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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
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.
noemi1010's review against another edition
3.0
The Night Ends with Fire mixes the story of Mulan and of ancient China. When the kingdoms are at war and Meilin's father is too high on opium to accept the draft, she masquerade as a man to go in his place and so escape an arranged marriage. While Meilin knows the art of QiGong, she's not that familiar with weapons, and when she attracts the ire of one of the commander as soon as she gets to the military camp, Meilin is in for a wild ride. If that wasn't enough, the amulet that her mother left her contains the power of a dragon. If anybody finds out, she'll be sentenced to death as magic is prohibited in her kingdom. So now Meilin needs to navigate her life as a solider and how to use the powers of the dragon to stop the neighbouring kingdom from conquering her land.
I enjoyed the setting of the story and how Chinese mythology was included in the story. However, I felt Meilin's adventure was dragged too long and she didn't grow on her journey. Moreover she went through a lot only to be betrayed at the end. I hope that in book 2 we can see more of her strength and hopefully a love story with one of the princes.
I enjoyed the setting of the story and how Chinese mythology was included in the story. However, I felt Meilin's adventure was dragged too long and she didn't grow on her journey. Moreover she went through a lot only to be betrayed at the end. I hope that in book 2 we can see more of her strength and hopefully a love story with one of the princes.
bamamelereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
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.
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.
getlitwithamy_'s review
I loved this book but my NetGalley download expired and it keeps saying I'm not authorized for a re-download.
phoebemagdalena's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.0
What does our ambition cost us?
I was enthralled by this retelling of Mulan's legend entwined firmly with fantasy and history.
It was initially a bit of a challenge to get into the story as the author throws us in at the deep end with terminology and customs that aren't explained, but I quickly picked up all the important threads and got absolutely wrapped up in the story and where the characters would end up.
I was enthralled by this retelling of Mulan's legend entwined firmly with fantasy and history.
It was initially a bit of a challenge to get into the story as the author throws us in at the deep end with terminology and customs that aren't explained, but I quickly picked up all the important threads and got absolutely wrapped up in the story and where the characters would end up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and War
mrlzbth's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
lucy_is_reading's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0