 10000% and I love them so much, whether they’re actually a couple or just really close friends.

One last thing I wanted to touch upon was the main characters’ character arcs. Lan’s arc was exactly what I was expecting and more (her becoming stronger and using her newfound powers/strength for good) but Zen’s arc felt really out of character for me. It didn’t make much sense, him becoming this almost anti-hero, but I’m interested to see what comes of it regardless.

Highly recommend this book for fans of Judy I Lin and Chinese mythology in general!