This is by far the worst Mulan adaptation I’ve ever read.

“The Warrior Maiden” sees Mulan desperate to escape the future laid out for her simply because she is a woman and hungry for a future filled with adventure and the chance to be something greater than a wife when war comes knocking and she takes her late fathers place in the army. With men’s clothes hiding her secret she sets off to prove her worth as a soldier but complications arise and she must work with the Duke’s son to end the war and save the people she loves.

Okay so I should start by saying when I received this arc I had no idea it was part of a larger world but I was happy to see that it’s separate fairy tales for each book so I would miss some references but overall it shouldn’t hinder my reading.

That being said I really would love to hear how the other books play out because this was not Mulan’s story at all. We hit some of the classic beats from the original but the rest is altered to fit the new narrative going as far as to sideline our supposed heroine for the climax. Also apart from her appearance there is zero influence of Asian culture which is such an important component when retelling this myth, though I realize this takes place somewhere else where a majority of the population is Polish and Lithuanian I still think that the culture needed to be included somehow.

There was a lot of religion thrown in here as well and again I’m not sure if that’s a staple of this series but wow I felt like I was in Sunday school daydreaming about a badass heroine in battle only to get snapped out of it by sermons. And I know to make a strong female character they shouldn’t be one dimensional but this reimagining of the infamous character leaned way too heavily into the romance side which lead directly to her being discarded for the final showdown in favor of the male lead and that’s never going to work for me.

This was a huge disappointment and all I could think about were the rumors of Hollywood taking these kinds of liberties with the plot and the character of Mulan herself and I couldn’t be more horrified if that came to be. If you’re looking for a retelling of this classic story look anywhere else and save yourself the trouble of whatever this was.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
Mulan is a daughter of mixed heritage, but knows how to use a bow, but is terrible doing duties as a "wife". When her father dies, she disguises herself as a man to prevent her mother's home from being taken away. Her mother had set up for Mulan a man to marry, but she could not do it. It was prophesied by a friar and a priest that she would save the world from an evil man. Mulan does not have the strength as a man, but she believes deeply in God. Wolfgang is the son a duke and happens to meet Mulan in Poland to aid Duke Konrad, would is under siege by the Teutonic Knights. At first, he is angry as Mulan, not knowing she is woman since women cannot serve in the army, but due to Mulan's actions. However, as he gets to know her, he begins to respect and trust her. When Mulan's secret is revealed, he promises to protect her. They both begin to fall in the love with the other. When they prevent a strike from the Teutonic Knights, their leader seeks revenge by accusing Mulan's mother of witchcraft, a serious crime during those times. Mulan and Wolfgang travel to attend Mulan's mother's trial, where he has to confront his brother and keep the woman he loves safe.