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A review by kathleenfairchild
The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
I have received an e-ARC via Netgalley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Hodder & Stoughton!
I’ll be upfront and say that I DNF’ed at about 23 %.
I have fond memories of watching the Disney movie of Mulan when I was younger and this book made me want to re-watch it, even if it ended up not being for me. I have also read a translation of The Ballad of Mulan to get myself in the right mood for this story. I could definitely see Mulan elements in the book. It is a far bleaker version than the movie, and Meilin’s motivation to join the military is different, trying to flee from an opium-addicted and abusive father as well as an abusive future husband. She seems to be quite ambitious too. That’s fine, I appreciate a different take on a familiar tale.
I kind of liked the first couple of chapters before she joined the army. The sisterly bond between Meilin and her stepmother was nice to see. Love to see female relationships. Her father read almost cartoonish? Maybe it’s because I didn’t vibe with the writing. There’s some mystery surrounding her mother’s death, the necklace she left for her daughter, and spirit magic that sounded promising.
My issue with this book was that the characters and world didn’t feel fleshed out enough for me to get invested in them. It’s unfortunate because it makes the first person POV quite jarring to read when you’re not caring for the main character.
In addition to that the writing just didn’t work for me. It felt not detailed or nuanced enough. I don’t have anything against a more simplistic style. This one didn’t manage to draw me in though. There also was sometimes a repetitiveness and jumpiness to it that threw me out of the story.
Overall, this book felt like bare bones that lacked meat to me. I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn’t for me. Mulan lovers might still enjoy this story, though.
I’ll be upfront and say that I DNF’ed at about 23 %.
I have fond memories of watching the Disney movie of Mulan when I was younger and this book made me want to re-watch it, even if it ended up not being for me. I have also read a translation of The Ballad of Mulan to get myself in the right mood for this story. I could definitely see Mulan elements in the book. It is a far bleaker version than the movie, and Meilin’s motivation to join the military is different, trying to flee from an opium-addicted and abusive father as well as an abusive future husband. She seems to be quite ambitious too. That’s fine, I appreciate a different take on a familiar tale.
I kind of liked the first couple of chapters before she joined the army. The sisterly bond between Meilin and her stepmother was nice to see. Love to see female relationships. Her father read almost cartoonish? Maybe it’s because I didn’t vibe with the writing. There’s some mystery surrounding her mother’s death, the necklace she left for her daughter, and spirit magic that sounded promising.
My issue with this book was that the characters and world didn’t feel fleshed out enough for me to get invested in them. It’s unfortunate because it makes the first person POV quite jarring to read when you’re not caring for the main character.
In addition to that the writing just didn’t work for me. It felt not detailed or nuanced enough. I don’t have anything against a more simplistic style. This one didn’t manage to draw me in though. There also was sometimes a repetitiveness and jumpiness to it that threw me out of the story.
Overall, this book felt like bare bones that lacked meat to me. I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn’t for me. Mulan lovers might still enjoy this story, though.