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A review by kassidyscatalogue
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this story.

I picked A Song to Drown Rivers up without really knowing what it was about.  I didn't read the blurb they give you, I just liked the cover and knew it was Asian inspired.

Boy did I go for a ride.  Liang did a great job keeping me glued to the pages.  She took politics and made it captivating.  I needed to know what was going to happen next.  How was Xishi going to entrance Fuchai? What would he do if he found out her plans?

Liang did a really nice job making me love Fuchai, the enemy king.  I loved that he wasn't purely evil, but rather...morally grey as some would say.  I liked how you could tell Xishi was torn between him and her duty to the Yue.  At times I almost wished she didn't have to follow through with her plans.

The ending had me sobbing.  I liked the change in perspective and I think it really added to the story.  

This book had a great story and tackled some tough questions about morality, loyalty, and guilt.  There were also a lot of great quotes throughout.

The only issue I had was that it is labeled as romance and fantasy, however I didn't see any fantasy elements within the story.  I believe this would be more along the lines of historical fiction.  Despite that, I definitely recommend reading it.