A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written and captivating tale about love, war, and sacrifice; about a woman tasked with using her wit and beauty to topple an enemy kingdom, all while navigating danger, potential war, and every difficult decision - but between her heart and the good of an entire kingdom, in the end, what choice does she really have?

I absolutely loved A Song to Drown Rivers, and I loved the well-written characters, emotional writing, twists and turns filled plot, and most of all, the forbidden romance.

Xishi and Fanli's story was as devastating as it was beautiful. It was bittersweet and heartbreaking to know that they belonged together, but may never have a chance to be together. But that made every sweet, even slightly romantic scene between them all the more precious. Everything was so emotional, from when they spent time together during her training to when they parted ways as she went to Wu.

But her time in Wu was just as engaging, and the plot was constantly filled with twists and turns. I was afraid to put the book down as Xishi navigated the court and it's advisors. It became apparent that she was a strong and brave FMC, and so much more then just her beauty.
This is also where Fuchai, the King of Wu, is introduced. He's written as a tormented boy, given a throne he doesn't want, and unsure of who to trust in his own court. I wish he was written as more "evil", because I felt bad for him, but I also couldn't deny Xishi's need for vengeance and the cruelty of his actions.

The fast pace of this book definitely made it engaging, but it also made it so I had no sense of how much time had gone by. Ten weeks seemed to pass by just as quickly as two years, and I wish there had been more of a difference.

The ending though, was so defined, so final, so matter of fact, and shocking in every way. I was unable to do anything but keep reading. It's devastating, yet oddly fitting. There's no doubt that this is how the tale was meant to end, but it doesn't erase all the emotions that come with the ending, all the emotions that set in after I flipped the last page and put the book down and took a moment to process everything I'd just read.

Final thoughts: A Song to Drown Rivers exceeded and defied my expectations in every way and I'm so glad I got a chance to read and review this book. It's one I could never forget and I don't think I could recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would! I thought there was great world building and I quickly found myself transported into the story. There were so many times when I was gasping out loud. I look forward to more from this author!

Short synopsis: Ixshi is one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. Approached by the military man Fanli, Ixshi is going to use her beauty as a weapon to defeat the King of the rival Kingdom of Wu.

My thoughts: I was immediately drawn into this sweeping tale of revenge, forbidden romance, and strong women!

The strength portrayed in this one, was remarkable. I’m a huge fan of a strong female character but I absolutely adored how the author used Ixshi’s beauty to hide her real identity and true mission.

The ending in this is one that you just might need tissues for. Luckily for me, my box came equipped with some. But definitely came unexpectedly and one I won’t forget anytime soon.

I adored the audio narration of this! The narrator told the story so beautifully, and I can’t get the way Fenli says Ixshi’s name out of my head!

Read if you love:
- Chinese Legends
- Forbidden romance
- Strong female protagonist
- Revenge
- Slow burn

3.5⭐️
A Song To Drown Rivers is a beautiful Chinese inspired historical fantasy. It follows main character, Xishi, a peasant girl who lives humbly with her parents in a small village in the middle of a war. As a young woman with extraordinary beauty, she has been hand chosen as a concubine offering to King Fuchai. Little does the King know that she is really being trained as a spy for the other side.

I really loved the writing style and storytelling in this novel. The writing style is very beautiful and it captured my attention from the beginning. I really fell in love with the main female character, Xishi. I loved seeing her growth throughout the story and as her training progressed. I did find myself getting a little bored towards the middle of the story. The seduction of King Fuchai felt a little repetitive and slow at times and I was left waiting for a bit more action. The other romantic storyline was lacking chemistry for me as well unfortunately. I felt we were more told than shown the connection and it happened a little too instantly and intensely to feel believable. Though this is labeled as fantasy, there aren’t actually many, if any, magical elements other than the fact that it is based on a Chinese legend.

That said, I found the “grey area” to be super interesting in this story. At times you’re left feeling confused on who you should be rooting for and who the real heroes and villains are since we’re seeing it through one perspective only. Though the story is predictable, the ending did leave me shocked!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Liang, and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings: blood, violence, murder, war, injury/injury detail, child death, torture, drowning, grief

3.5 stars
First off, the cover is gorgeous! I don’t own any physical books but this is one I’d consider keeping! While it felt like a forced proximity/almost enemies to lovers storyline, the tension came from outside forces. I liked that it wasn’t a toxic dynamic between the two main characters. The writing style was easy to follow, which allowed me to connect more with the story. I plan to check out the author’s other works soon!

A beautifully written and emotional read. I was hooked from the start. I would recommend this books to fans of historical romance or mythology. My only complaint was that there were no fantasy elements.

3.5 stars

This was a tricky book to rate, because the premise is so cool, but the execution was lacking in some parts. I do think that this will largely be one that people either love or hate. It's based on the Chinese legend of Xishi, which I was not familiar with until reading. We follow Xishi, a 19-year-old Yue peasant girl of legendary beauty, as she is recruited from her home village for a special mission by Fanli, a Yue military advisor. Her mission is to infiltrate the conquering kingdom of Wu's palace as a gifted concubine for the young king, seduce him, and pass information back to the Yue government from the inside. 

Basically, it's ancient Chinese "John Tucker Must Die". But of course there is romantic tension between Xishi and Fanli, and then the king isn't as bad as she thought, but palace life is full of professional liars. How could this possible have been boring, you might be wondering. I don't know, but for 3/4 of the book I felt like nothing was happening. Fanli trains Xishi to become an expert spy and seductress in 10 weeks somehow, but we don't actually witness most of this. We also don't witness any actual sex scenes between her and the king. Which is fine, but that's like ... a big part of the story. I was not super into Fanli, but our girl Xishi was obsessed with him even for the over TWO YEARS she was at the palace after knowing him for 10 weeks. K.

There wasn't a ton of world-building, and until I read reviews I hadn't realized this was set in like 500 BC. I also am still not sure if it's fantasy, or if there was any magic in the world. It's classified as a fantasy book, but I don't remember there actually being anything fantastical. I did like the palace shenanigans, Xishi, and the king, as well as the moral questions posed throughout the book and especially by the ending. But I didn't feel particularly strong connections to any of the side characters, and if it weren't for the ending of this I'd call it forgettable. As it stands, I don't know what to call it. But if you read it, let me know, because I need to discuss the end with someone. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story is based on the Chinese tale of Lady Xi Shi, one of the Four Great Beauties of Chinese history, who trains and goes undercover to infiltrate the enemy kingdom and help win the war for her people. I love the cover art for this book and I really wanted to love the book so much but it fell flat for me. There were parts where I was truly engaged and empathizing with the characters… I was really rooting for Xishi and Fanli throughout but it also seemed to drag on with only some excitement or plot/character development here and there. I did keep reading as I was drawn in and wanted to see what happened at the end but it is a sad story and many of the outcomes I was hoping for never came to fruition, leaving me feeling disappointed. I was also hoping for more fantasy elements, based on the cover and synopsis. I liked the premise of the story but feel the execution could have been better. Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Liang, and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The war has ended with the Wu, but many are feeling the aftermath. Xishi and her family included.

Xishi has always been known for her beauty, which is why her mother has her wear a veil when going out so men do not fall all over her.

One day, she attempts to save a girl, but ends up being saved by a mysterious handsome man, that she never learns his name.

The following day, this same man comes to her family’s home and says he is looking for a potential bride of unmatched beauty for King Fuchai of the Wu Kingdom as tribute from the Yue, and he thinks Xishi is the perfect candidate to go as the bride and be their spy.

She now has ten weeks of excessive training, that will be overseen by Fanli, to become the perfect candidate as a bride for the Wu king, to seduce him and bring about revenge against him and his kingdom.

So so good!!! That ending though 😭😢😭😭😭 This story left me an emotional wreck!

This to me was a masterpiece of playing with your emotions. The romance in here left me WANTING and dragged my heart through the mud. It was horrible and wonderful at the same time. It was so heart-and-gut-wrenching.

The world was not largely built on, but I think the focus was more on the fact that no matter who rules, the same outcome may come about regardless who is on the throne, and how women were treated as pawns and discarded when no longer needed. It was such a moving story involving so many emotions. The moment you think “yes, we’re getting what we want”, or “yes, things are going well”, then it doesn’t or it doesn’t go the way you expect.

I’ve never felt such pining for a romance before. This was such a slow burn, with a huge twist. I have to read a more lighthearted book after this one because that ending, though realistic and very well done, left me a mess.

I truly loved this moving book and highly recommend this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of finding someone who has no training in court manners, arts and literature, and spying to be a court spy in another kingdom and training this person for 10 weeks is too much for me to buy. And the worst is that after these 10 weeks, that we get a brief overview, she is portrayed as the best in everything that she never had any contact with. It's just so unbelievable.

The love interest is present for only 25% of the book and it's extremely instalove-y.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one! Great world-building, Eastern mythology, and forbidden love. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it and plan to read more books by Ann Liang in the future!

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𝑨 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐 𝑫𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔




After reading this all the way in February I am finally ready to write my review for this book. I did eventually decide to drop a star after having noticed some points the second time around which escaped my notice the first time, which, considering that ending, I’m not at all surprised about.




Soo, let’s talk about the following points:


𓆩☾𓆪Plot
𓆩☾𓆪Pace
𓆩☾𓆪Writing
𓆩☾𓆪Romance
𓆩☾𓆪Characters
𓆩☾𓆪Further points
𓆩☾𓆪To conclude
𓆩☾𓆪End quotes






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༊·˚𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕


Even before ASTDR was written, I always used to think how while I love reading stories with badass fmcs that wield swords and are deadly fighters, I’ve experienced those kinds of characters in quite a few different books. There’s another type of power too, in manipulation, in politics, in being able to crush your enemy, not with a giant mace, but a single word. To utilise the charms, talents and skills that you have naturally available to you but are considered unimpressive for some reason. To pave your way with intelligence and strategy.


Which was why from the moment I read the blurb I could not wait to immerse myself in this story and I think from that aspect, it did indeed deliver in what it promised.




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༊·˚𝑷𝒂𝒄𝒆


The pace was one of the slight issues I had this time around. I personally felt that it was a little slow up until the point where Xishi enters the Wu palace, from where it definitely picked up. The chapter lengths also felt a little long and inconsistent, some were double the length of others which made it feel more difficult to get through.




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༊·˚𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈


One of my favourite parts about this book, Ann Liang’s writing is absolutely gorgeous. The pictures she paints with her words, the descriptions of palaces and scenery and clothing, it’s all so pretty and vivid.


-rolls of glimmering fabric so soft they looked to have been spun with magic, glittering hairpins carved into the shape of butterflies and cranes with jewels for eyes, zodiac animals shaped from melted gold sugar, pastries pressed into intricate flower moulds-


A set of wedding robes had been laid out on my bed that night. They were the deepest red—the red of spilled blood, of spoiled wine, of kissed lips—and embroidered with gold thread. All along the sides and down the wide sleeves and sash, there were images of soaring birds and phoenix tails and floating clouds, chrysanthemums and lilies in full bloom, stars crowded around a blazing sun.


A series of wide green canals glittered in the late afternoon light, the clouds fat and heavy and brushed gold-pink at the edges. On each side of the banks stood neat clusters of houses, their smooth walls faded white from the steady erosion of wind and water, their roofs curved with slate-grey tiles, strings of round lanterns hung from their balconies, fringed with delicate silk tassels. We floated under little arched bridges, their reflections swimming over the canal surface so that from afar, they formed the perfect shape of a full moon. It was not a land of corpses and smoke as I’d thought, but one of ponds and gardens, water and earth, fishing boats and floating lights.


I mean, exquisite, ethereal, elegant, excellent. There are so many more, ugh.




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༊·˚𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆


Here’s where it gets interesting.


Firstly we have Xishi and Fanli, the man she loves. Their romance was definitely very sweet, I did notice this time that Xishi does spend a little too long gazing at Fanli and admiring his features which made it a little repetitive and boring in my opinion. I’m hesitant to call insta-love, partly because what we see mostly is Xishi admiring how Fanli looks and acts, which-despite being a little overdone at times-is natural as despite the kind of romance, attraction is a necessary and essential part of that. Furthermore neither of them have any hope of their attraction becoming anything more since they’re stuck in their respective roles, so love doesn’t really enter into the equation until later on.


Then we have Fuchai. In my opinion, I don’t view this as a love triangle at all. The reason being that Xishi was literally instructed to go and seduce him, it wasn’t that she just happened to be there and they bumped into each other causing her to second guess her feelings for Fanli. So… I don’t think it can be called that when the circumstances weren’t even natural, but planned.




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༊·˚𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔


Xishi:


I really liked Xishi, she was brave and quick witted and strategic. Despite being told over and over how beautiful she was, it never made her into a narcissist, which was a very real possibility. She understood that she was here for a job and that she had to follow through with it, despite whatever may come. I loved how she was so ready to manipulate everyone and honestly, I was impressed by her disregard for the consequences others faced at her hands. I know that sounds callous but when you remember that she’s in the enemy’s territory and after what she suffered herself, I feel like her reactions were understandable. That’s not to say she was cold-hearted though, by the end of it you could definitely see how guilty she felt.




Zhengdan:


My favourite character, I love her so much. She was so brave and determined and fearless and then her bond with Xishi, like that of two sisters, was so so so beautiful and heartwarming and I loved how she’d go from Xishi’s determined protector one moment to her little sister curled up next to her for comfort and affection the next. How she was always determined to be strong and never show weakness, even when she was really hurting inside. She had a lovely personality and brought such a fun side to everything.




Fanli:


I don’t have much to say about him as he wasn’t around for much of the story but I would absolutely love to read a book on his backstory, how he reached the position he has today and more time seeing his mind work, from his own perspective.




Luyi:


I just loveee him, he’s so funny and brought so much character to the story and everyone around him.




Fuchai:


When I went into this, I was expecting Fuchai to be a typical, ‘morally grey’, sarcastic, flirty man who followed all the stereotypes and would be super predictable. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find a… boy? I suppose? I mean, he was the same age as Xishi but in some ways he was just so much younger. We see this even in the way he interacts with her and he’s not after something sexual necessarily, but just her company and knowing that there’s someone who actually cares about him. Not for his title or wealth but for him as a person, that there was someone on his side, with him against all those who just sought to use him to further their own purposes. I just wanted to give him a big hug and tell him he’s not alone.




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༊·˚𝑭𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔




This is sort of related to what I was saying about the romance and Fuchai, but I wanted to touch briefly on how through Xishi and Fuchai’s relationship, which I definitely wasn’t expecting, Ann Liang reminds us of how many different kinds of love there are. It’s not all just lust and sexual and rushed feelings and flings. Love can be quiet. It can be subtle. It can be slow. There’s the love between a child and their parents, of all the memories they share, their lives spent together and the warmth and comfort they hold. There’s the love of a dear friendship, of nights spent laughing and sharing secrets. The love of siblings, protective and firm, despite how badly you may want to strangle them at times. Love that grows even deeper through promises and assurances that they’ll always be there for you, that you’ll never be alone. A love that is born purely of knowing you matter to someone. And I love that despite the actual romance being somewhat limited, all these other, just as beautiful kinds of love were thrown into such sharp relief.




Another thing I love is the idea of duty before self, mostly because it just makes everything far more painful when it comes to the individual and the self, but also because it puts everything into perspective. That you’re just another piece of the puzzle, that you have a purpose here that isn’t necessarily to make yourself happy and enjoy life. That one day, you won’t even be remembered. But yes, primarily because of that sense of helplessness and sorrow (I’m a sadist, I know) with knowing that you have a task to accomplish and nothing, nothing can come before it. I admire those characters for being selfless enough to push aside their grief and desires and move forward regardless, because they can see a bigger picture that does not show itself to just anyone.




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༊·˚𝑻𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒆


This was a beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking read that made me feel like I was reading a c-drama at some points. I’d definitely recommend you try this if you enjoy Historical Fiction, Romance, beautiful writing and despair.




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༊·˚𝑬𝒏𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔




It was a reversal of the popular stories passed among the villagers. The beautiful girl with blood under her nails, who did not need saving from danger but was instead the danger itself.




“So this is how it feels,” he murmured, almost under his breath, “to be cut by your own blade.”




“When the hares have all been caught, the hunting dogs are cooked.”




⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

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 and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

Another killer from Ann Liang!
Beautiful and tragic. I felt like the romance in this was very convincing and made sense.
The last couple of pages destroyed meeeeee!

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?

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 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.

This is a romance novel with a different culture than my own so I really enjoyed that. The book has fantastic world building and paints a beautiful picture for you. The FMC brings female empowerment to a whole new level. She is brought in to be trained to be beautiful but deadly. Her beauty needs to be used to find a way in to the arms of the enemy king and his war room in order to bring back intel for the armies of her kingdom. This enemy king has taken everything from her and she knew she couldn’t let him get away with it. However while she was being trained…. Well of course she falls for the trainer, but her family and her people meant more. She had to help her family before she could follow her heart.

<i>"You are made of flowers...And rainwater. And silk. And lanterns. You are made of good things."</i>

I'm GAGGED. I will need 5 to 7 business days to recover from this book. The people were not lying - this book is NOT for the faint of heart. I mean, I knew that going in, but I'm still unbelievably unwell. Although the ending is deeply heartbreaking, Ann Liang somehow manages to suture the wound closed. The conclusion is as devastating as it is beautiful, and there is nothing to do but be awe-stricken by Liang's ability to infuse this legend with new life and stakes.

Sorrow and tragedy BLEEDS out of this book, and it's such a timely retelling in this moment of expanding warfare, nation-building, and history-making. Only empires stand to gain from war; people will always pay the price.

<i>A Song to Drown Rivers</i> carried resonances of Sue Lynn Tan's <i>Daughter of the Moon Goddess</i>, for anyone who enjoyed that book!

Gratitude and thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written, concise retelling that brings Xishi's story to life with rich world-building and well-drawn characters. Xishi, trained to use her beauty as a weapon by the military advisor Fanli, is a compelling protagonist whose inner conflict drives much of the emotional tension in the book. Her mission to infiltrate the court of the Wu kingdom, seduce the king, and weaken the empire to avenge her sister’s murder unfolds with palpable angst, and the chemistry between Xishi and Fanli adds layers of complexity.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Liang's evocative writing and the deep emotional beats, I found myself wishing the story had more room to breathe. The relationship between Xishi and Fanli, as well as her interactions with the King Fuchai, could have been even more intense if given more time to develop. There were moments between the characters, particularly those that Xishi reflects on later, that felt fleeting. I think this story could have benefited from a longer format to fully explore these dynamics.

That said, the ending is as heartbreaking as it is satisfying, and Liang's storytelling does justice to the themes of sacrifice, womanhood, and love that are woven throughout the narrative. Overall, A Song to Drown Rivers is a poignant, emotional journey that delivers on its promise of epic historical fantasy.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a very intriguing story with a lot of political intrigue.

Xishi is known for her looks. So she is bought to use her looks as a weapon. She is trained in many arts to sway men to do what she wants.

There is no bigger target than an emperor. Once at the palace Xishi is mostly on her own and has to think quick to get herself out of messy, potentially deadly situations.

Xishi is my favorite character. At first I wasn’t a huge fan of her but as time went on we see how relationships can be complicated. Even though she should hate the emperor she recognizes that she sees a side of him most do not. She recognizes this but still knows she has a duty to fulfill. The complexity of her maneuvering a new place and dealing with people who want her out of the picture really made A Song to Drown Rivers stand out to me.