Scan barcode
tinybluepixel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Eh.
I really wanted to like this, but ultimately, I cannot. This book is "inspired by the legend of Mulan," meaning it's a full-on retelling of Mulan, but if she was ~morally grey~.
The pacing is truly breakneck, meaning we cannot get to know any of these characters in time. Even our main character, who has some very skewed views about what it means to be successful, we don't even get to know before she makes a very rash decision to bind her chest and skip off to war.
But ultimately, what doomed this book for me was the emptiness.
Meilin herself is bland, pale, and devoid of personality except for the author's frantic attempt to make her seem ~morally grey~. It's clear that the author took inspiration from the Poppy War's Rin to sculpt her own character (Meilin, who coincidentally goes by Ren when she pretends to be a man), but fails to add the depth that Rin has to Ren (oof). Because of this, we end up with a main character who wants wants wants - and never anything else. There's no development. There's no personality except for this constand greed. And we aren't even SHOWN about the greed, we are TOLD about the greed. The show/tell dynamic is skewed terribly towards the telling throughout this entire book.
One thing I want to pull out of the story that irked me a lot, is this: What is a Mulan retelling with its intrinsic motivation removed? Mulan goes to war because her father cannot, and because she loves him and her family deeply. This love at the foundation of the story works as her motivation for everything she does. This book removes this motivation, and instead of love, puts down the concept of hate. Meilin's father is an opium addict and an abuser, and Meilin hates him to the point that when she kills her first enemy, she says she always imagined that the first man she'd kill was her father, not this unnamed soldier. This is, of course, a complete 180 from the source material, and it does not work. Mulan wants to be a good daughter, desperately, but even though she tries, she just can't make herself fit into this mold that society wants her to fit into. When it comes to Meilin, we are simply told that she can't live in this society, but all we see is that she does so, perfectly. She is wonderful towards the matchmaker. She is lovely and polite in public. Her assumed ostracization is only due to her father squandering their money and betraying his family's status as nobles. If it weren't for the father, Meilin could've made a perfect match and been a wife. She was prepared to do so, only until her father's reputation caused the matchmaker to only be able to offer her a match with a cruel man.
This does not work. It's not enough motivation for what she is about to do. Maybe it would be enough if the whole thing hadn't been done with in three chapters, if we'd had more backstory. Which brings me to my next point:
Plot points follow each other at an unsustainable pace. The chapters are really short, and most plot points only get one chapter to be resolved. In the beginning, Ren is flogged for a crime they did not commit, and no one ever mentions it again. No mention of pain, no mention of scars, of scabbing, of the wound causing problems while training - nothing. And that is just an example. We see this happening over and over and over. Nothing spills over into later in the story.
In conclusion, no. Unfortunately, no.
I really wanted to like this, but ultimately, I cannot. This book is "inspired by the legend of Mulan," meaning it's a full-on retelling of Mulan, but if she was ~morally grey~.
The pacing is truly breakneck, meaning we cannot get to know any of these characters in time. Even our main character, who has some very skewed views about what it means to be successful, we don't even get to know before she makes a very rash decision to bind her chest and skip off to war.
But ultimately, what doomed this book for me was the emptiness.
Meilin herself is bland, pale, and devoid of personality except for the author's frantic attempt to make her seem ~morally grey~. It's clear that the author took inspiration from the Poppy War's Rin to sculpt her own character (Meilin, who coincidentally goes by Ren when she pretends to be a man), but fails to add the depth that Rin has to Ren (oof). Because of this, we end up with a main character who wants wants wants - and never anything else. There's no development. There's no personality except for this constand greed. And we aren't even SHOWN about the greed, we are TOLD about the greed. The show/tell dynamic is skewed terribly towards the telling throughout this entire book.
One thing I want to pull out of the story that irked me a lot, is this: What is a Mulan retelling with its intrinsic motivation removed? Mulan goes to war because her father cannot, and because she loves him and her family deeply. This love at the foundation of the story works as her motivation for everything she does. This book removes this motivation, and instead of love, puts down the concept of hate. Meilin's father is an opium addict and an abuser, and Meilin hates him to the point that when she kills her first enemy, she says she always imagined that the first man she'd kill was her father, not this unnamed soldier. This is, of course, a complete 180 from the source material, and it does not work. Mulan wants to be a good daughter, desperately, but even though she tries, she just can't make herself fit into this mold that society wants her to fit into. When it comes to Meilin, we are simply told that she can't live in this society, but all we see is that she does so, perfectly. She is wonderful towards the matchmaker. She is lovely and polite in public. Her assumed ostracization is only due to her father squandering their money and betraying his family's status as nobles. If it weren't for the father, Meilin could've made a perfect match and been a wife. She was prepared to do so, only until her father's reputation caused the matchmaker to only be able to offer her a match with a cruel man.
This does not work. It's not enough motivation for what she is about to do. Maybe it would be enough if the whole thing hadn't been done with in three chapters, if we'd had more backstory. Which brings me to my next point:
Plot points follow each other at an unsustainable pace. The chapters are really short, and most plot points only get one chapter to be resolved. In the beginning, Ren is flogged for a crime they did not commit, and no one ever mentions it again. No mention of pain, no mention of scars, of scabbing, of the wound causing problems while training - nothing. And that is just an example. We see this happening over and over and over. Nothing spills over into later in the story.
In conclusion, no. Unfortunately, no.
nuha_hassan's review against another edition
4.5
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!
My first introduction to the legend of Mulan was, of course, the 1998 Disney animated movie. 'Mulan' is one of my favourite Disney animated movies ever. When I heard about this book, I wanted to read it immediately. If it's a Mulan retelling, sign me up immediately!
With that being said, The Night Ends With Fire is a beautiful retelling of the legendary Meilin. Instead of the Disney version, K.S. Song writes Meilin as an ambitious character who struggles with morally grey choices in her life. It combines elements of dark magic and Chinese mythology while also keeping the fundamental points of Meilin's story at the centre of the story. It's about her journey as a warrior that she is destined to become, and it's honestly one of the best YA/Adult/Romantasy books I've read this year.
I'm not entirely sure about the romance/love triangle between Meilin, Lei and Sky, but I'm all here for it. I prefer the fantasy elements and the worldbuilding rather than the romance bits. So, so, so excited for the next book! I cannot wait to read it.
My first introduction to the legend of Mulan was, of course, the 1998 Disney animated movie. 'Mulan' is one of my favourite Disney animated movies ever. When I heard about this book, I wanted to read it immediately. If it's a Mulan retelling, sign me up immediately!
With that being said, The Night Ends With Fire is a beautiful retelling of the legendary Meilin. Instead of the Disney version, K.S. Song writes Meilin as an ambitious character who struggles with morally grey choices in her life. It combines elements of dark magic and Chinese mythology while also keeping the fundamental points of Meilin's story at the centre of the story. It's about her journey as a warrior that she is destined to become, and it's honestly one of the best YA/Adult/Romantasy books I've read this year.
I'm not entirely sure about the romance/love triangle between Meilin, Lei and Sky, but I'm all here for it. I prefer the fantasy elements and the worldbuilding rather than the romance bits. So, so, so excited for the next book! I cannot wait to read it.
chiaseedreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cait_reads13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
5.0
Thank you so much for the free book @acebookspub! Also, thank you to @mansyisreading_ for selecting me for this honor 🫶. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Night Ends With Fire is one of the best, if not the best, romantasy books I’ve read this year. I’m not exaggerating when I say I believe this Mulan retelling is the next big thing. Please do yourself a favor and preorder a copy with stenciled edges today. You can thank me later😘!
One of the reasons I enjoyed The Night Ends With Fire so much was because FMC, Meilin, wasn’t written like a fairytale princess. She is portrayed in a way that’s so authentic. Meilin struggles with morally gray choices, her need to achieve ambitious goals, and her feelings about the situations she encounters. Honestly, I found Meilin to be an incredibly relatable character, which can be hard to come by in romantasy books.
I also couldn’t get enough of Sky and Lei! These two princes added so much delicious tension to the story 🔥. I had no idea who I wanted Meilin to fall for until I read one specific scene 👀. Now I’m all in and I can’t wait for the next installment to see if I’m right! 🥳
I don’t want to say much more because I want you to read the book and discover all the amazing moments in the story for yourself. However, I’ll leave you with this: the second installment in the series is already one of my most anticipated books to be published. I will drop everything to read it once it hits the shelves. I’m confident you’ll feel the same after that ending! 🤯
In the pages you will find:
💪A Strong FMC
⚔️Battles
🐉Powerful Mythical Creatures
🔺A Love Triangle
❤️Enemies-to-lovers
🤯Shocking Betrayals and Twists
👑Explores Ambition and the Cost of Power
🏆The “Next Big Thing” in Romantasy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
bookworm_jem's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this e-arc...
This book took me by surprise - I devoured it in less than 48 hours!!
Like many, I only know of the Mulan story thanks to Disney, but this retelling takes away the Disney sparkle, mixes Chinese mythology with dark magic, and is definitely more for the grown-ups.
Escaping her father's addiction and a forced betrothal, Meilin enlists in the oncoming war, disguised as a boy. Unlike the Disney Princess fighting for her family's honour, this FMC is driven by ambition and the desire to be more than what is expected of women in that time...
What follows is an epic journey into war where forbidden magic is in play, and Meilin has to not only keep her identity secret but also become the warrior she feels she's destined to become.
This is due to be released on the 2nd July, and the second book honestly can't come soon enough for me!
This book took me by surprise - I devoured it in less than 48 hours!!
Like many, I only know of the Mulan story thanks to Disney, but this retelling takes away the Disney sparkle, mixes Chinese mythology with dark magic, and is definitely more for the grown-ups.
Escaping her father's addiction and a forced betrothal, Meilin enlists in the oncoming war, disguised as a boy. Unlike the Disney Princess fighting for her family's honour, this FMC is driven by ambition and the desire to be more than what is expected of women in that time...
What follows is an epic journey into war where forbidden magic is in play, and Meilin has to not only keep her identity secret but also become the warrior she feels she's destined to become.
This is due to be released on the 2nd July, and the second book honestly can't come soon enough for me!
bookedandboujee's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nightwing's review against another edition
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.
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.
teabun's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hannreadswhat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
blankpagepanic's review against another edition
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.
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.