Thank you Netgally for this ARC.

On my journey of finding/reading books that gives me the representation that reflects me and that I want, it was nice to read a book that was similar to things I already read in my spare time. Manga, Korean and Chinese webtoons and Korean and Chinese translated web novels, all of which sometimes contain lgtbt+ pairings, so this felt like familiar ground. While I did think it was slow in the beginning, at least to me, I enjoyed the writing and the voice of the characters, I enjoyed how this mythology was interwoven in this story. It was feeling like a high 3.5 stars, but I really feel this picked up the pace and really got into it's groove halfway through, either b/c I was all the way in or b/c the pace picked up. This is such a familiar concept with the things I read in my spare time, at the same time I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

Seemingly doomed from the start, Legend of the White Snake is a book about love and empathy. We love a cute meet cute where one doesn't realize the other is royalty. What follows is a precious book about love in unexpected places. It's about someone who just pulls our heart no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible it can be. The heart wants what the heart wants. It was fun to see human interactions from the perspective of Zhen! But what drew me to the story is Zhen's mindset.

This is my second book by this author. First being Fake Dates and Mooncakes which I absolutely loved. Just like the first book, this is a YA romance between two boys, very rich in Chinese culture, with a sweet and heartwarming romance.

I liked both of the characters in this book independently, though they’re a bit melodramatic at times, I think that comes with the territory of such a story. I was really invested in both of their storylines. Zhen, selfless to a fault; Xian, headstrong. I enjoyed how Xian grows and bends with Zhen’s love and learns to be more compassionate.

However, I did have trouble getting into the supernatural aspect of their romance. It’s in the name, so this is not really fully the book’s fault. I’m not sure how much I’d be into any romance that involves a snake spirit. But let’s just say the book didn’t really help make it feel less weird, at least in the first half. The romance is pretty much insta love, and it’s unclear why these two characters are infatuated with one another past their looks.

When I let myself pretend they were both human, their connection was very delicate and beautifully woven. How their bond strengthens over time and how they start to completely trust each other is truly lovely.

So despite and because of these, by the end, I found myself fully invested in the romance, and was at the edge of my seat trying to find out if they would end up together. There might have been a few tears shed.

The fantasy/action aspects of this book were mostly focused on the second half of the book. A lot of betrayals and twists and at no point did I know who was gonna survive.

I also really enjoyed a bunch of the side characters, especially the best friends of the two main characters. And appreciated that even the side characters got a good amount of growth here.

I do wish there was more urgency at the beginning of the book towards the main character’s goals. I think this would have helped with the pacing, since the second half rushes by quite fast, but the first half drags a bit more.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall rating: 3.7 ⭐

This was a great book! I loved the idea of it as well as the basis in Chinese Mythology. For me personally, it took a while to get into the book, but overall very good.

Giving this a 4 out of 5 starts. Fantastic beginner danmei/xianxia. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Overall this was on the lighter side of danmei and would be a great first one to try without committing to the longer series like Grandmaster or Scum Villain. It takes Chinese folklore and keeps it whimsical in storytelling to make a sweet, gentle read. It is like a tiny Vidalia onion in that there are some layers to peel back but it isn't anything that requires a lot of thinking to figure out.

Overall the story is really cute!

This was so incredibly cute!

As the book promises, this is a lovely retelling of the Chinese Folktale and it's quite a lovely read. The writing was a tad simplistic at times but I couldn't tell if it was because it was attempting to keep in vein of the the folktale writing or because it was for a YA audience but overall, I enjoyed it. It was a little slow at first but once the unmasking (un-snake-ing?) happened, it moved at a much faster pace.

The ending was sweet and as dramatic and heartwrenching as one might assume! But also very sweet.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins Children's Books | Quill Tree Books/NetGalley for a chance to read and review!

This book was so cute and then became so sad so fast! Like Ms. Sher Lee, you were so close to hearing from my imaginary therapist but also thank you so much for that beautiful, sweet story 🙂‍↕️ also Qing is everything to me.

This story was so easy to inhale. A short story that also made me feel so many things!

Book Review

Title: The Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee

Genre: Historical, Folklore, Romance, Queer

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I wasn’t aware of Legend of the White Snake before signing up for the tour, but regular readers of my blog will know I am huge fan of anything to do with Asian mythology and folklore. Some of my favorite books in the genre would be Daughter of the Moon Goddess and Wicked Fox so I was excited to pick this one up. Like Daughter of the Moon Goddess this is still a young adult novel at its heart, but it features all the hallmarks of the genre. For someone looking to break into Asian mythology and folklore especially Chinese dramas then this might be the book for you. I hadn’t read Sher Lee’s other novel, Fake Dates and Mooncakes but it is something I will seriously consider picking up in the future because of how much I enjoyed this one.

Going into the book, I must agree with some other reviewers that the romance does feature insta-love, but in a lot of folklore this is a feature, so I wasn’t too bothered by it. However, there wasn’t much more development in the relationship after it is established. A lot of the relationship issues come from how deeply it is tied to the plot and how little development there is between Zhen and Xian. The stakes are quite high throughout the book, but I didn’t really like the aspect of Zhen hiding his identity from the person he claims to love. However, I do see how this will work for some and not for others and I personally fall somewhere in the middle as there were a lot of things I enjoyed but some I didn’t.

Zhen and Xian do spend a lot of time together throughout the book and we are able to see a lot of their personalities individually as well as a couple. This helped me appreciate the romance more despite the insta-love and it was cute enough that it didn’t distract me too much from the story. One thing I did adore about Legend of the White Snake was the cultural aspects, as this is a retelling of the legend in Chinese folklore. One of the twists is that instead of there being a female snake spirit falling for a young man we have a male spirit falling for the Crown Prince. One thing I will add is that despite there being a lot of inspiration from Chinese culture, Chinese mythology and philosophy it can be a bit confusing if you aren’t familiar with the legend being told so I would advise looking that up before beginning the book.

Overall, the characters and the relationship were good with some development, but the author could have taken some more time to develop the feelings between the characters and explaining the mythology a little more, so the reader doesn’t have to look up the legend in question. I personally found the author’s world building to have so much potential that was wasted here since the world building was severely lacking in places. That being said, these problems weren’t large enough for it to affect my overall enjoyment of the book, but it did leave me wanting a lot more than what I got in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I just finished reading AND sobbing my heart out to this masterpiece!! I've seen so many praise-filled, beautiful reviews for this story and it far surpassed my already high expectations. Sher's writing alone was deeply poetic and transported me straight to another realm, one full of magic and passion and sacrifice... One full of love that outlasts all. I was swept up from the start and adored how powerfully I felt each character's emotions. Xian and Zhen were incredible, and their respective relationships with Feng and Qing were depicted beautifully. (Qing was definitely a favorite character for me!)

The story itself was masterfully woven. Not being at all familiar with the tale this is based on (or much Chinese literature in general), I was thrilled by how vividly Sher fleshed out this world and its ways, and I'm STILL floored by the final plot twist! (Did NOT see that coming!!) All in all, a stunning read and another favorite!

a prince and a snake spirit's fate was intertwined that momentous day 7 years prior to the book's main timeline. the prince was having a rare pearl to heal his mother from severe illness, and a white snake swallowed that pearl. the prince had been hunting for snakes since. 7 years later, the oracle prophesied that the antidote can be found at a certain city. the prince went to that mission. lo and behold, the snake he was searching for was closer than he was expected.

this book was a grower. i didn't really sure at the beginning, but it progressively get more interesting as the story went on. at 50% mark, i was hooked. a lot of things i still couldn't completely understand, idk what cultivation is and i dont really get what the extend of the snake spirit's ability. but the main couple dynamics was nice, the plot twist was unpredictable, and the ending was acceptable even though it made me frown a bit. pretty fine for a standalone.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed the lore but couldn't get a feel for the characters. I liked the romance but overall it felt very meh. I couldn't get invested in the characters through the writing. I would however recommend this book for readers looking for this specific story with tension and interesting worldbuilding.

i’m embarrassed i didn’t finish this book in time for its release but im also very glad that i prolonged my time reading it. coincidentally, one of my classes this quarter is ‘storytelling’ and the first part is all about retellings and such so of course i decided to do research on the legend behind this book, so as i was reading and saw realgar’ i, firstly, got excited that my research paid off but secondly it made me know what was about to happen, making the entire scene much more on edge (in a good way!!). the way that lee wove the original legend in while making changes and allowing it to have a happy ending. i’ve been in a reading slump recently but that ending really helped me to get out of it, truly felt like a flip switched while reading, allowing me to get back in the swing of reading.
anyways. this was incredible. i loved the twists and the characters. the found family of it all. xian and zhen’s relationship was also so well written and well done. the way xian never used his power over zhen in the bedroom and even when they weren’t on good terms, xian never wanted true harm to come to zhen. another thing i found lovely was the realistic aspects of xian being a prince. with the one character and consequences/discipline, xian wouldn’t be able to let him go free as zhen wanted. he needed to give them some public punishment because he is a prince, he needs to show his power to his people. even if he doesn’t necessarily want to. it added a level of reality that didn’t hinder anything in the book or even make xian look harsh or ruthless, but rather add dimension to his character. i could go on for ages but this was amazing and lee did it once again. i loved their other book, another one that helped me out of a slump actually! so i knew this would be amazing but it well surpassed any and all expectations. what a lovely read

After Sher Lee's debut, Fake Dates and Mooncakes, my expectations for Legend of the White Snake were high, and Sher Lee certainly delivered!

Legend of the White Snake is a queer retelling of a Chinese folktale, with elements of romance, magic and mythology.
When he was little Prince Xian's mother was bitten by a white snake and this bite has condemned her to a slow, painful death. The cure can only be obtained from a rare white snake, or from an even rarer snake pearl.
Zhen was an ordinary white snake before consuming a snake pearl transformed him into a snake spirit with the ability to take human form.
When Xian travels across the county in a desperate last bid to catch a white snake and save his mother, he crosses paths with stable boy Zhen. The two are immediately drawn to each other, but eventually the truth about Zhen's identity will put their relationship to the test.

The beautiful storytelling drew me in straight away, and I found myself turning pages and easily losing myself in the richly drawn world of this story and the poetic narration. I liked both characters, but had a particularly soft spot for Zhen. I enjoyed the element of court politics and intrigue and found the story at times gut wrenching in the best way.

Read this novel if you enjoy:
🤍 Chinese mythology
🤍 shape shifters/animal spirits
🤍 magic
🤍 prince X stable boy
🤍 sacrifice, devotion and betrayal
🤍 a doomed romance

5 Reasons to Read

Legends and Traditions

The Chinese Folklore that fills the pages of this book make it so much fun to read. I loved learning about the Yin and Yang, the traditions of the Chinese Royal court, and the legends that have been handed down from generation to generation.

Snakes

So many cool facts about all kinds of different snakes. The details around every type of snake described made me appreciate the reptiles even more. It was such a unique addition to the storyline.

Romance

Let there be Romance! I loved the slow burn between Xian and Zhen. It was well worth it. I also loved the side romance and the way each of the characters fell for one another. So good!

Friendships & Found Family

This is definitely a friendship/found family story. Zhen and Qing have a bond like siblings but have only known each other a short while. On the opposite side, Xian and Feng have been friends since childhood and are as close as family can get. I loved getting to know all the character dynamics.

Betrayals

Xian believes he’s only just met Zhen for the first time but in reality, Zhen has been hiding a secret long kept from anyone over the past seven years. When secrets are revealed, the ultimate betrayal is unavoidable.

Loved this book. Not a romance girlie but I think I might have found my space in what to look for if I am in the mood for it.

3.75 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4 for GR) for Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee

Legend of the White Snake is a beautiful story based on a Chinese Folktale. A MM romance between a snake spirit turned man and the unsuspecting prince. I loved the easy flow of Sher Lee’s writing style. The love story was sweet, and the twists and turns had me gasping a few times. I loved how Zhen and Xian’s fates were woven so closely. The magic was easy to understand, but a little too convenient at times, which took away from the emotion to me. This was a quick and easy book packed with plenty of action and romance.
Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee came out October 15, 2024 so you can get your copy today!

Thank you #netgalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books/Quill Tree for the opportunity to read this arc.

I'd like to thank the author for providing me the e-arc of this marvelous book.

i went in fully blind. i love sher lee's first book and i simply needed to read this one too. and let me say, it did not disappoint AT ALL. it left me hooked up on every page, even though the beginning was a bit slow paced (in comparison to the rest of the book)

speaking of pace, I really saw the potential for one or even two more books. the story was filled with many events and they really would have carried a duology even better than a stand alone book.

i LOVED the characters, they are really well written and they all left a bit of them in my heart.

the story is amazing, which is also why i would have loved to read more of it, and it really kept my attention high throughout the whole book. the setting was actually new to me but i loved it and the author made sure to explain everything so that even someone who knows almost nothing about imperial china culture and traditions could enjoy and i really appreciated it.

the writing was really good in my opinion. having already read fake dates and mooncakes i expect a certain style and that was what i found in this book. at the same time it felt (rightfully) a whole new different thing and i think this isn't something so obvious.

overall i just wanted to say that i wouldn't mind if sher lee decided to write some more of their story (just saying)

Thank you to netgalley, Sher Lee and the Harper Collins for the eARC!

3.5 stars for me. If you're a fan of queer retellings of Chinese mythology with xianxia vibes, this is for you! I would rate it higher but I think the world building could be more developed. Besides that, I enjoyed the story and I like the characters. I'm not familiar with the original legend of the white snake so I cannot compare. The romance was a bit too insta-love/lust for me. But I still enjoyed the story overall. It's fast-paced story with lovable characters in a really beautiful setting. I'm so happy to have the opportunity to read this early.

Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee is out now! Happy publication day 🤍🐍

This is such a beautiful 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 book!! Xian and Zhen’s #epiclovestory is one that will stay with me for a long time. I loved this queer retelling of a folktale that transported me to a new land and stole my heart.

Legend of the White Snake
By Sher Lee
Happy publication day to Sher Lee! LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE is here! 🐍

As some of you know, I am not a big YA reader, but this one is targeted toward an older YA audience, and it’s just lovely and even a bit spicy! 🌶️

White snake is a powerful figure in Chinese lore, and the legend (as shared in this queer re-telling) is that the snake stole a magic pearl from a young boy, thus preventing the boy - a prince - from using it to heal his ill mother (whom the white snake had bitten). Seven years later, the white snake, on the run with his sister and taking human form as Zhen, infiltrates the palace and meets the earnest and passionate prince, Xian, and their fated connection sparks and grows. The prince does not initially know of Zhen’s history and actions, and is trying to track down the pearl he had lost to Zhen in order to heal his mother. But then he learns of the terrible story, and his walls go up. Zhen, trying to figure out how to do the right thing, is devastated and then captured and fated (temporarily, as it turns out) to a long and agonizing torture by the secretly, doubly-evil palace scientist, who has been experimenting with snakes, ostensibly to find the cure for the queen. But, alas, no, it’s been to accrue his own dark power. 👿

This is the story of an heroic prince and a loving servant (a spirit snake in the form of a commoner), drawn together by a tragedy not truly of their own making. It is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-and-finally-back-to-lovers story. It’s an epic tale of the power of love and family and trust and understanding and healing. ♥️

The side characters are also beautifully drawn: the kind mother, the powerful father, the evil step-brother, the prince’s best friend, the prince’s loyal but suspicious guard, the two-faced evil scientist, the snake-boy’s sister, their protector, and more. 👸🏻

Ultimately, this a story about love and betrayal and honor and magic and one of my favorite tropes of all time - soulmates. Or, as it’s referenced here, zhi ji. 💞

In LOTWS, Sher Lee has undertaken deep and revealing research into Chinese history and lore and language and culture. It was amazing to read and learn along the way. 🧧

Thanks to the author and HarperCollins Children for the digital egalley! I can’t wait to get this gorgeous book - look at it! - in my hands! ✨