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A review by breabooks
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I’m not sure where to begin with this review other than I wish I had some warning as to the amount of tragedy that occurs. I have zero knowledge of Chinese mythology, so I went into this book with only the knowledge that it is a historical fantasy(ish).
Xishi is an otherworldly beauty who, like everyone else, suffers from the side effects of war. Her sister was killed and her village suffers. She hates the Wu people. Xishi is able to potential enact her revenge when Fanli, the advisor of the Yue Kingdom, recruits her to become a spy disguised as a concubine for the King of the Wu. Xishi and her best friend, Zhengdan, train with Fanli to become a concubine and palace lady respectively. When Xishi finally arrives in the palace she must question her feelings of affection, play the games of the court, and win over King Fuchai in order to bring down his kingdom.
Ok, so… the story itself is great. Beautiful and heart wrenching, Liang explored what the true idea of freedom is among a monarchy. The ending really pulls at your heartstrings in addition to making you question your beliefs. It reads like a K-drama, which I assume is the point. The prose was beautiful if not overdone. I thought the pacing all over the place. The action would be nonstop only to lull with page after page of prose and inner monologue. I skimmed over a lot that did not advance the plot.
The characters were all incredibly tragic. I feel like Liang did all of the characters justice in terms of development. The development between characters was lacking. There was so much potential to build the connection between (to avoid spoilers) both sets of couples, but instead it’s assumed that they just grew closer. I also found it weird that Xishi’s illness basically goes away even though it was prominent at the start.
Overall, it was a solid 3. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t see myself buying a copy or rereading it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC
Xishi is an otherworldly beauty who, like everyone else, suffers from the side effects of war. Her sister was killed and her village suffers. She hates the Wu people. Xishi is able to potential enact her revenge when Fanli, the advisor of the Yue Kingdom, recruits her to become a spy disguised as a concubine for the King of the Wu. Xishi and her best friend, Zhengdan, train with Fanli to become a concubine and palace lady respectively. When Xishi finally arrives in the palace she must question her feelings of affection, play the games of the court, and win over King Fuchai in order to bring down his kingdom.
Ok, so… the story itself is great. Beautiful and heart wrenching, Liang explored what the true idea of freedom is among a monarchy. The ending really pulls at your heartstrings in addition to making you question your beliefs. It reads like a K-drama, which I assume is the point. The prose was beautiful if not overdone. I thought the pacing all over the place. The action would be nonstop only to lull with page after page of prose and inner monologue. I skimmed over a lot that did not advance the plot.
The characters were all incredibly tragic. I feel like Liang did all of the characters justice in terms of development. The development between characters was lacking. There was so much potential to build the connection between (to avoid spoilers) both sets of couples, but instead it’s assumed that they just grew closer. I also found it weird that Xishi’s illness basically goes away even though it was prominent at the start.
Overall, it was a solid 3. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t see myself buying a copy or rereading it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC