Alright, bookworms Behold! As I give you a book with the magic of Fullmetal Alchemist and Mistborn, and the answer to, "What if Kitay had been the one to get corrupted by power?"
You know it's going to be a good book when it keeps surprising you despite using familiar tropes.
Hi everyone! Today I'm going to be sharing with you all my review of a recent favorite, through the great opportunity given to me by Turn the Page Tours. I was provided an e-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. This has in no way influenced the review.
Book Info
Title: Song of Silver, Flame like Night
Author: Amelie Wen Zhao
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: January 3. 2023
Genre: YA Fantasy, mythology, Chinese folklore
My Rating: 4.5/5
Synopsis
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 song girl 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 is 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 practitioner 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.
Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.
5 REASONS YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!
the world-building and immersive writing gave studio ghibli
One of the most striking things about this book was the extremely thoroughly done worldbuilding. Be it the generation-long history of the country or the beautiful descriptions of the surroundings- it almost seemed lyrical. There is a lot of emphasis on the play of light and colors in the writing, like a stunning watercolor painting, is being described to you
So when that combination of excellent world-building and beautiful writing came together in this story, I was floored. This was one of the rare times that I didn't want to just skim through the descriptions, because this time I wanted to really take my time visualizing everything the author was trying to show the reader. It made for such a good reading experience.
As a writer, I really appreciated the metaphors, some of the clever turns of phrases, and the way the setting just captures the attention of the reader just as much as the plot or the characters.
The Elantians spoke with the slow, unhurried slur of a people drunk on power.
the setting!!!!!!
The setting where the story takes place is also a plus point because we explore so many different kinds of locations in this world. We see sprawling grasslands and gorgeous lakes, waterfalls, a prison, an extraordinary magical school, and the dark, bustling streets of a colonized city.
This was where the illusion of the Last Kingdom ended and the reality of a conquered land began. Here the cobblestone streets carefully constructed by the Elantians after the Conquest faded to dust; the elegantly renovated facades and shiny glass windows gave way to buildings crumbling from disrepair.
It pulls quite a lot from Chinese mythology and folktales, such as the concept of yin and yang is central to the magic system, the four Demon Gods, and other kinds of magical creatures.
Listen, I am not kidding with that Studio Ghibli comparison. It genuinely feels like it makes for such an incredible animated movie, specifically with the whimsical and magical art style that Ghibli has.
the magic systems (yes, plural)
So in this world, there are two magic systems- one based on nature, and the other on the use of different metals. The first one, based on the use of energy or "qi" pulled from nature is used by the Hin people, that is, from whom our protagonists belong. And the metal-based magic system is used by the Elantians, who are the colonizing forces that have invaded the Hin land and now rule them.
In the beginning, I compared it to Fullmetal Alchemist because the philosophy and idea behind the qi magic are a little reminiscent of the former, with the focus on balance and equal give and take- and come to think of it, even a little Star Wars. Throughout the story, it is the question of how to use the magic and to what lengths can we use that, to create the thematic components of the story. The themes mainly concern themselves with these issues of magic and power.
"Everyone is born with qi inside them and around them- qi is the makeup of this world. It is the flow of water, the gusting of wind, the roar of fire and the steadiness of the earth. It is sun and moon and life and death. Some people have an affinity for channeling qi and weaving different strands of it into Seals. With training, they can cultivate their ability and become practitioners."
It matters a lot how is the magic used and where it is pulled from. It is incredibly fascinating and even though we really explore only one of these magic systems quite deeply, the other magic system that the Elantians use is one that I think we'll get to know more about in the second book.
hero corruption arc
The one thing- THE thing, imo, that I had no idea about going in this book, and the one that has made the most long-lasting impact on me- is this plotline. Because when I say I want character development, this is what I mean. Either a villain redemption arc or a hero embracing the dark side- give me any of these two in a book and I eat. it. up.
The characer arcs are so well-executed, and the themes just fuel them forward. Even though it seems like quite a sad turn of events in a sense, it just made me so happy.
The themes of how power corrupts, and how much violence is justified are explored throughout the story. These come into play more in the second half, as the stakes get higher and we get closer to the breaking point of our character's resolves- that point where all their ideals and principles are shattered.
This was the consequence of refusing power. This was the damnation of rejecting the idea of becoming gods: you became ruled by newer, crueler, merciless gods.
And then how we get to that point is also really interesting, because the path to corruption stems from this tremendous feeling of helplessness and powerlessness towards the inability of not being able to protect the people they love. And that then leads to this question "Is it justified to use whatever means of power necessary to fight against oppression?" In the qi magic system, the characters can use what is called the dark magic version of it (yin energies?) and the temptation of utilizing the incredible power that comes with it- despite however good the intentions are- is another one of the themes.
THIS is what actually adds that extra punch to corruption arc- the very realistic and impactful questions behind that even make us the reader think that you know, if we had been in that situation with those choices same choices, maybe we would've made the same choices.
Strength without restraint and power without balance are akin to a path into darkness without light.
grumpy x sunshine (so, technically the characters)
We follow the story through the lens of our two main protagonists, Lan and Zen.
Lan (Lián’ér) is a young girl struggling to make a living in the streets of Haak'gong, and the only thing she fights for those days is protecting her friend at her place of work, and finding what a mark on her arm left by her mother means. She is stubborn and brave and playful. Not really 'sunshine' in the exact sense, since she is grieving and the place where she works is a traumatic experience in itself- but she's playful and funny and easy-going.
Lan preferred not to believe that her fortunes lay in the hands of some invisible old farts in the skies—no matter how powerful they were meant to be.
Definitely a ray of sunshine, compared to our other main character Zen, who is a practitioner. He also has gone through an extremely traumatic experience in his past, and there is so much weight of that that he still carries today. As we slowly unravel his backstory, we see how so many of his decisions are informed by the things that happened to him when he was a kid. He is pragmatic, a complete stickler for the rules and laws. He reminded me a lot of Kitay from The Poppy War- really smart and principled but also so full of rage and sadness because of the oppression and loss that they've seen.
The dynamic between them is so enjoyable, because they complement each other really well. They connect with each other because of their pasts, but they differ in how process and deal with things.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amélie Wen Zhao（赵雯）was born in Paris and grew up in Beijing, where she spent her days reenacting tales of legendary heroes, ancient kingdoms, and lost magic at her grandmother’s courtyard house. She attended college in the United States and now resides in New York City, working as a finance professional by day and a fantasy author by night. In her spare time, she loves to travel with her family in China, where she’s determined to walk the rivers and lakes of old just like the practitioners in her novels do.
Amélie is the author of the Blood Heir trilogy and the upcoming Song of Silver, Flame Like Night duology.
Amélie is represented by Peter Knapp of Park Literary & Media.
Author’s website: ameliezhao.com
Instagram: instagram.com/ameliewenzhao
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