I went into this book knowing nothing of the ancient Chinese legends, but something about this book hooked me from the beginning and didn't let me go until the end!
Xishi's beauty is known throughout her small village, but eventually captures the attention of a young military advisor. He plans to use her to topple the neighboring Wu kingdom as a spy on the inside! She agrees and transforms her life from poor silk maker to favorite concubine of the King! But will she be able to accomplish her mission and help her people defeat their enemy?
This was a quick read because it was so engrossing to me, I wanted to find out what was going to happen. Although she's a concubine, this book doesn't need a warning about bedroom scenes, but could use one for violence. The King is notorious for killing subjects for the smallest infractions and some of the deaths and punishments are described in detail. For me, it didn't take away from the overall beautiful feel of the book though. The descriptions of the scenery and grandeur of the palace were also clear to picture!
This is set to be published next week, 1 Oct, so add it to your TBR and get a copy! I will definitely be adding some of @annliangwrites 's other works to my TBR!
Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy!
#NetGalley #ASongToDrownRivers

I loved this book. It was such a fun, easy read but it hooked my attention and dragged me through it as well. I loved Xishi and Fanli (and even the character’s that we weren’t meant to love). I wasn’t expecting to find such a tender and small romance so enticing. I will say that there isn’t any spice or smut and the romance is not very potent or exaggerated. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it thoroughly and felt everything everytime they had moments together. I loved how the book shifted the perspectives and showed the war from both sides through biased eyes. By the end of the book I felt the message just as deeply as I understood it and (no spoilers here dw) it is relevant especially today. I was obsessed with Fanli and the silent, brooding vibes absolutely worked. In a shocking turn my heart broke for Fuchai, though I’m slightly disappointed the ‘antagonist’ had the best character development. The cast is diverse and rich with life and I was pulled into the story through them. I loved reading a story set in Ancient China and I enjoyed seeing how the culture was brought to life.

Ineffably sad. Joy and grief that seem the same. Heartaching.

Recommended: YES
for characters with true choice, for heartache that's bone-deep, for beautiful imagery and settings, for that bittersweet pain/love combo

Thoughts:
WOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so happy this was so excellent, because I really wanted it to be and then was afraid nothing could live up to my expectations. In a shock, this has far and away surpassed them. The story is told in what feels like different segments where a specific arc is at play. It made it easy to track where they were at and anticipate the next events to come. And yet, it also had a beautiful tinge of loss to it each time we moved to the next arc. That mirrored the characters' feelings so clearly that it gave me a really strong and unexpected connection to the book.

What really drove that home is how about a quarter of the way through, I realized I was really loving this experience of reading and being in the world so much that I was already sad thinking about how it would eventually have to end. I'm notorious (to me) for not finishing things that I really love, so I have the option of them rather than the knowledge of them. I pushed past it for this one, because it was just so gorgeous and I felt like nothing I imagined would be better than the way it finally ended. I was right -- I never could have guessed at the ending. I finished it on a lunch break, and had to just sit for ten minutes after to quietly cry and sit in my feelings. Granted I'm an easy crier, but I really can't think of many books that have affected me so much. Probably sun memos by Ziggy Alberts but in the opposite way because it made me feel healed and full of light, whereas this made me feel raw and exquisitely mortal.

Oh gosh, it's just beautiful. Have I said that enough yet? The literal settings where they are have such a vividness to them. The way emotions are expressed, even to the most minute subtleties, tore at me. The imagery used all the way through to convey ideas or feelings or goals, gosh it just takes my breath away. It's pretty rare that I read an ARC and then purchase a physical copy to also own, because I don't re-read many books, but this is one I am immediately putting in for. (It doesn't hurt that there's a lovely special edition, too.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley, publisher, and author for this ARC.
I want to start off by saying that the ending left me so heartbroken that I had to remind myself that I cannot give the book a bad critique because of my own feelings. That's how you know that a book truly grasped your attention and made you think beyond just happily ever afters. I was so invested in a hopeful happy ending that I forgot that sometimes a beautiful story can have a tragic ending. The writing wrapped me up into the story so deeply and the way the characters navigated their feelings with each scene that was painted. I had never heard of the original lore behind the plot, so I went into this blind. The pacing sometimes felt a little confusing since this story happened over a long period of time, so sometimes i had to keep track in my head of how much time had passed. I think the best character development and just overall the character itself was Fuchai. As a reader I kept feeling conflicted deciding whether he was truly awful or just an unfortunate symptom of his upbringing. The setting was gorgeous, and the characters felt real and tangible, which is why I think I got lost in the story itself.

It’s entirely possible that I went into this book with high expectations that didn’t end up being completely met, though I did ultimately think it was a solid read. I flew through it in less than a day, which tells you something about the way it’s written. There were also certain lines and sentiments expressed that I thought were lovely, and I ended up with a collection of bookmarked passages.

But it did fall a bit short in every aspect of the story, and to me, it’s because all of it felt too lightly developed. I especially could have used just a tad more when it came to the characters and their relationships, which were truly the driving force of the story.

While I wouldn’t say I was as impressed as I was expecting to be, it was compelling enough that it held my attention the entire time I was reading it and I do find my curiosity about this author’s other works piqued.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-arc!
4 stars

i was so incredibly excited for this the minute ann liang announced it!

a song to drown rivers follows the legend of xishi who is one of the four beauties of china. she is sent to be a spy to infiltrate the enemy kingdom to help her home kingdom get revenge.

xishi is a strong willed woman is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure her loved ones and her people get to live in peace. her tactics of seducing the king and learning their ways were interesting and thrilling to see.

fanli is an interesting love interest but i wish we got to see more of him. i understand that circumstances were dire and xishi had to leave quickly but i wish there was a bit more buildup.

fuchai is a thrilling enemy character who had a strict upbringing as the future king. i was surprised to see him be soft and kind with xishi as i was fully expecting him to be ruthless and terrible towards her. it was a nice change of pace.

xishi’s internal struggles were realistic as she got to know fuchai more. her final realization broke my heart and in that moment i felt more for the king than i thought i could.

the ending ripped my heart out. i wasn’t familiar with the legend so i went into this story blind and i’m glad i did.

the pacing was fast which i don’t mind too much but i wish we got to see more of xishi’s training before she left for the wu kingdom. i wanted to see everything she trained for, each and every detail.

the prose was absolutely beautiful and i found myself rereading multiple lines because ann liang wrote them so beautifully. the setting was vivid and descriptive and brought ancient china to life.

all in all, i loved the story. i just wish it was a duology so we could’ve lived with these characters and this world a little bit more!

3.5/5 stars

A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic fantasy inspired by the Four Beauties of ancient China, and follows a woman named Xishi as she plots to bring the enemy kingdom to its knees.

I’ll be honest, I was tempted to DNF at 30%, and while I’m glad I didn’t, I do think the book had a very slow pace until about 90%.

The prose is beautiful, and I love the setting the author created, which was very immersive. Nevertheless, I struggled to connect to the main character’s desires despite her traumatic backstory. (Like, I understood *why* she wanted the things she did, I just struggled to truly *feel* them.)

I kept seeing people calling this book romantasy and I don’t think it should be categorized as either romance or fantasy. There is no magic present, but it is second world which classifies it as fantasy, and whilst much of the book is *about* romance, there is not a lot of actual romance (which totally works for the book, I just think it's important to note.)

The end of this book is positively beautiful and was done in a way I was not expecting, which I so appreciate.

(Also I thought music would play a much bigger role based on the title lol).

Overall, I liked the book, I just wished I liked it more.

DNF @35%🥴

Every time there is an East Asian book inspired by their mythologies or folklore, I get really excited. I had such high hopes for this book especially after seeing all the praise for Ann's contemporary books, although I haven't read them I have seen enough friends absolutely adore them. However, I really struggled with her writing in this one either because it is a different genre than her usual or something else entirely. The world building wasn't enough for me personally for being inspired from such rich culture, other than the initial barest introduction to the world, it didn't reflect any cultural or mythological richness I hoped it would possess.

The insta attraction was an immediate turn off but I'd have just gone with it if I wasn't reminded of how really really beautiful the FMC/MMC are on every other paragraph.While I understand that the FMC is a character inspired by mythology and to be considered as unearthly beauty it just was annoyingly redundant how many times I have to read how beautiful she was over and over again and the way she is aware of it, it just didn't work for me. I also get that the FMC is being trained to become a temptress(in 10 weeks that is) to be sent off to the enemy kingdom as a spy but it felt so unconvincing. The MMC , the ruthless general of them kingdom not only reveals a secret plan to a random village belle without even knowing if she'd accept which is probably not the wisest thing to do by one of the wisest general to exist as per the story and once she does he proceeds to teach her EVERYTHING, it just him and one other confidant that trains Xishi and her friend. The obvious romance ensues but unfortunately it is the weakest and underdeveloped as well, around 35% I realized I am just forcing myself to read without actually enjoying it, I really wish I enjoyed this one but unfortunately it didn't work for me .

This is another case of high expectations and disappointing results. I’ll start by saying this book is beautifully written. The writing has a lyrical flow and pulls you into the setting. For me, the pacing seemed uneven. There were long stretches of prose where literally nothing happened, followed by short bursts of frenetic activity that ended abruptly.

The book had many characters and I found it helpful to read along while listening to the audiobook. The narration by Natalie Naudus was superb and kept me going through the challenging parts. Her ability to infuse each character with life was remarkable. I highly recommend the audio version of this book for the production quality. It is excellent.

This is not really a romance, though there is a romantic thread. It is more a tale of historical espionage where a young woman of uncommon beauty is recruited to spy on a corrupt leader. I felt the character development was lacking and never reached its full potential. Considering the lushness of the prose, this felt like a missed opportunity.

I’m glad I read this book. The time period and setting were fascinating and the intrigue provided suspense throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you to Ann Liang, St. Martin’s, and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

A Song to Drown Rivers was an interesting dip into Chinese legend and folklore, telling the story of Xishi, a beautiful girl from a rural village who is recruited into seducing the king of a rival nation and bringing down his kingdom. The espionage was cool and Xishi was a badass woman - I do just wish more of the romance that seemed to have been developed off page had been more on page, with both Fanli and Fuchai. I didn’t really see where Xishi’s love for Fanli came from, nor her growing feelings for Fuchai.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

POV: single first person

You can expect: espionage, bringing down a kingdom, seduction.

Rep: Chinese MCs

CW: death of a sibling (past), murder, violence, gore

I was very much enjoying this lovely Chinese story until the end happened and then I was not enjoying the story at all. I was so disappointed by what happened to the female main character. Xishi gets sent to the Wu kingdom to be a concubine for King Fuchai due to her extreme beauty. She was really going as a spy and did very well on her mission. I don’t want to spoil the end but it is not happy. I really enjoyed the characters and the diversity of the story. All in all I’m glad I read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book.

An interesting historical retelling!

I have to say I wasn't too familiar with the origin this story was derived from. It was interesting and the overall premise was intriguing.

The pacing of this story was very quick. I felt like it moved fast, but almost too fast. I felt like we were never able to really feel out any of the moments. Like the feelings between Fanli and Xishi seemed so rushed, and it was hard to feel their love or the beginning of their romance. Because the pacing moved so fast, I felt like all the connections between characters fell flat.

Overall, the story was nice, but it was lacking depth. I wanted more from the characters, and it just wasn't there. It was still a decent read, just not anything super special.

I would like to give a big thanks to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5

I loved this book. Historical fiction / tragedy is an incredible genre on its own, and this is the first time I've read one. This book follows Xishi, a beautiful girl who grew up in a war-torn village and is presented with an opportunity to avenge the death of her little sister.

This book was a slow start, but eventually kicked up. There were a few plot holes here and there, but nothing that took away from the plot itself. It shows the tragedy of war and kings and men, and who the real enemy is never who you think it might be. That there is a human under the monster, and a monster under the human. This book shows what happens when men are made to seem like gods in the eyes of other people. This book expertly navigates a treacherous court life while drawing the reader in.

While I devoured this book, I wish there was more. More of the minor characters, to get to know them deeper than a surface level. I wanted more emotion, more depth, more world-building, just more.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and have it as one of my favorites for the year.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The writing is stunning. I loved the imagery. I thought this book was really beautiful. I enjoyed the romance. I liked Xishi as a main character. This book was very easy to read, and i was able to finish it in 2 days. Overall, I enjoyed this story a lot and look forward to reading more from this author.

overall, i enjoyed this book. ann liang’s prose was beautiful and it was easy to fall into the atmospheric setting of the story. the political tensions of the court were interesting to read about and i kept thinking about the book even when i wasn’t reading it. xishi and fanli’s story was beautiful and heart-pulling and i would’ve read many, many more scenes with them. xishi’s emotional turmoil was easy to understand and i felt all her ups and downs as she struggled to survive. and despite the fact that i usually don’t like love triangles, i didn’t mind this one at all.

i did feel that the pacing of the story was off in some places; at times things progressed too slowly and at other times a bit too fast. there was also just something missing for me in the book. I think i expected there to be a bit more action in the story. most of the story was about the political unrest, yet there were moments where i thought there would be more fighting and there wasn’t, and i think it threw me off.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley.

4.5 Stars
I loved this book even though it broke my heart with how it ended lol. I was rooting for Xishi the entire time, she was such a great FMC and she truly deserved so much more. I actually wouldn't have minded if this was longer - I would happily take more of these characters (they all really deserved better)! Also, I know I wasn't supposed to ride so hard for Fuchai since he's technically the enemy king but I just loved him so much (but also loved Fanli of course lol). Buying myself the Fairyloot special edition of this because I loved it that much!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this beautifully written historical fiction tale. I do not know the original story that it was based off of to compare it, but it definitely kept my attention from start to finish. It was full of action, political intrigue and hints of romance. Although it was beautifully written, it was definitely tragic, and not quite the happy ending it thats what you prefer. I personally almost wish this book was made into a duology with a different ending. I would have loved to spend more time with some of these characters in this interesting world.

‘A Song to Drown Rivers’ is a standalone fantasy novel that clocks in at just over 300 pages and I think that is my biggest issue with the book. Due to the length of the book many scenes feel glossed over or written too quickly. I think it’s difficult to fully develop and explore many of the events in such a short time frame. Additionally, the book is marketed as an adult fantasy novel, but the writing feels more new adult/younger to me. I also wish there were more fantasy elements throughout the story and I spent most of the book confused as to why this was listed as fantasy. Overall, I think the themes were good (i.e. that there’s often no “right” side in war and the only people who win are those in power), but I would’ve liked the story to be more developed.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Song To Drown Rivers is a beautifully written story filled with Chinese historical fantasy and romance!

The novel remains enjoyable for those who are not too familiar with the legend of the Four Beauties of Ancient China.

Overall, ASTDR was pretty fun to read, though it doesn’t offer anything new for its intended genre nor new impressions. While the novel is absolutely rich in lore, nothing else stood out to me as a fantasy reader; the fantasy system felt neglected to me & and the romance, if not instant, was underdeveloped.

3.5 stars. Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China. Xishi is known for her beauty and is seen as a blessing to her village, Yue. when Xishi meets Fanli, a military adviser, he proposes the idea of using her beauty to defeat the rivaling kingdom, Wu. Xishi agrees and becomes a spy, living with the king who is enchanted by her beauty. The only downside is if Xishi gets caught, then both kingdoms will be taken down.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*