Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
✩🌸🌊Review:
An epic historical fantasy meant to be devoured.
“A Song to Drown Rivers” follows Xishi after her beauty draws the attention of a famous young military advisor, Fanli. He presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty to topple the neighboring kingdom of Wu 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. But if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
Liang’s adult debut is inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Her atmospheric writing immerses the reader in a world set during Chinese history that has a fantasy feel to it. I really love how Liang’s reimagining characterizes Xishi as someone who is so much more than a beautiful face. She sacrifices her own happiness, draws upon her wit to manipulate men who think her harmless, and never lets her guard down, even in the face of loss and violence—all for the greater good of her kingdom. Her story is one that I find empowering.
Liang creates an interesting dynamic between her characters that is a recipe for tragedy. Xishi is at the center of it all, coveted by Fuchai (the cruel king of Wu that I couldn’t manage to fully hate thanks to Liang) despite her heart belonging to someone else. That someone else happens to be Fanli, who typically doesn’t allow himself to fall victim to selfish desires. The forbidden attraction that sparks between them over the course of the ten weeks they trained together made my heart race! I could practically feel the yearning behind every stolen glance and brush of their fingers. I wanted nothing more than for them to get together.
The ending of this book is devastating. Seeing what little power Xishi possessed be ripped away from her, and the attempted erasure of her from history, permanently damaged my tear ducts I fear. Yet, the final pages leave a lasting impact in the most beautiful way.
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