I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

No one wanted me to love this book more than I wanted me to love this book. I love a Mulan retelling, I love magic, I love a girl boss. I did not love this book. I think a large part of it is that the author calls this a Mulan retelling driven by greed - the fact that the author and narrative clearly believe Meilin is greedy for wanting, let me check my notes, to not get married to an abusive man to save another abusive man.

I also hate, hate, hate when “strong” female characters think of other women as in some way worse than her, and Meilin definitely does that.

Having read a few fantasy books with ties to Asian lore, I wanted to get into this book so much, but I just couldn't. "The Night Ends with Fire" a solid concept, but for me the way the story was being told didn't grab me as I expected.

pretty much it has a combination of modern and fantasy trope like it is inspired by Mulan, with three kingdoms conflict as well as opium war. just like Mulan she disguises herself as a man to replace her father's position (At this point it is a Mulan retelling). I don't wanna go on a hate tangent but this book has a lot of problem, plot wise and language wise. I don't want to go into specific but the author didn't seem like she did an actual research. Nevertheless, the book is so bland as if a teenager who wrote a mulan fanfic on wattpad

i liked this one not love. Mulan retellings will always draw me in. i enjoyed the pacing but did find it a tad repeditive

This was a good fantasy novel. I really enjoyed the main character and seeing her character develop through out the book. I mean, who doesn't love a strong female MC that defies expectations and insurmountable odds?

I will recommend this book to fantasy readers.

A Mulan retelling but let's make it dark? Heck yea, sign me up!

I simply loved this idea of Mulan, or Meilin in this case, being driven by selfish, power hungry needs but deluding herself into thinking it's for the good of the land. It plays beautifully into that morally grey area.

The story is rich with lore, political intrigue and hints of dark magic. The romance part was more so OK for me. I'm not totally convinced by either love interest, though I admit being drawn to one slightly more than the other.

That ending had me wishing for the second book like now. I cannot wait to see K.X. Song concludes Meilin's story (lol secretly hoping for a not so happy ending because I'm a lil dark twisted sometimes).

Fantastic read. I was so wary to read this because I'm a huge fan of Mulan and I am always worried that retellings are going to stray too far from what you fall in love with in the first place. This is not the case for this book. This book goes beyond what we know and love, and brings you closer to the characters and the story than ever before. I'm excited to get more from this author.

I see the connection to the Mulan story with a girl masquerading as a boy, and while I felt this book had a ton of potential, it didn't quite deliver on all of its promises. I lost interest midway, but will still be getting the book for our collection as I do think we have readers who will enjoy this.

Inspired by the legend of Mulan, THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE is K.X. Song’s adult fantasy debut that was a lot of fun to read.

Hai Meilin is sold to marriage for her dowry by her father to supply his opium addiction. To escape her new abusive husband-to-be, she takes her fate into her own hands and joins the imperial army under a disguise of a man named Ren. Once in the army, her days are spent working tirelessly to grow physically strong and earn the respect of her peers. At the same time, she starts having visions of a dragon that tempts her with what she’s been looking for her whole life—power and freedom.

This book was a ride! Honestly, it took me a long time to finish this but this was by 100% choice. I purposely only read this at night right before bed as a treat for myself. Usually, something this fun I binge, but this time I tortured myself and savored. It was worth it.

I loved Meilin as a character because of her grit and ambition. Sure, she was kind and clever, but it was her greed for power that made her interesting. I did wish there was more of a character arc to her, but I suspect we will see this in the second book. I also mostly enjoyed the mythology and world building, though I did want to know more about how the magic worked. The political intrigue was also interesting and a theme that I hope Song explores more of in the second installment.

I did not love the romance subplot though. I wanted more about Meilin’s ambition and desire, but the romance felt unnecessary and distracting.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and will definitely be picking up the second book. If you enjoy retellings, this one is for you.

“I understood now why I was called a perversion. It was unnatural for a woman to have this kind of ambition, and yet I existed. My existence was my birthright, and it would be my justification.”

The Night Ends With Fire follows Meilin, a girl that wants to escape her lot in life as a woman that finds her chance after her father wants to dodge the draft when their kingdom is at war. She then disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.

With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.

I personally loved the darker Mulan retelling aspects because duty and family do not always need to go above personal ambition. Once someone is scorned over and over it's hard to keep imagining that they'll want to fight for the same system that keeps them down.

Meilin is just a girl that wanted nothing more than to be SEEN as more than property but rather humanized as a person. Aren't we all yearning for that level of humanity? Her ambition comes from a place deep within her, a fire that can't be put out. If you were a fan of Iron Widow you'd absolutely love this book too.

I think about that last scene WAY too often and I daydream about how the author is going to write book 2 from there while I eagerly await it.

rep// asian cast and setting

cw// misogyny, loss of a parent, parent abuse, gore, torture

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC!

Two stars, so sorry, I think the way it's written is just not for me. I know that it was piggy-backing off the story of Mulan and honestly, I love that she was in an arranged marriage and that's why she's trying to get away and conscripted into the army. I will, however, say that the rest of the writing fails to capture my interest and the author's writing style and what I love reading just don't match up well

Where we follow Meilin, a young woman who disguises herself as a boy to join the army in place of her opium-addicted father.
Her journey is filled with magic, romance, and self-discovery as she navigates the complexities of war and her own identity.

An action packed book inspired by the Mulan story!

Inspired by is the key word here, as people expecting more Mulan influences might be disappointed.

The way magic was incorporated into this world, as well as the political stuff, was extremely well done. I never felt super attached to any of the characters (though I was still interested in them!) but the plot and everything kept me glued to this book.

Meh! I would've loved this more if it had been closer to the actual Mulan movie. So many things made no sense about this story and it was just too long.

“They would never let a woman get away with something like this.”
“Something like what?”
“They would never let a woman hold on to power.”
The Night Ends with Fire is a darker Mulan retelling packed with twists and turns. As a huge fan of the story of Mulan, I was very excited to read this book. K. X. Song does a great job entwining parts of the story we all know and love, with new plot details and giving a bit of a darker side. There was not much spice, so do not go into it looking for a sexier twist, but there is a lot of *heat*.

I could not see his face, but I could hear the lethal emotion in his voice. “I protect what’s mine.”
The ending left me feeling out of sorts, and once you read the story you will know why. There is magic and dragons and the pull of good vs evil. All in all, I would recommend The Night Ends With Fire as a more serious fantasy read.
This book was provided in exchance for an honest review graphic

I enjoyed this book and I don't know if I can really explain why. I do want to state, this is not a romantasy. If you're going into this expecting a fluffy filling, you'll be disappointed. It's pretty straightforward. I would have maybe enjoyed a bit more fluff overall (because I was expecting it) but it didn't need it. Just manage your expectations there.

I did supplement the read with the audiobook just due to time/obligation restraints. I'm not sure if it helped keep me engaged but I do recommend the audio of you're on the fence.

Overall, I'm really curious what K.X. will do with future books, whether this series will continue or if they'll develop another story.

I received this but as an ARC and am leaving my review honestly and voluntarily.

The Night Ends With Fire is one of my favorite reads of 2024 thus far. I loved that it is only a Mulan story in the most bare bones way, with a few scenes or parts of the plot loosely honoring the classic story, but yet it was wholly its own story. I was always on my toes but also the story felt familiar.

I loved every moment of Meilin’s journey as she uses her skills and her wits to navigate some very difficult situations. Nothing was too easy for her and things often did not go her way, but at no point did I feel that she was incompetent. The realistic interactions, reactions, and outcomes kept me present in the story the entire book.

I can’t forget to mention the princes. This also may be the first time I have enjoyed a love triangle. Sky is very clearly the “safe” choice, but his inactions clearly cost her (the ending had me screaming). Lei fed my feral girlie heart; He was unpredictable but yet said things like “I protect what is mine” in the most swoony way. I hope that Meilin and Lei find themselves escaping together in the second book (fingers crossed, a girl can hope).

I cannot wait for the second installment!

The Night Ends with Fire was a much more intense and crazy adventure than I anticipated, and I had a great time with it! I am a huge Mulan fan, but I often find there to be too many Mulan-inspired stories or retellings where many of them don't live up to the hype, so I was a little hesitant going into this one. Fortunately, I think it stood enough on its own to make for a really strong, entertaining story that kept me engaged and told it's own story at the same time. There were a lot of different tropes explored in this book in different ways that felt both familiar and like they brought something new to the table (especially seeing a good stepparent!). I unfortunately didn't find myself connecting all that much to any of the characters and because of that I feel like I personally struggled to fully get into this story. That being said, I think this is an awesome fantasy and it will make a great read for many people.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for a free finished copy of this novel. #berkley #berkleypartner The sprayed edges are gorgeous and I’m so grateful to have it on my shelves!

Mulan is one of my favorite Disney characters, so when I heard that this book was inspired by that storyline, I couldn’t want to get my hands on it! I was so fortunate to receive a book box for The Night Ends with Fire from Berkley Publishing and I had so much fun reading the novel and the corresponding letters that were to be opened with certain chapters. I loved the main character, Meilin, and her journey throughout the novel. She was so fierce and strong in her convictions that she was an easy character to stand behind and root for her success. I really enjoyed the magical/spiritual elements and how much Meilin’s confidence grew with her gift. This book was a wild ride and kept me wanting more until the very end! Highly recommend this read to fantasy lovers who like a fierce female lead and a storyline with lots of action and craftiness!