St. Martin's Press
A Song to Drown Rivers: Deluxe Edition: A GMA Book Club Pick
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK
An October 2024 Indie Next Pick - An October 2024 LibraryReads Pick
Order now and receive the stunning DELUXE LIMITED EDITION while supplies last―featuring a gold foiled cover, gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork, as well as exclusive metallic ink patterned endpapers and unique foiled front and back case stamps. This breathtaking collectible is only available on a limited first print run, a must-have for any book lover.
"Exquisite and devastating. It won't fail to move you." --Shelley Parker-Chan, #1 bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun
Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic novel steeped in myth about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds as the fate of two kingdoms hangs in a delicate balance.
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.
"Stunning and heart-rending." --Chloe Gong, #1 bestselling author of Immortal Longings
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Book Details
ISBN:
9781250289469
EAN:
9781250289469
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
336
Authors:
Ann Liang
Publisher:
St. Martin's Press
Published Date: 2024-01-10
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Beautiful, interesting, inspiring storyAnn Liang really made you feel apart of what was happeningI felt like I knew & card for the characters
What a beautiful beautiful book! So well done. Thank you Ann Laing for a beautiful look into the sacrifices and trials of both love, and war. Be ready to cry like a baby
Ann Liang truly outdid herself. From the historical romance, to the yearning and hope. Every single detail made me feel so much emotion. The ending-I cried my eyes out.
Written, engaging story with likable characters. It is also sad. Very sad. Men are always blundering along destroying things, especially beautiful things. They have to own it, or destroy it. They can’t let it be.
A lovely, if heartbreaking, tale of political espionage.Let’s start by acknowledging that this book is not, in fact, a romance. It is a tragedy, but I'm pragmatic in recognizing that it is much easier to get books sold when they are marketed to the romantasy genre (of which this assuredly is not).It’s a retelling of the story of Xishi, a common girl of uncommon beauty, trained to seduce a conquering king in order to cause political instability and an opportunity for her own nation to rise .... so you should expect political espionage, betrayal, and lots of unfulfilled longing.I went into this blindly, having never heard the myth of Xishi. So, to me, this was just an interesting story about a poor, but beautiful girl who is chosen to be trained as a tribute concubine in order to seduce a conquering king and cause political instability, thereby creating an opportunity for her own nation to rise again.The betrayals at the end, while tragic, seemed fitting in light of the betrayals Xishi herself has been enacting. This story was far less a romance than a tragedy. When considered in that light, I'm not unsatisfied, but I'd be lying if I said my romantic sensibilities didn't wish for a HEA for Xishi and Fanli.Taken as a tragic tale, it's achingly beautiful, but I also understand how someone who expected a romantasy book would be disappointed.
