A Song to Drown Rivers

About the book

Since birth, Xishi’s extraordinary beauty has been seen as a blessing. 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 neighbouring kingdom, 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 and seduce their immoral king.

What neither Xishi nor Fanli expects is the doomed attraction that ignites between them. Even worse, Xishi soon finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king and his advisors. A brutality lurks behind his gentleness, and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher she climbs in the court, the further she and Fanli have to fall. And if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down . . .

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, A Song to Drown Rivers is an epic historical fantasy about womanhood, war, sacrifice and love against all odds, as the fate of two kingdoms hangs in a delicate balance.

About the author

Ann Liang is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of the critically acclaimed YA novels This Time It’s Real, If You Could See the Sun and I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Her books have sold into over twenty foreign territories. Born in Beijing, she grew up traveling back and forth between China and Australia, but somehow ended up with an American accent. She now lives in Melbourne, where she can be found making overambitious to-do lists and having profound conversations with her pet labradoodle about who’s a good dog.