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That was incredible. I‘m shook at the ending. I loved this story for its prose.
Just to get it off my chest, this is not history; yet the retelling of the legend of Xishi.
The way this story is told… it‘s just *chefs kiss* beautiful. So romantically tragic, all the way through. I cried when the mission came to an end. I don‘t have the words to express how much I loved this story.

3.8/5 ?

"So long as we continue to put mortal me on thrones and hail them as gods, sacrifice our lives to their legacies, history will repeat itself."

A departure from my usual reads, but I enjoyed it. While some parts felt a bit clichéd, the overarching message about men, power, and legacy was poignant and well delivered. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Sometimes I have to work myself up to epic stories about of ancient kingdoms - all the characters and their parts. I‘m so glad I prioritized this because I was all in from beginning to end. It was the perfect cast of characters to tell this story, and I was never completely convinced which way Xishi‘s heart would land. The ending was so good.

As readers, we are so lucky to get all these fabulous retellings. This tragic tale of revenge, love, and sacrifice is fantastic. It is fascinating, emotional, and un-put-downable. The power of Eastern mythology comes through beautifully, as author Ann Liang takes this ancient tale and puts her signature on it. Light fantasy with a sweeping love story makes for a rich reading experience. Plus, this edition is gorgeous.

I really liked this book. Inspired by the legend of the 4 beauties of ancient China. I‘m not sure why this is classified as a historical fantasy. There weren‘t really any fantastical elements that I noticed except maybe the end.

Xishi learns how to be a spy and a seductress to bring down the current king who destroyed her people.

Really glad I picked this one up.

#tenbeforetheend - book 3

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wasn‘t familiar with the legend of Xishi before reading, but wow, was I emotionally invested in these characters! I thought Ann Liang did a phenomenal job breathing life into this classic story for a modern audience. I understand some critiques, but I can‘t deny that I was glued to the pages and ultimately thought it was a beautiful and moving meditation on power, morality, and war. #BOTM

😤

Inspired by the legend of Xishi, this is a fast, fun read. At just over 300 pages, it‘s on the short side and you feel that in the speed with which some things happen and in the set up for the end which, I suspect, doesn‘t hit as hard as the author would like or hope. Still, it made for a good afternoon of reading and I enjoyed it. Also, as with many of the deluxe editions of books hitting the shelves these days, it‘s a gorgeous book.

Starting this one today…

So good!! #LitsyLoveReads

Publishing date Oct 1!

HOORAY AND HUZZAH! The Book of the Month choices went live today! 🥳🎉🎉🎉 I was really excited to see them dropped so early, and how kind that they didn't make us wait until after the holiday weekend to release them! 🤭 I actually had a really really hard time deciding which ones to get this month, because there were so many amazing choices! What did everyone else pick?! #botm

her best book to DATE. ann somehow crafted this story where u root for all 3 leads (xishi, fanli, AND fuchai). xishi's mission will have u on edge for the entire story. where the enemy could discover the truth of why she's in the wu kingdom at any time. when u think xishi's succeeded in some bit, something else happens to throw u off balance along with her. wish zhengdan and luyi had more time in the spotlight because they were my favorites.

Too sleepy to retype it so here's the tiktok of the review one my favorites now (feeling very very very sick)
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLFxw3Tw/