“But home? I could no longer tell you what it meant, much less where it was”
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“What is home if not you?”
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A book of love, war, and betrayal, what does it really cost to be a hero in history? Xishi, a peasant girl from a Yue village is known for her stunning beauty, so when she’s called upon by her country’s defeated king and his trusted minister Fanli. to use her beauty as a weapon, how can she deny her country and her family a chance to restore their lives? As someone who doesn’t know very much about Chinese folklore this story was such a great read. It especially picked up for me when our FMC arrived in the enemy kingdom’s palace in Wu and meets the man she is destined to deceive, King Fuchai. Feeling Xishi’s struggle to balance her love for Fanli while seemingly giving her heart to Fuchai was so devastating, especially when she comes to realize Fuchai is not the demon king she thought him to be. Having to give away all of herself through this game of pretend causes much more pain and suffering than Xinshi initially anticipates, and the ending of this story really caused me the same. I so wish I could change the end of this story to a happy one for some of these characters, but overall this heroes tragedy was so beautiful to read.
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Thank you again to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early for review!!

This book is a masterpiece. I felt like I was reading an epic tale passed down over centuries. It was an epic revenge tale that should be considered a classic and studied.

I loved the relationship between Xishi and Fanli, of course, but I couldn’t help loving Fuchai. When it was stated that it was a war between two kings, it all fell together so perfectly.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who asked, and even to those who didn’t ask. It ripped my heart out over and over in the best way.

This book was a really lovely read. The story of Xishi, a legendary beauty sent to bewitch a conquering king to leave him vulnerable to an attack from her oppressed homeland, seemed like a story I'd heard before, and for the first three-quarters of the book it was very much what I thought it would be. The writing is good enough to invest you deeply into Xishi's world: not just her mission to take down the king, but also her loved ones, her village, and the people she comes to know in the enemy palace. When all the pieces come together at the end, the book takes you to an unexpected place that you realize it was building to all along, because legends (and beauties, and kings, and warriors) are all just people, too. I highly recommend reading all the way to the end of this book.

A Song to Drown rivers is a quick read set in a world at the end of a war. The book follows a woman, Xishi, that is known For her beauty. When the displaced king’s minister hears of her beauty and sees how truly beautiful she is, he knows she is the woman he needs for his mission. While dealing with her own grief from the war she agrees to become the new king’s concubine and gain the kings trust to help her kingdom win back the throne. But she quickly learns that in war no one really wins.

This really was a lovely book . I was enthralled from the first page until the last. I gave it 4 stars because I felt some of the relationships could have been formed a little better to make me more attached to some of the characters, but overall it was a well written book. It had me transported to another place with the descriptions of the scenery and it had my heart breaking for the pain the characters were dealing with.

Thank you netgalley for a free ARC of this book it was truly as wonderful and unexpected as it was heartbreaking.

Thank You Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of A Song to Drown Rivers! The review below is my honest opinion.

Release Date: 10/1/24
Rating: 3 Stars


"The mind destroys; the heart devours"

The first chapter started so strong and you're instantly sucked into this world. Our main character Xishi is known as the most beautiful girl (cringe how it's described) and she encounters the King's advisor Fanli while being attacked by Wu soldiers.

Fanli asks for her help in a plot to infiltrate the Wu kingdom. The plan is for Xishi to go to the kingdom as a concubine, become a spy and help destroy the kingdom from within.


The start and end of the book were strong but everything in the middle.. The obstacles they faced became too easy to overcome and it lost the intensity that sucked you in by the 3rd / 4th chapter. Everything happened perfectly in Xishi 's favor. There were no obstacles she didn't immediately overcome. The king was immediately eating out of her hand like a love sick puppy. I like the pacing and the plot concept but some of the plot made no sense. How can you have a plot about a concubine but zero sex scenes? And then the kings decision at the end? That twist could have happened so many different ways.

This was still enjoyable to read and an interesting plot concept. I would recommend this to readers looking for a light fantasy romance.


#2024Release
#NetGalley
#AnnLiang

You know the saying "You're gonna suffer but you're gonna be happy about it." Well, I'm probably sure this quote is about this book. I'M A MESS. I was sobbing while turning the last pages.

Ann Liang's writing, the poetry of her words, delivered a powerful tale of love and sacrifice, inspired by the legend of one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, Xishi. It's a beautifully tragic story, mesmerizing and breathtaking. Heartbreaking, too. But I'll read it again for the first time if I could. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a book that if you love court intrigue, Chinese dramas, doomed love you need to have it on your lists. It's just... I got no words. None. It's been a while since I walked away from a book thinking about it, and realizing that I thought I had this book figured out for the author to absolutely take it in another direction and crush me.

I mean, from the first chapter, I thought that I knew where this would go. Girl gets trained to be a hidden asset to a kingdom currently being crushed by another. The girl is kept at a distance from the one who sets this all up, trains her to be absolutely ruthless with her beauty, while both of them start having feelings for the other. Will they be together? Will they admit their emotions? SHOULD they admit their emotions?

As soon as the main story got wrapped up, I realized there was 15% left in the book. I asked myself, what else needed to be done? Quite a bit. Because that's when everything you knew gets flipped, and it wouldn't be a Chinese drama without the things that the author had her characters go through. Shockingly though, while some would hate it, it fit. And the title, the title came to haunt me and the world that these characters live in.

I just really can't say any more about this book. Read it. Ride the emotions out. It's worth it.

Amazing story. Was drawn in and hard to put down. Would have loved for it to be a series or longer to delve more into the world.

I felt the beauty and the sorrow. The betrayal and the love. Each more moving than the last.
It’s a rare thing to fall for the enemy, all the while still rooting for and hoping for the original heroes. To be given characters that are so complex yet simple. So noteworthy yet entirely realistically human.
The way the ending had my emotions in an absolute chokehold.. I’ve never read Ann’s work before, this was my first mistake. Reading the ending right before I have to get ready for work would be my second mistake. (I’m not crying.. you’re crying). Not telling everyone about this book will NOT be my third. To the people who have to wait until October to read this, I feel for you. To not be able to witness this amazing writing and story yet..
This story will stay with me for some time. Until I read it again when it all starts to fade.

Thanks a bunch to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was genuinely so addictive, and so wonderful! From start to finish, I was sucked into this world that Ann Liang so beautifully brought to life. The book is classified as adult lit, but there were a few times where it felt a little YA (in a great way!). I wish there was more time spent with characters, to really get a feel for their relationship. Obviously, Xishi and Fanli are separated for most of the book, so I do get it. However, Zhengdan is supposed to be one of Xishi's best friends and I wish I got to see more of that! All-in-all I really adored the themes and Liang's story telling!

Actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

I respect the author very much for that ending. Not many would risk going that route, but it truly is what made the most sense for this story.

Overall, a pretty good read! The writing helped the story flow smoothly and I really appreciated the theme of rich, powerful men using war for their own selfish gains, with no thoughts of the citizens on either side, who are the true victims of war.

I do wish there had been more intrigue to the plot throughout the story and more depth and substance to characters and the relationships between them. Because without it, I was left with little attachment and emotion towards the story.

Xishi is a beautiful young women, the most beautiful woman in the Yue village. In her village that has been suffered from attacks from the Wu, beauty can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. When Xishi finds herself facing certain death by a Wu solider, she is saved by Fanli, a handsome and reserved Yue military advisor. He presents her with an opportunity to use her beauty to become the most valuable weapon that the Yue will have against the Wu. She will destroy the kingdom from within and bring down the Wu king, getting vengeance for all that has been taken from her family and the village. She accepts, and her training with Fanli leads to an unbreakable bond between the two. One that if discovered, would mean certain death and war. However, success can also come at the ultimate price.

This book was beautifully written. It was heartbreaking. It's a love story, but it's also so much more than that. It’s the story of a beautiful women who becomes a true hero. My heartaches after reading this book. This is one of those love stories that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you so much to Ann Liang, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing story.

A Song to Drown Rivers is an excellent historical fantasy. I was a bit skeptical about the plot - really our main character is so BEAUTIFUL it’s to her detriment? However, when she is presented with an opportunity to use her beauty as a weapon and avenge her sister’s death she jumps at the chance. Okay, so I definitely felt like I knew where this story was going, and while there were certain things I knew were going to happen, I was also pleasantly surprised by where the book ended up.

The pacing was really strong and the world building was very well done. More importantly, I was super invested by the plot AND the writing itself was really well done. I have not read anything else by this author, but apparently she also writes YA rom coms and I love those so I will have to check them out!

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Because I saw a lot of amazing early reviews for A Song to Drown Rivers, I was super excited that I was able to get an ARC myself.

While I enjoyed the book, I found the first 40% of the book to be rather slow. Compared to other fantasy romance books, it is on the shorter side and I felt like that worked against it. We don’t get to see a lot Xishi’s training to become a spy. Her training is supposed to span ten weeks and we barely got any of it. She just all of a sudden became very good at seducing and manipulating men.

The story became much more interesting once she arrived at the palace and started trying to gain the king’s trust. The plot was without a doubt the strongest part of the book for me. I loved watching Xishi slowly exert so much power and influence over the king. All the political moves she made were just excellent. She really took down a whole kingdom herself💁🏻‍♀️The romance on the other hand felt a bit bland. Fanli just didn’t do it for me. There was longing and angst between Fanli and Xishi, but I just never found myself invested in them as a couple. It doesn’t help that he is gone for most of the book. He really only shows up for the beginning and the end of the book. I actually ended up shipping Xishi and the king. What can I say? I have a thing for mortally grey men🤷🏻‍♀️

The writing was also very beautiful and I found myself getting sucked into the world the author had created. And so, all in all, I really liked this book and would recommend it if your looking for a good standalone fantasy read. But beware of that ending🫢

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

(Review will be posted on Amazon and on my Instagram the week of release)

This was a stunningly beautiful story. It hooked me from the first page and never once let me go. It was powerful and it was devastating. The characters were dynamic and layered, the physical descriptions were vivid, and the story came alive off the page. The pacing was excellent, never lingering and constantly moving the story forward. You could feel the struggle of the characters and they navigated difficult spaces. The end was heartbreaking but perfect. I’m so glad NetGalley gave me the chance to read this story.

This book destroyed me. I haven't been this completely consumed by a book in quite some time. The court intrigue was riveting, the villains were perfect. This book thrives in grey areas. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

I was given a free advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing of Xishi and Fanli when I started this book, nor the Four Beauties of Ancient China. That's one reason I like books like this, they broaden my understanding and exposure to other cultures and histories. And this book delivered in that respect.

This book was lovely and sad at the same time, poetic and stark. The contrasts made it an enjoyable read, and I was often annoyed when I had to put it down. Ms. Liang captured a lot of different nuances of war, betrayal, love, and revenge, and Xishi was a well-fleshed-out and believable character because of it. The ending was one I didn't expect and will absolutely not spoil.

I do think it's misleading that this book is advertised as a fantasy story when there is very little fantasy in it. It left me expecting the book to be different than it was and therefore a little disappointed. I wish I had gone in thinking it was a romantic history instead.

Overall, I give this book 4 starts and I'm very glad I read this book.

This story is really fun and I didn’t know where it was headed. The writing is strong & the prose is beautiful.

I do think that it felt more like a historical fiction on its own than a historical fantasy. At times, this felt predictable, especially with the love triangle trope. I wish the world was more flushed out and I think if the book was a bit longer, I would have been able to grow more attached to the characters.

I think it’s so neat how this is based on real events and there were some twists and turns I wasn’t expecting!

writing this with shaky hands and tears streaming down my face.

i hate this book. it's so intoxicating that you are FORCED to leave other responsibilities in order to finish it as soon as possible. irreversible damage has been done to my mental health. and i'm also sleep deprived, but that doesn't matter because i just read this masterpiece.

this book is now the center of my universe. i am deceased ???

as a major history + mythology enthusiast, thank you ann liang for giving me everything i needed.
+ please do write more books in this genre, i'm begging you. my fragile heart can't take the amount of wasted potential for ann liang as a fantasy/asian mythology author.

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

5 out of 5 stars

Ann Liang has written an amazing fast pace, beautiful, and heart-breaking novel that I couldn't not put down.

Xishi is a force to shake mountains. Fanli is equally as magnificent. Every scene was perfectly crafted.

I didn't know it was possible for my heart break so many times before the end of a book. Liang has accomplished just that. The pages in A Song to Drown Rivers are filled with lyrical and mesmerizing lines page after page that keep you addicted. I could not stop, I had to know what was going to happen through the war, love, history, mythology, pain, beauty, hope and loss I was completely shattered.

This is not my first book by Ann Liang and as always, it did not disappoint. This is hands down going to be a top book for 2024!

TW: Gore, Murder, Suicide
#ASongtoDrownRivers #NetGalley

TY NetGalley, this was an honor to read!