A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS

A beautiful young peasant is selected to become a spy in an enemy king’s court in Liang’s take on an ancient Chinese legend.

Xishi is extraordinarily beautiful. Even as a lowly peasant girl in Yue, she’s been told all her life that her looks set her apart from others. But beauty doesn’t matter much to Xishi. After all, it wasn’t enough to save her beloved little sister, Susu, from being murdered by the invading Wu army. But one day, Fanli, a great military advisor to the king of Yue, comes to Xishi’s rural village and tells her she has been chosen for a special mission. She must leave home, learn the ways of aristocratic life, and be sent as a concubine to the Wu King, Fuchai, and become a spy in his court. Xishi is so beautiful, she should be able to seduce Fuchai and manipulate him to endanger his own crown. Xishi is terrified to leave for the rival court, but she wants to avenge Susu’s death more than anything. When she arrives in Fuchai’s court, her legendary beauty and skill as a seductress win her the king’s heart, and Fanli’s plan looks like it will work. But despite her hatred for the nation that killed her sister, Xishi comes to understand that the citizens of Wu, and even Fuchai, are human beings just like her, and her mission of vengeance might not leave any room for her to live her own life. Liang’s plot follows the large arcs of the legend, and she skillfully fills the pages between plot points with careful character work. What would it feel like to spend years lying to everyone around you? How do large-scale wars stop people from recognizing their common humanity? Do your ideals matter if they prevent you from forming real relationships?

Lovely historical fantasy breathes new life into an old tale.