Song of Silver, Flame Like Night (Song of the Last Kingdom, #1)

by Amélie Wen Zhao

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

"Perfect for fans of The Untamed. I loved it!” —Shelley Parker-Chan, bestselling author of She Who Became the Sun

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. 

Now the battle for the Last Kingdom begins.

• ISBN10: 059365028X
• ISBN13: 9780593650288
• Publish Date: 3 January 2023
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[lisbethwhite]

Folks. This was such a lovely story. Orphans, magic, HIDDEN magic and its discovery, intrigue, good and evil fighting... it was just really good. It took me a minute to get into the story, but, like.... four pages in I was hooked. Lots of Chinese words and names and themes, which could be a stumbling block for some readers, but for those who aren't afraid of that, those readers that like big dramatic fantasy, that don't mind BIG books (455 pages)? This is a book for them. Maybe it's for you too!

My KNEA RC review:
In a country that has been overtaken by an invading people, Lan and Zen, both orphans, connect through tragic circumstances. Despite this, they flee together, with Zen, an accomplished practicioner of Hin magic, teaching Lan to control her qí so that she, too, can learn the now forbidden practice. They seek refuge in Zen's safe haven, his hidden school of magic, and there they begin to unravel the mystery and danger they face. Hand this to lovers of sweeping dramatic fantasy and stories of good vs evil who aren't intimidated by large books.

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

Lan remembers a time when she had a different name. A time before the colonizers came to her land and changed everything – their culture, their magic, even their names. Not content to live with this new life handed to her, Lan delves into her people's past. And she finds the most intriguing things – a strange mark that ties directly to her people's history—a mark left behind by her mother.

Zen is one of the Last Kingdom's fabled magicians. Quite possibly one of the last. So he knows precisely what Lan is and what the mark on her arm means. Together, they may just have what it takes to change the destiny of their kingdom.

My Review:

Oh wow. I knew that Song of Silver, Flame Like Night would be fantastic – any book written by Amelia Wen Zhao is sure to impress. And boy, I was not disappointed here! This novel is magical, fantastical, and certain to capture your imagination.

Best of all are the very real foundations found within this story and their connection to mythology. It's all so perfectly balanced. Again, if you've read anything else by Amelie Wen Zhao, you've probably come to expect that!

The worldbuilding is superb, the characters compelling, and the story rich and complex. In other words, it's the perfect novel to pick up. In fact, I'm already highly tempted to dive back in and do a second reading!

Highlights:
Asian literature
Dragons!
Mythology
Coming of Age meets Fantasy

Trigger Warnings:
Death of parents
Loss of autonomy
Racism/colonialism
War/genocide

Thanks to Delacorte Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Thank you, Turn The Page Tours, for the chance to read Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is the first book in the Song of the Last Kingdom duology by Amélie Wen Zhao. This isn't the author's first series; she's better known for her debut, Blood Heir, which has been reviewed 12,744 times on Goodreads! Like Blood Heir, Song of Silver, Flame Like Night is also published by Delacorte Press, a Random House imprint. It's 467 pages long and falls broadly under the category of fantasy (but more specifically under YA fantasy), mythology, and Chinese folklore.

 

Lan is a song girl in a colonized kingdom. By day, she alternatively flirts and avoids patrons of the teahouse to make ends meet, and by night sneaks out to try to understand the scar on her arm that no one but her can see. When she accidentally kills an Elantian soldier, she draws the attention of an Elantian magician who killed her mother and really wants her gone too. Lan escapes with Zen, the boy who can see she too is a practitioner (even if she doesn't know it), to go to a place the Elantians can't reach, a school of masters who can train her too. Once there, Lan discovers the truth about her mother's death and takes control to try and protect the ones she loves.

 

There are some really great things in this book! For one, I loved the magic system the author set up and the world she built. By making Zen Lan's teacher, Zhao could include a lot of information without it being out of place. The Zen and Lan chemistry was also done well; they're instantly attracted to each other. The author keeps going with that instead of randomly sliding it in somewhere. There are some really touching moments, such as when Lan talks about how Zen gives her information so freely when she used to have to beg for it before meeting him. The book also depicted colonialism fairly well, from how resources are extracted to how history is being re-written to suit the victor. The side characters have interesting stories and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the next book!

 

Some things did bug me. The language would sometimes go from being very pretty and slightly old-fashioned to being hyper-modern in the same sentence, which is occasionally jarring. I also noted this in the Iron Widow, and I wonder if this is a style that authors are now experimenting with. Lan also felt very stupid and childish; things like the dancing in the woods scene and when she bathes in the sacred spring just rubbed me the wrong way. The dramatic parent reveal was also a bit blegh.

 

I am intrigued by the ending with what both Lan and Zen chose, and I'm looking forward to the next book.