Name: Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
Rating: 4.173913043478261 (23 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008521363

Amélie Wen Zhao

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

This is everything. I feel like people who have been colonized (like my ancestors) can relate to this culturally. 

Teeeeeesha

You carry their legacies inside you. You see, the Elantians destroyed everything that made the roots of our kingdom: our culture, our education, our families and principles. They wish to take us out on our knees, to subdue us so that we will never lift our heads again. “But what they do not know is that, so long as we live on,  we carry inside us all that they have destroyed. And that is our triumph; that is our rebellion.

In a fallen kingdom, one girl carries the key to discovering the secrets of her nation’s past—and unleashing the demons that sleep at its heart. An epic fantasy series inspired by the mythology and folklore of ancient China.

Once, Lan had a different name. Now she goes by the one the Elantian colonizers gave her when they invaded her kingdom, killed her mother, and outlawed her people’s magic. She spends her nights as a songgirl in Haak’gong, a city transformed by the conquerors, and her days scavenging for what she can find of the past. Anything to understand the strange mark burned into her arm by her mother in her last act before she died.

The mark is mysterious—an untranslatable Hin character—and no one but Lan can see it. Until the night a boy appears at her teahouse and saves her life.

Zen is a practitioner—one of the fabled magicians of the Last Kingdom. Their magic was rumored to have been drawn from the demons they communed with. Magic believed to be long lost. Now it must be hidden from the Elantians at all costs.

When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. He’s never seen anything like it—but he knows that if there are answers, they lie deep in the pine forests and misty mountains of the Last Kingdom, with an order of practitioning masters planning to overthrow the Elantian regime.

Both Lan and Zen have secrets buried deep within—secrets they must hide from others, and secrets that they themselves have yet to discover. Fate has connected them, but their destiny remains unwritten. Both hold the power to liberate their land. And both hold the power to destroy the world. 

Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.

Steph

While reading this book, I can't help but compare it to another East Asian fantasy book, The Poppy War by RF Kuang. Both have similar premises, foreign invaders, MCs with magic and magical school where FMC learns how to fight. If I haven't read The Poppy War, I think I would have enjoyed this more because that book is simply out of the world. Let's first talk about the things I like about the book. I'm perplexed with the writing. Every sentence, and every description feels atmospheric. Amelia Wen Zhao has a way of writing a scene where it makes you feel like you're right there in the story with the characters. I also enjoy the world that she's created in this book. I've read plenty of East Asian fantasy books and what makes this unique from the others is the foreign invaders *cough* British colonisation *cough*. It's kinda refreshing to read about books that are so similar to the real world, but it has the what if British colonised China back in the day. The magic system in this book is, again, i can't help but compare it to The Poppy War. Both books have shamans/practitioners who can tap into the god/demon power by sacrificing their souls. I personally like it, but as I mentioned, if I haven't read the Poppy War, I'd love this even more. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two MCs. I really appreciate that the author took her time to develop the relationship. To have them form a friendship, and then something deeper. So when they finally share their feelings, it feels more genuine and organic. Now the part that I don't like. I've read a few reviewers who share the same sentiment, which is the info dump. I get that the book she's writing is tipping towards high fantasy hence there are a lot of things like the magic system and history she needs to share with the readers. And this is also an issue I have with Fourth Wing. There is a better way to show us how the world works or how the magic works without having one character babbling about it. This, I think, is what fantasy authors like RF Kuang, Holly Black, VE Schwab excel at. Instead of telling us what to expect, they show us gradually in the book and we often learn about it with our MCs. Despite all these, I'm still excited to read the second book.

Tiff W

The romance was a bit hard to balance with the intensity of everything going on in this book... I mean I ship them but it was just a bit unbelievable. This book pulls from Chinese history but like many Chinese-inspired books, all gets a bit muddled in the end.

Amazing, definitely worth a future re-read!

Susan

Megan

Song of Silver, Flame like Night might be my favorite book of 2022. Sometimes I find that 500+ page books drag on or aren't exciting, but this one was action-packed. Not a second of this book was boring. This is a stay up late, ruin your sleep schedule, and sleep through your alarms kind of book. 

I've been on an Asian fantasy kick recently. Daughter of the Moon Goddess, Six Crimson Cranes, Magic Steeped in Poison. They've all been so much fun, but this one takes the cake. Lan and Zen are complex and mysterious, with tons of secrets and the desire to uncover the other person's history. Zen is by the book, while Lan is more free-spirited (the best kind of grumpy x sunshine, if you ask me). The characters are rich and interesting, with world-building to match. 

Song of Silver, Flame like Night is a book about balance, will, power, and sacrifice. How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love? How far is too far? Amélie Wen Zhao does a great job of creating a scratch that you just *need* to itch, questions you won't stop thinking about long after you've finished the first in this thrilling, fantastical series. 

Thank you to NetGalley & RandomHouse Children's/Delcorte Press for this ARC.

envee

the way they use "egg" as a legitimate insult was lowkey the final straw for me to quit YA

britt

Amazing. Well written and I'm crying and I cannot wait for the next book 

I totally thought this book was a standalone so was a bit surprised by the ending. Great book if you’re looking to get into Chinese folklore fantasy! I loved the magic system in this book, the use of qì and yin/yang, and always trying to find the balance in the energies. The incorporation of demons and Demon Gods was also compelling. The simple, clear writing style really puts the ideas and imagery to the forefront and the pacing is great. Also, yet another book with themes of colonialism and how the invaders systematically destroy another country’s culture, cities, language, etc. only to cherry pick pieces they love and appropriate them for their own purposes. A very good read!

Katie Allard

jupiter

srs and camp 🙏 really loved zenlan and their potential 🫶 if you’re not used to high fantasy chinese lit this is a great starter

Thank you, Turn The Page Tours, for the chance to read Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom duology by Amélie Wen Zhao. This isn't the author's first series; she's better known for her debut, Blood Heir, which has been reviewed 12,744 times on Goodreads! Like Blood Heir, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is also published by Delacorte Press, a Random House imprint. It's 467 pages long and falls broadly under the category of fantasy (but more specifically under YA fantasy), mythology, and Chinese folklore.

Lan is a song girl in a colonized kingdom. By day, she alternatively flirts and avoids patrons of the teahouse to make ends meet, and by night sneaks out to try to understand the scar on her arm that no one but her can see. When she accidentally kills an Elantian soldier, she draws the attention of an Elantian magician who killed her mother and really wants her gone too. Lan escapes with Zen, the boy who can see she too is a practitioner (even if she doesn't know it), to go to a place the Elantians can't reach, a school of masters who can train her too. Once there, Lan discovers the truth about her mother's death and takes control to try and protect the ones she loves.

There are some really great things in this book! For one, I loved the magic system the author set up and the world she built. By making Zen Lan's teacher, Zhao could include a lot of information without it being out of place. The Zen and Lan chemistry was also done well; they're instantly attracted to each other. The author keeps going with that instead of randomly sliding it in somewhere. There are some really touching moments, such as when Lan talks about how Zen gives her information so freely when she used to have to beg for it before meeting him. The book also depicted colonialism fairly well, from how resources are extracted to how history is being re-written to suit the victor. The side characters have interesting stories and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book! 

Some things did bug me. The language would sometimes go from being very pretty and slightly old-fashioned to being hyper-modern in the same sentence, which is occasionally jarring. I also noted this in the Iron Widow, and I wonder if this is a style that authors are now experimenting with. Lan also felt very stupid and childish; things like the dancing in the woods scene and when she bathes in the sacred spring just rubbed me the wrong way. The dramatic parent reveal was also a bit blegh.

I am intrigued by the ending with what both Lan and Zen chose, and I'm looking forward to the next book. 

Seher Mohsin

Thank you, Turn The Page Tours, for the chance to read Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom duology by Amélie Wen Zhao. This isn't the author's first series; she's better known for her debut, Blood Heir, which has been reviewed 12,744 times on Goodreads! Like Blood Heir, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is also published by Delacorte Press, a Random House imprint. It's 467 pages long and falls broadly under the category of fantasy (but more specifically under YA fantasy), mythology, and Chinese folklore.

Lan is a song girl in a colonized kingdom. By day, she alternatively flirts and avoids patrons of the teahouse to make ends meet, and by night sneaks out to try to understand the scar on her arm that no one but her can see. When she accidentally kills an Elantian soldier, she draws the attention of an Elantian magician who killed her mother and really wants her gone too. Lan escapes with Zen, the boy who can see she too is a practitioner (even if she doesn't know it), to go to a place the Elantians can't reach, a school of masters who can train her too. Once there, Lan discovers the truth about her mother's death and takes control to try and protect the ones she loves.

There are some really great things in this book! For one, I loved the magic system the author set up and the world she built. By making Zen Lan's teacher, Zhao could include a lot of information without it being out of place. The Zen and Lan chemistry was also done well; they're instantly attracted to each other. The author keeps going with that instead of randomly sliding it in somewhere. There are some really touching moments, such as when Lan talks about how Zen gives her information so freely when she used to have to beg for it before meeting him. The book also depicted colonialism fairly well, from how resources are extracted to how history is being re-written to suit the victor. The side characters have interesting stories and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book! 

Some things did bug me. The language would sometimes go from being very pretty and slightly old-fashioned to being hyper-modern in the same sentence, which is occasionally jarring. I also noted this in the Iron Widow, and I wonder if this is a style that authors are now experimenting with. Lan also felt very stupid and childish; things like the dancing in the woods scene and when she bathes in the sacred spring just rubbed me the wrong way. The dramatic parent reveal was also a bit blegh.

I am intrigued by the ending with what both Lan and Zen chose, and I'm looking forward to the next book. 

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

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