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A review by desirai
The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas
adventurous
informative
slow-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? No
5.0
The Magnolia Sword is a Young Adult Historical Fiction retelling of A Ballad of Mulan and was May 2021's pick for the BookTube Chicks Book Club.
Although I imagine many might find it a bit slow, I didn't mind the pacing. The book was hard to put down and I finished it pretty quickly. The enemies-to-lovers trope is always fun to read, but even more fascinating was the rich history - a tale of two swords belonging to rival families and all the family secrets Sherry Thomas wove in.
The story had a fairly even mix of plot and character developments. Mulan began her journey feeling like a disappointment to her father. Along the way she learned many things about herself and her family. Much of what she believed was not as it seemed. She also expanded her self-awareness enough to acknowledge and examine some of her own prejudices.
I was expecting something completely different when I first added this title to my wishlist. Due to my own ignorance, there were politics involved that I didn't fully understand and likely focused too much on one aspect of the story. However, I still really enjoyed The Magnolia Sword and Sherry Thomas' writing. I look forward to rereading this in the future and I plan on checking out more of the author's work.
Although I imagine many might find it a bit slow, I didn't mind the pacing. The book was hard to put down and I finished it pretty quickly. The enemies-to-lovers trope is always fun to read, but even more fascinating was the rich history - a tale of two swords belonging to rival families and all the family secrets Sherry Thomas wove in.
The story had a fairly even mix of plot and character developments. Mulan began her journey feeling like a disappointment to her father. Along the way she learned many things about herself and her family. Much of what she believed was not as it seemed. She also expanded her self-awareness enough to acknowledge and examine some of her own prejudices.
I was expecting something completely different when I first added this title to my wishlist. Due to my own ignorance, there were politics involved that I didn't fully understand and likely focused too much on one aspect of the story. However, I still really enjoyed The Magnolia Sword and Sherry Thomas' writing. I look forward to rereading this in the future and I plan on checking out more of the author's work.