This book challenged me. It challenged me because it wasn't what I expected. I walked in thinking "fantasy" and thought magicians, warlocks, or some type of magical system would be at play. It wasn't. It was a throwback to the "fantasy" of an imagined world with a unique history. It is historical in nature, it is a battle of people who don't exist in a complex world. I was expecting the main character to have a specific trajectory. I was wrong. Liang kept me guessing after each moment. Some parts dragged, but overall, it was an effective story about revenge, about war, and about those in power and how it affects those without power.

I was really excited by what I found in this novel. It was reminiscent of the books I loved as a child. Xishi is a unique character because she's real. She knows she's beautiful, she knows what power she has, and she uses it effectively. She makes blunders, makes mistakes, but overall uses her own set of skills to the very end to make sure those who harmed her do not forget her. I was so unbelievable impressed with how grounded she was.

I also enjoyed the power battle in these books. It isn't always good triumphing. Good doesn't always have the best plan for moving forward. But the motivations and characters reacted realistically and every move was led with emotion and feeling. The book lost me with the love story, but I also think that it was realistic for the historical time period Liang set us in.

Uhmmm, I felt lied to because how is this book so highly rated. For starters, this book is NOT an adult romtansy. The only fantasy element is the mention of ghosts and the after life for about 2 chapters, so it’s definitely not a major plot point. Secondly, the romance felt VERY flat and felt very young adult. They literally kissed once in a dream, and the rest is just pining. The ending of the book left others feeling heartbroken, and I felt underwhelmed borderline glad that the suffering is over. The only positive of the book is that the author’s writing is very beautiful.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Song to Drown Rivers tells the tale of Xishi, a young woman of unparalleled beauty who lives in Yue.

She is recruited by military advisor Fanli to get close to the ruler of Wu, an enemy kingdom with whom they are frequently engaged in combat. Xishi spies on the inner workings of the Wu palace and succeeds in getting close to the king.

This she does despite the feelings she has developed for Fanli.

I was not familiar with the legend of Xishi. It is a bittersweet tale that reminds me of The Sword of Kaigen in the sudden way things change. I tearfully read the last part and walked away thinking of the old movie The Ghost and Mrs. Muir as there are great similarities between the two. I thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it.

This book was very heavy and beautiful at the same time. It is riddled with war, death, deception, and love. There were plenty of twists and turns and political plot points. It was written well to keep you on your toes while also weaving beautiful moments in. I did not expect the ending and it is not a happy ever after in my opinion. The end felt strange compared to the rest of the novel, but it makes sense after some thought. I’d still prefer it to end earlier.

The publisher sent me a copy of this novel nearly a year ago, and I'm sorry it took me this long to read it. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down.

If you ever watched the La Femme Nikita series, this has similar vibes. Xishi's beauty isn't the only weapon she possesses - she's also trained to bewitch, manipulate, and kill. Once she arrives at the Wu court, she knows exactly how to play King Fuchai as well as his advisors. Xishi may be in love with Fanli, but she's there to do a job, risking her life every day as her kingdom is depends on her. If you're a romance fan hoping for a lot swoon-worthy scenes between Xishi and Fanli, be prepared - he only appears in roughly 25-30% of the story.

Let's talk about King Fuchai. On one hand, numerous people have suffered and died because of him. But he's also been used, manipulated, and compared to his father nearly his whole life. He seems to genuinely love Xishi and would do anything for her. Looking at other reviews, there's an unofficial fan club for the guy. Kudos to Liang for creating a villain with depth who inspires feelings of empathy. It's a delicate balance to create a character like him.

The ending was unexpected and one I didn't see coming - but it was beautiful. Recommended for fans of morally gray characters, royal politics, and slow burn romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What I liked
-very fast paced
-inspired by Chinese history
-great narration and audio experience
-beautiful cover

What didn’t work
-characters feel a bit one dimensional
-maybe because I already know the history, it feels very predictable? I wish the author took more liberty with the reimagining
-i would consider this light magical realism than fantasy. There’s barely any fantasy 😅
-emotionally constipated men are not my fav trope so the romance wasn’t that interesting to me

I have very mix feeling about this book, and I think this is why it took me so long to finally finish it. I attempted to read it a few times, and never managed to get into the story fully.
Some of it was that the book had potential to be a really beautiful story, but it missed the mark on certain aspect. The pacing felt slightly off. For a book that is on the shorter side, it could be really slow at time, and then some scene and aspects I would have liked to be expended on weren't....
I'm also torn about the romance aspect of this book. I think because it is meant to be kind of a tragic story between those Xishi and Fanli, but it felt like there was not enough time for their romance to build. I think I was missing that part to really feel for those two, to see the love bloom between them instead of feeling like they instantly fall for each other.
And then, it's hard to see Fuchai as being this evil immoral king. I actually liked Fuchai, and felt he was a tragedy in itself, being put into power without the fight guidance and the maturity needed to really lead. That's kind of how it came across to me.
In the end, it was okay.Would I be curious to check out Ann Liang's next book? Yes, depending on the story. Will I try to read it on release day? Probably not. Her writing was interesting, but the story failed to make me fall in love.

This book is a retelling of a famous fable and is classified as a historical fiction with romance (however I didn't feel like there was a lot of romance in this book IMO). I wanted to love this book but it just fell flat for me. I didn't attach to the characters and it was very slow story line for me. Im glad that other people loved this, it just wasn't for me

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a reivew.

The premise, the inspiration, the gorgeous first edition sprayed editions. All what brought me to this book. The story itself keeps you engaged but something about the execution of the seduction misses its mark for me.

I feel like I need to start off by saying it wasn't at all a bad book. It was an easy read, enjoyable, but forgettable. I felt like it could have been this gorgeous sweeping saga but was somewhat dulled to a "not another teen movie" style. Except instead of trying to make the girl beautiful we are trying to turn her into a spy. I felt there was such an opportunity to use Chinese mythology and incorporate some of the amazing imagery that other Chinese mythology-based stories have but this one just fell short. Again, I enjoyed the story. But I actually read this a few months ago and forgot to leave a review and I reread the summary and genuinely had to think back to what this was about because it just wasn't that impactful.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I enjoyed this, but I also am picky about my fantasy reads. The world building was easy to follow, and this story reads quick. I did have trouble connecting with the characters for a while. However, by the end, it was pretty action packed. Overall the writing was very 'lyrical'. There was also more of a romance element than I expected. Overall vibe is melancholic fantasy if that sounds like your thing. 3.5 stars

I loved the premise of this book and I even liked a lot of things about the execution. Unfortunately, the characters took away a lot of my enjoyment. The main character is pretty, just so pretty, and that's how she's so powerful. Because she's pretty. The violence was poorly done and unrealistic and the characters didn't react realistically to injuries/deaths.
The descriptions of the time and place were good.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

a great solid read and definitely a great story with fantastic world building and I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book follows our main character, Xishi, as she is tasked by young military advisor, Fanli, with infiltrating the enemy to weaken them from within with her beauty.

I found the world building and the writing to be very well done. I really liked the suspense of the story and wondering what would come next. I thought that the ending was really unique, and I really liked the ending, though it was a little abrupt. I liked the intricacies of the politics of the story.

One thing that I remember not fully loving is the romance within the book. I think that it was too insta love for my personal taste, but to each their own.

This was an epic and emotional read with beautiful prose, compelling historical notes, political intrigue, and just the right dose of satisfying romance. This book was an emotional rollercoaster and I loved every minute of it!

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Netgalley and the author for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.

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


I love a good retelling, and this story was very enjoyable! I was not very familiar with the legend of the Four Beauties and so I was definitely not expecting that ending......oh my. A spy in the court of the king is always a trope I am here for, and I liked the relationship between Xishi and Fanli, and did wish we got more of them together throughout the story. The growth of the relationship between Xishi and the king was also well done and while the king was portrayed by others as brutal, I was glad that his character had more depth, and while certainly not perfect, his arc definitely brought out some emotions. The story moves fairly quickly, and I think there were some opportunities for delving more into the characters backgrounds but overall, I liked the story a lot!! listened to the audio and as always Natalie Naudis does a wonderful reading.

I overall really enjoyed A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS! Liang has a very lyrical but easy writing style, which splits the difference between flowery and practical. I get lost in it, but in the best way.

I very much enjoyed the historical elements and time period. The way it was told gave breath to an ancient tale, but in a way that kept to its spirit. Liang is very talented at enfolding historic elements with ease. The characters also kept my interest. Fuchai was a particular favorite! Xishi was grounded, making mistakes that made her feel very real.

Overall, this was a very solid read that ended up telling a beautiful story! I love Liang's author voice and would love to see more from her!

A Song to Drown Rivers combines a historical feeling setting with a yearning romance and suspenseful plot. Even when no action was occurring, my heart was racing because our FMC was *always* in danger!!! (But it was suspenseful in a good way?? I was SO ENGAGED)

The longing in this book was off the charts. I was keyed in for the romance, so the historical inaccuracies (which... I'm not even sure if this is based on real place/time period, so I could suspend my disbelief and was okay with any inconsistencies) didn't bother me. But also, the romance wasn't really that much of this book. If we were to compile how many pages the romantic interests were on page together, it honestly wouldn't be all that much. That's how you know the writing is good: I could feel their longing throughout the story, even when they weren't together or even thinking of one another.

This is ultimately a story of war. Of how two sides of a conflict can be more alike than they initially thought. Of how kings and men in power use soldiers and civilians as pieces in their games to gain power. I liked how these themes were woven throughout.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

I adored this book! Ann Liang cannot write a bad book ever. The world-building was so well done, and I loved the main character. I enjoyed the romance, but I also liked how the book was romantic without the romance being the main focus point. The main character's character development throughout the book was great, and THAT ENDING! I was sobbing. I'll read anything Ann Liang writes, and I'm excited for her next books!! :)

I wanted to love this book, a book about a female spy training and going undercover in a neighboring kingdom, but it fell short for me.

The relationship development and the character development fell short for me. It felt more like things just happened rather than natural development. The romance felt instantly developed and therefore I didn't feel much buy-in or believability to it. I didn't feel the emotion or the tension behind Xishi being in the enemy kingdom and still having to protect Fanli. Their relationship felt very surface-level.

The character development also felt minimal. I didn't feel like I got enough about the characters back story and motivations. The secondary characters were one dimensional and didn't do much to move Xishi's character development or emotional development forward. This sounds like a fascinating legend that had so much potential to have a badass female character, but I just never felt that fully develop.

Overall this blends in with a lot of other YA fantasy novels for me: fun concept with a lot of plot development but minimal character, relationship or emotional development. It's something I enjoy while I read but forget about within a month. A solid 3 star read for me.