In this magical new start to a series, Amélie Wen Zhao transports us into a world full of Chinese folklore with lots of political drama, adventure, action, and a bit of slow-burn romance. A fallen kingdom, a girl who carries a mark that could unravel the secrets of the nation’s past, and a boy with strong magical energy within him. The girl and the boy have the power to liberate the nation or destroy the world entirely.
The Kingdom is under the Elantian regime. Elantians have killed civilians with their metal bound magic, and outlawed the people’s magic. Lan, our protagonist, is a songgirl with a mysterious and untranslatable mark on her wrist. A mark only visible to her and which was her mother’s last act before she was killed by the invaders. In her journey to uncover the secrets of her mark, she will discover the ways of a world she previously only knew through folktales. One night, whilst she’s working at the Teahouse she is cornered by the enemies and hurt, and the only way to stay alive is for her to run away with the boy she met that same night. Zen, a practitioner whose magic derives from demons, senses strong qì magic within her. Together, they set off on a journey to escape from Elantian magicians and soldiers whilst uncovering the mystery and truth about Lan’s powerful mark. She will have to learn to draw energy from her surroundings and find balance in her energy in order to make it out alive. Will they manage to protect the nation or will they unleash the demons that sleep at its heart?
In the beginning, when we meet Lan, she appears to be a strong and confident girl. Even so, as the story progresses, even though she still has those qualities, we also get to see a more vulnerable side of her, especially with the way that the colonial regime impacted her (stealing her name and identity). We don’t get to know Zen on the same deeper level as Lan but he does have a dark past of his own and intricate feelings and motivations. It’s thanks to their respective experiences with trauma that they get to form a deeper connection. Overall, all the characters in the book are fleshed out really nicely. They all have believable motivations and backstories and nice character development even though this is only the first book. Song of Silver has a wonderful cast with realistic relationships and who struggle to determine where their loyalties lie. We do see some typical YA tropes in the book but they are used effectively.
Romance is not a central point in the story, nonetheless, we do see some sort of a relationship develop between Lan and Zen. The end of the book puts them both in a tough position, so it will be interesting to see how their relationship moves forward in the second book. Two characters who love each other deeply also have an ill fated ending in this book so it would be great to see more of their relationship in the second book as well!
Something really interesting about Song of Silver is how the author used Lan’s lack of knowledge about the magic system and some bits of history to build the world for us the readers. Zhao managed to do it wonderfully in a way that does not feel like complete exposition. The worldbuilding is delicate and it’s extremely rooted in history. The qì-based magic system focused on its duality and balance with yin and yang is also so well thought-out. One would think that the historical intricacy along with the complex magic system focused on qì energy would make the novel hard to read but that wasn’t the case. The author truly weaved it into the story so well with a writing that is very lyrical. Not only that but Zhao’s passion and knowledge of Chinese folklore, culture, and history do shine through the pages of Song of Silver. All these elements, along with the way the author explores the passage of time and the impacts of coloniatsion on future generations, do set the book apart from similar stories.
The book is rather long which allows for a slower burn. However, it’s action packed and well paced so there’s never a dull moment. There are some plot twists that one may or may not see coming but all the chapters end in a way that make the reader not want to put the book down. Since this book is the first one in a duology, there are still some unanswered questions which hopefully will be resolved in the sequel. The story does build up to a cliffhanger as well so waiting for the sequel will be a struggle!
Overall, Amélie Wen Zhao created a solid fabulous start to a new fantasy series. With themes of self discovery of one’s power, strong magic, found family with a splash of romance, war conflicts, and a ton of vivid mythology, Song of Silver is the perfect book for fans of the Chinese xiānxiá fantasy genre.
Song of Silver, Flame like Night is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of January 3rd, 2023.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
