🌙 🌌‘The mind destroys, the heart devours’🌌🌙

"A Song to Drown Rivers" by @annliangwrites is a historical fantasy inspired by ancient China and infused with elements of Chinese mythology. This book is perfect if you're a fan of C-Dramas, forbidden romance, treacherous politics and concubine spies! Warning- the ending of this book is absolutely soul-shattering, be prepared with tissues!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Ann Liang, you ripped out my heart and stomped on it. Thank you.

A Song to Drown Rivers was absolutely beautiful. I love mythology retellings so this was always going to be good but this exceeded expectations in every single way.

𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

i will read anything ann liang writes. she has such a way with words, and her works have never failed to make me swoon. so when i found out she was writing a fantasy novel and i was lucky enough to be granted a copy, i was really exited to finally be able to read it.

‧₊˚༄ plot summary: a song to drown rivers is a historical romance fantasy that reimagines the chinese mythology of xishi, one of ancient china’s four great beauties. when xishi draws the attention of a young military advisor, fanli, he trains her to use her beauty as a weapon to infiltrate, weaken, and take down king fuchai. a song to drown rivers is a story of beauty, betrayal, and a fight for justice.

“𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.”

‧₊˚༄ xishi: what i like about xishi is that she’s more than just a pretty face, her beauty is both her weapon and her curse. she’s tough, but you can feel the weight of her emotions, especially when it comes to fanli. it’s this battle between loyalty and love that makes her such a real, complex character. she’s trying to be cold and calculated, but her heart keeps getting in the way.

‧₊˚༄ fenli: honestly, i liked the tension between fanli and xishi more than his character. he’s compelling in a cold, calculating way, but sometimes he felt more like a plot device than a fully fleshed-out character.

‧₊˚༄ fuchai: i LOVED him, i don’t know that that says about me but he’s got this charm and tenderness with xishi that made me root for him, even though he’s ruthless. there’s a real depth to him that makes you want to see him win. his affection for xishi felt so genuine that near the end my heart broke right alongside his.

“𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞.”

‧₊˚༄ xishi and fenli: surprisingly, i didn’t really root for xishi and fanli, even though their tension was undeniable. i loved the little moments, like when their hands brushed, but they felt pretty flat to me. maybe i’m just not a fan of insta-love.

‧₊˚༄ xishi and fuchai: THE POTENTIAL, HELLO?!! It’s this perfect mix of soft moments and danger. their connection is messy and complicated, but there’s so much raw emotion there. i honestly think it’d be such a great twist if she ended up falling for him, even with everything stacked against them. It’s that kind of love you want to see work, even though you know it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

“𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰.”

‧₊˚༄ conclusion: overall, a song to drown rivers was a really solid read, and honestly, i can’t believe i waited this long to read in. the emotional depth, the tension, the betrayals, it all came together in a way that kept me hooked from start to finish. while I wasn’t fully sold on the relationship between xishi and fanli, there was so much else to love about the story. ann liang has a gift for crafting complex but real characters, and this book is no exception. it’s definitely worth the read, though it leans more heavily into romance than political intrigue. so if you’re after a high fantasy with heavy world-building, this might not hit the spot, but if you’re looking for an emotionally charged, character-driven story, then a song to drown rivers will definitely deliver.

Perfect beauty is often seen as a great blessing. But for Xishi, the village girl, it becomes both a curse and a weapon. Her heavenly gorgeous looks lead her to be chosen for a dangerous secret mission in the enemy kingdom. 

Inspired by the Legend of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China, Xishi’s story portrays the struggles of growing up as a woman in that era. Her longing for genuine love, loyalty, and self-sacrifice merge into a driving force, the one that compels her to do anything for love. 

This is my first book by the author. I loved the bittersweet premise that beauty does not always bring happiness. However, Xishi’s character felt two-dimensional. Her relationships with both male leads were underdeveloped. Because of this, their chemistry fell flat, making it hard for me to fallin into romantic connections that formed. Still, this book has immense potential to become a moving inspired classic fantasy romance. 

Thank you Netgalley and Tor from Pan Macmillan Publishing for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting release date: 3 October 2024

A Song to Drown Rivers is the second Ann Liang book I've read, and it was both very different and also brilliant.
Ann Liang writes so beautifully in a way that evokes emotions. I could feel Xishi's need for revenge, her conflicted feelings. and her realisation at the end.
Fuchai is such a great "villain," and I love how, throughout her time with him, Xishi got to see all of him. He was a well-rounded character who wasn't all bad. He just didn't know any better as it was how he was raised. Xishi brought out the best in him, and I think she changed him.
I wish we got more of Fanli.
That ending was awful. I mean, emotionally, the story is brilliant, and it makes sense. But damn, what a way to rip a readers heart out!

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang swept me into a world where beauty is both a weapon and a burden. Following Xishi’s journey from a grieving sister to a spy in the enemy’s court, I was captivated by her resilience and the intricate dance of deception she performs. The emotional depth, combined with the rich historical fantasy setting, made it impossible to put down. Liang’s portrayal of Xishi’s internal conflicts and the slow-burn romance added layers that left me reflecting long after the final page.   

Liked it . Due to health issues cannot not but will write a proper review at a later time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

2/5 stars! Umm...I'm struggling with "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all," right now. The cover of this book was pretty and the premise sounded cool. But the payoff was extremely dull and overwritten. It was hard to stay engaged.

I loved this book so much! Emotional, powerful, intense, it completely won me over! The evocative and lyrical writing, the detailed and vivid descriptions, the captivating and engaging story, and the deep and well-defined characters create an incredibly effective recipe, a mixture that kept me glued to the pages, without a moment of boredom or heaviness!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ann Liang writes beautifully. I loved the lyrical language to this, and the heartbreaking story we followed truly got to me! I wish the characters had been a little more fleshed out and that the romance had moved a bit slower -- but then again, I'm a big fan of the slow burn yearning kinds of romances. A very lovely read and I look forward to reading more of Ann Liang's books in the future.

Beautiful bittersweet romance. The retelling is so beautiful done. I couldn’t put down this book and after reading this book in digital form I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.

Firstly, it's kind of unexpected to hear Ann Liang, my favourite contemporary romance author write a book with a fantasy-historical setting. However, as expected from her, it turned out to be good!

Among the fantasy books with SMUT, the romance here is a slow-burn type—just like how I love. The yearning and pining, ugh. It's perfect.

DNF

I tried multiple time to engage with this book but nothing particularly captured and kept my attention which leaves me so disappointed considering the source for the book! It’s historical romance fantasy read and while it sounds interesting in theory, the execution wasn’t there. However I will commend it for having beautiful writing

True rating: 4.25⭐️

This was a beautiful tale of love, deception and treachery.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much this captivated me throughout. The writing in its gentle style flowed effortlessly, and the simplicity of it was beautiful. .

Though pitched as an ‘adult’ book, what I will say is that it did read more YA to me, but I didn’t mind. The yearning, forbidden romance was gorgeous, and I loved the main character. She had wonderful development throughout.

This isn’t a showy fantasy at all, but I loved it all the same, and I found the ending surprisingly emotional and unique.

Ann Liang has crafter yet another wonderfully written story, but this time it's a historical fiction.
Having read all of her YA Contemporary/Romance books I'd fallen in love with Ann's stories. When I heard that Ann was wiring a historical fiction based on Chinese folklore I was very excited and let me tell you that it did not disappoint.
It is beautifully written and heart wrenching, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Pan Macmillan/Tor for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review. 


TW: death, war, violence, blood, child death, grief


Ever since she was born, Xishi’s extraordinary beauty has been seen as a blessing even in a time of great upheaval and violence for her country Yue. The people of her village see her as a gift to be given to a man as a wife but Xishi doesn’t want that. She still mourns for her little sister, murdered during the war, and wishes for revenge on the kingdom of Wu. When Xishi meets Fanli, the young and deeply talented advisor to the conquered leader of Yue, he offers her a chance to use her beauty as a weapon. All she has to do is enter the world of nobility, seduce the other king and collapse his regime from the inside. Xishi jumps at the chance, and alongside her friend Zhengdan, she is trained in concealing her emotions, musical instruments and everything she’ll need to succeed in her mission. Soon enough she is a perfect weapon but her growing attraction to Fanli and his ability to see through her disguise proves a problem. Sent into the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the gaze of the Wu king and the rest of his court. The closer she gets to him, the more his gentleness becomes apparent- but he is Yue’s enemy, and so Xishi refuses to let her guard down. As she rises in the eyes of the Wu court and the king, her relationship with Fanli becomes part of a deadly game that could lead to everyone’s ruin if she’s ever caught. 


One thing I really liked about this book is that although it’s got romance, that isn’t the whole story. Everything is much bigger and it’s always emphasised why Xishi is doing this. In some ways it reminds me of Joan He’s brilliant books ‘Strike the Zither’ and Sound the Gong’ though they’re very different stories. There’s a certain tragedy to the relationship between Xishi and Fanli, because in a better world they would have more time- they wouldn’t have met during this and I found that to really impact all of their scenes (which I loved). I loved Xishi's methods of seducing the King and how she had to keep reminding herself of what he'd done once she came to know him. The politics and deadly situation that she found herself in had some great moments of tension, especially as the blame for the King's failings came to fall on Xishi because she's a woman. I wish we'd had longer with certain characters to better develop but overall I enjoyed this a lot. The ending wrecked me.

DNF
Malheureusement ça ne l'a pas fait. On m'en avait parlé comme d'un Radiant Emperor mais ça ne fut pas du tout le cas ! On est plus sur une romantasy qu'une Fantasy Historique

To be honest, those three stars were for the last 20% of the book. The rest of it was extremely unforgettable which is such a shame considering the source reference. How does so little happen yet this book felt like forever to read? I almost contemplated DNF because I had to re read the first few chapters 4 times before I managed to feel compelled enough to continue.

This was absolutely fantastic! I'm honestly struggling to describe the effect this book has had on me. Ann Liang has an immense skill for creating a rich, interesting world and a plot that was as suspenseful as it was moving. I couldn't stop turning the page for this one, and I'm so glad I got a chance to read it. The characters, particularly Xishi, are phenomenal, the worldbuilding so prolific, and the dynamics and relationships so beautiful. No one is perfect, everyone has flaws, and there's no such thing as an emphatic truth as to peoples' motivations and agendas and morals, even for the main character. In particular, I appreciated how Liang specifically deals with the juxtaposition of 'war is bad and results in atrocities, no matter against whom it's waged and no matter what justification you have' with 'sometimes we need to do bad things for something good to come out of it', which I thought had an exceptional nuance. There are moments that will make you reach for the tissue box, and moments that will tug at your heartstrings, as well as moments that will make you want to throw the book against the wall in sheer frustration, but all of that just makes this a great read!

A Song to Drown Rivers is a beautifully written story filled with love and intrigue. I found the plot captivating, even though it moves at a slow pace most of the time. The characters are complex and fascinating to follow. The romantic subplot is heartbreakingly beautiful in this book.

There is vast sadness or nostalgia in this story, which I found overwhelming. Still, I loved the writing style and will definitely look into the other books.