Member Reviews

I received an e-galley of The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DAMN.

That one word pretty much sums up The Night Ends with Fire for me. It was my genuine reaction as I finished the book and the story continues to stay with me now and all I can think of is - damn.

Even as I read the book, I kept thinking about how I was going to even begin to review or talk about this book. It's like mature content Mulan in a much more realistic and believable Ancient China in terms of values and customs - but throw all of that into a fantastical setting with jade, gods, spirit words, and powers that can set the world of fire. And even then, I have barely even begun to properly discuss The Night Ends with Fire - so I leave you, my fellow book readers, to pick up this book to understand for yourself why I start and leave with this one word.

DAMN.

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The Night Ends With Fire
K.X. Song

I loved this!! Mulan meets The Poppy Wars in this sweeping adult fantasy about a young woman determined to carve her own path.

Filled with magic, adventure, and romance, Song masterfully weaves a story of war, violence and hardship with themes of resilience, hope, and love. The Night Ends With Fire is the first in a new duolgy, and I absolutely devoured it!
Can't wait for the next one!

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This is not normally my genre, but it was a pleasant surprise. Let me first preface this with I don’t really know the Mulan story, but I know this is in no way the Disney story. It has the same kick butt strong woman that I so love, but is darker than any Disney movie I’ve seen.

Meillin hides her identity to join the army as a man and is able to succeed and do all that is expected of her. I loved the magic that helped her excel and make prudent choices. And that it also egged her on to challenge those choices.

Meilin is hiding from her father and other men that have disrespected her and continues to struggle with who she is and where she belongs. The struggles continue through the book as she is let down.

I am not a big romantasy reader and thought this was going to be it, but alas Meilin spends so precious few moments with the prince as herself but man were they good moments fraught with tension.

I had no idea this was the start of the series, but the twist at the end and that cliffhanger have me hooked for the next book.

Natalie Naudus narrated the story and kept me engaged as Meilin went on her journey. She sounded perfect for Meilin and was also able to voice all the other characters. It was such an enjoyable listen.

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This feels like exactly what the Live Action Milan should have been when combining the classic story with magic, or in this case qi/lixia
When does book two release, because I need to know what happens next like Right Now.

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I don’t think readers should go into this book expecting a Disney like fairytale. Yes, we are getting a Mulan retelling but K. X. Song is telling this story her way and I can respect that. This book gave me as a reader what I wanted in a high fantasy book. I did have some issues though, let’s discuss.

Hai Meilin becomes Hai Ren when she pretends to be her father’s bastard son. Two things makes this happen, her father refuses to go war because of his addiction and Meilin is tired of the trappings of womanhood, she wants more for her life than to be told to stay quiet and marry. This leads her to training, war, betrayal and romance.

I liked the relationship that developed between Meilin and Prince Sky. I think they had good chemistry on page. I liked most that it started off as a Sky training Meilin (cause that girl was struggling bad y’all) and then gradually morphed into something more. Meilin’s growth as a character in this book is pretty well done. She is young and never been outside her family’s home so I expected her to make some not very good decisions along the way.

I do wish we had gotten more romance on page. I mean yeah, I was here for the fantasy but I was there for romance too and that was severely lacking.

The magic elements were another exciting part of this story.

The ending was not what I was expecting but I don’t know, I liked it. It’s certainly not a HEA. It will be interesting to see how Meilin find her way out of this latest dilemma. Will Sky be able to help? Is Lei truly gonna get away with his crimes?

All and all, I liked this and am looking forward to the next book.

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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies so I looked forward to this retelling. Be forewarned The Night Ends with Fire is not the feel good version.

The basics of the plot are similar. The details are much grittier and more misogynistic. This time period allows women nothing. Meilin is to be married off to an old abusive man (whose previous wives have all died) so her dowry can feed her father's debts from opium addiction and gambling. She goes off as a boy to fight in the war. She worries about the fate of her stepmother and younger siblings, both from her father and the war.

The plot is so drawn out and rambling. They are training, then traveling or fighting. The communications are limited in these days. So it feels like they stumble around. Meilin does make significant contributions to the war effort. She doesn't really understand the politics or consequences, so since we are getting her point of view, that may be why things are so disconnected.

As a fantasy tale, there is magic involved. Some individuals possess elemental magic, considered black magic. Meilin has a connection with water. She spends much of the book trying to decide if she can have power or freedom for her self. She also has multiple romantic interests with the Prince, the opposing Prince and sort of, the fire wielder, who works for the opposing Prince. I'm not a fan of this wishy-washy feelings for various men, although it may be she had some Stockholm Syndrome while captured.

I'm glad this is a series because I found the ending conclusive but dismal.

Narration:
I enjoyed the narration and it enhanced my enjoyment of the story. In the war intelligence gathering, there was mention of accents and dialects, but I didn't really get that from the voices. I liked how the narration let me stay in the story. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.

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I am such a big Mulan fan from Disney so I was so excited to check out this adult retelling and boy, did it exceed my expectations! I loved every second of this book and got my hands on the audiobook before writing this review and it was also excellent. I definitely recommend the audio to help with the pronunciation of character names and places, but it's also a great way to experience the book as the narrator did a great job. As far as the story itself, I found it to be both extremely intriguing and attention-grabbing. I never felt bored or like there was any filler content in this book. The romance aspects were also very interesting and not exactly what I was expecting. I really can't wait for the next installment in this series as the way it ends is very realistic, but also a bit of a cliff-hanger. Get your hands on this book!

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I picked us this book because Mulan is my favorite Disney movie, and this was said to be a Mulan reimagining with a love triangle. I loved this book. There was never a dull moment. I loved that almost everyone was morally gray or just bad. I loved the romance. I really enjoyed our FMC’s struggles. I wish we had more of the spirits, especially the drago, but I’ll remain hopeful for the second book in this duology!

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Here, I thought that this book was another Mulan retelling. I feel like it was so much more. I paused reading this book because it was 55 chapters long, and I was thinking the ending would be the same, just like in the movie. But I was wrong. Meilin wanted freedom and acceptance. It was already hard that she was a woman, and harder because she is someone with forbidden power. Just like in the movie Mulan, Meilin joined the army disguised as a man. She had to work hard to get accepted and sacrifice a lot. She was even able to end the war. But unlike the movies, Meilin had a different faith. I really enjoyed how this story was different with the incorporation of mythology, power, dragons, a good vs. evil theme, a plot twist where you questioned who to trust, Meilin having two princes fall for her, how she was used as a weapon, and in the end felt like she was discarded as one. Romance-wise, I liked both princes. Sky reminded me of Li Shang, so it was easy to fall for him. But liking Lei was the one that surprised me. I really liked him a lot. He seemed morally gray, but it felt like he had better intentions. The betrayal in the ending hurt, just like this quote from Meilin.
" Despite everything I’d done for this kingdom , despite destroying the phoenix’s seal and winning the war, still I was not enough. My mission had been doomed from the start. For there was nothing I could do to make them accept me."

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Oh man this book is like Fourth Wing meets ACOTAR in this Mulan retelling. I really really enjoyed the action and magic. The world building needed a bit more for me, as did Meilin’s character. I just didn’t connect with her like I wish I would have..maybe that was the point? I wish I knew more about Chinese culture as this book submerged you in it and some I didn’t fully understand. I definitely have theories on where this series is going and I’m here for it. Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies and this retelling was so well done. I enjoyed the ending even though it was far from what I expected. Also the copy of this book that I received from @berkleypub and @ace was absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much for the free book I will definitely be reading book two.

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I truly wish that I enjoyed this book. However, my expectations for every element of this book were met with disappointment. This book told me everything and showed me nothing. Between Meilin and her love interest, there was no chemistry. Time spent together was completely off-page--their growing friendship and anything romantic was never seen. Furthermore, the book goes out of its way to have no romantic tension while Sky believes her to still be a man, which disappoints of having any kind of real queer retelling of Mulan.

The world-building and magic system made little sense and was poorly explained. I couldn't tell you how Meilin was able to do the things she does. On top of that, her strength was constantly inconsistent. She was weak when the book needed to show the reader how trapped she was and she was godly strong when she needed to be seen as powerful.

There was so much potential for Meilin's flawed traits--her greed and ambition for wanting more than just freedom, but the character growth was nonexistent. She made poor decisions because of her own stupidity as there was no logical reason for her to make these decisions otherwise. I contemplated through my entire read DNF'ing this altogether.

Overall, I felt like this book missed its mark of building an exciting Mulan retelling. However, I could imagine those who want to revisit Disney's Mulan written toward an older audience, this may be a decent read for someone.

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A young woman pretends to be a man to take her father’s place in the army. As war becomes imminent, the woman must navigate intense training, a growing attraction to another soldier, and keeping her identity a secret. Author K.X. Song’s adult fantasy debut, inspired by the Chinese legend of Mulan, begins with a great deal of excitement but then slows down in The Night Ends with Fire.

Han Meilin avoids her father on most days. After her mother drowned herself, Meilin’s father remarried but also became addicted to opium. Her stepmother is only a handful of years older than herself, but Meilin has always treated her with respect and love—two things neither of them get from Meilin’s father.

With the news of impending war, Meilin becomes concerned for her family’s finances. Her father has an easy solution: marry Meilin off and use the dowry to cover their debts. Meilin has no intention of marrying some old man, and there’s no guarantee her father will actually use the funds to pay the creditors back. He’ll probably spend it on more opium.

She’s betrothed anyway and then discovers that her fiancé is, indeed, an old man who is also cruel and violent. Meilin decides to run away instead. The army is actively conscripting the men of the kingdom for the war effort. Meilin’s father begged off the conscription with vague tales of an injury, but Meilin takes his place. Maybe, she thinks, she can keep her stepmother and stepsiblings safe.

There is, however, a major problem with Meilin’s plan: she’s a woman, and women are not meant to have any power, never mind join the army. Meilin is undeterred and puts together a disguise that hides her biological identity then, with her stepmother’s blessing, joins the military.

She never anticipated just how difficult the life would be, however, and what it would take to earn the trust of her commanding officer and fellow soldiers. Worse, the head of their battalion is Prince Sky. In an odd twist of fate, Meilin ran into him once and felt an attraction. Now, with him so close, she’s having trouble concentrating.

The reality of war pulls her focus front and center. Rumors abound about the conditions of each of the Three Kingdoms and who might win. There are also whispers of black magic, something Meilin tries to ignore so no one can find out her other secret: she can wield that magic herself.

As battles rage and Meilin is called time and again to step in and fight alongside the other soldiers, though, she’ll be forced to call upon her magic in the most dire times. Meilin knows a woman is not meant to desire power. But it’s hard not to do so when she sees, time and again, that she’s just as capable as the men she fights with.

Author K.X. Song channels her own culture for this novel, lending a delightful authenticity to Meilin’s experiences. The world Song builds feels three-dimensional and lived in. Its textures will draw readers in right away.

The choice to keep the entire book in first person from Meilin’s point of view, however, ultimately works against it. The pacing slows down considerably in many places. A book about epic wars between kingdoms should move with briskness, but Meilin’s narration often makes the battles feel much longer than necessary.

Her repeated assertion that she “had no head for politics” also works as a major drawback, because readers will miss out on the greater forces at play between the kingdoms. The romantic elements work sometimes, but other times they feel slightly out of place. Also, because the entire book is through Meilin’s eyes, the author has no choice but to make Meilin a prisoner of war over and over again. At some point, the tales of Meilin’s capture, torture, and escape start to feel a little too routine.

The book is touted as a tribute to the legend of Mulan, but the novel deviates from the accepted story of the warrior woman. Those who would like to read a story about a strong woman standing up against her circumstances and odds to make her mark in the world may want to check this out.

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This was a fun Mulan retelling. I definitely got Disney animated Mulan vibes and I loved the inclusion of the Chinese Four Guardians and their powers.

Meilin was a strong, hard working character that definitely didn’t have it easy. I really enjoyed how the author played with the concepts of ambition, greed and ultimately the cost of freedom as a woman in an oppressive patriarchal society. It gave us Mulan but instead of family and honor she is fighting for herself and how if we as women want something it’s seen as greedy. The romance that was sprinkled in was nice but i definitely have a favorite prince. I personally don’t care for love triangles and much preferred Prince Lei over Prince Sky. The attraction and slow burn between Lei and Meilin was undeniable.

While I did enjoy this book I just find myself struggling with why I didn’t absolutely love it. It had all the right tropes and themes. It has dragons, forbidden magic, dangerous secrets, two love interests and a young woman willing to risk it all. I think maybe the story just always felt a bit surface level to me. I didn’t find myself connecting to or really rooting for Meilin. Also I really did not enjoy her comrades. I was honestly hoping and waiting for each of their deaths during the war. Maybe it’s that this book is so real and depicts so well what it’s like as a woman in a male dominated society that I found it a bit depressing. Also I did think at times this felt more like a YA story. I kept forgetting Meilin was an adult (18 ) and I kept picturing her as a younger teen on a self discovery journey.

The pacing was a little bit choppy and slow in the middle but by the ending I found myself unable to stop reading. The twists and betrayals were wild and I hope we see a sequel full of rage and revenge.

Overall this was a fun epic fantasy inspired by Mulan but with its own unique twists. I am excited to see what comes next. I think fans of Song of Silver Flames Like Night will enjoy this one.

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As an anticipated read of mine I am disappointed. I had high hopes for this book.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Meilin. This is a retelling of Mulan and although there are similarities there are also differences which I did enjoy. The author added their own spin on things which is always cool to see. Another issue with the writing was how a lot of things were repeated over and over. The larger problem I had with the book was the writing style. I couldn’t get into it. The characters felt flat and the world-building was pretty much nonexistent even though there is a war going on and politics at hand. The characters falling flat made some of the relationships not work and I just didn’t care about the romance at that point.

There has been talks about it being compared to The Poppy War and I think this is why I expected more. I love that trilogy and can see similarities between that and this book, but the world-building and characters were done much better in The Poppy War where I cared about their plight.

Overall, this was okay. I definitely wish I would have enjoyed it more.

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2 ⭐️ At the end of the day, I just never could invested in this story

It’s too heavily inspired by Mulan that for the first 40%. The characters are one dimensional. The MC isn’t really even likable. The love triangle romance (which will definitely play a larger role in book 2) came out of nowhere and it’s very obvious which one she’s going to choose. There’s too much telling vs showing and so much non-dialogue. The story feels more YA than Adult (which this is marketed as). And the actual writing was pretty basic.

I do actually think the premise is interesting, but the execution of the story made it a challenge to get through. If I hadn’t gotten this as an ARC, I would have DNFed at 15%. But thanks to my determination and skimming abilities, I was able to finish.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ adult fantasy series
✨ mulan retelling
✨ badass FMC
✨ wartime
✨ magic
✨ love triangle (to be expanded on)
✨ classist and patriarchal society
✨ cliffhanger
✨ TW: domestic abuse, attempted r@pe, violence

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Fantasy • Chinese Mythology • Mulan Retelling
Pub Date • 2 July 2024

🎉 Happy publication day! Thank you @acebookspub @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the beautiful PR package and audiobook.

❤️‍🔥 The Night Ends with Fire is a dark, edgy, and realistic [not idealistic] Mulan retelling.

⚔️ Read this if you like Chinese mythology, sea dragon spirits, and fantasy with a romance subplot.

If you’ve watched the Disney movie, you’ll recognize some familiar scenes and easter eggs. I had to chuckle at the nude hotsprings scene with Tao, Sparrow, Meilin, and Sky. Unlike in Disney’s movie, here Meilin joins the frontlines not out of a sense of duty or honor, but rather because the alternative is life as someone else’s property, enduring beatings at the hand of her betrothed, and she yearns for much more.

There will be politicking, court drama, betrayals, lixia and spirit realms. As she battles to earn her place in the squadron, Meilin befriends the infantry and captures the attention of Prince Sky. Her bravery gets her closer to Prince Lei of the opposing forces.

But as Meilin learns to harness the power of the sea dragon, she will have to figure out who she can trust and whether she will ever belong. The ending wrecked me and I really hope there is a book 2 follow-up, because we can’t leave it like that!

🎧 The audiobook was a helpful guide to the pronunciation of places and names. And just look at this gorgeous first edition with sprayed edges and pretty endpapers 😍

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Idk what's going on in publishing at the moment, but this is the third "fairytale" retelling I've read this summer. Luckily, I'm into it.

The Night Ends with Fire is a Mulan retelling with so many fun, magical, scary, gender-bending, sexy twists that I couldn't put down. It was unlike anything I've read recently, but exactly what I needed in my life.

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I feel like I’ve gotten in a rut where a lot of my fantasy reads have felt the same. It’s either mediocre or it’s Romantasy that all reads the same. THIS book was everything I needed! It felt like such an epic fantasy novel. I honestly forgot I was reading a Mulan retelling because it felt so uniquely its own.

I loved the star crossed lovers and the female ambition. I loved the twists and turns and the evolution of our MFC. This just feed my mood for fantasy & I was eager to pick it up again and again!

Song has found a new groupie because I can’t wait for book two!!

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This book is a thrilling, intense fantasy that subverts expectations at every turn. Initially, you might expect a Mulan-inspired plot with comedic relief, girl boss energy, and a cute rom-com, but what you get is far darker and more complex. The story is filled with dark magic, mythological elements, political rivalry, camaraderie, and betrayal, with just a tiny fraction of fluff.

The protagonist, Hai Meilin, is a powerful and ambitious woman determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated society. Her character is incredibly inspiring, embodying strength, bravery, and a relentless drive to be respected and feared. Meilin's journey is fraught with challenges and betrayals, yet she consistently demonstrates her superiority over the men who underestimate her.

Prince Liu Sky is a standout male character, evoking strong emotions and a desire for more of his and Meilin's interactions. On the other hand, Cao Ming Lei is a character you love to hate, with a surprising development towards the end that adds complexity to his role in the story.

The book excels in its world-building and character development, set in a richly detailed historical China. The narrative is driven by a strong female protagonist who navigates a world that constantly tries to suppress her. The writing is captivating, keeping readers hooked from the first page to the last, especially in the climactic part three.

Although unexpected, the romance element adds another layer to the story. The love triangle between Meilin, Sky, and Lei is intriguing, with moments that will make you laugh, cry, and gasp in surprise.

In conclusion, this book is a must-read for fans of fantasy, especially those who love character-driven stories with rich world-building and a strong female lead. It uniquely retells Mulan, blending Chinese folklore and mythology with a compelling narrative about a woman's fight for power and respect in a patriarchal society. If you enjoyed "She Who Became the Sun," you'll likely love this one too.

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Thanks to her father’s opium and gambling addictions, their family is in debt. One day, Meilin angers her father, and he suddenly realizes she is of age to marry and demands the matchmaker to come and secure her a marriage and dowry to help pay the debt.

The matchmaker finds a man for Mei, a Master Zhu. Mei learns he is cruel and decides to give up on hoping for a happy and comfortable life, when she happens to save and meet Prince Liu, who gives her an idea.

The Imperial Commander is drafting people for war. To escape the marriage to the cruel Master Zhu, she enlists by pretending to be a man, an illegitimate son of her father’s.

As she’s leaving, she visits her late mother’s room where she finds a jade pendant and a voice telling her they’ve been waiting for her, and she takes it with, not realizing there’s more to that pendant than meets the eye.

Now, Meilin is determined to prove her worth that she’s just as good as the men, while also fighting her attraction to Prince Liu and fighting the want for power that the dragon spirit Qinglong is promising her.

So, this is like a twisted version of Mulan 😂 It has similar elements with Meilin joining the army pretending to be a man, and going through funny scenarios of trying to avoid being found out(like bathing in a pool).

It was an interesting take on Mulan with her craving more power rather than just focusing on winning this war. And things play out much differently and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I never felt like I needed a romance, I loved the adventure and seeing how Meilin’s story played out!

What was interesting is the humor that was sprinkled in, but the story got dark 😅 It was interesting to see Meilin crave power, which can you blame? She lives in a world where the men treat women like an item, something to be seen and not heard. But you wonder whether the promises Qinglong gives her are true or not, but how can you say no to such power?

There’s a lot that happens in this book. Meilin goes quite on the adventure. I loved when she was with the Prince Ming Lei. He was my favorite character. Clearly a misunderstood “villain”, and there was clearly more depth to him and he was delectably charming and I just wanted more of him.

There’s potential romances in here and even gives the impression of a possible love triangle. The way the romances play out was well done and I didn’t feel frustrated with how there might be a love triangle. I want to root for both, but I definitely have a favorite 😏 and I look forward to seeing how they may play out, especially after that ending!

One thing I will say is, Meilin is not a smart gal 😅 She’s brave, reckless and protective, but she is NOT smart. There were many decisions and choices she made that clearly would not work out, but she went through with them anyways and things went awry. And at the end of this book, it makes you wonder, was any of this worth it? 😂

The way this story ended, it was frustrating and yet the outcome seemed clear from the beginning and I look forward to seeing how the story continues!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the gifted e-arc to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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