The story of Xue was both enchanting and inspiring: it is an atmospheric, whimsical tale of young girl, who has only one thing in her life that is hers: her music. Through beautiful composed world-building, lyrical dreamy prose and dynamic plot I was instantly transferred into the world of the Celestial Realm, following Xue and her discoveries.

I was hooked from page one, turning page after page: the wonder, the mystery was keeping me on the edge and I loved seeing how the author explores loss, grief, life itself that can be filled with love and compassion! An absolute gem filled with Chinese mythology, slow burn romance and the admiration of poetry, music.

3.5 Stars
Firstly i want to point out the cover of this book which is absolutely beautiful and full of so many details!!
The world building and the descriptions throughout the book were fantastic and magical. I love learning about the magic system and the Chinese mythology.
I did unfortunately find that at points it was heavy on the world building and it kind of forgot the plot a little, almost as if it was an afterthought. The book did have plenty of twists and turns and some I didn’t see coming at all!!
I enjoyed how the music and poetry was woven so beautifully throughout the book.
I liked seeing the characters development throughout the book especially our main character Xue, an orphan who grows into a strong woman and how she went from being isolated in her entertainment house to learning to take risks and ending up being one of the most powerful people. Towards the end she ends up questioning who she can really trust.
I wasn’t a fan of the ending of this book but overall it was a good fantasy read I just felt that it needed a little more action for me.

Thank you to the Publisher, Author and Netgalley for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"I am surrounded by many splendors, and yet I am alone"

"The fragrance drifting upon the night
I sing to the night blooms
Only they know my dreams . . .
How I love the vast stillness of the evening
And the singing of the nightingale . . .
I embrace the one that I dream of
Kissing the flowers as if I am kissing her"

"One sweet, precious moment, Before it all fell to dust"

If that stunning cover didn't draw you in, how could the excerpts above not? This was a beautiful tale incorporating Chinese mythology and beautiful poems interpreted as music.

Xue is an apprentice at an esteemed entertainment house where she encounters Duke Meng who is fascinated by her and buys her contract in exchange for a year as resident musician at his estate. At the estate, she comes to learn that Jinglang is the Duke of Dreams and his estate is in Celestial Realm where her hidden presence is a transgression. She meets his friends and learns of the increase in frequency of attacks in the realm. As the story draws to a climax, they are forced to question everything and everyone that they know.

The imagery of the story is stunning and although the pace can be slower than one is accustomed to, it's a beautiful meander that allows you to immerse yourself in the prose. Lingwei and Prince Zhou care deeply about Jinglang and the way that they accept Xue is caring and typical of true friendship. The magic system is somewhat complex and the climax was dramatic and slightly unclear which disappointed me but the heartwarming moments that follow, somewhat make up for it, bringing with them hope.

This is definitely a story to be picked up if you are a fan of Chinese mythology, eloquent prose and a rich immersive worldbuilding.

Thank you to Titan books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful story

I adored the tone and prose of this book so much. It really captivates the ready and brings you into a rich world inspired by Chinese Mythology. Lin’s characters seemingly are brought to life with such ease and elegance. I loved that Xue was so calm and demure for a main characters.

The story itself is richly told with a beautiful style and tone that flows perfectly. There is a nice mix of characters and themes throughout as well as a strong and well built world that we learn about as we read. I prefer world building like this that was natural and not large drops of information.

My only ‘complaint’ is the bittersweet ending. I feel it did fit the story but I did want it to be different. A must read for fans of Asian inspired stories.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing was poetic and lyrical to match the celestial magic and world.
The characters and world was interesting, and it was very easy and fun to follow along.
The only thing was I didn’t love the ending. But overall I really enjoyed the book.

This book was such a delight! I loved the magic system, the world building and the incorporation of music and poetry, which were significant elements within the story. The romance subplot was also beautifully done and was so refreshingly wholesome and healthy! I really craved to explore more of the romance, but this book’s focus was more on the fantasy elements, which I still really enjoyed. My favourite parts about this book were the beautiful writing and the relationship between the FMC and MMC.

The Duke of Dreams lived up to his name because he is honestly the duke of MY dreams; he was such a respectful, charming and wholesome MC and I loved that about him because he truly just exemplified what it is to be a man in love and wanting to protect his girl. His character is also just really fascinating, and I do wish we had more moments with him and Xue. On the other hand, Xue was such a wonderful protagonist and I loved her from the very beginning. She’s headstrong, smart and has so much grace and depth. Her relationship with her uncle and the side characters she later meets were so touching to read about and I really sympathised with her struggles.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it’s worth a read if you don’t mind an ending that is not exactly a HEA but not totally depressing either - for me, the ending was bittersweet, heartfelt and left me feeling hopeful yet hollow at the same time!!

This is a must read if you love;

Asian fantasy with Chinese mythology

Wholesome romance, reminiscent of ones found in c-dramas, kdramas and animes

Elements of music and poetry, an intricate magic system, celestials

Whimsical, poetic and lyrical writing

He’s a duke, she’s a prodigal ‘peasant’

Magical world with a heartfelt story and found family

This is a difficult book for me to review, for the same reasons I still struggle to articulate my thoughts about Judy Lin's debut. There's something about her writing style that I really struggle to connect with--that keeps me at arm's length from the characters, world and plot. I'm fairly confident it's not a problem with her writing per se, just a taste mismatch, but it means twice now I've closed her books feeling like I have very little to say simply because I couldn't submerge myself deeply enough in the book to form opinions. I do think that, for a reader who's on board stylistically, this would be a great read, and I'd recommend it to fans of authors life Sue Lynn Tan and Axie Oh.

I'll also say it was refreshing to see a YA fantasy that breaks the mould in so many ways from current trends--a story that leans slower and atmospheric compared to the typical high octane YA stories which are great fun, but can get exhausting. I also appreciated how well the music was written; it's rare for a musician character to feel authentic. However, I don't think the Rebecca comp is doing it many favours, and I enjoyed the story most when it leaned into being its own thing rather than trying to remind the reader of one of the masterpieces of the twentieth century novel form--drawing comparisons in the reader's mind which can only ever be to this book's detriment, as unfair as that may be.

In summary, while this title wasn't really for me, I do think for the right reader it will hit the spot, and I appreciate what it's doing on an intellectual level even if not so much on an emotional one. However, don't pick it up expecting anything but a very surface level similarity to Rebecca.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for the eARC in exchange for my review!

This book had a fantastic start - I loved the bits in the real world, Xue's growing up journey, meeting the Duke and all that. Then the journey and the first couple days in the manor gave me some serious Jane Eyre vibes. I felt like I could see the slow transition of the world from this real-world dreariness to Celestial-realm vivid colourfulness. I liked all the characters (especially Xue) and thought they were well-developed. The set up was interesting and the world felt vast. The romance was cute, even if it didn't hit all the way to make it an absolute favourite - I still felt the butterflies once or twice. I think the love interest was just a bit more passive and sweet than I'm used to. I also loved all the descriptions of Xue playing the qin - the author made something that is hard to express in words, music, so expressive I felt all the emotions I needed to. Would recommend playing some instrumental Chinese music along reading.

The only bit where the book lost me a bit was the ending. The journey of this book was like a rolling snowball - slow and tentative at first, heading towards a speedy explosive end. And I think that was part of the problem - the ending was going at a breakneck speed and I didn't understand the lore or why things were happening. Now spoilers enter the chat.

*Spoilers*

The death of the duke didn't hit as strongly as it could've, because I didn't understand at all why he sacrificed himself. The book tried to explain it but it honestly sounded like *wibbly wobbly mumbo jumbo magic reasons*. I guess that's the nature of a soft magic system but to really sell a sacrifice I need to have that moment of realisation that this is the only way along with the protagonist. And that just didn't happen.

*Spoilers ends*

I would still recommend this though if you love a portal fantasy. Judy I. Lin has become an auto-read author for me!

Song of the Six Realms was my first Judy I. Lin book, so suffice to say, I was pretty excited to pick this one up! (Not to mention the cover for this book is unbelievably beautiful). It is unfortunate then, that I have to say that Song of the Six Realms did not live up to my expectations.

For me, the most significant issue with this book was its over-tendency to tell and not to show. The book's plot and its characters were both victims of Judy I. Lin's choice to remove action and dialogue in favour of explanatory narration. Throughout the book, for example, conversations are repeatedly replaced by short descriptions. Instead of being shown dialogue, the reader is instead given a concise summation of what was said. Not only is this a significantly less interesting way to learn about a conversation, but it also means that the reader misses out on learning further about the characters themselves and how they interact with others. This type of replacement happens frequently throughout the book (the finale itself is narrated to the reader, and not shown in any meaningful way) and unfortunately, it scuppered my reading experience.

I can say that there are some real attempts to build a compelling world here, and some of what Judy I. Lin creates is truly unique. I loved the tangible incorporation of music into the story's mystical and other-worldly setting, for example. Lin's idea to make important or traumatic memories something a character may step into reminded me a lot of the Legend of Zelda's Tears of the Kingdom in the best way! However, the world was (again) plagued by the tell, not show curse. Instead of being woven into the story, I felt many details were dumped on us through stories or documents that appeared to conveniently explain the world. Sadly, this type of world-building just didn't work for me.

Overall, I think Song of the Six Realms is a fantasy book that is most certainly worth reading, and I know it will find its fan-base out there in readers who love mystical fantasies with a healthy dose of romance. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me!

I liked this book a lot, but I felt the climax was a bit complicated and confusing. There were too many components and too much happened in too short a space of time. I think I mostly kept track of what was happening, but I did find a few things confused me.

Music and poetry were central to this book and I really enjoyed how clear the enthusiasm of the main character came through. I Youtubed what a qin sounded like so I could better imagine the scene in my head. I love how the author took inspiration from the poetry of Ancient China.

I did find that there wasn’t a lot of action in this book. Most of the plot revolves around Xue finding certain songs to unlock hidden memories. Though there were times when action happened and the ending was filled with action, this is definitely not a book for people who are reliant on action to keep them interested.

Apart from the ending though, I really enjoyed this book. It had loads of elements I liked and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

This book was so much fun!! The whole thing felt so dreamy and ethereal, kinda like everything was shot on a film camera?? 😮‍💨

It was super atmospheric, and the way music was used so beautifully to communicate all sorts of experiences; the way she felt when she played, the way others felt when they heard her play,, everyone has that one track on their fave movie soundtrack that makes them kinda wanna scream cry throw up because you feel it so deeply,, this book was basically all about that feeling! 🤭♥️

I loved how soft the main characters were towards each other, how gentle and tender their dynamic was, and how their bond developed and grew as they spent more time together to a point where they were both ready to risk their lives for each other! 🥹✨

It also had a mystery/political conspiracy going on as the overarching plot, which was really interesting to unravel and find out more about as the plot developed :)

Song of The Six Realms was one of those captivating atmospheric reads, full of Chinese mythology that is written so delicately and beautifully.

I actually finished this in one day, it’s so easy to follow Lin’s magical story telling and rich imagery! My favourite thing about this book was the Daphne Du Maurier ‘Rebecca’ vibes, it was all very mysterious and tinged in longing.

I can’t forget to mention that cover too, absolutely breathtaking! 😍

I went into this book kind of blind, all I knew, this stroy was about a celestial duke and a mortal girl. I found the plot of this story really interesting and have a lot of potential. The writing was very lyrical, I loved how the music and poetry was written in this story. There were twists and turns which for the most part I didn’t see coming. I enjoyed the characters and really liked Xue and Jinglang throughout the story.

However, with this story I do feel as though there was a lot of information to take it. Most of the time I couldn't remember who any of the celestial characters were and I just kept getting confused. The world building also wasn’t super clear and I found myself having to keep re reading parts.

I wish we could have seen Xue and Jinglangs relationship develop a bit more. I loved them both as individual characters but together? I just didn’t feel as strong of a connection as I hoped I would.

Overall I found the story pleasant and I think the ending was really beautiful. I just wish there was more character development and a little less lore!

I'm having a hard time reviewing this book, because there's not much to latch onto, unfortunately. I think it was well-written and easy to read, and the lore was interesting. I liked the role music played in the story. But I think what I should have cared about the most is the romance between Xue and Jinglang, and unfortunately it left me fairly cold. Part of that is because the emotional developments feel like they mostly happened off-page. We're told that Xue is developing feelings for him, but we don't really dig into that, other than a few moments where they comfort each other, or a handful of kisses in the last quarter of the book. But I just couldn't feel connected to either of them.

The pacing of the story is fairly slow as well, until the last 20% or so, which was a lot of big explanations in a way that took me by surprise. Up to that point, the author had a deft hand when it came to explaining the world, but that last part made me feel bombarded with new information. I saw some of the twists coming, while others surprised me. I think there was potential for some really heartwarming relationships, but it just didn't go deep enough.

The ending is kind of open, which I didn't mind, but there's also a lot that gets mentioned early on but never explained, like why Xue's family was punished, and a few things that smack of plot convenience.

The world-building in this book is truly impressive. From the moment I started reading, I was completely drawn into the intricately crafted Celestial realm. The attention to detail for each character was outstanding, making them feel like fully realised individuals with their own histories and motivations.

However, there were quite a few characters introduced throughout the narrative, and a significant amount of information was provided about each one. While many of these details enriched the story and added depth to the world, some seemed less relevant to the main plot. This abundance of information made it a bit challenging to keep track of everyone and everything, especially when trying to remember all the intricacies.

Xue, the main character, came across as somewhat reserved and meek throughout the story. Despite this, her passion really came through in the writing, which I found both admirable and engaging. It was clear that she had a strong sense of purpose, even if she didn't always assert herself as assertively as one might hope.

The romance in the story seemed to develop quite quickly, transitioning from a casual connection to something more serious in a relatively short span of time. While the progression was swift, the depth of "devotion" between the main characters didn't fully convince me. I felt that there could have been more development to truly establish a believable and heartfelt connection between them.

Overall, the book offers a richly imaginative world with compelling elements that captivated my interest. The vivid descriptions and creative concepts were highlights for me. However, the pacing and character development, particularly in the romantic subplot, left me wanting more depth and nuance.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Song of the Six Realms is so beautifully written it has a lovely lyrical prose with exceptional world building that is vivid in descriptions that only adds to the narrative of Xue and her music.

The storyline is intriguing and I really loved how it unfolded though I did find the pacing a little slow and had to take a few moments to fully understand the complex scenes and numerous backstories. It is a very slow burn book filled with a lot of angst but overall the storytelling is worth it. We only get one PoV and that is from Xue but there is a lot of different characters that are introduced so at times it can become a little overwhelming to remember each one.

I loved that it had a storyline that wasn’t dependant on romance to keep it moving along and instead kept me engaged with the events and themes of “saving the world”. which makes it a really refreshing read.

Song of the Six Realms is an utterly delightful fantasy inspired by Chinese mythology. Lin weaves a vivid tapestry of the human, celestial and demon realms, with meticulously chosen threads of various plot lines, all carefully arranged to create a work that astounds with its richness. Drawing on poetry, music, and traditional instruments, before us you have not so much a fantasy, as a phantasmagorical reimagining of our world, because Lin makes it feel incredibly real. We can almost trace our hands along the qin, as the talented musician Xue runs her hands along it, we can almost taste the tea served during performances, glimpse the vibrant fabrics of the dancers, hear the intimidating voices of the celestials. With Lin’s precise storytelling and world building, she creates a haven for those seeking an escape from our world into a different realm.

A realm that while astounding us with its tastes, fragrances, colours, nonetheless threatens with its cruelty, fine harshness, incredibly relevant issues. Xue navigates a world full of courtly intrigue, bereavement following the death of her uncle at the hands of bandits, and a complicated network of balancing the desire to stay in her House, a protected space, an entertainment establishment to which she is indebted and pursuing a world beyond. A world which doesn’t want her, as Xue belongs to the undesirables, the lowest cast. Unexpectedly she encounters a Duke enraptured by her music. She is whisked away to a new life, like many of her House sisters dreamed of, yet Xue’s life is completely upended, and the fate of the universe unbeknownst to her is dependent on her success as a musician.

The book is perfect for fans of C-dramas with its snappy rhythm and string of beautiful visual images. Handsome characters who are not always incredibly well developed, but still attract with their character and talents, the plot driven action packed narrative leaves no reader disinterested. It is a truly engaging story with just enough clues to figure it out, but not too many to feel too easy. Lin challenges her reader intellectually, but manages to not impede our imagination and perplex us, losing our interest. The pacing strikes the balance between the points of tranquility and vicissitude aptly, and seamlessly, kept together by the smooth stitches of Lin’s simple and elegant writing. This is prose stripped from unnecessary embellishments, which perfectly complements the world before us, as it is a realm deeply enriched in cultural references, symbols and images. The result is a harmony of descriptions where things are sometimes magically literal and other times lyrically magical: “In her eyes I saw clouds shift, the sun rise and fall, flowers bloom and wither.”

The story manages to hop through a variety of genres, which is both its charm and damnation. It dabbles in the gothic, with allusions to Rebecca, yet just as we get pulled in, reverts back to Chinese classics and culture, occasionally touching its wings into a romantic line. It’s enchanting because the tropes and themes manage to tick all the boxes, especially for those with varied interests, yet at the same time it sometimes leaves us with a feeling of shallowness. Lin draws from a fascinating (and frankly educational) pool of mesmerizing water, yet the reader comes away feeling as if we have not quite bathed enough. So many stories mentioned just once, pathways left unexplored. A consequence perhaps of standalones and the somewhat unfortunately felt need to come to a conclusion. The ending comes abruptly, leaving a sense of stark and dissatisfied withdrawal, which is at odds with the marvelous sense of immersion we had taken away from the story as a whole.

That slight criticism aside, stemming perhaps from my heart being broken at the ending (and also because I found moments of grief unexpectedly difficult emotionally,) Song of the Six Realms is a book to sweep you away. A book to laugh, cry, smile, feel the angst at the slow burn romance. Easy to get into, and impossible to forget. Lin cultivates a beautiful narrative with a delightful first person point of view, a delicate flower made all the more aromatic by the attractive leaves of writing technique which Lin demonstrates. Excuse the elaborate metaphors, something in Lin’s natural beauty prose inspires to dabble in your own creative expressions. For those who enjoyed A Magic Steeped in Poison, this serves as the perfect second oeuvre to cement Lin as an author on your “must buy” reading list.

I remember reading one of Judy I. Lin’s previous books and thinking her writing style was captivating, and I’m glad to say I still feel the same. Song of the Six Realms is a beautifully written book with a touch of dark magic that I could easily see adapted as a Ghibli movie (the Spirited Away vibes were strong).

I always appreciate when an author takes the time they need to build their world. It does make for a slower pace at first, but it pays off when the plot truly kicks in, boy did it kick. I started this book thinking I knew exactly where it was going, but the author quickly took me by the end and took me off the main path. I love a good quest involving immortal beings, so I got what I wanted!

3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.

I was a huge fan of this author's book A Magic Steeped in Poison, so when I read the synopsis for Song of the Six Realms and saw yet another gorgeous cover, I was very eager to pick up this boasted East-Asian gothic romance. Whilst there are elements of that, I have conflicted feelings coming away from this one.

Once again, Lin has cultivated rich imagery of the worlds this book is set in. Xue travels from the mortal realms and into the celestial court, and you do get a distinct impression of both realms. The mortal realm is very historically East-Asian inspired, and the fantastical elements of the manor house she moves into and the new spaces she has access to really lean into a lush and magical environment. If you're a C-drama enthusiast, especially the historical fantasy types, you'll enjoy the imagery of this book.

However, my biggest issue with this story was the main character Xue. For the majority of the book, Xue held no life substance to her. She was a shell of a character. A token that moved through the duke's manor and celestial realm to merely show the environment and lead to characters who would continue the story. It was so unbelievably disappointing at times, and I was quite shocked by the comparison of this story and my experience with the author's previous duology. This is its own story and world, but I didn't feel the magic of the characters in this one as I did before and had to tamper down my expectations of enjoying this quite early on. Xue, especially in the first 40%, was a hard pill to swallow. Because she is the main narrator of this story, her static approach to describing her feelings, setting, and reactions to what was happening was rather disjointed. I didn't appreciate this type of character writing at all and was relieved when she gained more of a personality as the book progressed. Still, despite some development, I never fully got invested in her journey, and the somewhat predictable plot twist that occurs to her at the end of the book actually ruined all that growth for me as it was incredibly convenient to help the plot along for whatever is to come next.

The gothic romance felt clunky in this world setting, but I did like the mystery of what previously happened to a character in the manor, and uncovering the secrets along the way. I appreciated the pacing most of the time once the manor and celestial realm were established in the book. Some side characters were utilised well.

The rush of the ending does add more intrigue to the world, but also relies on a lot of convenient plot devices. I hope Lin plans to pace the consequences of these choices in book two, but I admittedly won't be reading on to find out how that works out.

Xue tires of her secluded life in the entertainment house. Playing her quin is the one thing that truly brings her joy, but she cannot help but wonder at the world outside, the one her Uncle travelled. Despite this, she is wary when a stranger offers to buy out her contract. Only when he admits to knowing her Uncle, and that he is investigating his death, does Xue agree to risk the safe life she already has. But would she have still agreed if the stranger had revealed his true identity as the celestial Duke of Dreams?
I love the character development in this book as we get to watch Xue grow from a mostly unremarkable orphan, to a strong-willed woman, to one of the most important women in the six realms. She never reaches for this power, aiming only for freedom and family. Yet, when this power is given, she accepts it and wields it with grace. My only complaint is that her character growth seems almost too smooth at times. I would have liked to see her take more agency for this growth and to make more mistakes too, ones that don’t stem from secrets someone else is keeping.
However, it is these secrets that create the languishing tension of the book as Xue gradually uncovers more and more of the mystery that surrounds her and her new home. It is clever the way that many things (and people) aren’t quite what they appear. A couple of characters even have multiple reveals of this nature where their entire personality or agenda is flipped on its head. The only character who never seems to change is Duke Meng; he starts out as kind, clever, and slightly mysterious and remains this way throughout the book.