This book was provided by Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun read, I did not get bored one minute, and the end was very surprising. I can't wait for book two ! Which I will probably have to wait for a long time, since book one is not officially out yet.

The Night Ends With Fire is a Mulan retelling, if Mulan's father was awful, Mulan was good at both magic and at kung fu, and Mushu was powerful and untrustworthy. I really like all the nods to the original story and the Disney movie, which is one of my favourite.

This is absolutely not historically accurate, since it's definitely a retelling of the Disney movie, not of the original legend. And it's a fantasy, there are dragons, magic, seers. It's amazing !

At first, I was afraid that the main character, would be "not like other girls", or too strong too fast. But she is such an incredibly good main character ! I love her, I could read a 10 book long series about her ! I liked seeing her grow as a person, and I hope we can see her evolve even more in the next book.

I also surprisingly really liked the main enemy, I sort of wish he would have won, haha !

One thing I didn't like though, was the use of Chinese words where English would have made more sense. When Meilin insults people of being "baichi idiots", it feels as cringe as when anime fans say "baka" IRL. Also, I'm probably not the only reader who doesn't know much about China (all I know is what is depicted in Zhang Yimou movies), so it would have been nice to have some footnotes explaining some things, translating some words, and maybe a pronunciation guide.

Meilin has spent her whole life hoping for freedom. Freedom from her father, her duties as a daughter, her duties as a woman. When she is promised to an old man whose previous wives have mysteriously died after they failed to produce sons, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She sneaks off into the night and joins the military in her degenerate father's stead. You will find the storyline similar to Disney's Mulan at the beginning and less so at the end. Yes, it is loosely based on a true story. No, I haven't researched it to find out which parts are true or not. There is a blurb at the end of this book that tells you a little bit about the real Mulan, but I didn't really read it and it's very short.

This is not exactly 3⭐. It's more accurately 2.5⭐ rounded up. This book had no business being as long as it was. This heifer must have been kidnapped and held hostage 8 times. It is astounding. Truly. And if she was so pretty that she had multiple princes simping after her, how the hell did she pull off being a dude for so long? I don't get it. The words....so many words..... Ugh. I got fed up with this at about 40%. At 60%, I wanted to quit. At 70%, I thought I saw the end coming. At 80%, I felt sure that there had to be a sequel because the author had wasted SO MUCH BOOK on nonsense that there was no way it could be wrapped up in the last 20%. At 98%, I was wondering what the crap just happened. At 100%, I resisted the urge to throw my Kindle because I still don't know if it is over. Is there a sequel? Is there not? Frankly, don't care.

Firstly, i'd like to thank Netgalley and Hodder Books for allowing me to read an e-arc for an honest review.

This was a book that sounded interesting to me so i was happy that i was approved an early copy. It is inspired by Mulan and had me sucked into the adventure. Meilin is someone who knows what she wants and doesn't want to be trapped in a life which isn't fit for her. I was glad she fought for her freedom and became a stronger person than what she was in the beginning. The pacing was great and the characters intrigued me. Especially, Lei. I'm excited for book two and if you're someone who loves strong female characters, love triangles and adventure then this is a book for you.

Thanks so much to Hodderscape and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.


I loved this so much, it was such a fresh take on the Mulan story. Think Mulan but with a twist?

I was gripped the entire time and couldn't wait to keep reading it! I absolutely loved Lei, he was my favourite character and so much fun. I can't wait for the next one because that ending had me choking.

The world building was incredible, the character growth was impeccable and the action scenes were so realistic. It was like I could see the training montage in my head.

I don't what else to say apart from this book made me feel things and now I need the next one now, please??

Actual rating: 4,5 stars

It initially took me a bit to get into the story because I was a bit worried that it would take a bunch of different stories and weave them together without really becoming its own thing, but luckily that did not turn out to be the case. It reminded me of Mulan x The Poppy War x Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, but with a fresh feel.

I really loved how it combined Chinese mythology and legends with an almost grimdark atmosphere. The book certainly has darker themes and felt a bit heavier at times. I never had to put the book down or anything (in fact, I barely put the book down at all because I was so zoned in), but it was a bit challenging in certain scenes.
The writing fit the mood well and I enjoyed it.

I liked the setting and worldbuilding a lot, with the contrast between the two main kingdoms that we see in the book, one despising black magic, the other embracing it. I always like it when the worldbuilding complements other aspects of the story, and in this case, there was a nice synergy with the FMC's character development.

Speaking of the FMC: I love her. I think she and her character arc are incredibly well-written, and much of her personality is a consequence of the society she grew up in and the beliefs that had been ingrained in her. I also really appreciated that her finding her strength and power truly came only from her (and maybe the dragon), without outside forces like romantic partners kickstarting this. Not that there is anything wrong with that when it's done well, but I truly liked that she challenged herself and her beliefs because she wanted something more for herself.

Misogyny and sexism are big themes of this book. I usually prefer feminist worlds/worlds where gender is a non-issue, but when it is done well, I also appreciate the opposite. I'm very interested in how it will play out in book 2, and I wish I could say more but that would be too big of a spoiler.

I found the cast of characters incredibly interesting, as most of them are men who believe that women are inferior, so even though I liked them, I struggled with these beliefs, while also acknowledging that they are acting in accordance with what they've been told and is the prevalent opinion.
I'm also curious how the slight love triangle will be resolved. I'm certainly leaning one way and I hope it's going to end up going in that direction. The romance is not a big focus of the book, but I personally liked the way the love triangle was done (I do enjoy them in general though so if you're a love triangle hater, take my opinion with a grain of salt).

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this and even though I always say I'm excited for the sequel, I don't often mean it quite as strongly as I do with this one. I truly cannot wait to see how this story continues. I have a feeling it is going to be a 2025 favorite! (I'm certainly hoping the sequel will be out next year)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get used to the writing style, and I just came out of a reading slump that I didn't want to push through and attempt to finish the book and put myself back in one.

I did not know that this book was based on the Disney movie and couldn't get away from the film Mulan whilst reading the book.
I thought that the book went on and on for far too long. The story dragged and I only finished reading it out of pure curiosity.
I didnt think that the author had too much research to do with it being a book 'copied'. I didnt understand what the point of the proverbs/news releases were at the beginning of each paragraph and had forgotten what they were by the time I'd started reading the chapter because they didnt make sense to me.

An intricate tale of power, greed and magic, The Night Ends with fire is a brilliant fantasy book of war, lost, love and womanhood.

I loved this book! It felt like a f-you to the patriarchal roles of a woman, giving Meilin the power of choice, greed and love. Even if her character is morally grey the way K. X. Song wrote Meilin is beautiful and shows her will to resist and to survive. The writing of this book is easy to read, and the story gives Mulan vibes. I think my main problem was that it felt like the love interests were a bit two dimensional with their story not being very developed in either case. With that being said I still really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the next book in this story.

Summary: With the Three Kingdoms at war, Meilin disguises herself as a boy and enlists, seeking friendship, recognition, and unexpected love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

2.5⭐️ - 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚖𝚎.

This book gives off strong Mulan vibes, which is my all-time favorite Disney film, while offering a completely original story. I was really excited at first because it was like rediscovering everything I loved about Mulan, but in a brand-new setting with captivating magical elements. The concept of animal spirits manipulating and influencing people through their seals was absolutely fascinating.

However, as the story progressed, I found myself less invested due to some of Meilin's choices, which the author pushed the reader to interpret as greed rather than a desire for freedom for a young woman in a world where she had no control over her own life. This, along with the narrative being mostly telling and not showing, didn't help me connect with the characters.

Nonetheless, I feel other readers may enjoy this action-packed book with a touch of romance and a very intriguing magical system.

The Night Ends with Fire
4.5 ⭐
1 🌶
1st person single POV
Mulan inspired
Love Triangle
Enemies to Lovers

Mulan has always been my favourite Disney film growing up and still is to this day. There were themes and some similar parts but no it isn't like the Disney Mulan - and I'm so glad for that and this story was amazing!

Meilin's father sends her to a matchmaker, he needs her dowry to pay for his gambling and opium debts but Meilin refuses and she enlists in the army under pretence she's her fathers bastard son as Ren.
Meilin is determined to prove she's just as strong as the men she's there with, and she gain Prince Lui Sky attention with her abilities but she needs to keep her real identity a secret.

I loved the character development throughout, she was strong at the start but by the end she had such an unstoppable force.

The ending I didn't see coming (I thought it was a standalone) and my jaw was on the floor, and I can't wait to see what Meilin does next.

Thank you for the eARC Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton

Unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book at 30%.

The writing style is easy to read and I was able to fly through all 30% in one sitting. The problem is, once I put it down I had absolutely no desire to pick it back up.

This feels very YA, despite being marketed as Adult, and that is not really to my personal taste. Meilin was so unlikable but it was not in an interesting way that made me want to keep reading. All the other characters were very flat and I honestly just didn’t care what happened to them.

Apparently this is a Mulan retelling but as I have never seen the Disney film, this had no effect on my reading of this book. Meilin runs away from her arranged marriage to an abusive older man and enlists in the army to fight in the upcoming war. She has disguised herself as a man and has to work hard to conceal her weaknesses and compete on equal terms with her fellow soldiers.
I really enjoyed the opening part of this book where she was at home with her family especially her relationship with her young stepmother. The early days in the army were good too as she fought against the dislike of the troop commander. However, as the book progressed, I found that it held my attention less and less.
The characters felt quite two dimensional to me and the relationships between them never quite seemed real to me. The chapters were very short which had the effect of chopping up the story and we moved very quickly from a problem to its resolution with very little development. This is marketed as an adult fantasy but it felt a lot more like a young adult novel to me especially with the youth of the characters and the lack of complexity in the relationships.
Ultimately, I found this to be a disappointing read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eh.

I really wanted to like this, but ultimately, I cannot. This book is "inspired by the legend of Mulan," meaning it's a full-on retelling of Mulan, but if she was ~morally grey~.

The pacing is truly breakneck, meaning we cannot get to know any of these characters in time. Even our main character, who has some very skewed views about what it means to be successful, we don't even get to know before she makes a very rash decision to bind her chest and skip off to war.

But ultimately, what doomed this book for me was the emptiness.
Meilin herself is bland, pale, and devoid of personality except for the author's frantic attempt to make her seem ~morally grey~. It's clear that the author took inspiration from the Poppy War's Rin to sculpt her own character (Meilin, who coincidentally goes by Ren when she pretends to be a man), but fails to add the depth that Rin has to Ren (oof). Because of this, we end up with a main character who wants wants wants - and never anything else. There's no development. There's no personality except for this constand greed. And we aren't even SHOWN about the greed, we are TOLD about the greed. The show/tell dynamic is skewed terribly towards the telling throughout this entire book.

One thing I want to pull out of the story that irked me a lot, is this: What is a Mulan retelling with its intrinsic motivation removed? Mulan goes to war because her father cannot, and because she loves him and her family deeply. This love at the foundation of the story works as her motivation for everything she does. This book removes this motivation, and instead of love, puts down the concept of hate. Meilin's father is an opium addict and an abuser, and Meilin hates him to the point that when she kills her first enemy, she says she always imagined that the first man she'd kill was her father, not this unnamed soldier. This is, of course, a complete 180 from the source material, and it does not work. Mulan wants to be a good daughter, desperately, but even though she tries, she just can't make herself fit into this mold that society wants her to fit into. When it comes to Meilin, we are simply told that she can't live in this society, but all we see is that she does so, perfectly. She is wonderful towards the matchmaker. She is lovely and polite in public. Her assumed ostracization is only due to her father squandering their money and betraying his family's status as nobles. If it weren't for the father, Meilin could've made a perfect match and been a wife. She was prepared to do so, only until her father's reputation caused the matchmaker to only be able to offer her a match with a cruel man.
This does not work. It's not enough motivation for what she is about to do. Maybe it would be enough if the whole thing hadn't been done with in three chapters, if we'd had more backstory. Which brings me to my next point:

Plot points follow each other at an unsustainable pace. The chapters are really short, and most plot points only get one chapter to be resolved. In the beginning, Ren is flogged for a crime they did not commit, and no one ever mentions it again. No mention of pain, no mention of scars, of scabbing, of the wound causing problems while training - nothing. And that is just an example. We see this happening over and over and over. Nothing spills over into later in the story.

In conclusion, no. Unfortunately, no.

4.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

My first introduction to the legend of Mulan was, of course, the 1998 Disney animated movie. 'Mulan' is one of my favourite Disney animated movies ever. When I heard about this book, I wanted to read it immediately. If it's a Mulan retelling, sign me up immediately!

With that being said, The Night Ends With Fire is a beautiful retelling of the legendary Meilin. Instead of the Disney version, K.S. Song writes Meilin as an ambitious character who struggles with morally grey choices in her life. It combines elements of dark magic and Chinese mythology while also keeping the fundamental points of Meilin's story at the centre of the story. It's about her journey as a warrior that she is destined to become, and it's honestly one of the best YA/Adult/Romantasy books I've read this year.

I'm not entirely sure about the romance/love triangle between Meilin, Lei and Sky, but I'm all here for it. I prefer the fantasy elements and the worldbuilding rather than the romance bits. So, so, so excited for the next book! I cannot wait to read it.

First off, I just want to say thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC and the opportunity to review this amazing book. As a huge fan of Mulan, I was thrilled to read this retelling.

Right away, I have to mention that this book feels more like YA than adult fiction. It combines elements of Mulan, The Poppy War Trilogy, and adds a dash of DOTMG and HOTSW love and tension. It has everything I personally love in a book, but if YA isn’t your preference, this might not be for you.

I appreciated how the book addresses the treatment of ambitious women. Despite today’s more progressive society, there is still significant stigma around choosing “motherhood/womanhood” or “freedom/ambition." I also enjoyed the MFC’s confusion about her confidence, ambition, and drive. This is very relatable during the transition from teenager to adult, as it’s often hard to discern right from wrong.

The author excels at conveying betrayal and setting intricate scenes. The layers of details that the MFC is blind to but others can see highlight her naivety regarding the complexities of politics and social norms. As the story progresses, the MFC’s growth is evident and beautifully portrayed. I absolutely love it and am so excited for the next book. I wish it were already available.

Spoiler: The ending gives off ACOTAR Tamlin/Rhys canon event vibes, and I am absolutely here for it.

Unfortunately a DNF for me as I found the writing style too juvenile for an adult book. I feel this should be categorised as Young Adult instead.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this e-arc...

This book took me by surprise - I devoured it in less than 48 hours!!

Like many, I only know of the Mulan story thanks to Disney, but this retelling takes away the Disney sparkle, mixes Chinese mythology with dark magic, and is definitely more for the grown-ups.

Escaping her father's addiction and a forced betrothal, Meilin enlists in the oncoming war, disguised as a boy. Unlike the Disney Princess fighting for her family's honour, this FMC is driven by ambition and the desire to be more than what is expected of women in that time...

What follows is an epic journey into war where forbidden magic is in play, and Meilin has to not only keep her identity secret but also become the warrior she feels she's destined to become.

The second book honestly can't come soon enough for me!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 | 𝐊. 𝐗. 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 | 𝟑.𝟕𝟓*

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟
⟡ Fantasy
⟡ Mulan reimagining
⟡ Chinese mythology
⟡ Forbidden magic
⟡ Love triangle

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
I really enjoyed this Mulan reimagining which is woven with the mythology of the Chinese Four Guardians, although we only get to see the Phoenix and the Dragon come out to play in this installment of a new fantasy series.

I liked the fiery, flawed, and relatable main character, Meilin, who wants nothing more than to own her own life rather than be a conventional daughter and betrothed. The authors note states that it’s an exploration of ambition, but to me I interpreted this book more as a relentless pursuit of freedom. In Meilin’s battle to free the kingdom, she also attempts to free herself from the chains of female oppression.

Although I did find that the dynamics were lacking impact. I didn’t enjoy her friendship with any of the comrades. Nor did I enjoy her blossoming intimacy with her commander, Prince Liu Sky. Although I did find the chemistry between Meilin and Prince Cao Lei undeniable. He was a favourite character of mine all around.

For those who loved A Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, this is your next obsession.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:
“𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦?” 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦, 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.”
“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵?”
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳.”

This book is so good! I was immediately captivated by this world and the pacing was fantastic. The ending had me screaming in frustration and I'm now left wondering how I'm going to wait for the sequel. Read this book!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review!

-

“My Existence was my birthright, and it would be my justification.”

The story was relatively fast paced, with easy to read writing and chapters on the shorter side of things. I found the world intriguing, and I liked that the female main character is ambitious and proud.

“In victory, I could have my sword, my name, my freedom.”

I didn’t ever really fully connect with any of the characters, and the stakes never felt super high (as a lot of conflicts and challenges are resolved quite fast), so I didn’t feel overly invested - but it was entertaining and kept my interest throughout.

“Men are wolves, remember this.”

I think readers who enjoyed Fourth Wing might have fun with this too, as it gave me some of the same vibes and feelings.

3,5 stars - and I’ll probably read the sequel when it comes.