Contemplative

Emotional

Heartbreaking

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night

Amélie Wen Zhao — 2023

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.

Reviews

Susan@itzzuzan

Jun 12, 2024

Amazing, definitely worth a future re-read!

Megan@meprevost024

Apr 15, 2024

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@wutheringshelves

Apr 14, 2024

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

Teeeeeesha@slytherinreads_s

May 25, 2023

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

Katie Allard@ktallard

Mar 28, 2023

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!

jupiter@toryvega

Jan 23, 2023

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

Leslie@leslieb

Apr 29, 2025

Julie Rubens@julierubens

Mar 1, 2025

Viktoria A@viktoriaslibrary

Jul 21, 2024

🌙@novaturience

Feb 23, 2024

Katie Guo@ukime

Jan 9, 2024

Sahasra @hazzy

Jan 7, 2024

Shakyllia Talbot@shakyllia

Jan 3, 2024

Minnie Mazuera@pearltheforestcreature

Apr 2, 2023

Javiera@jaav

Feb 9, 2023

Ashley@pterodashtyl

Feb 8, 2023

Katie@myrrhidian

Jan 21, 2023

Molly Wonnenberg @mollyjo

Jun 9, 2024

anna@annagc

May 5, 2024

Molly Barnes@mollyrebecca

Apr 9, 2024

Kaitlyn@vampirelover

Mar 11, 2024

Teodora Nagy@leny_born_from_starlight

Jul 8, 2023

Shivani Sharma@shiv_ani

Jul 5, 2023

Highlights

Teeeeeesha@slytherinreads_s

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.

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