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Song of the Six Realms
Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy gothic romance worthy of the heavens in Song of the Six Realms.
Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.
With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.
But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.
The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.
Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.
With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.
But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.
The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.
376 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2024
683 people are currently reading
40.5k people want to read
About the author
Judy I. Lin
7 books2,207 followersJudy Lin was born in Taiwan and moved to Canada when she was eight years old. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now divides her time between working as an occupational therapist and creating imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughter.
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May 20, 2024⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
( finished. ) 𓆩🍀𓆪 . . . 2 8 / 0 4 / 2 4 ! the most interesting thing in this book was the glossary and character pronunciation guide...
i thought i would enjoy this during the first few chapters.... i spoke too soon. "song of the six realms" disappoints primarily due to its sheer lack of engagement. it's monotonous, the characters are uninspiring, and this was overall such a tedious and unfulfilling reading experience. how infuriating it is to read a bad book with such a lovely cover ( 1★ ).
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
⌗ ◌ 🍶𓂃 𓈒𓏸 pre-read
﹙started﹚ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 2 4 / 0 4 / 2 4 ⊹
RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. i forgot this came out yesterday. thank u to bff for reminding me !!!! happy release week :3
( finished. ) 𓆩🍀𓆪 . . . 2 8 / 0 4 / 2 4 ! the most interesting thing in this book was the glossary and character pronunciation guide...
i thought i would enjoy this during the first few chapters.... i spoke too soon. "song of the six realms" disappoints primarily due to its sheer lack of engagement. it's monotonous, the characters are uninspiring, and this was overall such a tedious and unfulfilling reading experience. how infuriating it is to read a bad book with such a lovely cover ( 1★ ).
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢୭ৎ⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
⌗ ◌ 🍶𓂃 𓈒𓏸 pre-read
﹙started﹚ㅤ𓈒ㅤׂ 2 4 / 0 4 / 2 4 ⊹
RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. i forgot this came out yesterday. thank u to bff for reminding me !!!! happy release week :3
Want to read
March 7, 2024if you see me reading this when it comes out even though I dnfed this authors other book bc I hated the writing style, no you didn’t.
THE BEAUTIFUL ASIAN GIRL COVERS ARE MY WEAKNESS OK 😭
THE BEAUTIFUL ASIAN GIRL COVERS ARE MY WEAKNESS OK 😭
Want to read
September 2, 2023the cover oh my god
July 12, 2024
*2.5 stars*
April 18, 2024
I let myself be queer-baited by this gorgeous cover (that’s on me for hitting request without even reading the description!!), thinking this was going to be a lesbian story, so God saw fit to immediately punish me for it. I’m simply his favourite little lamb most likely to be slaughtered. But even after I learned that the main relationship focused on a straight couple, I was willing to persevere; too bad I didn’t enjoy myself in the process.
Listen, the setting is gorgeous, though left a bit unexplored. Xue lives in a world of which the Mortal Realm is but only one of several realms, existing alongside five other realms including the Spirit Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Celestial Realm. It is the latter she is whisked away to in a manner openly inspired by du Maurier’s Rebecca, though this novel’s gothic atmosphere is severely limited and restricts itself to a secluded, in-parts broken-down mansion.
Unfortunately, the very limited setting that only ever focuses on two major locations, the before (the House of Flowing Water where Xue grew up) and the after (the Meng family estate), led to relatively weak worldbuilding so that besides the story’s focus on music, nothing really stuck with me. The fictional world the characters inhabit, as well as all characters aside from Xue, really, were all rather shallow.
Told from Xue’s first-person POV, we naturally get a lot of insight into her mind, but even the friendship and eventual romance developing between her and The Duke of Dreams never lifts off the page since the narrative doesn’t grant him the attention he should get in order for us to care. For everyone who DOES plan to pick this up because of the romance, don’t bother (I didn’t mind, but others who choose to read the novel based on its promised romance only will end up disappointed). It’s very sidelined, granted next to no space to properly develop, and is dealt with in as few words as possible (Then again, if you pick up a Rebecca retelling because of the “romance,” it’s kind of your own fault).
The same thing goes for his friends, which eventually end up being Xue’s friends, too. Chenwen is flirtatious and egotistical, Linwei is kind but intelligent. There really is no further characterization to speak of beyond their respective two traits.
The second trapping that following the gothic novel tradition provides is the plot. True, most of the famous gothic novels can be very quickly summarized, but what they live on is atmosphere. As readers, we don’t mind spending chapter upon chapter with Rebecca who is stuck in the same house for months on end since the atmosphere directly contributes to a constant feeling of fear and uneasiness that never lets up and keeps you turning those pages again and again. Now, if your gothic retelling novel doesn’t have that atmosphere and has more of a “this being whisked away business isn’t so bad since the setting is beautiful, the food is good, the company is great, and only my maid is being a bit rude” vibe, readers WILL notice the missing plot.
As a consequence of being a mortal entering the Celestial world, Xue must prepare to convince the Ruler of the Celestial Realm to allow her to keep living by impressing him with her musical skills. This SOUNDS like a very important and consequential plot line that sees Xue preparing and worrying about it for weeks, but the trial comes and goes without having any impact whatsoever on the rest of the story. More like a filler than anything else, said plot point mainly gave me the feeling of having been included to stretch the book’s length.
My main problem, however, is with the writing (UPDATE: point 1 & 4 will hopefully be completely redundant once this book is out as I went back to check and it turns out i was indeed provided with an uncorrected proof!!):
1. Though written in the past voice, there are more than a dozen instances of some sentences written in present tense, some written in a weird mix of present tense AND past tense. I can’t tell if this is on purpose or not, and I don’t know whether they’ll be edited before publication, but the unwarranted and sudden switches in tense sound wrong even to my non-native English speaker ears.
"I forced myself to move forward, one step at a time, until I found the stool on which I was supposed to sit. I wished I didn’t feel so terribly out of place. Jinglang nods in her direction, and with that silent command, Danrou was gone (…)"
"It didn’t look like it had been wholly neglected, for the path could still be seen, making its way through the garden. Some of the trees and the shrubs have been cut back and piled against the wall (…)" (how come there's past perfect in the first sentence and present perfect in the second sentence for no reason whatsoever??)
"The tea and the pastries were a welcome distraction from the mysteries of the duke’s past. My brief interaction with Yingzi confirmed for me that the other staff of Meng Manor may not be so opposed to my presence, that perhaps it is only my maidservant who found me particularly distasteful." (okay so "it is" but also "found"?? make it make sense)
2. As for the writing style itself, it is the opposite of flowery. The sentences are short, clipped, staccato-like, and tediously uninspired. A heart beats “so rapidly,” Xue feels “as if it would burst” from her chest. Moonlight is silver, everything looks like “something out of a dream,” stars are described as “distant and cold,” and not a singular creative, daring, or original expression is to be found in this book.
3. Entire passages felt like they have been written by a very tired, uninspired high schooler forced to describe a photograph in an exam:
"Under our feet were white pavers that quieted our footsteps. There were white statues of various birds, carved in meticulous detail, interspersed in the space. There were peacocks, swans, …" (wait, let me guess, the next sentence also starts with "there were")
"I tried my very best not to gawk, but I couldn’t help but look this way and that as we entered the interior courtyard."
"Under my feet were white paving stones. I was on a bridge, with white stone banisters. The bridge let to the foot of a mountain." (damn, that's some bland writing)
4. Other times, repetitions repeat themselves:
"Then from his palm, there emerged a shoot. A tender green vine that emerged, winding itself around his arm. Buds popped from the branches, growing into leaves before me. From his palm, another tendril emerged…"
5. There are descriptions that make little to no sense:
"The deer opened its mouth and let out an inhuman scream." (like yeah, of course inhuman since deer aren't human?!!)
6. There’s the classic telling instead of showing:
"I placed a hand upon his arm, reminding him he was not alone."
7. And a general clumsiness when it comes to descriptions:
"[she] looked as if she would love the opportunity to bury it somewhere in [name] where it would hurt." (1. if and would in the same clause?? "somewhere where it would hurt" okayyy)
This list isn’t comprehensive but should be enough to give you an idea.
What Lin IS good at is writing about and describing Xue playing her qin and what each song sounds like, something that can be incredibly tough to put into words. Often enough, the very real poems (some of them originally written by Tang Dynasty poets, as stated in the author's note), are included in the text, followed by a “translation” of what each poem symbolizes and what it stands for. This, as well as Xue’s deep connection to music and its importance for the narrative, was beautiful to read. Additionally, some of the songs in their original Chinese characters are included in full at the end of the book, alongside a glossary that includes the pronunciation and meaning of every Chinese term used throughout the novel. I loved seeing the Chinese characters stand right next to the English ones and appreciate the work the author put into not only creating the glossary but transcribing the poems from their original language into English.
All in all, a story that tries to be too many things at once, failing to succeed at most of them. One star for the queer representation and one star for the beautiful descriptions of the food and music.
As always, thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Original review: not to be mean but this read like a first try 😭
Listen, the setting is gorgeous, though left a bit unexplored. Xue lives in a world of which the Mortal Realm is but only one of several realms, existing alongside five other realms including the Spirit Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Celestial Realm. It is the latter she is whisked away to in a manner openly inspired by du Maurier’s Rebecca, though this novel’s gothic atmosphere is severely limited and restricts itself to a secluded, in-parts broken-down mansion.
Unfortunately, the very limited setting that only ever focuses on two major locations, the before (the House of Flowing Water where Xue grew up) and the after (the Meng family estate), led to relatively weak worldbuilding so that besides the story’s focus on music, nothing really stuck with me. The fictional world the characters inhabit, as well as all characters aside from Xue, really, were all rather shallow.
Told from Xue’s first-person POV, we naturally get a lot of insight into her mind, but even the friendship and eventual romance developing between her and The Duke of Dreams never lifts off the page since the narrative doesn’t grant him the attention he should get in order for us to care. For everyone who DOES plan to pick this up because of the romance, don’t bother (I didn’t mind, but others who choose to read the novel based on its promised romance only will end up disappointed). It’s very sidelined, granted next to no space to properly develop, and is dealt with in as few words as possible (Then again, if you pick up a Rebecca retelling because of the “romance,” it’s kind of your own fault).
The same thing goes for his friends, which eventually end up being Xue’s friends, too. Chenwen is flirtatious and egotistical, Linwei is kind but intelligent. There really is no further characterization to speak of beyond their respective two traits.
The second trapping that following the gothic novel tradition provides is the plot. True, most of the famous gothic novels can be very quickly summarized, but what they live on is atmosphere. As readers, we don’t mind spending chapter upon chapter with Rebecca who is stuck in the same house for months on end since the atmosphere directly contributes to a constant feeling of fear and uneasiness that never lets up and keeps you turning those pages again and again. Now, if your gothic retelling novel doesn’t have that atmosphere and has more of a “this being whisked away business isn’t so bad since the setting is beautiful, the food is good, the company is great, and only my maid is being a bit rude” vibe, readers WILL notice the missing plot.
As a consequence of being a mortal entering the Celestial world, Xue must prepare to convince the Ruler of the Celestial Realm to allow her to keep living by impressing him with her musical skills. This SOUNDS like a very important and consequential plot line that sees Xue preparing and worrying about it for weeks, but the trial comes and goes without having any impact whatsoever on the rest of the story. More like a filler than anything else, said plot point mainly gave me the feeling of having been included to stretch the book’s length.
My main problem, however, is with the writing (UPDATE: point 1 & 4 will hopefully be completely redundant once this book is out as I went back to check and it turns out i was indeed provided with an uncorrected proof!!):
1. Though written in the past voice, there are more than a dozen instances of some sentences written in present tense, some written in a weird mix of present tense AND past tense. I can’t tell if this is on purpose or not, and I don’t know whether they’ll be edited before publication, but the unwarranted and sudden switches in tense sound wrong even to my non-native English speaker ears.
"I forced myself to move forward, one step at a time, until I found the stool on which I was supposed to sit. I wished I didn’t feel so terribly out of place. Jinglang nods in her direction, and with that silent command, Danrou was gone (…)"
"It didn’t look like it had been wholly neglected, for the path could still be seen, making its way through the garden. Some of the trees and the shrubs have been cut back and piled against the wall (…)" (how come there's past perfect in the first sentence and present perfect in the second sentence for no reason whatsoever??)
"The tea and the pastries were a welcome distraction from the mysteries of the duke’s past. My brief interaction with Yingzi confirmed for me that the other staff of Meng Manor may not be so opposed to my presence, that perhaps it is only my maidservant who found me particularly distasteful." (okay so "it is" but also "found"?? make it make sense)
2. As for the writing style itself, it is the opposite of flowery. The sentences are short, clipped, staccato-like, and tediously uninspired. A heart beats “so rapidly,” Xue feels “as if it would burst” from her chest. Moonlight is silver, everything looks like “something out of a dream,” stars are described as “distant and cold,” and not a singular creative, daring, or original expression is to be found in this book.
3. Entire passages felt like they have been written by a very tired, uninspired high schooler forced to describe a photograph in an exam:
"Under our feet were white pavers that quieted our footsteps. There were white statues of various birds, carved in meticulous detail, interspersed in the space. There were peacocks, swans, …" (wait, let me guess, the next sentence also starts with "there were")
"I tried my very best not to gawk, but I couldn’t help but look this way and that as we entered the interior courtyard."
"Under my feet were white paving stones. I was on a bridge, with white stone banisters. The bridge let to the foot of a mountain." (damn, that's some bland writing)
4. Other times, repetitions repeat themselves:
"Then from his palm, there emerged a shoot. A tender green vine that emerged, winding itself around his arm. Buds popped from the branches, growing into leaves before me. From his palm, another tendril emerged…"
5. There are descriptions that make little to no sense:
"The deer opened its mouth and let out an inhuman scream." (like yeah, of course inhuman since deer aren't human?!!)
6. There’s the classic telling instead of showing:
"I placed a hand upon his arm, reminding him he was not alone."
7. And a general clumsiness when it comes to descriptions:
"[she] looked as if she would love the opportunity to bury it somewhere in [name] where it would hurt." (1. if and would in the same clause?? "somewhere where it would hurt" okayyy)
This list isn’t comprehensive but should be enough to give you an idea.
What Lin IS good at is writing about and describing Xue playing her qin and what each song sounds like, something that can be incredibly tough to put into words. Often enough, the very real poems (some of them originally written by Tang Dynasty poets, as stated in the author's note), are included in the text, followed by a “translation” of what each poem symbolizes and what it stands for. This, as well as Xue’s deep connection to music and its importance for the narrative, was beautiful to read. Additionally, some of the songs in their original Chinese characters are included in full at the end of the book, alongside a glossary that includes the pronunciation and meaning of every Chinese term used throughout the novel. I loved seeing the Chinese characters stand right next to the English ones and appreciate the work the author put into not only creating the glossary but transcribing the poems from their original language into English.
All in all, a story that tries to be too many things at once, failing to succeed at most of them. One star for the queer representation and one star for the beautiful descriptions of the food and music.
As always, thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Original review: not to be mean but this read like a first try 😭
February 1, 2024
This would be FANTASTIC as a C-Drama (yup, the kind with flying boys, magical bamboo forests and at least 60 episodes), but was way too overwhelming as a book.
✨ The world-building was this book's greatest strength, but also its greatest flaw. The author focused on this too much, highlighting details about all these Celestial beings, giving them uniaue stories and whatnot... just to have them be irrelevant to the actual story. A reason why it took me so long to read this was because I was telling myself that I needed to understand everything before moving on, only to be disappointed that I didn't actually need all that information. I appreciated it, though. Everything was definitely amazingly fleshed out for a standalone.
✨ I felt very detached from the characters. Don't get me wrong — they're not badly written by any means. Xue's both curious and courageous, which are both traits I love in a main character. I think the writing style just made it hard for me to really empathize with her. I also kind of found it hilarious how the male lead was always sick/knocked out and therefore absent??? 😭 (He’s a sweetheart, though.)
✨ I'm personally not into very flowery writing, but if you want vibes, this book will deliver. This book definitely had a very Ghibli feeling (it reminded me of Spirited Away, in particular) with the dark-but-magical energy and the insane food descriptions. I definitely felt like I was floating (I'm making wavy arm motions right now) while reading this.
✨ There was definitely a plot in there. Again, due to the aforementioned intense world-building, I didn't really feel like there was enough going on until maybe the last 30% of the book, but once we had some weapons out, I was satisfied with how things ended up playing out. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I was oddly okay with it. I feel like ending it any other way would have been wrong. (If you've read this, let me know what you thought of it!)
This is not a bad book by any means. I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I was in a different headspace. Anyway, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something incredibly whimsical, adventourous, and hunger-inducing.
2.5, rounded up because I love my Chinese authors. 💖
✨ The world-building was this book's greatest strength, but also its greatest flaw. The author focused on this too much, highlighting details about all these Celestial beings, giving them uniaue stories and whatnot... just to have them be irrelevant to the actual story. A reason why it took me so long to read this was because I was telling myself that I needed to understand everything before moving on, only to be disappointed that I didn't actually need all that information. I appreciated it, though. Everything was definitely amazingly fleshed out for a standalone.
✨ I felt very detached from the characters. Don't get me wrong — they're not badly written by any means. Xue's both curious and courageous, which are both traits I love in a main character. I think the writing style just made it hard for me to really empathize with her. I also kind of found it hilarious how the male lead was always sick/knocked out and therefore absent??? 😭 (He’s a sweetheart, though.)
✨ I'm personally not into very flowery writing, but if you want vibes, this book will deliver. This book definitely had a very Ghibli feeling (it reminded me of Spirited Away, in particular) with the dark-but-magical energy and the insane food descriptions. I definitely felt like I was floating (I'm making wavy arm motions right now) while reading this.
✨ There was definitely a plot in there. Again, due to the aforementioned intense world-building, I didn't really feel like there was enough going on until maybe the last 30% of the book, but once we had some weapons out, I was satisfied with how things ended up playing out. I don't want to spoil the ending, but I was oddly okay with it. I feel like ending it any other way would have been wrong. (If you've read this, let me know what you thought of it!)
This is not a bad book by any means. I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I was in a different headspace. Anyway, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something incredibly whimsical, adventourous, and hunger-inducing.
2.5, rounded up because I love my Chinese authors. 💖
May 13, 2024
1.5
this book had a large focus 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 likeable (rare)!
a few things i didn't like were the 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. also, the plot felt messy where there was a problem introduced early on that seemed like it would be the main plot, but it was dragged out for so long, and then another issue came up halfway through the book that took the focus and had a very anticlimactic resolution. and for about 150+ pages around the middle, absolutely nothing interesting happened. also, the ending?? everything was just shoved into the last 50 pages which was crazy, and i skimmed the entire thing so don't ask me what happened ^^
best way to describe this book is just pure vibes, and it reminded me a lot of "daughter of the moon goddess", so if you enjoyed that book then i'd definitely recommend this!
this book had a large focus 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 likeable (rare)!
a few things i didn't like were the 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. also, the plot felt messy where there was a problem introduced early on that seemed like it would be the main plot, but it was dragged out for so long, and then another issue came up halfway through the book that took the focus and had a very anticlimactic resolution. and for about 150+ pages around the middle, absolutely nothing interesting happened. also, the ending?? everything was just shoved into the last 50 pages which was crazy, and i skimmed the entire thing so don't ask me what happened ^^
best way to describe this book is just pure vibes, and it reminded me a lot of "daughter of the moon goddess", so if you enjoyed that book then i'd definitely recommend this!
May 2, 2024
🤞🏻one of my most anticipated 2024 reads NetGalley let’s make dreams come true
———
whoever designs Judy Lin’s covers deserve all the money because of my gosh
———
whoever designs Judy Lin’s covers deserve all the money because of my gosh
April 7, 2024
Just coming back to say this book comes out THIS MONTH, and it is so good.
Welcome to the hype train I am the conductor 😭 like what do you mean it centers a gothic manor and the magic of music????
Judy Lin has completely surpassed my expectations with this book because I went in expecting one story and came away with something completely different. And the writing...it's never too floral, but somehow it's also incredibly delicate and beautiful.
Like... "First we breathed, then we dreamed" such a simple sentence but then you're like why do I want to cry right now.
This story begins in kind of typical hero's journey fashion with Xue, a talented musician, orphaned by disgraced parents, receiving an unexpected offer at the end of her apprenticeship at an esteemed entertainment house. When Xue is offered a place at a manor house by a mysterious young man who may be from a noble family, it appears as though her chance at independence may finally be won, but the manor house is more than it seems.
At the beginning of the story I really thought I knew where this was going...but I didn't. I think this might be because I'm bad at guessing, but it's also because Lin weaves the story together so seamlessly that I wasn't really trying to pick apart where I was headed. I was honestly just happy to be on the journey.
General plot spoilers below:
Ok without more spoilers, the quest nature of this book is lovely. Lin has perfectly designed her story to lead to revelations about the characters and to develop their relationships, while also moving the plot forward. And there's a kind of Tears of the Kingdom feeling to the quest, which was incredible to me personally. Is this book what would happen if Tears of the Kingdom met Jane Eyre met The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea? Maybe it is.
Finally...have I mentioned the writing?
In her eyes, I saw clouds shift, the sun rise and fall, flowers bloom and wither--time's swift passing
ANYWAY this book is really my beloved child now. Please preorder and read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my early E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Welcome to the hype train I am the conductor 😭 like what do you mean it centers a gothic manor and the magic of music????
Judy Lin has completely surpassed my expectations with this book because I went in expecting one story and came away with something completely different. And the writing...it's never too floral, but somehow it's also incredibly delicate and beautiful.
Like... "First we breathed, then we dreamed" such a simple sentence but then you're like why do I want to cry right now.
This story begins in kind of typical hero's journey fashion with Xue, a talented musician, orphaned by disgraced parents, receiving an unexpected offer at the end of her apprenticeship at an esteemed entertainment house. When Xue is offered a place at a manor house by a mysterious young man who may be from a noble family, it appears as though her chance at independence may finally be won, but the manor house is more than it seems.
At the beginning of the story I really thought I knew where this was going...but I didn't. I think this might be because I'm bad at guessing, but it's also because Lin weaves the story together so seamlessly that I wasn't really trying to pick apart where I was headed. I was honestly just happy to be on the journey.
General plot spoilers below:
Ok without more spoilers, the quest nature of this book is lovely. Lin has perfectly designed her story to lead to revelations about the characters and to develop their relationships, while also moving the plot forward. And there's a kind of Tears of the Kingdom feeling to the quest, which was incredible to me personally. Is this book what would happen if Tears of the Kingdom met Jane Eyre met The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea? Maybe it is.
Finally...have I mentioned the writing?
In her eyes, I saw clouds shift, the sun rise and fall, flowers bloom and wither--time's swift passing
ANYWAY this book is really my beloved child now. Please preorder and read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my early E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2024
˚ᝰ "I care for you in a way where I look forward to your letters, found myself pacing my room if one arrived late. I care for you in a way that I find it impossible to pay attention to anything else when you are in the room. I care for you, and I am afraid." ˚ᝰ
I know I said I could sense this was a five star read, but it ended up being six stars🥹 I continuously use the word "beautiful" in this review, because that's all this book was.
No straight-up spoilers, but some hints to the ending!
˚ᝰ Spice level → Zero<3 This was a wholesome, whole-hearted romance that portrays the beauty of true and real love.
˚ᝰ Plot/writing ↴
This book's main focus was on Chinese music, poetry, folktales, and legends which I absolutely LOVED. I'm such a huge fan of learning about different cultures and I really loved learning about the qin and the xiao, Chinese instruments that have been used since ancient times.
Of course, these topics wouldn't have been as wonderful without THE WRITING STYLE??? HELLO?? The story was just SO beautifully written, I can't express the waves of peace and bliss I felt from it. Judy's writing is like sitting in a cozy cottage next to a crackling fire with the sound of rain. The pace was perfect and so smooth, I'm pretty sure I lost track of my time.
What happened in the end was a whirlwind, I swear😭
˚ᝰ Characters ↴
Xue → I loved Xue and her deep connection with her music 🫶 you can really tell she's someone who loves and cares with her entire soul. She's so mature and deals with things like grief and anger in a proper manner, can we get a little more of that in more of our characters??
Jinglang → MY SWEET☹ I'M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN. GREEN FLAG FROM THE START. FORGET GREEN FLAG, HE'S A GREEN FOREST. THAT ENDING WAS SO FOUL AND HEART-SHATTERING AND THE FACT THAT THERE'S NOT A SECOND BOOK MAKES IT ALL THE MORE WORSE.
But the ending was also so beautiful because of the realistic touch, that we can find contentment and peace in grief and loss, and that there is love in that loss.
˚ᝰ Overall ↴
100% recommend, you won't regret it trust 🙏
AND LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THIS BREATHTAKING COVER??? ASIAN COVERS>>>>
I know I said I could sense this was a five star read, but it ended up being six stars🥹 I continuously use the word "beautiful" in this review, because that's all this book was.
No straight-up spoilers, but some hints to the ending!
˚ᝰ Spice level → Zero<3 This was a wholesome, whole-hearted romance that portrays the beauty of true and real love.
˚ᝰ Plot/writing ↴
This book's main focus was on Chinese music, poetry, folktales, and legends which I absolutely LOVED. I'm such a huge fan of learning about different cultures and I really loved learning about the qin and the xiao, Chinese instruments that have been used since ancient times.
Of course, these topics wouldn't have been as wonderful without THE WRITING STYLE??? HELLO?? The story was just SO beautifully written, I can't express the waves of peace and bliss I felt from it. Judy's writing is like sitting in a cozy cottage next to a crackling fire with the sound of rain. The pace was perfect and so smooth, I'm pretty sure I lost track of my time.
What happened in the end was a whirlwind, I swear😭
˚ᝰ Characters ↴
Xue → I loved Xue and her deep connection with her music 🫶 you can really tell she's someone who loves and cares with her entire soul. She's so mature and deals with things like grief and anger in a proper manner, can we get a little more of that in more of our characters??
Jinglang → MY SWEET☹ I'M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN. GREEN FLAG FROM THE START. FORGET GREEN FLAG, HE'S A GREEN FOREST. THAT ENDING WAS SO FOUL AND HEART-SHATTERING AND THE FACT THAT THERE'S NOT A SECOND BOOK MAKES IT ALL THE MORE WORSE.
But the ending was also so beautiful because of the realistic touch, that we can find contentment and peace in grief and loss, and that there is love in that loss.
˚ᝰ Overall ↴
100% recommend, you won't regret it trust 🙏
AND LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THIS BREATHTAKING COVER??? ASIAN COVERS>>>>
Want to read
July 27, 2024˖𓍢ִִ໋𓇼⋆ pre-read: CANADIAN AUTHOR. I REPEAT, CANADIAN AUTHOR 🍁🍁 i already know this is going to be higher than 3 stars, just because of the gorgeous cover and the synopsis. i am so excited. court is adjourned.
Want to read
February 23, 2024Yes, I wasn't a huge fan of her other book. . .
But have you seen this cover? LIKE HELLO GORGEOUS.
But have you seen this cover? LIKE HELLO GORGEOUS.
June 17, 2024
3.5 stars.
This was not bad but it wasn't that good either.
So disappointed with this one.
This could have been an amazing book.
Nothing happens in this till the end where the whole plot is packed in a few pages so it feels very rushed.The ending is open for the reader to imagine what happens next which is something that I do not like all that much.
I loved this in the beginning,it was interesting and the main character was likable.
Sadly it did not stay that way.I hate when the main character does not know about the magic part of the world and in the process of finding out they make so many stupid mistakes just for the progress of the plot.
Her personality started to become a bit flat and merge with all the other characters.
The romance was not there.If you started this with the expectations that this will be grand love story that people will sing about for centuries to come you will be very,very disappointed.
I liked the male love interest and I wanted so much more from the romance.
The side characters feel more like objects put in front of the protagonist to give her the information she needs at that time and that's it,they have no personality.
It's sad cause a lot of the characters were interesting and could have been so much more than just bricks for the plot to progress.
I really through that the plot was going in a direction and I was left feeling disappointed when it went in the opposite one.
I still do not understand what the role of the main character was in this book.
I did love the parts with the qín and all the stories behind the music.
I think this could have been so much better if the author made it into a series and not just one book.
The world building was very well done but that's why the book suffers,there was to much weighting this book down.
I loved the author way of writing and I will read her other books because she has great ideas but she has done a rushed job in this one.
This was not bad but it wasn't that good either.
So disappointed with this one.
This could have been an amazing book.
Nothing happens in this till the end where the whole plot is packed in a few pages so it feels very rushed.The ending is open for the reader to imagine what happens next which is something that I do not like all that much.
I loved this in the beginning,it was interesting and the main character was likable.
Sadly it did not stay that way.I hate when the main character does not know about the magic part of the world and in the process of finding out they make so many stupid mistakes just for the progress of the plot.
Her personality started to become a bit flat and merge with all the other characters.
The romance was not there.If you started this with the expectations that this will be grand love story that people will sing about for centuries to come you will be very,very disappointed.
I liked the male love interest and I wanted so much more from the romance.
The side characters feel more like objects put in front of the protagonist to give her the information she needs at that time and that's it,they have no personality.
It's sad cause a lot of the characters were interesting and could have been so much more than just bricks for the plot to progress.
I really through that the plot was going in a direction and I was left feeling disappointed when it went in the opposite one.
I still do not understand what the role of the main character was in this book.
I did love the parts with the qín and all the stories behind the music.
I think this could have been so much better if the author made it into a series and not just one book.
The world building was very well done but that's why the book suffers,there was to much weighting this book down.
I loved the author way of writing and I will read her other books because she has great ideas but she has done a rushed job in this one.
April 16, 2024
I went into this completely blind and I recommend doing that because I read the blurb afterwards and it gives away stuff that is revealed more than halfway through the book. Though in fairness, nothing happens in the first half of the book.
This was atmospheric and I liked the world-building and the characters, and it would have been a four-star read if it hadn't been for that ending - what was that? 350 pages of slow, meandering story and then everything is crammed in the last 50 pages. The last ten could honestly have fit another book into them, so much world-building stuff was added and info-dumped at the last second.
I did like the first 90% enough to be interested in reading more books by this author, and shout-out to the cover artist because that cover is incredibly gorgeous and I picked up the book fully based on it.
This was atmospheric and I liked the world-building and the characters, and it would have been a four-star read if it hadn't been for that ending - what was that? 350 pages of slow, meandering story and then everything is crammed in the last 50 pages. The last ten could honestly have fit another book into them, so much world-building stuff was added and info-dumped at the last second.
I did like the first 90% enough to be interested in reading more books by this author, and shout-out to the cover artist because that cover is incredibly gorgeous and I picked up the book fully based on it.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
May 19, 2024DNF @ 83%
I realized that I don't care about the characters, plot, or setting enough to even finish this and give it a low star rating.
I don't think this author is for me...
I realized that I don't care about the characters, plot, or setting enough to even finish this and give it a low star rating.
I don't think this author is for me...
Want to read
September 11, 2023Sorry? Dreamy gothic romance??? Sign me up right now.
May 8, 2024
She definitely got the longing theme correct in here. It’s a slow paced book so if you like stories that slowly unfolds, I would definitely recommend this book.
Such descriptive and lyrical writing 🤌🏽 the story is very easy to follow along with. From the plot, to music theme, even the food. Lin wrote it in such vivid details. And being that I ate some of these dishes growing up. I was SALVATING while reading this book. Everything about this is book is just so lush and magical, I was carried away to another realm while reading.
Such descriptive and lyrical writing 🤌🏽 the story is very easy to follow along with. From the plot, to music theme, even the food. Lin wrote it in such vivid details. And being that I ate some of these dishes growing up. I was SALVATING while reading this book. Everything about this is book is just so lush and magical, I was carried away to another realm while reading.
May 14, 2024
My favorite part of this was the world building that reminded me of the many Chinese fantasy period dramas that I love! 🩷
March 30, 2025
Should have dnf-ed...
The writing might be pretty, but it feels so hollow to me? I definitely don't gel with the author's style. I didn't like any of the characters, and the straight romance was so bland. I can't believe we could have had old man yaoi and the author didn't make them the main characters smh.
The writing might be pretty, but it feels so hollow to me? I definitely don't gel with the author's style. I didn't like any of the characters, and the straight romance was so bland. I can't believe we could have had old man yaoi and the author didn't make them the main characters smh.
August 14, 2024
I can picture this so vividly as a studio ghibli film that i'll rewatch as many times as ive watched spirited away and mary and the witch's flower
But seriously this as a studio ghibli film will make me die from its gorgeousness
🪷✨🔮💫🌸
But seriously this as a studio ghibli film will make me die from its gorgeousness
🪷✨🔮💫🌸
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
February 6, 2025dnf at page 218 or 52%
July 12, 2024
This one was a mess, I fear.
A Rebecca retelling in an Asian fantasy setting had sooo much potential, but unfortunately this lacked any of the mystery or tension that makes that type of story work well. The first 30% or so was still enjoyable, setting up court intrigue and a dreamy romance, but the further I got into the story, the more it fell apart. The pacing especially was atrocious, going from a slow crawl to an absolute whirlwind of reveals, explanation, and confusion that have very little impact because it's just chaos with no breathing room. It almost reads like an outline of what the author wanted to happen, with none of the meat to actually develop those ideas in a way that the reader can appreciate.
Super disappointed, as the cover and premise are so promising. I will say that I thought the musical element was handled well, which can be difficult to manage, but that's the only strong point of the novel for me.
A Rebecca retelling in an Asian fantasy setting had sooo much potential, but unfortunately this lacked any of the mystery or tension that makes that type of story work well. The first 30% or so was still enjoyable, setting up court intrigue and a dreamy romance, but the further I got into the story, the more it fell apart. The pacing especially was atrocious, going from a slow crawl to an absolute whirlwind of reveals, explanation, and confusion that have very little impact because it's just chaos with no breathing room. It almost reads like an outline of what the author wanted to happen, with none of the meat to actually develop those ideas in a way that the reader can appreciate.
Super disappointed, as the cover and premise are so promising. I will say that I thought the musical element was handled well, which can be difficult to manage, but that's the only strong point of the novel for me.
April 26, 2024
4 stars ✨
I can’t lie I ate this book up. I really liked the writing style and I loved the lore that was in it. My only qualm is that I feel like there was too much world building being attempted in such a short book, it needed to be less complicated and either split into a duology or been a touch longer.
I can’t lie I ate this book up. I really liked the writing style and I loved the lore that was in it. My only qualm is that I feel like there was too much world building being attempted in such a short book, it needed to be less complicated and either split into a duology or been a touch longer.
Want to read
October 26, 2023“gothic romance” + dat cover 👀
i’m here for this
i’m here for this
May 21, 2024
i think this book suffers from too much world-building and not enough everything else. i didn't care about the characters nor what happened to them, and this could easily be a duology where we have more dynamic between characters and giving us more reason to care about them, but alas...
April 25, 2024
4.75!
Gorgeous prose, atmosphere which is at times as whimsical as it is dark and melancholy, rich with descriptions, head-turning, complex world building, beautiful character dynamics and a tight plot dependant on many moving parts. Song of the Six Realms dropped me straight into the Celestial realm and I didn’t want to leave.
This was the first book of Judy Lin’s that I’d read, and colour me hooked. I was transported from the very first few pages, off into a place where I could see and feel the details such was the careful way they’d been described, and the richness of the world. For a standalone, the Song of the Six Realms does not shy away from complex worldbuilding, and neither does it go easy on incorporating and fleshing out its own myths and legends, enriching the chapters with snippets from text books and myths to contextualise the on-page development between our characters.
Song of the Six Realms is a book that rewards a careful reader, who enjoys sitting with a book that feels like a whimsical riddle, a complex and twisting tale of celestials and betrayals, of Sky Sovereigns and Platforms of Forgetting. It requires a presence of mind and an appreciation for the details - because this narrative is heavy on details. As a lover of descriptive writing, this suited me, because I was carried off into the passages where creativity lives and breathes in the text thanks to the influence and presence of music and song. Music and the craft of music is everywhere, it’s woven into the tapestry that makes up this spellbinding novel.
Part murder mystery, part tale of celestial kingdoms, part gentle gothic tale, Song of the Six Realms surprised me. I was compelled to know what happened to Xue next, part because I found her to be engaging, strong and creative and also incredibly grounded when she ends up meeting celestial beings. But also because the prose carried me to a lyrical place I didn’t want to leave.
Characters
I really liked the main pairing of Xue and Jinglang. To some it’ll probably read like their connection is hard to engage but for me, as a reader who goes feral over the small details? It was perfect. The writing style holds the characters quite distant, which may put some readers off, but I found that it was the sort of tale which suited this writing style, and it made me appreciate the roundness of the world and all the moving parts of the story rather than anything else.
Xue was clever and resourceful and scared of the celestials at first, but then came to realise they hold themselves in such high regard comp to mortals and she realises they’re just as flawed as humanity. She was really connected to music so the magic system was beautiful and intriguing, and very emotive. (It also made me think of Lan Wangji from the Untamed whenever he played or wielded his qin).
Jinglang is the main male love interest, and as the Duke of Dreams he whisks Xue away to his Manor of Tranquil Dreams because he is convinced that Xue and her qin are the answer to a conspiracy behind the deaths of her uncle and his beloved mentor. He’s quiet and reserved and his friend Chenwen, also a celestial prince, constantly mocks him for being a plank of wood and boring but he’s just, a kind and stoic gentleman who falls in love even when it is against his nature and teachings as a celestial. More kind and reserved male leads, please!!
I adored their dynamic, and the slow burn which felt so exquisitely slow. It felt like we could have had more pay off, but then I am a fan of smaller acts of love, smaller actions that speak louder than words, which convey the depth of feeling. If I wasn’t the sort of reader who goes feral for warm eye contact, gentle touches, meaningful gestures, then I can perhaps see why this may have felt surface level. But the romance goes deep, it’s there, and it’s beautiful.
Plot/Worldbuilding
The celestial realm fights ravagers, dangerous beings drawn to the energy given off by celestials and those who have been marked by someone of the stars. Xue is one such person, and is saved by an attack from a ravager by Jinglang from the entertainment house where she works as a musician under a tenure. Accepting a tenure with the Duke, Xue moves to the Manor of Tranquil Dreams. But she soon discovers that not everything is as it seems, her handmaiden is hiding ugly secrets, the Duke’s mother is out for blood, the Duke is also hiding secrets far greater than his identity from Xue, as he believes she may be the key to unlocking the mystery of who killed her uncle and the Dukes beloved mentor, and why. This spirals into a betrayal and revelation that shocks the entire Celestial realm!
I found the plot engaging, if for the most part I was simply happy being carried along by the gentle waves of the prose, the building character casts and slow, slow revelations that happen during this book. I also loved the nod to the classic story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier, which really came through in the more gothic elements of the story. Could it been a bit faster paced? Sure. But I don’t think all books should have to drive a reader forward at top speed to be successful.
While the worldbuilding is so much richer than I imagined, it does require a bit of concentration (not a bad thing), and which the layers upon layers of plot do read like a C-drama watches. There is subterfuge and betrayals, there are hidden meanings and political intrigue, there are demons and celestials and spirit realms in tenuous balance. I found that the plot was complex, and that towards the end there were times when I had to focus to understand what happens, who betrayed who, and how someone got to the revelation that was revealed. But as a lover of C-dramas, of plot points being revealed in one or two moments easily missed, and of dramatic scenes and complex lore, I found this to be engaging and enjoyable rather than overwhelming.
There were definitely gothic elements to the narrative, the presences in the Manor which revealed themselves to be not just your average staff. But to say this is gothic romance might be a touch misleading. This is Chinese-inspired fantasy, with gothic elements, with soft tension and moments of disquiet, rounded out with the sort of air that an Austen book has. Something a touch removed but it lets you see the bigger picture.
The slow burn! Ah! It’s subtle and gets pay off but not nearly as much as I truly wanted! There were moments of pure delight as the two characters came together, and admitted their feelings, but the moments were restrained, careful with each other in the way that all good slow burns are. And then of course the ending was bittersweet, it had me sitting up in dread and crying until the end. The last 20 pages, if you were invested like me, get ready. I forgot it was a stand-alone then yelled at my phone when I googled it desperate to see if we’d understand how everyone ends up, how they moved on, where they might have ended in the future.
Overall, this was simply charming, it was a lyrical exploration of love, loss, betrayal, mystery and wonder. I’ve not read anything quite so transportive or rich in a standalone, and I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, romance and danger this world conjured.
Thank you to Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
———
4.75! Its 5 in my heart for the slow subtle romance and the absolute gorgeous atmosphere though.
Don’t speak to me I need 3-5 working weeks to recover from the ending and the fact I just discovered it’s a standalone bc I’m an idiot. Am I aware this has “flaws” if you ask other readers and early readers? Yes. Do I think the writing style could put people off? Yes. Did I love it? YES.
Did I love the slow, slow burn romance that paid off but also could have had so much more and the fact that the end 20 pages made me SOB, sit up from my comfy reading position because I had a full on “if what I think is happening is happening, it better not be” moment AND then it happened AND it made me sob? Yes.
If you like cdrama’s, you’re IN.
(Actual review to come I just needed to word-dump)
Gorgeous prose, atmosphere which is at times as whimsical as it is dark and melancholy, rich with descriptions, head-turning, complex world building, beautiful character dynamics and a tight plot dependant on many moving parts. Song of the Six Realms dropped me straight into the Celestial realm and I didn’t want to leave.
This was the first book of Judy Lin’s that I’d read, and colour me hooked. I was transported from the very first few pages, off into a place where I could see and feel the details such was the careful way they’d been described, and the richness of the world. For a standalone, the Song of the Six Realms does not shy away from complex worldbuilding, and neither does it go easy on incorporating and fleshing out its own myths and legends, enriching the chapters with snippets from text books and myths to contextualise the on-page development between our characters.
Song of the Six Realms is a book that rewards a careful reader, who enjoys sitting with a book that feels like a whimsical riddle, a complex and twisting tale of celestials and betrayals, of Sky Sovereigns and Platforms of Forgetting. It requires a presence of mind and an appreciation for the details - because this narrative is heavy on details. As a lover of descriptive writing, this suited me, because I was carried off into the passages where creativity lives and breathes in the text thanks to the influence and presence of music and song. Music and the craft of music is everywhere, it’s woven into the tapestry that makes up this spellbinding novel.
Part murder mystery, part tale of celestial kingdoms, part gentle gothic tale, Song of the Six Realms surprised me. I was compelled to know what happened to Xue next, part because I found her to be engaging, strong and creative and also incredibly grounded when she ends up meeting celestial beings. But also because the prose carried me to a lyrical place I didn’t want to leave.
Characters
I really liked the main pairing of Xue and Jinglang. To some it’ll probably read like their connection is hard to engage but for me, as a reader who goes feral over the small details? It was perfect. The writing style holds the characters quite distant, which may put some readers off, but I found that it was the sort of tale which suited this writing style, and it made me appreciate the roundness of the world and all the moving parts of the story rather than anything else.
Xue was clever and resourceful and scared of the celestials at first, but then came to realise they hold themselves in such high regard comp to mortals and she realises they’re just as flawed as humanity. She was really connected to music so the magic system was beautiful and intriguing, and very emotive. (It also made me think of Lan Wangji from the Untamed whenever he played or wielded his qin).
Jinglang is the main male love interest, and as the Duke of Dreams he whisks Xue away to his Manor of Tranquil Dreams because he is convinced that Xue and her qin are the answer to a conspiracy behind the deaths of her uncle and his beloved mentor. He’s quiet and reserved and his friend Chenwen, also a celestial prince, constantly mocks him for being a plank of wood and boring but he’s just, a kind and stoic gentleman who falls in love even when it is against his nature and teachings as a celestial. More kind and reserved male leads, please!!
I adored their dynamic, and the slow burn which felt so exquisitely slow. It felt like we could have had more pay off, but then I am a fan of smaller acts of love, smaller actions that speak louder than words, which convey the depth of feeling. If I wasn’t the sort of reader who goes feral for warm eye contact, gentle touches, meaningful gestures, then I can perhaps see why this may have felt surface level. But the romance goes deep, it’s there, and it’s beautiful.
Plot/Worldbuilding
The celestial realm fights ravagers, dangerous beings drawn to the energy given off by celestials and those who have been marked by someone of the stars. Xue is one such person, and is saved by an attack from a ravager by Jinglang from the entertainment house where she works as a musician under a tenure. Accepting a tenure with the Duke, Xue moves to the Manor of Tranquil Dreams. But she soon discovers that not everything is as it seems, her handmaiden is hiding ugly secrets, the Duke’s mother is out for blood, the Duke is also hiding secrets far greater than his identity from Xue, as he believes she may be the key to unlocking the mystery of who killed her uncle and the Dukes beloved mentor, and why. This spirals into a betrayal and revelation that shocks the entire Celestial realm!
I found the plot engaging, if for the most part I was simply happy being carried along by the gentle waves of the prose, the building character casts and slow, slow revelations that happen during this book. I also loved the nod to the classic story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Marier, which really came through in the more gothic elements of the story. Could it been a bit faster paced? Sure. But I don’t think all books should have to drive a reader forward at top speed to be successful.
While the worldbuilding is so much richer than I imagined, it does require a bit of concentration (not a bad thing), and which the layers upon layers of plot do read like a C-drama watches. There is subterfuge and betrayals, there are hidden meanings and political intrigue, there are demons and celestials and spirit realms in tenuous balance. I found that the plot was complex, and that towards the end there were times when I had to focus to understand what happens, who betrayed who, and how someone got to the revelation that was revealed. But as a lover of C-dramas, of plot points being revealed in one or two moments easily missed, and of dramatic scenes and complex lore, I found this to be engaging and enjoyable rather than overwhelming.
There were definitely gothic elements to the narrative, the presences in the Manor which revealed themselves to be not just your average staff. But to say this is gothic romance might be a touch misleading. This is Chinese-inspired fantasy, with gothic elements, with soft tension and moments of disquiet, rounded out with the sort of air that an Austen book has. Something a touch removed but it lets you see the bigger picture.
The slow burn! Ah! It’s subtle and gets pay off but not nearly as much as I truly wanted! There were moments of pure delight as the two characters came together, and admitted their feelings, but the moments were restrained, careful with each other in the way that all good slow burns are. And then of course the ending was bittersweet, it had me sitting up in dread and crying until the end. The last 20 pages, if you were invested like me, get ready. I forgot it was a stand-alone then yelled at my phone when I googled it desperate to see if we’d understand how everyone ends up, how they moved on, where they might have ended in the future.
Overall, this was simply charming, it was a lyrical exploration of love, loss, betrayal, mystery and wonder. I’ve not read anything quite so transportive or rich in a standalone, and I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, romance and danger this world conjured.
Thank you to Titan Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
———
4.75! Its 5 in my heart for the slow subtle romance and the absolute gorgeous atmosphere though.
Don’t speak to me I need 3-5 working weeks to recover from the ending and the fact I just discovered it’s a standalone bc I’m an idiot. Am I aware this has “flaws” if you ask other readers and early readers? Yes. Do I think the writing style could put people off? Yes. Did I love it? YES.
Did I love the slow, slow burn romance that paid off but also could have had so much more and the fact that the end 20 pages made me SOB, sit up from my comfy reading position because I had a full on “if what I think is happening is happening, it better not be” moment AND then it happened AND it made me sob? Yes.
If you like cdrama’s, you’re IN.
(Actual review to come I just needed to word-dump)
June 18, 2024
2024 reads: 161/250
xue is a talented young musician with an apprenticeship at one of the kingdom’s most esteemed entertainment houses. when her uncle, who arranged the apprenticeship, is killed, xue finds herself in an uncertain situation. however, she’s soon offered a place as a musician in duke meng’s manor for one year, upon which he will release her from her indenture. this sounds like a good deal to xue, but she learns that she may have signed up for trouble.
a couple years ago, i read judy i. lin’s the book of tea duology and was captivated by its beautiful world building and writing. i went into this book expecting the same, and i was not let down! i was also really interested in the story and the characters. we have the mystery of xue’s uncle’s murder, the impending war, and the rising tension between xue and the duke.
i recommend this to YA fantasy readers and i can’t wait for whatever’s next from judy i. lin.
xue is a talented young musician with an apprenticeship at one of the kingdom’s most esteemed entertainment houses. when her uncle, who arranged the apprenticeship, is killed, xue finds herself in an uncertain situation. however, she’s soon offered a place as a musician in duke meng’s manor for one year, upon which he will release her from her indenture. this sounds like a good deal to xue, but she learns that she may have signed up for trouble.
a couple years ago, i read judy i. lin’s the book of tea duology and was captivated by its beautiful world building and writing. i went into this book expecting the same, and i was not let down! i was also really interested in the story and the characters. we have the mystery of xue’s uncle’s murder, the impending war, and the rising tension between xue and the duke.
i recommend this to YA fantasy readers and i can’t wait for whatever’s next from judy i. lin.
July 2, 2024
★★★ (3.0)
Ensure that anything written about Chinese mythology and folklore here is quite good. I clearly can see all those vibes, especially from the extensive world-building (too much actually). I didn't mean I didn't like those beautifully detailed descriptions of every place, but this book spends too much time just talking about that. I think there was a time when I didn't even know what was happening because no plot was actually developed. By halfway through, nothing important had happened; the main characters were just exploring celestial places. It started to interest me near the end, which is the peak of the storyline I've been waiting for. And it was kind of acceptable but not satisfying enough.
The characters themselves felt so bland; there was not much contribution from each of them except the main character. They were just there, existing without excitement in their actions. Also, I disliked the romance because it felt too forced. I mean, there was no romantic chemistry that grew between them with that only short time spent together, and suddenly they kissed each other? I'm so done with their romance after that because I came to the conclusion that their romantic feelings were so weird.
Overall, I didn't enjoy or like the book as much as I hoped because with that beautiful cover, at least I had this little expectation for a great one. Maybe this book is meant to be enjoyed purely for the vibes during some short reading on a cozy day. Well, if it’s for that, I didn't get the agenda, so I'm putting this off my shelf, but I truly hope others would love this one.
Ensure that anything written about Chinese mythology and folklore here is quite good. I clearly can see all those vibes, especially from the extensive world-building (too much actually). I didn't mean I didn't like those beautifully detailed descriptions of every place, but this book spends too much time just talking about that. I think there was a time when I didn't even know what was happening because no plot was actually developed. By halfway through, nothing important had happened; the main characters were just exploring celestial places. It started to interest me near the end, which is the peak of the storyline I've been waiting for. And it was kind of acceptable but not satisfying enough.
The characters themselves felt so bland; there was not much contribution from each of them except the main character. They were just there, existing without excitement in their actions. Also, I disliked the romance because it felt too forced. I mean, there was no romantic chemistry that grew between them with that only short time spent together, and suddenly they kissed each other? I'm so done with their romance after that because I came to the conclusion that their romantic feelings were so weird.
Overall, I didn't enjoy or like the book as much as I hoped because with that beautiful cover, at least I had this little expectation for a great one. Maybe this book is meant to be enjoyed purely for the vibes during some short reading on a cozy day. Well, if it’s for that, I didn't get the agenda, so I'm putting this off my shelf, but I truly hope others would love this one.
April 28, 2024
"I am surrounded by many splendors, and yet I am alone."
TW: animal death, blood, body horror, body shaming, confinement, death, death of a loved one, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, sexual assault (minor), torture, violence.
A lovely concept, a beautiful setting, yet still a very boring book.
I usually love slow-paced books. If people complain that a book was too slow-paced, I will sometimes specifically pick it up because - most of the time - it means that the story is more drawn out, the characters are given more space to grow/connect, and the plot is more satisfying. However, that was not the case with this book.
I spent most of my time reading it incredibly bored, wishing for the end. It was not bad. It was just simply very meh. The characters were very much fulfillments of their roles and nothing more. The world-building was very interesting, but sometimes felt side-lined for the mystery. The romance (or whatever you want to call it) felt rushed somehow, despite how long everything seemed to be taking.
As I said, this is not a bad book. There is plenty to love about this book. It does read sort of like a fairytale, which may help others overlook the things that took some of my enjoyment.
Judy I. Lin is a very talented writer and I do think that this is works very well as a standalone, I just wish things had been executed slightly different.
TW: animal death, blood, body horror, body shaming, confinement, death, death of a loved one, grief, injury/injury detail, murder, sexual assault (minor), torture, violence.
A lovely concept, a beautiful setting, yet still a very boring book.
I usually love slow-paced books. If people complain that a book was too slow-paced, I will sometimes specifically pick it up because - most of the time - it means that the story is more drawn out, the characters are given more space to grow/connect, and the plot is more satisfying. However, that was not the case with this book.
I spent most of my time reading it incredibly bored, wishing for the end. It was not bad. It was just simply very meh. The characters were very much fulfillments of their roles and nothing more. The world-building was very interesting, but sometimes felt side-lined for the mystery. The romance (or whatever you want to call it) felt rushed somehow, despite how long everything seemed to be taking.
As I said, this is not a bad book. There is plenty to love about this book. It does read sort of like a fairytale, which may help others overlook the things that took some of my enjoyment.
Judy I. Lin is a very talented writer and I do think that this is works very well as a standalone, I just wish things had been executed slightly different.
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