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.
My Review:
Oh, I had such a great time reading this book! I really enjoyed her previous books, but this stand alone story was so fantastic! I had to keep reading and find out what was going to happen next! It was just so good, and I had a great time getting to know these characters and this world!
This book is a bit of a mystery in a fantasy novel, because there's the investigation of what happened to her uncle and his mentor, and the clues that they left behind in the instrument left to her. But it's set in this magical world, with all the different realms, and it was all so fascinating to read!
A big part of this story is the politics, of the Celestial Realm, and it's history, and how that's all wrapped up in what is going on now, with the attacks and everything else going on. I wanted to learn more, and I was eager to learn what the book was going to tell me!
I do think that I'm going to need to reread that ending, because it all happened so fast, I'm not quite sure what happened. There were many reveals, ones that I loved, and ones that I hurt for, but I'm not quite clear on how one thing lead to another, so I'll need a reread, just of that climax.
Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by Judy I. Lin!
Author: Judy I. Lin
Read: April 25th, 2024
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: April 23rd 2024
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
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