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A review by ayeitsdaye
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
5.0
“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history…”
Xishi has grown up knowing nothing but her rural village in the war ravaged Kingdom of Yue, the riverbanks where she washes silks, the repeating nightmare of the day the Wu Kingdom slaughtered her young sister. She’s known the allure of the otherworldly beauty she was born with, beauty that could topple a kingdom.
An act of bravery leads to a chance encounter with Fanli, the frigid yet handsome young advisor to Yue’s King on the riverbank forces Xishi to choose between her personal happiness and revenge for her sister and kingdom.
Xishi trains under Fanli to become concubine to the Wu King himself, with hopes of toppling the kingdom that took her sister and happiness from her. She soon finds that war and revenge are not as black and white as they once seemed.
This book absolutely gutted me more than once, it takes a LOT to get me misty eyed, nevermind three times!!! I wasn’t sure about Xishi at the start, but she proved herself to be a relatable, wise but not infallible. The romance is performed so delicately, leaving you wanting so much more (a little like Xishi herself!) the prose flow: with grace, enough to be incredibly immersive, but not overly flowery. Such a fine balance! Overall, a Song to Drown Rivers is a very rich and powerful tale about a woman’s role in history, the will of Kings and their detachment from the people they are meant to serve. I can already see that I will be thinking about this book daily for weeks to come!!
Huge THANK YOU to St Martin’s and NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing ARC that may very well be the most memorable read of the year. Truly stunning! Bravo!
Xishi has grown up knowing nothing but her rural village in the war ravaged Kingdom of Yue, the riverbanks where she washes silks, the repeating nightmare of the day the Wu Kingdom slaughtered her young sister. She’s known the allure of the otherworldly beauty she was born with, beauty that could topple a kingdom.
An act of bravery leads to a chance encounter with Fanli, the frigid yet handsome young advisor to Yue’s King on the riverbank forces Xishi to choose between her personal happiness and revenge for her sister and kingdom.
Xishi trains under Fanli to become concubine to the Wu King himself, with hopes of toppling the kingdom that took her sister and happiness from her. She soon finds that war and revenge are not as black and white as they once seemed.
This book absolutely gutted me more than once, it takes a LOT to get me misty eyed, nevermind three times!!! I wasn’t sure about Xishi at the start, but she proved herself to be a relatable, wise but not infallible. The romance is performed so delicately, leaving you wanting so much more (a little like Xishi herself!) the prose flow: with grace, enough to be incredibly immersive, but not overly flowery. Such a fine balance! Overall, a Song to Drown Rivers is a very rich and powerful tale about a woman’s role in history, the will of Kings and their detachment from the people they are meant to serve. I can already see that I will be thinking about this book daily for weeks to come!!
Huge THANK YOU to St Martin’s and NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing ARC that may very well be the most memorable read of the year. Truly stunning! Bravo!