Reviews

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

sretta's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’ve been looking forward to this since it was first announced and it didn’t disappoint! I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed Ann Liang’s other works. I’ve always found it difficult to put down her books once I’ve started on them and the same goes for this one! Although slow at some parts, I thought the story was very well written and takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. Liang’s a fantastic writer and is shown through her complex characters and their relationships with each other; making you contemplate which side should you really root for. Even though it was heart wrenching, I really enjoyed the book and was invested in the story and characters. I am looking forward to see what Liang writes next! 

cometgrrl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Ann Liang’s A Song to Drown Rivers is an emotional exploration of sacrifice and revenge.

Xishi is an unparalleled beauty who lives in a remote Yue village, terrorized by nightmares of her younger sister’s murder at the hands of Wu soldiers.

Enter Fanli, a famous military advisor to the Yue King. Fanli is searching for a beautiful girl to send as a bride to the Wu King, someone who can be trained as a spy and work to undermine the Wu kingdom.

Enlisting Xishi for this mission, Fanli trains her in deception, cunning, and intrigue. Xishi learns to use her beauty as both a weapon and as armor.

As Xishi climbs ranks with the Wu court and captures the attention of the Wu King, she finds it harder and harder to maintain her hatred. Yet, ultimately, she knows what she must do and the price she must pay for failure.

How much must Xishi sacrifice? For her family, her kingdom, and to avenge her sister? Who is the true enemy within this complicated web of lies?

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I loved the character development, the pacing, and the rise and fall of emotions. If this doesn’t leave you teary-eyed, you may have a heart of stone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

fayettejill's review

adventurous emotional 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? No

5.0

Xishi’s beauty is well known within her village of Yue. When she draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, she is approached with the opportunity to infiltrate the kingdom that killed her sister and destroy it from within. All she has to do is win the eye of the king and make him fall for her. However, that's easier said than done when her heart belongs to Fanli and she is under constant watch from the Wu advisors. 

All I can say about this book is just WOW. I am floored. The last 20% I was holding my breath with anticipation with what I knew was coming. While I thought I knew how this was going to end, the actual ending left me speechless. It was everything I expected while also not. 

There wasn't a single thing I disliked about this book. The pacing was so well done, the world building was amazing, and reading how Xishi's mind worked through how she was going to deceive the Wu king felt so realistic. I love reading about women who change the course of history through their intelligence, and this book was no exception. It was refreshing that, while the FMC was beautiful, ultimately she had to rely on things other than her beauty to get her through. I also enjoyed that the time frame for this book was over the span of 2 years and not a few weeks. It made it feel so much more realistic. 

Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this book and will be shouting from the rooftops for people to read it. 1000/10 stars.

Big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

juliiareads's review

4.0

4.5 ˖⁺‧✮ |

I have no words to describe what I’m feeling…

I never was a fan of historic books, but this was beautiful. With each page, I was more invested into the world, writing and characters. I wishing for new pages to appear, to change everything but they never did.✨

laelyn's review

4.0

My very first novel by Ann Liang, and oh did I enjoy this one! "A Song to Drown Rivers" tells the story of one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China, Xishi. Trained to become the perfect spy, she is sent as a concubine to a rival king with orders to seduce him and manipulate him into the eventual destruction of his own kingdom. I was immediately absorbed in her story, which was aided by Liang's gorgeous prose. Xishi is a complex, wonderful protagonist with flaws and insecurities, and I was worried for her the entire time. I also really enjoyed the romance in this one, as it's beautifully slow-burn and the love interest - strategist Fanli, the one who trains her to become a spy - is just as complex and fascinating as she is. While we don't learn much about any of the side characters, I still felt especially for Xishi's closest friend and was intrigued by the Wu king Fuchai- and wow am I grateful that Liang managed to make him feel both rotten and despicable but also sweet and gentle, and she never shied away from showing us how conflicted Xishi is about this duality while never venturing into the dreaded 'woobifying the villain for love triangle reasons' territory. Yes this happens way too often, yes I am so grateful it doesn't happen here. Honestly, the way Liang writes the relationship between the two of them is masterful.

The novel is well-crafted and evenly paced, full of adventure and tragedy and several shades of grey. The ending hit hard, and after my follow-up wiki binge a part of me does wish that one of the other ending versions of the tale had been chosen, but another part still thought that the ending we got is kind of perfect and tonally fits the novel best. My only minor grievances would be that the way Xishi accomplishes her goals is at times a little too easy and that some of the minor characters could have been more fleshed out, especially on the Wu side.

All in all, loved it, will definitely look into Liang's previous work. As far as I know she's usually more a YA contemporary author which is not really my genre anymore, but her writing style is just amazing and I do hope she'll try her hand at yet another historical fiction piece at some point.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc!

atlasrising41818's review

5.0

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this early!

Just...wow. From beginning to end, this book absolutely shattered my heart. It was beautiful and tragic in the best way, and I'm so grateful I got to experience this story. The author did an amazing job here!

katelin00's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I cried. Twice. This is a historical fantasy that broke my heart. Ann Liang’s worldbuilding and storytelling are fantastic. While the start of the book was slow, once Xishi got to the Wu empire, I could not put it down. Usually, when I read a fantasy, I want magic, and there is none to be had. The reason this did not get a higher rating was the slower start and the lack of magic. I do forgive the lack of magic because once the story picked up, I was invested.

I went into this book without knowing anything about the mythology of Xishi or Fanli. I’m happy to have no background knowledge because I did not know what to expect. The twists and turns, the political intrigue, the character deaths all pulled on my heartstrings.

I found Xishi’s complicated relationship with Fuchai so fascinating. The mixed emotions she has are perfectly human, and it makes the story so much more relatable. The reasons behind her decisions make sense, and I truly enjoyed the story because of them. Liang handles the tension of Xishi’s situation masterfully, and by the end, you’re invested.

The end was brutal. My heart broke for Xishi, Fanli, and Fuchai. I don’t cry often from books, but the tears were wrenched from me. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and I plan to check out more of Liang’s books.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

 

bettybooks221's review

the gang is what we trust

raceyburden's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

saiyuki's review

medium-paced

5.0