Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin – [Review]

What’s the Buzz about this book?

Oh, I loved this adventure. The romance was slow but intense. I enjoyed the poems and the music that worked to move along the story. The twists and turns of the political intrigue that is inherent in a Chinese Wuxia romantic fantasy drama.

Xue is a talented musician left to the care of an entertainment house by her Uncle. Xue is a talented musician who catches the attention of a mysterious Duke. Jinglang is so interested in her abilities that he purchases her contract from the entertainment house. Everyone tells Xue that accepting is a risky venture, so she decides to head to the manor and accept the challenge.

Xue quickly realizes that something is suspicious about the manor. The seasons are ever-changing, the staff are slightly rude to her, and she feels out of place. Of course, she cannot forget the monsters, the ravagers, that have attacked her and the abilities that Jinglang demonstrates.

Xue finds out that she has left the mortal world behind and entered the Celestial realm; a world filled with callous gods, very little morals, and immortals with so much responsibility placed on their shoulders. She is angry that Jinglang lied to her but is willing to help him find out the truth about the ravagers, the mystery of the death of the Queen of Flowers and her lover, the Moon Sovereign, and the identity of the mole in the Duke of Dreams manor. Both are outcasts by their societies, left with little options. Xue’s family was struck from the world because of a betrayal while Jinglang’s father was claimed as a traitor, his betrothed was killed, and his powers limited. Xue and Jinglang are quick to band together. Her music and his abilities as Duke of Dreams allow them to investigate. Her qin and her abilities as a musician allow her to access the memories of her Uncle and his beloved.

There are so many mysteries floating around. There are unhappy servants, celestials turning into ravagers, ghostly memories haunting the manor, angry celestial mothers, and a fatal love affair between a celestial and a demon. The answers are all provided neatly and succinctly. The ending was a tad bittersweet but I hope that Jingland and Xue will be reunited.

Favourite Quote(s):

” Surrounded by music, the rest of the world fell away. I was no longer a girl orphaned, a woman lost. I was a song, spiraling upward. A water spirit, dancing in the light.”
Page 123

Book Information:

Book Title: Song of the Six Realms

Author: Judy I. Lin

Summary:

“Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy gothic romance worthy of the heavens in Song of the Six Realms.

Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.” (As pulled from GoodReads)

Book Length: 409 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology, Romance, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature

Series: N / A

Spice Level ( If applicable): 0 / 5

Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10

Spoilers Bee-ware!

You have been swarmed. Reading past this post means that you understand that you might spoil the book for yourself.

Stats + Facts:

There are 50 chapters.

The book is divided into 4 verses. 1 prelude and 7 interludes.

Seen the shortest chapter of my reading experience, at 1 page.

The first kiss is on page 289.

Music and Poetry is a major story point, with 29 usages throughout the book.

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