A review by mayaism_01
Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

adventurous emotional 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

3.75

One of my anticipated releases of 2023, it had an exceptionally strong start, teetered out toward the middle due to some mismanaged pacing (I hate a badly placed flashback), and had a slightly fumbled ending. I overall still enjoyed the story, I found some of the revelations towards the end shocking and the worldbuilding to be fun, but fell into a serious slump during the middle of this book. I felt like some of the emotional beats didn't land as powerfully as they should've because of the lack of time spent with specific characters and locations.

The writing was really flowery (positive!) and poetic, with really lush descriptions of the locations, magic, and grief the characters experience. I was really only engaged by the relationship between Lan, Zen, Shàn’jūn, and Tai, these characters being the most engaging part of the story and the thing pushing me to finish. I'll probably still pick up the sequel because I want to know what happens to them but I hope for a better-paced sequel!
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