A Mulan retelling? I was immediately sold.

Synopsis:
Meilin is trapped under the rule of an abusive, drug addicted father about to be married to an equally horrid man. So when the men leave for war, she figures this is her one chance of freedom.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one. It was such a fantastic Mulan retelling filled with magic, romance, dragons and a phoenix. It was completely captivating and left me needing book two ASAP!

I liked how in this reimagining, Meilin was motivated by freedom and greed and not a sense of duty. Her character was much more complex and a little grey. The patriarchal views were much more extreme, and honestly realistic. It was hard to read, but extremely captivating at the same time.

There’s a bit of a love triangle, and after reading other reviews, a lot of people are rooting for a certain man. Let’s just say I like my men in fantasy books to be a bit morally grey, so I’m going for the underdog. 😜

What You’ll Find:
🗡️ Mulan retelling
🔺 Love triangle
🐉 Dragon
🪄 Magic
💪 Girl boss

This book was a beautiful retelling of the Mulan saga. I loved the inside view of why a woman would rather go to war than deal with the trapped feeling of a life chosen for her. The author changed Mulan's focus from family protection to self-preservation but it was done so beautifully that I did not mind. I am absolutely needing the second book now to see what happens next.

This was a great start to a solid new Fantasy series. I loved this world and characters that we got to meet in this a lot. The spin on the Mulan retelling was well done, and I like the liberties the author took to make it her own. Meilin and Sky were great, and I'm nervous for what's to come for both of them. I think that all the characters had depth, and this didn't struggle at all with pacing, so this was a faster read than I thought it would be. Overall I can't wait to see what happens next!

This book is a Mulan retelling with a spirit-based magic system that wields elements, reminding me of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I was heavily invested in Meilin's story, escaping her father and betrothed's mistreatment and joining the army. I liked the romance with Sky, but I am not as invested in them as a couple. I loved the politics of the world, although we are limited by Meilin's knowledge of them. The magic system is intriguing and reliant on spirits that have their own agendas, adding another layer to the story. The ending was thrilling, and left me excited for the next book in the duology.

This is not your kid's Disney version of the story of Mulan. These characters have depth and come through as real people. Meilin comes from an abusive and poor household. Once a well known family with much honor, her father has disappeared into an opium fog and has debts owed to gambling houses which he cannot pay. When he decides to marry of Meilin to a cruel merchant, she instead takes her father's enlistment orders and disappears into the army. Deciding to be the best soldier in her platoon brings her praise but also places her in danger; especially when her true identity is discovered by Prince Sky who is in command. Refusing to be sent home, Meilin finds herself becoming under the influence of a water dragon spirit; who may or may not be helping her. Fighting not only the enemy, but spirits and her own former soldier friends, she must draw on her inner strength to keep her family, friends and country safe.
A much more in depth and emotional journey through one brave young woman's life in early China than you've heard before. Well worth the read.

I'll be posting this review on my instagram and Goodreads closer to date

I just pre-order this book. Beautifully written. Brilliant. Phenomenal. Breathtaking. This was an action packed book that had me up all night reading. I’m so taken back. This might be my favorite fantasy this year!!

What To Expect-
-Mulan retelling
-Badass FMC
-Dragons
-Mythology


I ate this one up. I loved everything about this book.. The ending had my jaw on the floor. I have so many questions. I hope we get a second book. I absolutely recommend this book!!!

"With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart." Romance, fantasy, magic and more! This book is an enjoyable read.

Not your childhood Mulan retelling.

Beautifully written, epic fantasy that hit all the right tropes, twists, and plot points for me. With any retelling, there's concern it'll follow the original too closely. Other than Meilin taking her father's place in the army, this story stood on its own with its increased emphasis on spirit magic, a dragon that's dropping colder lines than "dishonor on your cow", and a FMC driven by green instead of honor.
It set up her descent into a bit of madness, and I rooted for her every bit of the way. Song crafted remarkably relatable and complex characters, meaning any betrayal cut me even deeper. The ending had me desperately trying to turn the page on my kindle, I just couldn't believe it'd end like that! So I will definitely be picking up book 2 when it comes out.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

A feast for the senses. The writing, the descriptions and, the action are amazing in this story. If you like women in disguise, mysterious princes, cursed dragons, and political intrigue, you'll love The Night Ends with Fire. The lead character, Meilin, leaves her abusive father when war breaks out to escape an even worse fate in marriage. The night before, she meets a prince who turns out to be one of the commanders in the platoon she's assigned to as she escapes to war. She's desperate to keep her secret and prove she's better than the rest. As the story plays out, we see the relationships between Meilin, Sky, and her squad. Her antagonistic relationship between Lt. Fang is fun to see play out. I loved this story, her battle with her inner demons (figuratively and literally) Will she distinguish herself through her valor or will she meet her doom?

I loved this so much! The dragon? The princes?! The main character being torn three different ways?! It was well done, and I cannot wait to read the next installment!

This is beautifully written! Reminds me of books like Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Unfortunately I DNF as this isn’t really my style, but I can absolutely appreciate the skilled writing.

I've been hyped for this Mulan retelling since I heard a bookish rumor it might be in an upcoming subscription box. The cover is amazing and Meilin is every bit as strong, brave, and courageous as I could have expected. I did wish we had gotten a different ending though, but I am excited for a sequel or even a duology. I have so many more questions, like what happened to the other jade holders because there are four cardinal directions and I really hope we see the others.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The above is my honest critique on this wonderfully engaging Mulan retelling.

I ate this book up! I loved this fantasy retelling of Mulan and can’t wait to continue the story (will there be more? please?) I will say that the book did drag once we hit the third act, but I loved the first 60% of the book. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a fast paced fantasy. I do not personally love books centered on military, but the way the few battle scenes were written, it was fast paced and exciting enough to hold my attention without being gruesome. I loved our main characters, felt boiling with anger at some (you know who you are), and would love a spin off of others! Overall, a great read that I finished in 2 sittings!

Meilin feels trapped – her father’s opium addiction has destroyed their family’s wealth, she’s forced to become betrothed to a violent older man, and war has begun between the kingdoms. Knowing she has to take matters into her own hands, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place. Despite her mastery of kung fu, she is weaker and smaller than everyone in the army and must work much harder to prove herself. While there, she begins to form attachments, including to the handsome prince, but it’s only a matter of time before she’ll find her loyalty to her kingdom and her inner strength tested when she’s faced with a difficult choice.

I was excited by the idea of this book as I grew up with the Disney movie Mulan and loved it, and I loved the idea of the story being retold by a diaspora author. However, there were several things that didn’t quite work for me.

One of these was that most characters had Chinese names, but then randomly there were a few named things like “Plum” or “Sky.” It’s possible that there was a good reason for this, but I couldn’t figure it out. The primary romance was also awkward. It was lacking chemistry and felt forced. There was much more chemistry with another character, though I’m afraid this is leading to a love triangle for the next book. The characters in general just weren’t compelling. I honestly didn’t care much what happened to Meilin or any of the other characters based on how flat they felt. I wondered if this was because the author was staying too close to the Disney characters and not really branching out much in their development. I also disliked that Meilin was one of those protagonists who is “not like other girls,” and that that seemed to be the only thing driving her to be better, stronger, more powerful, etc. than all those other women who just submit to their abusive husbands and depressive lives.

The plot itself was weak. Everything was linear and simplistic, with a new difficulty being introduced then easily resolved before moving on to the next challenge. This kept the plot trudging forward in a predictable way without allowing any space for the characters or world to feel alive or to feel like there was any agency. It also made this book feel much, much longer than its already somewhat long 432 pages.

If you’re looking for a Mulan retelling that’s relatively approachable and easy to read, then this might be worth checking out. Do be warned, almost nothing is resolved so you’ll need to read book two for that, which I probably won’t. My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read this work, which will be published July 2, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really enjoyed this Mulan-inspired story. Unlike some other reviewers I did not find it to be unoriginal because of its inspiration. I liked the exploration of appropriate and approved behavior by women and Meilin's character. Be warned that you will be frustrated by the cliff-hanger ending but there is now a sequel I have to look forward to.

The Night Ends with Fire

Thoughts:
This book blew me away! I really loved the rich details of this Chinese inspired fantasy. You can really get fully absorbed in this world. The world building was done with an expert hand!
Meilin was like any other character l've read! I loved her conflict of being a women yet describing things such as power, and recognition for her skill!. You get to see her strive, fall, and get back up again. I really bonded with her!

The entire cast of characters played with my emotions!
What I love best are the genuine interactions between the characters that really make the idea off friendship and camaraderie come alive and dance across the page. You can feel it in your heart and it build both a connection between the characters themselves and the characters and the reader.

The main plot had me gripped and I was hooked on every word! I loved the twists and the build up in emotion. Every act keeps the story moving at a perfect pace.

I absolutely loved the way the mythology was handled.
You really get an authentic Chinese fantasy. The details and the way it is written is so immersive. I loved the concepts of di gong, and the way martial arts was depicted.

Final Thoughts,
This was an action packed story that kept me turning the pages long into the night. I laughed, screamed, cried and begged for more when it was over. The nods to the Disney Mulan made me happy. This is a fantasy story that will pull you into this world and make you never want to leave! After reading this I pre-ordered the physical copy it's super beautiful

Thank you to Berkley and Ace for this e-arc

This book was FANTASTIC!! I love retellings, and I very rarely see a Mulan retelling.
Let's talk about some things that I liked:
- DRAGONS!!
- Mulan retelling
- Bad a** fmc
- Spirits
- Great supporting cast
- Clearly well-edited
The ending had my jaw dropped, but this is a part of a duology so I cannot wait to read book 2! Also duologies are the best book format and you cannot change my mind. Congratulations to K.X. Song on a fantastic book!!

This was a wonderful retelling of Mulan—which is one of my favorite Disney movies. The authors did a great job with this one. I was fully immersed in this story.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. All of the stars. When I first started reading and realized this story would be centered around feminine rage, I already knew I’d be a fan. That is all just too close to the surface and every feeling Meilin had to fight about how those around her treated her for her gender and her ambitions, made me want to go down swinging for her. She is just such a juicy character and I am screaming to see what happens in the next book.

The potential love interests have me split because they’re gonna have to do some growing for anyone to be end game AS A MAN SHOULD 🙌. This was such a solid read with a unique magic system and complicated and layered characters. Phenomenal and I’m now on an auto buy for this author.

thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the eARC!

what to even say about this book! it was such an engrossing, emotional read. I’d say this is one of the books where the blurbs/marketing is quite true to the story- it very much felt like an adult, morally complicated, and fantastical take on Mulan.

the characterization in this was very strong; I felt it so easy to inhabit Meilin’s mind and life and understand her motivation. she also had good, fleshed-out relationships with the other characters. her and Sky’s relationship was moving for me, and I often do not appreciate romance in this type of book. her relationships with the other soldiers were also very compelling, and gave a lot of insight into both the setting and Meilin’s character. I found myself sometimes frustrated with the repetitiveness of Meilin’s internal monologue, in which it felt like she was not progressing in the middle of the book, but it wasn’t major.

the plot was well executed and interesting. it wasn’t that twisty, but the magic gave it some interesting turns that I didn’t expect. I enjoyed the worldbuilding around the politics and the magic, though some might find it overwhelming or complicated. I’m really excited to see where the politics go in the next book though!

I give this a 4.5★, and I’m excitingly awaiting the next book (especially after that ending, whew!)

I will post my review to my bookstagram over the next few weeks, and will update this to add the link when I do- UPDATED NOW WITH LINK