Creators: Liked 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 classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods. Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
LikedI feel like the general setup is somewhat similar, the motivations of the characters are somewhat similar, but the way in which things play out and the drama of everything and also the really tragic elements of both of them I think are where the differences lie. But they both definitely have that and I think they both do it very well.
LovedI just think this had such a profound impact on me. I think it was such a beautifully written book, such a fast-paced book.
LovedIf this was a song to drown rivers though, like you know, a song to drown rivers would win. Like no question.
DislikedI honestly think a song to John Rivers could have been really good but like the things that were supposed to be the main Staples of the novel like the yearning and the tension and the high stakes between everyone I just didn't feel it.
What made the match, strongest first
Liked by creators39 reviews
