Member Reviews
I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!
Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.
<b>If we die, we die with honor.</b>
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<u>Disclaimer:</u> I have not actually seen the Disney cartoon or movie Mulan. I know. I shall rectify this posthaste.
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The bulk of this book takes place in the Chinese Underworld. Demons and scallywags just roaming around making things harder for Mulan, Shang, and ShiShi.
<u>Note to Self:</u> Learn more about <b>Diyu</b>
I know <s>pretty much</s> nothing about Diyu. Only its name and I learned that from this book. It wasn't dissimilar from the Greek underworld from what I could tell, but that's my only underworld reference so...?
Not going to lie. I was a tad bored in the beginning. I just wanted Shang to die so that Mulan could get on with bringing him back. I was pretty excited to get to Miyu, but then it got tedious again. I never really felt engaged with the story, but that could be that I wasn't invested in the characters. I found that I was more interested in Mulan confessing to Shang that she was a woman than I was in the tasks/hurdles to get through to escape. Mostly because this is Disney and obviously they aren't going to make Mulan be a slave in the underworld. Though that would have been a savage ending.
<b>So why wasn't this famous Mushu that I've heard so much about down there with her?</b> Seriously, he's almost as famous as Mulan herself. Probably so they cold include ShiShi, who I was pretty bored with. There just wasn't much to like/dislike about him. He was loyal, but also kind of got in the way. (Hello, Meng Po!) Most of the story revolved around Shang and Mulan. I did absolutely love that in the end he was totally supportive of her, not only being honest, but her career as a soldier.
I love fairy tale retellings! Although Mulan isn't my favorite fairytale, I do love the Disney version. This was an interesting take on that version and I enjoyed it.
I was really excited to learn an Asian author was commissioned to write this story, rather than the same author who wrote the first three books in this series. This was a solid retelling, with a few twists on the Disney movie. The Underworld aspect really wasn't my thing. I went into it with an open mind, but I almost never like how the Underworld is handled. I thought my love of Mulan might change things, but nope! That's ok, though. I loooooved ShiShi. And the writing was great. All in all, I'd recommend it but not as a favorite.
I have really enjoyed these Twisted Tales by Disney. This one is great in that it references both Mulan movies and then goes in a bit of a different direction and then ties up all the endings. It is really a great read and I enjoyed learning about the Chinese underworld.
What if Mulan had gone very differently? What if Captain Shang was mortally wounded in his battle with Shan Yu, and was dying? In this latest Disney Twisted Tale, Mulan travels to the Diyu, the underworld, to bargain with ruler King Yama for Shang's life. ShiShi, the Li family guardian lion, accompanies Mulan, but finding Shang is only part of the quest: they have to make their way through Diyu before dawn, and demons, ghosts, and ancestors are at every turn. Mulan is still disguised as Ping, which causes more stress as Mulan wrestles with her own identity and Shang's trust.
This is my first Twisted Tale, but it is not going to be my last! I loved this different takes on one of my favorite beloved Disney movies. Author Elizabeth Lim keeps the essence of what makes Mulan such a strong, favorite character: her inner strength is tempered by her introspection and moments of self-doubt, making her at once relatable and inspirational; her daring and confidence and her incredible heart, make her one of the most memorable Disney women in print and on the screen. Shang is along for the ride here, but goes through his own moments of self-awareness. ShiShi is Shang's guardian and counselor and brings some well-timed humor to the story (Mushu doesn't play as big a part in Reflection, but he is there!). Reflection has the spectacle of a big-screen release, with the space to bring internal conflict to the fore. I loved it, and so will your Disney readers. Grab the set, if you don't have them yet, and put them in the hands of your fantasy readers. Let them know that Ursula's up next, with September's Part of Your World.
Did not finish. I had a hard time getting into this one. I love Mulan and I was so excited for another disney version retailing but I found myself so bored.
I'm a big Mulan fan and this book kept true to the movie while adding a cool twist, Miss Lim's writing was fantastic and the characters were excellently written. (I loved ShiShi!) The book's plot blended nicely with the movie's and the Chinese mythology made it even more entertaining. This was my first time reading a "Twisted Tales" novel and I'm definitely going to read them now.
Overall everything was perfect for me, the romance wasn't blegh and there wasn't excessive profanity (bonus points for Lim!) which I really appreciated. The book was exciting and I absolutely loved it.
Rating: 5 Stars!
FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this book in exchange for an honest review
I had been waiting eagerly for the next book in the Twisted Tales series and "Reflection" did not disappoint! Elizabeth Lim did an excellent job with Mulan's story and I highly recommend this book to any and all Disney fans out there!
Mulan is one of my all-time favorite movies and I was super excited to see this title as the fourth book in the
Twisted Tales series. This book is original while still paying tribute to the movie, which actually gave me a sigh of relief. I didn't want the character to be something completely different from what I have known but also wanted to see a new side to Mulan ...Reflection blends the old and new perfectly.
In this "wisted fairy-tale" retelling of an old Chinese folk tale, Mulan is faced with some hard choices as well as a trip to the Underworld. For teen and older fans of the Disney universe and live-action Disney films.
Ultimately, I couldn't even bring myself to finish this adaptation. It felt far too derivative and I struggled to maintain interest.
I loved the fresh take on Mulan. I love twisted fairy tale stories so I was excited about reading this book from the beginning!
This book is about if Mulan had to travel to the underworld to save Shang-Yu. I went into this book thinking that it wouldn't be very good but I was mistaken. I loved the fresh take on Mulan. I loved the Disney movie but I love this book more for putting the human side that I can relate to in this story. It not only captures the love Mulan has for Shang-Yu but also the respect and admiration from fighting together.
Part of a YA series, this retelling is the best one so far. All the books have had potential, but this one unfolds quicker than its predecessors. A Mulan adaptation that includes hints of Dante's Inferno (Divine Comedy), classic Greek stories, and fused with Chinese culture. The story flows well and after the first couple of chapters (which follow the Disney animated film closely), the pace is steady. This one has convinced me to keep reading the series. For Disney fans and readers who enjoy adaptations.
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Reflection is a variation of the actual Disney movie story, where Mulan destroys the Huns but instead of Shan Yu wounding Mulan he wounds Shang when he shoves Mulan out of the way. Mulan is devastated that because of her actions now Shang is hurt and dying. Chi fu decides to leave Captain Shang to die and prohibits anyone from helping Mulan save him. this is the beginning of their adventure, during the night Shang gets worse he is one step from death when he is visited by his father General Li and Mulan is tasked with helping save Shang from the doors of death. Mulan stars her journey to the underworld with the Li family guardian ShiShi. In the underworld in order to save Shang Mulan has to fight demons, ghosts, and the lady of Forgrtfulness. Here she also has to conquer her own fear by climbing a mountain with deadly weapons instead of grass, a fire demon, and the hall of mirrors where she face her own fears. All of this in the name of the love and respect she has for Shang.. I live the story, I have been a fan of Mulan since the Disney movie.. I really think she is one of the most powerful role models to girls that Disney has produced. Reflections gave a very different scenario for Shang and Mulan's love story to flourish, I like the premise but I think it should have included Mushu more since he is also one of the most important characters in Mulan's life, although ShiShi was a great addition to the story, it will have been great if both guardians have worked together, to save both Mulan and Shang.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Reflection is one of the first Disney twisted tales that I have read, and I enjoyed it. Reflection picks up during the fight scene against the Huns in the movie, and tells the story assuming that you have seen the Disney movie. If you have not seen the Disney movie (like my boyfriend who told me when I mentioned this book to him) then you might feel that you’re missing a lot of background to the story.
For those who have not seen the movie Mulan: Mulan disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place as a soldier in the Chinese army in a war against the Huns. Over the course of the movie, Mulan proves that a woman is just as tough as any man, and helps defeat the army.
So back to Reflection. The story picks up where Mulan is fighting against the Huns, and decides to shoot a cannon at the top of the mountain to cause an avalanche and bury the Hun army. Instead of Mulan getting hurt like in the movie, her general, Shang Li gets mortally wounded trying to save her, and won’t likely make it through the night. Mulan decides to go to the Underworld to try and save her friend and attempt to bring his soul back to his body.
I loved the originality of the story, especially when it strayed away from the Disney-sque story that I grew up knowing. The new characters like ShiShi, Shang Li’s guardian, and a few others that I won’t mention because I do not want to spoil them, are amazing.
The only issue that I had with the story was that it felt like it dragged out a lot. The writing could have been more concise.
Overall, Reflection was a cute story that added a creative flair to the original Mulan story.
The writting is beautiful. The author really use the key element in the movie and adapt them in her book. I am a huge fan of Mulan and this book is an awesome discovery for me!! The description of the underworld are incredible I can imagine myself there with Mulan and her friends. I will definetely check out Elizabeth Lim next book!! If you like adventure and you want to read an amazing Mulan retelling.. its a book for you!
I didn't finish this one. I tried, but ultimately felt disconnected and bored.