Cáit's Reviews > A Song to Drown Rivers

★★★★★ - 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
Book 1
༘Spoiler free ༘
⭐️4.925/5
🌶️
Romantic, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
➳ Espionage & Infiltration
➳ Beauty as a Weapon
➳ Forbidden Romance
➳ Revenge
➳ Political/Court Intrigue
➳ Based on Legend
➳ Red Thread of Fate Theory

✨ “beauty is not so different from destruction“ ✨
Ann Liang brings the ancient legend of Xishi to life in a dance between truth and illusion, loyalty and betrayal, selfish desires and self sacrifice.

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Detailed Review:
Xishi is recruited from her small village to infiltrate enemy realms. Her King’s Advisor, Fanli, trains her in the art of espionage and court protocols. What begins as a mentorship sparks an inferno of desire which threatens to derail her mission to save the kingdom. I found my heart aching for Fanli and could feel his suffering as he prepared the woman he was falling in love with to marry another man.

Liang’s ability to write complex and moving characters shone when Xishi arrived in her enemy’s court to woo the king. A number moments I had to remind myself King Fuchai was the enemy, and her mission was to destroy him. I found that this is where the story soared above traditional legend, the characters truly came to life in a way that made it impossible not to empathise with the events that so clearly shaped their lives.

Amidst the whispers of intrigue and haunting echoes of forbidden desire, “A Song to Drown Rivers” lures you into a realm where deception wears a beautiful mask, and the fate of nations hangs in the balance.

Who is the true enemy? Does duty to one’s country outweigh the duty to one’s heart? Beauty is a double edged sword, and Ann Liang’s writing will cut you to your core.

I completed this in one sitting, i found it that difficult to put down. While previously family with the tale of Xishi, i could never anticipate how moving i would find this book. I found myself in tears, longing for a reread of this beautiful masterpiece.

❧✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*❦*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧❧l

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LIKES:
⋆ This should be a blueprint for how to write yearning/desire/romantic chemistry without including any sort of explicit descriptions. You could cut the romantic tension with a knife in this book.
⋆ Complex and relatable characters, even the antagonists.
⋆ despite being based on a traditional legend, the story was revived and revived margined in a way that allowed me to feel surprised
⋆ eloquent and immersive prose, Liang’s writing brought the pages to life.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

**Fantasy Scoring**
Worldbuilding ➷ ✅ 5.0/5.0
Foreshadowing ➷ ✅ 4.8/5.0
Plot ➷ ✅ 4.9/5.0
Relationships ➷ ✅ 5.0/5.0

Thank you to the Ann Liang, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest opinion on the ARC of this book.