A Song to Drown Rivers - An ARC Review
A Song to Drown Rivers is a captivating tale about love, war, and sacrifice; about a woman tasked with using her wit and beauty to topple an enemy kingdom, all while navigating danger, potential war, and every difficult decision - but between her heart and the good of an entire kingdom, in the end, what choice does she really have?
BOOKREVIEWFIVESTARRECENT
10/18/20246 min read
A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written tale about love, war, sacrifice, and expectations.
Xishi's beauty is known all over her village in the kingdom of Yue. Yet she doesn't expect to attract the attention of Fanli, the famous military advisor to the Yue king, and she definitely doesn't expect him to ask her to be his spy - to use her beauty as a weapon against the neighboring enemy kingdom of Wu.
Trained by Fanli in everything from music to controlling her facial expressions, nothing changes the fact that eventually she must go, leaving Fanli behind. And when she does, she faces even more challenges inside the Wu court. Xishi knows she can never let her guard down, for one mistake could crumble her entire kingdom, and the higher she climbs, the farther she, and Fanli, have to fall.
From the gorgeous cover to the interesting premise, A Song to Drown Rivers quickly made its way on my reading list and I was really excited to be able to read and review an ARC of this book.
From Xishi's training, to her time in the Wu court, to the ending, this book continuously surprised me! I adored the well-written characters, the emotional writing, the twists and turns filled plot, and most of all, the forbidden romance.
I. Xishi's training with Fanli
This was one of my favorite parts. I loved the entire book, but there was something about the forbidden love between Xishi and Fanli and all those sweet and precious moments between them, that made me like it all the more. You know that there's something more happening between them, yet you also know that they both will have to sacrifice for the greater good of the kingdom.
One of my favorite scenes in the book is where Xishi's injured, and Fanli is carrying her while fending off attacks. He's trying to take care of her and when she's recovering afterward he gets all possessive of her and worried about her. *swoons*
II. In the Wu court.
The plot was constantly filled with twists and turns and I was afraid to put the book down as Xishi navigated the Wu court. It became apparent that she was a strong and brave FMC, and so much more then just her beauty.
This is also where Fuchai, the king of Wu, is introduced. I think mostly, I just pitied him. He was written as a tormented boy, given a throne he didn't want, unsure of who to trust in his own court. The worst thing too was that he was completely enamored with Xishi - he would do anything for her. I wish he had been more of a morally gray character. In the end, I felt conflicted, on the one hand I felt bad for him, but I also couldn't deny Xishi's need for vengeance or the cruelty of his actions.
III. Finally, the ending.
There are many ways to describe the ending: shocking, devastating, bittersweet.
The ending came as such a surprise, there was nothing I could do except keep reading. No spoilers, so all I can say is that I'm still in shock from it, but in a way, it's an oddly fitting and somewhat satisfying ending for this tale.
Final thoughts: A Song to Drown Rivers is absolutely worth the read! Emotional, shocking, well-written, with amazing characters, and a tale you won't forget.
A Song to Drown Rivers
ARC Review by All Things Book Wise
Rating: ✨5 stars ✨
Review Updated: 10/5/2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A Song to Drown Rivers
ARC Review by All Things Book Wise
Rating: ✨5 stars ✨
Review Updated: 10/18/2024
A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written and captivating tale about love, war, and sacrifice; about a woman tasked with using her wit and beauty to topple an enemy kingdom, all while navigating danger, potential war, and every difficult decision - but between her heart and the good of an entire kingdom, in the end, what choice does she really have?
This book was so much more than the gorgeous cover and interesting premise. I loved A Song to Drown Rivers, and I loved the well-written characters, emotional writing, twists and turns filled plot, and most of all, the forbidden romance.
Xishi and Fanli's story was as devastating as it was beautiful.
It was so bittersweet and heartbreaking to know that no matter what happened, Xishi would have to leave Fanli behind and travel to Wu. Behind - both physically and mentally, because a single slip up could end them both, not to mention an entire kingdom. But that made every sweet or even remotely romantic scene all the more precious....like when Fanli excepts a matching bracelet from her, or when he gets all possessive and worried about her when she's injured, and he's trying to take care of her while fending off attacks. *swoons*
So obviously, when they part ways as she goes to Wu, it's a little sad. But her time in Wu was just as engaging, and the plot was constantly filled with twists and turns. I was afraid to put the book down as Xishi navigated the court and it's advisors. It became apparent that she was a strong and brave FMC, and so much more then just her beauty.
This is also where Fuchai, the King of Wu, is introduced. He's written as a tormented boy, given a throne he doesn't want, and unsure of who to trust in his own court. I wish he was written as more "evil", because I kind of felt bad for him, but I also couldn't deny Xishi's need for vengeance and the cruelty of his actions.
This book was pretty fast paced and engaging, and I think because of that, I had no sense of how much time had gone by. Maybe it was just me, but ten weeks seemed to pass by as quickly as two years, and I wish there had been more of a difference.
The ending though, was very defined, so final, so matter of fact, and shocking in every way. I can't believe I didn't cry at all (so unlike me!), but I was just too rendered speechless to do anything but keep reading. It's devastating, yet oddly fitting. There's no doubt that this is how the tale was meant to end, but it doesn't erase all the emotions that come with the ending (all the emotions that set in after I flipped the last page and put the book down and took a moment - or a lot of moments, to process everything I'd just read).
Final thoughts: A Song to Drown Rivers exceeded and defied my expectations in every way and I'm so glad I got a chance to read and review this book. It isn't one I could forget and I don't think I could recommend this book enough!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for giving me an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.
Book Information:
Book Title: A Song to Drown Rivers
Author: Ann Liang
Publication: Oct 1, 2024
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance
Official Publisher Synopsis:
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.
Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.
Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.
Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
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