The cover of this book is beautiful! I'm in love with it.

A Song to Drown Rivers is my first book by Ann Liang and I can see that she is a talented author. She does draw you into the story and the main characters, but the ending left me feeling unsatisfied.

We start with Xishi, a great beauty who lives in a poor rural village that has been ravaged by war. Her younger sister was killed by Wu soldiers and she desires revenge. The opportunity for revenge is presented when Fanli recruits her to become a spy for the Yue as a concubine to the Wu king. Xishi undergoes 10 weeks of training where she and Fanli grow close, apparently, before she is sent in as a spy.

The plot of this story definitely has some weak points. If you've been drawn into the overall story enough you can ignore some of these weak points, but some of them were hard to ignore. Here are just a few:
- I was surprised by the way Fanli recruits Xishi as a spy by basically telling her and her parents the entire SECRET plan right away
- Once in the enemy palace, Xishi and Zhengdan are put in rooms that are so far away from everyone that they haven't seen another person in days, yet when she cries out for help THE KING is immediately there with his physician. We're never given an explanation for why the king and his physician are in this part of the palace where no one ever goes.
- after some brief training, somehow Zhengdan is able to defeat General Ma in a contest of fighting skill. I get that everyone else in the contest was holding back out of fear, but he is literally a general with fighting experience in a war and Zhengdan has not fought anyone ever.
- Xishi makes a deal with another concubine that she will convince the king to pay more attention to her. She does this once and then we don't hear anymore about this character until the end when we encounter her in her rooms during a banquet that EVERYONE is attending.

This book is marketed as a fantasy and a romance. I'm really not sure why because it has little to none of either. Xishi and Fanli spend barely any time together for 80% of this book. Actually, they're not even in contact during most of that time. There are zero fantastical elements until the very end and even then I would barely consider that fantasy. This is solidly historical fiction.

I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that I was surprised by the turn of events and not necessarily in a good way. I think if the ending had been more satisfying I would have more easily forgiven the weakness in the plot throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was captivatingly beautiful and tragic. I devoured each page– I couldn’t read it fast enough to see what was going to happen, and after I finished it I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Xishi’s beauty was a blessing and a curse, but her intelligence is what really set her apart from others. While reading the book, I was conflicted about who was good and who was bad. While that was most likely intentional, it had me reflecting on the topic of war and how it really is about the ego of kings (those in power)… and how the narratives of people impacted by war are shaped. This was such a great book, thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

"Here I am, once again. I'm torn into pieces. Can't deny it, can't pretend. Just thought you were the one". I like to think that Kelly Clarkson wrote that lyric specifically for me because that was how I felt upon reading this story.

Now I've been reading Ann Liang's books since her debut novel and she has managed to capture my interest synopsis by synopsis. I don't know what the author injects in her summaries but they always sound interesting.

The synopsis in this case, reminds me of icing on a very poor and sad cake.

Whilst I have to credit Ann Liang for having some of the best plots, the execution is sadly not the best. I think Liang has a long way to go in tightening her writing and bringing her story to life. Disappointingly, they always remain one-dimensional and this was no exception.

My first Ann Liang book, and certainly not going to be my last!

Xishi is a figure I know well from my own childhood, when I went to see a stage performance of this classic Chinese tale in Beijing. At the time, I was too young to understand the politics that ignited the tragedy that would unfold upon the stage, but I was nevertheless left haunted in its wake. Now, in revisiting this story as an adult, I’m fascinated by how Liang has retold Xishi’s tale with such a focus on the human element of war. Did she succeed in capturing that emotional damage? Sure did!

With the focus on Xishi and her relationships with the people around her, Liang urges her reader to consider what ends justify the means. What is justice, when you can see what suffering both sides endure? What lies must you tell yourself to carry out your goals?

Everyone in this book is complicated, which did make things super compelling, and I loved all of the storytelling choices Liang made. I had to stop and take a breather during the climax of the story because I was just a mess of emotions. Kudos also for the beautiful writing. I’d definitely consider rereading this one someday to relive some of those lines.

I absolutely loved this! The story and characters captured my attention right away, and I did not want to put the book down. I love how morally grey all the characters were. There were truly no good guys/bad guys. The author did such an amazing job with every character and making me feel for them.

The ending broke my heart in two. It was shocking, and I didn’t see it coming.

Overall, this is an amazing book. This will probably be one of my favorite reads of 2024.

4.5 stars Beautiful writing. I did struggle with the relationship dynamics a bit, but as I look back after finishing, it fits together nicely. Ending is really fitting of a Chinese drama. (Loved the Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms reference.)

What a stunning book. I could not pull myself away from this, it was that good. The setting is so well written that you really feel you are there. The characters are perfect, especially Fanli and Xishi. I do not know how to really describe this other than to say it is perfect and devastating. The ending was unexpected and brutal. This author is amazing and I cannot wait to read more by them.

An absolutely breathtaking novel! I couldn’t put it down! It reeled me in the moment I started to read it. Highly recommended and I NEED a physical copy!

First off, holy wow! This book is incredibly gorgeous, inside and out. I was entirely engrossed in the story only 20 pages in and ran to my phone to place a pre-order for the physical copy of this book (I CANT WAIT TO GET IT!). Xishi has such an incredible growth and journey in this book. She uses her beauty as a weapon in a war between kings. I felt so attached to her story and all that she was going through and had been through. It was impossible to not get emotional at times. I can’t even begin to describe all the feelings this book gave me as they were all over the place. Maybe I’m too much of an empath? Goodness, this book really got me. I loved every bit of it. Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ann Liang for blessing me with this wonderful ARC.

I cannot thank the publisher and author for the opportunity to review an e-arc!

I was so excited to read this book after hearing the hype from the book community. And although I had a challenging time getting into the flow and style of the story, I ended up enjoying the plot and all the events that occurred. I would not be surprised if this book is featured as a special edition in a book box.

Books like this are why I enjoy fairytale inspired stories... you kinda get to lose yourself in magic and give you a free childlike glee

Whew okay!

Light spoilers ahead:

I really loved this book! The prose was lovely, as was the story as a whole -- I was fully invested and so eager to find out what might happen. Xishi was a wonderful heroine to follow, and I loved the take on beauty as a weapon, and how it's so often a curse. I am also a sucker for doomed romance, though in this case, it was just that. SO, here's your heads up: this is a harder hitting story, and not so much a romantasy, as some might mistaken it for.

That said, I found myself wanting a more satisfying ending for Fuchai. All that development, showing his humane side while also knowing he was a villain - I think I just wanted more of pause in the way things ended to really examine those complexities. I also wanted more with Fanli -- more development, stolen moments, etc.

BUT it was still a lovely story, tragic story, and I'm happy to have read it.

This book is utterly enthralling, and I did not expect to love it as much as I do. I was drawn in by the political intrigue, the rich world-building (and the fact that it's a retelling of a Chinese legend), the complex characters, and, dare I say it... the forbidden romance! It's rare for me to like any romance novel, much less love one, but this book has surpassed all my expectations.

Xishi and Fanli were such well-crafted lead characters, each dampening their own scars and suffering for the sake of the Yue kingdom. The yearning and heartache was written impeccably, as was the struggle between their duty and their love for each other. I had to reread the gut-wrenching scene towards the end multiple times because I couldn't believe what had just happened.

The side characters and the setting were just as compelling. I've been hoping for a book entrenched in court politics, scheming, and espionage after reading a glimpse into the Emperor's court in Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, and this book skillfully delivers all of that and more. This was exceedingly well done, and I look forward to reading more of Ann Liang's works.

this book is heartbreaking

I didn't know what to expect going in but it is filled with so much passion and heartbreak.

Historical fantasy book
War
Heartbreak
Romance
Drama
Spy

The most beautiful woman in the world is used to fight a war. She is dreading going to Wu kingdom and be with the king but over two years she is serving as a spy for Yue but also falling with the King. All while missing her military advisor Fanli.

I was rooting for Xishi and Fuchai tho. Maybe unpopular opinion

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

St. Martin's Press: Minotaur Books, Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Essentials, St. Martin's Griffin, and Castle Point Books are all under boycott.

Free Palestine. Speak up on your racist employee.

I had a hard time figuring out how to rate this because while I enjoyed it, there were some shortcomings that kept the story from reaching its full potential. The writing was lovely from the beginning and the pacing was consistently engaging, making this easy to read fast, but the world could have used some expanding. The main characters were well written, having a complexity to them that left you feeling sympathetic and conflicted toward even the villainous characters.

A huge issue for me with this however was with the romance, it had all the potential to be amazing given the angst and longing present, but it suffered from underdevelopment. The characters fall in love at the beginning of the story, though a significant amount of their interactions happen off page which made it hard to be invested in their relationship. That bring me to the other issue I had, which was this books tendency to tell things rather than show them. We are told about moments the main characters have, rather than seeing them and how they cause their relationship to develop. When the main character arrives at the palace we are told about things she does to get the kings attention, rather than shown them to fully understand how he develops feelings for her. We are told about things her and her friend do around the palace to spy and conversations they overhear, rather than shown any of it.

Overall while this was an engaging read and I would recommend it, the lack of development in relationships and telling instead of showing prevented me from enjoying this as much as I had hoped to.

~Rating: ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰.25~

“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history…”

Xishi has grown up knowing nothing but her rural village in the war ravaged Kingdom of Yue, the riverbanks where she washes silks, the repeating nightmare of the day the Wu Kingdom slaughtered her young sister. She’s known the allure of the otherworldly beauty she was born with, beauty that could topple a kingdom.

An act of bravery leads to a chance encounter with Fanli, the frigid yet handsome young advisor to Yue’s King on the riverbank forces Xishi to choose between her personal happiness and revenge for her sister and kingdom.

Xishi trains under Fanli to become concubine to the Wu King himself, with hopes of toppling the kingdom that took her sister and happiness from her. She soon finds that war and revenge are not as black and white as they once seemed.

This book absolutely gutted me more than once, it takes a LOT to get me misty eyed, nevermind three times!!! I wasn’t sure about Xishi at the start, but she proved herself to be a relatable, wise but not infallible. The romance is performed so delicately, leaving you wanting so much more (a little like Xishi herself!) the prose flow: with grace, enough to be incredibly immersive, but not overly flowery. Such a fine balance! Overall, a Song to Drown Rivers is a very rich and powerful tale about a woman’s role in history, the will of Kings and their detachment from the people they are meant to serve. I can already see that I will be thinking about this book daily for weeks to come!!



Huge THANK YOU to St Martin’s and NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing ARC that may very well be the most memorable read of the year. Truly stunning! Bravo!

A Song to Drown Rivers was a beautifully crafted story. I instantly fell in love with the main character, Xishi. I found myself on the edge of my seat, and fully invested in her journey, thinking to myself, please let this be a series, rather than a standalone book, because I dont want it to end! I smiled, and cried with her. However, I feel that she deserved a better ending than the one she was given. Bittersweet.

This one is hard to rate, because I liked it but also... I didn't?

To start with the good, this historical romance retelling is about a girl with great beauty, used as a pawn to turn the tides of war between two kingdoms. The plot is not predictable (unless perhaps you already know the tale) and kept me on my toes the whole time. I was very invested in the plot and the writing was high quality, it definitely made me emotional on multiple occasions.

Through Xishis' pov I felt like I had tunnel vision. The world building was weak and made it difficult to tell who I should root for or why they made the decisions they did. It was as if the character building was rather good, but the world building was so bad it poisoned my understanding of the characters. I was, personally, not at all thrilled by the ending. But seeing as it was a retelling and others may find it to their liking, I don't hold that against the book.

That being said, I still enjoyed the ride and I did devour it in only 2 days, and I would still recommend this read.

I wasn't sure about this book for a while - the writing was gorgeous and the imagery stunning, but much of the first 75% of the book did not feel believable. The short training sequence, the relationship between Xishi and Fanli, and Xishi's ability to seduce King Fuchai. I wanted much more description and lead-up to all of it.

Then I hit the last 25% of the book and was BLOWN AWAY. I did not expect anything that happened, and felt a pain so acute my chest actually hurt. My jaw was open the last 30 minutes of reading, and I'm still thinking about it two days later. That amount of feeling constitutes a five-star read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ann Liang for a copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.