4.5 stars

I really love this book. What well written and beautifully flawed perfect characters. The whole story just flows, and the prose is pristine. I really want this special edition for my shelf ❤️

I’ll be honest, I was sucked in by the look of the special edition. I cannot help myself.

The writing for this was beautiful. Every character is multidimensional and flawed, with a lot of morally ambiguous choices to go around. The entire tone is dark and heartbreaking all the way up to the bittersweet ending.

I will say that I think the politics & characters were better developed than the romance, which I did not buy into as much as I would have liked. Pacing wise, this starts off so strong and gripping but gets a bit muddled towards the middle.

Overall, a great book and I would pick up more by this author for sure.

A Song to Drown Rivers is a well told story reminiscent of a folk tale. A beautiful young woman is recruited to seduce and then betray the king of the conquering kingdom. Along the way she finds love, duty, and betrayal.

Can she complete the mission? And what of the cost?

It's a very compelling story! The pacing and dialogue works well, and the characters are well developed. I also really enjoyed the writing style!

Of of the books i ever read , the chracter are well develloped , the romance was like the best one i ever seen and i would never prepared my self for this kind of tension between the two lovers . The book universe is well built too
I SAID WHAT I SAID 2024 IS ANN LIANG YEAR

This book is a beautifully told retelling of the story of Xi Shi, one of the mythological Four Great Beauties of China. A heartbreakingly romantic tale, peasant girl Xishi is chosen because of her exceptional beauty to be used as a tool of revenge for her people. Trained in both royal etiquette and espionage, she is sent to become the concubine of a king whose army had brutally conquered her people. The tragic ending is both heart wrenching and poetic. I devoured the book in one sitting, and I felt heavily invested in the outcomes for all of the main characters.

I did read this book through an eARC graciously provided by NetGalley, but the preview pictures of the special edition with sprayed edges looks absolutely stunning. I will definitely be buying a copy to display on my shelves, especially because I know I will want to revisit this story again. There is a timeless feel to the way Ann Liang reimagines this legend that is highly re-readable and accessible.

Ann Liang's A Song to Drown Rivers is an enthralling tale of longing, sacrifice, and a beautiful woman's quest for vengeance against the nation that murdered her sister. I read it in one sitting, but this story will haunt me for days.

Xishi is well acquainted with loss and sacrifice. Her sister has been dead for several years when she crosses paths with Fanli, military advisor to the defeated Yue king Goujian. Fanli is known for his brilliance in strategy and in battle, and he presents her with a unique opportunity to enact revenge against the kingdom whose soldiers killed her sister.

Despite the danger that she knows will await her, she agrees to be trained in the ways of the court so that the Yue king can present her as a bride to their conquerer, King Fuchai. She will make him love her while she works to destabilize his kingdom from within the palace.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. The pacing was perfect for me as an ADHD reader. Ann balanced moments of urgency with moments of quiet reflection in a way that kept me engaged from start to finish. She managed to weave an unreal amount of longing and romantic tension between Fanli and Xishi without a single touch between them.

She handled each character's journey and development with care, ensuring that the villains have gentle, loveable qualities and the heroes have frustrating faults. I especially loved the way she characterized the Wu king Fuchai. I could feel Xishi's growing conflict as she spent more time with the Wu king and his people and realized that they do not have to be monsters in order to do monstrous things.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, legend re-tellings, slow-burn romance, and heart-aching conclusions. This is the kind of book that will absolutely wreck you, but in a good way.

WOW. This was such a fantastic book! I couldn’t put it down and actively SOBBED over the ending. So so so good and I can’t wait to recommend it!

***thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc***

This book was incredible. I will be thinking about Xishi and Fenli for weeks to come. I blew through this in about 6 hours, and while it wasn't necessarily short I was so enthralled by the story I blinked and it was over. The last few chapters destroyed me and I'm sitting here wishing there was more.

this is so well written, the plot gets you hooked, the characters get to your heart. im definitely gonna be thinking about this books for a while. it's a new all time favourites and it's definitely what i would call a masterpiece.
i feel mesmerized by this book. if you really like historical dramas this is a MUST. it's such an epic, heart-shattering love story. i felt so connected to the characters and really cried my heart out for the characters.
the story is fast paced in my opinion. we have xishi, a village girl with a heavenly beauty that's selected by the minister of the yue kingdom to be the concubine of the enemy kingdom in order to spy and plan an attack. during her journey we see a bit of the training she gets with the minister, and after that they concentrate on her journey in the enemy kingdom as the king's concubine. how she lures him with her beauty... it's really interesting to see the view of the enemy kingdom up close after having seen the first impressions from the yue kingdom.
this was so captivating from the very start. i really loved this one. Ann Liang has so much potential in this genre, i would love to read any other future works of her in any genre, but especially this one!
i'll write a detailed goodreads review closer to the publication date.

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book and I'm thoroughly impressed. From the start, striking, vivid descriptions make the surroundings of the book undeniable and root the conflict in the land and the protagonist's body. There's a circularity to the narrative, but a real sense of change within the protagonist's thought processes. The intensity of the plot works well with the lushness of the prose.

I enjoyed the unexpected moments of wisdom from Xishi that fleshed her out as a character. Several things that she said or thought lingered in my mind, like her response to what desire is. Her perspective progressively broadens, and it's beautiful to read.

This book has so much heart.

My thanks to St. Martins Press and Ann Liang for the ARC. This is an amazing book. It has everything-romance, amazing world building in that one can see the world that Xishi lives in. The passion and the sense of urgency that compels Xishi to become the lady of the King of her worst enemy is very real. I could not put it down. It’s a great book

I enjoyed the setting and the worldbuilding. It's more cinematic than literary, but that feels appropriate for the retelling of a well-known legend. The writing is descriptive and emulates the colorful poetry of ancient Chinese art.

This is marketed as adult, but it lacks the depth and range to fully make the transition away from older YA/new adult territory (also, every character of significance is in their 20s, which doesn't seem likely). Unfortunately, Xishi's court concubine training is mostly glossed over and she encounters next to no actual challenges once she's at the Wu court. Inexplicably, this second act dials back on the suspense and description that compelled the first. And, not that I needed details, but it's unbelievable that Xishi never actually fulfills the sexual side of her role with Fuchai.

Against my better judgment, I'm choosing to buy the love story between Xishi and Fanli, the king's advisor and her recruiter. It is a very slooow burn, which I like, but there needs to be something more substantial than physical attraction between them to make that surprising ending a true romantic fit for them.

I should have read a little more about it before requesting it. I’m sorry to say, this one just wasn’t for me.

A young woman's undeniable beauty leads her down perilous paths as she as tasked with seducing a rival king, gaining his trust and toppling his kingdom from within, even as she falls for another man.

Ann Liang's writing was really beautiful and I enjoyed reading her work. I finished the book in a day, so it's somewhat of a quick read-especially the beginning.

Xishi and Fanli's relationship is well built from the beginning and I found myself wanting to read more about them than the Wu palace politics, though that isn't to say the book didn't keep my interest.
The end was bittersweet but a bit muddled. I think it tried to encompass too long a stretch of time in only a few pages.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this ARC!

The moment I saw this book arrived on NetGalley I rushed to read it, I've been looking forward to it for months! I was wondering if I would enjoy this book as her books have been primarily YA and I have just recently starting delving into adult fiction however, I was not disappointed.
I wasn't too sure what I was diving into as I hadn't read the description in a couple of months, yet truly I was not expecting this. I continue thinking of the last chapter, I'm still in shock. I've barely had the time to read recently yet I read this in two days, I simply could not put it down!

I honestly think Ann Liang is incapable of writing a book under 5 stars!

*Reviews will be posted to Goodreads and Storygraph closer to the release date*

A Song to Drown Rivers is a melancholic read that will have you considering just how far you would go, and what would you risk to save your family and your people. We follow the journey of Xishi, a beautiful girl, chosen by a famous military advisor to help topple the Kingdom of Wu. In exchange for her family’s safety, and the good of her people, she must seduce the Wu leader and kill him. Things become more complicated during Xishi’s training when she falls for Fanli.

The clash of cultures and war takes front and centre in this novel. Yet, the scenes do not unfold on a battlefield. Xishi’s war is fought internally and within the palace, in her interactions with fellow courtesans, amongst political rivals and with the King himself.

Xishi may hold the Wu responsible for her people’s suffering but who does the Wu hold responsible for theirs? Well the story may be told strictly from Xishi’s perspective, we do watch her consider the fickle implications of war and governing. Xishi may hold onto her mission but does she hold on to the rationale?

It’s a tough read. It is poignantly written and left me feeling raw . Xishi is merely a means to a greater good and what she must do to obtain it is often in conflict with what is good for Xishi. With the promise of better things to come Xishi looks to the future. Yet the question remains, is the grass always greener on the other side. I’ll certainly be considering it as I now to make my way through this author’s backlist.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A Song to Drown Rivers
by Ann Liang
Pub Date: 01 Oct 2024


Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.

Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.

Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.

Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.

This book is an emotional roller coaster that will leave your heart in tatters. I will be thinking of Xishi and Fanli for a very long time with reverence. I admire their tenacity, their longing and their heartbreak. I even developed a fondness for Fuchai despite my initial feelings for him.

This was my first time reading Ann Liang's work despite having two of her other novels on my TBR and I was pleasantly surprised. This book has love, heartbreak, espionage, betrayal, revenge and so much more. What a wonderful novel that I will be recommending to everyone. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Ann Liang for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished reading this book in one sitting.and this book is deviatingly beautiful. I got really involved in the storytelling of the court politics and could just not put the book down. There were times I was yelling at my book (in a good way) and other points that had me in tears. I fell into the book and love the writing style of the author, it made me feel like I was there with the main character. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy political intrigue from a woman’s point of view.