I had requested this book on Netgalley some time ago, but because I ended up DNFing the book I didn't leave a full review. I honestly don't think anyone would enjoy this book and for me it rates at a solid 1 star. It was an easy DNF and I won't be trying again in the future.

The world the author creates is very interesting, with mortals and celestials and demons, their politics and enmities, the hypocrisy of these immortals who look down on mortals for their “emotions” but are equally susceptible to all kinds of corruptions themselves. We get to meet all kinds of immortals - the ones who are entrenched in their power and can’t see reason, ones who can be persuaded and finally ones who can see the truth and treat all beings - mortal and immortal alike.

And among all these characters are our MCs - lonely, orphaned Xue who can mesmerize anyone with her qin playing, and the mysterious Duke Meng who keeps a lot of secrets but is slowly creeping into her heart. It’s a slow building of trust and friendship between them which I appreciated, slowly turning into love for the ages and lifetimes. There are revelations and twists aplenty in this story, with little tales and legends in between that both help flesh out the world building and also weave the complete narrative together.

This was a beautiful story, thank you so much for the e-arc! I have now gone on to buy the physical book (the cover art is absolutely stunning).
I agree with a lot of other reviewers that this could have been a duology as I was left wanting more, but I guess this is also a sign of an immersive story.
If you enjoy gothic romantic fantasy, this will be for you.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Titan and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

This wasn’t bad, it had a lot of promise. The world building was really interesting, the motives were too but ultimately it just didn’t go deep enough.

I think this could have been a duology with some really in depth exploration of the characters and the world.

What I loved most about Songs of the Six Realms was, first of all, the setting: it's the kind of book inspired by Chinese legends that I love to read and watch. It wasn't at all difficult to imagine the story, the clothes, the way they speak and behave. The story is delightful, a retelling of Rebecca that captures the mystery but not the dark atmosphere, instead focusing on music. The protagonist is an expert musician, and the parts dedicated to her art, the poems set to music and performed, are definitely my favorite. I would have liked a bit more from the romance, and maybe from the secondary characters as well? Yes, but their absence doesn't stand out that much. Definitely approved!

Honestly this wasn't for me. That doesn't mean it won't be for everyone. But for me the world building was monotonous and honestly I feel like I have read this book before.

I should move away from YA, but I hope to find one that gives me the same thrill and enjoyment as some middle-grade and adult books. The writing style itself is the opposite of flowery. The sentences are short, clipped, staccato-like, and tediously uninspired. The world-building looks gorgeous but was left unexplored since it was a very limited setting focused only on two major locations. pacing felt slow, there were so many unnecessary info dumps, the characters who were supposedly celestials had rather immature personalities, and the moods of characters would change so quickly which felt very YA again

on a positive note, this book focused on various Chinese folktales, music, and poems, which was interesting! the prose was also so lovely and immersive, and best of all, the main character was likable

This started off strong, but got mixed in with oodles of worldbuilding – enough to drown in. I still don’t get the full picture of the world at this stage – and then the plot started to slow down as well. The relationships seemed to go from zero to hero, and the antagonist came out of left field. The vibes and atmosphere was great and I liked the inclusion of so many songs and poems. As much as the pace was already quite slow and steady, maybe taking a bit more time to gradually introduce everything, and building the conflict more slowly would have worked better for me. This seems like one of those books with a lot of great ideas but for me it missed the mark slightly on execution.

I loved the atmosphere of this book, it was really interesting and well written and at moments I felt like I was watching a c-drama! I just wish the ending wasn’t so rushed. I could’ve happily read another book of this, and I feel like it would have been better suited as a duology because suddenly everything we had been building up to was resolved in a few pages. I’d love to revisit the world one day!

Judy I Lin has the most beautiful writing and the influences that mythology and folklore has on her writing is the most special thing to read.

Song of the Six Realms hinterlässt bei mir gemischte Gefühle.
Es war nicht schlecht, aber auch nicht wirklich gut. Meiner Meinung nach leidet das Buch unter einem Übermaß an Weltentwicklung auf Kosten anderer wichtiger Aspekte.

Die Charaktere blieben mir weitgehend gleichgültig, und ich konnte mich weder für sie noch für ihr Schicksal wirklich interessieren.
Insgesamt hinterlässt Song of the Six Realms den Eindruck, dass es zwar eine interessante Welt bietet, aber möglicherweise auf Kosten der
Charakterentwicklung und der emotionalen Bindung der Leser geht. Es ist eine Geschichte, die Potenzial hat,
jedoch nicht ganz die Erwartungen erfüllt, die ich an eine mitreißende Lektüre habe.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

/!\ SPOILERS AHEAD

Song of the Six Realms is a young adult fantasy standalone in which we follow Xue (or Guxue), a young qin musician, as she unexpectedly is offered to serve Duke Meng, alias the Duke of Dreams, in his residence, before discovering that he actually needs her to unlock memories from her past to stop an upcoming and potential war.

I loved this book so much that it is a five-star read for me! But first, let's just talk one second about this cover because it is STUNNING! I find that Asian fantasies tend to have really dreamy and ethereal covers, and this is what I mean: pastel colours, cartoon characters… and in this case, it is perfect for this book! Song of the Six Realms seems to be set in an alternative Ancient China, and I really enjoyed the fact that the book starts with Xue's past and how she ended up in the House of Flowing Water so that the reader understands better where she comes from. Curiously, I also liked the structure of the novel, divided into verses and interludes, which really alludes to music and poetry, two of Xue's hobbies. The plot is really interesting, but I would have omitted the fact that Duke Meng is the Duke of Dreams in the synopsis so that it really comes as a surprise.

This book really felt like a mix of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan and Spirited Away (the Ghibli movie), so if you loved them, please read this book! The only thing I am sad about is that it is a standalone and not a duology, I would have loved to read more about Xue and all the other characters!

In short, I adored Judy’s The Book of Tea duology, her prose in that duology was beautiful and Song of the Six Realms is equally full of gorgeous prose, with the addition of beautiful poetry/songs throughout the story.

Song starts first and foremost with a folktale, and more stories are woven throughout the book to give the reader an idea of what the main character is learning as she’s thrown into a world where powerful beings are… trying to get more power, or hold on to power they have.

Our main character, Xue, is first taken to an entertainment house by her uncle, and she trains there for several years while honing her skills with the qín, preparing for the day when she’ll perform in full view of the crowds.

Her uncle makes visits to her on occasions, and during one such visit gifts her with a unique qín.

Things seem to be going well in the House, and in Xue’s life as a result, but then she hears of her uncle’s death and things start to unravel very quickly.

Enter: One very attractive (dreamy) Lord Meng.

Without giving too much away, what follows is a story for all Xianxia lovers, brimming with excellent world building and absolutely ready to have you crying in parts.

Xue has to help unravel a mystery whilst in a strange place, and there is a lovely element of found family thrown in!

This book is somehow a lot while not really a lot is going on. The world building was great but slightly too much and overall the book wasn't massively plot focused.

Pacing was definitely off since everything happened in the last 50 pages and nothing happened before.

I did really like the vibes though and the lore entwined within the book.

I really enjoyed Song Of the Six Realms, I thought it was written really well with descriptions that felt whimsical and lavish. The world building is immense and it creates great imagery as you're reading. The characters I felt were great to start with but as we got further into the storyline they didn't seem to develop much more. The storyline for me held it's own though and knowing this is a standalone it was an enjoyable read.

This had all the components to be a beautiful book - but it just fell flat.

Honestly, to me this just felt meh? I don't know if it's a problem with me and this author, because while I remember enjoying A Magic Steeped in Poison, I was not a fan of it's sequel, A Venom Dark and Sweet.

There is a hell of a lot of worldbuilding going on in here, which is not a bad thing - but for a standalone fantasy that isn't particularly long, I think it was just too much. This level of worldbuilding would more suit a series, because it just felt overwhelming for this book. The characters as a result fell by the wayside and I struggled to feel connected to any of them, even Xue, our main character, because they weren't fleshed out enough or had any kind of strong dynamics.

The writing is certainly very beautiful and lyrical, and the vibes are gorgeous as well - but it wasn't for me sadly.

Asian-inspired fantasy is always a favorite for me, so when I saw this gorgeous cover and read the synopsis, I knew I had to read this and strongly suspected that it would be a hit – and luckily, I was right!

I loved this book so much, it checked all the boxes for me. This is my first book by the author and now I’m very excited to check out her first duology!

Song of the Six Realms is a great mix of whimsical and dark. The world is so detailed and I really loved the setting and worldbuilding. I’m secretly hoping for a sequel because I would love to read another book in this world and I feel like there is so much more to explore here.

The book didn’t leave me wanting more, however, it was a perfectly round story that can definitely stand on its own. I loved how the plot was building and building and how that reflected the character arc of the female main character Xue.

Xue is great, I always enjoy it when a character is quite strong from the beginning but then continues to grow throughout the story, always rising to the challenges being thrown at her.

The rest of the cast was great as well, I liked how there were quite a couple of antagonistic characters, some more villainous than others. It added to the stakes of the plot, which I think nicely balanced out the whimsy of the setting.

The writing was also beautiful, I loved the descriptions and felt very immersed in the world and story.

Overall, I had a great time with this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Song of the six realms was an absolutely enjoyable read but unfortunately it failed to win me over.

The worldbuilding is solid and fascinating based on Chinese mythology, certainly the aspect that intrigued me the most.
Unfortunately, however, the narrative is rather slow and the characters rather superficial.

A real shame because there was so much potential that in my opinion is not being fully exploited! I recommend it to those looking for a story with little action, where romance is not a main part and with interesting worldbuilding.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the e-ARC!

First things first, I have to mention that "Song of the Six Realms" has an absolutely stunning cover. It's the kind of artwork that immediately catches your eye and makes you want to pick up the book and dive into its pages.

Now, onto the characters. I started off really liking Xue; she had a strong, intriguing presence that drew me in. However, as the story progressed, she started to fall flat. It became harder to connect with her, and I found myself losing the initial enthusiasm I had for her character.

The romance in this book is not very prominent, which might be a letdown for some readers. While there are hints of romantic elements, they never quite take center stage, which left me craving a bit more development in that area.

The world-building in "Song of the Six Realms" was solid, and I loved the concept of the different realms. However, we only get to experience two out of the six realms, which I found really disappointing, especially since this is a standalone novel. The potential for exploration was immense, and I can't help but wish it were a duology to give the world the depth it deserves.

The pacing of the book was very slow. There was a lot of information that felt unnecessary, and the story really only picked up in the last 15% of the book. This sudden shift made the ending feel rushed, as if everything happened all at once after a long, drawn-out buildup.

I received an uncorrected proof, so I can't say for sure if this will be in the final release, but there was a lot of repetition in the text. For example, phrases like "While we ate" were repeated within a few sentences, which disrupted the flow and felt redundant.

Despite these issues, the plot itself was interesting. I particularly enjoyed the incorporation of music and how the author described Xue's use of her qin. These moments were fascinating and beautifully written, adding a unique flavor to the story.

The overall vibe of this book, enriched with Chinese elements, was something I absolutely loved. The use of Chinese words for instruments and poem names written in Chinese characters added an authentic touch that made the setting come alive.

Would I recommend "Song of the Six Realms"? It depends on what you're looking for. If you're in the mood for a slow-paced fantasy inspired by Chinese culture, this book might be right up your alley. Just be prepared for a gradual buildup and a world that leaves you wanting more.

A shimmering, mysterious story with a charming romance at the centre of it - a young woman is pulled into a dangerous new world with celestials and terrible beasts with only her musical talents to guide her. This was a compelling read, starting off gentle but with a crescendo at the last 20% that did feel a little rushed. The characters were engaging and I loved the world-building. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable story and would encourage me to read more by this author!