Reviews with content warning for Suicide - A Song to Drown Rivers

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

12 reviews

libaistan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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novellisa22's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Ever admit to purchasing a book because of its cover? I will admit it, I did!

I am slowly adding fantasy to the genres that I read (I need an escape), but I don’t want them to be too far out there.

While reading A Song To Drown Rivers, I felt that this wasn’t as much the fantasy genre. It felt more like Old Chinese folklore,which was intriguing. The story had war, revenge, love and betrayal. It was a slow burn of a book while setting up the story and very detail oriented. It was beautifully written but at times I felt dragged just a bit. I could have been (while reading) a child being told the legend of the concubine, Xishi and how she took down a kingdom with her beauty.

Xishi has been asked to assist the Yue people and kingdom to be the Wu King's concubine as a spy. She will have to learn the ways of court, the palace and etiquette in order to become King Fanchi’s favorite. However, she falls in love with the minister who is training her to seduce the King. (And as we know, it's hard to remember your focus when you are in love!)

I enjoyed reading this and wondering how this was going to play out…I believe I just need a little more of an open mind when it comes to these types of books. It was good. It was sad. It had some words to take to heart. And I liked it.

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fpalladino's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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poohshunnybee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

*vibes vibes vibes*

This book was written so beautifully. I think Ann Liang could easily become one of my favorite authors. Her prose is lush, atmospheric (like again, vibes vibes vibes!!!), and I loved reading this both with my eyeballs and listening to the narration. It flowed gorgeously!

However, I am not sold on the main romance in this novel. I was told that they were inlove, and not really shown it.

I hate to ship the main character Xishi with someone who is allegedly horrible and someone we are not supposed to root for (enemy king of Wu terrority, Fuchai).... but I did lmao. I'm not going to apologize about it either. They had *chemistry*. They had a connection that was built up and developed over years!

I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but damn .... I did not know that was how the book would end, and I found Xishi's other love interest Fanli to be .... boring. His name should've been BLAND-LI (lol sorry that was corny, but I am a corny, unserious person).

Anyway, I will continue to read from Ann Liang, but I also struggle to understand how this is marketed as "fantasy" ???? Can someone explain it to me like I'm five? Please??

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natashaleighton_'s review

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A politically charged, historical epic that was as emotionally devastating as it was compelling! Ann Liang’s venture into the historical genre was a surprising shift from her more contemporary, YA adjacent works. But I really enjoyed every atmospheric moment of it.

Inspired by the story of Xishi (one of the Four Legendary Beauties of Ancient China), Liang weaves an intricately rich narrative that delves into the complex themes of war, love, sacrifice and betrayal. Which sees Xishi charge headfirst into the tumultuous world of corruption and court politics; to take down the tyrannical king whose army destroyed her village (and stole her sister’s life.)

It’s tragic and gut wrenching at times, but at the beating heart is the anger and desperation of countless women, whose lives are forever changed by the whims of callous, egotistical men. Xishi’s not the only woman on a quest within the place walls, as desperation and a need for survival has led others to seek refuge/vengeance there also. But she was definitely the most determined and successful in her endeavours. Which were soo nerve wrecking to experience.

I absolutely loved Xishi as a character and really enjoyed watching how she navigated such a cut throat world. Her conflicting emotions, as she meets others in this enemy kingdom whose experiences of war mirror her own, were exquisitely evocative and really highlighted the disproportionate impact war causes on the poorest and most vulnerable— but especially women and children.

For someone like me, who lives in a country that has never had to experience the effects of war firsthand, but have seen (via social media,etc) the very real and horrifying damage they inflict— Xishi’s hesitancy is probably the most relatable response I’ve seen in a protagonist in a while. And will no doubt kick start soo many thought provoking discussions that would be perfect for book clubs (or even a starting point for classroom dialogues surrounding War.)

On a lighter note, Xishi’s chemistry with military advisor, Fanli was off the charts! The longing looks and yearning they had for one another was soo good, I was literally rooting for them to just give up and run away together.

I don’t want to say too much else for fear of spoiling the plot. But I highly suggest investing in the biggest box of tissues you can, as there were quite a few scenes that absolutely destroyed me. So do take this into consideration if you’re also an emotional reader.

Overall, an unforgettable read that I really enjoyed— I just wish it was a bit longer as the second half passed by far too quickly for my liking. And as a always, do check TWs beforehand.

Also, a huge thank you to BookBreak / Tor UK for the stunning proof.

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izzyrbell's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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trudyjeanne7's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Advanced Listening Copy kindly provided by Libro.fm

Devastating. This book is devastating. Devastatingly beautiful, devastatingly complex, devastatingly sad.

Xishi is beautiful. It is known. She is from the village of Yue, a place that has been overtaken and ravaged by the kingdom of Wu.

A plot becomes apparent when Fanli, the military advisor to the defeated king, comes to convince Xishi to use her beauty for revenge. Her task is to seduce the young king of Yue, leaving his kingdom open for reclaiming. The tension between Xishi and her love interests is apparent, and the longing in this book is artfully done. The plot moves quickly, and twists and turns happen in ways that you’ll never expect.

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violetdawn_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A Song to Drown Rivers is a tragic retelling of one of China's renowned Four Beauties - Xishi - and it really tugs at the heartstrings! I immediately appreciated that the book wasted no time getting into the story. The writing style was beautifully vibrant and descriptive, and it flowed really well and made it so entrancing to read. I loved watching Xishi and Fanli fall in love slowly and innocently, though I would have loved to have seen more interactions between them to make their relationship feel more convincing. Darker themes are woven into the story such as the treatment of women in war, hierarchy and servitude, and suicidal honour.
I highly recommend to those who enjoy historical romance, particularly set in China.

eARC provided by Pan Macmillan via NetGalley.

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btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

No one talk to me.

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Okay, I've taken a breath. Review below.

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No one is more disappointed than me that I didn't absolutely love the heck out of this book. Ann Liang is one of my favourite authors, but this just didn't work out for me for a few reasons, which I'll get into.

This is sold as an adult historical fantasy romance. I'm not sure which part of this book qualified it as adult other than the ages of the characters (which was more New Adult than Adult, and I wonder why the cast was so young for what they needed to do), but it felt more YA in its overall storytelling and themes. To temper expectations, this is 80% historical, 15% romance, and 5% fantasy. The historical aspect was really interesting. I feel like she set up the war and the political theory side of the story really well. The two fighting kingdoms are well established, the impact of the war on our MC's village was clear, and the message at the end was really effective. Everything was pretty solid in that area, though it did get a little lost in the middle.

The romance is something I had a lot of issues with. I cared more about the unhinged villain king than I did the LI, and that's because the LI is basically not in this book, which is a wild choice. I did feel the tension when he was in certain scenes, but as a whole, he was forgotten by the MC and by me as a result. Fuchai, on the other hand, was absolutely unhinged, but his story arc was extremely interesting and I loved how everything played out for his character. That packed such a punch for me, that everything that happens with the LI felt inconsequential to Xishi's life and journey.

The last piece, fantasy, was barely present. However, it is the key to understanding why much of the story feels a bit disconnected. I can't say much else without spoiling, but while I found it interesting, it felt too little too late by the time that reveal happens, and by then I was already fully disconnected from the MC.

As a whole, the pacing of the story was off, the world building itself was very limited, and the relationships just weren't developed well enough for me to be invested in everything (outside of Fuchai), and it just left me disappointed. That being said, maybe this book will be for you as I've seen so many people absolutely loving it. However, it just didn't work for me in the end.

TW: death, blood, death of a child, war, violence, injury detail, sexism, alcohol consumption, suicide; mentions torture, murder

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
World Building: 1.5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Pacing: 2.5/5
Overall: 3/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

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