- They say one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but in this case, judge away. The cover is beautiful with a story to match. The plot is rich with culture, magic, and characters that tug at your heart. It is full of love, hope, and sorrow. There were moments I was lifted and others when the author broke my heart. Amelie Wen Zhao also wrote the book in such a way that you can picture it clearly within your mind. I hope the next book comes out soon because I am anxious to see how it all unfolds.

“But oppression tended to leave behind the same scars, no matter what skin it wore and what banner it flew.”

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy.

This is a fantastic start to a new fantasy series. In a world where her country has been colonised by the Elantians. Magic has been outlawed and lost from the people.We follow Lan who is trying to find out information about a mysterious mark on her arm left by her mother before she died. No one can see the mark except Lan until she meets Zen when he saves her life. They end up going on a journey to uncover the mystery.

I absolutely loved this book. There is some fantastic world building and a lot of action. The magic system is fantastic and we are given a lot of detail on how it works. I really enjoyed the character building in this and the many plot twists that kept me on edge.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for my ARC in exchange the review.

As a big fan of xianxia/wuxia novels and Chinese mythology, I was excited about this book, and overall, it didn't disappoint me. There were some great themes and plot points, as well as a big set-up for the next installment, and I can see it being a thrilling series!

Bits I liked:
- enjoyed having the "Elantians" and the comparable real-world culture as the bad guy, and how the cultures, architecture and skills were contrasted
- the idea of the seals and the secrets contained within, and the way they're used throughout
- the world-building was amazing, with a real depth to some of the locations, history, and magic system
- the writing was beautiful and captured a lot of emotion and action really well

Bits I liked less:
- the romance between Lan and Zen was a bit insta-love, but I did enjoy the ups and downs, and some of the moral choices that, while obvious, gave it a bit of interest
- it's been compared to The Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi, and I can absolutely see that, as I've also read/watched that, but I don't know how much is directly comparable, or if it's that the tropes are common to Chinese mythology and xianxia/wuxia in general (I occasionally felt like I was just reading a straight version of MDZS, which threw me off a bit)
- there is a lot of info-dumping, which sometimes worked as part of the story, and sometimes didn't, so it felt a bit heavy at times

I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book (or books), and know there'll be a lot of excitement in store in the next part after that action-packed ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for a copy of the ARC - as ever, all opinions are my own, honest, and freely given.

A new fantasy duology that is inspired by Chinese mythology. In a conquered kingdom Lan tried to avoid notice after the colonisers murder her family and outlaw her people’s magic and traditions. The only thing she has left is a mark invisible to all but her, until she meets Zen. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world.

An interesting premise that caught my eye, I thought I would give this book a go and I am glad I did. I am a sucker for magic so to see this done in a different way was refreshing for me.

The world building was very good, the colonisers as an enemy felt well written and easy to hate. There were times where there was a lot of info dumping through ‘storytelling’ but it did help to bring in the reader quicker.

Lan as a main character was a tough sell for me, I cannot stand people who know the right choice and then make the wrong one just for story! Towards the end I did start to like her more but I can see her being a marmite MC for most.

Zen…well zen has issues and I hope he seeks professional help because..oh boy!

No spoilers but: The final set piece was great and got really exciting with all the action.

Overall I did like this book but it was slow and did just feel like a set up for book 2 rather than a great story that will be continued. I am intrigued enough to find out what happens though.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an advanced reading copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Song of Silver Flame like Night was a book that I desperately wanted to read. As I have mentioned before, or maybe you didn’t know, I am British Chinese. Like a lot of POC this meant that I didn’t grow up with a lot of representation in books from both a character viewpoint or a cultural one. For this reason I was of course extremely excited for this book as lately there have been more Chinese mythology inspired books. I love that, although slowly, people are becoming more interested in reading these stories and learning more about a culture that they may not have been exposed to before. With the saturation of greek mythology in the market ( no hate because I also adore Greek mythology retellings) it just makes my heart very happy that I can walk into a bookstore and see these stories on the shelves. Fun fact, I also currently work in a bookstore, so it means I can at least do my part to make sure there is more diversity on the shelves as well as to be able talk and recommend these books to customers!

But finally onto the review!
In this gorgeous Chinese fantasy, Song of Silver Flame like Night follows a girl named Lan who is trying to survive by herself after the Elantians invaded her kingdom. Her background is shrouded in mystery to both herself and us, and it isn’t long before she meets someone who may have the answers the she has been searching for. A sweeping story that follows Lan fighting to understand herself with a lot of love, sacrifice, action and magic and a journey that’ll leave you breathless

The writing was great, as was the world building and there were some beautiful passages that created such a vivid picture.

“But in rare moments like this, when the sun hung ripe and swollen as a mandarin over the glittering silver sea, there was still a shattered-glass beauty to be found in the remnants of a conquered land.”

“Long ago, the heavens split like teardrops, it’s fragments fell to the ground. A piece of the sun bloomed into the Crimson Phoenix, a slice of the moon turned into the silver dragon. A shard of the stars gathered into the Azure tiger, a splinter of the night became the Black tortoise.”

I enjoyed many of the characters and think that they were fleshed out well. Of course Lan and Zen were..so cute and I think that the chemistry and tension between the two characters was well written.

Overall I rated this book 4* and I am very intrigued to see where book 2 goes. I would love to see more of the world and to see more of the characters that I very much enjoyed in this book.

"In a conquered land, the only way to win was to survive"

I was instantly drawn to this book because of the absolutely beautiful cover and the blurb was fantastic!
I was so excited to dive in and get lost in the words,,unfortunately this just didn't happen.

I cant take anything away from the writing because this authors writing is beautiful and fluid and I did enjoy parts of the book I just feel like everything was overly done and that the author was just trying too hard when it wasn't needed , I just kept getting lost in the words which ment I just couldn't fully get into the story.

If your thinking of reading this book I'd still say go for it just because it's not for me doesn't mean it's not for you 😊

Lan is alone inn the world with little ties to the past she seeks beyond the mark on her wrist invisible to others until she meets Zen, one of the last practitioners of their lands magic. This epic, adventurous, fantasy tale inspired by Chinese mythology has deep roots exploring ancestry, belonging and colonialism. I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a lighter fantasy with a magical quest steeped in mythology.

It was a good YA Fantasy which followed the same tropes as any other YA Fantasy would.
The first half the book was a bit hard to get through as I felt like the story wasn't moving forward and too much information was being dumped on us. The world was well built and interesting to read about but it was introduced too fast so it was hard to keep track of what was happening. I think balancing plot and world building is very important so the story is not as tedious to get through.

The romance was okay, if a bit too fast, but overall I enjoyed the book and would read the second part.

I enjoyed reading this book as it was quite a standard YA fantasy with all the familiar tropes set in a world which felt quite fresh. But I also felt that this book tried to do a lot of things in one go as a result of which we never get to sit back and delve deep into the nuances of the story. And, the characters and their relationship development didn't feel very compelling.

The world is expansive with very interesting lore and myths but the first half comes across as info dumpy and it took me out of the story as I was constantly trying to remember the historical references being made in the story.

The romance felt insta-lovey and again it was nothing I haven't read before. The one female-female relationship was done quite poorly, I just don't like when female characters are catty to each other just because its cool to have female rivalry in the story without any concrete motivation. Overall, this was not a bad read and I'd consider reading the sequel as well.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night was a lushly imagined, detailed and fully immersive fantasy tale.

As ever, I was totally focused on our protagonists. Lan and Zen have such interesting perspectives, with conflicting ideologies and motivations that we slowly begin to uncover. They are such nuanced characters, creating compelling narratives and challenging decisions. Zhao allows you to invest in these characters to just make that heartbreak all the more impactful. I also liked their love story, with the naturally increasing chemistry and some surprisingly tender moments.

The influence of Chinese mythology and folklore really enriches this book tenfold. Zhao has crafted an immense world and I loved the chronology set out at the beginning of the world. This is somewhat info-dumpy, with a lot of exposition at the start to explain the world, magic and mythology. However, I really enjoyed getting caught up in all this information and appreciated the structure it gave me for what came next. Personally, I loved the magic system and the interplay between gods and humans. This is a fascinating and unique element to the story that really pulled me in.

As you can tell from the content warnings, this book really goes there at times. There is a profound exploration of colonisation and the process of eradicating language, cultures and entire ways of life to create a uniform culture of what is ‘acceptable’. This violent erasure is one that has affected so many countries and I appreciated the acknowledgement of that reclamation process in some small steps. The forced assimilation and cultural appropriation are horrifying, as are the depictions of racism and sexism. The resistance necessary is an overwhelming battle and the question is raised of violence, what ends justify the means? Zhao sits with that question for a long time, leaving the reader to wallow in those dubious waters with her.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is an incredibly immersive, rich and intricate fantasy novel that kickstarts an intriguing series.

As a hardcore wuxia/xianxia fan, it was no surprise I was drawn to this story. Demons, qi-based magic and colonialism -- it has everything to keep you enthralled from the very beginning. The presence of Elantian colonisers will definitely give you some "Poppy War" vibes, but the similarity ends there. The grim dark milieu slowly changes as the plot moves onto the territories still untouched by Elantians and the mystery of an ancient force beckons us.
Lan's life itself is the greatest mystery. A song girl with a seal on her arm that is only visible to her. The first book in this series is all about her quest to know her past, understand who she is and find her destiny. In Zen she finds an ally, a friend and a lover who can guide her to the world of practitioners. With secrets unfolding one after another, we cannot find a dull moment in the story.
If I have to point out some drawbacks, then the first one will be the romance between Lan and Zen. That sizzling chemistry we imagine . . . that is not really there. Hopefully, the sequel will remedy that to some extent. The Demon Gods were another dilemma. I know the plotline supports Len's point of view, but it is hard to resist Zen's reasoning. Shouldn't the Demons be used against the Elantians? Why should their people suffer under foreign rule when they can be liberated by a power that may or may not cause disaster? Well, I guess the second instalment of the series has a lot to answer for. Can't wait to read it.

This is a promising start to a new series with a unique premise and magic system. I enjoyed the characterisation of the two main characters and adored the world building. Looking forward to see what comes next.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this to read and review early!

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night was a fast paced, super fun installment in this series, a great first book for a YA series. I loved following Lan throughout thick and thin, and I really enjoyed Zen too. Their adventure never got dull and the reader is kept on the edge of their seat the whole time. I enjoyed how lyrical and beautiful the writing was too.

Amélie Wen Zhao really put her heart and soul into this book, and you can tell. The author states how the book is deeply steeped in her language, culture, and history and draws on the magic of Chinese wuxia/xianxia - all of which were beautifully integrated and made the story for the most part really unique.

I did have a few critiques, one being that the main characters get quite close very quick, and we don't exactly get to see that happen, and two that the magic system isn't ever really explained, and the metal magic system is quite similar to Brandon Sandersons as I've heard.

But overall, the messages on colonialism and western exploitation are really powerful and executed well, and I would recommend this book.

Not a huge fantasy/mytho fiction reader but I did enjoy this one! Engaging from the first page, pieced together by Chinese culture and fokelore, I was fascinated by the story of Lan, a strong female protagonist who, as a child bears witness to her mum's murder but conquerors of the land where they live. Whilst dying, Lan's mother marks Lan with a scar. The meaning behind it unknown but Lan embarks on a journey that will lead her to a greater purpose, to become acquainted with her own identity and why her motto has always been: ' those with power should use it to help those without'. This book was allure and mystery and escapism, I felt I was grounded in nature and in the same breath surrounded by the Elantian warriors and could smell the stench of metal. I felt the adrenaline at times of war and peace and serenity when in the Temples of White Pine. This is a book I can visualise as a movie adaptation, it is truly phenomenal and Zhao is sensational in penning this story. A must read.

I got to chapter 22, which is where things really started to kick off but if I'm being completely honest I lost my motivation to finish this book a week ago. There were too many issues for/with me from the beginning.

By chapter two I was very much into the book and liked it, there's a rich history and the prologue laid out the background well, giving you a good foundation to read the book and understand why things were the way the are. But I also started the book on the 15th of Jan and it took me till the 16th of Feb to get to chapter 22. Somewhere in the haze (yes that is a t-swift ref) I lost my motivation to read this which is a shame, because I think I might very well like it if I could get myself to the end, however that's not going to be happening - it could be because I've been in the longest and largest slump (3 weeks) I've ever been in and that this book unfortunately is a casualty but we'll never know until I pick it up again hopefully in a few months.

I'm interested in the plot but it also feels very much like something I've seen before, which is sad because this book was highly anticipated for me.

Other things of note:
- I do appreciate the history/explanations of the magic systems but sometimes I felt that it took away from the narrative. Not when it was explained as part of educational scenes for the character but when there were slight knowledge dumps.
- There are a lot of side characters which is fine but often they were listed or mentioned in passing so it was hard for me to keep track of everyone or remember their significance when they were just plot devices for example almost everyone in the first few chapters.
- I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, or becoming invested in their journey.
- The connection between Lan and Zen felt kind of forced and superficial like yes, they're both cute but what else?

I would recommend this because I think it does YA fantasy well, all the key components were there, however I don't think it's the book for me in my current headspace.

Thank you to Amélie Wen Zhao and HarperCollins UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's probably a me-thing, but I was a little bored.
The characters were a bit flat and they didn't have much depth, apart from their past experiences. Also I didn't like some of their specific behaviour. For example, Lan discovers in the beginning that she has access to magical abilities and she asks Zen about it. But then, she isn't really interested in the lessons that Zen gives her, which is something I don't like much, because why asking him for lessons than in the first place.
I also don't like it when it's obvious that two characters are attrackted to one another, but they pretend they just don't know what the butterflies in their belly are. I mean, they are both young adults, so come on.
The setting seemed interesting with the kingdom now in the hands of the colonizers, but the world itself wasn't as fleshed out as much as I like it in a fantasy book.
I'm so sorry that this wasn't for me, because I was really looking forward to read this.

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the new book from Amélie Wen Zhao, best known for her Blood Heir Trilogy. Since starting to read the Fantasy genre a few years ago I have gravitated to books that have a background in the mythology and folklore of different cultures, and it is the setting in Chinese history, and their mythology that drew me to this book. The myth and folkore in his book is complex in parts but Amélie Wen Zhao’s writing makes this fascinating subject easier to understand and I liked that at the beginning of the book there are details of the history timeline and the belief systems so you can check if you get lost.

Lan is the central character of the book, a young woman of eighteen, an orphan who is working in a Teahouse. I found Lan to be a complex character, but one I really liked. She is a juxtaposition of vulnerability and a hardness brought on by her position in life, where she has had to learn to take care of herself. She is someone that readers of all ages will identify with in some way, her journey of self discovery, the need to understand the death of her mother and thus understand who she is and why she has a symbol scarred into her wrist. We know she is special from the start, and it is her meeting with Zen, a practitioner of the ancient ways, that sets her on her journey of discovery.

Amélie Wen Zhao’s world building is masterful, the attention to detail and the full historical background set out at the beginning is fantastic. She sets the old ways of magic from the earth, the synergy of yin and yang from nature against the new ways of metals, a forged magic that seeks destruction rather that peace and balance. There is no doubt that the story of the Elantian’s conquering the Hin culture and the era of The Last Kingdom is representive of colonisation of the East by Western cultures. The Elantins have western names and make the Hin’s take one syllable names to erase their identity, they try to destroy the local customs and beliefs crushing their culture. There is also the discussion of the repressing and rewriting of history to suit themselves, to stop the young from learning of their heritage.

Song of Silver, Flame of Night was a brilliant read with it’s mix of adventure, history, myth, love and identity in it’s different guises. The writing and world building are fascinating and totally believable, drawing you in to Lan’s world and making you believe you are there with her. This book maybe classed as Young Adult but I think anyone can read this book and get a lot out of it; a compelling story, relatable characters and the historical context. This is the first book in a new series by Amélie Wen Zhao, and I’m really excited to spend more time in Lan’s world and continue on her journey with her. Cativating, intriguing and hugely enjoyable, this is fabulous fantasy.

Song of silver, flame like night is a cozy take steeped in Chinese mythology.

Lan, a now orphan, finds herself on a journey to discover the meaning of a scar left on her by her mother on the night of her death. Along the way she meets Zen, a practitioner who helps her along they way.

Both have a hidden secret that could change everything, a way to save their land and fate entwined in a way they could have never thought possible.

The characters and their history are so well thought out, you can’t help but love them all, despite their personality flaws. The story is always moving with no dips in action. One more chapter is never enough.

I already can’t wait for the next book

Trigger Warning for mentions of SA and violence.



Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I didn't finish this book. I tried for weeks but I'm at a point where I just don't want to keep forcing myself through something I'm not enjoying, even though I got 2/3rds of the way through. I'm still giving it 3 stars because I think younger readers might enjoy it (by younger I mean like 12) and also the cover is really cool. The concept is neat as well, I just didn't think it was executed particularly well.

One thing that confused me was that a lot of the themes in the book I would consider mature (e.g. genocide, SA, torture, etc.) but the book is written in an immature tone of voice. The age I would assume this book is for might be too young for the blase accounts of brutality, but maybe not, I don't know kids these days. However, I also didn't feel like the horrors were handled well? It feels like there's a disproportionate amount of rape mentions that are just thrown in without any finesse? As well as all the murder, of course. Maybe I just didn't feel connected to the story or the characters so I didn't care, but I would have expected issues like that to be more pervasive on a personal level to the characters.

When it's said (paraphrased) "the father who was run through with a sword, the mother whose body was used by soldiers, and the family who was all dead" and then we kinda talk about something else, I don't get a sense of sadness or horror, I'm just sort of....bored. Which sounds awful but that's how it felt for me to read.

The writing itself was very YA (which is fine) but the storytelling felt amateurish. Things that are supposed to be important are totally forgotten for chapters even though they should probably be having some sort of effect (e.g. Lan's arm half the time). Things that I thought were givens are then discussed by the characters later as some big revelation (I thought we'd already been over this). Plot twists aren't very twisty.

As far as characters go, Lan (the protag) is okay. She's not as annoying as I thought she would be but she does have the whole "mysteriously more powerful without training than people who have dedicated their lives to the practice" thing which is annoying in of itself. Also, I lost track of what her Mother's seal was supposed to do. I thought it was to hide her magic, but then she doesn't seem to have any issue using it when the seal is still on, so it seems a little pointless.

Zen is too boring for me. I think he's supposed to be the "dark and brooding with a secret soft spot" archetype but he's not that brooding or that secretly soft. He's just some guy. He doesn't give me anything to latch onto.

Also, it's pretty easy to figure out that the point of the story will be to summon and control the four gods/demons so the fact that it takes so long for the characters to figure that out is annoying, it feels like half the book is wasted.

TL;DR: The book has an interesting magic system but nothing about the story or writing or characters hooked me as a reader. Might recommend for much younger readers but also might not because of mature themes that I don't think are written particularly well.

This book is a beautiful fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology. It was emotionally gripping and such a beautiful heartfelt story.
This book was one of my must reads of the year and it did not disappoint.
The world building was fantastic and it had such rich detail and descriptions throughout the book.
The plot was great and my favourite parts were definitely the beginning and the end part of the story. I felt that flow was perfect and enjoyed that it was fast paced at points.
I enjoyed all the twists and whilst some were predictable I enjoyed them nonetheless.
The magic system used in this book was so intricate and delicate that it took me a little while to understand how the magic system worked.
I really enjoyed the dual point of view from both Lan and Zen. I find that reading from dual points really makes you understand the characters more.
There is romance in this book between the two main characters but I loved how it wasn’t the main focus of the story but it was quietly there in the background.

I’m really looking forward to the sequel to this book and it can’t come soon enough!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.