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the_rabble 's review for:
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan
by Sherry Thomas
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Excellent Mulan adaptation.
Sherry Thomas knows how to hit every emotional beat, write a barrage of dope fight scenes, and create a satisfying resolution.
1st person, past tense, no spice, Mulan is 19, other characters are early 20s, family/clan rivalry story in addition to traditional "saving the realm from invasion" story
Thomas added a really satisfying feud between Mulan's family and another that requires a duel between the heirs of each to determine who holds ancestral swords until the next duel.
It lets Mulan come in hot as a master swordswoman and martial artist which makes the action scenes more emotionally impactful. We're not as worried about her skill so much as her success and her headspace, which is a cool trick by Thomas.
Narrator - Emily Woo Zeller kills it. Neutral US accent, lots of Chinese pronunciation that never seemed to slow her down.
Sherry Thomas knows how to hit every emotional beat, write a barrage of dope fight scenes, and create a satisfying resolution.
1st person, past tense, no spice, Mulan is 19, other characters are early 20s, family/clan rivalry story in addition to traditional "saving the realm from invasion" story
Thomas added a really satisfying feud between Mulan's family and another that requires a duel between the heirs of each to determine who holds ancestral swords until the next duel.
It lets Mulan come in hot as a master swordswoman and martial artist which makes the action scenes more emotionally impactful. We're not as worried about her skill so much as her success and her headspace, which is a cool trick by Thomas.
Narrator - Emily Woo Zeller kills it. Neutral US accent, lots of Chinese pronunciation that never seemed to slow her down.