#Song of the SIx Realms

[godzilla-reads]

I do love Judy I. Lin’s books and the cover art is amazing, too.

[yourfavebooklrsfavebooklr]

New Releases of April 2024!

I’ve been really excited for Dear Wendy for so long! Can’t wait for it to come out :) I have no clue how I’m going to find time to read everything coming out this month tho 😅

[isthataraccoon]

“But because of my personal history, hidden away from society in a cottage waiting for my father's transgressions to fade from the court's memory, I would often retreat into my books and music. An escape from the overwhelming noise and bustle of the House and the city” (Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin, page 12). ^^^ same babes that is such a vibe (except my personal history is that I’m a loser and don’t have friends) 🤭🤭🤭

[the-final-sentence]

Where someday he would wake from his long slumber, dreaming of butterflies.

Judy I. Lin, from Song of the Six Realms

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Song of the Six Realms

a magical YA fantasy romance

follows a girl who’s an indentured musician at an entertainment house, with a talent for playing the qin

when her uncle (her only family) is killed, a Duke buys her contract with a promise to end her contract after one year - and reveals she might be the key to unlock the magical secrets tied to her uncle’s death

not to mention that he’s actually the Duke of Dreams, and she is whisked away to the Celestial Realm which is on the brink of disaster, plagued by demonic monsters

[elliepassmore]

Song of the Six Realms review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, quests, music magic

I particularly enjoyed the first part of this book and getting to know the House of Flowing Water. I thought all the information about the musicians, dancers, and artists was interesting, and I liked learning about the way the patronage and apprentice levels worked. I also liked the camaraderie between the girls, even if some of it turned out to be false.

Once Xue leaves the House and begins traveling with Janglang there's fewer people and less worldbuilding for a while. Like Xue, I also began to get frustrated with the lack of answers and how she was consistently left alone with nothing but her qin. There was little action for a while there in the middle so while the descriptions were nice, I did feel my attention drifting somewhat.

I did enjoy the parts about music and the musical magic Xue uses to try and solve the mystery. The poetry wasn't my favorite, but the descriptions of the songs themselves were interesting and I liked the way Xue thought about and described the musical pieces. The music was definitely interesting and I wish it and the way certain songs could 'unlock' things was more of a focus of the story. Sure, it played a big part, but I definitely wanted more music magic.

Xue is left in the dark about a lot of things and so she tends to just float along trying to learn the Meng Manor and fill her days to prevent boredom. She's obviously destabilized by the change from apprentice in the House of Flowing Water to a guest at an esteemed lord's manor, and especially a Celestial's manor. Xue really shows her mettle and personality in the beginning of the story and at the end. Her strength comes through in different ways and I appreciated getting to see the different sides of her, from her love of beauty to her protective streak. I did wish there was more plot in the middle to continue showing those sides of her though.

The other characters kind of come in and out of the story at different times, so I don't totally feel like I got to know any of them very well. Janglang is supposed to be the love interest, but aside from some mild attraction, I'm not really convinced the two are in love. Xue spends half the book thinking he's grieving a fiancé for god's sake! I did like the addition of Chenwen and and Linwei, but would've liked it more if they'd been around more. I enjoyed Chenwen's humor and the way he teased Xue, which I feel like she reacted disproportionately to.

For a book focused on figuring out what Xue's uncle and Janglang's shifu had discovered, the two actually do very little investigating and there's often little adventure to be had. As other reviewers mention, different things keep coming up as oh-so-important plot points and then end up being minor aspects of the story. Xue getting presented to the Sky Emperor (King?) and Consort but then it goes over quickly and well, and there doesn't seem to be much of a lasting effect from her performance. Likewise, there's this whole thing with Janglang's mother....but in the end she's diabolical and evil but not particularly menacing.

I also found the 'mystery' to be a bit obvious. I clued in to the 'who' as soon as they're introduced and I also clued into the red herring as soon as it came into the story as well. Unfortunately, it takes Janglang and Xue almost the entire rest of the story to figure it out, leaving me smacking my head when they trust certain people or fall into certain traps.

Overall, this is a good neutral read if you're looking for something light to occupy your time. It's entertaining enough and I find myself feeling pretty neutral on the matter. I did like it, but the beginning and ending were the most interesting to me, and things in the middle kind of lagged.

[wondereads]

April YA Book Releases

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

YA Thriller

Author of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

true crime, missing persons, memory loss

Fate Be Changed by Farrah Rochon

YA Fantasy

Twisted Tales series

princess, disney, curses

Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew

YA Fantasy

Author of The Whispering Dark

dark magic, gothic, lgbt

The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories by Desiree S. Evans and Saraceia J. Fennell

YA Horror

Author of Cool. Awkward. Black.

anthology, ghosts, zombies

Something Kindred by Ciera Burch

YA Contemporary

Author of Finch House

lgbt, coming of age, photography

Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake

YA Fantasy

Buffy: The Next Generation #3

vampires, witches, high school

The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray by Christine Calella

YA Historical

Debut author

pirates, identity theft, navy

Calling of Light by Lori M. Lee

YA Fantasy

Shamanborn Series #3

class differences, dark forest, sacrifice

We're Never Getting Home by Tracy Badua

YA Contemporary

Author of This Is Not a Personal Statement

aapi, religion, friendship breakup

The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver

YA Horror

Author of The Loop

dystopian, survival, social injustice

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

YA Fantasy

Author of A Magic Steeped in Poison

aapi, royalty, music

Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

YA Fantasy

Author of Gearbreakers

korean, retelling, sapphic

Harley Quinn: Redemption by Rachael Allen

YA Adventure

DC Icons Series #3

superheroes, lgbt, action

Powerful by Lauren Roberts

YA Fantasy

The Powerless Trilogy

forbidden romance, assassination, class difference

To a Darker Shore by Leanne Schwartz

YA Fantasy

Author of A Prayer for Vengeance

beauty standards, invention, monsters

Return of the Vengeful Queen by C. J. Redwine

YA Fantasy

Author of The Shadow Queen

pirates, political, revenge plot

The Notes by Catherine Con Morse

YA Contemporary

Debut author

boarding school, musical arts, aapi

The Lilies by Quinn Diacon-Furtado

YA Thriller

Debut author

detective, time loop, dark academia

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy gothic romance worthy of the heavens in Song of the Six Realms. Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. For a young man of nobility, he is strangely kind and awkward, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

Review:

A heartbreaking magical story about a musician who finds her fate thrown in with gods, monsters, and secrets. Xue is a talented young musician who was orphaned at a young age and taken in by her kind poet uncle who arranged for her to get an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. Xue doesn't have a lot of memories of her youth before her apprenticeship at the House of Flowing Water, but when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she feels like she's resigned to a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles. Xue is unexpectedly called in for a private performance for the mysterious handsome Duke Meng. Meng is oddly kind and shy, yet he makes her an offer: if she agrees to serve as his private musician at his residence for one he'll buy her contract from the house. Xue knows it's too good to be true and that the Duke is hiding something... like the fact that he knew her uncle and that he is actually a celestial being, the Duke of Dreams. Xue now finds herself encountering more celestial beings and gods as well as nightmarish monsters. Duke Meng tells her that he actually wants her to help him unlock Xue's memories of her past so that they can stop the impending war and free his wrongly accused father. But the gods can be cruel and the games and backstabbing is at every corner. Xue finds herself falling for Duke Meng but how can a mortal musician be with a celestial being? The closer they get to unlocking all her memories, the more danger they find themselves in... and there must be sacrifices made. This was such a bittersweet read but it was really good. I enjoyed the story and the romance was sweet. The mystery was what really did it for me and I liked how it played out. The ending was so bittersweet and I wish there was a bonus epilogue or something to just give me one more chapter of Xue and Meng together or reuniting... please I beg of you. Overall, it's a great standalone fantasy read that really builds the story well and is a easy fast read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[jruthphipps]

Today's bookhaul comes from Waterstones and Persephone Books in Bath.

📚 The Mars House by Natasha Pulley

📚 Song of Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

📚 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

📚 The New House by Lettice Cooper

📚 The Persephone Book of Short Stories

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: Song of the Six Realms

Author: Judy I. Lin

Series or standalone: standalone

Publication year: 2024

Genres: fiction, fantasy, romance, mythology, historical fiction

Blurb: Talented young musician Xue has no past, and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn't remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract. With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status the next. One night, she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he'll set her free of her indenture...but the duke's motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he's not just some country noble: he's the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There, she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent. The duke needs Xue's help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war...but first, Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Song of the Six Realms | Author: Judy I. Lin | Publisher: Feiwel & Friends (2024)

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin

Author: Judy I. LinPublisher: Feiwel & FriendsReleased: April 23, 2024Received: Own (OwlCrate)Find it on Goodreads | OwlCrate | More Fantasy Book Summary: Xue has faced uncertainty for most of her life. As a young orphan, she accepted her fate would be vastly different if not for her uncle stepping in to care for her. He took her in and encouraged her musical talent. This talent is about to…

[paperbacktomes]

BLOGTOUR | Favourite quotes from Song of the Six Realms by Judy I Lin

Happy Saturday! What are you currently reading? My last read was Song of the Six Realms for the blogtour. I have been following Judy’s works since her debut and was anticipating her new release. Before I dive into the review and quotes, let me say, it was one adventurous read. Ngl, the cover is gorgeous 🤩 Book DETAILS ► Title: song of the six realms ► BY: Judy i lin ► Publishing: Feiwel &…

[beckysbook5]

Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin - ARC Review!

Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last…

[sea-dwelling-wizard]

i hate book slumps so muchhshd