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A review by nytxia
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
(disclaimer: I've received an advanced reader copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review)
This is a tough one because I was very interested in the concepts, especially as it was based on Chinese mythology and Chinese folklore. But ultimately, I wasn’t just able to get invested in the book. I thought the pace felt very slow, and the way the concepts were introduced sometimes felt forced (info dump), which is a shame because the world-building and the magic system had a lot of potential.
The story is written from alternating third-person deep POV for the two main characters, however I didn’t feel the deep POV was used to its full potential, and I didn’t personally feel it added too much to each character besides advancing the narrative.
Even though there was action in this book, I didn’t feel enough connection to the characters or plot overall to make me feel invested in it. I ended up struggling to get through it, and I felt this was the main reason why it took me so long to finish it.
This is a tough one because I was very interested in the concepts, especially as it was based on Chinese mythology and Chinese folklore. But ultimately, I wasn’t just able to get invested in the book. I thought the pace felt very slow, and the way the concepts were introduced sometimes felt forced (info dump), which is a shame because the world-building and the magic system had a lot of potential.
The story is written from alternating third-person deep POV for the two main characters, however I didn’t feel the deep POV was used to its full potential, and I didn’t personally feel it added too much to each character besides advancing the narrative.
Even though there was action in this book, I didn’t feel enough connection to the characters or plot overall to make me feel invested in it. I ended up struggling to get through it, and I felt this was the main reason why it took me so long to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Sexual assault