Song of the Six Realms by Judy Lin

Song of the Six Realms Book Review

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.5 out of 5)

If you are familiar with the book A Magic Steeped in Poison, then you would know about its popularity as Judy Lin’s debut novel. From bookstores to libraries, its beautiful cover has always caught my eye. When I saw the book Song of the Six Realms, I immediately recognized it as Judy Lin’s work by the cover’s distinct art style. The book promises a fantastical, magical world of gods and Celestials, following the adventures of a young, talented Qin player, Xue.  

The book had a slow start, describing Xue’s experiences before meeting the Duke. Despite the pacing, I enjoyed reading Judy Lin’s world-building and felt fully immersed in the day-to-day life of a performer at the House of Flowing Water. Xue has clear ambitions to create a new life for herself and to make her uncle proud and overall is a very strong character. Based on the first quarter of the book, I anticipated a magical and exciting read. However, once Xue is whisked away to the Duke’s manor, the book loses all its charm. I struggled to keep my initial interest when the plot slowed to a snail’s pace as Xue began to explore and learn about her new surroundings. Judy Lin spends much of the book on Xue’s discoveries and small, rather insignificant interactions. There is a heavy focus on the history of the Celestial Realm, leaving little room for plot progression. 

I disliked the romance between the Duke and Xue as their interactions felt awkward and shallow. Although I predicted that their relationship would develop romantically, the Duke was constantly sick or away, barely interacting with Xue, so there wasn’t much chemistry to build off of. I was interested in the plot point of the Duke’s deceased fiancée, who he seemed to genuinely have a strong connection with, but it was ultimately thrown away. In the last quarter of the book, the story is so rushed that I felt completely lost as to what was happening. Various pieces of important information were crammed into this section to explain the reasoning behind each character’s decisions, making it very confusing. My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. Too much of the novel was spent on world-building, resulting in the book either dragging on or rushing through the story. However, if you are interested in magic and Chinese mythology, this book is worth reading. 

Xue’er, a talented Qin player, is an Undesirable after her family is executed. Under her uncle’s care, she develops her skills before becoming a performer at the House of Flowing Water. However, when her beloved uncle is murdered by bandits while he is away, she is forced to work for the entertainment house under a lifelong contract. When a strange and unknown Duke Meng requests a private performance offering to employ Xue for a year at his manor in exchange for setting her free, Xue is given a chance to win her life back. But the Duke’s identity becomes more suspect when they are attacked by a mystical monster that is unlike any animal. The Duke reveals himself as the Duke of Dreams of the Celestial Realm and is in desperate need of Xue’s help to find out the perpetrator behind the monstrous attacks and stop the impending war.