I don't read a ton of romance or young adult books but I was captivated by the cover of this book to be honest. It is beautiful and caught my attention immediately. I'm so glad it did because the story inside is amazing!

I loved so much about this book:

* The Plot - This book is a page turner from the start. Xishi is beautiful and values her family above all else. When her sister is murdered by the Wu military, Xishi dreams of revenge. When Fanli, a young military advisor for the Yue, proposes a way to bring down the Wu people and their king, Xishi knows what she must do. Xishi may soon learn that even the best laid plans never turn out the way you expect however.

* The characters - The cast of characters in this book is phenomenal. Liang does such a great job developing them. As a reader you feel like you know each one. Along with that, you discover even the ones you probably shouldn't be rooting for start to grow on you.

* The writing - The writing in this book is gorgeous. Setting descriptions are so vividly detailed that it's not hard to imagine and even feel what is being described. Liang paints a beautiful picture with words.

* The conclusion - Wow! Unexpected and original!!

I love when I read a book that I don't want to end. A Song to Drown Rivers was that type of book for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy of this book to read and review.

the last two chapters oh my god i rarely ever cry when i read books but tears couldnt stop spilling from my eyes. i truly wasnt expecting it. ann liang definitely needs to write more fantasy.

Elegant prose creates world building that ensnares you from the first chapter. Liang creates characters that are relatable and magical.

A really great debut novel! Good story with lots of historical details of Chinese culture - not sure how long ago, but pre-industrial and feudal. Mainly about court life and political intrigue. A bit YA for me; a fairly straightforward storyline with clear goodies and baddies. However, credit to the author for muddying this a little towards the end, when Our Hero realizes that perhaps things aren't as clearcut as she'd thought. Of course, this is a first novel from a young author, so with that in mind it's really impressive. I look forward to more books from her!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

i truly believe that this is a book that everyone who enjoys fantasy should read. i cried like 5 times reading it?? the characters pull you in and the plot keeps you intrigued the entire time. xishi and fanli were the definition of what characters should be. that’s all i can say without spoiling the book but i highly recommend this to all readers, the imagery and writing were perfect.

see the link below. my review can be viewed on GoodReads.

loved this with all my heart and it was refreshing to see ann laing writing books that aren't in the genre that she is known for.

5.0 ⭐️
Poetic Fairy Tale for adults. A peasant-to-palace story of sacrifice, bravery, passion, trust, loss, strength and revenge.

🏰 Every little girl’s fantasy, to have a King that loves her so much that he would move the moon and stars, he would build a palace, and even change the course of the rivers, just to show his love.

Yet every adult girl’s reality…the King is not her one true love.

☕️ Grab a hot beverage and snuggle up in a blanket, because you will want to devour this novel.

👸🏻Xishi, a beautiful peasant, is sought out by the fallen King of Yue, to use as a weapon of revenge to take down the reigning King of Wu. She will train diligently on every aspect of Royal etiquette - from how she walks and talks, to how she eats and entertains, until she is the perfect submissive concubine, ready to manipulate her way into King Fuchai’s heart and seize his mind while King Goujian, King of Yue and his army execute his revenge attack.

⚔️ Panli, protector of his King, his country and his emotions, is responsible for training Xishi and ensuring she completes her secret mission successfully. But emotions get tangled at the instant connection between himself and Xishi, begging the question of what the biggest sacrifice is they are ultimately making - is it for their country? Or for their happiness?

🤴🏽King Fuchai of Wu, one of the villains, is a romantic at heart, who just wants to be loved while he carries out his duty to the throne. Trapped in his dead Father’s shadow, he overcompensates by leading with power and fear, but deep down I think he really just needs a strong woman with a voice of reason to course correct his childish ways. Like…his Mommy, perhaps?

🥰 Going into reading this based solely on the title, I fell in love from the very beginning of the story. With the writing style, with the romantic entanglements, with the level of ultimate sacrifices made, and with the emotional strings that were tugging from my moral compass. So many moments and passages captured my heart, either from a poetic, romantic or realistic food-for-thought perspective.

🎬 The descriptions are so visual, the passion and sacrifice so intense…I really hope they make this into a movie one day. My popcorn is on stand-by.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ann Liang for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars! Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a sad, beautiful, and tragic story. I'm never going to fully recover from this. I was not expecting this amount of heartbreak from an Ann Liang book.

Ann Liang has such a way with words, it's unbelievable. The way she weaves and crafts her stories is so beautiful. I will read anything she writes no matter what the genre is, because everything she writes is a masterpiece. And A Song to Drown Rivers is no different. This book was nearly perfect; sometimes I felt like the plot was dragging the teeniest bit, but it was barely noticeable. I fell in love with the characters, both the good and bad ones. And the romance... my heart hurts so much for Fanli.

Read if you enjoy a captivatingly heartbreaking and romantic fantasy read.

A Song To Drown Rivers was a delightful read, my first take on Chinese historical fantasy and it did not disappoint. This book is a gorgeous story about one of the four beauties of ancient China, Xi Shi, a beautiful girl from a village, who became a spy to take over the Wu kingdom and a need to satisfy her vengeance. I felt completely immersed in this story and found myself itching to learn more about ancient China. Ann Liang did a wonderful job at building relationships and emotion, my heart would ache for Xi Shi. I am amazed that every relationship in this book had dimension.

My singular critic is that Ann Liang was able to tell an entire story in 300 pages, which to some people is the perfect length, but to me this made the book feel rushed. I would have loved to see more of Xi Shi's training, and developments with the love interests. But honestly, I fell so deeply in love with this story that I would have kept reading forever.

4.5/5

This book was so beautiful and gorgeously written that I don’t know if I have the words to describe my thoughts, but I’ll try my best.

To start, the core of the story, the historical Chinese folklore, was fantastic and was incredibly immersive. I had originally been planning on spreading out the reading of this book over a few days, however I was so hooked that I finished reading it in just one day.

I loved the main character. A beautiful woman, yet her personality and character comes from her strength. Her romance with the other main character is full of yearning, with my heart aching for them during times they could not be together.

The only reason that this book is (sadly) not a 5 star read for me is because it did feel a bit rushed, and the ending seemed a bit anticlimactic. I would have loved, maybe even just 50 more pages so the ending could be wrapped up in a way that matched the pace of the rest of the story.

All in all, I really don’t think I can do this book justice in a review, but all I can say is that I will definitely be reading more of the author’s post-debut works.

I was so mad. I was so tempted to give 4/5 stars because I absolutely abhorred the ending, but all in all, this book made me feel emotions and I devoured the book within a day. So, in the end, I decided on 5/5 because it was truly a devastatingly beautiful and entertaining book. I feel deeply in love with the characters, immersed in the story, and loved the writing as well. I felt every loving word, every sad twist and turn.

This book was outside of my usual genres, and I do not regret reading it one bit and will definitely be reading more of it. It was a beautiful work of art filled with sacrifice, tension and yearning. It tugs at your heart strings and you can go from wishing death upon one character to not even knowing who to “root for.” The ending was truly heartbreaking.

The authors way with words, antithesis and how she worked poems really made me think deeper about the social issues of the story, especially those surrounding war.

The characters were complex, and I felt as though I got attached to them very quickly. We as the readers get a glimpse into their backstory’s, and what motivated them to the places they are in throughout the story.

I was so happy to be approved for this book! It lived up to the hype and more. The world building was perfect and I could not put this book down!

I got so excited when approved for this book and had to read it immediately and it totally lived up to the hype I had in my mind. It really transports you into the story and the setting and I felt so connected to the story because of Ann Liang’s beautiful writing. She can make it poetic with out being overdone and wordy! Xishi was such a fantastic character and I felt so relatable and interesting! The book was heartbreaking but in a way that makes me feel everything you should feel while reading a good book. I cannot recommend this enough and will be adding to our library for sure!

Big thanks for receiving the digital copy of this book on NetGalley!

My favorite things about this book:
The way this story unfolds started to remind me of the Chinese and Korean dramas I watch. The writing is romantic and lush. I could envision Xishi and Fanli in my mind so clearly, even down to the meaningful looks exchanged when words didn’t suffice. Some of the quotes during those tension filled moments made up for the quick pace. It’s a short book, so every one of those moments felt important to me.
I also adored how flushed out and morally grey some characters were. It let you feel a lot of conflicting emotions for each person, and since war is no black and white matter this seemed realistic. I would feel anger and then sympathy, sadness and then nostalgia. You want to be moved when you’re escaping reality to delve into a book!

I didn’t want to put the book down, and I thought about it when I did have to step away. To me this is the mark of a gripping story.

The things that had me taking one star off:
The ending! I won’t spoil the plot, but I was shocked. I think it also felt disjointed from the first seventy percent of the book in terms of style. The last paragraph seemed so vague and anti-climactic. I realize maybe I would have expected the end if I knew about the real life lore, but I also feel that because writing is meant to build upon things, it could have been whatever ending the writer found fulfilling.

A solid read! I would definitely read other works by this author in the future.

I am screaming. This is PERFECTION.
This was my first dive into Liang's work, and it certainly won't be my last. Her writing style is nothing short of poetic.
A Song to Drown Rivers was devastatingly beautiful. Retelling of a Chinese legend of Xi Shi, one of the 4 beauties of Ancient China. I was completely captivated, unable to tear myself away from the pages. I will be purchasing this book when it is released.

Wow. Didn't expect tjid to be so good. Interesting and tragic, I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

disclaimer: received an e-ARC, all opinions are my own

IM SOBBING AND IT WON'T STOP

the book reads like a poem, it crushed me and left me weeping. and i'll read it again, and weep some more. i've never highlighted as many passages in a book. the last 70% were read in one sitting, on my kitchen stool, because i couldn't even bear to look away for long enough to move to the couch. like?????

the characters are well-developed, Xishi is so human it hurts. i love her. (i love them all but she is her) this story is living in my mind so vividly, i'm unsure how to move on. i giggled, i fought against the pit in my stomach, i stilled with anticipation, the array of emotions i went through during this read i will never recover omg

midway through i pre-ordered the hardcover, i want to reread it so badly when it's done being edited and in its physical form, although if nothing were to change i would love it as it is. also the hardcover is GORGEOUS!!!!

*(update: i reread my highlights and im crying again, i finished reading this book last night and im still in pieces)

it's going on my favourites shelf and i will not stop talking about it until it's released and everyone else gets to experience my pain. i swear it's worth it though.

Xishi’s mother has always hidden her beauty. Wherever she goes she wears a covering on her face, to keep people from seeing it. Until one day, she gets a request to use her beauty as a weapon. She’s sent to the palace of the enemy, to seduce and destroy. The longer she’s there, the more attention is on her, and the more is at stake.
I love books like this, and I especially loved how Ann Liang put a different twist on it than most. I love how the story was based on mythology, and how everything was explained simply but still had so much detail. How the characters were so in depth. I absolutely devoured this book in less than a day, and will definitely be seen admiring this cover in person once it’s released. I’m sure it’s going to be even prettier in person.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I write this review with tears streaming down my cheeks and a feeling of emptiness consuming me. This book is endlessly immersive with some of the most vivid imagery and characters I have experienced in many months. The writing is effortlessly captivating and poetic, creating some of the most meaningful quotes I have ever had the privilege of reading.

In Liang's adult debut you follow Xishi on her mission to make the enemy king fall in love with her so that her kingdom can attack, and I can not possibly see a way that this book could be executed any better. The plot seems rather predictable in the first 50% percent, only to take you for an absolute whirlwind in the latter half.

The romance in this novel is one of copious amounts of tension and longing, and it is FANTASTIC, it is what gave me life but it also what killed me emotionally. It pains me that this book is unavailable to the large majority of people, because this book is everything the world needs.