Super enjoyable. Soft, loving queer romance + beautiful weaving of mythology and history + great fantasy worldbuilding = what's not to love?

I’d like to start off by thanking netgalley and the publisher, for granting me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay read for me. Sadly not more than that. While the beautiful cover and interesting premise had me really intrigued, the actual story ended up feeling very flat to me.

I feel like the characters weren’t fleshed out enough for me to really care about them. For instance I would’ve loved to hear more about Zhen and Qing their backstories. Some many interesting details were left out in my opinion, which all made it feel quite rushed.

The relationship between Xian and Zhen was extremely insta-love aswell, which definitely added to the story feeling rushed. Would’ve loved if the two atleast had a little bit more time to get to know each other (and more time for us readers to get to know THEM).

Overall I still really enjoyed the world building (and the story overall!!) but I just wish we’d gotten a few more details.

Legend of the White Snake is an excellent fantasy debut from Sher Lee, this is a Chinese mythology retelling of sorts, following Xu Xian as he embarks on a quest to find the white snake, which he believes will help cure his sickly mother. However, the white snake he is searching for appears to be closer than he originally thought.

This book was fun to read, fast paced, typical world building you would expect from a YA novel - it focused more on the MCs and side characters, and ultimately the plot. Sher Lee has developed her characters beautifully, the relationship between Zhen and Xu Xian develops very quickly, their connection is very instant (so if you don't like the insta love trope, maybe this one isn't for you) but I feel like this compliments the pace of the story very well. I felt as though I was reading a C-Drama (in the best possible way).

I'm not overly familiar with The Legend of The White Snake, but I did understand exactly what was going on and I don't think it's a factor to consider before reading the book. I did devour this one in one sitting, once I started I just couldn't put it down. There are so many wonderful, witty moment's between MCs (I have tabbed my book within an inch of it's life) and I felt totally captivated by this book.

I went through so many emotions reading TLOTWS, the last few chapters destroyed me (no spoilers here), Xu Xian and Zhen will forever live in my heart from now on.

A gorgeous fantasy debut from Sher Lee, one of my favourite books to publish this year.

Legend of the Snake is a a wonderfully unique YA romantacy filled with humour and heart.

Wrought with stunning imagery and profound messaging, the evident adoration and respect of Chinese culture by the author jumps of the page and is the highlight of this book.

The cast of characters (and their unique bonds to one another) paired with a magical tale made this a book I read in just two settings.

Nonetheless, despite having everything going for it I an stuck at 3 stars due to the the glaring problems with the pacing. Between Zhen and Xian's jumping romance, to the sudden leaps in the plot; I often found myself feeling like I had missed a chapter or two and had been granted the resolution whilst missing a lot of the work that makes the resolution meaningful.

Whilst Zhen and Xian had great chemistry from the get-go and a lot of wonderful elements, the frankly odd pacing left me feeling like I'd been cheated, missing some of the key stages of them as a pairing and falling in love.

It was very much a 0 or 100 situation.

So whilst the story and characters have the potential to be incredible, and the cultural aspects shine through the page, this book ended as a middle-ground where I simply couldn't be convinced of the characters feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

Sher Lee' debut Fake Dates and Mooncakes was one of my favourite reads of 2023, so I was super excited when she reached out to ask if I'd like an early copy of her fantasy debut! Whilst I did have a fun time reading this book, I admit it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I think the concept of this book is really good and this could've easily been a 5⭐️ read, but I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. I started very strong, with a hooking premise, interesting plot, and likeable protagonists, but from the moment Xian and Zhen meet, the plot seems to disappear and the focus is solely on their almost insta-love relationship. Whilst I did like their initial meeting, and could get behind their initial connection, I felt their romance rushed too suddenly into a relationship, and was based more on physical attraction than a deeper connection. Insta-love style relationships are an issue I have quite often with romantasy books (they're not a personal preference of mine), so that did hamper my enjoyment. I did like their relationship more towards the end, but I wish it had been developed more. The individual character development was stronger, but still not as developed as I would like. I did still really like Xian and Zhen as characters and became attached to them both (especially Zhen though, he was my favourite).

I think this book as a whole was quite underdeveloped. The plot got lost a bit and sidelined too much for the romance, and relationships with side characters felt less emotional as we didn't get to know said characters and their connections well enough. There were some interesting themes that I was hoping would be explored more - particularly the differing power dynamics between characters, which was touched on a few times but never in quite enough depth - which I think would've worked better if this book was a lot longer. This also impacted the ending reveals (though I do think these were quite well-crafted reveals and twists that made sense and were satisfying in the plotline) which made them feel somewhat sudden. Whilst this book is a standalone, I personally think it would've worked much better either as a much longer book, or as a duology. This would've, in my opinion, given more time to expand upon the world and magic-system (which were both very interesting, but underutilised) and develop and explore characters and their relationships. The second half of this book (after a big reveal) was quite rushed, but it felt much stronger to me in terms of plot and relationships (I enjoyed Xian and Zhen's romance much more in the second half. I admit to being nearly in tears by the ending chapters and the epilogue because I had become so much more invested and attached to the characters!

It sounds like I'm being really harsh on this book, but I did really enjoy my time reading it (it is most certainly hooking and exciting and I did not want to put it down!) and will probably be buying a physical copy when it releases next month, I just think there was a lot of potential that wasn't fully explored. I do still think this book is good, and do recommend checking it out! I think this was a promising start from Sher Lee in the world of fantasy, and I am excited to see what she will do next!

As an avid reader of Chinese danmei, I was curious to see a queer YA romantasy book published in the traditional way (meaning, not originally being a serialised webnovel that only later on with growing popularity gets a physical edition like most danmei) that had some similarities to some of the danmei I read in translation from the Chinese - such as a fantastical historical xianxia setting, copious mythological references and a complex love story between two male characters who face a lot of challenges that threaten to divide them. I found this to be quite enjoyable, though I wished in some parts for more elaboration. I think this would have worked better as a series in order to go into more details with the storyline and the character development. This is often the best solution for fantasy, and as I couldn't help but draw some comparisons to danmei (which famously has very long stories!) I felt like it was lacking some depth

This is exactly what it says on the tin—a xianxia YA romantasy (ignore the comparison to Dark Heir, that's not what you're getting here). I thought this was well-executed in general. The pacing was really good, with drama at the right moments to keep it all flowing nicely. A lot happens in the last 25%, and it did feel a bit rushed, but not enough to be bothersome.

I've seen some reviews call the relationship between Xian and Zhen insta-love, and while I agree that they very quickly developed feelings for each other, it read more like insta-lust to me, personally. I really liked the beats of the romance. It's sweet and fun, lies and betrayal notwithstanding.

The side characters are also a highlight. The relationship between Qing and Zhen, and Xian and Feng, kind of mirror each other, in that both are found family at its core. The budding romance between Qing and Feng was really cute, too.

I'm not familiar with the original myth, so I have no idea how big of a departure this retelling is, but it gave me exactly what I was expecting, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

I discovered the wonderful world of danmei earlier this year thanks to my friends, and know only a little bit of the legend of the white snake this story was based off of, so I was so excited to read a novel that would give me danmei vibes! I really enjoyed all the story beats and themes with family, duty, equilibrium, and a lot of the characters here too. I also have to say that I really enjoy Sher Lee's writing style here because this book was just so easy to consume and gobble up!!

And Sher also did a great job with taking the original story and making it into a super cute YA queer retelling with a lot of heart. There were some twists and turns I didn't expect in the story overall, which made this even more fun!!

Xian and Zhen were so adorable together and their dynamic & journey was so fun to read. On top of that, their individual character development was well-explored too. The pacing worked out really nicely for a standalone, and while I greedily wish we got some more, I think things would've been too drawn out for the worse if it did.

A really great YA danmei-like standalone experience!

I love this book, it was such a great read. I enjoyed the characters and the story. The pacing was good and didn’t feel dragged out, and I found the concept very interesting to read.

There was actually a lot about this book that I loved. The Chinese folklore and historical aspects were so well written and incorporated into the story, and the characters and interactions were wonderful. However, I thought the plot would have worked so much better in a middle grade novel as that aspect was more - best word I can use to describe it is juvenile - not in a bad way at all, but just in comparison to the romance which was more adult and read as incongruous with the main storyline and ages of the characters. For me, the romance was not convincing as the feelings developed way too quickly and I thought Zhen was much too forgiving. The ending was what made this a 3 star instead of 4 star because in my opinion there was an unwillingness to commit to certain plot points which removed the majority of the emotional impact the book was intended to have.

I enjoyed the the story, it was sweet and a gentle introduction to the genre for anyone unused to it. The cultural nuances were well explained and weaved it well. The politics of Chinese Emperors and Kings are firm and bloody, but the book kept things light enough for the age group it's aimed for. The relationship between Xian and Zhen was fun to follow as both of them have good hearts and Qing was a lovely side character. I don't know enough about the original story to give a comparison, but there was a strong plot throughout, so I hope it ticked the boxes for anyone who knows the original tale.

So I will say I know very little about xianxia and have no knowledge at all about the White Snake Legend. I can’t attest to how well this works as a retelling/reimagining. However, in terms of reading it as a myth inspired fantasy I very much enjoyed it.

Feel like this was one that swung me around soooo many different emotions - joy, sorrow, anticipation, anger, hope, despair and relief. Kept me gripped and on edge. I really wasn’t sure how it was going to play out in the end and a couple of twists took me by surprise!

I really loved Xian, Zhen, Quin and Feng. Whilst I’d have maybe liked a bit more depth. I think their characterisation worked well for a YA novel.

I enjoyed the authors first book, but actually liked this way more! Fantasy/myth is definitely more my thing anyway, but I think I found the writing way more engaging and descriptive. Really painted a picture of the setting.

In some ways I think this could have benefitted from being longer. I’d have liked even more of the politics, the relationship developments and world building. But this is a common critique from me so maybe I’m just greedy! 🤣

Really enjoyable and I absolutely must check out more fantasy inspired by Asian myth and culture.

Thank you to Harper Collins, Sher Lee and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy of this!

I didn't know the original Legend of the White Snake from Chinese Mythology when I read this but did go and read about it afterwards because I loved this queer retelling.

As with all mythological retellings from various nations, Sher Lee gives us a fresh look at the origin and for this one, we have Xian who's a prince and Zhen who is a boy who is a transformed snake spirit and their story is indeed a complicated one. I enjoyed this retelling with beautiful world-building that brings the lush countryside of China to life and characters who honour the myth in a well-thought-out manner. Xian and Zhen's love story is swift admittedly but often a strong first love is all-encompassing and everything is both strong and sweeps you away. I did wish that there was a little more depth to the characters with a little bit more background to who they are but I still loved them and was praying that happiness overcame any sorrow they faced. The two of them are soulmates, that is apparent from the way they are from their first encounter and I felt the tension from the page.

I loved how like yin and yang, the two complement one another and provide a balance. Xian is the traditional headstrong, reliant prince he's expected to be where emotions must be quashed and Zhen is gentle, quiet and calmer. Their differing personalities show when their perspective of events is shown and they see the same thing in such a different manner which is often so true in partners or friends.

This is a story that builds in momentum, we begin gently with moments of sorrow and hope only for darkness to descend and the joy and hope to disappear with violence and death to take its place. Sher Lee has written both with thought and it's not overwhelming but is necessary for the myth to be respected and retelling to expand properly.

Throughout, you're going to be hoping the two can return to their happiness. For Xian to be able to understand his emotions and feelings and warranted and allowed.This was a great story, and after reading the story from folklore, an excellent retelling which allows queer representation to take the forefront without taking anything from the origin.

This was another Netgalley find. A queer retelling of White Snake was something I really wanted to read. I am familiar with several different versions of the legend. There were a lot of changes to the story besides the gender of the White Snake. He wasn't already an immortal, Xian was a prince not a doctor, the baddie wasn't a monk, and there was no flood and 100s of deaths! But it still had the same heart. Green Snake was definitely still Green snake. The story was sweet and felt rooted in history despite being a fable. The author also did a good job of introducing elements of Chinese culture without it being annoying for people who already knew about it.
It was a lovely story and I love that queer romance of this story exists for teens to read today. I would recommend it to people of all ages.

I’m not sure where to start with this. I read quite a lot of danmei and am very familiar with the xianxia concept and the magic system. Regarding the good parts - I liked this take on an age old chinese story about a white snake spirit falling in love with a human and the introduction of all the chinese concepts (e.g. which door to walk through if you’re not the king and which foot to step over the threshold first) was great. I liked how the author took time to explain all the nuances. But that’s about all I liked about this book which is a real shame because I loved the author’s first book. I found the plot and the character extremely lacking. There were so many missed opportunities to build the relationship between the two leads and I wouldn’t have minded more of the hidden identity arc at the beginning to really bring the emotions out of the story. I also couldn’t quite place either main character. Both turned out to be completely different in personality by the end and where they kept ending up in the plot felt extremely contrived. What I really couldn’t stomach was the frivolous talk of sex. I understand this could have been reflective of the time period but it just did not work for me, especially when both characters were constantly described as “boys”. There was just too much lusting for the ages of the main characters. Whilst I understand teenage boys are horny, I don’t necessarily want to read about the sexual antics of a 17 year old boy, especially how another teen was offered up by adults to another boy. The characters could have done with some aging in that respect to make it less jarring. Unfortunately, the last 20% was the worse part of the book and I admit that I skimmed the rest. The plot struggled to make much sense and felt very contrived in order to push the story along. There was no hint of the twist throughout the book. All in all, if you took away the lusting and sexy time, I would have described this as a story targeted at middle schoolers but as it stands, it just doesn’t work at all.

This was a really nice read! I'm decently familiar with some of the cultural and historical context, though not the original tale itself. I can't speak to how a reader completely unfamiliar would fare, but I didn't feel bored by the explanations of concepts I was already familiar with.

The sense of setting, especially in the palace Xian called home, was particularly strong, but the thing that shone brightest for me was the characterization of Zhen and Xian. Zhen was interesting and continually surprising with just how *good* he was, while the balance of Xian's kindness with the obvious edge of his upbringing as a prince was really satisfying. I was really taken with the interplay of Xian's position being exciting in its intoxicating power, as well as all the things it took from him. It was fantastically done and definitely a standout element of the book for me.

It was a very sweet romance, even if its contours were pretty predictable. Sometimes sweet and predictable is good :)

The final few parts of the novel were personally a bit fast-paced and all over the place tonally for me, but the content itself was solid and made for a good end to the story.

I would recommend this book as an entry into danmei and chinese fantasy genres. For readers already introduced to the genre, although you may enjoy your time with the book, you also may find some elements lacking. The focus on romance and it's transition into political intrigue gripped me with its fast past but didn't allow for full exploration into other interesting plot points.

This is such a great retelling, I really enjoyed it and loved how it was done.

I only vaguely knew the original story of the Legend of the White Snake so for the most part my view of this novel is unbiased when comparing it to the original tale but I found the story to be entertaining and emotional and very well written. Xian and Zhen are great as main characters and I really like how they were portrayed and developed. I will admit, Xian at the beginning took a little time to warm up to. I loved their relationship and dynamic, it was very sweet and emotional. The side characters were also well developed and added a lot to the story.

I found the entire story to be interesting and I was immersed in the plot. The worldbuilding is solid and easy to follow, it was very well fleshed out.

Also as an aside the cover is absolutely beautiful.

Overall I really enjoyed this and can't wait to read more by the author.

Thank you to Sher Lee, MacMillan and Netgalley for a complimentary e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, whilst I really tried with this book I ended up DNF'ing at about 12o pages in. I thought the plot concept was very cool with the gender flipped version of a traditional Chinese fairytale (one I've not heard of before, but it sounded interesting), but ultimately I just couldn't get into this book at all. I could tell this was just going to be a three star and I couldn't get invested in the characters or the story so I decided to drop it rather then end up writing a rant review instead.

In short, great idea and I can definitely see this working for a lot of people as there wasn't anything inherently bad about it but I just couldn't get into the writing or the storyline at all. Would recommend for danmei fans though or anyone wanting a fun historical LGBTQ take on an old myth.

If you know me, you'll know I'm a sucker for anything Chinese, with fantasy and tonnes of mythology.
This has all of that and more.. As the title suggests this is about the legend of the white snake but the story is so woven with layers of romance, action AND mythology that it feels real.
The author also explains every tradition mentioned with ease and precision, leaving the reader knowledgeable as well as intruiged.
Nothing is left unturned or uncovered in this book so that it is accessible to ANY age range and also includes lgbtq+ characters opening this book to EVERYONE.
Very enjoyable and interesting read full of mythology and action and twists and turns you don't see coming