Book Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

Title: A Song to Drown Rivers
Author: Ann Liang
Pages: 336
Publication Date: Oct. 1, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy
Synopsis:

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.

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The mind destroys, the heart devours.

This is the second book this month that has definitively broken my heart. Like ripped it out of my chest, stomped on it, and then cut it up for good measure. The odd thing – I’m not complaining. lol I’d like to thank the author for shattering my heart by writing such a brutal and emotional read.

I knew nothing about the legend of Xishi before reading this book. The story follows Xishi as she trains and becomes an enemy king’s concubine in order to infiltrate his kingdom, send intel back to her kingdom, and potentially usurp his throne. It’s an immersive and suspenseful read that’s beautifully written. The author uses tons of beautiful imagery, personification, and pathetic fallacy, and I like how nature often parallels the turmoil happening in the plot or the tumultuous feelings of the main characters.

Xishi is extremely beautiful and often treated differently because of it. But hiding behind that beautiful facade is an intelligent spy who uses her talents to woo the King and fulfill her tasks. What she doesn’t expect is to become so emotionally invested, first in her trainer’s life and then in the King’s. Both men are so much more than Xishi initially realizes, and it causes her to reevaluate all she knows about her kingdom, her enemy, the people who rule, her role in the mission, and the bigger pictures that affect the people in both kingdoms. I found all three characters fascinating and enjoyed how layered and complex they and their relationships were.

There is a bit of a love triangle, which isn’t my favorite trope, but totally makes sense contextually. One thing I really liked about the triangle is how conflicted Xishi is. Though she doesn’t love the King, she sees more than a ruthless killer and unthinking lover. He shows her a more tender and thoughtful side that belies the public persona he embraces. I think there are some thought provoking messages about love, regret, seeing both sides of a terrible story, and sacrifice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am so glad I buddy read it with Leslie at Books Are the New Black. We had some great conversations about the characters, plot, writing, and themes. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

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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 is not always pretty.”

Happiness was a side dish, like the sweet, sticky rice cakes Mother made during the festivals, or the glutinous balls stuffed with rich sesame paste. But revenge—that was the salt of life. Necessary. Essential.

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

Perhaps history would remember him as a hero. But a hero to many was still a villain to one.

Ann 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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