The Night Ends with Fire by K. X. Song is an epic and tenderly romantic novel about a young woman embarking on a fiercely feminist adventure to shape her destiny in a world filled with lore, magic, and war. This captivating tale is a must-read for fans of Mulan. I started reading this one before bed and could not put it down. I ended up reading all night. I just had to know how this would end.

"I don't want to just survive. I want to be the best." - Hai Meilin
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
Mulan was one of my childhood favorite princesses (second only to Belle). And oh my gosh. K.X. Song delivered the Mulan reimagining that I had no idea I needed! The Night Ends in Fire was absolutely stunning in the storyline, plot, morally grey characters, and action. Meilin was not only at war for her country but constantly battling the pull of love versus loyalty. Let me say, that this may be one of the most stunning first editions with sprayed edges that I have seen this year, and I cannot wait to see The Night Ends in Fire on everyone’s shelf! I cannot wait for book two.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Ace for an advanced reader copy of The Night Ends in Fire. 🐉

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song is a fantasy built around Chinese mythology. Three Kingdoms are at war, and Meilan’s (our heroine) father, who has an addiction, refuses to enter the draft. He decides that he will sell his daughter, who is 18 years old, for a dowry, with her husband-to-be being a violent and evil man. Meilan leaves home and enlists in the war, disguising herself as a young boy, named Ren. Meilan/Ren has trained over time to be excellent in martial arts, as well able to fight better than most men. She is assigned to the Seventh Company, and is surprised that the leader is Liu Sky, the prince of Anlai. Meilan knows she must conceal her identity, as women are not permitted to fight or practice black magic (she is a spirit medium); revealing her secret could mean death.

In the army, Meilin/Ren earns respect from fellow soldiers, as she is a workaholic; bringing recognition and friendship along the way. Slowly, her commander, Sky admits that Ren is better than any of the other men in the group; until when he discovers that she is a woman. At first, Sky ignores her, but keeps her secret; and in time he begins to have feelings for Meilin; as she also slowly falls for him. I did like the chemistry between Meilan and Sky, as they were very good together. When Meilan is captured by Prince Cao Ming Lei and his army, he knew from the start that she was a woman; and in time he also was attracted to the beautiful Meilan.

As the war escalates, Meilan beings to have visions of a dragon spirit that offers her magical powers, which could come as a price. Meilan needs to know who to trust; Sky, whom she is loyal to; The Dragon Spirit, Qinglong, who may not be telling the truths or Lei, attractive possible enemy, who could be revealing the real truths.

The Night Ends with Fire was an exciting intriguing, fast packed adventure of magic, war, feminism, romance and betrayal. I thought the first third of the book was a bit slow, though that last half was very exciting. To say too much more, would ruin things along the way. This was an enthralling epic fantasy, with an ending that was wild and climatic. The Night Ends with Fire was very well written by K.X. Song, and I look forward to the next book in this dulology/series.

A Mulan retelling?? With Dragons?? SIGN. ME. UP.

I LOVED this story from start to finish. Meilin's an extremely relatable character, even if you can't relate to her specific circumstances. All she wants is to be her own person, and live her life on her own terms. Not as a wife, not as property of a man, but how SHE wants to go through life--and she'll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

But in her quest to escape responsibility and duty, she has duty thrust upon her and finds herself responsible for essentially saving her kingdom. But of course, she's a woman, so it must be done in secret because if anyone knew who she really was--it would all be over.

I really loved Meilin and how she handed every situation. She was appropriately bitter, she was self-assured, she knew what she wanted--she was everything a woman isn't supposed to be and she was unapologetic about it. She's a great FMC and I can't wait to see more of her in the next book.

There were a few sections here and there where the pacing dropped off, and the internal monologues got to be a bit repetitive, but I don't think it's "bad" enough to take you out of the story.

I'm SURE the ending is polarizing and upsetting a lot of people, but I thought it was incredibly fitting and appropriate for the story, whether it's "fake" or real, the purpose stands. I wasn't expecting it to go that way AT ALL, but I think it was incredibly well done. I can't wait for the next story and want more IMMEDIATELY.

An excellently written book, it had me hooked from the first page. The characters, setting, and backdrop for the story are all fantastic. The author does such an amazing job of describing everything that I often found myself lost inside the story, transported from the gym or my home to the lush jungles and coastal locations of the story. A book I am sure to read many more times, it was nearly impossible to put down.

- i’ve always loved mulan so i love that there’s an adult fantasy so heavily inspired by it! parts of the plot do feel a little unoriginal though and the writing just didn’t flow well at times
- the magic system is interesting enough but it’s not elaborated on much, i’m guessing it’ll be explained more in the sequel?
- i wish there was more character development from meilin, i like her and understand her motives but also she feels a little flat 🥲
- the relationship development between meilin and lei came out of nowhere for me it felt so forced 😭
- this book had so much potential i love the themes that are explored but i think the execution could have been better, i still have high hopes for the sequel 🥹

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

The Night Ends with Fire is a darker, more adult Mulan retelling that follows Meilin as she enlists in the army to avoid her violent fiance and opium-addicted father. Under the alias of Ren, Meilin proves her worth as a soldier and befriends Sky, the seventh son of the ruling warlord. All Meilin wants to do is experience a taste of freedom before returning to a confined life as a wife, but a dragon-spirit who has chosen her as his host makes that difficult. Soon, Meilin is drawn deeper into the politics of war than she anticipated.

Readers who enjoyed She Who Became the Sun will probably also really enjoy this book. Meilin's grit in posing as a man and becoming a soldier was so impressive and I loved following the twists on the tale of Mulan. This book ended up being darker than I expected and the characters are very complicated. All of the main characters, including Meilin, are flawed and interesting to read about, although I found that I wasn't very emotionally connected to them. I am interested in what will happen in the sequel and I hope we get to see Meilin finally accept all of her power.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

Who just intentionally read the first book in a fantasy series, knowing full well that if she loved it she’d need to wait until the next book release to find out what happens? THIS GIRL! Do I regret it? Absolutely not.

I was immediately drawn to this novel based on it being inspired by the legend of Mulan, and wow did this blow my expectations out of the water. This isn’t the Disney version of Mulan that first came to my mind; it’s much, much darker (as you can probably tell by the trigger warnings). Creepy elements are also mixed in that had me a bit sketched out to be reading in the middle of the night. There is such a good balance between the historical references, mythological storyline, epic battles, and slow-burn romances. The Night Ends with Fire is ultimately a tale of female empowerment, and breaking free of societal expectations and definitions of what it means to be a woman.

Now… THE ENDING. I thought I had guessed what was going to happen, but nope I was wrong! And yep, it’s an epic cliffhanger. That’s all I’m going to say about that!

I will now be (im)patiently waiting for the next book release.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been eagerly looking forward to checking out this book since back in January when I put together my picks for our “most anticipated” list for 2024. I love fairytale/fable re-tellings, and “Mulan” is one of those stories that has only been re-imagined a few times, to varying levels of success. I was especially excited that this book was being billed as an adult fantasy novel, as those are even fewer and further between when it comes to this particular subgenre. So I had high hopes going in to this one!

As it turns out, this one didn’t quite live up to these expectations, but let’s start with the positives. First of all, if you’re looking for a “Mulan” retelling that pulls on your nostalgic heartstrings for the Disney movie, than this is the book for you. While it does introduce its own fantasy elements, particularly with the dragons and their magic, it also strongly reminiscent of the Disney film. At times, it almost felt like direct scenes were copied and pasted from one to the other. This could also be a criticism of the book, that it follows a bit too closely, but I also think there are plenty of readers who loved the Disney version and would be happy to see some of it translated fairly directly into a book format, so for them, this is a win.

I also liked the general idea of a lot of what this book was trying to do. It was the execution that let it down. For example, one of the major changes from the Disney version of “Mulan” to this one is a change in the main character’s motivation. Instead of being driven by a sense of duty and the wish to spare her father, Meilin is, yes, attempting to escape an arranged marriage, but also highly motivated by ambition and greed. In some of the book’s more “telling” moments, she outright tells readers that these are her primary motivations. She also wishes to prove that she, a woman, is capable of the same things men are. However, the thought isn’t taken further than that, with Meilin’s focus remaining on her own abilities as compared to men’s versus the general attitude that ALL women are done poorly by with these comparisons. Now, I think it’s entirely possible, even quite effective, to write a character whose motivations are not as sympathetic as others’ or who, while clear-sighted in one way, is very much missing the larger picture. But Meilin was not written as a strong enough character to pull this off.

Not only is the writing flat from the start, making it difficult to discern any real personality in the characters, including Meilin, but there is a distinct lack of true inner reflection or motivation given for many actions. For example, early in the book, Meilin encounters a prince who makes a throw-away comment about her kung fu abilities being as good as a man’s. She then goes home and there is a single paragraph where she reflects on this line and how it is true: she is as fast as a man and skilled at martial arts. The very next paragraph sees her up and sneaking out of her room and setting off on her journey to impersonate a soldier.

This is a huge, monumental decision, and Meilin seems to make it in the blink of an eye with no deeper thought than “hey, this hot guy said a nice thing about my fighting prowess and I guess he’s right!” It was so off-putting that I honestly went back and had to re-read to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, it was that abrupt. Transitions from paragraph to paragraph, from inner monologue to actions aren’t just the work of English classes, they are necessary for creating well-crafted stories. And it was failings like this that proved that this book wasn’t quite up to the task.

This flatness of tone carried on throughout the book. I simply struggled to care about any of these people. For lack of a better word, the book seemed to lack the heart of the story. In the movie, the deep camaraderie and friendship that Mulan builds up with her fellow soldiers and the love interest are not only engaging on their own, but later pay off with the heightened emotional stakes when the truth of her deception becomes known. Here, the reveal with the love interest falls incredibly flat, with none of the dramatic impact that you’d wish from this situation. And the friendships were almost entirely missing. I was even more put-off on the romance front when another potential love interest seemed to be introduced towards the end of the book? Of course, I can’t say for sure one way or another, but I was getting strong ACOTAR vibes with a Tamlin/Rhysand situation brewing up here. And we all know how I feel about that…

All of this said, I would by no means say that this was a bad book, on its own. Indeed, I think the author has a lot of potential, and I’d definitely be interested in checking out more in the future. I also think this book will be much appreciated by many fantasy readers, especially those who are looking for a close re-telling of “Mulan.” However, the writing and characterization were too weak at times for me to fully recommend it with no caveats.

Rating 7: The strength of the writing wasn’t quite up to the task of telling the story that it wanted, but I still think it will satisfy many readers who are looking for a solid “Mulan” re-telling.

Link will go live July 19 on The Library Ladies blog.

Mulan fans, go ahead and preorder this one! This is such a solid debut, and I already can't wait for the next one! A quick list of tropes:
-Mulan-inspired story (I mentioned it, but it's worth another go because it was such a good reimagining)
-Strong female main character with the desire to *live*
-An immersive world filled with magic and a wee bit of mayhem in the form of war
Meilin was such a great main character who sought more than just the life she's supposed to be content with. I will say that everything nowadays is pitched as a romantic fantasy, but while there's a thread of romance in this one, it's far from a romantasy. I liked this because we got to focus more on the main character and her battle with society and herself. I got a bit bored in the middle and will say that some of the magic elements aren't as well-explained as I would prefer, but wow this was a great read! I highly recommend it.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

The Night Ends With Fire is a retelling of the story of Mulan, but this has little in common with the Disney version. This dark romantasy features a brave, determined woman who wants only to be free. Using her innate abilities and aided by a dragon from legend, she will risk everything for her country.

Thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.

The writing...was not so great. It was literally a copy-paste of Disney's Mulan--the animated one. There were some changes, such as the father being a jerk, but the changes felt edgy and unoriginal. I genuinely do not believe this is an adult book--this is clearly tailored for Young Adult audiences with the simplistic writing and generic plot.

The prince who I assume is the love interest was so bizarre too--he gave up so much valuable information about royalty and behind-the-scenes stuff to a complete stranger like Meilin that it never made any sense. Who starts talking about how the royal vault was broken into and a rare jade gem stolen to a COMPLETE STRANGER? The prince is an idiot.

Side note, I laughed my ass off at Meilin saying how her "skills with kung fu enabled me to climb the rooftop with ease". Odd statements from a bizarre protagonist would take me out so often, it was hilarious. I just imagined her karate chopping the air until she landed on the roof somehow.

Yeah, this one is...not great.

I believe any review I write will be slightly biased as I've been on the lookout, for years, for a satisfying Mulan retelling in the YA/Adult fantasy genre. This book already ticked off a long list of things I've been wanting to read in a novel from the get go: intelligent and quick witted MC, dragons/mythical creatures, dark magic, complex & morally grey characters. Overall, I highly enjoyed this read and look forward to what comes next. I personally think the epilogue was very impactful, I could see the book being a standalone with that ending. However, I am glad that the story will continue and am excited to see more of the world that KX Song has built.

Mulan retelling?! UM YES!
Meilin is a total bad ass in this book - though made very vulnerable and human as well. Struggling with the insecurity - resulting from an abusive father; a culture failing to value girls and women; insecurity of poverty; father's drug addiction. A lot of time is spent developing Meilin's character and internal struggles as a result of this environment.
In an attempt to escape her arranged marriage to a brutal man, Meilin escapes by dressing as a young man and joining the army. Determined to be better, prove herself worthy - Meilin falls prey to her pride several times, very frustrating as a reader.
I enjoyed many of these characters - Sparrow, Autumn, and of course Sky. A gorgeous retelling with some great character building of one history's most loved women.

Sadly I had to DNF this books @51% due to the issues I was having with it.
The first thing that bothered me was how some scenes that happen in the movie happen pretty much the same in the book, especially at the start of the novel. Maybe the author was going for a sense of nostalgia, but for me it translated as unoriginal.
Onto the characters, at first I thought we were going for a subversion of expectations on the original story and kept waiting for the characters, in particular Meilin, to sit with her actions and develop some depth. That didn't happen at all in the first half, quite the contrary. She really is just copy and past Mulan and lacks any depth of her own. Same thing for the side characters, they're just... there.
The reveal of Meilin's true identity, the moment I looked forward to most, was so infuriatingly anticlimactic and lacking build up that it made me want to throw my e-reader across the room. Not only does it come completely out of the blue but the conflict deriving from such revelation gets resolved way too quickly to have any impact whatsoever.
Which leads me to my next point, and arguably what I hated most about this book: there is NO tension. None. Zero. After the first 15% the story is fast paced, but absolutely nothing that happens has any real consequences. Meilin finds the solution to her problems almost immediately. There isn't any sense of stakes, and therefore I didn't care about a single thing either character- or plot-wise.
Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way is how Meilin sees <i>herself</i> as being as capable as men, not women as a whole. It comes out very "not like other girls". I thought we'd left that in bad fanfic and 2000's YA but apparently not.
In terms of prose... it does the job I guess, but I disliked how the short sentences led to repetition. It's first person POV and due to this most sentences start with "I". Not a fan. More editing probably would have fixed some of this.
And lastly, for a book that is supposedly Adult, this reads unbelievably juvenile. I've for real read YA that feels more Adult. Maybe it'll resonate more with younger audiences. Alas, it was not the book for me.

Thank you NetGally and Berkley for the ARC.

While it took a moment for me to fall into this book, I was hooked once I fell. K.X. Song gives life to old lore and tales readers may be familiar with. Meilin is such a cool and strong lead, I was rooting for her with my all on every page. Damsel in distress? NOT THIS BOOK.

This book had all the ingredients for a fantastic fantasy. Betrayal, action, dark magic, some romance, a mysterious man who I should definitely hate but find that I can't?!?

I am on the edge of my seat for the sequel and can't wait to recommend this to my readers at the library.

Wow I loved this!! I resonated with Meilin and admired her tenacity and determination. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book. Her magic abilities are unique and added a richness to the plot. The way I giggled and kicked my feet when the handsome stranger was introduced!! We love a second love interest to shake things up. I am excited for book 2!

This was a really solid series starter! I loved the Mulan retelling aspect of it, and the author executed the storyline really well. I liked Meilin as the main character, and I really liked the side characters as well. The love interests were both well written and honestly, I could see either of them being endgame (though there is not a lot of romance in this). I absolutely loved Meilin; she's such a strong, complex, and ambitious main character. The magic system in this book was also really interesting. I did find the pacing to be a bit slow around the 30-40% mark, but after that, it sped up, and I couldn't put it down. Overall, I thought this was a really great fantasy retelling, and I can't wait to see what the author does next with this series. I completely recommend it!! :)

Ahhhhhh this was so good!! I feel like so many books have promised to be a Mulan retelling but THIS ONE actually was! And it’s a dark, brutal, subversive, feminist one at that. This ain’t Disney.

Meilin is such a complex character. She WANTS, and she yearns, and she’s greedy and ambitious. Everything a woman shouldn’t be. She pushes to prove herself, to be better than the men around her, and she succeeds. But how do the men react when they find out her secret? It’s often not pretty.

Sky is so noble and duty bound. I like his acceptance of Meilin, but I’m also wary of him still.
Lei is morally grey and intriguing. I think he accepts Meilin for who she really is, but he can’t be trusted.

I felt so many emotions throughout the book, but RAGE at the end was overwhelming. It’s a bit of a dark cliffhanger at the end. I can’t wait for the next book. I’m so ready for Meilin to claim her power and reshape the world.

If you enjoyed Dark Star Burning Ash Falls White, I particularly think you’d enjoy this. But also, just if you like a character driven and action packed fantasy book with magic and war!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

DNF @ 39%

yeah i quit!! cant do this anymore im bored to the point of tears and meilin has me losing my mind i cant stand her (where has logic gone for some of these choices she makes??? seriously??) or the other characters. i skimmed the rest of the book to see if there'd be anything to make me want to continue and other than being vaguely curious about that other guy (lei??), i genuinely do not care... sky looks like he'd be immensely frustrating so yeah im not about to deal with that goodbye!🫣

oh also how is this adult? this not only gives off YA vibes (characters, plot, etc) but also the writing does not feel adult from what i read so?? idk why publishers are being weird lately with their marketing. its not really a big deal but im just confused on why this keeps happening?

and how dare this be compared to two of my favourite books Six Crimson Cranes and the The Poppy War because personally those two were leagues away and i didnt see anything that reminded me of those books (although i did stop early so maybe later on it shows idk)

anyways im forever disappointed because genuinely this was one of my most anticipated reads this year and i adore mulan retellings so😭 and that cover + special features?? oh well, there's still hope with Of Jade and Dragons


Many thanks (and sorry T-T) to Berkley Publishing Group for gifting this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. (please dont blacklist me LOL)