I loved this book! Asian mythology stories are really having a moment, and if you've ever read and enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes duology or Daughter Of The Moon Goddess duology then I expect you'll adore this book too!

This book is beautiful, the cover is stunning and I can honestly say that I truly appreciated the world building. I was interested in the mythology and magic that it was focused on. I will admit that I made a mistake reading it alongside another book with a similar vibe, but that unfortunately allowed me to see that at times it wasn't always peaking my interested.

I think for me, I like a short punchy chapter and I felt like this was very long to read, though it was beautifully written and I enjoyed the descriptiveness of the writing. I'll be delving into the second of the series as I'm utterly frustrated by the ending! I want to know what comes next!!

First I would like to say thanks to Netgalley for giving me early access to this book prior to release.

This was such a happy surprise for me as I haven't Read any of Amelie's books before so I wasn't sure of what to expect but this was a pretty good book. I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess so fans of that book will love this!

I am personally a fan of the Chosen one trope which I feel was heavily used throughout this book, but loved the Chinese mythology twist that was incorporated into this.

Lan was sometimes a little annoying to begin with but I feel as he character grows my love for her grew as well and she was a little more bearable at the end. Zen did sometime come across a bit flat throughout - his responses were sometimes predictable but that is expected in a YA Novel.

The world building was good as well as the pace, sometimes it felt a bit slow at the start but that was just down to the amount of detail being shared about the world. I loved the Magic system it was unique and allowed for you to learn new things throughout the book not just to make a resolution.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing where the next book takes us.

This book was beautiful from the outside but I dnfd it after reading 100 or so pages. Maybe I am not made for this book. Anyhow, thanks for the arc netgalley.

An enjoyable and fun YA fantasy that draws from Asian mythology and legend whike still allowing room to develop it's own story and unique characters.

I liked the intertwining of fate and destiny that draws Lan and Zen to each other. Lan has faced so much anguish in their life, yet refuses to give up. Her journey into finding herself and who she's becoming was a large reason to why I ended up enjoying this so much. Zen is the typical mysterious brooding type, with all the inner turmoil that comes with it. Although I didn't quite believe their romance, I found it also didn't overpower the plot too much to let it bother me.

The plot overall is pretty much standard YA fantasy fare with a girl who isn't like all the others, with powers no one has seen before. However, I think when combined with this fascinating lore and world it really worked for me this time. If I could alter anything it world probably be the magic system itself, which I thought was overly complicated and wasn't fully explained.

Interesting YA fantasy with some strong characterisations and good world building.

I loved this. Our protaganist, Lan, is an orphan living under a opressive regime and spends her days looking for remnants of the past and trying to decipher the mysterious mark scarred onto her wrist by her mother.

I really enjoyed this and think this is a promising and exciting start! I enjoyed our characters and liked their development. The romance was lackluster, and I didn't really care for the chemistry between the 2 main characters. But plot wise I am very invested and the book had me hooked.

Thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Grief is for the survivors, and I think that, rather than living my life in pain, I would live it in laughter and love. To the fullest"
This book is absolutely magical in every way possible. I got sucked into a world I did not want to come out of. Yin and Yang, a qi based magical system, heart throbbing chapters, the lyrical writing style and all well crafted characters made me love SONG OF SILVER, FLAME LILE NIGHT. I could not put it down but I also cursed myself for finishing it so quickly
It got me into a reading slump. Anything I picked up after didn't seem to do the trick for me. I couldn't enjoy anything else. I just wanted more of this book and I am left here waiting for a sequel
Lan and Zen will forever be in my heart. They both have so much depth and their chemistry blew me away

I DNF’d this book at 30% but I strongly think that it’s not the book, it’s me
This was a YA book and I’m not a young adult (even if my mum thinks I am), so this was a risk I took. I’m giving the book a middling rating because I didn’t finish it so can’t give a true rating but I think this book has potential to be a beloved series, just not by me
I really enjoyed the world building and was interested in the history of the world. The magic system felt very well rounded
I didn’t enjoy the characters as they felt young. I know they were teenagers but the interactions and dialogue felt very young. The protagonist referred to the people who killed her family and friends as ‘old farts’, the dialogue really took me out of the story
However, I can’t be angry at a YA book for this. The book felt on the younger side of YA and I think that some other readers will just love the bones of this book but it wasn’t for me
I think my 12 year old step kids might enjoy this though

It took me a little while to get into this book and I found the middle dipped in pace. But wow what an ending! I like how the story dipped and weaved to understand the full past and present of Zen and Lan. I also loved the little romance between the two, but that cliffhanger at the end! I need book 2 immediately!

This book was so beautifully written and so innovating and captivating with its story that I couldn't put it down
I loved the protagonist and the mystery around her, together with the impressive worldbuilding and the magic the characters possessed. The settings were also finely described and they put the reader in the right mood for the reading and the situation, their descriptions were very evocative
This was a blast of a read, I couldn't help but buy a physical copy too when I finished reading it, I highly reccomand it! Can't wait to read more

Amazon Summary
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 duology inspired by Chinese mythology.

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 song girl 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 rumoured 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.

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.

My Review

This was a good solid 4 stars for me. The world building and plot were good, i really like Chinese mythology and this didn't let me down. Lan and Zen were good characters and the writing was brilliant.

This is young adult fantasy. Our female main character is an orphan living under an oppressive regime who has spent years trying to figure out more about the mysterious symbol that is scarred into her wrist

But in searching for its origin, she finds her home destroyed and herself on the run - with our male main character - from some bad guy sorcerers.

This is the first in a series, and is East Asian inspired in terms of the mythology. The story does rely quite a lot on characters making not very smart decisions and also inexplicably the capable well trained adults being killed and defeated while our teenage central characters somehow survive!

There is a slight romance element between the 2 main characters.This didn't entirely work for me as she comes across as quite young and bouncy while he was very stiff and reserved, so I kept thinking that he was a lot older - he's not, but he does sort.of come across like he could be her dad.

3.5 stars, I'm interested enough to read the next book in the series

The world building in this book is so incredibly intricate, way more so than I’d I’d expect from a young adult fantasy!

It draws heavy inspiration from Chinese mythology and history with a detailed Qi and metal based magic system. At times, the writing could be a bit info heavy but overall I loved the depth of it and hope that now a lot of the background is established there will be less in the sequel.

The plot is otherwise well paced, full of mystery, morally grey characters and Demon Gods! The romance was missing a bit of chemistry but the characters as individuals were likeable and I enjoyed following their journey and development. The action and adventure is taken up a notch in the final third of the book and creates a great set up for the next book which I’m really looking forward to reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

New duology inspired by Chinese mythology! This is what drew me to reading the premise.

This book is aimed at a younger audience but that said the characters are fleshed out nicely with believable backstories and motivations,

This has a very lyrical prose and makes it easy to read, if you liked Daughter of the moon goddess, the writing style reminded me of this as I was reading, both are beautifully written!

Amazing world building and I liked how cultures were viewed in this one. I also liked the idea of the seals and the secrets.

I really don’t like instant love between characters. We all know that doesn’t really happen quite like that in our life which is also why I felt this was aimed at a younger audience. I did like the ups and downs and the motions they went through however.

Overall a solid 4 star read for me, and I will be keeping an eye on book 2!!!!!

Loved this book. One of my top read of the year. 5 out of 5. I would read this one again just to get immersed in the story all over again.

This is the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom series. This one just didn't work for me. I wasn't a fan of either of the main characters and the romance didn't really work for me. There was some info-dumping at times and I found it dragged a little at times. Overall this one didn't work for me.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night really drew me in with its beautiful cover and synopsis - colonial China which has been conquered by the West intertwined with fascinating Chinese folklore. I particularly loved the qi based magic system and action packed scenes. However, even this felt 'info dumpy' at times, with the main male character spending pages explaining certain concepts, this meant some historical facts were difficult to remember. The dialogue also felt a bit jarring and childish at times, making the characters relationship not seem as impactful as it should have been. This bled over into the side characters as well, making it difficult to care when certain twists happened.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept, however the character development, dialogue and pacing could have been fleshed out better. I'll definitely read the second instalment when it comes out, but this one did fall a bit short of my expectations.

Preliminary 5-star review. Will post a full review and adjust the rating accordingly after I finish the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

A possibly overlong YA heroic fantasy set in an East Asian inspired world. It’s basically colonial China which has been completely conquered by the West; the Imperial family is dead, and the conquerers are seeking out the last vestiges of the magical schools and clans. I found it mildly confusing to keep the cast straight, and would have welcomed a glossary for the Chinese terms used.

The hero and heroine were OK; the love blooming between them was handled rather well. There were elements of wuxia cinema in the martial arts described; I was also reminded of the role-playing game, Qin. The East Asian-inpired setting was reasonably well drawn.

An OK read but probably not something I would have purchased.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyagerUK for this ebook (e-ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is my first book by Amélie Wen Zhao, and the amazing covers and the synopsis made me want to read this book (along with the fact that it is inspired by Chinese mythology and folklore). Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom duology and is not Amélie Wen Zhao's first novel: she also wrote the Blood Heir trilogy.

In this book, we follow Lan as she lives in her kingdom, colonised by the Elantians, and tries to understand what a strange mark burned into her arm that only she can see means. We also meet Zen, who is a practitioner and who will help Lan understand what this aforementioned mark means.

I really loved the writing of this book, along with the whole Chinese inspiration with the demon creatures and the magic system based on qi. This whole duology is actually based, according to the author, on wuxia and xianxia (wuxia [武侠] is a Chinese literary genre related to fantasy which deals with the adventures of martial artists ; and xianxia [仙俠] is a subgenre of wuxia which is inspired by Chinese mythology and culture). That being said, there are a lot of action-packed scenes and one of the things I loved the most about this book is the qi-based magic system, which reminded me of an anime or cartoon that I used to watch when I was younger but can't remember the title of. I enjoyed the characters separately, but I felt like they didn't have a good chemistry together. The story was interesting, but really slow-paced and for me, it only got interesting towards the end of the book, so I struggled a little bit at the beginning. There are also some inconsistencies in the spelling of some characters' names, which is kind of sad.

Overall, it was a great book and I look forward to reading the sequel!

Key points:
- First book in a duology inspired by Chinese folklore
- Lovers-to-enemies, chosen one trope
- Great if you loved The Blood of Stars duology