Song of Silver, Flame Like Night Review

Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing my review for Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao! Amélie is also the author of the Blood Heir trilogy (Blood Heir, Red Tigress, Crimson Reign), of which I’ve only read the first book Blood Heir but after reading and loving this, I hope that I can one day finish that series as well!

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
by Amélie Wen Zhao
Series: Song of the Last Kingdom #1
Release date: January 3rd, 2023

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology
Check It Out: Goodreads | StoryGraph | Amazon
Rating: ★★★★★

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.

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.

I loved reading this book so much, and there was actually one scene in particular that made me bawl like a baby. (If you’ve read it and are wondering which scene I’m talking about, it’s one of the scenes between Lan and the Grandmaster).

I’ve been a fan of pretty much every Chinese inspired fantasy story that I’ve read so far, and this one has been no different. I adore the setting, the characters, and the qi based magic system so much, I’m so excited for the sequel! I also enjoyed how colonialism and fighting back against your oppressors was so ingrained in the plot and the history of this world was pretty impressive.

As much as Lan and Zen make terrible choices (constantly) I adored them and they’re such complex characters who go through so much together. They’ve been hurt so many times and have lost pretty much all of their loved ones, so you can’t really blame them for the choices they make if it means getting revenge on the people who took everything away from them. I also really enjoyed their relationship with each other, and while it developed quickly it was easy to see how they pulled each other in even while they were both so different.

Honestly, this book is pretty complex, and every little detail plays a role in the plot and the current timeline, from the characters ancestors to the magic system, even to the landscape of this kingdom. I don’t even know where I could begin with how DETAILED everything was and I absolutely ate it all up!

I felt so many emotions while reading this book, especially in the last 30% or so. This is definitely a strong start to a new series, and I’m eagerly waiting for news of the second book!