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mspilesofpaper's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc.
The Night Ends with Fire is the first part of a duology, which is a Mulan retelling at its core with the difference that the Mulan in this story is motivated by greed and isn't content with her allotted slot in life.
Please be aware that the following review includes spoilers.
PLOT OVERVIEW
Set in Tianjia, tensions escalate among the three kingdoms of Anlai, Ximing and Leyuan. Through the eyes of Hai Meilin from Anlai (our Mulan), we witness that her father is not an honourable man who will listen to the Imperial's call for arms but a greedy, abusive opium junkie with a gambling addiction. The family is destitute and requires Meilin to marry into a wealthy household as the dowry would offer financial stability for the family. Upon discovering her abusive fiancé and her desire to have "just a little more time", Meilin enlists in her father's steed - as his son Hai Ren who is born out of wedlock - despite her step-mother's worries that they will never allow a woman to hold onto power.
Upon leaving the family, her step-mother gives Meilin a jade amulet, which had belonged to her late mother. Unbeknownst to both women, the necklace contains a cardinal spirit: the dragon Qinglong. Concealing her identity as a woman and a spirit medium becomes crucial, as exposure could mean certain death, given the societal prohibition against women in warfare and the practice of black magic. Being assigned to the Seventh Company, led by the Seventh Prince of Anlai, Liu Sky, Meilin learns to fight and to be courageous. However, she discovers relatively soon that she is not the only spirit medium in the world; a vengeful man named Sima carries the seal of the phoenix: Zhuque. Where Qinglong feeds on greed, Zhuque feeds on vengeance. When the seal is stolen and broken, setting off a chain of events, Meilin embarks on a quest to find the remaining pieces to thwart Sima's plans.
CHARACTERS
There are three main characters, Meilin, Sky and Lei, who are accompanied by several side characters of different importance.
Meilin is, at her core, a greedy and power-hungry person who desires more than what society expects from a woman. I don't think that Song meant to portray her as a good and enjoyable character because, to me, she feels like a morally grey character who is selfish and driven by their own ambition and desire for more. Yes, she is a compelling main character as she grapples with her identity and confronts societal expectations in Anlai, but she is not a good character. Unfortunately, her greed makes her partly blind and stupid to anything around her (other characters, the environment, ...), which is always the reason for her getting hurt or getting into trouble.
The Night Ends with Fire is the first part of a duology, which is a Mulan retelling at its core with the difference that the Mulan in this story is motivated by greed and isn't content with her allotted slot in life.
Please be aware that the following review includes spoilers.
PLOT OVERVIEW
Set in Tianjia, tensions escalate among the three kingdoms of Anlai, Ximing and Leyuan. Through the eyes of Hai Meilin from Anlai (our Mulan), we witness that her father is not an honourable man who will listen to the Imperial's call for arms but a greedy, abusive opium junkie with a gambling addiction. The family is destitute and requires Meilin to marry into a wealthy household as the dowry would offer financial stability for the family. Upon discovering her abusive fiancé and her desire to have "just a little more time", Meilin enlists in her father's steed - as his son Hai Ren who is born out of wedlock - despite her step-mother's worries that they will never allow a woman to hold onto power.
Upon leaving the family, her step-mother gives Meilin a jade amulet, which had belonged to her late mother. Unbeknownst to both women, the necklace contains a cardinal spirit: the dragon Qinglong. Concealing her identity as a woman and a spirit medium becomes crucial, as exposure could mean certain death, given the societal prohibition against women in warfare and the practice of black magic. Being assigned to the Seventh Company, led by the Seventh Prince of Anlai, Liu Sky, Meilin learns to fight and to be courageous. However, she discovers relatively soon that she is not the only spirit medium in the world; a vengeful man named Sima carries the seal of the phoenix: Zhuque. Where Qinglong feeds on greed, Zhuque feeds on vengeance. When the seal is stolen and broken, setting off a chain of events, Meilin embarks on a quest to find the remaining pieces to thwart Sima's plans.
CHARACTERS
There are three main characters, Meilin, Sky and Lei, who are accompanied by several side characters of different importance.
Meilin is, at her core, a greedy and power-hungry person who desires more than what society expects from a woman. I don't think that Song meant to portray her as a good and enjoyable character because, to me, she feels like a morally grey character who is selfish and driven by their own ambition and desire for more. Yes, she is a compelling main character as she grapples with her identity and confronts societal expectations in Anlai, but she is not a good character. Unfortunately, her greed makes her partly blind and stupid to anything around her (other characters, the environment, ...), which is always the reason for her getting hurt or getting into trouble.
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.
Liu Sky is, on the other hand, the least power-hungry person in the story. While he is a kind and gentle character, who cares deeply for his people, his short temper and his sense of honour and duty are his main flaws. The only time where he moves away from following the law is when he discovers Meilin's gender. Instead of executing her for treason, which would have been expected of him, he tries to send her home to protect her as he cares deeply about her. I think, if Meilin hadn't been promised to another man, and if the war wouldn't happen, he would have asked for her hand in marriage relatively quickly (as they met at the beginning of the book where he saves her). In another life, he would have been a good husband for her as she deals with a lot of trauma from her childhood and early adulthood (loss of her mother, abusive father, ...) as he's a gentle character.
If only my men riding out to war tomorrow could be half as fast and clever as you.
Cao Ming Lei, on the other hand, is Sky's total opposite. Where Sky is kind and gentle, Lei is enigmatic, indifferent, sly and ambitious, but also deeply vain. A rather morally grey character who also suffers from trauma (loss of his mother, abusive older brother, strained relationship with his father). While Sky says that he wouldn't use Meilin as a weapon, Lei doesn't hide it. He tortures her for his own gain and uses her as a tool to achieve his own goals, which are still unknown by the end of the book. While I don't doubt that he desires her, he feels like someone who would sacrifice Meilin if it meant that he would win in the end. Rather possessive as well but you have to protect your assets to win a war, I suppose.
His eyes crinkled again. He was very handsome when he smiled, I thought; he was very handsome all the time. But that just made it easier for him to deceive.
WORLDBUILDING AND MAGIC
The story is set in Tianjia, which is a fantasy version of China in a way. Unlike the Disney version, the war in The Night Ends with Fire is caused by infighting between the three kingdoms. I felt that worldbuilding is the weakest part of the book as it's mostly created through reports or annals at the beginning of each chapter.
The strongest worldbuilding aspect is the magic. Song has created a whole new dynamic through the inclusion of forbidden magic and the Cardinal Spirits with their seals. Cardinal Spirits are the four spirits representing and controlling the time of day, seasons, elements and directions. These are:
⋙ Xuanwu - north, tortoise
⋙ Zhuque - south, phoenix - fire
⋙ Qinglong - east, dragon - water
⋙ Baihu - west, tiger
While only Qinglong and Zhuque play a role in the first instalment, there is a poem about all four seals, which gives me hope that we will meet the characters who will carry the spirit seals for Xuanwu and Baihu in the second instalment. As Qinglong is already associated with water (despite its element being wood in Qi Gong if I'm not mistaken), I think that Xuanwu will either be earth and Baihu will be metal or Song will go the traditional Western view of elements and will use earth and air for them.
One buried.
One drowned.
One stolen.
But none so pitiful as one forgotten.
Due to its traditional link with water, I think Xuanwu might be the one behind "one drowned" and Baihu being "one forgotten".
I want to point out, as it is a Mulan retelling that uses elements of the Disney version as well, that Qinglong is not Mushu. Yes, he's a dragon but where Mushu is there for comedic relief, Qinglong has his own agenda. He's sinister, cryptic and greedy. He uses Meilin as much as she uses him.
Never trust a dragon.
TL;DR
An epic fantasy book, blending elements of myth, history, and fantasy into a mesmerizing tapestry of adventure and intrigue. As readers embark on Meilin's odyssey, they are transported to a world teeming with magic, danger, and untold possibilities, ensuring that the flames of anticipation burn brightly for the next instalment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: War, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
imaginaryalchemist's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I picked up this title as an ARC. The cover caught my eye, it is gorgeous.
The Night Ends With Fire proved to be a quick read. It is fairly fast-paced, with plenty of action scenes. I do wish the magic and martial arts had been fleshed out more. Meilin frequently mentions her kung fu abilities but I feel they weren't fully showcased.
Some of dialogue and the way the characters spoke didn't feel fitting to the time period. For example, in one scene Meilin criticizes a comrade for getting "smashed," which didn't feel like something that would be said in a historical imperial Chinese setting. The mix of traditional Chinese names and names like "Winter" and "Autumn" also took me out of the setting. The world building in general felt a little weak.
I also wished the characters had more personality to them. I would have loved to see Meilin banter and bond with her comrades more. The budding romance between her and Sky wasn't fully believable to me, they had decent chemistry but I didn't feel that their relationship had been given enough time or attention.
Overall, I wish everything was more fleshed out. I enjoyed the story that was there, and I liked how it blended Mulan and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I liked how Meilin was a deeply flawed protagonist who could easily be pulled down a dark path. I just feel like it could have used a little more time in the oven, so to speak.
I hope my review doesn't come across as harsh, I know this is the author's adult debut, and I didn't dislike the novel. I feel she could become a polished writer with more time and experience. I will check out the sequel whenever it releases, I do want to see where it goes from here.
The Night Ends With Fire proved to be a quick read. It is fairly fast-paced, with plenty of action scenes. I do wish the magic and martial arts had been fleshed out more. Meilin frequently mentions her kung fu abilities but I feel they weren't fully showcased.
Some of dialogue and the way the characters spoke didn't feel fitting to the time period. For example, in one scene Meilin criticizes a comrade for getting "smashed," which didn't feel like something that would be said in a historical imperial Chinese setting. The mix of traditional Chinese names and names like "Winter" and "Autumn" also took me out of the setting. The world building in general felt a little weak.
I also wished the characters had more personality to them. I would have loved to see Meilin banter and bond with her comrades more. The budding romance between her and Sky wasn't fully believable to me, they had decent chemistry but I didn't feel that their relationship had been given enough time or attention.
Overall, I wish everything was more fleshed out. I enjoyed the story that was there, and I liked how it blended Mulan and The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I liked how Meilin was a deeply flawed protagonist who could easily be pulled down a dark path. I just feel like it could have used a little more time in the oven, so to speak.
I hope my review doesn't come across as harsh, I know this is the author's adult debut, and I didn't dislike the novel. I feel she could become a polished writer with more time and experience. I will check out the sequel whenever it releases, I do want to see where it goes from here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Murder, Confinement, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
Minor: Classism, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Blood
MC's family suffers immensely from her father's drug and gambling addictions. He is also abusive, physically and mentally. The story deals heavily with misogyny as the MC fights against the roles society tries to force on her. Suicide is mentioned frequently -jburinga's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Confinement, War, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Murder, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content
It seems like this book, based on the content warnings, is much darker than it is. That said, it is quite heavy and covers a vast number of topics during a time of war and a period where women had little power. And given Meilin’s power, she goes through, witnesses, and does a number of horrible things. It’s an integral part of the story.
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