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

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews about this book which had me feeling even more excited to read this one. Sadly, I couldn’t say the same about this book. 
 
The plot idea is really good, the first time I read the blurb I was intrigued and it caught my interest for the first few chapters. 
But somewhere in the middle, the pacing took a slow turn and I started to lose interest in following this story. 
I finally got interested again in the last 30%, where the puzzle pieces start to come together and the secrets are revealed. 
 
I had difficulties with understanding the magic system and the world building. 
I appreciate the history of the world at the beginning of the story but somehow it doesn’t make it easier for me to follow the plot. At times, I would get confused and also feel bored with the repeated information provided throughout the story. 
 
As for the characters, it’s hard for me to connect with them and I can’t even feel the spark of romance between the main characters. When they’re trying to speak out their feelings, they’ll got cut off with something else happening. 
 
Overall, this book has a lot of amazing elements but the slow pacing and the info dumping makes it really hard for me to fully enjoy it. 
I was really closed to stop reading it altogether but the last few chapters and the epilogue change my mind. I’m curious to see what’s gonna happen in the next book. 
 
While this one didn't really work for me, you can still give this one a try if you love reading about detailed world building and a fantasy story without much romance. 
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