SONG OF THE SIX REALMS, by Judy I. Lin, Feiwel & Friends, April 23, 2024, Hardcover, $20.99 (young adult)
A young musician finds herself at the center of a battle between divine rulers and demonic beasts in Song of the Six Realms, by Judy I. Lin.
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. —Synopsis provided by Feiwel & Friends
It’s not hard to be drawn to Song of the Six Realms, the cover is beautiful. And the text inside isn’t far from it, but there are some challenges.
In Song of the Six Realms, author Judy I. Lin has created a complex world where there are different levels of divinity and spirits and demons. It’s so complex that she includes a list of all the different groups at the front of the novel. It’s a helpful list, but one you shouldn’t get too caught up in to begin with. It’s much better to refer back to it as you read.
If you’re hoping for Song of the Six Realms to be a romantic fantasy, you might be disappointed. It is a fantasy, and there is a romance, but that’s not the main plotline. Rather, the romance evolves as the story unfolds, and you watch a true relationship develop.
However, if you’re looking for a strong mystery, you’ll find one. There’s lots of twists and turns and it’s unpredictable.
Lin’s writing is full of imagery. And her magical world feels fully plausible. Her ending is perfectly imperfect, and she made it all fit into one novel. At 400 pages, it’s not a short read, but it moves at a good pace. And the musical elements add an extra layer. It’s a good reading option heading into the last month of school and summer break.
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