Reviews with content warning for Rape - Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

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Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

6 reviews

nyah_ellexa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I received the ARC for this book but only got around to reading it now.

I must say, I very much enjoyed the journey. The story is very compelling and the characters are complex yet lovable.

I love fantasies inspired by Asian folklore and history, so this book was right up my alley. It tells a great tale of China’s real experience dealing with the colonization and subsequent war crimes by the British. Many plotlines of this story were directly in context with real historical events, which I found extremely intriguing.

Lan, our protagonist, is someone I grew to really enjoy reading about. She’s spunky and independent yet not written as this stereotypical “not like other girls” type of female protagonist, which is very refreshing. She has some character flaws, but I believe that’s what makes me like her more. Just because she is a woman and our main character, doesn’t mean she has to be this perfect embodiment of good.

The author does a very good job at writing a compelling fantasy. My only gripe is that some of the dialogue come out very forced or too wordy. There’s a good chunk of exposition dumps within the dialogues or dialogues that seem to run for too long, almost as if the dialogues were translated. I do not fault the author too much for this though, as I’m aware that English was not her first language. The dialogue still flows pretty well in most parts and the times that is doesn’t still aren’t so bad that it hinders my reading experience.

Another small thing: I didn’t like the character of Dilaya. I found her rather unjustifiably rude to Lan and, especially since she’s the only other girl in the story of continued importance, I was a bit turned off by the fact she hated Lan so much. I found her strained relationship with Lan to be rather frustrating to read about and I wish the only two girls in the story didn’t hate each other so much. It just felt catty to me and I hope they both develop as character throughout the series and grow fond of each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I look forward to continuing the series!

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thanks for the publisher for the early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously considered DNFing this around 35% but pushed through given the very high ratings and how many early reviewers seemed to love this. Unfortunately despite ultimately finishing it I did not end up loving it the way I wanted to. I wasn’t pulled in and despite the drama and action of the story, I found it a bit of a slog to get through personally. I was also really hoping this was a stand alone which it definitely is not, but that’s my own fault for not checking. While I did enjoy the writing and the world overall, I didn’t feel entranced and invested in the characters.
Edit: I’m pushing this up to a 3 because idk 2.75 feels really harsh when there’s nothing specific I remember disliking looking back it was just very meh for me so I’m gonna give it a 3

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hailslynn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Perfect in every way possible! An unstoppable MC with a hidden secret she even doesn’t know. A morally grey love interest who would burn the world down for her. A magic school hidden in the mountains. A fantastic and somewhat easy to understand magic system!! Ugh I loved every part of it I want the sequel now why did this just have to come out

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carolyn_librarian's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Cutting social commentary highlighting the cruel history of colon and occupation. Rich world building and a complex magic system. But has some muddy plot points and too many time skips. Characters also gained skills without explanation and create bonds only to cut them soon after. There are also some convoluted battle scenes with baited character death multiple times.

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

She would no longer be the flower. She would be the blade.

While the overarching plot direction and themes aren't necessarily unique, I found a lot to love in this book.

Years after losing her mother to the Elantian magicians during the occupation, Lan is still trying to figure out what the mysterious mark on her arm means. She finally has a lead, but when an Elantian officer buys her time as a songgirl, Lan is forced to defend herself and her life. Fortunately for her, Zen happens to be at the right place, at the right time, even if they don't entirely get off on the right foot. And as a practitioner, he might be able to help her unravel the secrets her mother left her with.

There were several moments while reading this that I thought I must be near the end already, only to check and see I wasn't even halfway. This isn't because it was lagging in any way, but enough happens in this book that it could have easily been split into two. In fact, there are a lot of YA fantasies that don't pack nearly as much into the first book, but that is part of what kept me engaged throughout the story. I never felt like the pacing dragged, or like I was reading about something that didn't feel necessary to the overall plot. Lan has a very specific goal in mind, and she never veers from this, even when she is forced to take detours for a time.

The courtdog’s expression was not amused. His mouth was pressed into a thin line as he held her arm. “You’ll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to run.”
“Got it,” Lan said, and with her other hand, smashed her teacup into his face.

Speaking of Lan, it's been a while since I've encountered such a compelling main character. I absolutely loved the way she was, from her snarky replies, to her determination to learn new things and do what is necessary to protect herself and the people she cares for. Even though there is a romance between her and Zen, that never becomes the end-all-be-all of her as a character. She still makes the difficult choices, love and soulmates be damned.

“I feel something inside me. A voice, whispering to me… telling me it hungers…”
Zen leaned closer. “Hungers for what?”
“… for steamed pork buns,” Lan finished.

In comparison, Zen almost comes across as bland. I think the reason for this does become more clear the more you find out about him, but for me it meant that while I understood Lan's motivations and feelings, Zen never felt quite as genuine. When they first confess to having feelings for one another, reading that he cared so much for her took me by surprise, because I hadn't seen much of it prior to that point. This is despite the fact that the book is written in 3rd person, and that we get chapters from both their perspectives.

The other issue I had were a few of the antagonists, especially Dilaya. That girl was just everywhere at just the right moment to hear all the things she shouldn't know about, and she predictably reacted badly every time. This felt like a bit of a pattern for many side characters—while Lan and Zen felt fleshed out, the others were a bit flatter.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this, and if you're looking for a nice, meaty start to a YA fantasy series, I highly recommend checking this out.

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jessicaludden's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"It is the duty of those with power to protect those without."

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book!

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is inspired by ancient Chinese folklore and mythology. It follows Lan as she tries to uncover the mystery behind a symbol burned onto her wrist by her mother as she died. Lan is saved by Zen, a practitioner who wields magic and is the first person who can actually see the mark on Lan's wrist. Together, they reveal the secrets about their fallen kingdom and the magic that many thought was lost.

This book absolutely blew me away. I fell in love with this world. The world building is so intricate and full of rich histories that it makes everything feel so realistic. I loved The attention to detail when it came to the magic system and the history of the dynasties previously. This book was action packed and had so many twists that kept me begging for more. I fell in love with the main characters and resonated with the losses they were feeling. I loved this book's take on colonization and the impacts that it has on civilizations. What I loved most about this book was it's commentary on the balance of power and how good and evil cannot exist without one another.

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