A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
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Synopsis:
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.
Review:
A Song to Drown Rivers was not for me. All of the elements were there…a heroine we could root for, a kingdom we wanted to see thrive, a hero we would fall for, political intrigue, and a retelling that would hold us in the palm of its hand. Yet none of it worked for me. I wasn’t able to connect to any of the characters. I didn’t find myself rooting for anyone. The political intrigue didn’t keep me interested. And so many things felt glossed over, since this book spanned a few years yet was a relatively short story. But the ending? That was the final reason why this book didn’t work for me and I closed the story so disappointed. Below are a few more of my thoughts….
This was not a romance. If you believe that romances can end without a HEA or HFN, then we definitely have differing views of how we want a romance novel to end. Yes there was some instalove within the pages. But once you get to the ending, you’ll see why I was left broken hearted. Yes there was something in those last few paragraphs, but that wasn’t near enough.
This was not a fantasy. It read more as a historical fiction. And while there were some paranormal elements towards the end of the book, that’s it.
How was it believable that she was a concubine for two years? I really struggled with this point. The most they did was share a few kisses and slept next to each other, but never did anything. Maybe if this was aged as a younger young adult novel, then it would have seemed feasible? But that’s not the case here.
The story felt like it could have been set anywhere. As someone who was excited to immerse myself into a legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, I felt like the story could have easily been set in countless places across the world. It was missing the richness and depth I was looking for.
And lastly, what was the point of the issues with her heart? As someone with a heart ailment, this didn’t sit well with me. Was it just anxiety? We never got any answers, and then after a while the issue seemed to just fade away from the pages.
So sadly, I don’t recommend this book. I seem to be in the alone category though. Maybe if this was marketed as a historical fiction and not a romantasy I would have gone in with a better mindset? But even still, that ending just left me feeling wrong. I need a HEA or HFN when I close the pages, and if I would have known in advance that it was sorely lacking, I wouldn’t have picked up this book.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
