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A review by zoekatereads
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
5.0
"Live not for those whose souls rest in eternal slumber in the next world...but for those still struggling to find that peace in this one."
A beautifully crafted story with immersive world building, an engaging plot that had me hooked very early on, and characters that truly stole my heart. This is some of the most gorgeous writing I’ve read for a while. The story is constructed so well, the pacing was excellent (especially for the first book in a series) and the world is so rich. I genuinely cannot wait to see where the series will go!
Lan is a song girl working in a city that has been taken over by Elantian colonisers. She once went by another name, but the death of her mother left her with only her talent for song and a strange mark on her arm, left by her mother, that only she can see. The magic of her people has been outlawed, and Lan does all she can to hunt down anything that may help decipher her mark.
Zen is a practitioner - a magician of the Last Kingdom who’s relationship with magic is…complicated. After saving Lan’s life, the two venture together to work out the mystery behind her mark.
'Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world' - this was absolutely the bit of the blurb that sold me on this book.
The world building was incredible. Right from the off we are immersed in the world, following Lan as she is trying to uncover the meaning of her mark through forbidden historical texts. The story felt so well researched and whole, the layering of mythology creating such a rich world for the plot.
I loved the magic system - it was woven into the world beautifully and the descriptions were so vivid. The inclusion of a magical institute really helped to seat the mentor/mentee theme that had begun to develop earlier on in the book and again helped cement the world building by creating a greater sense of history.
Lan and Zen's povs were both really enjoyable. Zen in particular suffers through such inner conflict, and his past is constantly haunting him. I felt we got a good amount of development from Lan (especially towards the end of the book) and watching the dynamic between her and Zen develop and change through the story was wonderful to read.
I was absolutely fighting for my life finishing this book (note to self: do not finish books in a starbucks
A beautifully crafted story with immersive world building, an engaging plot that had me hooked very early on, and characters that truly stole my heart. This is some of the most gorgeous writing I’ve read for a while. The story is constructed so well, the pacing was excellent (especially for the first book in a series) and the world is so rich. I genuinely cannot wait to see where the series will go!
Lan is a song girl working in a city that has been taken over by Elantian colonisers. She once went by another name, but the death of her mother left her with only her talent for song and a strange mark on her arm, left by her mother, that only she can see. The magic of her people has been outlawed, and Lan does all she can to hunt down anything that may help decipher her mark.
Zen is a practitioner - a magician of the Last Kingdom who’s relationship with magic is…complicated. After saving Lan’s life, the two venture together to work out the mystery behind her mark.
'Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world' - this was absolutely the bit of the blurb that sold me on this book.
The world building was incredible. Right from the off we are immersed in the world, following Lan as she is trying to uncover the meaning of her mark through forbidden historical texts. The story felt so well researched and whole, the layering of mythology creating such a rich world for the plot.
I loved the magic system - it was woven into the world beautifully and the descriptions were so vivid. The inclusion of a magical institute really helped to seat the mentor/mentee theme that had begun to develop earlier on in the book and again helped cement the world building by creating a greater sense of history.
Lan and Zen's povs were both really enjoyable. Zen in particular suffers through such inner conflict, and his past is constantly haunting him. I felt we got a good amount of development from Lan (especially towards the end of the book) and watching the dynamic between her and Zen develop and change through the story was wonderful to read.
I was absolutely fighting for my life finishing this book (note to self: do not finish books in a starbucks