A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of A Song to Drown Rivers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is a novel that pulls you in with soft hands and doesn’t let go. It’s the kind of book you read slowly, letting each sentence settle before turning the page. Liang blends magical realism, family secrets, and raw emotion into a deeply atmospheric young adult fantasy that stays with you.
The Details
The story follows a teenage girl reeling after her sister’s sudden death. Her grief sends her back to her mother’s hometown—a misty village where stories breathe and the river remembers. As she unravels generations of pain and silence, she discovers that the truth is often buried beneath water, myth, and memory.
Liang’s prose feels like poetry without being pretentious. Her language flows smoothly, wrapping readers in vivid imagery and emotional depth. You can feel the weight of grief in every line, but there’s also beauty—lush, quiet, and haunting. The village setting, with its ever-present river and ghostly lore, sets the tone perfectly. It reminded me of a Ghibli film with a darker, more grounded edge.
The emotional core of the novel is its greatest strength. Liang captures the pain of losing someone and the even deeper pain of not knowing how to move forward. Her protagonist grieves in a way that feels real—not loud or dramatic, but slow and aching. The introspection never drags because the emotions ring true. You want to follow her through the mist, even when the path blurs.
While the writing stands out, the plot sometimes loses momentum. In the middle section, a few chapters feel more focused on vibe than movement. I found myself waiting for something to shift, for the narrative to rise again. And although the main character is fully realized, a few side characters felt too distant. Their emotional arcs didn’t hit with the same force.
Despite those pacing dips, the ending lands with quiet power. Liang doesn’t tie everything up in a neat bow, but the resolution feels honest. Some magical elements could’ve used more grounding, but the emotional clarity makes up for it.
The Verdict
If you enjoy character-driven stories with lyrical prose and light touches of myth, this book belongs on your list. Fans of The Astonishing Color of After or The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea will likely find something to love here. It’s a book about loss, but also about memory, identity, and what we carry forward even after everything changes.
