I was incredibly excited about this book - a feminist retelling of Mulan? Sign me up! However, for some reason, I did not realize that this book would be so religion-heavy. Unfortunately, I am not religious so this aspect of the book mostly ruined the overall fun for me.

I think those who would enjoy a good, clean fun retelling of a fantastic heroine will enjoy this book much more than I did!

This is an adventurous reimagining of the story of Mulan. Many aspects remain the same as in the original, but the changes are enjoyable. The story has plenty of action without the gore of many fantasy books. This one is good for the entire family!

Melanie has done it again. A long time favorite of mine, I always preorder her books and have never been disappointed. Mulan was all that I hoped it be. I love the creative way Melanie takes old fairy tales and weaves them together. While reading previous books is not necessary, it is nice to see old characters and get more information to the backdrop. Mulan is a tough, but humble and lovable heroine. Wolfgang is her match in every way and I loved reading through the tension of these two discovering themselves and each other.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheWarriorMaiden #NetGalley

The Warrior Maiden, is the story of Mulan, but don't think of Disney's Mulan because the Mulan in this story, doesn't live in China. When Mulan's father dies, she decides to desguise herself as a soldier so her mother can keep her home. Mulan shows bravery among her fellow soldiers and hides her identity
As a woman, as long as she can. Filled with battles, castles and romance.

Having read nearly all of Melanie Dickerson's previous works, I knew that The Warrior Maiden would be excellent. There were certainly some surprises though that I was not expecting. To begin with, in previous books the name of the main character did not give away the fairy tale the story was based on. This book did right away so the reader does not have to guess and piece together clues to figure it out. However, even though many readers may be familiar with the overall story, the large variation in setting requires others changes as well. Compared to previous works in this series, I found that the male character had a much more prominent role than I recalled in the other books. I found the larger emphasis on warriors, knights, and war allowed the male perspective to be emphasized. The story also alternates between the two main characters which provides deeper insights into both.

While this book is number 9 in a series, it is not necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this title.characters. That said, characters from previous books in the series are mentioned in passing and knowledge of the previous books is helpful. Dickerson's books are written from a Christian perspective but are not pushy. The middle ages setting provides the perfect opportunity for prayer and Bible verses to be included and seem a natural part of the story. Dickerson also does a fantastic job of including accurate historical detail.

The typical audience for these books is teen girls. I have found them to be completely enjoyable and would encourage anyone of any age to read them. I did find that this particular addition to the series with the more prominent male characters may be interesting to young teen boys and could be considered as a read-aloud for a mixed group.

Definitely not Disney's Mulan and better for it a great read full of action and romance i highly recommend

Mulan isn’t afraid to pretend to be a son and assume her father’s soldier duties in war. But what happens when the handsome son of a duke discovers her secret? Mulan is trying to resign herself to marrying the village butcher for the good of her family, but her adventurous spirit just can’t stand the thought. At the last minute, she pretends to be the son her father never had, assumes his duties as a soldier, and rides off to join the fight to protect the castle of her liege lord’s ally from the besieging Teutonic Knights. Wolfgang and his brother Steffan leave Hagenheim with several other soldiers to help their father’s ally in Poland. When they arrive, Wolfgang is exasperated by the young soldier Mikolai who seems to either always be one step away from disaster . . . or showing Wolfgang up in embarrassing ways. When Wolfgang discovers his former rival and reluctant friend Mikolai is actually a girl, he is determined to protect her. But battle is a dangerous place where anything can happen—and usually does. When Mulan receives word that her mother has been accused of practicing witchcraft through her healing herbs and skills, Mulan’s only thought is of defending her. Will she be able to trust Wolfgang to help? Or will sacrificing her own life be the only way to save her mother?

I was so exited to read The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson when I was approved for it via NetGalley. I'm usually ready for anything involving my favorite Disney (and legendary) character Mulan, and the description of this novel sounded fantastic. Unfortunately, now that I've read it I can say that this novel just didn't work for me. Firstly, I had no idea that this novel was actually the ninth book in the Hagenheim series. Obviously, I felt a little lost from the get-go. Secondly, so much of what I love about Mulan as a character (and story) are gone - her identity has been stripped away. Thirdly, I knew that it was a Christian YA book going in which is fine, but sometimes I felt like I was reading a sermon rather than anything else. Overall, Dickerson's newest novel just wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I might have felt differently about it if I had read the first eight books in the series, but then again this version of Mulan wasn't exactly to my liking. Thanks, but no thanks, NetGalley.

~~I was given an ARC copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion~~

I will preface this review by saying that I was not aware that this story is part of an existing world and series. Since I didn't have that knowledge, I found it hard to understand the world building and why the storyline was going the way that it was. The main character has a Mulan-esque story line, stepping into her father's commission as a soldier. The geographic location has been altered for the story line, moving it to eastern Europe (which made no sense to me until I realized it was part of an entire series of books). I didn't care much for the main character or her counter-parts and wasn't particularly interested in her battles or growth. However, this may have been different had I followed the series from the start.

I received a copy though NetGalley for review.

I've got to say it's not often I feel like I need to pick apart a book, but this one, really deserves it.
I'm very good a letting a storyline lead its self and go with it most of the time.
I actually cannot finish reading this.
And I can let go the fact that this version of Mulan was edited down to fit within her existing storyline and world of Hagenheim. If you are in any way looking for a more historical or closer accounting of Mulan in any way, keep away from this.

Mulan as we find her here is living in a sort of Christian fictional version of Poland as the illegitimate daughter from Asia, who was brought back after her mother died to be raised in her father's household. As he and his wife had no other children, Mulan is raised as their daughter. Some historical elements are blended into this reality.
Mulan's father has suddenly died and she decides to take his place in the army to battle against the Teutonic Knights who are revenging the countryside. To prevent her home from being seized by their overlord.
Mulan's only skills seem to be archery and climbing things. She doesn't seem to have much of a developed personality either. Just the standard "one dimensional girl wants more" and that wasn't even that strong of a pull.

I've read plenty of books in eras where characters worry about sin and propriety, with some religious overtones, but this kept slapping uncomfortable dull sermons in every scene that could have added to the plot. And instead made it so awkward.
As I said I can't actually get though with reading this. I know there's a romance so stiff that you could snap it like a twig, with zero heat coming. And I have no desire to be hit over the head with more sermons.

I was excited to read this initially. But it's a hot mess.

This was a very vibrant and immersive read that scratched my love for fairy tale retellings.

At first I was worried that Mulan was being a bit white washed with the Lithuania setting. But I was relieved that the author did keep her Asian and as a mixed person myself I love that she was mixed too in this story.

This being my first book from Dickerson, it took me a bit to realize that Mulan's story was being told in a broader fairy tale retelling universe and that's why it was based in Europe. I am definitely intrigued and would like to read her other books in this series.

I am a religious person so I did like the medieval references to the Bible and Christianity in the dark ages but I understand that part could be off-putting to others. It is kinda a major part of the plot development.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Warrior Maiden is a retelling of the Mulan story that transfers Mulan into Lithuania where she becomes involved in the holy wars being fought between Poland and Germany. The story has a strong Christian message, and much of the book focuses on characters’ discussions, internal monologues, and their reflections about God. At times, this focus made the characters' dialog seem stilted and a little unnatural, especially in light of how mature they are in other places; their surety about religion seemed at odds with how unsure they were about everything else. The battle scenes were infrequent but excellent. The retelling was interesting and brought new aspects to the mythology of Mulan. The story did need some balance between philosophical ideas and world building and action.

'God knew you were brave and fierce. And that you would give Him the glory.'

I have long been a fan of Melanie Dickerson and her faith based retelling of fairy tales. Because I think you're never too old for fairy tales! I love how she fleshes them out and adds the spiritual element. I had never heard the story of Mulan, so this was new to me. Mulan was such a brave and fearless warrior. I truly enjoyed this installment from Dickerson's pen.

*My thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishers a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion stated here is entirely my own..

I'm familiar with Melanie Dickerson's other fairy tale retellings, so I knew what to expect when I read The Warrior Maiden. It follows along the same path as the other books in the series, but this time, the story provides us with a more notable heroine, Mulan.

My biggest beef with Dickerson's stories is they are often predictable and cheesy. While I'm not one to harp on something for being cheesy, there were moments while reading that I actually cringed because of something a character said or did. In addition, the story follows along a similar vein to the other books in the Hagenheim series, which relieves the book of any tension as events fall into place easily. 

This book includes a lot more action and battle scenes than previous Hagenheim books, which gives it a much needed edge. The writing style isn't hard to read, but it's often more telling than showing, which can bog down a story. There are also numerous rhetoric questions scattered throughout as characters debate within themselves for answers. I wish instead of questioning each other the characters would just communicate with each other. There was a lot of unnecessary drama because of their lack of communication. 

As for the adaptation of the original story, it has the basic idea of a woman disguising herself as a man to fight, but the similarities end there. Mulan does keep her Chinese ethnicity, with good reason, which brings another layer of tension to her character arc. But most of the plot has been devised to fit into the Europe-centric history Dickerson has used in previous novels. Yes, Mulan does save the land, but it's not China she saves, it's Lithuania. 

But the one thing The Warrior Maiden does right is Mulan's character. The resilient, strong nature of the Chinese warrior remains intact. No matter what she is facing—misogynist suitors, a battalion of soldiers, or her own heart's desire—she does not give up. She fights for her family and more importantly for herself. 

This book is put out by a Christian publisher so the characters often talk about God, pray, and quote scripture. While some aspects of this are uplifting, the mindset came across a bit too modern for the historical setting. The inclusion of faith did not hinder my reading of the story in any way. 

Overall, The Warrior Maiden is a predictable, light retelling of the Ballad of Mulan. Dickerson takes a lot of liberties with the original story as the setting is in Europe, but she does give realistic reasoning behind Mulan's ethnicity. If you like Dickerson's other books or you want a clean, straightforward historical romance, give The Warrior Maiden a try.

The Warrior Maiden is book nine from Melanie Dickerson’s series, Hagenheim. In this installment, a reader gets a retelling of the fairy tale of Mulan. I thought this was a fun and unique retelling of a tale that I do not normally see being retold. I thought Mulan’s story was great.
I give The Warrior Maiden five plus stars. It is definitely my favorite of the series that I have read. I highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
There have been many retellings of Mulan recently, but I haven’t read any of them and thought it was time. Thanks to NetGalley I was able to read the new book. Now I went into this read knowing very little about the book (I find this best with retellings) except that it was a part of a larger series.
Unlike many Mulan versions, this novel was set in Lithuania in medieval times. I found the setting very odd, some might find it a breath of fresh air, but I found it strange like the author was attempting to force all these fairy tale characters into one location (numerous famous characters had their stories take place in Lithuania). I admit I know the bare minimum of Poland during this period and perhaps that affects how I view some of the events of the story.
After Mulan’s abusive, drunk father dies of sickness, Mulan pretends to be his son to serve as a soldier and allow her mother to keep their house. With the help of her younger friend Andre, her father’s assistant, she becomes a soldier for the local Duke Konrad to fight the invading Teutonic Knights. Meanwhile, Wolfgang and Steffen, (young men related to Aladdin by marriage) set off to do the same, but Steffen deserts, joining the Knights instead in hopes of finding glory and becoming a knight.
The characters were one dimensional, having only one goal and every little emotion. A few emotions were raised in the conflict but overcome with ease, more like a side thought to make things seem better motivated. As with the classic Mulan story, the skilled soldier, Wolfgang, falls for Mulan and she for him yet believed she could not to be with him. There was no real emotional connection between the two, they were good soldiers and the main characters, therefore, they must fall in love, but it can’t be too easy, so the writer made her hesitant to be with him. The secondary characters were few and far between, with no wants of their own (besides Steffen) and offered little to the story. The dialogue, just like the characters, was flat, dull and very scripted making the story even less exciting.

The writing style was dull, relying on telling instead of showing. This slowed down the action and failed to engage me as a reader. Along with this, the theme was very Christian preaching, stating that God will solve everything, God has a plan, etc. This also made the action less enticing; if God will solve it, why would there be any risk to Mulan? I am not religious and quickly became tired of the preachiness. Perhaps this made me the wrong audience for this book.

The villains of the story, Rusdorf and his Teutonic Knights, had little reason to do their diabolical acts apart from the story needing the conflict. They said they were doing God’s work, but their emotion and conflict were lacking, making them one dimensional. During the battles, there was no real threat to Mulan nor were they difficult for her. It made the story lack any hook and, added together with the one-dimensional characters, made the novel predictable. Why bother reading if you already know what will happen?

I found this novel slow with flat characters and dialogue, dull conflict and tiresome religious themes. Trying to force every fairy tale character into one location (a location very different from where they’re originally from) didn’t seem natural, very obviously a desire by the author for a series in the same place. The story failed to engage me, and I give it 2/5.

Mulan lives with her mother, and takes upon herself to become a warrior so her mother won’t lose her house, as well as getting away from a man she doesn’t wish to marry. She has her father’s armor bearer and dear friend with her. We have the brothers Steffan and Wolfgang in this one, though the story focuses on Wolfgang and Mulan’s ventures. Engaging and hard to put down. This one is another winner in the Hagenheim series.
A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas Nelson. A review was not required and all thoughts are my own.

This is an interesting story about a Mulan-like heroine. But Mulan lives in medieval Europe, not China, and the enemy is the Teutonic Knights, not Genghis Khan.
Mulan is an 18 year old girl who has just lost her father, and she has to pretend to be a boy and fight in a war in order to keep her home.
Mulan has learned archery, horsemanship, and a minimal amount of fighting skills through Andrei, a 12 year old orphan taken in by the family.
As Mulan joins a group of warriors, she has to speak in a gruff voice and use her archery and climbing skills to aid in the battles. She and Wolfgang, a Duke’s son, do well in an archery contest and they join forces in battle.
Mulan fulfills an ancient prophecy - you will have to read the story for yourself to see what that is and what happens between Mulan and Wolfgang.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the 9th book in this series. I love the mulan inspiration. It was a little slow pace for me but i enjoyed it even when i didnt read the other books. I was able to understand the story.

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for a review. All of my opinions are my own, and are in no way affected by the exchange.

First, I requested this book because I saw Mulan and was INSTANTLY down for it. I wish that I had read more into the synopsis or had known that it a Historical Christian Fiction book because I would have passed it up. It wasnt the worst read but I really did not care or understand the characters and their motivations at all.

3/5 stars

I have mixed feelings on this book. First, everyone should know that this is a Christian historical fiction retelling of Mulan set in the author's Hagenheim world. I don't think it has been stated or advertised enough as a work of Christian fiction. It can definitely throw off any readers if it is not your normal genre. 

Mulan, as in stories past, is a very likable and awkward girl in the beginning and during training. She makes multiple clumsy mistakes throughout the story, but still manages to overcome it all in the end of this retelling. I love how her character falls down, but continues to get back up again! Mulan grows as a character while continuing to prove her intelligence and bravery several times on the battlefield. 

My favorite parts in the story were some of the more quiet moments between Mulan and Wolfgang. I really enjoyed when they were getting to know each other and looking beyond first bad impressions to become friends. In this version, Mulan's secret comes out a little sooner than the very end which I loved because you were able to see a romantic relationship between the two main characters develop. I also liked that Mulan's adoptive mother had a larger role and stronger influence on Mulan in this story. Mulan had very strong ties to her family and I loved that this element of the story stayed true. 

I'd like to point out that I didn't have an issue with Mulan being in this world. I actually liked it. The background story gave the reason why and it made sense to me. I believe it also added an additional element to her feeling out of place (being Lithuanian vs. Hagenheim) other than just being clumsy or a female in a male dominated world. Her overall sense of not belonging made her character more identifiable and you loved her more for it. 

Unfortunately, towards the last half of the story is when it felt off for me. In this retelling, a man saves the day at the very end. This story development didn't sit well with me at all and honestly rubbed me the wrong way. How the actual event came about was even worse, but we are lead to believe Mulan forgave her love interest and friends without a second thought. It was odd to say the least and it seemed out of character for more than one of the main characters which I just can't shrug off. 

There were also several moments throughout the story that I thought were on the preachy side. I understand if religion was used to move the story along or had a significance in bonding characters, but it was too often used as excuses to insert sermons or repetitive phrases. I felt that religion was mentioned so much that it was distracting from the overall plot and story. It took away from the moments that those beliefs could've been meaningful to the characters and have a profound impact on the reader and their feelings. Ultimately, the overuse took away from the times where it was truly used well and watered those moments down. 

Overall, this was a solid okay read for me. I really enjoyed the story, but felt certain parts could have been cut or left out completely. I would still consider reading more of the author's previous or future works someday. It's possible that this Mulan story just wasn't my favorite. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I'd like to thank those publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.