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A review by polpolpolulu
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A Song To Drown Rivers was a delightful read, my first take on Chinese historical fantasy and it did not disappoint. This book is a gorgeous story about one of the four beauties of ancient China, Xi Shi, a beautiful girl from a village, who became a spy to take over the Wu kingdom and a need to satisfy her vengeance. I felt completely immersed in this story and found myself itching to learn more about ancient China. Ann Liang did a wonderful job at building relationships and emotion, my heart would ache for Xi Shi. I am amazed that every relationship in this book had dimension.
My singular critic is that Ann Liang was able to tell an entire story in 300 pages, which to some people is the perfect length, but to me this made the book feel rushed. I would have loved to see more of Xi Shi's training, and developments with the love interests. But honestly, I fell so deeply in love with this story that I would have kept reading forever.
My singular critic is that Ann Liang was able to tell an entire story in 300 pages, which to some people is the perfect length, but to me this made the book feel rushed. I would have loved to see more of Xi Shi's training, and developments with the love interests. But honestly, I fell so deeply in love with this story that I would have kept reading forever.