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A review by btwnprintedpgs
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
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.
---
Okay, I've taken a breath. Review below.
---
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, and War
Moderate: Child death, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Murder