I was pretty excited to receive an ARC of this historical fantasy/folklore retelling from NetGalley (thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press). This particular genre mash-up is one of my favorites, in general, and especially, as in this case, when it introduces me to a mythology that I didn't previously know about. You know that as soon as I finished I went and looked up the variations of the "original" tale of Xishi, to see how this compared to the common telling(s). I love that for me. Anyhoo, my review follows.  

 

Shoutout to Goodreads for saving me from writing all my own blurbs: "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." 

 

Y'all, this was so good. It had all the vibes of epic historical fantasy: the world-building was fantastic (I mean, it's historical fiction as a base, so real life, but the setting/time period was brought to life spectacularly), the character development was fully dimensional and nuanced (for Xishi and Fanli, of course, but also for some of our accessory characters, like Xishi's friend/fellow agent Zhengdan and the king of Wu, Fuchai), and the storytelling flowed and was paced so smoothly. It's a slower development, but never drags. The focus on the interpersonal relationship developments, the small nuances of political machinations and playing the long game, but with all the just-under-the-surface simmering tensions that come with "spy" style infiltration stories, is done with precision and skill. And the descriptions and dialogue have a beauty and rhythm to them that is really artistic. Together, it made this a really compelling read, despite the more steady forward movement. And then, as the whole novel builds to the moment of betrayal, when it finally comes, it is - realistically - over in almost the blink of an eye. The mark of a well-planned plot (both literally and literar-ily). And those final lines though; I actually deep sighed at reading them. Just...overall, the writing and narrative are stunning. 

 

Very importantly, the slowwwwww burn - like, the slowest of burns - between Xishi and Fanli was everything. And then their separation...excruciating! The just-barely-but-not-fully-possible of their feelings/love is written so well. Oh, my heart. And it had all the hallmarks of great historical romance (light touches, stolen glances, etc.) that are so hot, for the depth of connection/feeling they're communicating, for all that the interactions themselves are so slight. Phew.  And then, this mythology did not get a "happier" ending in its retelling! I mean, let me just say, I totally respect the author for adhering to the harder version of the original, while also including an explanation for how an alternate version might also have spread (as I said, I researched while reading this and learned about the two primary ways people say this legend ended). But also, the tragedy. My heart broke to know that the foreshadowing of doom was not just a device. And after all that pining and waiting, too! I weep, I mourn the lost love. And a pox on the hardness of men with ambition they value over all else. 

 

Thematically, Liang really dives into the cycle of war and revenge; how, at the end of the day, it's all about the honor/glory of a few men. And other than that, all the cycle does is wound and devastate on both sides, with the “regular” people paying the price(s). As Xishi spends more time in the Wu kingdom, she really starts to see how the people themselves have more in common with each other than with the leaders who use them to carry out battles and plots for their own gain. These everyday people on both sides who are just trying to live their lives, but are blinded by the propaganda of blame that then fabricates further tragedy. And yet, they cannot see that forest through the trees until, as we see with Xishi, they are given a chance to spend time with each other. Oooof what a demonstration of a universally horrific concept. Liang even does a fantastic job humanizing the leaders themselves, showing how even within the ranks of power, there are a few calling the shots and the rest holding on for dear life/reputation. The way Xishi's relationship with Fuchai develops is gorgeous with that insight and complexity. His own search for connection and meaning doesn't excuse his actions/choices, but it does add layers to his humanity that creates some really fantastic depth and nuance around a character that could easily have been one-dimensional. And it culminates impressively, at the end, with Fuchai's final request of Xishi. The conflict of her lifelong hate/grudge and the reality of his person (as opposed to the specter of him) is too good. It's heart wrenching. It’s quite literally all the feels. 

 

I was blown away by this novel. I haven't read anything by Liang before, but knowing this is her first adult novel, and first historical novel, I am just...wow. I loved it. I hope we get more (fingers crossed: I mean, there are Four Beauties of Ancient China, after all) because it was that good. 

 

“…my beauty was something unnatural, transcending nature itself. And that beauty is not so different from destruction.” 

 

“Then again, perhaps there could be no normal children raised in an age of war.” 

 

“When it came down to it, the choice was this: a kingdom, or my happiness. And how many people under Heaven were really fortunate enough to know happiness?” 

 

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

 

“A feeling expanded in my chest then, like an eagle spreading its wings for the first time. Power.” 

 

“They assumed their money protected them from everything. The ultimate injustice was that sometimes it did.” 

 

“What better way to show that you took another person’s power seriously than to suffer for their sake?” 

 

“In reality we were just two mortals, bound by our respective roles in history, and whatever flickered between us felt so terribly fragile compared to the immovable weight of mountains, of kingdoms, of war.” 

 

“One cannot save the world and live in peace. That’s not how these things work.” 

 

“How many women throughout history were blamed for the weaknesses of men? We made such convenient scapegoats. We were raised to be small, to be silent, to take whatever we were given and no more.” 

 

“Love is a knife; it cuts both ways.” 

 

“It was a reversal of the popular stories passed among the villagers. The beautiful girl with blood under her nails, who did not need saving from danger but was instead the danger itself.” 

 

“Time to speak, to drop our pretenses, to ask how he was. I would not have been so happy even if he’d single-handedly plucked the moon out of the sky for me, if he’d woven me a necklace made of all the stars in the heavens.” 

 

“…I might have called it beautiful. Beautiful not in the way of a painting or poetry, but a natural disaster: a storm, or a falling comet.” 

 

“What is home, if not you?” 

 

“Just as the ocean tides ebb and flow beneath the moon, empires will rise and collapse, wars will start and cease, and the rest of us will be left to struggle against the currents.” 

 

“He smiles, and the fog lifts.”