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.

Right, this wasn't for me. If you already love the author's other works, let's leave it at that and agree to disagree. If you want to know why this book wasn't for me, read on at your own peril.

First of all, I get that the series is retelling beloved fairytales through a Medieval European lens. It's an interesting idea. However, the cultural appropriation of Mulan doesn't sit quite right with me. The author could have left the name "Mulan" right out of the book, and we would all still have recognized the tale. After all, the story of a girl who disguises herself as a man to go to war and protect her family and country isn't unique to Asia. But because we're doing the whole "fairytale" thing, we have an Asian girl who was rescued from the battlefield and brought up as a Lithuanian. I feel like that because the author was working to shove Mulan into an Eastern European context, the rest of the story was just weird (considering the whole racial tension that would have overshadowed the cross-dressing issues).

Second, I did not know that this was a work of Christian fiction. I'm of a Christian faith myself, but I found all the prayers in italics quite distracting and maybe even a little artificial. It would have made more sense to me if the novel had been written in first person. But perhaps that's my preference, and due to me not being familiar with this genre.

Finally, I just thought the prose was a bit...juvenile? Like someone abused a thesaurus. But now my inner snark is leaking. Maybe I'm still angry over Mulan being dragged across a continent to serve as a series-linking plot device.

Again, if you loved this book, I'm happy for you. Let's just disagree amicably.