4.25 stars

"What does our ambition cost us?"

An excellent Mulan retelling, a story that is certainly still relevant today. This version also threw in some fantastical components, some of which didn't totally work for me. Still, I really appreciated that Meilin was motivated by her own ambition and that she was the "perfect" heroine. The author's note was thought-provoking, and I am certainly glad I opted to pick up this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 rounded up for the sake of being nice.

I know this is going to sound rude, but everything about this story was just mid to me. I think there are some readers out there who are just going to look at this as a fun fantasy romp and gobble it up, but I really wanted more out of this as a Mulan inspired story. I didn’t want it to be an exact retelling, which it isn’t, but it is similar enough that it felt uninspired. The characters were all pretty flat. The setting… well, if I hadn’t lived in China previously I’m not sure what I would be picturing. The relationships were mostly surface level as well. It just felt very meh.

I want to talk about the characters first. Meilin should be a hero that I want to root for. I’m happy that she is joining the honor not out of duty or honor for her family or whatever, but for herself. I’m happy that she is breaking out of the roles that society has offered her. I’m glad that she isn’t settling with an abusive husband. However, she doesn’t read like an adult protagonist. She reads like the teenager she is. She reads young and naive. Which, as someone who saw this pitched as adult and isn’t reading as much young adult anymore nor enjoying it for those reasons, that was pretty disappointing. As for the characters around her, they also didn’t really feel fully fleshed out. I guess, Ming Lei is the next fleshed out. Sky just felt more like a persona than a person, which is maybe intentional. Also, yes, his name is Sky because the naming conventions don’t stay the same for each character. We have Meilin and Lei, but then we also have Sky, Sparrow, and Winter. It bothered me a little.

The general plot of this follows most of the Mulan stories, with a little journey to get the MacGuffin. There is a few things add to make it “adult” as far as I can tell, but honestly, it’s still pretty mild. I saw someone comparing this to The Poppy Wars. No, no, no. Stop. The only thing they really have in common is two women going to war in Chinese inspired settings. That’s mostly it. Some of the ideas behind the magic might feel similar because they stem from the same mythos in a way, but generally no. I think if you go into this with the expectation that it is going to be similar to that series, you will be disappointed.

Honestly, this books main failure for me is the lack of tension at almost every turn. In the beginning we’re waiting for some explosive even to set this whole book going and it doesn’t really happen. Then we’re waiting for someone to find out Meilin’s identity. Which does eventually happen, but is pretty…anti-climatic. Then we’re waiting for this whole war and epic battle thing. Which… do you see the trend yet? And then the ending. Good god. I just by that point didn’t even care and the ending didn’t really help.

Overall, if you’re looking for a pretty straight forward Mulan retelling, that is ever so slightly edgier than this could be for you. If you don’t mind that it reads like young adult, this could be for you. If you don’t mind a love triangle when the girl should be out there looking out for herself than this could be for you. If you don’t mind that our main character is out there to prove herself because she is underestimated and not women as a whole, than this novel could be for you. This just wasn’t for me. Also, it’s 2024, can’t Sky be like bisexual since he’s attracted to her as a male and a female? Or oh, you’re going to write it off in part as some bullshit explanation. I see.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

I have some very mixed feelings about this book.

I think it was a very interesting take on a Mulan retelling. And I love some of the directions Song decided to take in giving us that retelling. Especially when it comes to the mythology and magic of the world.

I really enjoyed the story up until about the halfway point of part 2. But that was where the book started losing me a little.
There were a few parts that threw me pacing wise. Parts that slowed a little or gave mixed intentions. And I'm still very on the fence with the ending of the book itslef.
But for the most part, the story was fairly fast paced and intriguing. And the almost suspense of Meilin possibly being found out helped keep you engaged in the story.

And while I liked the characters for the most part, there were also times that I found myself confused by some characters intentions or motives. Some of that I could clearly see was intentionally done to show the fickleness of the world and the peoples beliefs. But some also just seemed very forced.
I also had a very long moment where I was ready to throw hands after there being so much tension building, and then feeling like those moments were being turned on their head.

Let me just start my thoughts on the ending by stating that I don't think it is a bad ending. It is a very interesting way to end it. And almost gave me this Icarus type moment even. And a book giving me an ending I'm not expecting is always a fun surprise. It just also made me a little sad. I felt like so much had built up and then it was sort of wasted in the end. But I guess that was probably the point haha.

Overall I liked this one. It was a interesting story and had some pretty compelling characters. But it also left me with just a sense of wanting by the end of things too (even though I think that was the point)

I give THE NIGHT ENDS WITH FIRE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 STARS⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: 4.5/5
I received this eARC for my honest opinion.

This is a Mulan retelling, and I loved every part of this book. I can’t wait until the next book is out and We get more information and to find out what man Merlin will lean more towards. This review will be really hard for me to write because all I want to say is that I loved, loved this book…. End of story but I know I can’t just say that so I will do my best to not ruin this book with any spoilers.

In a world where women are not supposed to think but just smile and do as they’re told. To have ambitions is unwomanly, to fight is unwomanly, to think outside the box and voice it is unwomanly. However, Merlin is not your normal young adult, she wants more than the life that she was born into. Meilin is forced into an arranged marriage, and after seeing how her future husband treats the servants she decides to run and join the army. She dresses like a man and learns to act like one. She does well because she is already trained qi gong and kung fu, her qi gong is not the best because she only has some control over it but she is always working on it. She learns that she is more like her mother, than her father and herself would have ever thought and now she worries that she might be killed for the spirit powers that are in blood… oh and the fact that she is a woman.

If you’re looking for a great YA fantasy that is a retelling, has elemental magic, romance (love-triangle),secrets, and action this is a book you need to read. I thought the author did a great job with attention to details from the smallest ones to the larger ones. I could feel what the character was feeling and I felt as though I was there with Meilin. I thought the pace of the book was just right for being the first book of a series and I can’t wait to see what will happen next. The world-building was done amazingly and I didn’t see anything lacking. I loved that this author showed the woman stereotypes and that women can do anything that they put their minds to. I love that you will see a strong, not all the time confident, sometimes too trusting when she shouldn’t be, she is proud and patriotic, she is also loyal to her family and friends that she holds dear (even in the darkness). I loved watching her character grow throughout the book and see her still fighting the country and her friends for her freedom and to change how women are seen.

As for the other characters in the book, they were well written and you can see by the ending how they will play their roles in this book and the future ones. For Prince Liu Sky, I liked him right away but something felt off, and later on in the book I finally understood what it was and I was like OMG i like you…but I have been burned liking the first male character in love-triangles so I made sure that I kept him not too close lol. I liked how he wasn’t like his father (the ruler) and that he kept an open mind, even when he found out the truth about things he was upset about and like anyone would be that way. I do wish that we had a little more between Sky and Meilin though, so I hope in book 2 we get to see more. With Cao Ming Lei, look I love the villain who gets the happy ending in books and I loved him right away. I could just tell that there was more to him and the more you get to know him the more you start liking him. I thought he had some really creative ways to help bring this war to an end and at the same time you know he is on the wrong side of Meilin, but you can’t help but like him. I liked that he didn’t have any issues with girls serving in the army. I am team Cao Ming Lei, but I want to give Sky a chance…. Just a little bit.

I didn’t know what I was expecting when I got this book but it was everything that I hoped that it would be and more. I found a connection to the characters right away, I found the world-building to be amazing and just drawn into the whole book. I lost myself while reading it and when the end came I was so sad because now I have to wait forever to see what book two will bring us. This book will be on my top favorite reads this year for sure.

I want to thank NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review this book and please let me read the next one lol.

This read is a knock out! From the opening pages to the absolute GUT PUNCH of an ending, The Night Ends With Fire is the Mulan retelling I didn’t know I needed in my life. Natalie Naudus is the audiobook narrator and I truly can not imagine a better reading experience than listening to her raw, heartfelt delivery of Song’s words. For readers who enjoy layered, action filled story telling about fierce women- grab a copy of The Night Ends With Fire!

The Night Ends with Fire is author K.X. Song's debut adult fantasy debut. In order to rewrite her destiny, Meilin disguises herself as a man (Hai Ren) and joins the army in this fantasy duology inspired by Mulan and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This story is a mixture of fantasy, mythology, and Chinese history, legends, and folklore. The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, and the ongoing attempt by debt collectors to collect what he owes, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry.

Meilin also has fate hanging over her head. "They say a girl with an ill-fated mother is doomed to follower in her footsteps." Meilin only knows the stories about what happened to her mother, not the truth. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands. With a little help from her stepmother Xiuying, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.

Despite being smaller and having less strength than the other soldiers, Meilin quickly improves thanks to her nightly training sessions with Sky, a handsome prince she can’t get out of her head. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, she starts to hear a dragon’s voice inside her head and realizes it comes from the necklace she inherited from her mother which is inhibited with black magic. She needs to decide which is more important to her: duty or gaining power at all costs.

With the kingdoms at war her position vacillates between political pawn or powerful warrior, honor or death if her secret is revealed and submission or freedom to be who she was meant to be. 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.

*Thoughts* Can I say that I saw the ending coming? Especially when certain events happen and her identity is revealed by traitors whose lives she had already saved. Meilin finds herself torn by two men in this book. Sky and a man known as Lei, Prince of the Ximing Province. While Lei wants to use "Mulan" as she calls herself after she is captured, Sky tries to save her from fate that doesn't look so good at the moment. So, I've seen the original Mulan, and the Mulan that was remade and edited by the People's Republic of China to ensure conformity. This book is original at almost all aspects. So, yes, I do plan on finishing this duology to find how Meilin survives.

I am DNF-ing this eARC at 14% for the sake of my own sanity.

Frankly, I'm embarrassed on behalf of everyone who was involved in the publishing of this book; it's concerning that this manuscript was considered refined enough to be published, much less published as an *adult* fantasy.

The writing is juvenile and unfinished, almost akin to a post you'd find deep in the dregs of an echo chamber masquerading as an online forum. The sentences lacked flow, structure, or creativity, from the "He watched me as I watched him" to the "Yes, I was fast. I was clever too" every word of this story oozed sub-par mediocrity that was trying too hard to be...pretentious? Witty? It's hard to say, and at times it felt as if the author herself was unsure of the direction of her own story. The tone of the writing was completely inconsistent, ranging from the above to long-winded passages alluding to future world-building, resulting in a book that felt unfinished.

The character work was deeply lacking, it felt as though the main character had achieved the height of character development even before the book started; as mentioned above, she's "fast" and "clever", and "learned qi gong and kung fu from a young age until my ability surpassed my master's". Oh, but don't worry in case you forget she's a "master" of kung fu, Meilin makes sure to remind readers every single chapter. With her character so fully "developed", there is no room for character growth, which means the main character is flat and one-dimensional, and the one conflict the plot revolves around is how much her society hates women. And just in case you forget THAT, there's a fun passage at the start of each chapter that reiterates just how much this culture revolves around hating women. It's one thing for authors not to trust their readers, its another to constantly be on the edge of mistrust and paranoia that you feel the need to thrust your verbiage over and over to the point of beating the point to death.

All I have to say about the plot, at least what I had read of it so far, is that this book is heavily mis-marketed as a Mulan retelling; at best its a direct copy and paste of the Disney musical movie, and at its worse its a lazy regurgitation of a very Westernized rendition of a beloved Chinese female hero. Either way you cut it, the plot did not hold enough promise for me to keep reading.

Suffice to say, I did not enjoy the 14% of this book I read, but for what its worth, it did give me a boost of confidence. Because if a book this disastrous was able to be published by a big name publisher, we all have hope of becoming published someday.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing Group, Ace, and Netgalley for the e-ARC of The Night Ends With Fire. This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions based on the advance copy I read.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

One of my absolute favorite Disney movies is Mulan. So when I heard this is a Mulan retelling, I had to read it. And it hasn't disappointed. At all. Its the Mulan legend, elevated with Chinese mythology, excellent storytelling, and loveable characters. The first half got me fully wrapped up in all the Mulan vibes. From Meilin running away to join the army in her father's stead, to her befriending the Prince, to her getting discovered. The world building during part one did hold the plot back a bit, but considering how rich this world is that K. X. Song has built, I didn't mind one bit. I enjoyed getting to know Meilin and the Prince and all her friends during the first half. It made moving into Part 2 exciting.

And on my god, Part 2 is everything I love in a fantasy romances. The stakes got higher. The tension between Prince Sky and Meilin was delicious, especially when the second love interest starts giving Prince Sky a run for his money. The camaraderie between Meilin and her friends was everything. I'm honestly sold on this book and I'm excited for the sequel, especially after that cliffhanger.

K.X. Song's writing is easy to read, which is great for readers new to fantasy or for those fantasy veterans (like me) who need a break from those heavy, intensive Fantasies (also me). Her style flows beautifully and captivates the imagination brilliantly. She's given us an action-packed story that kept me up late into the night binge reading.

Rating 4⭐️. Spice 1🌶️


This is a Mulan retelling that I enjoyed immensely. Thought this is not same as the disney version, this book can be very crude at times some of it’s scenes can be very explicit, I was not expecting that in this book but it was a nice surprise it made the book more real and help me to sympathize more with Meilin.

I love her journey she is such a strong character that is fighting for what she wants no matter what she has to do to accomplish it. She had to fight for a place in a world were women were not allowed to be anything but a wife. She is a morally grey character so don’t go into the story thinking that you will see a heroine. She had it pretty rough during this book and in most of the cituations she was the one that save herself, she didn’t need a man to save her. Sometimes I was not a fan of her decisions or her way of thinking, but she did the best with what she had.

The romance was so good a slow burn and a love triangle. I love both love interests, but like always the villain or morally grey character is more interesting to me. I feel that the connection between Lei and Meilin was stronger that hers with Sky.

The reason that is not a 5 stars is because her use of magic was never well explained since she never trained how to use it and suddenly she was this very powerful girl fighting another very powerful guy, how did she know how to used her powers???? Also the end felt somewhat anticlimactic not the big cliffhanger that I was waiting for.

I really hated her “friends” at the end😡.

the three kingdoms are at war, but meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. his opium addiction leads to selling meilin for her dowry. when meilin finds out that her future husband is yet another violent man, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place. her hard work earns her recognition and friendship, especially with prince sky.

i heard “inspired by mulan” and ran to request this! i really did love the nods to the classic legend, while still remaining a unique work. i loved how driven meilin was throughout the story. she was not scared to go after what she wanted, which led to nightly training sessions with the prince. i enjoyed how their relationship unfurled!

i would recommend this to any fantasy reader. i can’t wait for book two!

“ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴜsᴇ ᴀ ʙʟᴀᴅᴇ ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ. ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴊᴇᴏᴘᴀʀᴅɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴀʟɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴡ. ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴇʟᴅ ɪᴛ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇʟғᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ.”

The Night Ends With Fire was absolutely amazing. It’s a Mulan retelling but that really doesn’t do the story justice. Meilin is such a badass character and I really appreciate that all of the main characters are morally grey. This is not a time period that allows for people to take the moral high ground.

Lei is such a fascinating character and I can’t wait to see where things go for him. Sky….I have concerns about Sky. He seems to good to be true. Especially given the little we do know of him is that he can be ruthless.
I seriously enjoyed this book and I can’t recommend it enough for fans of retellings and fantasy!

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the ARC copy! Also to @ksongwrites for answering my alarmed (but chill) messages when I got to the end 🤣

*I got all of these images from Pinterest and did my best to avoid AI. If any of these pictures are yours please let me know so I can credit appropriately.*

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“I needed to prove that I, as a woman, could be better than the rest of them. That I too could belong. That I too could be free.”

I loved that this is a retelling of Disney’s Mulan, which is one of my faves! Meilin is full of ambition and greed, which fuels her to join the army impersonating her fathers bastard son. She wants to prove that even as a woman she can do it, even better than men. She has more than this secret to keep though… she has access to the spirit realm, which can grant her magical abilities. In her culture though, spirit mediums are hunted and executed.

I like the second part of this book much more the than the first! I feel like the beginning is a little slow and predictable, but push through! I also didn’t love how greed was a big part of it (however I think this has to do with the spirit realm, and there’s something deeper to it).

Thank you NetGalley and K.X Song for this arc! I loved getting into a Mulan like world and story!

This book was unexpected to say the least. What I thought was just going to be a Mulan retelling with a little bit of magic, turned out to be a story about a powerful woman, filled with magic and heart pounding battle and even a tiny spark of romance. I picked this up on a whim when the publisher sent me a physical ARC and can say I am absolutely obsessed.

The juxtaposition between how women are treated in the book and real life was startlingly real and left me feeling sad yet happy that women could be seen when they were treated that way (and some still are). Meilin was 18 when she abandoned her engagement to join the military as the bastard son of her father named Ren. While training for battle and fighting alongside her fellow soldier, Meilin must do everything she can to keep the fact that she is a woman secret. But that’s not the only thing she must keep secret for she inherited something from her mother before she left, however, if discovered both secrets could kill her.

This was a rollercoaster of a story and I am absolutely obsessed. My favorite sub genre of fantasy is Asian fantasy because is it usually so well done as this one is and is based in actual legend. Meilin is one of my new favorite characters and to have a book that gives a female character that much power throughout the story was astonishing to read. I truly cannot wait to see where this story goes next. I just know this is one of the best books I’ve read in 2024!

Oh my goodness. You had me at “legend of Mulan.” Mulan has always been one of my favorite characters, and this retelling was absolutely fantastic. Wonderful character development and great pacing.

“I don’t want to just survive. I want to be the best.”

4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This read so incredibly quick. The writing was a bit repetitive at times and a bit jumpy since a lot of time passes in between chapters with very little explanation. However, the plot was nonstop once it truly got going, and I was so intrigued by Meilin, Sky and Lei's intertwining story. Meilin is a fascinating character that explores how difficult it is to go against what has been taught to you your entire life when your own feelings are the complete opposite. Song weaves history, myth, and fantasy really well which made for sympathetic (and sometimes frustrating) characters. I cannot wait for book two.

This book was so good! I love when the main character is a little infuriating and I don’t agree with all of their choices but I’m still rooting for them overall. I am so excited to see where this series goes next.
Great for fans of RF Kuang The Poppy War but significantly less dark

I really enjoyed this! The Night Ends with Fire is a Mulan reimagining, and as Mulan is one of my favorite movies I knew I needed to check this out. It did not disappoint! The story starts out strong and reels the readers in. Meilin was a strong, capable FMC and I enjoyed reading through her POV. She reminded me a bit of Rin from The Poppy War; an excellent thing as Rin is one of my favorite book characters. The writing was also strong as well and I thought the author did a good job with the descriptions, easily painting a scene in my mind. The only two things that kept me from rating this higher than I did were the love triangle and the book's pacing. The love triangle felt both forced and completely unnecessary. It may be a personal thing, but love triangles remind me of YA fantasy novels and seemed very out of place in an adult epic fantasy. The pacing of the book seemed off, but it's hard for me to describe how or why. I loved the book during the first half, but by the middle/towards the end something about the pacing bothered me. Overall, however, this was a super enjoyable book and I would definitely read the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Night Ends with Fire was an amazing Mulan retelling. I recommend it for fans of fantasy, romance, retellings, and strong female characters.

Perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flames like Night and Daughter of the Moon Goddess

I love a good retelling. This is a retelling of one of my favorite legends: Hua Mulan.

Meilin is a bit naive at times, but ultimately she's a young woman desperate for control over her own fate. A life spent under the subjugation of her no-good father and the weight of her nation's patriarchal society has left her hungry for freedom, greedy for power of her own.

The pacing is quick, and the writing is mostly straightforward, with an expected love triangle. Naturally, I had a favorite. I am holding out hope he is endgame.

Overall, this was a solid Asian Fantasy that kept me interested the entire time. The ending, however, made me angry.

May Meilin find glory in the next installment.