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A Song to Drown Rivers
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2024)Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds.
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.
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.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2024
2689 people are currently reading
129486 people want to read
About the author
Ann Liang
10 books12.2k followersAnn Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun, and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,609 reviews
August 29, 2024
2.05!
I WAS VERY GENEROUS WITH THIS RATING
Everyone has been raving about Ann Liang's YA rom-coms so I had to see what the hype was about and I had gotten an arc of her new adult fantasy book on netgalley. So I thought why not really this first and to say I'm disappointed would be an understatement because this book was so lacking in almost every aspect. It could have done so much better but it failed to read that potential it was also very short? My arc was about 280 pages with 15 pages being additional stuff. I did enjoy it and that's why I'm giving it two stars, the writing was the better part and I had enjoyed reading it during the second half where I quite literally flew through it but I could not negate the wasted potential.
It could have been such a beautiful tragic novel, if it was done and this unfortunately was not done right. The fantasy elements were missing from this novel, they were so minute and not well explored. For a romantasy the romance felt missing too. The world building was lackluster and the action was barely there. The political/court intrigued could've been more drawn out more explored but that wasn't the case here either. The book fluctuated a lot sometimes it would be so slow and the other times it would be extremely fast and it was very off putting. The way it was written maybe fun and enjoyable but it lacks so many things that would make it actually good.
The characters were so mid and wasted 😭. Our love interest was present only for 25% of the book so we barely, barely got any content from his side or any development from his side both romantically and for his character. Zhengdan and Fuchais characters were wasted. I won't say why Zhengdan's was but Fuchai's character, he deserved so much better!!and his character could've been more flawed and more morally grey but he quite literally was a drunken fool 😭 Xishi our main character managed to do the bare minimum, seduce a drunken fool 😍👏🏻 that's it. That's what the 13 weeks worth of training taught her. The character development was simply non existent. They were just there and they moved around and the sorry finished..the ending was very disappointing as well. I couldn't feel anything because I wasn't that attached to the character but I was shocked by it and not really impressed tbh. Zixu was the only character who ate 😭😭 that one line where he says at the end 😭🔪 HE DEVOURED 😭😭
The romance was so disappointing. It was so rushed because the FMC and the MMC catch feeling like 20% in and the then 5% later the FMC leaves and then they meet twice during this whole fiasco and those moments were also brief. We got more of her scenes with Fuchais than the Fanli and it was so disappointing because when a book does not deliver on fantasy you expect the romance to overshadow it and this failed as well. The quotes were nice but the romance simply was not also that one scene where she says Fanlis name 😭😭 THE SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT 😭🤡
Also for an adult book there was nothing adult of sort, it read like a YA novel.
Overall, a subpar novel which could have exploited more of its potential 😔
˖ ⋆ ˚𓆝 ˖ ｡ ⋆ 𓈒 𓆟 ˖ ⋆˚°𓆞 ˚ ｡ ⋆
This book is one of my most highly anticipated books and it's also my first Ann Liang book so I am so excited to read this!!! Got the arc back in Feb and I feel like this is the perfect time to read this<333
*Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an E-arc*
I WAS VERY GENEROUS WITH THIS RATING
Everyone has been raving about Ann Liang's YA rom-coms so I had to see what the hype was about and I had gotten an arc of her new adult fantasy book on netgalley. So I thought why not really this first and to say I'm disappointed would be an understatement because this book was so lacking in almost every aspect. It could have done so much better but it failed to read that potential it was also very short? My arc was about 280 pages with 15 pages being additional stuff. I did enjoy it and that's why I'm giving it two stars, the writing was the better part and I had enjoyed reading it during the second half where I quite literally flew through it but I could not negate the wasted potential.
It could have been such a beautiful tragic novel, if it was done and this unfortunately was not done right. The fantasy elements were missing from this novel, they were so minute and not well explored. For a romantasy the romance felt missing too. The world building was lackluster and the action was barely there. The political/court intrigued could've been more drawn out more explored but that wasn't the case here either. The book fluctuated a lot sometimes it would be so slow and the other times it would be extremely fast and it was very off putting. The way it was written maybe fun and enjoyable but it lacks so many things that would make it actually good.
The characters were so mid and wasted 😭. Our love interest was present only for 25% of the book so we barely, barely got any content from his side or any development from his side both romantically and for his character. Zhengdan and Fuchais characters were wasted. I won't say why Zhengdan's was but Fuchai's character, he deserved so much better!!and his character could've been more flawed and more morally grey but he quite literally was a drunken fool 😭 Xishi our main character managed to do the bare minimum, seduce a drunken fool 😍👏🏻 that's it. That's what the 13 weeks worth of training taught her. The character development was simply non existent. They were just there and they moved around and the sorry finished..the ending was very disappointing as well. I couldn't feel anything because I wasn't that attached to the character but I was shocked by it and not really impressed tbh. Zixu was the only character who ate 😭😭 that one line where he says at the end 😭🔪 HE DEVOURED 😭😭
The romance was so disappointing. It was so rushed because the FMC and the MMC catch feeling like 20% in and the then 5% later the FMC leaves and then they meet twice during this whole fiasco and those moments were also brief. We got more of her scenes with Fuchais than the Fanli and it was so disappointing because when a book does not deliver on fantasy you expect the romance to overshadow it and this failed as well. The quotes were nice but the romance simply was not also that one scene where she says Fanlis name 😭😭 THE SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT 😭🤡
Also for an adult book there was nothing adult of sort, it read like a YA novel.
Overall, a subpar novel which could have exploited more of its potential 😔
˖ ⋆ ˚𓆝 ˖ ｡ ⋆ 𓈒 𓆟 ˖ ⋆˚°𓆞 ˚ ｡ ⋆
This book is one of my most highly anticipated books and it's also my first Ann Liang book so I am so excited to read this!!! Got the arc back in Feb and I feel like this is the perfect time to read this<333
*Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an E-arc*
October 25, 2024
What a soppy and ultimately forgettable rendition of the famous fable this turned out to be.
When I approach a retelling, whether it's historical or fantasy, I'm always filled with anticipation. Here is a chance to explore a legendary tale, not via a short vignette, but through the experience of a full-length novel. I want to be completely immersed in the detailed characters, the vivid scenes, and the well-developed narrative that bring such a tale to life. But that didn't happen here.
Instead, we have a fairly basic retelling sagging under the weight of its writing. From the first page to the last, every scene is treated with the upmost dramatic flair. No moment is too pedestrian, no thought too ordinary, to not be effused with the sort of reverent, emotional language usually reserved for a story's climax. I often found myself snickering at the most inappropriate moments, unable to reconcile the dramatic tones with the simple scene unfolding in front of me.
But for all that exaggerated writing, hardly anything happens in here. This is supposed to be the story of a beauty who infiltrates an enemy kingdom to become the king's concubine and lover, all so that she can singlehandedly bring the kingdom to its knees. So where is all the action?
Instead, it's scene after scene of Xishi smiling demurely and saying a few vapid sentences here and there, and that's pretty much the entire book. There were only two small conflicts I could remember in the leadup to the finale, and both were unforced errors. I cringed so hard, I tell you, because how can someone so incompetent actually bring anything down, let alone a kingdom?
Also, for a book about being a concubine and a lover, there were no actual love scenes in here, on or off page. All they did was sleep chastely side by side in the same bed, for years, with a few pecks here and there. If you're surprised, yeah, join the club. Like what king would agree to take a lover who doesn't do anything with them? Is this book for children? Because that's the only explanation I have for the extreme celibacy of this story.
Going in, I was under the impression that this was a fantasy, in large part due to the book design, its blurb, and all the book sites that categorize this first and foremost as such. But it's definitely not a fantasy. In fact, there is not a single fantasy element in here, unless you count Xishi's beauty as so astounding that it's otherworldly. Otherwise, it's straight up historical fiction.
It's clear that the author wrote this book with an eye towards wringing as much emotion from the reader as possible. And while I'm not above being emotionally manipulated by a good story, I need a little bit more than that to feel satisfied. I prefer my stories to have some meat on them, some substantial content I can really sink my teeth into, rather than just be one empty emotional punch after another.
And yet, for all my grousing, there was something in here that kept me turning the pages. There were scenes that charmed me and led me to cheer for Xishi and Fanli. Or perhaps I was waiting for this to materialize into the riveting tale I was hoping for. Either way, I kept coming back for more, so I must've gotten some enjoyment out of it, even if it was laced with disappointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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When I approach a retelling, whether it's historical or fantasy, I'm always filled with anticipation. Here is a chance to explore a legendary tale, not via a short vignette, but through the experience of a full-length novel. I want to be completely immersed in the detailed characters, the vivid scenes, and the well-developed narrative that bring such a tale to life. But that didn't happen here.
Instead, we have a fairly basic retelling sagging under the weight of its writing. From the first page to the last, every scene is treated with the upmost dramatic flair. No moment is too pedestrian, no thought too ordinary, to not be effused with the sort of reverent, emotional language usually reserved for a story's climax. I often found myself snickering at the most inappropriate moments, unable to reconcile the dramatic tones with the simple scene unfolding in front of me.
But for all that exaggerated writing, hardly anything happens in here. This is supposed to be the story of a beauty who infiltrates an enemy kingdom to become the king's concubine and lover, all so that she can singlehandedly bring the kingdom to its knees. So where is all the action?
Instead, it's scene after scene of Xishi smiling demurely and saying a few vapid sentences here and there, and that's pretty much the entire book. There were only two small conflicts I could remember in the leadup to the finale, and both were unforced errors. I cringed so hard, I tell you, because how can someone so incompetent actually bring anything down, let alone a kingdom?
Also, for a book about being a concubine and a lover, there were no actual love scenes in here, on or off page. All they did was sleep chastely side by side in the same bed, for years, with a few pecks here and there. If you're surprised, yeah, join the club. Like what king would agree to take a lover who doesn't do anything with them? Is this book for children? Because that's the only explanation I have for the extreme celibacy of this story.
Going in, I was under the impression that this was a fantasy, in large part due to the book design, its blurb, and all the book sites that categorize this first and foremost as such. But it's definitely not a fantasy. In fact, there is not a single fantasy element in here, unless you count Xishi's beauty as so astounding that it's otherworldly. Otherwise, it's straight up historical fiction.
It's clear that the author wrote this book with an eye towards wringing as much emotion from the reader as possible. And while I'm not above being emotionally manipulated by a good story, I need a little bit more than that to feel satisfied. I prefer my stories to have some meat on them, some substantial content I can really sink my teeth into, rather than just be one empty emotional punch after another.
And yet, for all my grousing, there was something in here that kept me turning the pages. There were scenes that charmed me and led me to cheer for Xishi and Fanli. Or perhaps I was waiting for this to materialize into the riveting tale I was hoping for. Either way, I kept coming back for more, so I must've gotten some enjoyment out of it, even if it was laced with disappointment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
October 18, 2024
patient revenge, tactical sexpionage, bittersweet romance and alluring history, this is a story that ticks all of the boxes.
but i wouldnt say its a retelling, reimagining, or even inspired by the tale of xishi. this IS the tale of xishi. which isnt fantasy, so im not sure why its being marketed as such or why people are saying it is (just something to keep in mind if you pick this up looking for your next romantasy read).
however, that is neither here nor there as what is important is chinese antiquity getting some attention. i know this isnt meant to be a series, but im begging AL continue to tell the stories of the other three beauties of ancient china. she has a talent for making old tales feel fresh while also staying very true to them.
so a very pleasant read and a book that is very easy to recommend.
↠ 4 stars
but i wouldnt say its a retelling, reimagining, or even inspired by the tale of xishi. this IS the tale of xishi. which isnt fantasy, so im not sure why its being marketed as such or why people are saying it is (just something to keep in mind if you pick this up looking for your next romantasy read).
however, that is neither here nor there as what is important is chinese antiquity getting some attention. i know this isnt meant to be a series, but im begging AL continue to tell the stories of the other three beauties of ancient china. she has a talent for making old tales feel fresh while also staying very true to them.
so a very pleasant read and a book that is very easy to recommend.
↠ 4 stars
September 12, 2024
When I pick up a retelling of an Asian myth with roots in history, I expect it to reflect its culture and time. It's the most basic requirement I have, and not one this book meets.
Although it purports to be based on the legend of Xishi, a quasi-mythical beauty that's remembered as one of the Four Beauties of China's long history, A Song to Drown Rivers reads quite Westernised you could argue it's merely a mainstream, run-of-the-mill YA novel with a Chinese wrapping for a veneer of exoticism. It's like the author took note of what's popular and saleable for Western audiences (romance, diversity, unusual folklore), splattered it with a laundry list of tried-and-true tropes, and ran with it. Predictably, the Western audience (or are you going to tell me this is a bestseller in China amongst the people who'd be most familiar with the legend?) gobbled this up and was content. It has familiar tropes, after all, and is "diverse" enough to tick a few boxes for those that want to brag they don't read only white stories. All these Asian fantasies are written with the West in mind, they pander to Western expectations, and it bugs me because I want to read these stories precisely because they're supposed to be different, they're supposed to give me a truly diverse culture and time different to my own, not give me Westernised pretend-Chinese who talk like Americans, behave like modern Westerners, and exhibit thought processes like your neighbour the funny Aussie.
This book could've been different. It had what it needed to be truly different, unique, and representative of its culture, as you can see from a summary of the legend here:
- Ancient civilisation? Check. Xishi lived half a millennium before Christ. Different mores, different everything.
- Strong female character? Check. Xishi chooses to help her country vanquish their oppressors.
- Underdog kingdom? Check. The Yue had been defeated and humiliated by the Wu, they had readers' sympathy pretty easily.
- Unique customs and language? Check. Both the Yue and the Wu are ethnically Chinese but very different, their dialects are different, so are their customs. Even Xishi's name varies in spelling depending on the dialect.
- Assassin/spy-in-training plot? Check. Xishi had a long and thorough training that lasted 3 years.
- Intelligent court schemers? Check. Both Wen Zhong and Fanli are crafty, even the enemy side has a crafty court schemer in Wu Xizu.
- Reprobate enemy king? Check. Fuchai is a dream wildcard of a ruler with all the possible character flaws and who thinks with the organ between his legs instead of his brain.
- Successful war of liberation? Check. Goujian is able to defeat the debilitated Wu and free his people.
- Ending that could go either way? Check. Depending on the version, Xishi was either drowned by a king fearful of the power of her beauty, or went off to live happily ever after with Fanli.
See how good the source material is? In the right hands, this could've made for an engrossing historical novel set in a time of warring Chinese kingdoms, with a rich cultural backdrop and interesting glimpses into places with their different customs and way of life. The legend could've been made a believable story that read as plausible as any from a well-recorded recent period. It could've been the story of a woman who grew up from a poor villager to a cultured schemer able to bring down a king, a story that could've been either a beautiful love story or a tragic example of royal ungratefulness. It could've been credible.
But instead, what did we get in A Song to Drown Rivers?
- Insta-love between a very pretty country bumpkin and a very handsome soldier-advisor who meet at a very convenient moment. One strike for insta-love.
- Said very pretty country bumpkin is a damsel in distress said very handsome soldier-advisor saves right in the very moment an enemy soldier is going to cleave her in two. Two strikes for unbelievability.
- Country bumpkin pretty girl is trained as a super-duper spy that'd put Mata Hari and James Bond to shame in the whooping span of . . . ten weeks. Three strikes for dumbarsery and you're out. But oh, there's still more!
- Zhengdan is made into a Mulan wannabe instead of training the same as Xishi like in the original story. Four strikes for pandering to the Stronk Wimmenz warrior princess crowd.
- We see no training at all during those ten weeks. Xishi is supposed to have learnt everything from history to geopolitics to court manners to music and arts, but we never see her do nothing but pout, practice her resting bitch face before a mirror, and procure her own Pornhub by spying on a nekkid Fanli. Yet, somehow she's declared ready to go bring Fuchai down in a couple of months. Five strikes for unoriginality and As You Know, Bobs.
- The trial of fire to declare Xishi graduated from Super Easy Spy School? Charm an ugly mofo into forgetting his hot tea and abandon him once his tea is cold. And of course she achieves that in a very short conversation that, somehow, turns the tea ice cold, and it's neither Winter nor do they have Norway weather to justify how quickly the tea cools. And then has to be saved by Fanli again. Come on, I can drive a saint up the wall and over the roof by prattling incessantly about my flea market acquisitions, and I'm no gorgeous beauty!
- At about 30% of the book, Fanli exits the stage and Fuchai enters the stage. Is he the uggliest uggo that ever uglied? Ha! Don't be naïve, this is pandering to a certain audience, remember? Of course the enemy king is pants-droppingly handsome! My most dreaded and hated trope has arrived: say hi to love triangle. Well, pseudo-love triangle, but it still counts. Xishi will spend years with this pants-droppingly handsome mofo but will still pine & whine about absent Fanli whilst the king ruins the realm for her.
- Spying? Is that the name of a sauce? Mata Hari and James Bond, the two personalities of Xishi, must've been spending that time at Wu fucking each other, because goodness only knows what espionage the country bumpkin turned spy was doing. I didn't see any, did you? Xishi isn't even a good concubine, because she doesn't know how to behave in court and makes a lot of mistakes no real historical Chinese concubine would be caught dead making. But she's excused because plot and because pretty. For a native Chinese, Ann Liang didn't bother with her own country's past history, evidently.
- Two years go by of Xishi not-spying and Fuchai not-ruling. Two years! But in so few pages that all I can see is some palace was built and some canal was dug to please the new concubine. What a great achievement, eh? This was the most boring part in all the book, recommended skim-reading. Not even the couple of appearances by the long-gone handsome warrior-soldier improves things, as he's not good for anything anymore. Fuchai could be more interesting, but he's too busy ruining his life to be anything but another bore. Everyone is a bore in this section, though General Wu had potential.
- Oh, and we have no idea what happened to Xishi's heart condition either. It seems to have just . . . disappeared? Been forgotten? Got cured? Who knows. And it's not the only plot point that seems to merely exist for no reason other than maybe pad up the plot, same as the Susu plot or the useless sword training for Zhengdan.
- And just like that, the book ends. Tragic story? Maybe if I cared. But I didn't. And I didn't because this was so like the original legend that nothing surprises, nothing delights, nothing elicits feelings of care and concern. The author really just took the Xishi legend, slapped in a bit more words and walls of text, gave it modern language and modern customs, and published it. And I say that as someone who likes retellings to adhere to the original, but not even I want them to follow the original at the expense of creativity and pathos and character.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Although it purports to be based on the legend of Xishi, a quasi-mythical beauty that's remembered as one of the Four Beauties of China's long history, A Song to Drown Rivers reads quite Westernised you could argue it's merely a mainstream, run-of-the-mill YA novel with a Chinese wrapping for a veneer of exoticism. It's like the author took note of what's popular and saleable for Western audiences (romance, diversity, unusual folklore), splattered it with a laundry list of tried-and-true tropes, and ran with it. Predictably, the Western audience (or are you going to tell me this is a bestseller in China amongst the people who'd be most familiar with the legend?) gobbled this up and was content. It has familiar tropes, after all, and is "diverse" enough to tick a few boxes for those that want to brag they don't read only white stories. All these Asian fantasies are written with the West in mind, they pander to Western expectations, and it bugs me because I want to read these stories precisely because they're supposed to be different, they're supposed to give me a truly diverse culture and time different to my own, not give me Westernised pretend-Chinese who talk like Americans, behave like modern Westerners, and exhibit thought processes like your neighbour the funny Aussie.
This book could've been different. It had what it needed to be truly different, unique, and representative of its culture, as you can see from a summary of the legend here:
- Ancient civilisation? Check. Xishi lived half a millennium before Christ. Different mores, different everything.
- Strong female character? Check. Xishi chooses to help her country vanquish their oppressors.
- Underdog kingdom? Check. The Yue had been defeated and humiliated by the Wu, they had readers' sympathy pretty easily.
- Unique customs and language? Check. Both the Yue and the Wu are ethnically Chinese but very different, their dialects are different, so are their customs. Even Xishi's name varies in spelling depending on the dialect.
- Assassin/spy-in-training plot? Check. Xishi had a long and thorough training that lasted 3 years.
- Intelligent court schemers? Check. Both Wen Zhong and Fanli are crafty, even the enemy side has a crafty court schemer in Wu Xizu.
- Reprobate enemy king? Check. Fuchai is a dream wildcard of a ruler with all the possible character flaws and who thinks with the organ between his legs instead of his brain.
- Successful war of liberation? Check. Goujian is able to defeat the debilitated Wu and free his people.
- Ending that could go either way? Check. Depending on the version, Xishi was either drowned by a king fearful of the power of her beauty, or went off to live happily ever after with Fanli.
See how good the source material is? In the right hands, this could've made for an engrossing historical novel set in a time of warring Chinese kingdoms, with a rich cultural backdrop and interesting glimpses into places with their different customs and way of life. The legend could've been made a believable story that read as plausible as any from a well-recorded recent period. It could've been the story of a woman who grew up from a poor villager to a cultured schemer able to bring down a king, a story that could've been either a beautiful love story or a tragic example of royal ungratefulness. It could've been credible.
But instead, what did we get in A Song to Drown Rivers?
- Insta-love between a very pretty country bumpkin and a very handsome soldier-advisor who meet at a very convenient moment. One strike for insta-love.
- Said very pretty country bumpkin is a damsel in distress said very handsome soldier-advisor saves right in the very moment an enemy soldier is going to cleave her in two. Two strikes for unbelievability.
- Country bumpkin pretty girl is trained as a super-duper spy that'd put Mata Hari and James Bond to shame in the whooping span of . . . ten weeks. Three strikes for dumbarsery and you're out. But oh, there's still more!
- Zhengdan is made into a Mulan wannabe instead of training the same as Xishi like in the original story. Four strikes for pandering to the Stronk Wimmenz warrior princess crowd.
- We see no training at all during those ten weeks. Xishi is supposed to have learnt everything from history to geopolitics to court manners to music and arts, but we never see her do nothing but pout, practice her resting bitch face before a mirror, and procure her own Pornhub by spying on a nekkid Fanli. Yet, somehow she's declared ready to go bring Fuchai down in a couple of months. Five strikes for unoriginality and As You Know, Bobs.
- The trial of fire to declare Xishi graduated from Super Easy Spy School? Charm an ugly mofo into forgetting his hot tea and abandon him once his tea is cold. And of course she achieves that in a very short conversation that, somehow, turns the tea ice cold, and it's neither Winter nor do they have Norway weather to justify how quickly the tea cools. And then has to be saved by Fanli again. Come on, I can drive a saint up the wall and over the roof by prattling incessantly about my flea market acquisitions, and I'm no gorgeous beauty!
- At about 30% of the book, Fanli exits the stage and Fuchai enters the stage. Is he the uggliest uggo that ever uglied? Ha! Don't be naïve, this is pandering to a certain audience, remember? Of course the enemy king is pants-droppingly handsome! My most dreaded and hated trope has arrived: say hi to love triangle. Well, pseudo-love triangle, but it still counts. Xishi will spend years with this pants-droppingly handsome mofo but will still pine & whine about absent Fanli whilst the king ruins the realm for her.
- Spying? Is that the name of a sauce? Mata Hari and James Bond, the two personalities of Xishi, must've been spending that time at Wu fucking each other, because goodness only knows what espionage the country bumpkin turned spy was doing. I didn't see any, did you? Xishi isn't even a good concubine, because she doesn't know how to behave in court and makes a lot of mistakes no real historical Chinese concubine would be caught dead making. But she's excused because plot and because pretty. For a native Chinese, Ann Liang didn't bother with her own country's past history, evidently.
- Two years go by of Xishi not-spying and Fuchai not-ruling. Two years! But in so few pages that all I can see is some palace was built and some canal was dug to please the new concubine. What a great achievement, eh? This was the most boring part in all the book, recommended skim-reading. Not even the couple of appearances by the long-gone handsome warrior-soldier improves things, as he's not good for anything anymore. Fuchai could be more interesting, but he's too busy ruining his life to be anything but another bore. Everyone is a bore in this section, though General Wu had potential.
- Oh, and we have no idea what happened to Xishi's heart condition either. It seems to have just . . . disappeared? Been forgotten? Got cured? Who knows. And it's not the only plot point that seems to merely exist for no reason other than maybe pad up the plot, same as the Susu plot or the useless sword training for Zhengdan.
- And just like that, the book ends. Tragic story? Maybe if I cared. But I didn't. And I didn't because this was so like the original legend that nothing surprises, nothing delights, nothing elicits feelings of care and concern. The author really just took the Xishi legend, slapped in a bit more words and walls of text, gave it modern language and modern customs, and published it. And I say that as someone who likes retellings to adhere to the original, but not even I want them to follow the original at the expense of creativity and pathos and character.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2024
HAPPY RELEASE DAY <33
ann liang is one of my fav authors EVER, and I am so so grateful I got to receive an advanced copy of her new amazing book. I am, without a doubt, obsessed with this book and I will be purchasing it and rereading soon bc it is so perfect <33
i’ve waited months to release my review and thoughts on this book, bc I absolutely adored it no matter how heart wrenching it was!! so here is the full review:
5 stars and absolutely zero hesitation about it. ✰
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!?! I still have sooo many questions. honestly this is my first time reading a historical romance so I blame that for being so slow. mitra was not kidding when she said I would SOB. and everyone else who warned me. I don’t cry at books so I said I’ll be fine.. ( update - I was not )
🫶🏼 romance 🫶🏼
why did I have to get second lead syndrome? 😭 I was so in love with fuchai and then… ugh
like im sorry just read these quotes:
ෆ “you are my weakness, you know that?”
ෆ “kiss me” he said hoarsely. “kiss me until i forget everything”
ෆ “is someone bothering you? who? i’ll kill them.”
YOU CANT NOT LOVE HIM. and yet she had to end up with fanli 😣 don’t get me wrong I love the man. he still made me swoon. just… not as much.
ann liang will take your heart and crush it into confetti.in the most beautiful way possible ofc
so if you enjoy :
✓ historical romance
✓ fantasy (was it fantasy?)
✓ love triangles
✓ ..misery…
then you’ll love this 😄 and even if you don’t.. you will STILL LOVE IT!! because it’s ann liang for crying out loud. also the quotes and writing in this book are literally so top tier >>> i have never read anything like it in my life it’s one of a kind
❤️🩹 characters ❤️🩹
xishi - honestly she was so brave and strong. my favourite traits in an fmc, I loved her. she made a few stupid decisions sometimes and she didn’t always say the right thing in the moment.. but I still liked her. she did what she had to. (however I think im gonna hold a grudge for the rest of my life for what she did to fuchai…)
fanli - from this review you probably think I hate him but I DONT. he’s so cute and his love for xishi was so pure and beautiful.despite my HUGE obsession with fuchai I still think them two were the right decision to end up together. he was perfect for eachother and they were so in love <3
FUCHAI MY ONE TRUE LOVE - he’s so misunderstood im telling you like he literally took so much care of her and attended to her every need. there is no way im believing he’s the villain absolutely fucking not
🙁 “i would give up everything for you, you realize?” 🙁
I would give up everything for u too fuchai 🥲❤️🩹 just writing this review is giving me the urge to go read that masterpiece and break my own heart all over again.
💌 conclusion 💌
honestly I loved this book so much but I kind of never wanna think about it again. except that I will. because it hurts a little too much to think of and then next thing I know im sobbing in my room for hours and the box of tissues has run out ??
so for the sake of my mental health i’m gonna block it out a little. and keep in the good things!! because some moments were cutewhilst others were gut wrenching and traumatising 😃
I highly highly recommend this book and I guarantee you won’t have read anything like it!! just.. prepare for tears. okay? get the box of tissues ready and dive in to this beautiful story. ann liang, you truly outdid. thank you netgalley and st martin’s press for providing me this arc.
…
5 stars *ੈ✩‧₊˚
➵ rtc closer to the release date bc i wanna rant and i can’t without quotes and minor spoilers 🥲
➵ this was SO good… and tragic ❤️🩹
I didn’t think I would cry tbh…I was wrong
➵ FUCHAI DESERVES BETTER ‼️
br with my pretty repstqrz 🫶🏼🫶🏼 I had someone to rant to im so grateful 🤭💓 it was sooo much fun <3
ann liang is one of my fav authors EVER, and I am so so grateful I got to receive an advanced copy of her new amazing book. I am, without a doubt, obsessed with this book and I will be purchasing it and rereading soon bc it is so perfect <33
i’ve waited months to release my review and thoughts on this book, bc I absolutely adored it no matter how heart wrenching it was!! so here is the full review:
5 stars and absolutely zero hesitation about it. ✰
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?!?! I still have sooo many questions. honestly this is my first time reading a historical romance so I blame that for being so slow. mitra was not kidding when she said I would SOB. and everyone else who warned me. I don’t cry at books so I said I’ll be fine.. ( update - I was not )
🫶🏼 romance 🫶🏼
why did I have to get second lead syndrome? 😭 I was so in love with fuchai and then… ugh
like im sorry just read these quotes:
ෆ “you are my weakness, you know that?”
ෆ “kiss me” he said hoarsely. “kiss me until i forget everything”
ෆ “is someone bothering you? who? i’ll kill them.”
YOU CANT NOT LOVE HIM. and yet she had to end up with fanli 😣 don’t get me wrong I love the man. he still made me swoon. just… not as much.
ann liang will take your heart and crush it into confetti.
so if you enjoy :
✓ historical romance
✓ fantasy (was it fantasy?)
✓ love triangles
✓ ..misery…
then you’ll love this 😄 and even if you don’t.. you will STILL LOVE IT!! because it’s ann liang for crying out loud. also the quotes and writing in this book are literally so top tier >>> i have never read anything like it in my life it’s one of a kind
❤️🩹 characters ❤️🩹
xishi - honestly she was so brave and strong. my favourite traits in an fmc, I loved her. she made a few stupid decisions sometimes and she didn’t always say the right thing in the moment.. but I still liked her. she did what she had to. (however I think im gonna hold a grudge for the rest of my life for what she did to fuchai…)
fanli - from this review you probably think I hate him but I DONT. he’s so cute and his love for xishi was so pure and beautiful.
FUCHAI MY ONE TRUE LOVE - he’s so misunderstood im telling you like he literally took so much care of her and attended to her every need. there is no way im believing he’s the villain absolutely fucking not
🙁 “i would give up everything for you, you realize?” 🙁
I would give up everything for u too fuchai 🥲❤️🩹 just writing this review is giving me the urge to go read that masterpiece and break my own heart all over again.
💌 conclusion 💌
honestly I loved this book so much but I kind of never wanna think about it again. except that I will. because it hurts a little too much to think of and then next thing I know im sobbing in my room for hours and the box of tissues has run out ??
so for the sake of my mental health i’m gonna block it out a little. and keep in the good things!! because some moments were cute
I highly highly recommend this book and I guarantee you won’t have read anything like it!! just.. prepare for tears. okay? get the box of tissues ready and dive in to this beautiful story. ann liang, you truly outdid. thank you netgalley and st martin’s press for providing me this arc.
…
5 stars *ੈ✩‧₊˚
➵ rtc closer to the release date bc i wanna rant and i can’t without quotes and minor spoilers 🥲
➵ this was SO good… and tragic ❤️🩹
I didn’t think I would cry tbh…
➵ FUCHAI DESERVES BETTER ‼️
br with my pretty repstqrz 🫶🏼🫶🏼 I had someone to rant to im so grateful 🤭💓 it was sooo much fun <3
February 9, 2024
i expected nothing less from xishi and fanli (excuse me while i go reread i hope this doesn’t find you because this was so heartbreaking) WHAT IS THIS BOOK AND WHY IS IT SO ADDICTIVE
rtc ☆
note: i think i might write a short review later but an in-depth one will be coming in october !!
--
THE COVER STOP- that just solved all my problems
rtc ☆
note: i think i might write a short review later but an in-depth one will be coming in october !!
--
THE COVER STOP- that just solved all my problems
November 29, 2024
°•*⁀➷・❥・“𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓸𝔂𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓭𝓮𝓿𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼.”・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
🌙28/11/24
I know this rant review is 2 months late, but here is it. Writing this review feels like I'm reliving all the feelings of pain and betrayal I got from Ann Liang. Just so you know, I still haven't forgiven her for putting me in this book and drowning me in it. She needs to pay for my therapy. Here comes the rant, y'all have been waiting for.
Did I go in knowing this would take me, drown me, and destroy me when I finish this book? Absolutely YES, because it was one of my all-time favourite author's books, and I would absolutely devour anything this woman writes, even if it kills me.🙂↕️🫶🏻 When I started this book, I was really curious to know why the book is titled like that, but when I finished it, oh boy😩 It should be "A Book to Drown Readers", not A Song to Drown Rivers alright, because this book drowned me, left me gasping for air and I'm still not able to come out of it 😭✋🏻
Coming back, this book was pretty different from all her previous books that I've read. Reading this felt like I was watching one of the ancient C-dramas that I would usually skip if I knew that it's going to be a sad ending, but here I couldn't even skip because...it was so hard to put down once you start. This book is the only book where the Villain became my favourite, and the rest just simply didn't make it except for Zhengdan, she deserved so much better🥺💗. If I have to describe this book in one sentence, it would be- “A hero would sacrifice you for the world, but a villain would sacrifice the whole world for you.”- this line actually fits perfect for this whole book.
It's important to note that, if you haven't read any of Ann Liang's books yet, then I would suggest you to not read this as your first book. Go for her other books first, like "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" or "If You Could See The Sun."😌🎀
✨Let's meet the cast✨
Xishi~ a secret spy, a very brave girl, who was sent to the enemy kingdom as the King's bride to take revenge on him for her family and her kingdom's people who suffered because of him. She also makes stupid decisions sometimes. Honestly, at the beginning I loved her, but then I didn't know anymore If I did.... (I don't think I can ever forgive her or Ann, for what she did to Fuchai.)
Fanli~ he's the one who trained Xishi before she went to the enemy territory. His emotions are guarded all the time, so he's broody on the outside but softy on the inside. But I don't know, I don't love him either, even though he was the MMC, the hero, the lover of Xishi.
Fuchai~ my pookie, the enemy king, Xishi's husband, the misunderstood villain of this book. Tbh, for me, he was never a villain, I hopelessly fell in love with him. He was such a golden retriever type, I loved him to pieces. He was so caring and gentle when it came to Xishi. He would literally do anything for her, to put a smile on her face. He held nothing back when he was with her, while she held many secrets. I can't stop thinking about him, or the ending. He didn't deserve it. I only cried for him. LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE ANN FOR WHAT SHE DID TO MY POOKIE, FUCHAI. *brb, sobbing again* 😭🤧💔
Read this if you like 💌:
⚔️ Historical Fiction (altho it's claiming there is fantasy, there isn't one)
⚔️ Love Traingle
⚔️ Morraly Grey Characters
⚔️ “Who did this to you?”
⚔️ Slow Burn
⚔️ Forbidden Romance
⚔️ Misery
⚔️ Royal Politics, Corruption, Revenge & Betrayal.
DO NOT let the cover fool you into thinking this will be a cute read. If I have to put it in simple words, 'It's the most heartwrenching, heart-numbing, mind-exploding read'. Get your tissues ready if you plan on reading this🤧
❥ 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝓶𝓮 💔:
DID YOU THINK I'M DONE HERE?! NOPE, WE STILL HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE LAST.
❥ 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓕𝓾𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓲 𝓹𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓮, 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓼𝓽.🥺 𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓿 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓶 💞:
ˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
🌙23/09/24
With shattered pieces of an aching heart, and swollen red eyes, RTC soon in the upcoming release week, because I want to rant with quotes and everything. GOODBYE. LET ME GO REWIND WHAT I READ 🤧
Thankyou to Netgalley, the Author and St.Martin's Press for this wonderful ARC !🥺💖
P.S. WHAT THE HELL ANN?! WHY ANN JUST WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????😭😭😭💔💔💔
🌙19/09/24
*mic drops🎤* Am I going to read this book even though knowing this will undo me? ✨️YeSs✨️ It's finally time to read the biggest, most anticipated read of this year!🤩💙 So classy of me to ditch my cr again cuz it's not syncing with me, and buddy reading this with my delulu bestie lulu 🤭💖. Thanks to lulu and her delulu ideas😇, I managed to get the ARC!! OH.MY.GOD. I can't believe I'm finally reading this after months of waiting and crying seeing everyone read it before me!🥹 I'm all ready with my tissue boxes to go sobbing. Buckle up besties, we are in for my yapping ride!!😌
🌙28/11/24
I know this rant review is 2 months late, but here is it. Writing this review feels like I'm reliving all the feelings of pain and betrayal I got from Ann Liang. Just so you know, I still haven't forgiven her for putting me in this book and drowning me in it. She needs to pay for my therapy. Here comes the rant, y'all have been waiting for.
Did I go in knowing this would take me, drown me, and destroy me when I finish this book? Absolutely YES, because it was one of my all-time favourite author's books, and I would absolutely devour anything this woman writes, even if it kills me.🙂↕️🫶🏻 When I started this book, I was really curious to know why the book is titled like that, but when I finished it, oh boy😩 It should be "A Book to Drown Readers", not A Song to Drown Rivers alright, because this book drowned me, left me gasping for air and I'm still not able to come out of it 😭✋🏻
Coming back, this book was pretty different from all her previous books that I've read. Reading this felt like I was watching one of the ancient C-dramas that I would usually skip if I knew that it's going to be a sad ending, but here I couldn't even skip because...it was so hard to put down once you start. This book is the only book where the Villain became my favourite, and the rest just simply didn't make it except for Zhengdan, she deserved so much better🥺💗. If I have to describe this book in one sentence, it would be- “A hero would sacrifice you for the world, but a villain would sacrifice the whole world for you.”- this line actually fits perfect for this whole book.
It's important to note that, if you haven't read any of Ann Liang's books yet, then I would suggest you to not read this as your first book. Go for her other books first, like "I Hope This Doesn't Find You" or "If You Could See The Sun."😌🎀
✨Let's meet the cast✨
“I had been prepared for this, had taken everything with me except what I really wanted. I wished to weep, but my own tears felt insubstantial, a broken gesture.”
Xishi~ a secret spy, a very brave girl, who was sent to the enemy kingdom as the King's bride to take revenge on him for her family and her kingdom's people who suffered because of him. She also makes stupid decisions sometimes. Honestly, at the beginning I loved her, but then I didn't know anymore If I did.... (I don't think I can ever forgive her or Ann, for what she did to Fuchai.)
“I do not need the silk to remember you, if fate wills it, may we meet again.”
“If your mission is to seduce the king, then my mission will be to keep you safe.”
Fanli~ he's the one who trained Xishi before she went to the enemy territory. His emotions are guarded all the time, so he's broody on the outside but softy on the inside. But I don't know, I don't love him either, even though he was the MMC, the hero, the lover of Xishi.
“Sometimes I swear- I only feel like a person when I'm around you. Does that make sense?”
“When he was with me he held nothing back, just laid it all out there, his heart and his thoughts bared to be bone. Yet with him I held back everything.”
Fuchai~ my pookie, the enemy king, Xishi's husband, the misunderstood villain of this book. Tbh, for me, he was never a villain, I hopelessly fell in love with him. He was such a golden retriever type, I loved him to pieces. He was so caring and gentle when it came to Xishi. He would literally do anything for her, to put a smile on her face. He held nothing back when he was with her, while she held many secrets. I can't stop thinking about him, or the ending. He didn't deserve it. I only cried for him. LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE ANN FOR WHAT SHE DID TO MY POOKIE, FUCHAI. *brb, sobbing again* 😭🤧💔
Read this if you like 💌:
⚔️ Historical Fiction (altho it's claiming there is fantasy, there isn't one)
⚔️ Love Traingle
⚔️ Morraly Grey Characters
⚔️ “Who did this to you?”
⚔️ Slow Burn
⚔️ Forbidden Romance
⚔️ Misery
⚔️ Royal Politics, Corruption, Revenge & Betrayal.
DO NOT let the cover fool you into thinking this will be a cute read. If I have to put it in simple words, 'It's the most heartwrenching, heart-numbing, mind-exploding read'. Get your tissues ready if you plan on reading this🤧
❥ 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓺𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓾𝓷𝓽 𝓶𝓮 💔:
“Good, at least you admit you feel something for me.”
“If I am to die, I want you to be the one to kill me. I want this to be the last of my memories.”
“When we were together and the air was warm and nothing hurt.”
DID YOU THINK I'M DONE HERE?! NOPE, WE STILL HAVE SOMETHING FOR THE LAST.
❥ 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝔂 𝓕𝓾𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓲 𝓹𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓲𝓮, 𝓫𝓮𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓼𝓽.🥺 𝓜𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓿 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓲𝓶 💞:
“You are my weakness, you know that?”
“So this want they meant, in all the poems. And I’d thought they were just over-sentimental fools, exaggerating. Now I understand. It has never been this way, before.”
“Well, so do I. Then I would not be restricted by all this- all this. But the heavens must have mercy, still, because they led you to me. My beautiful Xishi. You will be the death of me.”
“Kiss me. Kiss me until I forget everything.”
“Speak another bad word about her again, and I will stitch your lips shut myself.”
“I would give up everything for you, you realize?”
“I want to hold you for a while, like this. Is that all right?”
“Rest, if you need to. I’ll look after you.”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you. Whatever happens- I won’t let them touch you.”
“You know, if you hadn’t said so, I would’ve forgotten. The truth is, you’ve long become a Wu person in my eyes. What is home, if not you?”
“The kingdom, the land, the lakes, the places of worship. All the gold and the godly statues and the jewels. I’m willing to give them all up, as long as I can be with you always.”
ˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
🌙23/09/24
With shattered pieces of an aching heart, and swollen red eyes, RTC soon in the upcoming release week, because I want to rant with quotes and everything. GOODBYE. LET ME GO REWIND WHAT I READ 🤧
Thankyou to Netgalley, the Author and St.Martin's Press for this wonderful ARC !🥺💖
P.S. WHAT THE HELL ANN?! WHY ANN JUST WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY??????😭😭😭💔💔💔
🌙19/09/24
*mic drops🎤* Am I going to read this book even though knowing this will undo me? ✨️YeSs✨️ It's finally time to read the biggest, most anticipated read of this year!🤩💙 So classy of me to ditch my cr again cuz it's not syncing with me, and buddy reading this with my delulu bestie lulu 🤭💖. Thanks to lulu and her delulu ideas😇, I managed to get the ARC!! OH.MY.GOD. I can't believe I'm finally reading this after months of waiting and crying seeing everyone read it before me!🥹 I'm all ready with my tissue boxes to go sobbing. Buckle up besties, we are in for my yapping ride!!😌
July 23, 2024
oh ann. why did you do this to me??
(minor unmarked spoilers)
☆ insta lust/love. it’s no secret that this is a majorly disliked trope by the majority of romance readers, so liang, why on earth would you include this?? fanli and xishi knew each other for ten weeks. she was with the (attractive) enemy king fuchai for two years and yet she continued to pine over fanli?! the maths is not mathing
☆ fantasy where?? romance who?? usually when books are characterised as a “romantasy” they lean heavily into the romance, and have very little fantasy (cough, powerless, cough cough). but this book literally had neither. our mmc disappears for more than half the book and the fantasy element appears right at the very end. (edit: something that i’ve noticed is that many reviews are describing the two love interests as “two sides of the same coin”(interestingly enough the wording is also eerily similar) and all i’d like to ask is.. is the coin the lack of common sense within them??
☆ plot devices + plot armour + all tell and no show. xishi was a shitty spy. (all she does is convince a dude who needs therapy to build a palace.) we’re constantly told about the romantic tension between fanli and xishi but we never truly get to see it. we are constantly told about the amazing spying that xishi is getting up to but we never actually get to see anything. we do get a full paragraph of description about fanli’s face, but we obviously can’t get any information about the entering of xishi and zhengdan into the palace (aka the most interesting part of the book) because why wouldn’t we want to be deprived of anything of actual substance??
☆ this all leads me onto my next point(s): a lack of character development and storylines + characters that were wasted. so many different plot points were just dropped halfway, and so many characters could have had such meaningful impacts to the story. xishi’s heart defect was never expanded on. the whole subplot (if it can even be called that) with xishi’s sister felt like it was only created to give xishi some much needed depth, but then it was just abandoned. fuchai could have had some real depth and been this amazing morally-grey mmc, but instead became a sub-par villain with daddy issues. fanli could have been given some more page time to warrant being a love interest, let alone giving him any depth/development. fuchai’s advisor (his name is forgotten) could have been such a good antagonist if he had ever been given the chance. her friend zhengdan, wasn’t given enough page time for any of her actions to actually change the course of the story.
☆ unoriginality. this wasn’t unique in the slightest, rather it was a recounting of events from the original myth with an unnecessary amount of metaphors and the purplest of prose. the only new thing was the romance between xishi and fanli, and even then it was barely there.
☆ on another point about the writing is the lack of description about anything interesting. there is little expansion about the politics of the kingdoms of yue and wu, but more about the beauty of fanli and an endless amount of similes, adjectives, metaphors and hyperboles about how the water sparkles. so if you are a fan of high fantasy, please do look further for a book containing good political/court intrigue (and please dm me if you find any good reads).
☆ it's characterisation as an adult book. this is a huge departure from liang's usual fluffy ya romances, and if you couldn't already tell, i didn't love it. xishi's role in the palace was to be the king's concubine, yet the most the king did with her was to sleep in the same bed and kiss a couple of times. what!? and you expect me to believe that xishi's powers of seduction were so strong that she was able to convince him to build her a fucking palace and a canal. i believe it. 🙄
so yeah. ann, i love you, but please stick to ya.
(also i’m not writing an overview of the plot no matter what the netgalley review tips say, because it takes exactly one click for the synopsis of the book to show up.)
oh and thanks to netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts <3
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
౨ৎ • links:
⤿ if you could see the sun - 3✩ review here
⤿ this time it's real- 2.25✩ review here
⤿ i hope this doesn't find you - 4.5✩ pre-review here
⤿ i could give you the moon - pre-release review here
⤿ i am not jessica chen - pre-release review here
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
꒰ 🌷 ⊹˚. ෆ pre review:
i hate how much i don't love this
rating and review to come (edit: okay i've settled on two stars for now 😭 - i'm in a review slump rn so it might take me a while to write one)
꒰ 💌 ⊹˚. ෆ reading records:
(date layout = dd/mm/yy)
୨ৎ ‧ 22/06/2024
wow. i'm really feeling the sadness. it's so sad. i hate how these characters who had the most contrived personalities are having sad storylines. it's so sad.
౨ৎ ‧ 19/06/2024
i don't think the fantasy is in the room with us. maybe it's the friends we made along the way
୨ৎ ‧ 18/06/2024
such an amazing spy frfr
౨ৎ ‧ 17/06/2024
i love how the mmc is nowhere to be seen. literally. i don't think he's coming back.
୨ৎ ‧ 13/06/2024
it's reminding me of powerless why is there so much plot armour and plot devices ughhhhh
౨ৎ ‧ 11/06/2024
yess queeen! let's only elaborate about physical features instead of politics!
୨ৎ ‧ 11/06/2024
is the fantasy the lack of realism??
౨ৎ ‧ 10/06/2024
no no no no no no no you cannot just give me a quick overview of the most exciting part of the book. if you can spare what feels like two pages talking about someone's hands, then you can spend half a page talking about something interesting.
୨ৎ ‧ 7/06/2024
how this will turn into a romance i have no idea. WHERE IS THE CHARACTER DEPTH!! no one has a personality😭i get that you're all shallow creeps but COME ONN GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH
౨ৎ ‧ 5/06/2024
i get it, everyone is pretty, please shut the fuck up now. (constructive criticism don't kill me) (i am tired of this shit) (i'm not even halfway through yet) (you've listed every synonym of "beautiful" already) (give me a break) (what is with this prose) (not everything needs two paragraphs of description) (what in the juliette ferrars is this)
୨ৎ ‧ 4/06/2024
love to see the stupidity slayy <33
౨ৎ ‧ 1/06/2024
not even 25% through and they're already in love with each other wtff 😭and it's no show all tell😫😫 woohoo go girl give us nothing!
୨ৎ ‧ 25/05/2024
hoping this will pull me out of my blood over bright haven hangover
꒰ 🧸 ⊹˚. ෆ tbr review:
that. cover.
buddy reading with my love ellie <33 ahhh i can’t believe we both got the arc!!
꒰ 💐 ⊹˚. pre release:
seeing everyone get arcs for this but it’s not available in the uk yet 😭
(minor unmarked spoilers)
☆ insta lust/love. it’s no secret that this is a majorly disliked trope by the majority of romance readers, so liang, why on earth would you include this?? fanli and xishi knew each other for ten weeks. she was with the (attractive) enemy king fuchai for two years and yet she continued to pine over fanli?! the maths is not mathing
☆ fantasy where?? romance who?? usually when books are characterised as a “romantasy” they lean heavily into the romance, and have very little fantasy (cough, powerless, cough cough). but this book literally had neither. our mmc disappears for more than half the book and the fantasy element appears right at the very end. (edit: something that i’ve noticed is that many reviews are describing the two love interests as “two sides of the same coin”
☆ plot devices + plot armour + all tell and no show. xishi was a shitty spy. (all she does is convince a dude who needs therapy to build a palace.) we’re constantly told about the romantic tension between fanli and xishi but we never truly get to see it. we are constantly told about the amazing spying that xishi is getting up to but we never actually get to see anything. we do get a full paragraph of description about fanli’s face, but we obviously can’t get any information about the entering of xishi and zhengdan into the palace (aka the most interesting part of the book) because why wouldn’t we want to be deprived of anything of actual substance??
☆ this all leads me onto my next point(s): a lack of character development and storylines + characters that were wasted. so many different plot points were just dropped halfway, and so many characters could have had such meaningful impacts to the story. xishi’s heart defect was never expanded on. the whole subplot (if it can even be called that) with xishi’s sister felt like it was only created to give xishi some much needed depth, but then it was just abandoned. fuchai could have had some real depth and been this amazing morally-grey mmc, but instead became a sub-par villain with daddy issues. fanli could have been given some more page time to warrant being a love interest, let alone giving him any depth/development. fuchai’s advisor (his name is forgotten) could have been such a good antagonist if he had ever been given the chance. her friend zhengdan, wasn’t given enough page time for any of her actions to actually change the course of the story.
☆ unoriginality. this wasn’t unique in the slightest, rather it was a recounting of events from the original myth with an unnecessary amount of metaphors and the purplest of prose. the only new thing was the romance between xishi and fanli, and even then it was barely there.
☆ on another point about the writing is the lack of description about anything interesting. there is little expansion about the politics of the kingdoms of yue and wu, but more about the beauty of fanli and an endless amount of similes, adjectives, metaphors and hyperboles about how the water sparkles. so if you are a fan of high fantasy, please do look further for a book containing good political/court intrigue (and please dm me if you find any good reads).
☆ it's characterisation as an adult book. this is a huge departure from liang's usual fluffy ya romances, and if you couldn't already tell, i didn't love it. xishi's role in the palace was to be the king's concubine, yet the most the king did with her was to sleep in the same bed and kiss a couple of times. what!? and you expect me to believe that xishi's powers of seduction were so strong that she was able to convince him to build her a fucking palace and a canal. i believe it. 🙄
so yeah. ann, i love you, but please stick to ya.
(also i’m not writing an overview of the plot no matter what the netgalley review tips say, because it takes exactly one click for the synopsis of the book to show up.)
oh and thanks to netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts <3
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
౨ৎ • links:
⤿ if you could see the sun - 3✩ review here
⤿ this time it's real- 2.25✩ review here
⤿ i hope this doesn't find you - 4.5✩ pre-review here
⤿ i could give you the moon - pre-release review here
⤿ i am not jessica chen - pre-release review here
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
꒰ 🌷 ⊹˚. ෆ pre review:
i hate how much i don't love this
rating and review to come (edit: okay i've settled on two stars for now 😭 - i'm in a review slump rn so it might take me a while to write one)
꒰ 💌 ⊹˚. ෆ reading records:
(date layout = dd/mm/yy)
୨ৎ ‧ 22/06/2024
wow. i'm really feeling the sadness. it's so sad. i hate how these characters who had the most contrived personalities are having sad storylines. it's so sad.
౨ৎ ‧ 19/06/2024
i don't think the fantasy is in the room with us. maybe it's the friends we made along the way
୨ৎ ‧ 18/06/2024
such an amazing spy frfr
౨ৎ ‧ 17/06/2024
i love how the mmc is nowhere to be seen. literally. i don't think he's coming back.
୨ৎ ‧ 13/06/2024
it's reminding me of powerless why is there so much plot armour and plot devices ughhhhh
౨ৎ ‧ 11/06/2024
yess queeen! let's only elaborate about physical features instead of politics!
୨ৎ ‧ 11/06/2024
is the fantasy the lack of realism??
౨ৎ ‧ 10/06/2024
no no no no no no no you cannot just give me a quick overview of the most exciting part of the book. if you can spare what feels like two pages talking about someone's hands, then you can spend half a page talking about something interesting.
୨ৎ ‧ 7/06/2024
how this will turn into a romance i have no idea. WHERE IS THE CHARACTER DEPTH!! no one has a personality😭i get that you're all shallow creeps but COME ONN GIVE ME SOMETHING TO WORK WITH
౨ৎ ‧ 5/06/2024
i get it, everyone is pretty, please shut the fuck up now. (constructive criticism don't kill me) (i am tired of this shit) (i'm not even halfway through yet) (you've listed every synonym of "beautiful" already) (give me a break) (what is with this prose) (not everything needs two paragraphs of description) (what in the juliette ferrars is this)
୨ৎ ‧ 4/06/2024
love to see the stupidity slayy <33
౨ৎ ‧ 1/06/2024
not even 25% through and they're already in love with each other wtff 😭and it's no show all tell😫😫 woohoo go girl give us nothing!
୨ৎ ‧ 25/05/2024
hoping this will pull me out of my blood over bright haven hangover
꒰ 🧸 ⊹˚. ෆ tbr review:
that. cover.
buddy reading with my love ellie <33 ahhh i can’t believe we both got the arc!!
꒰ 💐 ⊹˚. pre release:
seeing everyone get arcs for this but it’s not available in the uk yet 😭
August 28, 2025
”The village aunties had always said that my beauty would be what changed my fate. I doubted anybody had thought it would mean this”
This book was a **A failed Opportunity**
I was thrilled to dive into this book, especially since it's my first experience with Ann Liang's work, which has received only positive reviews from nearly all my mutuals. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was short-lived, I found the story to be lacking in several key areas.
the primary issue I had was the underdevelopment of the three main characters. I felt that they were not explored deeply enough, which made it challenging to become invested in their journeys. The romance, in particular, was disappointingly superficial. I had high hopes for a poignant and tragic love story between Xishi and Fanli, but it ultimately fell flat.
The writing style, however, was a redeeming quality. Liang's prose is indeed soft and beautiful, making it a pleasure to read. The gentle and elegant language creates a soothing and immersive reading. But The book's pacing is uneven, with long stretches of boring, uneventful narrative that fail to advance the plot or deepen the characters.
The protagonist, Xishi, is reduced to a caricature of a "strong woman" with little depth or agency. Her training as a spy is glossed over, and her actions are driven more by convenience and plot necessity than any genuine character growth. The author's attempt to incorporate historical elements and cultural nuances falls flat, with Xishi's actions and decisions feeling more like those of a modern Westerner than a woman living in ancient China.
The supporting cast was no better, with the enemy king, Fuchai, being portrayed as a handsome drunk fool who never acted as a villain, and the love interest, Fanli, being relegated to a minor role.
Fuchai, as a character, showed great promise, and I found myself drawn to him. In fact, I think it would have been more compelling if Xishi had fallen for him, given the significant amount of time they spent together, but also it will be “villain get the girl” trope which is more interesting. Instead, the author opted for a tragic conclusion with Fanli, who was woefully underutilized throughout the book. Let’s be real.. how can you make the love interest a character who held 13% of the book?
She should’ve Developed their interactions, Increased the number of meaningful interactions between Xishi and Fanli, allowing us to witness their bond grow and deepen. This would have made their eventual separation more poignant.
She should’ve Added more emotional intimacy, Explored the emotional vulnerabilities and inner struggles of both characters, for mutual understanding and connection. This would have made their romance feel more authentic and relatable. More Introduced conflicts and tension was needed Introduced obstacles or conflicts that would have tested their relationship, making their love feel more earned and precious. This could have included internal struggles, external pressures, or misunderstandings that would have added depth to their narrative. their chemistry was non-existence, I needed more moments that highlighted the chemistry and attraction between Xishi and Fanli, making their romance at least believable. I also wanted some Foreshadowing for their tragic fate, at least a Subtle hint at the tragic consequences of their (non-existence) love, foreboding and tension that would have made their ultimate separation more impactful! Because I unfortunately felt absolutely nothing by that ending!
She described fanli to be this cold-hearted, unfeeling minister that have never in love but just so suddenly did? Give me a stronger emotional connection between Xishi and Fanli, making their separation feel more devastating and heart-wrenching. Give me a sense of inevitability making the end feel like a consequence of their actions or circumstances, rather than a contrived plot twist. Give me some sacrifice or selflessness to their story, making their love feel more noble and tragic. Give me a deeper devolve into their separation, showing how it affected not only the characters but also the world around them. Give me closure or resolution to their story, a sense of emotional satisfaction.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GIVE ME ANYTHING!!!!
If these things were added the author could have created a more compelling and impactful romance between Xishi and Fanli, making their so-not tragic story more memorable and emotionally resonant because ladies and gentlemen I felt absolutely ✨nothing✨
Not only was xishi and fanli ruined… but xishi and Fuchai too!
I was disappointed by the handling of Xishi's emotions, particularly in her interactions with Fuchai. Her calm demeanor made the story feel flat and unengaging. I craved more emotional depth and complexity from her side to him, which would have elevated the narrative. It’s portrayed that it’s a love triangle but xishi felt absolutely nothing to fuchai… the amount of wasted potentials in this book is giving me gray hairs.
Fuchai, as a character, showed great promise, but his potential was unfortunately wasted. As a king, he had the opportunity to be a complex and nuanced character, but instead, he was portrayed as stupid and drunk for most of the story. This was a missed opportunity to explore the intricacies of his character and create a more engaging flow.
His character was not developed deeply enough, and his presence was not leveraged to create meaningful conflicts or tensions. His interactions with Xishi, in particular, were lacking, and their relationship was not explored in a way that would have made their story more compelling.
Because why again fuchai nearly from the very beginning is telling xishi that he will do everything to her? I laughed so much Becuase the author did this love triangle were were both MMCs fell head over heels for xishi when she didn’t have an impactful relationship with BOTH!
I wanted to go deeper into Fuchai's personality, motivations, and backstory could have made him a more well-rounded and relatable character. She portrayed that he hate his father! He killed his most trusted man just because he compared him to his father! But never showed us deeply why? Why fuchai hate his father that much? Why never show us his full trauma except that when he was a kid, kids never played with him! That’s borderline illegal, this author ruined the book to heights unknown!!!
As a king, Fuchai should have been portrayed as intelligent and strategic, rather than a drunk loving fool the entire book. This would have added depth to his character and created more interesting conflicts. Because let’s be real how was he a king to being with? She dimmed his character and made him so plain and simple it was so bad and shaky constructed! He deserved so much better!
He should’ve have been ruthless! making difficult decisions, and navigating the complexities of ruling a kingdom! He should’ve been so ruthless that the mission was hard to xishi to accomplish! He should’ve inspected her more, making her on her tip-toe around him! When her betrayal was revealed the scene was so anti-climatic, everyone was sort of expecting it Of how stupid and weak the king was written.
Fuchai's presence could have been used to create conflicts and tensions that would have driven the plot forward. For example, his relationship with Xishi could have been more complex, with him struggling with his feelings for her or grappling with the consequences of their interactions or suspecting her more times than often.
The author literally killed Fuchai’s character arc and it made the book ten times worsts for me.
a song to drown rivers is classified as Romantasy and adult and guess what? It was neither *vine boom sound-effect*
I'm also laughing by the book's classification as adult fiction. It seems to me that it would be more accurately categorized as young adult given its themes and tone. And where was the fantasy in Romantasy? Absolutely nonexistent. It was supposed to be a captivating historical novel set in ancient China, drawing from the rich legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of Chinese history.
I read that The original legend of xishi offers a wealth of fascinating elements, including a strong female protagonist, an underdog kingdom, unique customs, and a gripping plot. However, the book fails to capitalize on these strengths, instead relying on cheap tropes insta-love, damsels in distress, and unconvincing character development.
this book had so much potential, the tropes and the story sound so good if only it was written by r.f. Kuang 😔 only her can give ruthless tropes their ultimate purpose!
This book ultimately failed to deliver everything on its promises. With more character development, a deeper exploration of the romance, and a more fitting conclusion, this story could have been truly memorable but turned out to be one of my most disappointing reads this year!
—ARC Provided by the Publisher St. Martin's Press.
December 18, 2024
➸ 4 stars
𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the arc!
i enjoyed this book so much and i fear i will never recover from this. it was utterly devastating, tragic, and beautifully heartbreaking. i was a sobbing mess when i finished it. as much as i enjoyed this book and this reading experience, i did have a lot of things i didn’t like about it so let’s get into it!
❗️THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS!!!! if you have not read this book please stop here! ❗️
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“When it came down to it, the choice was this: a kingdom, or my happiness.”
➺ xishi - i’m going to be honest i don’t really have an opinion about her so i don’t really know what to say! that scene where she almost blew the entire mission had me screaming at my kindle tho! and the ending utterly broke me and was just so sad…
“But here, she was radiant. She glowed with every thrust of the sword, every twist of her torso. And she was merciless.”
➺ zhengdan - i loved her and i have some strong opinions on this character. for one, i felt her death was just SO unnecessary and abrupt! maybe if it had happened at the end during the final fight then yeah understandable but her story just felt like it was cut too short! i didn’t really feel sad when it happened and was just pissed off that it did
“But I’ll stay by his side. Wherever he goes, I will follow, for as long as he lets me.”
➺ luyi - loved him!! he was hilarious and deserved more scenes in this book and i hoped to see more of his friendship with fanli!
“Some may prefer the comfort of lies to the sting of truths, but I wish to be completely honest with you from the beginning, even if the picture I paint isn’t always pretty.”
➺ fanli - listen… i do like him! from the beginning i thought he was an interesting character; the guy who everyone thinks is incapable of feeling anything when really he just hides the pain… yeah i thought he was intriguing! more on this further in the review.
“Is somebody bothering you? Who? I’ll kill them.”
➺ fuchai - I LOVED HIM! FUCHAI DEFENDER AND LOVER UNTIL I DIE IDC! if villain why hot? no but seriously why is he made out to be the villain when he clearly is just the misunderstood character who has SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be great. MORE OF HIM LATER IN THIS REVIEW.
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“I’m the darkness, he seemed to see me more clearly than anybody.”
➺ xishi and fanli - i really did like them but i just feel like they just fell flat for me together if that makes sense. they spent 10 weeks together which took place the first 35ish percent of the book and that was it; i felt like it was kinda insta-lovey. don’t get me wrong, i was smiling and giggling for them but i just feel like something was missing. there was supposed to be longing and stolen glances and almost touches but i feel like i didn’t really see much of that.
“I am afraid of you. I’m afraid of what comes over me when I’m around you. I’m afraid of how tempting it is, to ignore my own rationale, of how many excuses I can invent just to be closer to you. I’m afraid of how much—how much I want.”
“Isn’t it funny? I used to dream of changing the world. Of working for the greater good. But what good is the world, if she is gone?”
i really wish they had more time, the ending was devastating.
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“Sometimes I swear—I only feel like a person when I’m around you.”
➺ xishi and fuchai - THE POTENTIAL HERE?! actually crazy. the villain who is utterly obsessed with her?! ugh i honestly loved them together and i think if xishi had ended up falling for him during her mission it would’ve been a great twist to the story and i would not have minded one bit. they spent over two years together and i really believe she changed him for the better because the character development for fuchai went insane and it could’ve developed further!
“But the heavens must have mercy, still, because they led you to me. My beautiful Xishi. You will be the death of me.”
“Kiss me. Kiss me until I forget everything.”
i actually love fuchai so much and how can i not?! he was so down bad for xishi and would literally do anything for her ughhhh
“He had protected me. There had been no room for hesitation. To have acted in time—it could only be natural instinct, his very first reaction.”
“Would it be foolish if I said I’m happy to have been burned?”
“It would.”
“Then let me be a fool. I am happier than I’ve ever been.”
HE CARES ABOUT HER SO MUCH YOU CANNOT TELL ME SHE STAYED WITH HIM FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND DIDNT FEEL ANYTHING OMG SHES STRONGER THAN ME FR
“You really would do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would. Anything for you. my Xishi.”
my xishi… gonna go cry now.
“and i’ll be yours, every second of every day. What can I do to make you feel better?”
he literally built an entire castle for her to dance in so she wouldn’t feel self conscious… if xishi doesn’t want him i’ll gladly take him.
“What are you doing?”
“You asked me what I wanted, I… I want to hold you for a while, like this. Is that all right?”
“I would give up everything for you, you realize?”
i feel like in all the time they spent together there was so much vulnerability that formed between them! he literally could only sleep soundly when he was next to her and idk what to say about her but he was just everything to me idc
"Rest, if you need to. I'll look after you."
“I don't remember closing my eyes. But even as darkness fell over me, I was aware of the warmth of his body, the evening scent of his skin; all that should have been foreign to me, now as intimate as the back of my hand. As the drums of war sounded in the distance, signaling a new age, a new dawn, there I lay, falling sound asleep in the arms of the enemy.”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you. Whatever happens—I won’t let them touch you.”
she had to have felt something for him i refuse to believe she didn’t because HOW
“You know, if you hadn’t said so, I would’ve forgotten. The truth is, you’ve long become a Wu person in my eyes. What is home, if not you?”
WHAT IS HOME IF NOT YOU. WHAT. IS. HOME. IF. NOT. YOU. IM SICKKKKKKK SO SICK he truly loved her and i’ll forever be heartbroken
“I’ve been thinking about it, and i’ve decided…none of it matters.”
“What?”
“The kingdom. The land, the lakes, the places of worship. All the hold and the godly statues and the jewels. I’m willing to give them all up, as long as I can be with you always.”
he was willing to give up everything just as long as she would be with him IM SICK BECAUSE UGH his character was everything and more idc
“I hate you, I hate you, I-I hate you—“
“Good. At least you admit you feel something for me.”
when the betrayal happened it honestly hurt ME and i felt so bad for fuchai omfg he deserved so much better!!!
“Do it.”
“I…I can’t—“
“If I am to die, I want you to be the one to kill me. I want this to be the last of my memories.”
“Fuchai—“
“Please. There can be nobody else but you.”
when she ruins him but he’ll gladly let her because it’s her>>>> IM SO SICK I DONT EVEN WANNA THINK ABOUT THIS DAMN BOOK ANYMORE
“No matter where we were, he was always the first one to spot me, always the last to look alway. As if afraid I would disappear at any moment, like smoke in a breeze. As if he knew that one day, he would run out of time.”
sigh…… anyways i love fuchai and he deserved better and i’ll defend him forever!! my man fr ok bye
“The string of fate, it ensures that you are bound for eternity, that your souls will find their way back to each other in every life.”
𓍢⊹ ࣪ thank you to netgalley for the arc!
i enjoyed this book so much and i fear i will never recover from this. it was utterly devastating, tragic, and beautifully heartbreaking. i was a sobbing mess when i finished it. as much as i enjoyed this book and this reading experience, i did have a lot of things i didn’t like about it so let’s get into it!
❗️THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS!!!! if you have not read this book please stop here! ❗️
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“When it came down to it, the choice was this: a kingdom, or my happiness.”
➺ xishi - i’m going to be honest i don’t really have an opinion about her so i don’t really know what to say! that scene where she almost blew the entire mission had me screaming at my kindle tho! and the ending utterly broke me and was just so sad…
“But here, she was radiant. She glowed with every thrust of the sword, every twist of her torso. And she was merciless.”
➺ zhengdan - i loved her and i have some strong opinions on this character. for one, i felt her death was just SO unnecessary and abrupt! maybe if it had happened at the end during the final fight then yeah understandable but her story just felt like it was cut too short! i didn’t really feel sad when it happened and was just pissed off that it did
“But I’ll stay by his side. Wherever he goes, I will follow, for as long as he lets me.”
➺ luyi - loved him!! he was hilarious and deserved more scenes in this book and i hoped to see more of his friendship with fanli!
“Some may prefer the comfort of lies to the sting of truths, but I wish to be completely honest with you from the beginning, even if the picture I paint isn’t always pretty.”
➺ fanli - listen… i do like him! from the beginning i thought he was an interesting character; the guy who everyone thinks is incapable of feeling anything when really he just hides the pain… yeah i thought he was intriguing! more on this further in the review.
“Is somebody bothering you? Who? I’ll kill them.”
➺ fuchai - I LOVED HIM! FUCHAI DEFENDER AND LOVER UNTIL I DIE IDC! if villain why hot? no but seriously why is he made out to be the villain when he clearly is just the misunderstood character who has SO MUCH POTENTIAL to be great. MORE OF HIM LATER IN THIS REVIEW.
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“I’m the darkness, he seemed to see me more clearly than anybody.”
➺ xishi and fanli - i really did like them but i just feel like they just fell flat for me together if that makes sense. they spent 10 weeks together which took place the first 35ish percent of the book and that was it; i felt like it was kinda insta-lovey. don’t get me wrong, i was smiling and giggling for them but i just feel like something was missing. there was supposed to be longing and stolen glances and almost touches but i feel like i didn’t really see much of that.
“I am afraid of you. I’m afraid of what comes over me when I’m around you. I’m afraid of how tempting it is, to ignore my own rationale, of how many excuses I can invent just to be closer to you. I’m afraid of how much—how much I want.”
“Isn’t it funny? I used to dream of changing the world. Of working for the greater good. But what good is the world, if she is gone?”
i really wish they had more time, the ending was devastating.
——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ———
“Sometimes I swear—I only feel like a person when I’m around you.”
➺ xishi and fuchai - THE POTENTIAL HERE?! actually crazy. the villain who is utterly obsessed with her?! ugh i honestly loved them together and i think if xishi had ended up falling for him during her mission it would’ve been a great twist to the story and i would not have minded one bit. they spent over two years together and i really believe she changed him for the better because the character development for fuchai went insane and it could’ve developed further!
“But the heavens must have mercy, still, because they led you to me. My beautiful Xishi. You will be the death of me.”
“Kiss me. Kiss me until I forget everything.”
i actually love fuchai so much and how can i not?! he was so down bad for xishi and would literally do anything for her ughhhh
“He had protected me. There had been no room for hesitation. To have acted in time—it could only be natural instinct, his very first reaction.”
“Would it be foolish if I said I’m happy to have been burned?”
“It would.”
“Then let me be a fool. I am happier than I’ve ever been.”
HE CARES ABOUT HER SO MUCH YOU CANNOT TELL ME SHE STAYED WITH HIM FOR OVER TWO YEARS AND DIDNT FEEL ANYTHING OMG SHES STRONGER THAN ME FR
“You really would do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would. Anything for you. my Xishi.”
my xishi… gonna go cry now.
“and i’ll be yours, every second of every day. What can I do to make you feel better?”
he literally built an entire castle for her to dance in so she wouldn’t feel self conscious… if xishi doesn’t want him i’ll gladly take him.
“What are you doing?”
“You asked me what I wanted, I… I want to hold you for a while, like this. Is that all right?”
“I would give up everything for you, you realize?”
i feel like in all the time they spent together there was so much vulnerability that formed between them! he literally could only sleep soundly when he was next to her and idk what to say about her but he was just everything to me idc
"Rest, if you need to. I'll look after you."
“I don't remember closing my eyes. But even as darkness fell over me, I was aware of the warmth of his body, the evening scent of his skin; all that should have been foreign to me, now as intimate as the back of my hand. As the drums of war sounded in the distance, signaling a new age, a new dawn, there I lay, falling sound asleep in the arms of the enemy.”
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you. Whatever happens—I won’t let them touch you.”
she had to have felt something for him i refuse to believe she didn’t because HOW
“You know, if you hadn’t said so, I would’ve forgotten. The truth is, you’ve long become a Wu person in my eyes. What is home, if not you?”
WHAT IS HOME IF NOT YOU. WHAT. IS. HOME. IF. NOT. YOU. IM SICKKKKKKK SO SICK he truly loved her and i’ll forever be heartbroken
“I’ve been thinking about it, and i’ve decided…none of it matters.”
“What?”
“The kingdom. The land, the lakes, the places of worship. All the hold and the godly statues and the jewels. I’m willing to give them all up, as long as I can be with you always.”
he was willing to give up everything just as long as she would be with him IM SICK BECAUSE UGH his character was everything and more idc
“I hate you, I hate you, I-I hate you—“
“Good. At least you admit you feel something for me.”
when the betrayal happened it honestly hurt ME and i felt so bad for fuchai omfg he deserved so much better!!!
“Do it.”
“I…I can’t—“
“If I am to die, I want you to be the one to kill me. I want this to be the last of my memories.”
“Fuchai—“
“Please. There can be nobody else but you.”
when she ruins him but he’ll gladly let her because it’s her>>>> IM SO SICK I DONT EVEN WANNA THINK ABOUT THIS DAMN BOOK ANYMORE
“No matter where we were, he was always the first one to spot me, always the last to look alway. As if afraid I would disappear at any moment, like smoke in a breeze. As if he knew that one day, he would run out of time.”
sigh…… anyways i love fuchai and he deserved better and i’ll defend him forever!! my man fr ok bye
January 29, 2024
writing this with shaky hands and tears streaming down my face.
i hate this book. it's so intoxicating that you are FORCED to leave other responsibilities in order to finish it as soon as possible. irreversible damage has been done to my mental health. and i'm also sleep deprived, but that doesn't matter because i just read this masterpiece.
this book is now the center of my universe. i am deceased ???
as a major history + mythology enthusiast, thank you ann liang for giving me everything i needed.
+ please do write more books in this genre, i'm begging you. my fragile heart can't take the amount of wasted potential for ann liang as a fantasy/asian mythology author.
➵ i really do want to write a review, but i honestly want to add a good amount of quotes, annotations + an in depth character analysis, which will most likely include minor spoilers, so i will probably post a review closer to the publication date 😭 (october 1st, 2024)
pre-review
READY TO BINGE THIS WITH ALL THE BEST GIRLS READING THIS RN
i hate this book. it's so intoxicating that you are FORCED to leave other responsibilities in order to finish it as soon as possible. irreversible damage has been done to my mental health. and i'm also sleep deprived, but that doesn't matter because i just read this masterpiece.
this book is now the center of my universe. i am deceased ???
as a major history + mythology enthusiast, thank you ann liang for giving me everything i needed.
+ please do write more books in this genre, i'm begging you. my fragile heart can't take the amount of wasted potential for ann liang as a fantasy/asian mythology author.
➵ i really do want to write a review, but i honestly want to add a good amount of quotes, annotations + an in depth character analysis, which will most likely include minor spoilers, so i will probably post a review closer to the publication date 😭 (october 1st, 2024)
pre-review
READY TO BINGE THIS WITH ALL THE BEST GIRLS READING THIS RN
Read
March 18, 2024THE TEARS WONT STOP GOSH ANN LIANG U BETTER PAY FOR MY THERAPY!!!!!!!!
RTC
જ⁀➴
Everyone said that this book made them cry, so my plushie, tissues, and I are going to read it now.
RTC
જ⁀➴
Everyone said that this book made them cry, so my plushie, tissues, and I are going to read it now.
October 23, 2024
➵ 4.5 ✰ ☾⋆⁺⊹
the mind destroys, the heart devours
after a lot of thought (and ranting to juju) i decided to give this 4 stars. i loved this so much and as someone who is mostly known for her romcoms, ann liang did great. the reason that i'm not giving this 5 stars is because the biggest and most obvious trope in this book is the love-triangle and i'm not a fan of that trope (at all). the main lead is very obvious but i just can't help getting attached to the second lead.
─ i still highly recommend this and i honestly wish that ann liang wrote more books in this genre because she did very well. i was sobbing my eyes out during the last 20% of the book.
full rtc! 💌
# i'll be writing the full review closer to the release date because i want to include spoilers and quotes from the book!
---
SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP I JUST DOWNLOADED THIS ON KINDLE AND I'M ABOUT TO DROP EVERYTHING TO READ THIS RFN 😭😭😭😭
the mind destroys, the heart devours
after a lot of thought (and ranting to juju) i decided to give this 4 stars. i loved this so much and as someone who is mostly known for her romcoms, ann liang did great. the reason that i'm not giving this 5 stars is because the biggest and most obvious trope in this book is the love-triangle and i'm not a fan of that trope (at all). the main lead is very obvious but i just can't help getting attached to the second lead.
─ i still highly recommend this and i honestly wish that ann liang wrote more books in this genre because she did very well. i was sobbing my eyes out during the last 20% of the book.
full rtc! 💌
# i'll be writing the full review closer to the release date because i want to include spoilers and quotes from the book!
---
SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP I JUST DOWNLOADED THIS ON KINDLE AND I'M ABOUT TO DROP EVERYTHING TO READ THIS RFN 😭😭😭😭
February 8, 2024
A stunning, heart-rending feat of a story. A Song to Drown Rivers retells ancient legend with phenomenal voice, bringing a truly worthwhile addition to the historical fiction genre.
October 20, 2024
5 stars
this review contains no spoilers!!
tropes:
➳ forbidden romance
➳ arranged marriage
➳ life or death
➳ trainee and trainer
➳ "i will do anything for you"
➳ chinese story retelling
a song to drown rivers follows fanli (mmc 1), xishi (fmc), and fuchai (mmc 2) as their kingdoms (wu kingdom: fuchai and yue kingdom: xishi and fanli) are at war. xishi is trained by fanli to be sent to seduce fuchai to bring down his empire.
⌗ 🌊┊⁀➷ ANN LIANG HAS DONE IT AGAIN. this book destroyed me. i cried, smiled, giggled, and swooned over this book that was not even 300 pages. ann can literally create magic. i went through the 5 stages of grief reading this. the story was intricate, the characters were fleshed out, and the writing was angelic. give me 5-10 months to recover from this 💔.
⌗ 🌸┊⁀➷ xishi is one of the most powerful fmcs i've read about in a while. i admired her willingness to learn and her willingness to fight for her country at whatever cost it took, even if it was her life. xishi was smart, cunning, elegant, and loyal. her plans to make fuchai fall for her were so intricate and well thought out. i felt so bad for her throughout the entire book though. she was being used as a pawn by her kingdom and would get nothing in return. unfortunately, this was the sad reality of so many beautiful women in ancient times, and still now. so i think we should see her for what she is: a person.
⌗ ⚔️┊⁀➷ fanli.. i love you so much ❤️🩹❤️🩹. ann created him so intimately in the first few chapters and somehow made me swoon for both of them and their undeniable tension 😩. he was so sweet and caring of xishi, risking his life for her multiple times. fanli gives me such c-drama prince vibes and i love him for it 🙏🙏.
⌗🍷┊⁀➷ fuchai my baby deserved so much better 🥺🥺. he was the sweetest ever (although he made some... interesting... choices at times.) and would move the moon for xishi if she asked him to. honestly i felt so bad for him throughout the entire book because he didn't know that he was being deceived by the person that he chose to love.
⌗💧┊⁀➷ some quotes:
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “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.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “please,” he said. “there cannot be nobody else but you.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “they say that when i was born, all the wild geese flew down from the sky, and the fish sank beneath the waves, having forgotten how to swim. even the lotus flowers in out gardens quivered and turned their heads away, so ashamed they were of their own diminished allure in my presence.”
thank you so so so much to chevs & ash for buddy reading this with me, ily both endlessly 💙
pre - read ʚ♡ɞ˚
i recently read i hope this doesn't find you so i'm excited to read more ann liang!! 💞💞
buddy reading with my angel bsfs: ash & chevs
this review contains no spoilers!!
tropes:
➳ forbidden romance
➳ arranged marriage
➳ life or death
➳ trainee and trainer
➳ "i will do anything for you"
➳ chinese story retelling
a song to drown rivers follows fanli (mmc 1), xishi (fmc), and fuchai (mmc 2) as their kingdoms (wu kingdom: fuchai and yue kingdom: xishi and fanli) are at war. xishi is trained by fanli to be sent to seduce fuchai to bring down his empire.
⌗ 🌊┊⁀➷ ANN LIANG HAS DONE IT AGAIN. this book destroyed me. i cried, smiled, giggled, and swooned over this book that was not even 300 pages. ann can literally create magic. i went through the 5 stages of grief reading this. the story was intricate, the characters were fleshed out, and the writing was angelic. give me 5-10 months to recover from this 💔.
⌗ 🌸┊⁀➷ xishi is one of the most powerful fmcs i've read about in a while. i admired her willingness to learn and her willingness to fight for her country at whatever cost it took, even if it was her life. xishi was smart, cunning, elegant, and loyal. her plans to make fuchai fall for her were so intricate and well thought out. i felt so bad for her throughout the entire book though. she was being used as a pawn by her kingdom and would get nothing in return. unfortunately, this was the sad reality of so many beautiful women in ancient times, and still now. so i think we should see her for what she is: a person.
⌗ ⚔️┊⁀➷ fanli.. i love you so much ❤️🩹❤️🩹. ann created him so intimately in the first few chapters and somehow made me swoon for both of them and their undeniable tension 😩. he was so sweet and caring of xishi, risking his life for her multiple times. fanli gives me such c-drama prince vibes and i love him for it 🙏🙏.
⌗🍷┊⁀➷ fuchai my baby deserved so much better 🥺🥺. he was the sweetest ever (although he made some... interesting... choices at times.) and would move the moon for xishi if she asked him to. honestly i felt so bad for him throughout the entire book because he didn't know that he was being deceived by the person that he chose to love.
⌗💧┊⁀➷ some quotes:
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “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.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “please,” he said. “there cannot be nobody else but you.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ “they say that when i was born, all the wild geese flew down from the sky, and the fish sank beneath the waves, having forgotten how to swim. even the lotus flowers in out gardens quivered and turned their heads away, so ashamed they were of their own diminished allure in my presence.”
thank you so so so much to chevs & ash for buddy reading this with me, ily both endlessly 💙
pre - read ʚ♡ɞ˚
i recently read i hope this doesn't find you so i'm excited to read more ann liang!! 💞💞
buddy reading with my angel bsfs: ash & chevs
April 22, 2024
→5✰
my heart is shattered.
ann liang, why did u do this to me? i am never recovering from this
-full rtc closer to the release date 💌
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
pre-read review
SCREAMINGGG IM DROPPING EVERYTHING FOR THIS 😽
thank uu to manju and mitra for letting me know abt the arc !!
ily cuties smm
my heart is shattered.
ann liang, why did u do this to me? i am never recovering from this
-full rtc closer to the release date 💌
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
pre-read review
SCREAMINGGG IM DROPPING EVERYTHING FOR THIS 😽
thank uu to manju and mitra for letting me know abt the arc !!
ily cuties smm
September 23, 2024
જ⁀➴
pre-review
-`🌙´-
~ saying that i hate this is an understatement.
Review to come.
buddy read with my girl fadhee !! 🫶🏻
~ saying that i hate this is an understatement.
Review to come.
buddy read with my girl fadhee !! 🫶🏻
January 5, 2025
2.25 stars
this rating was not at all what i was expecting. going in i had sky high expectations, but sadly i was left feeling disappointed. i think this had so much potential to be great, but it fell flat at every turn.
starting with the plot, i felt like it dragged and i couldn’t stay focused. the first half of the book was incredibly slow and i found myself thinking when is the whole point of this story going to begin? answer: close to the halfway point, maybe a bit before. but that’s a long time for the action to really begin. i think i just expected the story to be faster paced, more punchy. political intrigue and all, you know?
now, i understand the point of the first half of the book was to create this bond between xishi and fanli before she leaves to infiltrate the wu, however it made the plot feel tedious and was way too drawn out. and not to mention after all of that, i came out of it not feeling their connection. i’m not really sure if i missed it, but it felt pretty insta love. from the beginning they’re both drawn to each other’s beauty and then their mission draws them together but i’m not sure where this connection tracks because for the rest of the book it’s apparently strong enough for them both to make some suspect decisions.
ultimately, i think this story was too short for what it tried to do. setting up two completely separate love interests in a 300 page book would be a feat and it did not work out here. there just wasn’t enough time to develop believable and heartfelt bonds in such a short amount of time. so when the book ended, i didn’t feel any emotions except maybe for fuchai (but even then, not really).
another thing, i didn’t realize this was a retelling before i went into it (my bad), but that definitely dropped my rating from a 3 to a 2. i think finding out that this was an established tale with multiple different endings just made this even more of a disappointment in my eyes. the idea wasn’t original and this is still what came out of it.
overall, i know so many people love this story but it just didn’t work for me. so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and give it a shot. it might work out better for you.
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
꒰ pre-read. ꒱
i’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now and i’m so excited for it to be my last read of the year! plus my mom gifted it to me for christmas 🥹 the book is so pretty with the sprayed edges i’m already in love. i’ve seen so many people love this book and i’m hoping i do too! <3
”I had the sense, then, that we were standing on the brink of something; one step in the wrong direction, and we would both fall in.”
this rating was not at all what i was expecting. going in i had sky high expectations, but sadly i was left feeling disappointed. i think this had so much potential to be great, but it fell flat at every turn.
starting with the plot, i felt like it dragged and i couldn’t stay focused. the first half of the book was incredibly slow and i found myself thinking when is the whole point of this story going to begin? answer: close to the halfway point, maybe a bit before. but that’s a long time for the action to really begin. i think i just expected the story to be faster paced, more punchy. political intrigue and all, you know?
now, i understand the point of the first half of the book was to create this bond between xishi and fanli before she leaves to infiltrate the wu, however it made the plot feel tedious and was way too drawn out. and not to mention after all of that, i came out of it not feeling their connection. i’m not really sure if i missed it, but it felt pretty insta love. from the beginning they’re both drawn to each other’s beauty and then their mission draws them together but i’m not sure where this connection tracks because for the rest of the book it’s apparently strong enough for them both to make some suspect decisions.
ultimately, i think this story was too short for what it tried to do. setting up two completely separate love interests in a 300 page book would be a feat and it did not work out here. there just wasn’t enough time to develop believable and heartfelt bonds in such a short amount of time. so when the book ended, i didn’t feel any emotions except maybe for fuchai (but even then, not really).
another thing, i didn’t realize this was a retelling before i went into it (my bad), but that definitely dropped my rating from a 3 to a 2. i think finding out that this was an established tale with multiple different endings just made this even more of a disappointment in my eyes. the idea wasn’t original and this is still what came out of it.
overall, i know so many people love this story but it just didn’t work for me. so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and give it a shot. it might work out better for you.
.・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・. .・。.・゜✭・.
꒰ pre-read. ꒱
i’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now and i’m so excited for it to be my last read of the year! plus my mom gifted it to me for christmas 🥹 the book is so pretty with the sprayed edges i’m already in love. i’ve seen so many people love this book and i’m hoping i do too! <3
February 6, 2024
˗ˏˋ꒰𖦹｡ 5 stars ⋆°✰꒱ ˎˊ˗
y'all know that feeling when you just read your new forever favorite book ever and you realize now you're never gonna be able to read it for the first time again. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH FOR THE ENTIRE DAY. this is me precisely
this was so devastatingly beautiful and sad, i love this kind of books. just to summarize my feelings for this book, another gif, and we end the review.
my buket of boiling tears to be specific lmao you cannot imagine how much i sobbed during the entirety of this book. i'm not made to watch or read forbidden romances, ii expect the worst to happen and i just cry and cry. this is not in the book, it's just a forbidden romance kind of quote. like when he says "I'll love you forever" and i start crying cuz i can't stop thinking "you don't have forever"
forbidden romances are my trope to cry and cry and crycrash landing on you pls
so yeah, ann liang you NEED to write more books in this genre. that's my only reason to live, the hope that ann liang is gonna write another book in this genre. she's so GOOD writing YA and now THIS, pls. atp i would read nything she writes
pre-review:
im numb and my head hurts. i won't ever get over this. it's a FACT, i know myself
my heart ache, hurt, cried, SCREAMED for fuchai. sue me idc
rtc
ps. there's gonna be a lot sobbing writing the review.
now, im gonna go cry to my mama about the pain im feeling rn. excuse me
pre-read:
OMFG, THIS WAS SO RANDOM. i didn't even have a netgalley account about like an hour ago. there was no way this was gonna work, but now that it does i have to read it not that im complaining wth
MY FIRST ARC EVER BEING AN ANN LIANG'S BOOK, is a dream come true. im beyond excited for this 😭
thanks to netgalley for the arc <33
y'all know that feeling when you just read your new forever favorite book ever and you realize now you're never gonna be able to read it for the first time again. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH FOR THE ENTIRE DAY. this is me precisely
this was so devastatingly beautiful and sad, i love this kind of books. just to summarize my feelings for this book, another gif, and we end the review.
my buket of boiling tears to be specific lmao you cannot imagine how much i sobbed during the entirety of this book. i'm not made to watch or read forbidden romances, ii expect the worst to happen and i just cry and cry. this is not in the book, it's just a forbidden romance kind of quote. like when he says "I'll love you forever" and i start crying cuz i can't stop thinking "you don't have forever"
forbidden romances are my trope to cry and cry and cry
so yeah, ann liang you NEED to write more books in this genre. that's my only reason to live, the hope that ann liang is gonna write another book in this genre. she's so GOOD writing YA and now THIS, pls. atp i would read nything she writes
pre-review:
im numb and my head hurts. i won't ever get over this. it's a FACT, i know myself
my heart ache, hurt, cried, SCREAMED for fuchai. sue me idc
rtc
ps. there's gonna be a lot sobbing writing the review.
now, im gonna go cry to my mama about the pain im feeling rn. excuse me
pre-read:
OMFG, THIS WAS SO RANDOM. i didn't even have a netgalley account about like an hour ago. there was no way this was gonna work, but now that it does i have to read it
MY FIRST ARC EVER BEING AN ANN LIANG'S BOOK, is a dream come true. im beyond excited for this 😭
thanks to netgalley for the arc <33
September 10, 2024
the mind destroys, the heart devours
the fact that this is the same author that wrote i hope this never finds you is crazyyy (/pos). i enjoyed IHTNFY, it's just a total 180 going from a YA contemporary romcom to this fantasy tragedy in a fictional ancient china. it's a testament to her writing bc if i hadn't known it was the same author, i would never have guessed.
a beautiful but tragic tale of the most beautiful woman from a distant village conscripted to seduce and betray the king of a neighboring kingdom who ruthlessly took over hers. the YEARNING between xishi and fanli was crazyyyy. i was impressed with the writing, as there were very poetic lines and felt very true to the time period/genre, but there was also a simplicity and pacing to it where i never felt bogged down. i was actually able to read this very quickly, and i needed to know if xishi and fanli would succeed in their mission and reunite.
overall, i enjoyed it and but there were a few small things i think could be improved. emotionally though, i'm devastated please give me 5-10 business days to recover 😭 there are romance elements, but fair warning, this is not a romance with a perfect happy ending.
the fact that this is the same author that wrote i hope this never finds you is crazyyy (/pos). i enjoyed IHTNFY, it's just a total 180 going from a YA contemporary romcom to this fantasy tragedy in a fictional ancient china. it's a testament to her writing bc if i hadn't known it was the same author, i would never have guessed.
a beautiful but tragic tale of the most beautiful woman from a distant village conscripted to seduce and betray the king of a neighboring kingdom who ruthlessly took over hers. the YEARNING between xishi and fanli was crazyyyy. i was impressed with the writing, as there were very poetic lines and felt very true to the time period/genre, but there was also a simplicity and pacing to it where i never felt bogged down. i was actually able to read this very quickly, and i needed to know if xishi and fanli would succeed in their mission and reunite.
overall, i enjoyed it and but there were a few small things i think could be improved. emotionally though, i'm devastated please give me 5-10 business days to recover 😭 there are romance elements, but fair warning, this is not a romance with a perfect happy ending.
January 29, 2025
i am in a MASSIVE review slump but i hope to one day do this book justice with a good, long review with my 100 favorite quotes and analyses of the characters which i will probably cry while writing!!
July 30, 2024
꒰🏛️꒱ ⁺˖ જ⁀➴ thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
꒰🩰⌗₊꒱ ········· a song to drown rivers - 3.75 stars ☆⁺˖
°˖➴ ꒰🪐꒱ plot 〰️: xishi is known for her beauty and is seen as a blessing to her village, yue. when xishi meets fanli, a military adviser, he proposes the idea of using her beauty to defeat the rivaling kingdom, wu. xishi agrees and becomes a spy, living with the king who is enchanted by her beauty. the only downside is: if xishi gets caught, then both kingdoms will be taken down.
౨ ✉️ ৎ my opinion ✔️: i really liked this! it held my attention and moved fast enough that i was interested most of the time. that being said, i did still have some issues, causing this to be not quite a 4star, but a 3.75. in usual ann liang fashion, both characters were amazing, both separately AND as a couple. the ending was bittersweet, sad yet later happy. i still dont know how to feel but i think i liked it? im glad that there was hea-ish ending <3 i also really enjoyed the writing! i've previously read 'i hope this doesnt find you' and 'if you could see the sun' both by ann liang and i liked the writing in those too! i have to say that i think her writing had improved in this book!
°˖➴ ꒰🪐꒱ what i didn't like✖️: as i said before, i was interested and entertained most of the time. this did get boring for me at times. it went pretty fast for most of the book, but at some parts it was SO SLOW! im glad i followed through with it though bcs i ended up really enjoying!
········· ꒰🏹꒱ recommend❔ 👍🏻∿👎🏻
જ⁀➴ ···· ౨ 📖 ৎ ⤳ yes! if you usually like ann liang's books then i would say that yes! this is worth it! it is pretty different from her usual fluffy, cutsey, short, love-filt romances BUT it is still just as good!
౨ৎ release date: 10/1/24 ⁺˖ ✉️❕
⤷ btw: im trying out a new review format for books that are arcs. i will still use my usual format for all my regular reads, i just felt like this format would be better for arcs bcs less spoilers - more of my opinion!
────────
pre-review: read this on the plane a few hours ago. the man sitting in front of me put his seat ALL the way back and crushed my legs then got mad at me and made me cry 🙂 its safe to say that this book was the only good part about my flight. rating // review to come!
ᝰ.ᐟ pre-read: im marking this as currently reading now but starting on the plane tmrw! i am SO exited 🤭 and i still can't believe i got the arc 😭🩷
tbr-review: I GOT THE ARC. I. GOT. THE. ARC. I GOT THE FREAKING ARC OMG. I AM UNWELL BECAUSE WHAT? THANK U ALL WHO FOLLOW ME/ARE FRIENDS WITH ME AND LIKE MY REVIEWS BCS I WOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN IT WITHOUT YALL OMG.
either im dense or live under a rock or both bc i keep finding ann laings 😱😱
꒰🩰⌗₊꒱ ········· a song to drown rivers - 3.75 stars ☆⁺˖
°˖➴ ꒰🪐꒱ plot 〰️: xishi is known for her beauty and is seen as a blessing to her village, yue. when xishi meets fanli, a military adviser, he proposes the idea of using her beauty to defeat the rivaling kingdom, wu. xishi agrees and becomes a spy, living with the king who is enchanted by her beauty. the only downside is: if xishi gets caught, then both kingdoms will be taken down.
౨ ✉️ ৎ my opinion ✔️: i really liked this! it held my attention and moved fast enough that i was interested most of the time. that being said, i did still have some issues, causing this to be not quite a 4star, but a 3.75. in usual ann liang fashion, both characters were amazing, both separately AND as a couple. the ending was bittersweet, sad yet later happy. i still dont know how to feel but i think i liked it? im glad that there was hea-ish ending <3 i also really enjoyed the writing! i've previously read 'i hope this doesnt find you' and 'if you could see the sun' both by ann liang and i liked the writing in those too! i have to say that i think her writing had improved in this book!
°˖➴ ꒰🪐꒱ what i didn't like✖️: as i said before, i was interested and entertained most of the time. this did get boring for me at times. it went pretty fast for most of the book, but at some parts it was SO SLOW! im glad i followed through with it though bcs i ended up really enjoying!
········· ꒰🏹꒱ recommend❔ 👍🏻∿👎🏻
જ⁀➴ ···· ౨ 📖 ৎ ⤳ yes! if you usually like ann liang's books then i would say that yes! this is worth it! it is pretty different from her usual fluffy, cutsey, short, love-filt romances BUT it is still just as good!
౨ৎ release date: 10/1/24 ⁺˖ ✉️❕
⤷ btw: im trying out a new review format for books that are arcs. i will still use my usual format for all my regular reads, i just felt like this format would be better for arcs bcs less spoilers - more of my opinion!
────────
pre-review: read this on the plane a few hours ago. the man sitting in front of me put his seat ALL the way back and crushed my legs then got mad at me and made me cry 🙂 its safe to say that this book was the only good part about my flight. rating // review to come!
ᝰ.ᐟ pre-read: im marking this as currently reading now but starting on the plane tmrw! i am SO exited 🤭 and i still can't believe i got the arc 😭🩷
tbr-review: I GOT THE ARC. I. GOT. THE. ARC. I GOT THE FREAKING ARC OMG. I AM UNWELL BECAUSE WHAT? THANK U ALL WHO FOLLOW ME/ARE FRIENDS WITH ME AND LIKE MY REVIEWS BCS I WOULDNT HAVE GOTTEN IT WITHOUT YALL OMG.
either im dense or live under a rock or both bc i keep finding ann laings 😱😱
January 13, 2025
p a i n …. 4.75
October 1, 2024
₊˚ପ⊹ 𝟎𝟗/𝟑𝟎/𝟐𝟒
Full RTC soon. Ann Liang you're paying for my therapy. I'm emotionally drained from this book ❤️🩹
I did make a mini arc review & collage on my Bookstagram for this if you want to check it out 🫶
Bookstagram: @seraphyna.reads
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
₊˚ପ⊹ 𝟎𝟗/𝟐𝟖/𝟐𝟒
I got the arc!!
I heard this gives off cdrama vibes so say no more I'm binging this.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
Full RTC soon. Ann Liang you're paying for my therapy. I'm emotionally drained from this book ❤️🩹
I did make a mini arc review & collage on my Bookstagram for this if you want to check it out 🫶
Bookstagram: @seraphyna.reads
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
₊˚ପ⊹ 𝟎𝟗/𝟐𝟖/𝟐𝟒
I got the arc!!
I heard this gives off cdrama vibes so say no more I'm binging this.
｡ﾟ•┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈• ｡ﾟ
September 2, 2025
I BEG YOUR FINEST PARDON, THIS BOOK BROKE MY HEART INTO A GOOGOLPLEX SMITHEREENS.
Tropes include: angst, pain, suffering, and heartbreak🥰🤩🥳🤭🎀
🪭“the cruel king who would give up his kingdom for...
the legendary beauty whose smile hides knives and her yearning for...
the noble strategist who has no selfish desires... except one.”🪭
I’ll be back with quotes on pub day to back up my statement. I couldn’t even write status updates for the last bit of reading because I was too busy crying a literal river. I knew this would hurt but I was not prepared lol
It feels like I’ve been stabbed. 5 stars💫.
P.S. the red string of fate and character art😭❤️ beautiful.
“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history, and whatever flickered between us felt so terribly fragile compared to the immovable weight of mountains, of kingdoms, of war.”
———
GETTING TO READ THIS EARLY JUST SAVED MY YEAR😭😭😭😭🫶
———
I've never preordered a book so far in advance before🥹🤝
———
FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FORBIDDEN ROMANCE?!?!?!
———
MISS ANN LIANG NEVER SLEEPS, 3 NEW BOOKS😩!!! 2024 WILL BE HER YEAR MARK MY WORDS🫡. SHE IS SERVING🙏✨🫶💖🙏✨🫶💖
Tropes include: angst, pain, suffering, and heartbreak🥰🤩🥳🤭🎀
🪭“the cruel king who would give up his kingdom for...
the legendary beauty whose smile hides knives and her yearning for...
the noble strategist who has no selfish desires... except one.”🪭
I’ll be back with quotes on pub day to back up my statement. I couldn’t even write status updates for the last bit of reading because I was too busy crying a literal river. I knew this would hurt but I was not prepared lol
It feels like I’ve been stabbed. 5 stars💫.
P.S. the red string of fate and character art😭❤️ beautiful.
“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history, and whatever flickered between us felt so terribly fragile compared to the immovable weight of mountains, of kingdoms, of war.”
———
GETTING TO READ THIS EARLY JUST SAVED MY YEAR😭😭😭😭🫶
———
I've never preordered a book so far in advance before🥹🤝
———
FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FORBIDDEN ROMANCE FORBIDDEN ROMANCE?!?!?!
———
MISS ANN LIANG NEVER SLEEPS, 3 NEW BOOKS😩!!! 2024 WILL BE HER YEAR MARK MY WORDS🫡. SHE IS SERVING🙏✨🫶💖🙏✨🫶💖
August 14, 2024
Eastern mythology, splendid world-building, and a tear-jerking, heart-wrenching forbidden love story that delves into the true meaning of yearning and longing stole my heart and won me over! Ann Liang's debut adult novel is as promising as her heartfelt YA fiction works that I truly adored.
This book delves into power games, espionage, and the irresistible power of beauty, with great characterization that allows us to engage with each character deeply. It reveals that even the most evil characters harbor fragility and goodness within, while the supposedly good characters also possess vengeful and evil sides. However, the most captivating character is Fanli, whose heartfelt backstory showcases his vulnerability, especially when he sacrifices his love for the greater good of the kingdom. Witnessing him let go of the woman he loves, allowing her to be with the enemy, breaks our hearts. Similarly, Xishi carries the guilt of not being able to save her little sister from the vindictive king's guards, accepting her fate to ensure a better life for her family and to save the kingdom from a cruel ruler. Despite her beauty, Xishi's life comes at a cost, as she must wield it as a weapon to tame the beast and defeat the kingdom of Wu, putting her own life in danger. However, she begins to question whether the evil she knows might not be the person she thinks.
Can she achieve her goal without being labeled a traitor, maintaining her mask even as the risks escalate?
I found myself wishing Xishi and Fanli deserved more, without giving away too many spoilers. Their forbidden love story deeply touched my heart. Overall, the rising tension, intelligent political maneuvers, realistic character analysis, and well-executed pacing make this reading experience truly captivating. After finishing this book, I'm eager to dive into another Ann Liang novel to indulge in another perfect binge-reading experience! I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all lovers of romantasy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital review copy of this remarkable book in exchange for my honest opinions.
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This book delves into power games, espionage, and the irresistible power of beauty, with great characterization that allows us to engage with each character deeply. It reveals that even the most evil characters harbor fragility and goodness within, while the supposedly good characters also possess vengeful and evil sides. However, the most captivating character is Fanli, whose heartfelt backstory showcases his vulnerability, especially when he sacrifices his love for the greater good of the kingdom. Witnessing him let go of the woman he loves, allowing her to be with the enemy, breaks our hearts. Similarly, Xishi carries the guilt of not being able to save her little sister from the vindictive king's guards, accepting her fate to ensure a better life for her family and to save the kingdom from a cruel ruler. Despite her beauty, Xishi's life comes at a cost, as she must wield it as a weapon to tame the beast and defeat the kingdom of Wu, putting her own life in danger. However, she begins to question whether the evil she knows might not be the person she thinks.
Can she achieve her goal without being labeled a traitor, maintaining her mask even as the risks escalate?
I found myself wishing Xishi and Fanli deserved more, without giving away too many spoilers. Their forbidden love story deeply touched my heart. Overall, the rising tension, intelligent political maneuvers, realistic character analysis, and well-executed pacing make this reading experience truly captivating. After finishing this book, I'm eager to dive into another Ann Liang novel to indulge in another perfect binge-reading experience! I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all lovers of romantasy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a digital review copy of this remarkable book in exchange for my honest opinions.
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October 1, 2024
edit:
ˋ°•*⁀➷ oh em gee HAPPY RELEASE DAY EVERYONE 🤭 can't wait for my copy to come in the mail so I can do a reread tehe (and have my heart smashed all over again.)
post read:
4.5 ☆
ˋ°•*⁀➷ You guys were right. I definitely needed those tissues (no I am not ok.) My heart hurts. What a sad, beautiful, and tragic love story. I'm seriously in shock rn. Ann Liang has done it again.
ꨄ Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review. Frtc closer to the release date.
ˋ°•*⁀➷ oh em gee HAPPY RELEASE DAY EVERYONE 🤭 can't wait for my copy to come in the mail so I can do a reread tehe (and have my heart smashed all over again.)
post read:
4.5 ☆
ˋ°•*⁀➷ You guys were right. I definitely needed those tissues (no I am not ok.) My heart hurts. What a sad, beautiful, and tragic love story. I'm seriously in shock rn. Ann Liang has done it again.
ꨄ Thank you, NetGalley, for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review. Frtc closer to the release date.
January 21, 2025
5 ☆ ! 🌙
⤿ reread finished 12/15/24
the mind destroys, the heart devours
♫ | let it happen by gracie abrams
turn me into something tragic,
just for you I let it happen
🪼 ── overall thoughts :
what did we do to deserve this masterpiece of a book!? I fear I will never recover. heart wrenching romance, high stakes, tragedy, complex characters, and lyrical writing- what more could you ever want!? I will be obsessing over this book until the end of eternity, so be prepared to be sick of me. ann absolutely devoured with this one, and i'm so hoping she writes more hf/fantasy! one more thing to note: i’m still not over that ending omg. it’s the end of all the endings, but not in a good way lol.
🪐 ── characters :
xishi
⋆ she has the power to topple kingdoms and overrun cities
my girlll! oh how I love her <3 she’s so folklore coded. she’s a mirrorball and all she’s ever done is try try try but somehow she never got the beautiful happy life she deserves. I love her complexity, loyalty, and quick wittedness! her precious friendship with zhengdan had me on the floor, sobbing. and the tragic backstory abt her little sister, just stop my heart broke in a million pieces for them.
fanli
⋆ if heroes were born from tumultuous times, then he must be one of them
his story and character>>> he needs his own book, cdrama, something!! xishi and i are both kinda obsessed w/ him, and for good reasons. I mean he was summoned by the enemy king, knew it was a trap, but came anyway just to see her?!?!? like hello!? he was down bad for her from page one, but tried to keep it a secret for most of the book omg. I loved all their little moments so dang much i couldn't get enough.
fuchai
⋆ “is someone bothering you? who? i’ll kill them.”
stop it, i will never get over him! forget about ‘touch her and i'll kill you’ this man is the embodiment of ‘annoy her and i'll kill you’ HEHE. which yes, sounds bad but it’s not his fault, guys. the part where xishi realized he didn’t know how to fix things other than to kill someone help- anyways i feel fuchai’s character is majorly slept on, like where is the hype!? because the enemy king x spy is actually such a good trope, excuse me. and he’s such a simp for her, I was blushing. BUT THE PART AT THE END, sobbing screaming throwing up. iykyk.
✉️ ⟶ to ellie!
my best friend and fellow ann liang enthusiast- thank you a million times over for reading this w me! it was such a privilege to relive this story while you were experiencing it for the first time. I loved hearing all your thoughts, notes, predictions etc!! here’s to many ava + ellie brs in the future 🥂 i love you forever! ellie’s review! go spam it hehe
my astdr playlist!
loml | xishi x fanli
our field of dreams engulfed in fire
your arson's match, your somber eyes
and I'll still see it, until I die
you're the loss of my life
death by a thousand cuts | fuchai x xishi
gave you too much but it wasn't enough
but I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts
midnight rain | fuchai x xishi
he was sunshine, I was midnight rain
he wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain
he wanted a bride, I was making my own name
chasing that fame, he stayed the same
all of me changed like midnight
the great war | fuchai x xishi
and maybe it's the past that's talking
screaming from the crypt
telling me to punish you for things you never did
so I justified it
this is me trying | xishi
it’s hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound
it’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you
mirrorball | xishi
and I'm still a believer, but I don't know why
I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try
I'm still on that trapeze
I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me
xoxo, Ava <3
⊱✿⊰
🌙 reread :
time for a reread, now that this is published, and I own a copy! + I still need to write a full review lol. I’m extra excited because I’m br with my angel bestie ellie!!! ells, I’m so excited for you to experience this book for the first time 🥹 dw we’ll hold hands while reading the ending
───
💫 first read
⤿ finished 2/01/24
➻ y'all ain't ready for this
*thank you to NetGalley for an ARC exchange for an honest review! I plan to write one close to/after the publishing date <3
⤿ reread finished 12/15/24
the mind destroys, the heart devours
♫ | let it happen by gracie abrams
turn me into something tragic,
just for you I let it happen
🪼 ── overall thoughts :
what did we do to deserve this masterpiece of a book!? I fear I will never recover. heart wrenching romance, high stakes, tragedy, complex characters, and lyrical writing- what more could you ever want!? I will be obsessing over this book until the end of eternity, so be prepared to be sick of me. ann absolutely devoured with this one, and i'm so hoping she writes more hf/fantasy! one more thing to note: i’m still not over that ending omg. it’s the end of all the endings, but not in a good way lol.
🪐 ── characters :
xishi
⋆ she has the power to topple kingdoms and overrun cities
my girlll! oh how I love her <3 she’s so folklore coded. she’s a mirrorball and all she’s ever done is try try try but somehow she never got the beautiful happy life she deserves. I love her complexity, loyalty, and quick wittedness! her precious friendship with zhengdan had me on the floor, sobbing. and the tragic backstory abt her little sister, just stop my heart broke in a million pieces for them.
fanli
⋆ if heroes were born from tumultuous times, then he must be one of them
his story and character>>> he needs his own book, cdrama, something!! xishi and i are both kinda obsessed w/ him, and for good reasons. I mean he was summoned by the enemy king, knew it was a trap, but came anyway just to see her?!?!? like hello!? he was down bad for her from page one, but tried to keep it a secret for most of the book omg. I loved all their little moments so dang much i couldn't get enough.
fuchai
⋆ “is someone bothering you? who? i’ll kill them.”
stop it, i will never get over him! forget about ‘touch her and i'll kill you’ this man is the embodiment of ‘annoy her and i'll kill you’ HEHE. which yes, sounds bad but it’s not his fault, guys. the part where xishi realized he didn’t know how to fix things other than to kill someone help- anyways i feel fuchai’s character is majorly slept on, like where is the hype!? because the enemy king x spy is actually such a good trope, excuse me. and he’s such a simp for her, I was blushing. BUT THE PART AT THE END, sobbing screaming throwing up. iykyk.
✉️ ⟶ to ellie!
my best friend and fellow ann liang enthusiast- thank you a million times over for reading this w me! it was such a privilege to relive this story while you were experiencing it for the first time. I loved hearing all your thoughts, notes, predictions etc!! here’s to many ava + ellie brs in the future 🥂 i love you forever! ellie’s review! go spam it hehe
my astdr playlist!
loml | xishi x fanli
our field of dreams engulfed in fire
your arson's match, your somber eyes
and I'll still see it, until I die
you're the loss of my life
death by a thousand cuts | fuchai x xishi
gave you too much but it wasn't enough
but I'll be all right, it's just a thousand cuts
midnight rain | fuchai x xishi
he was sunshine, I was midnight rain
he wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain
he wanted a bride, I was making my own name
chasing that fame, he stayed the same
all of me changed like midnight
the great war | fuchai x xishi
and maybe it's the past that's talking
screaming from the crypt
telling me to punish you for things you never did
so I justified it
this is me trying | xishi
it’s hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound
it’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you
mirrorball | xishi
and I'm still a believer, but I don't know why
I've never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try
I'm still on that trapeze
I'm still trying everything to keep you looking at me
xoxo, Ava <3
⊱✿⊰
🌙 reread :
time for a reread, now that this is published, and I own a copy! + I still need to write a full review lol. I’m extra excited because I’m br with my angel bestie ellie!!! ells, I’m so excited for you to experience this book for the first time 🥹 dw we’ll hold hands while reading the ending
───
💫 first read
⤿ finished 2/01/24
➻ y'all ain't ready for this
*thank you to NetGalley for an ARC exchange for an honest review! I plan to write one close to/after the publishing date <3
November 2, 2024
"How many women throughout history were blamed for the weaknesses of men? We made such convenient scapegoats. We were raised to be small, to be silent, to take whatever we were given and no more."
Unfortunately, I'm the outlier again, this didn't work as well for me as much as I wanted to love it.
The story is an interesting premise, with a focus on Chinese legend, Xishi who is given a unique task to assist her country in gaining an advantage in the war.
This book is described as an epic historical fantasy with romance. I personally didn't notice much of a fantasy element apart from the stories of legends. There was very minimal world building and I was left trying to figure it all out myself as it went. Xishi role of a spy was severely underdeveloped and we were given hardly any information on the intricacies. Instead, we were given 'telling rather than showing' of how great of a spy Xishi was.
While this story does contain romantic elements, it's definitely not a romance book. The romance came across as instant love and I struggled to value their connection given how things transpired throughout the book. At some stage the story began teasing a 'love triangle' however, I couldn't entertain the morally grey character. I found it interesting how this perspective humanised the King.
I've only read I Hope This Doesn't Find You, which is remarkably different this story. Liang embraced a new writing style and delved into some darker themes. I appreciated the high stakes in this story and the FMC's devotion to her country, however, I just wish she didn't go into things so naively.
There's a heavy focus on female beauty, womanhood and the male gaze. Liang's poetic prose touched on these subjects in an insightful way. I believe the storyline is intentionally commenting on real world events and how war and sacrifice have two sides.
While, I did enjoy aspects of this story I did find the direction it took predictable. I wasn't emotionally invested in the characters which impacted my experience reading this when the events took a darker turn.
Overall, the narrators did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of this story.
✨ Thank you Macmillan UK Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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