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A review by onthesamepage
Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I'm having a hard time reviewing this book, because there's not much to latch onto, unfortunately. I think it was well-written and easy to read, and the lore was interesting. I liked the role music played in the story. But I think what I should have cared about the most is the romance between Xue and Jinglang, and unfortunately it left me fairly cold. Part of that is because the emotional developments feel like they mostly happened off-page. We're told that Xue is developing feelings for him, but we don't really dig into that, other than a few moments where they comfort each other, or a handful of kisses in the last quarter of the book. But I just couldn't feel connected to either of them.
The pacing of the story is fairly slow as well, until the last 20% or so, which was a lot of big explanations in a way that took me by surprise. Up to that point, the author had a deft hand when it came to explaining the world, but that last part made me feel bombarded with new information. I saw some of the twists coming, while others surprised me. I think there was potential for some really heartwarming relationships, but it just didn't go deep enough.
The ending is kind of open, which I didn't mind, but there's also a lot that gets mentioned early on but never explained, like why Xue's family was punished, and a few things that smack of plot convenience.
I'm having a hard time reviewing this book, because there's not much to latch onto, unfortunately. I think it was well-written and easy to read, and the lore was interesting. I liked the role music played in the story. But I think what I should have cared about the most is the romance between Xue and Jinglang, and unfortunately it left me fairly cold. Part of that is because the emotional developments feel like they mostly happened off-page. We're told that Xue is developing feelings for him, but we don't really dig into that, other than a few moments where they comfort each other, or a handful of kisses in the last quarter of the book. But I just couldn't feel connected to either of them.
The pacing of the story is fairly slow as well, until the last 20% or so, which was a lot of big explanations in a way that took me by surprise. Up to that point, the author had a deft hand when it came to explaining the world, but that last part made me feel bombarded with new information. I saw some of the twists coming, while others surprised me. I think there was potential for some really heartwarming relationships, but it just didn't go deep enough.
The ending is kind of open, which I didn't mind, but there's also a lot that gets mentioned early on but never explained, like why Xue's family was punished, and a few things that smack of plot convenience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault