Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao

Abstract

Reviewed by: Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amélie Wen Zhao April Spisak Zhao, Amélie Wen Song of Silver, Flame Like Night. Delacorte, 2023 [480p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593487501 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593487525 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-10 When the Elantians invaded and colonized the Last Kingdom, they killed Lan’s mother and forbade any Hin from performing magic. Now, Lan bides her time with her new job as a songgirl while searching for any clue that might help her interpret a mark her mother branded on her. She makes little headway until Zen, a practitioner who has been trained in the magic that Lan believed to be fully outlawed, saves her life and discovers her mark. He doesn’t know what it means but he does know that it makes her a powerful tool, and he also has a strong guess where the answers can be found. That’s more than enough to convince Lan to leave the life she hated anyway and head off on a dangerous, twisty quest toward answers, Lan’s destiny, and the fate of the kingdom destroyed by a ruthless regime. In this first volume of an anticipated series, Zhao draws from Chinese mythology and folklore, unspooling Zen and Lan’s tale just enough to hook readers while leaving significant, tantalizing ground to be covered in the future titles. Characters are complex, neither true heroes nor villains, and their differing approaches to conflict allow the book to explore the idea that oppression and brutality can spark violence and revenge as often as they can lead to peaceful determination. A chronology, maps, and a brief but impactful author’s note provide essential context in terms of location, era, and the folkloric roots. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois