A Song to Drown Rivers

Ann Liang, winner of The Readings Young Adult Prize 2023 for her debut If You Could See the Sun, premieres her first adult novel in this spell-binding historical fiction which blends Chinese history and mythology.

Set in the capital of the ancient Yue Kingdom, Xishi’s beauty is both a blessing and a curse. All she has ever been told is that she will make her future husband proud to own a wife with beautiful looks like hers. But when she is approached by the emperor’s military advisor, Fanli, Xishi learns just how she can use her beauty to her advantage.

All Xishi has wanted is vengeance for the murder of her little sister by Wu soldiers. The war between the Yue and Wu kingdoms has been a period of relentless death, suffering and pain. But with the old Wu king dead, and his son, the younger and inexperienced king, Fuchai, now on the throne, the Wu kingdom is at its weakest and most vulnerable to a Yue strike. Planning alongside Fanli, Xishi weaponises her beauty, intending to infiltrate the palace and become concubine to the rival Wu king, seduce him, and weaken the enemy from within. But is Fuchai as naïve as he seems? Is revenge enough to satisfy Xishi’s heart and bring her true happiness?

Inspired by the true story of Xi Shi, one of the Four Great Beauties of Ancient China, Xishi’s story is full of bravery, love, and sacrifice as she uses the resources she was given to honour her family and save her homeland from tyranny. A Song to Drown Rivers sparkles with lyrical prose, a heart-tugging romance, political intrigue, and a bittersweet ending that will make you both swoon and cry. Liang questions how far we can go when we put ourselves in control, and whether love will ultimately make us lose that control.