A review by bexbringsbooks
The Night Ends With Fire by K.X. Song

5.0

This is a Mulan retelling, but Meilin is not Mulan. Replace filial duty with feminine rage. Can a woman actually reach and hold power? And what is the cost? What makes a hero? And do heroes even exist? All considerations in a war where there is no clear answer as to who is in the right.

Finishing the book all I could think was a Walter Scott quote, “oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”.

This is not a Disney story and this was not a Disney ending in the best way possible. Absolutely will be reading the sequel.

-Mulan retelling
-elemental magic
-spirit guardians (the guardian aspect may be debatable)
-warring kingdoms
-love triangle (with two princes on opposing sides)