This novel was my first introduction into the legend of Xishi. As someone unaware of the history of this story to begin with, I went in without any expectations or thoughts on how the story would progress which made it very exciting for me and kept me on my toes. I can also see this being very enjoyable though to those who already are knowledgeable in the background of Xishi and the Four Great Beauties in Chinese history. One thing this story did an excellent job of is making me crave to learn even more about the Four Great Beauties and Chinese history in general. Ann Liang does a beautiful job of painting vivid scenes to bring ancient China to life. The beauty of the language is one of my favorite parts of this book.

I found myself most engrossed in the story in the first 25% of the book and the last 25% (give or take). The beginning and ending were super strong and left me unable to put the book down (especially towards the end). There were moments in the middle where I felt like there was some lack of connection between the characters that made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story during those times. Sometimes I struggle with novels about mythology for a similar reason to why I struggled with parts of this story - I just lose a bit of connection because there just seems to be some kind of emotional engagement lacking for me.

I would highly recommend this story if you enjoy mythology - especially if you are looking for something out of the norm that you may not already be familiar with!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

THANK YOU so much for the opportunity to read an ARC of this. It was such an absolute delight. Even with, you know, the ending. 😉

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy + Romance + Historical Fiction

This historical fantasy is based on the legend of Xishi, who was considered to be one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. In her village, Xishi's beauty is considered a blessing because the ideal destiny for a girl is to have a good husband and provide for her family. With the help of the renowned young military advisor, Fanli, who notices her, she is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to harness the power of her beauty. Her objective is to sabotage the enemy from the inside out by infiltrating their palace as a spy and wooing their ruthless king.

I don’t want to reveal more about the plot because it is left to you to see if her mission is successful or not. This is the first time I have read something by this author, and I can say that her writing is beautiful. Reading this book did not feel like a chore because I had problems with the story.

My first issue is that this book is classified as a fantasy—not only that, but the synopsis explicitly states that it is an epic historical fantasy. This is neither an epic fantasy nor a fantasy. It lacks all aspects of epic fantasy. There is no magic system and no glitter like those found in fantasy novels.

This was meant to be a romance. I mean, the romance was supposed to be the heart of the story, but even that did not work for me. I am not even sure when the two main characters fell in love. Was the romance off the page? I did not see enough chemistry between the two for them to fall in love. After finishing the book, I am not sure if they were in love or not. They rarely exchanged looks or words with one another.

For some reason, this version of the story did not convince me. The majority of the reviews were extremely positive, which gave me reason to have high hopes for it. My impression is that a great number of reviewers may have been moved by the tragic conclusion of the story, which is the reason for the high favorable ratings. In my opinion, this turned out to be an OK story, nothing more and nothing less.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Beautiful read! Love a novel with court politics and intrigue and this definitely ticked that box. I could not put this book down!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc.

This book was devastatingly beautiful, not only the characters but the setting and descriptions as well. The way Ann Liang describes the Yue and Wu Kingdoms was vivid in my mind as I imagined the view from Xishi's perspective. Her love for her family, home, and Zhengdan was heartwarming, but I wish there were more interactions with Zhengdan. The book has a way of telling, rather than showing, that leaves readers expecting what to feel instead of feeling it for themselves.

If there is one thing that stood out to me about this book, it was the real TENSION and strain between Xishi and Fanli; there was no need for instant romance and each interaction was with bated breath. Their forbidden love was heartwrenching, and I cried along with Xishi, but I still wish we could have seen more of them with a fleshed-out beginning to their romance. As one of the other reviews pointed out, most of their training happens off-page, and we are left to wonder about their moments together.

Overall, an enthralling read, 5/5 stars.

4.5 stars
Based on a Chinese legend, beautifully written, with well-developed characters. Good, evil (or are they?), love, sacrifice, political intrigue. Best book I've read in a while.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc!

There were a lot of things in the novel that worked for me. The writing did very well imitating the feeling of learning ancestral folklore - it was lyrical but not complicated, and added the right kind of both tenderness and intensity to heartbreaking and pivotal scenes. The mythological atmosphere of the novel was complimented by Liang's writing and by how she described not only the settings in her story but also the characters and events. All of the characters in the story were interesting and well-rounded and I found myself falling for Xishi just like the men around her. I was never once bored while reading this novel.

What I think did not work so well was the romance. While I could certainly feel the longing between Xishi and Fanli, it felt far too rushed to be anything other than surface-level or physical attraction. After only a short time spent together, they seem to be deeply drawn to each other. Not only does the short amount of time they spend together before they fall for each other make their love story weak, but so too does the fact that readers are not shown what happens between the two of them when they are together. Instead of readers being able to see Xishi and Fanli's bonding moments, there are time skips to get the main plot of the novel started, and once the plot does start the two do not see each other for many years. This makes it feel as if there is not a strong foundation for their love and made me question why they still felt an obligation towards each other years later.

I was also not a big fan of the end of the novel and I am still trying to wrap my head around what Liang meant to teach readers. The novel does a good job of getting across the point that war is not black and white, that there is good and evil on both sides and perspective changes everything. What I do not understand is why, at the end, there was romanticization and villainization of certain characters. Without getting into spoilers, these aspects worked to deconstruct the entire story and characterizations that were previously set up and in doing so worked against the themes of the book. Also, as a side note, I was also confused by Xishi's heart defect. I kept waiting for it to be relevant to the plot of war or to her character but besides being mentioned once or twice in the beginning it was virtually irrelevant.

This is certainly a beautiful and emotional novel despite the fact that there are some weaker elements in it. Once I finished reading this story I was still thinking about it a week later and because of that, I feel that most readers will enjoy it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an ARC copy of this book! This was one book that I could not put down. It broke my heart only to put it back together and break it again. In a land suffering from war, we meet Xishi, as she bears the weight of family responsibility and the hopes of revenge. When Fanli visits her tiny village and offers her the opportunity of a lifetime, there is no chance she could say no. This book does a beautiful job of weaving legend and story together.

This book was beautifully written, but unfortunately I think I wanted something a little less literary. I didn’t get the fantasy aspects of this I was searching for, and the romance could have taken a step forward, with either of the love interests. If I’d gone into this expecting historical fiction I think I would have enjoyed it more. Not for me, but I can see how others would love this.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook ARC of this incredible - yet painful - novel. Beautifully written while also packing a severe punch, this is a story that's going to leave a mark for quite a while. I won't say any more, since the book isn't released until October, and I don't want to give anything away, but WOW.

As much as I loved this book, I will be withholding my review in solidarity with the readers' strike on St. Martin's Press title, led by Readers Want Accountability.

This was absolutely immaculate perfection. Ann Liang always delivers but this book was absolutely breathtaking. The writing was just so beautiful and it's very clear that there was a lot of effort that was utilized in order to construct and evoke such gorgeous imagery and craft such a compelling story. The tension and chemistry between the characters Xishi and Fanli was absolutely incredible, and this is such a momentous staple for the romantasy genre.

A beautifully written work of emotional and tragic, historical fiction ..... Five stars is not enough.....

From the moment Xishi meets Fanli by the river, her life is changed. With the war between the Wu and Yue kingdoms, she is given the chance to find revenge for her people. With her beauty, can she captivate the Wu King and help the Yue bring down the Wu kingdom? What about the feelings she has developed for Fanli. How will it all end??

THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ....I couldn't put this book down.

A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

I will not be giving a review. I am apart of and support the SMP boycott! I will give a review when the demands are met by SMP.

Retelling of Xishi's story, one of the Four Beauties of China. Xishi, a simple Yue village girl, is chosen as a gift to
the king of the Wu Kingdom. Fanli teaches her the skills she will need to capture the king while fighting their
mutual attraction. As she enters the king's court, she will have to deal with courtly intrigue and distrust as
she is considered to be the enemy. What will the cost be for achieving a way for the Yue army to enter and vanquish the Wu?
Unexpected ending. Gripping emotional story.
#ASongtoDrownRivers #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

I really dont know what to say except WOAH. WOAH. This was amazing! But again, I didn’t expect anything less. It was soooo good! Such an amazing book! Great job Ann!

What a beautiful story.. This was such a vibey book. I thought this author had such a way with words.

my first ann liang book, and it certainly won’t be my last! i have seen her romances countless times, so stepping into her fantasy as my first foray into her writing did not disappoint. her writing, storytelling, and characters stole my heart and i need to read everything she’s written immediately- including her grocery list

This book was deviating and beautiful, which I’ve come to expect from Liang,
I hadn’t heard of this myth before reading this novel, but it’s clearly a very important story and Laing did a masterful job of telling it.
The prose was stunning. The characters were wonderful and I grew to love them dearly. The plot was excellent and well-paced.
I thought Xishi was such a well-written character. She was a young girl thrown into this world of politics and trickery and forced to deal with the consequences of actions she had such little control over.
Her and Fanli made me ache, and their longing was palpable, another Liang trademark.
Overall, this was a fantastic novel and an excellent foray into fantasy for Laing.

DNF @ 10%

This is the second Liang book I've tried, the other being, I Hope This Doesn't Find You, and I've come to the conclusion that she doesn't write for me.

This book was SOOOO much telling and not showing. The first fight was so long I lost interest.

I'm glad I tried it but this author just isn't for me.