The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song
So, this is a Mulan retelling, and I quite enjoyed it! Our Main Character , Meilin, decides to disguise herself as a man and enlist in the army after witnessing ther husband-to-be abusing a servant. Before she leaves, her mother-in-law (who's more like a sister to her), gives her a jade seal that once belonged to her mother. The seal allows Meilin to become the vessel of a dragon spirit--which is highly illegal, and has the potential to drive her insane.
Overall, I found this story a compelling, enjoyable read. Meilin has a number of adventures, and she's an easy character to root for, being an underdog who just wants to be free to choose her own path in life. There are numerous obstacles she has to overcome, from the dragon who threatens to warp her mind, to her keeping her secrets from her new friends, to actual torture at the hands of the enemy. There's a lot she goes through!
However, there were a few areas I think this could be stronger. The biggest one for me is Meilin herself: her initial motivation of wanting to avoid an abusive marriage was a strong one. However, it quite quickly gets warped to her being driven by greed/a lust for power? And that transition didn't quite feel authentic or backed up by the story. At no point did Meilin actually feel like a greedy, selfish person--though she insists that she is. This made her feel rather shallow, and I would have loved a little more depth to her.
Also, she's basically blind to a lot of things happening around her 😂 there were numerous times I just wanted to shake her and be like "Duh, that was obvious 100 pages ago how didn't you notice it?!?"
Despite the weak characterization, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot was engaging, and it felt more plot-focused than character-focused, which made it easier to overlook those flaws. I'll definitely read the sequel when it comes out!
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