Reviews

The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song

meghannreads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I’M ABSOLUTELY SCREAMING AT THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK!!!!!!! This was a fast paced, Legend of Mulan retelling that I am going absolutely feral for. If you love a fmc who goes against tradition and is selfish in their ambitions and desires, this is a must read. Mulan was one of my favorite movies growing up so it was so fun to revisit this story with a more high stakes setting and a shit ton of betrayal and not knowing who you could trust. AND A LOVE TRIANGLE!!!!!!!!! GIVE ME BOOK TWO NOW PLEASE OMFG!!!!!!!

bookishbek's review against another edition

4.5

A Mulan retelling?  Sign me up!

Meilin is a young woman stuck in a life that she didn't choose for herself.  In order to escape, she disguises herself as a man and enlists in the war in her opium-addicted father's place.  Determined to prove herself worthy of being in the army, despite her small stature, she trains harder and longer.  As she continues to train and fight, she learns more about the ancient magic of the kingdoms - and her own connection to it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adult fantasy from K.X. Song.  I liked Meilin a lot.  She had a lot of flaws, but underneath, she truly is loyal to the people she loves.  And while I am not typically fond of the love triangle trope, I liked how it was done in this book.
I thought the magic system was unique, but not overly complicated, which I personally appreciated.  The book had pretty good pacing overall.  It is the first book in a series, so there are definitely loose ends, but I thought that it did wrap up nicely.

 Definitely recommend. 

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.  All opinions are my own.

another_bookgirly's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

supergirled's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense 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

1.5

puddlejumper's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

 

This novel is all about ambition and power – what would you do to get it and what would it cost you – were very central to the plot and character motivations. 

 

Meilin leaves her family to join the army out ambition and a desire for autonomy. She wants to find a place for herself and not be defined by the men around her. A dangerous ambition as a competent woman in the realm of men upsets the social order. 

 

What stood out for me was that the character thought about the consequences of her choices, what would happen if she stayed, what would happen if she was discovered, and still made the choice to disguise herself because it was the only way to get what she wanted and that was worth the risk. 

 

The book is split into three parts and each part was paced differently which was a bit odd. The second and third parts were a lot faster pace and there wasn’t much development during those sections. The first part felt more developed as time was spent setting the world up and the characters. 

 

I thought the book lost its way in the middle a bit. The introduction of the situationship triangle didn’t fit with the rest of the book and felt very awkward. I hesitate to call it a love triangle as none of the parties actually loved or liked each other. 

 

It was still an amazing book that gripped me from the start. I loved the magical element and the world building, each kingdom had its own history and culture that were distinct, most of the characters were fleshed out and the family and friendship relationships felt organic, it was just the romance that was weird. 

 

Would definitely recommend to people that enjoy historical fantasy. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

gammys_reads's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

5.0

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What an enchanting, exquisitely written, and intellectually stimulating historical fantasy, weaving mythology, magic and romance into a captivating retelling of the timeless Mulan narrative!! The exceptional world building, rich character development, morally complex figures, inclusion of mythical creatures and a spirit realm, pulsating tension, thrilling action sequences, poignant romance, mesmerizing magic, empowered female protagonist, harrowing wartime scenarios, gripping betrayals, unexpected plot twists, all set within an atmospheric backdrop, collectively render this narrative a truly spectacular and immersive reading experience. From the breathtakingly stunning cover to the irresistibly intriguing story, I was instantly captivated and found myself devouring the book with unbridled enthusiasm. I can confidently declare that this book has secured its place among my top favorites for the year 2024!!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

The Night Ends with Fire follows the journey of Meilin, a young woman determined to forge her own path, even if it means defying everyone she loves. Amidst the chaos of war in the Three Kingdoms, Meilin father, trapped by addiction, plans to sell her for her dowry. Faced with an arranged marriage to a violent man, Meilin disguises herself as a boy and enlists in the army in her father's place. As she rises through the ranks, forming bonds with comrades and navigating complex relationships, Meilin must confront visions of a sea dragon spirit offering power and freedom, but at a perilous cost. With the fate of the Three Kingdoms at stake, Meilin grapples with trust, torn between loyalty to Prince Sky, the enigmatic sea dragon spirit, and an enemy prince who challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her kingdom. 

When I reached the last page of this book, I couldn't contain my frustration and yelled "NO!"at my husband, as the ending left me I disbelief. However, after delving into some research, I discovered that it's jut6 the first part of a duology. While I am relieved that the story isn't over, the anticipation for the next installment is almost unbearable. Now, I find myself eagerly counting down the days until I can continue the adventure. Consider this your warning-once you're hooked, the wait for the next book becomes an agonizing test of patience!

In conclusion, this book had me completely captivated from the first page to the last. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a fantasy read Its enthralling storyline and richly developed characters deserve infinite stars of praise!! ♾️💫💫💫💫💫

baffledbiscuit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

booklover191's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

bookishspicy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

“I wanted others to respect me – to fear me. To know my name and know it with awe.” 

⚜     

When I found out about this Mulan retelling, I was so excited to read it. This book surpassed all my expectations, and I loved all the twists and changes compared to the Disney movie.  

In this book, Meilin, leaves for war pretending to be a man however unlike Mulan who left to take her father's place, she leaves to escape being sold by her father to an abusive man. Her mother had died from suicide and her father, who had never quite recovered from her death, was an abusive man addicted to opium.  

The magic in this book is unique and powerful. Qinglong and Zhurque (also known as the azure dragon and Vermilion bird in Chinese mythology) were used as the sources of magic for Meilin and Sima. “Just as the phoenix feeds off vengeance, the sea dragon feeds off greed.”. I loved how Qinglong had his own wants, trying to achieve them through Meilin. I really liked the aspect of the spirit realm where she would see and speak to Qinglong, as well as see others who were also connected to the spirit realm.  

I love that it was never easy for Meilin to wield her magic, there were always struggles she faced. Using too much and she would lose her sight for a period of time and iron could be used against her to suppress her magic entirely. Not only did Meilin have to hide her identity of being a woman but she also had to hide her magic from everyone as it was viewed by most as black magic.  

Unlike Mulan who only had one prince love interest, Meilin had two. Sky (aka the Shang of the story) who is kind, confident, whose duty is to his people. Lei, the enemy prince of Ximing, is darker, more secretive, and his ambitions were not always clear. As much as I liked Sky, I am definitely team Lei.  

That ending!! I need the second book now, and the first one has not even been released yet. I have a lot of waiting to do.  

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of this amazing book. 

priesty23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

4 stars

The Night Ends With Fire is the first instalment of a duology. It is very much a Disney Mulan retelling with a twist. In the author's note K. X. Song describes her motivation for this book to be questions surrounding:

"What would happen to Mulan if she were no longer content? What if upon experiencing independence and freedom as a man, she no longer wished to confine herself to the restrictive boundaries of her society? Would society accept her as she was, or, by transgressing the norm, would they punish her for aspiring for more?"

With the above in mind, I think the author does a fantastic job. This book contains magic, adventure, feminism, betrayal, and hope. I found it very easy to read, there were a lot of action scenes and comradery, but there is also a lot of questions around trust - can Meilin trust anyone as a woman dressed as a man? Who is a friend and who is a foe? This story is great at making these questions hard to answer and is one of the many reasons I ended up being engrossed in this story.

This might be a Mulan retelling but it is far from a Disney story; it is dark and brutal at times with some heart breaking scenes thrown in for good measure. I found myself frustrated and heartbroken, but I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens in the next book and how our main character develops further. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!