Read this during elections week and that’s honestly my biggest regret. 😭 

 

Mulan is one of my favorites so knowing that this was a retelling was all I needed to know to pick up this book. Essentially, I went into it relatively blind.

I loved that it felt more grounded than the Disney version (shocker) – from opium addictions to class and political dynamics. 

Along with Song’s incorporation of a magical realm, made this story feel elevated while still being true to what we know. It was immersive in nature and the story telling incorporating the folklore with beautiful proses was wonderful to read.

 

The ending to this story leaves off on a note that makes you think “surely this is not the end of Meilin’s story” as the series is meant to continue it aims to leaving you wanting to find out more. However, I left feeling the opposite. The characters felt two-dimensional and hard to root for. The main driving force is the intrigue of this forbidden magical realm/creatures and how it unravels in their lives. At the end, so much of the magical aspect had been revealed that the occult lies within the characters that had little pull for me. 

 

I think If you are familiar with Mulan’s story and do not read a lot of fantasy because of the dense world building, this may be a good choice as you already have a leg up on the main plot.

 

Also, physically, this book is gorgeous. The only physical edition right now (in US) is the first edition hardcover and it’s insane they made it look so good. Even down to the type of paper it’s printed on.