A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
Every single Ann Liang book I read before this gave me butterflies, made me smile like a total fool, and left me feeling happy, so of course I wasn’t expecting this one to be any different. I saved this one for last because what better way to wrap up my Ann Liang marathon than with an epic retelling of an ancient legend? Huh, joke’s on me. I was not prepared for the pain that A Song to Drown Rivers put me through! 😫😭
Please excuse me while I lose my wits because my attachment to these characters is borderline unhealthy. What do you mean I was tearing up barely halfway through the book?! And as a true romantasy girlie to my core, I was trying so hard not to fall for the villain, but why, oh why, did he have to be so easy to love? And the yearning in this book?! Urgh it was so strong it nearly drove me insane.
This is probably my most candid review ever, but I literally just finished the book minutes ago and now I’m sitting here drowning in feelings. How can I love a book that hurt me this much? I even scrolled through reviews to check if anyone else suffered as badly as I did and thankfully yes, I am not alone. Of course, there are readers who didn’t enjoy this at all so it can be a love it or hate it situation but I totally devoured it and it destroyed me! 🫠
Now, please excuse me while I sit in a corner and recover.
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds. 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.