*I received this an ARC on NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
Author: Amélie Wen Zhao
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 3, 3023
ISBN: 9780593487501
Synopsis:
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. When Zen comes across Lan, he recognizes what she is: a practitioner with a powerful ability hidden in the mark on her arm. 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.
———
Aside from the slightly wordy title, there is nothing bad to be said about Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night. Reading this book was like a portal back in time to every YA fantasy novel that I was OBSESSED with as a teen. It’s so well-written and the world building is phenomenal. The fact that there’s more still to come in book 2 has be beyond excited!
Lan is a mystery. She’s full of untapped power and secrets unknown even to her. Zen finds her and senses something in her beyond either of their understanding, but there paths are set to be inextricably intertwined. They have more in common that appears at first glance, yet sometimes they seem like opposite sides of the same coin. Lines between what is good and what is evil are blurred. Power and ancient secrets are at stake. The world as they know it is hanging on by a thread, and there is little hope to be had. There are so many things beyond what these characters can comprehend that could save their world or tear it apart. It’s up to Zen and Lan to lead the
I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed this book. There’s so much thought and complexity in the story line. The pacing is perfect and this vast magical world unfolds, reeling you in slowly. Before you know it, you’re hooked. I just couldn’t get enough. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 