"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."
The first book of the Song of the Last Kingdom duology, Song of Silver, Flame like Night tells the story of Lan, a 16-year-old songgirl who was orphaned by foreign conquorers, and of Zen who was also orphaned when he was a boy but carries a dark secret. Before Lan's mother died, she imprinted on Lan a magical seal that no one knows about and can only be seen by Lan herself and those who have her people's magic. Together, Zen and Lan set out on a quest to find out about the magic seal and try to save their people against the ruling invaders who are trying to destroy them.
The pace is slow and the story predictable but it does have some nice moments. There are references of lgtb affection between two of the side characters that really doesn't affect the overall plot (it would have been nicer to see a strong sibiling affection instead of a romantic one). Colonialism is the main premise of the story as well as the preservation of culture but also how family affection, memory and love can have the ability to overcome darkness and influence choices such as: to protect or to destroy. The author also touches the theme of power, its influence on the person and the stance one can take on it.
It's a very easy read that for a more mature audience could have been much more since the story itself is a very good one.