I see pining plus gorgeous writing and I’m a goner. This book had that and a rich tapestry of a story that sucked me in immediately and never let me go.

The plot revolves around Xishi, who is so beautiful that she is enlisted by the emperor and his advisory to seduce his enemy and her peoples’ political oppressor.

Even though this story leans more romantic, it is surpassingly adept in its descriptions and portrayal of political alliances and consequences.

This is a gorgeous book. I recommend going in knowing as little as possible.

first of all i would like to thank netgalley and st martin’s press so so so much for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. ann liang is one of my favourite authors and i honestly thought i was dreaming when i got the notification saying my request was approved :’)

this book destroyed me. ann did an incredible job with crafting an immensely captivating storyline and characters. she struck such a fine balance between plot and character development, and one of the things that struck me most was the torment xishi was going through. i think it added so much to the reading experience and made me feel the pain and struggle of the characters. obviously i can’t give any spoilers but just know that i am dying to express my thoughts and feelings about certain characters and plotlines.

one word to describe this entire book: bittersweet.

i can’t wait for everyone to experience reading this when it’s out in october. i was so invested and i loved it beyond words. 5 stars.

note: i will be adding to my review after the book is released because i don’t want to risk anyone getting spoiled!

A Song to Drown Rivers
By Ann Liang

4.75/5 stars

First, I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I was drawn in by the cover and the initial book blurb, and in the end blown away by the quality of writing and enfolding tale.

You discover early on that this is a retelling by Xishi, our main protagonist. It’s a recollection of a specific 5-ish years. It’s given away, along with some foreshadowing, with statements such as “if I’d known then”, etc. I imagined one of three scenarios for when this was being retold: 1. She was living an inconspicuous life and finally telling the tale of these fantastical events; 2. There was a twist of events and she had come into a place of power, or 3. She was in exile recalling how that came to be. And none of those were correct. The ending is much, much stranger. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

This was a grim but beautiful story. I knew early on that whatever end lay before us it would break my heart, but I couldn’t stop. The short of it is that this is a historical fiction, a tale of political espionage by a village woman turned concubine for the enemy court. It was devastating and heartbreaking, but one where it’s hard to look away.

I appreciated the reality of it all – we didn’t get a sugar-coated story where there really couldn’t be one. War is ugly, and as a central part of taking down a kingdom, Xishi’s own tale could not be expected to be other than it is. And because of that, loved it even more. In the end, I was happy to see Xishi be so conflicted, and recognize her own part in the devastation.

The writing was superb. I lived the world, learned the rules of the court, saw each swish of the robes, and admired the lanterns hung for the banquets. It was mystical without there being magic. I loved the immersion into these foreign lands.

We had several strong female characters, each clever and deadly in their own ways. We have a forbidden love with a high official, Fanli, but this was not a romance. At least not in the typical sense. It was admiration and longing from the edges. A pull and push that carried over years, and though it fed into the tension of the story, I did not feel it was the main plot. The main plot was complicated, but direct. There was one goal – capture the Wue King’s eye and heart - just challenges achieving it. And in the end Xishi’s wins…but at what cost?

This story was a 5 star at the 32% mark, the 68%, and up until the very end – right up until Xishi received official news that she had completed her mission. Unfortunately, the last few chapters from that point on felt like a completely different novel. I felt it got lost.

Don’t get me wrong. As I stated previously, I knew early on, while Xishi was receiving her initial training, that this was a tale of tragedy. I even correctly assumed who would be lost first. So, I’m not looking for or expecting a happy ending. However, I was looking for something more in line with the tale and motivations of the characters.

To be honest, from what we learn in the tale, including the current ending, I don’t feel that the King of Yue would have acted so direct and swiftly in the case of Xishi. She wasn’t a Wu turned traitor. She was a symbol. Even his soldiers knew who she was, and she was celebrated back home. I feel he would have paraded her for a while, the perfect propaganda and distraction. War is ugly but she was beautiful.

I feel it would have made more sense if he had gone after her later, and possibly through an order to Fanli, a test of his loyalty. And at that point we could have a change of point of view…instead of what we got.

The end as it is written really is just too odd. It turned historical fiction into a fantasy – maybe magical realism. It really was strange, and for that dropped my overall rating.

I still recommend this book. I’m sure there are plenty of others who will say the same. It was powerful and splendid writing. I loved the time period, the setting, and the characters. And would possibly read it again at some point.

A heartbreaking tale painting the pain and sacrifice women endure for those they love, be it family, lovers, or their own country. An absolutely amazing historical fantasy retelling akin to Song Of Achilles.
4.5 stars

I would give this 4.25 stars. I enjoyed reading this, and finished in just a single day since I didn't want to stop!

Liang has created a plot that resembles many dramatic and well-loved East Asian television series. I love media set in historical times, especially the dynastic royalty periods. Xishi is an interesting protagonist to follow, and her interactions with the other characters in the made me feel many ways. Liang makes the second male-lead likable and even pitiful, which makes Xishi's final actions even more heart wrenching. The novel's ending is also unexpected, and while I was sad to read about it, I think it spoke to a larger morale that makes the story even more meaningful. Nonetheless, there were moments that as a reader I found harder to digest, between the love triangle as it was clear Xishi had to remain naive for the story to move along.

In addition, I found Liang's adult debut to be much more enjoyable than her previous works (though that would make sense for a reader of my demographic). Liang takes intentional blocks of text to create descriptive imagery and world building; while I first found the title to be hit on the nose a bit too hard, I did find her prose elegant and something that stood out compared to her other novels.

Overall. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to read more similar works. Liang has crafted a beautiful tale set in one of my favorite eras, and I would recommend this to others who enjoy consuming similar media, and would like to see Liang's adult debut.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this truly amazing book.

I have never in my life had a book that struck me so hard. I am not a cryer, but this book brought me to tears.

I was sobbing. The book will stay with me forever. I can not recommend this book highly enough. This book should be on absolutely everyone's must read list.

Amazing writer. Amazing characters. Just please read this one!

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

Ever since I read the summary of this book I desperately needed to read it and I'm super grateful for the opportunity to review an early copy. However, I found the book highly disappointing.

Because I was intrigued by the story, I went online and did some research about the legend it is inspired by and after reading the book I realised that it was just an extended version of the legend. No new plot twists, no high stakes. Everything flowed for the FMC, and even when complications appeared, they were solved within a few paragraphs.

The court intrigue aspect was extremely disappointing. There was nothing to be anxious over, and the FMC hardly tried. We're told she's unnaturally beautiful and apparently that's enough for her to make it to the top. No power play (which is expected when the words court intrigue are mentioned), no high stakes, no intricate schemes. The antagonists weren't as villanous as I was expecting them to be either. The evil emperor was just a petulant young king, not cruel at all and his ending, again, was just disappointing.

As for the romance, it happened too quickly. The FMC and her love interest went from strangers to developing feelings in the span of two chapters with just the description of "one year passed".

Overall, it was a 2/5 stars read for me, and that is only because the final chapter made me sob my eyes out and I love a book that makes me cry. But it still wasn't enough to outweigh the rest. For a historical (fantastical) novel, centred around court intrigue, it should have been more.

Firstly, thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC ebook edition of this beautiful story for an honest review. This was a beautifully tragic love story that transcends time and space. There was so much that I enjoyed about this book, but there's also a few things that left me scratching my head over.
Pros:
-I Loved the FMC, Xishi! She was smart, savy, kind, wholesome, compassionate, honest about her feelings, and so much more.
- I was not expecting the ending at all and idk whether to be sad about it or ecstatic about it. Maybe a little bit of both.
-The imagery, while it could be quite extensive in some places was also nicely done.
- the story itself came off perfect for the folktale it was inspired by and was a cautionary tale for younger generations. Especially, when it came to wars. I adored the take that the author went with, that know one actually wins in war.

Cons:
- while it was obvious that we were led to believe that Fanli was meant to be the main love interest and the one she should end up with, I was left feeling lack luster by his passion. I am a sucker for a "I will burn the world down for you" personality and while Fuchai was the villain, he definitely gave off that energy. I am a sucker for enemies to lovers and the author did such a good job humanizing him. I am not saying he was perfect, but I was left wanting more for him and felt he deserved a happy ending. That just might be a me thing and could say a lot more about myself than the author's choices. I didn't have anything against Fanli but felt his fire and passion came out a little too late.
Overall, great story with a surprise ending with a folksie vibe. 4 solid stars.

This book is so beautiful. And heartbreaking as well. It was an easy read with a wonderful story. The ending made me cry. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. I will be adding this to my library when it is finally in print.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ /5
5/5


firstly, i would like to thank net galley, the publisher and ann liang for generously granting me a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.


spoiler free.


-



<b>and that beauty is not so different from destruction.</b>



<b>xishi</b> a courageous woman who is extended an offer by the king of yue to overtake the king of wu with her cunning beauty. her character is one i’m confident you will fall in love with. from the way she cares for others to her smooth, silver tongue.



<b>fanli</b> this man, i fell in love with him two chapters in and that doesn’t happen often. even though we rarely see much of him throughout the book. all fanli has known is to be loyal, to serve his king and to not show weakness. but what happens when he discovers he truly does have a weakness—xishi? their love is one that seized my heart.



<b>king fuchai of wu</b> i fear that in the end, my opinion of him changed drastically. to outsiders, he has fallen into his father’s shadows. a man built only to take down others, to kill, to shed blood, to be ruthless. but, behind closed doors he is only just a boy—a boy wishing to be loved. to be a child once again. there’s so much i wish to say about king fuchai.


<b>overall</b>


this book is written beautifully and in a manner that will have you enraptured in the world from the start. it’s a harrowing tale of sacrifice, love and feelings of grief. if you decide to pick this up when it releases, i can only hope to see your review.


i know i will for sure be picking up a physical copy. the need to annotate it is incessant—i have even highlighted a myriad of quotes on my kindle—where this arc shall always remain. to remain vigil of a beautiful story.

I"ll admit that this story was a bit of a rough (and by rough, I mean sorta boring) start but once Xishi gets sent on her first mission things went up a notch.

Things I liked:
- the exploration of womanhood through the main character and the female side characters
- the ending... tragic and beautiful

Things I didn't like:
- the pacing... it was slow in the beginning and then it would pick up quickly and almost feel rushed.
- the romance was a bit juvenile... too much will they/won't they but not in a good way
- not sure it should be an adult fantasy (that's how it was marketed on NetGalley). I'm not certain what the ages of the characters are supposed to be but it felt very YA to me and the fantasy was very minimal.

Overall, it was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who like a YA novel.

Ann Liang knows how to sweep someone off their feet in a short standalone.

this book needs no review. if perfection was a bunch of pages, this book would be it. and besides, ann liang can do no wrong.

thankyou netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own!

The synopsis and title held such promise that I felt quite let down by this book. I loved the characters and the plot, but I just found it... boring to read. Something about the narrative style just wasn't compelling and even during moments of suspense or intrigue, I didn't feel unsure or like I even cared.

A Song to Drown Rivers is Ann Liang's adult debut based on the story of the Four Beauties of Ancient China. In this standalone historical fantasy, we follow Xishi as she trains to use her famous beauty as a tactic for spying as she then enters the king's palace to bring him down. While I can appreciate the historical background of this book and its rich atmosphere, I had a difficult time with the pacing, as well as, the character developments, or rather the lack thereof.

I was at first surprised that this was a standalone novel, and believe there was a lot of room for Liang to explore the character dynamics in more depth, along with adding more tension and action as there was a war going on. I'm not sure how old everyone is supposed to be, but as this is an adult novel, I felt the characters acted very juvenile and at times, immature. Being inside Xishi's mind at first was refreshing as she's not the firey heroine we're being made to read about these days. Instead, she was soft and gentle, and I appreciate that about her. However, those same traits started to become grating and I found the plot unbelievable and at times poorly paced. There were not many scenes where I felt there was tension that kept me from turning the pages. I found Xishi's relationship (romance) with Fanli based on nothing as there was a long period of time where they were away from each other. At the same time, Xishi's relationship with the king was very childlike and for that reason, at times disturbing.

I believe if this was marketed as a YA fantasy, it would fare better in terms of expectations and plot.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the digital advance reader via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this completely blind, not knowing much about the author or the premise of the story - only that it is historical fiction with a strong female character. Some of my favorite books are in the genre of historical fiction, fantasy, or retellings so I am happy this book found its way to me.

I loved this book. This was a beautifully written story filled with sacrifice, yearning, and tension. There is a lot of "will they/won't they" between the romances within the book and at times you are left questioning who you should be rooting for.

Once Xishi got sent off to start her mission, I was unable to put the book down. The ending left me utterly devastated. I was emotionally crushed.

I hope the author writes more books within this genre because I loved it. You will definitely find this in the Staff Picks area of my library as soon as it comes out.

This is such a beautiful story filled with yearning, tension and sacrifice. Ann Liang has a beautiful way with words and I fell in love with this story from the very first page.

Great fantasy novel. Enjoyed this one a lot, with lots of worldbuilding and interesting details. Thanks to Netgalley, author & publisher for arc.

A Song to Drown Rivers is simply stunning. It’s an achingly beautiful story based on the legend of Xishi. I loved the exploration of womanhood in this story. Xishi’s story is about the will of kings, but I really enjoyed how the author gave us the women’s views and interactions during it all. Many aspects of womanhood were portrayed in this book through Xishi herself and the female side characters.

I’ll be thinking of this book for a long time and will recommend it to many readers. Ann Liang deserves for A Song to Drown Rivers to dominate reading lists. Overall, it’s a 5/5 for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hell freaking o. I didn’t understand why everyone was crying over this until it hit…

My first historical fiction and my last because it was so good I did not expect to be this emotionally attached-

The ending omg…like I understand it but I’m confused bc I don’t want to believe it happened like let me breath😭 every second I was HIT I couldn’t be happy for a second

I need to schedule my therapy date for a sooner session after this

A Song to Drown Rivers is a completely engrossing tale of sacrifice,revenge and loyalty. Yet at its core this is a beautiful haunting love story that is oh so emotionally charged. The immersive characters and setting will grab hold of you and will not let go. Ann Liang’s writing is stunningly beautiful, vivid and deeply tragic. I could not put this one down. Excellent!