Hello, here I’m sharing another book
review with you. Yes, this is another ARC I received this week. I’m excited for
sharing my impression and feelings about this book here. This a new YA fantasy
duology which is inspired by Chinese mythology and I’m glad to get the chance
to read the ARC for the UK edition which will be released on February 2 (my
birthdayyy!!). The US edition has been released in the first week of January,
so I think some people have already read this book, so please share your
reading experience here below too!
Goodreads rating : 4.29
My rating : 4.00
Length : 380 pages
Book type : novel, first book in a duology
Series : Song of the Last Kingdom
Keywords : young adult, fantasy, chinese mythology
inspired, romance, adventure,
demons, magic school, rebellion
Trigger warnings : blood, death, death of parents,
violence, kidnapping, gaslighting, war,
racism, panic attack, losing control of
oneself, torture, sexual assault,
human trafficking, colonialism, injury
details, child abuse, murder, grief,
self harm, cannibalism (mentioned), genocide
(mentioned)
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao | Book Review
When I first got the ARC for Song of
Silver, Flame Like Night, I kept my expectations low, since I have met other
books with beautiful book title and cover which didn’t live up to my
expectations. I decided to read this book since I’m a person who is attracted
towards beautiful cover and title. The title is intriguing enough for me (as
someone who is a stranger to Chinese mythology), like what kind of song a
silver could make and how the flame appears to resemble a night. The title
creates the vision of yin and yang in my mind, where the silver is the white
part and the night is the black part. So I decided it’s gonna be an interesting
book to read.
BLURB
“In
a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her
nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic
fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.
Once, Lan had a different name. Now, she goes by the one the
Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother,
and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in
Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and spends her days scavenging for remnants
of the past. For anything that might help her understand the strange mark
burned into her arm by her mother, in her last act before she died.
No one can see the mysterious mark—an untranslatable Hin character—except
Lan. Until the night a boy appears at the teahouse and saves her life.
Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last
Kingdom, whose abilities were rumored to be drawn from the demons they communed
with. Magic believed to be long lost. Magic to be hidden from the Elantians at
all costs.
When Zen comes across Lan’s unusual qi, he recognizes what she is: a
practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never
seen anything like it—but he knows: if there are answers, they lie deep in the
pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of
practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.
Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within. Fate has connected
them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate
their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.”
I got an Advance Reader Copy (ARC)
from Netgalley and HarperCollins UK of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. The
reviews I’ve posted here are mine and purely based on my reading experience.
BOOK REVIEW
It's a perfect book for Daughter of
the Moon Goddess fans and those who love reading books inspired by Chinese
mythology. Song of Silver, Flame like Night is YA fantasy (and a little bit
romance) book which absorbs every reader to its world and holds their attention
until the very last words. Told in multiple POVs, mainly our main characters
Lan and Zen, the author gives them balanced portion of pages to tell their
stories with distinctive voices. You can easily know which one is Lan's and
Zen's since the two spoke differently. Through the two main characters of the
book, we are able to see the world and what really happened there. The multiple
POVs successfully add more depth to the story and how it’s viewed through each
of the main characters even though I’m not really into the parts where one
character was left wondering what happened when the readers already knew
everything from another character.
Honestly this is a little bit
difficult to follow at first since it used new terms like Last Kingdom,
Elantians, some characters and places, but it gets easier as we get deeper into
the book. Some explanations were longer than the others especially about the
magic system and world building related ones, yet since it's given to the right
character to 'explain', it's an okay for me. I usually get bored with long
explanations and facts about how the world works and what happened in the
history since it needs more energy to remember all of them, but this book told
everything slowly and I found it easy to hold the information provided here. I
even gave a nickname for one character who had all the facts and provided us
with the info as the walking-tomes since it’s suited the characters well.
For the romance part, as a reader
who prefer less romance part in a fantasy book, this book has the right amount
of romance I need in a book even though it needs a little bit more pages to
show the chemistry between the two main characters.
Continuity and consistency are the
heart of this book. We can’t miss a single conversations or words spoken by a
character and forget them since those are the ones which influenced how the
main characters made their decisions and lead them to their chosen path. This is
not only the information and other serious stuff, but also the jokes. You can
find the characters reliving the same jokes over and over again in the right
time.
I love how Book 1 ended especially
the last chapter and epilogue which showed the readers what to expect within
the next book.
WHAT I LIKE
🏔 The stunning cover of the UK edition
is my most favorite cover so far. It has the four demon gods from Chinese
mythology and using more saturated colors which is my preference for a fantasy
book cover.
🏔 The title itself holds special place
in my heart since I’m a person who is into beautifully titled book. Song of
Silver, Flame Like Night is really a beautiful title.
🏔 Balanced-portion for both main
characters and how they introduced themselves to the readers
🏔 Mysterious two main characters who
will uncover their own secrets throughout the journey (even though the
revelation about one of our MCs was something I have expected)
🏔 Chinese mythology aspect
🏔 Beautiful narration about nature and
feelings
🏔 The romance portion is just right
for me
🏔 Fast-paced book which holds the
readers’ attention until the end
🏔 The ending for Book 1 is the type of
ending I live for
🏔 The hidden magic school
🏔 The magic system
🏔 The beautiful map in the beginning
of the book
🏔 Mysterious seals and past to uncover
through an adventure
🏔 Strangers helping each other in the
midst of war
WHAT I THINK IT COULD BE BETTER NEXT
🏔 The enemy side didn’t get more depth
so they appeared to be just evil and one dimensional
🏔 The chemistry for the two main
characters need more pages to show the readers how their feelings towards each
other and how it grows
YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK IF YOU
🏔 Want to read a Chinese mythology
inspired book with less portion of romance
🏔 Don’t want to be committed to a long
series since it’s a duology
🏔 Love a YA fantasy with multiple POV
🏔 Want to plunge into a world where
Four Demon Gods existed and the war was everywhere
🏔 Love reading book and witnessing how
the characters developed
🏔 Love a book with beautiful book and
cover
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