A Warrior in Disguise
All her life, Mulan has trained for one purpose: to win the duel that every generation in her family must fight. If she prevails, she can reunite a pair of priceless heirloom swords separated decades earlier, and avenge her father, who was paralyzed in his own duel.
Then a messenger from the Emperor arrives, demanding that all families send one soldier to fight the Rouran invaders in the north. Mulan's father cannot go. Her brother is just a child. So she ties up her hair, takes up her sword, and joins the army as a man.
A War for a Dynasty
Thanks to her martial arts skills, Mulan is chosen for an elite team under the command of the princeling--the royal duke's son, who is also the handsomest man she's ever seen. But the princeling has secrets of his own, which explode into Mulan's life and shake up everything she knows. As they cross the Great Wall to face the enemy beyond, Mulan and the princeling must find a way to unwind their past, unmask a traitor, and uncover the plans for the Rouran invasion . . . before it's too late.
Inspired by wuxia martial-arts dramas as well as the centuries-old ballad of Mulan, The Magnolia Sword is perfect for fans of Renee Ahdieh, Marie Lu, or Kristin Cashore--a thrilling, romantic, and sharp-edged novel that lives up to its beloved heroine.
When I first heard about Magnolia Sword, I wasn’t sure I was going to read this Mulan retelling, because I was afraid to be disappointed by this book. However, I finally read it, and it was a great surprise, even if it wasn’t the book of the year for me.
Since the beginning of the book, we can find a lot of similarities with the original tale, but then the author creates her own universe and gives new purposes to the characters. I liked to discover a new story based on a known one. Mulan is a really interesting character because she is passing for her dead twin brother, and she is going to war because no male in her family can go there, but she is always torn between her duty and the desire to be herself, and to be recognized by others for who she is. The other characters were also really interesting because as they came from different castes in the hierarchy, they gave us a new view of the story. Some of them reminds me of the original characters, like Chien-Po and Yao.
And then of course, there is Kai. He is protective towards Mulan, but he also shows her his weaknesses, and that makes him even more human.
The beginning of the book was really great, and I dived into it pretty fast. There isn’t a lot of action and battles, everything is based on power game, doubts and treason. It was interesting to understand the society and how these power games were working at this time. The romance is also in the background and really slow, but it’s similar to the original Mulan tale, so I liked it even more.
My greatest deception was when the true identity of Mulan is revealed to her comrades. I was waiting for more outrage and deception from her fellows, but there were none of them. It was a little like it was something normal to see a girl in the army.
However, this book was a great read and I am happy to have it in my shelves. Mulan fans, don’t hesitate to read it ;)
Since the beginning of the book, we can find a lot of similarities with the original tale, but then the author creates her own universe and gives new purposes to the characters. I liked to discover a new story based on a known one. Mulan is a really interesting character because she is passing for her dead twin brother, and she is going to war because no male in her family can go there, but she is always torn between her duty and the desire to be herself, and to be recognized by others for who she is. The other characters were also really interesting because as they came from different castes in the hierarchy, they gave us a new view of the story. Some of them reminds me of the original characters, like Chien-Po and Yao.
And then of course, there is Kai. He is protective towards Mulan, but he also shows her his weaknesses, and that makes him even more human.
The beginning of the book was really great, and I dived into it pretty fast. There isn’t a lot of action and battles, everything is based on power game, doubts and treason. It was interesting to understand the society and how these power games were working at this time. The romance is also in the background and really slow, but it’s similar to the original Mulan tale, so I liked it even more.
My greatest deception was when the true identity of Mulan is revealed to her comrades. I was waiting for more outrage and deception from her fellows, but there were none of them. It was a little like it was something normal to see a girl in the army.
However, this book was a great read and I am happy to have it in my shelves. Mulan fans, don’t hesitate to read it ;)
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire