You ever read a book that just sticks with you? Whenever someone asks for a recommendation it’s one of the first 5 books you tell someone they should read regardless of their preferred genre? Yea, this is that books for. Let me tell you how much I loved it. I bought two physical copies as preorders and ordered a third to give to someone else.
If you loved Sue Lynn Tan’s books you’ll love this book just as much.
Chinese mythology (box checked)
Social commentary about colonialism (box checked)
PHENOMENAL world building (box checked)
The magic system *chefs kiss* (box checked)

I feel like I can go on forever about this book but just read it!

3.5 (rounded down to 3)/5

I did enjoy this book while reading it but after finishing it 2 weeks ago and already having absolutely no memory of it makes me realize it did not really have a lasting impression on me (which means it wasn't THAT good). One thing I do remember is that I loved Lan's personality because she actually felt like a 15-18 year old girl who has been saddled with a lifetime of responsibility. She's a bit silly, she likes to argue and be playful, and she also cares deeply for others. She's a little badass! I honestly don't remember much about Zen other than what he's like more towards the end of the book; he's a little robotic (which also makes sense for his character).

The depiction of colonization was amazing and really brings home how it would feel to be a native of a country who now has to conform to a new ruler/dictatorship, which has happened all too frequently in history.

The pacing was very slow, as tends to happen in first books of a new series, so I'm not necessarily mad about it, but it is annoying at times.

GORGEOUS cover; adequate plot. I'd still say give this a read, because I definitely remember enjoying it! I just don't remember most of what happened after two weeks away from it.

Actual Rating 4.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Childern's, and Dealcorte Press for allowing me to read this book.

Not gonna lie the whole reason I requested Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the author blubr that basically said it was perfect for fas of The Untamed. That's me. I am the a fan of The Untamed. So much so I have watched it all the way through twice. Read the danmei it is based on twiced and have watch the doungha. After reading it I will say if you are a fan of The Untamed this books is definitely for you.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night explores the complexity of good versus evil beautiful. Lan and Zen are beautiful characters and develop nicely throughout the book. Additonally, I feel the Song of Silver, Flame Like Night makes cultivation seem more grounded in reality. Based on the media I have consumed around cultivation it feels like it has a fantastical element to it. The difference between the two are very nice. If I am remebering correctly there is a conversation between Lan and Zen about it being grounded in reality.

Amélie Wen Zhao's writing is absolutely phenomenal. It sucks you into the story. I could vividly picture everything happening.

On all fronts Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is a must read.


A review will be published on 02/09/2023 @12:00 PM EST on Instagram @abookwormsgarden

This book broke me, but in a good way!!

“It felt good to be a god.
To feel nothing at all.”

SoSFoN just grabs your attention with a captive first line. This is the first book in the series and I couldn’t get more of this story steeped in Chinese lore. The mentions of colonialism & fitting into the majority (cultural assimilation) hit me hard and made me reconsider certains things. Like I said, this book broke me and I’ll carry it with me for a long time.

Thank you Delacorte press for the gifted arc

Really enjoyed the world that Amelie created. The related to the main character and was inspired by their story. Really looking forward to reading more by this author.

Currently stuck around 50% and just not feeling it.
It’s just hitting some of my pet peeves- main character girl whose only woman friend is dead as a motivating factor. All the other women she meets are suspicious of her and over the top mean to her. Lan makes friends in a sort of time jump- one of my pet peeves is when a character says, of the main character, “let her do x, y, or z, she’s my friend!” when we as readers have seen nothing of that friendship. It feels hollow and honestly kind of funny, which removes me from the story.

There’s also a lot of info dumps. The history and magic of the world are interesting and well-thought-out, but the way they’re presented grinds the story to a halt. I’d rather be confused than info dumped. The world-building is the most interesting part to me as the romance felt obvious and the plot had some interesting mysteries but was inconsistently paced.

I’m not mad at it- I think I may finish it eventually- it’s just not pulling me in with the story on the page and life is too short for books that you have to force yourself to read.

Some people have been loving this. Good for you. I think I can see why, I’m just not one of those people.

Wow, this book was so beautiful. The writing was so poetic and powerful. I lost myself in this book and am so excited for the next book. I loved Lan; her story and character were so complex and compelling. I was rooting for her the entire time. Zen was instantly crush worthy. He was so interesting to me and watching him and Lan interact and grow together was so much fun. The world building in this book was so vivid and perfect for some escapism. The Chinese-folklore and mythology here was what really held me captive. I loved learning about it and seeing how it all came together in this world. This is a really epic, adventurous new fantasy series that will hook you and keep you entertained the whole time you’re reading it.

This book was amazing, I felt that the storytelling of this story was magnificent and well done. I did feel that there were slower parts but overall the lore and the fantasy and the way the worldbuilding was told was so much fun to read and I could easily get stuck in this world and keep reading more. I loved the characters and their relationships, it was fun to learn more about Lan and her past at the same time as her and really understand the purpose that she was given. Overall a really enjoyable story and I’m excited and resay for the next book. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the plot, the different magic, and the banter between the two main characters. I liked the mystery to the storyline and how it unravels through the book. I liked the surprises and the little hints that led you to them. enjoyed the way the first book ended and I am excited to see how it keeps going.

This story was truly a beautiful story of Chinese folklore and culture wrapped up in an amazingly descriptive world. while the world building in the first half of the book was extensive and felt a little long, it made the impact of the action and events in the second half that much more impactful.

Lan is a dynamic young woman who shows the struggles of someone trying to use the trauma in her life to become a stronger version of herself. You can truly feel the strength development from the heartache while remain vulnerable at the same time.

Zen is even more dynamic than Lan in his own internal struggles. The beauty of seeing the relationship develop between them, especially when Zen starts to see the truth half way through the boom and making the tough choices between the Way and helping Len.

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book and dive back into this expansive and beautiful world.

thank you to netgalley and random house children’s, delacorte press for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

5⭐️

this book was absolutely mind blowing. i had big expectations for song of silver, flame like night, considering that it was one of my most anticipated reads this year.

first of all, the magic system and the use of chinese folklore were phenomenal. the world that the author built is complex and well thought out. there is no lacking point in this.

what i was mostly reminded of while reading the book was the poppy war and i think it’s perfect for fans of it, like myself.

the fact that this book made me cry and question my sanity is unreal to me still. i lived for every second of it and i can’t wait for the sequel!

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this story. I liked how the author combined Chinese history, mythology and magic. The characters were all multi-dimensional, except may the big baddie. He is only after one thing and is also incredibly powerful, and of course all he wants is more power.

I liked the magic system. It was easy to understand and was based on the concept of Yin and Yang. I’ve read other books based on Chinese folklore so I was already familiar with the concept of qi, but even if I wasn’t, the author did a good job explaining it.

The book was a little long and there were just a couple of pacing issues, but overall, the story kept me engaged. The multilayered concept of power, good and evil, balance and imbalance, was the best thing about this book in my opinion. I thought it was so interesting that this fight against power had already begun before the Elantians invaded, and now there is a need for power, but still a need to destroy that power.

I’m looking forward to the next book, even though this one just came out. This was definitely a first book in the series type book, but it has set up everything for the next book very well.

***Thank you to the author and to Underlined for this ARC. All opinions are my own. ***

Zhao does such a beautiful job of incorporating Chinese folklore in this magical story that is also filled with wonderful characters and an exciting plot. I could not put this book down, and am already counting down until I can read the sequel.

This is the perfect book to read if you've been watching C Dramas and it's gotten you in the mood to read something similar!

This was a stunningly original fantasy, and I’m super excited to read the rest of this series. There was no aspect of this story that wasn’t phenomenal—the magic system, the setting, the characters. I enjoyed this ARC so much that I immediately ordered a physical copy after finishing it. It was definitely written as the first book in the series, as there was a lot of exposition, but I was interested enough that this wasn’t the negative it would usually be. The characters, while annoying at times, were very human in their flaws and I appreciated that a lot. I really do love the elements of Chinese folklore and the magical system. I found this book very refreshing.

The world building is incredible in Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, as are the details weaved throughout that incorporate folklore and mythology that de-centers Western fantasy. The magic system was intriguing and both Lan and Zen are very memorable characters. Sometimes the writing style felt like Chinese words were being overexplained. For example, in the first chapter we get words such as dǒu’lì, yā’tou, Tiān’jīng, and Lián’ér. With context, the words were recognizable to myself as a Chinese speaker and the pauses to explain each Chinese word slowed down the pace for me personally. I imagine these moments of defining words are useful to those who don’t read or speak Chinese.

Overall, I really applaud the use of Chinese folklore & history! There is a lot of heart and soul in this book.

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed titles such as R. F. Kuang’s The Poppy War, Judy I. Lin’s A Magic Steeped in Poison, Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow, and Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun.

First off, I picked this book because that cover is simply gorgeous. Next, this was a good fantasy read with an interesting world. I enjoyed the characters and all the magic. However, it was a bit slow which made it difficult to get into. And although the characters were interesting , I could never really immerse myself into their stories.

I really enjoyed this book however I think it should be marketed more towards young adult than for kids. I will definitely be picking up the sequel when it's released.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of one of my most anticipated books of 2023!

I finished this book SO fast, and while the middle part did drag a bit, the ending was very much worth the wait and I can't wait for the next book in this series.

First, let me start off with the writing. This story was beautiful and it just flowed so nicely. While names and ideas were inspired from a culture that I am unfortunately ignorant too, I never felt lost in the book or that I had to skim passages where I didn't know what was going on. The writing is so effortless, and even in the sections heavy on description or where the plot may have dragged a bit, Amelie Wen Zhao's writing and imagination never left me bored. This was my first book by this author, but I do own her other trilogy and this book has definitely made me want to bump those up on my TBR.

The characters did seem a bit young for me personally as a reader but I feel like they made up for that in depth and back story. Where I often times recently have found young adult to no longer be a genre that I gravitate towards, these characters (it may be from the fact that they are both a bit morally grey which is something that always intrigues me in fantasy books) were fun to follow their journey. Yes, at times Lan seems whiny and like she thinks she's so smart and such a badass which is a bit annoying. And yes, Zen is a bit too standoffish to make it easy to root for him. With that being said though, I was so immersed in the story as a whole to even care about the times that the main characters made me roll my eyes.

The plot and story itself was definitely a win for me personally. The ending especially was so packed with action that I flew through the last fifteen percent of the book so quickly. Do I think this book leans heavy on The Poppy Wars and even Mistborn inspiration? Absolutely. But I do think it's well done and entertaining enough that it's similarities are enough to overlook and make me more that willing to pick up the next book in this series.

Do I have complaints and things that I wish would have been done differently? Of course. And do I think that there are some things that definitely don't make sense? YES. Which unfortunately, because of spoilers I can't get into, but there is just a huge twist that kind of ruins things for me personally for this couple as a reader, but it's just ignored, and I hate that. Overall though, this book is wonderful and I can't wait to get a special edition of it :)

Lots to like here. It’s YA in the best way: without the protagonists angsting too much or making (many) eye-rollingly thoughtless decisions, and with all of the heart and courage and determination that made me want to work young adults.

This was, I think, my first exposure to the xianxia (gods, demons, and ghosts influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese folklore) and wuxia (martial arts) genres, which I really enjoyed and look forward to reading more of.

The plot is evidently inspired in large part by China’s history and I appreciated the use of Mandarin terms throughout — I can’t get enough of own voices fantasy deeply rooted in non-Western cultures.

What I didn’t like: the plot was fairly slow-paced for the first half of the book. The invading conquerors had European-sounding names (Lishabeth, Alessander, Jonasson, etc.), which kept pulling me out of the story. And the story was just missing something ineffable that kept me from loving it.

I ended up DNFing this book at ~20%. It is very much written as a YA, which is fine, but it felt a little more YA to me than most, and thus I did not personally get very invested. The worldbuilding is extremely complex and feels very info-dump-y, which made me feel very confused. I could not keep the characters straight (was Zen the Winter Magician? Or was that someone else?), which felt odd to me since there were only about five named characters at the time. It was an overall interesting concept, just not for me.