Jen's Book Reviews

Title:  A Song To Drown Rivers Author:  Ann Liang Number of Pages:  336 Publishing Date: 1 October 2024 Genre:  Fantasy Romance, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Retelling, Young-Adult   Synopsis: Inspired by the legend of Xishi , one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China , A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice, and love against all odds. Her beauty hides a deadly purpose. Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within. Trained by Fanli in everything from

  Title: The Blood Orchid Author:  Kylie Lee Baker Number of Pages:  384 Publishing Date:  22 October 2024 Genre:  Young-Adult, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Romance, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature Synopsis: Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all. In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay. Review: In "The Blood Orchid", Kylie Lee Baker picks up right where The Scarlet Alchemist left, it weaves a captivating narrative that delves into the dark side of alchemy and the