Review: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang

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.

📌 Disclaimer: I received an e-arc for review from the publisher  

 A Song to Drown Rivers was an unexpected favourite. I don't why but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I like that it's a standalone, as much as I enjoy a good series, it nice sometimes to have a whole story in one. 

The main character Xishi, and her love interest, Fanli, were well both well rounded and layered. Both were interesting and not cardboard cut outs. I was rooting for Xishi from the get go. Plus, the romance between them was so good. If you like slow burn romances that brim with tension and yearning then this is the book for you.

The imagery the author painted was so vivid, like I could imagine everything playing out in front of me. The plot was well executed as well. I was hooked to my kindle from start to finish. Such a compelling and additive story. 

The ending had me torn. On one hand I thought it was perfect, on the other I was kind of heart broken. Still, A Song to Drown Rivers is definitely one of my favourite books of the year. 

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