Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - A Song to Drown Rivers

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A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

5 reviews

nina_elin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

I like how Liang shows both sides of war and manages to build sympathy for both sides equally by showing the pain of each kingdoms citizens. I also admire how she made both Fuchai and Goujian terrible people in the end. Fuchai reminded me of a petulant child for most of the story, so I pictures him younger than he probably was, which made me a bit uncomfortable with his deep-running love for Xishi. I don’t really understand his relationship with his father, but it heavily influenced the way he acted, so I wish that would have been fleshed out a bit more. But overall, his portrayal was really great and showed both his awful and caring side and I definitely understand why Xishi was so torn

when it came to killing him.

I did not care much for Fanlis and Xishis romance. It happened very suddenly and out of the blue and her tries at seducing him were rather embarrassing in my opinion. It truly made me cringe and want to skip these scenes. Plus, his constant coldness just wasn’t my thing. At no point before she left for Wu did he even indicate that he was interested in her. It really had me question his passion for her. I just didn’t feel like they had much chemistry. However, I am one for the dramatics and loved the end where

Xishis ghost/soul waited for centuries for them to be joined again

, even though they only ever spent a few weeks together. Very dramatic, and though it was different from the rest of the book to the point I felt like it didn’t really fit in (Maybe it was because Fanli was suddenly grieving her so fiercely, when he seemed mostly detached before), the writing was truly at its most beautiful in this last bit.

I liked the ending a lot, and I was very excited in the beginning, because the entire time Xishi was studying I was picturing a scene à la „Barbie- princess and the pauper“ and I was up for her learning both etiquette and political strategies. However, the middle lacked a bit of excitement for me. As soon as she was in Fuchais palace, there was not really any sense of danger or stakes. He read her every wish and I feel like it was just too easy for her to plan this entire attack and gain his trust. I must admit that I was a little bored in the middle there. I just wish there had been a bit more danger.

Overall, it was an okay read. Interesting, definitely, and I’m not mad I read it and had my fair share of fun. Will it be one of my all-time favorites, though? Probably not.

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booksemmahasread's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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baileybeloved's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Loved the world building, the characters, & the ending.

As with a lot of historical fiction/retellings, you could see where the story was going the entire time & I knew, basically beat for beat, what was coming next, but it didn’t take away from the emotions of it.

Everyone got the ending they were always going to have & I respect that. I think Liang has excellent characterization skills, which really aids in making the plot both believable and predictable - not that that is a bad thing. Knowing the characters so well that I can predict their thoughts/motivations just means (to me) that you’ve created some very well fleshed out characters.

A small thing I really liked - up until the end - is that we see a lot of moments where Xishi is forced to face that people, regardless of kingdom, are just people. Everyone loses family in wars regardless of side, every kingdom has a king who is selfish, every court is made up of individuals with their own tragedies & losses, & every mountain can be stunning, regardless of the earth it resides on. Though Xishi sort of acknowledges this through noting her surprise (thinking specifically of the line

”you call the Yue monsters?”

), it is kept in the background. It does not change Xishi’s mind or her mission, which I liked for her character. Then at the end, you have another character kind of bring that point home for her, which I thought was kind of unnecessary for the story. Like it is understandable that that is that character’s belief, but I just felt like that being the catalyst for Xishi’s next actions, & the ultimate climax of the book, was a little bit unnecessary.

Overall, I liked this story a lot. The book itself is also stunning (I have the hardcover with the art on the front (sword) & back (hairpin) beneath what is already a beautiful cover).

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spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

𝘐𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴, 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘳.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of ancient China's Four Beauties, this novel follows a young woman's journey as she becomes a spy to save her kingdom. Trained by military advisor Fanli, Xishi infiltrates the rival Wu palace to seduce & weaken their king. As she navigates court politics & her growing feelings for Fanli, Xishi must maintain her cover or risk the destruction of both kingdoms.
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Ann Liang's retelling of Xishi's legend is a breathtaking journey through ancient China's political landscape. Her writing paints such a vivid world, bringing to life the struggles of women in a male-dominated society.

The intricate dance of courtly politics & espionage was brilliantly executed, contrasted with the forbidden romance & pining between Xishi & Fanli added so much more to this already emotional story.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.

This isn't just historical fiction; it's a captivating experience that will resonate long after the final page. Prepare for a harrowing odyssey through love, duty, & self-discovery.

Fair warning: it's emotionally intense and gut-wrenching at times. I have not fully recovered as of posting this review ❤️‍🩹 but Ann has truly elevated her craft, cementing her status as a must-read author of mine.

If you loved I Hope This Doesn't Find You, prepare for something totally different but equally amazing ✨

Read if you love:
🏮 ancient Chinese legend retelling
🪷 strongly written FMCs
🏮 forbidden romance
🪷 star-crossed lovers
🏮 espionage

Content Warnings

just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

I was pretty excited to receive an ARC of this historical fantasy/folklore retelling from NetGalley (thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press). This particular genre mash-up is one of my favorites, in general, and especially, as in this case, when it introduces me to a mythology that I didn't previously know about. You know that as soon as I finished I went and looked up the variations of the "original" tale of Xishi, to see how this compared to the common telling(s). I love that for me. Anyhoo, my review follows.

Shoutout to Goodreads for saving me from writing all my own blurbs: "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."

Y'all, this was so good. It had all the vibes of epic historical fantasy: the world-building was fantastic (I mean, it's historical fiction as a base, so real life, but the setting/time period was brought to life spectacularly), the character development was fully dimensional and nuanced (for Xishi and Fanli, of course, but also for some of our accessory characters, like Xishi's friend/fellow agent Zhengdan and the king of Wu, Fuchai), and the storytelling flowed and was paced so smoothly. It's a slower development, but never drags. The focus on the interpersonal relationship developments, the small nuances of political machinations and playing the long game, but with all the just-under-the-surface simmering tensions that come with "spy" style infiltration stories, is done with precision and skill. And the descriptions and dialogue have a beauty and rhythm to them that is really artistic. Together, it made this a really compelling read, despite the more steady forward movement. And then, as the whole novel builds to the moment of betrayal, when it finally comes, it is - realistically - over in almost the blink of an eye. The mark of a well-planned plot (both literally and literar-ily). And those final lines though; I actually deep sighed at reading them. Just...overall, the writing and narrative are stunning.

Very importantly, the slowwwwww burn - like, the slowest of burns - between Xishi and Fanli was everything. And then their separation...excruciating! The just-barely-but-not-fully-possible of their feelings/love is written so well. Oh, my heart. And it had all the hallmarks of great historical romance (light touches, stolen glances, etc.) that are so hot, for the depth of connection/feeling they're communicating, for all that the interactions themselves are so slight. Phew. And then, this mythology did not get a "happier" ending in its retelling! I mean, let me just say, I totally respect the author for adhering to the harder version of the original, while also including an explanation for how an alternate version might also have spread (as I said, I researched while reading this and learned about the two primary ways people say this legend ended). But also, the tragedy. My heart broke to know that the foreshadowing of doom was not just a device. And after all that pining and waiting, too! I weep, I mourn the lost love. And a pox on the hardness of men with ambition they value over all else.

Thematically, Liang really dives into the cycle of war and revenge; how, at the end of the day, it's all about the honor/glory of a few men. And other than that, all the cycle does is wound and devastate on both sides, with the “regular” people paying the price(s). As Xishi spends more time in the Wu kingdom, she really starts to see how the people themselves have more in common with each other than with the leaders who use them to carry out battles and plots for their own gain. These everyday people on both sides who are just trying to live their lives, but are blinded by the propaganda of blame that then fabricates further tragedy. And yet, they cannot see that forest through the trees until, as we see with Xishi, they are given a chance to spend time with each other. Oooof what a demonstration of a universally horrific concept. Liang even does a fantastic job humanizing the leaders themselves, showing how even within the ranks of power, there are a few calling the shots and the rest holding on for dear life/reputation. The way Xishi's relationship with Fuchai develops is gorgeous with that insight and complexity. His own search for connection and meaning doesn't excuse his actions/choices, but it does add layers to his humanity that creates some really fantastic depth and nuance around a character that could easily have been one-dimensional. And it culminates impressively, at the end, with Fuchai's final request of Xishi. The conflict of her lifelong hate/grudge and the reality of his person (as opposed to the specter of him) is too good. It's heart wrenching. It’s quite literally all the feels.

I was blown away by this novel. I haven't read anything by Liang before, but knowing this is her first adult novel, and first historical novel, I am just...wow. I loved it. I hope we get more (fingers crossed: I mean, there are Four Beauties of Ancient China, after all) because it was that good.

“…my beauty was something unnatural, transcending nature itself. And that beauty is not so different from destruction.”

“Then again, perhaps there could be no normal children raised in an age of war.”

“When it came down to it, the choice was this: a kingdom, or my happiness. And how many people under Heaven were really fortunate enough to know happiness?”

“In a world where everyone will demand something from you, it requires a certain degree of selfishness to be happy, you know.”

“A feeling expanded in my chest then, like an eagle spreading its wings for the first time. Power.”

“They assumed their money protected them from everything. The ultimate injustice was that sometimes it did.”

“What better way to show that you took another person’s power seriously than to suffer for their sake?”

“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history, and whatever flickered between us felt so terribly fragile compared to the immovable weight of mountains, of kingdoms, of war.”

“One cannot save the world and live in peace. That’s not how these things work.”

“How many women throughout history were blamed for the weaknesses of men? We made such convenient scapegoats. We were raised to be small, to be silent, to take whatever we were given and no more.”

“Love is a knife; it cuts both ways.”

“It was a reversal of the popular stories passed among the villagers. The beautiful girl with blood under her nails, who did not need saving from danger but was instead the danger itself.”

“Time to speak, to drop our pretenses, to ask how he was. I would not have been so happy even if he’d single-handedly plucked the moon out of the sky for me, if he’d woven me a necklace made of all the stars in the heavens.”

“…I might have called it beautiful. Beautiful not in the way of a painting or poetry, but a natural disaster: a storm, or a falling comet.”

“What is home, if not you?”

“Just as the ocean tides ebb and flow beneath the moon, empires will rise and collapse, wars will start and cease, and the rest of us will be left to struggle against the currents.”

“He smiles, and the fog lifts.”

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