Song of the Six Realms

Judy I. Lin

Apr 2024 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Jen Zhao

About this audiobook

Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, weaves a dreamy gothic romance worthy of the heavens in Song of the Six Realms.

Xue, a talented young musician, has no past and probably no future. Orphaned at a young age, her kindly poet uncle took her in and arranged for an apprenticeship at one of the most esteemed entertainment houses in the kingdom. She doesn’t remember much from before entering the House of Flowing Water, and when her uncle is suddenly killed in a bandit attack, she is devastated to lose her last connection to a life outside of her indenture contract.

With no family and no patron, Xue is facing the possibility of a lifetime of servitude playing the qin for nobles that praise her talent with one breath and sneer at her lowly social status with the next. Then one night she is unexpectedly called to the garden to put on a private performance for the enigmatic Duke Meng. The young man is strangely kind and awkward for nobility, and surprises Xue further with an irresistible offer: serve as a musician in residence at his manor for one year, and he’ll set her free of her indenture.

But the Duke’s motives become increasingly more suspect when he and Xue barely survive an attack by a nightmarish monster, and when he whisks her away to his estate, she discovers he’s not just some country noble: He’s the Duke of Dreams, one of the divine rulers of the Celestial Realm. There she learns the Six Realms are on the brink of disaster, and incursions by demonic beasts are growing more frequent.

The Duke needs Xue’s help to unlock memories from her past that could hold the answers to how to stop the impending war… but first Xue will need to survive being the target of every monster and deity in the Six Realms.

Ratings and reviews

Although it took me longer than usual to get through this, it was such a good read! I definitely recommend it for anyone who loves music or poetry. It is such a good book for the soul! This is about a poor mortal, Xue'er, who is orphaned and cast out because of a crime her parents committed against the Emperor and is left to her Uncle. He travels for work so he sends her to The House of Flowing Water to play her guqín in exchange for a place to call home. During her first side stage performance, she is sought out by a Duke who originally wants to purchase her instrument, then later reveals he knows her Uncle and was sent to protect her. He buys her contract and promises her that if she stays with him and plays for his family for 3 years, he'll set her free. She goes with him because freedom and seeing the world is her biggest dream. Their journey together to his home takes a lot of twists and turns and once she's there, she discovers he is Celestial and has brought her to the Celestial Realm. When she confronts him about this, he reveals that there is a mystery to be solved and he thinks she is the only one who can help. My rating for overall enjoyment and romance is ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/💖

About the author

Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of the Book of Tea duology (A Magic Steeped in Poison and A Venom Dark and Sweet), was born in Taiwan and immigrated to Canada with her family at a young age. She grew up with her nose in a book and loved to escape to imaginary worlds. She now works as an occupational therapist and still spends her nights dreaming up imaginary worlds of her own. She lives on the Canadian prairies with her husband and daughters.