Book Review - Song of Silver, Flame like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao

Song of Silver, Flame like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao

After looking at other reviews of this book, it seems that you either love it or hate it. But I was one of those people who absolutely loved it. Song of Silver, Flame like Night is a story based on Chinese mythology and the xianxia fantasy. The basis of the magic in this story is qi energy used by the Hin and metal used by the Elantians. Throughout the book, there is a constant emphasis on maintaining the balance of yin, destructive energy, and yang, positive energy. 

I loved the characters in this book. Lan is the main character and a girl who was orphaned after the Elantian colonizers killed her mother. After her mother died she realized that she had a scar on her arm that only she could see with a symbol that she couldn't read. The book starts out with her trying to find out more about what her scar could mean. 

We are then introduced to Zen, a practitioner of magic, who picks up on leftover energy and follows the trail to Lan. After being attacked by an Elantian soldier, Lan releases a burst of energy that confirms Zen's suspicions of her. However, Lan also attracted the attention of the Elantian magician who had killed her mother. In Lan and Zen's attempt to escape, Lan was hit with magic from the Elantian magician that left metal implanted in her arm. Despite this, Lan and Zen were able to escape. Zen reveals that he is a member of a temple for practitioners and brings Lan there, allowing her to learn to control her magical abilities. 

When Lan discovers information about her mother, it leads Lan and Zen on another mission: to find the Four Demon Gods. During their adventure, Lan and Zen grow closer and realize that they are a lot more alike than they initially thought."It was in that moment that she knew- he understood her, more than anyone left alive in this world, and knew that she craved, more than anything, to be understood in a way that none had for the past twelve cycles." Their romance was slow burning and felt very natural compared to the forced nature of romance in other similar books. 

Although everything seems perfect between Lan and Zen, things take a turn when Zen does something bold, in an attempt to take on the armies of Elantian soldiers, without consulting Lan first. One thing I really enjoyed was that the characters in this book were not perfect, it's clear that every single character has their own faults. 

This book was so full of shocking twists, revelations, and betrayal that I did not want to put this book down when I started to read. Amelie Wen Zhao's writing was so beautiful and lyrical, and I will absolutely be looking to read the second installment of the series when it is released.