by Judy I. Lin
ASIN/ISBN: 9781250871619
Publication: April 23, 2024

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DESCRIPTiON

Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. For a young man of nobility, he is strangely kind and awkward, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Book of Tea duology (A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet), was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughters.

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REVIEW

I read Song of the Six Realms back to back with a few other Asian-inspired fantasies. What stuck out to me was that it was not an edge of your seat read (not a bad thing here) as compared to the other novels. The pace was slower and less tension-filled. It gave me a chance to soak it all in. It even felt like lighter fare despite having some gothic elements.

Rather than swords, it was words that cut as Xue tried to help discover who was trying to bring ruin to the celestial realm. With a focus on court politics and political intrigue, there was not as much action until closer to the end. Political intrigue is a favorite, so I didn’t mind.

While I liked the political intrigue, I also could not help but hope for romance. When it happened, it did not provide the rush I was expecting. I needed more interaction or subtle displays of affection and tension between the characters to fall for them falling for each other.

Overall, this was a good read, and one I easily recommend.

IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY THESE:

⭐️If East Asian fantasies with court politics are what intrigued you most, try The Celestial Kingdom duology from Sue Lynn Tan and Lin’s The Book of Tea duology.

⭐️If you like books with stronger gothic vibes that feature MCs whisked away and have to solve a mystery try Belladonna by Adalyn Grace and Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft.

**Thank you to Fierce Reads for allowing me to be part of the tour. I received a copy through NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.**