Narrated by: Emily Woo ZellerE-Audio, 09:53:39Release Date: September 10, 2019Published by: Tu Books
Read from: March 22-26, 2020Stand-aloneSource: LibraryTW: Violence, War (Not much on page)For fans of: Retellings, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, POC on Cover, POC MC, YA
CHINA, 484 A.D.
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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I have been trying to get this in my hands FOREVER. And now that I finally did, I can see why it took so long to get to me. This re-telling was everything I wanted and then some. Not the movie version, but still good enough for me to still get the vibe to want to watch it lol
The characters in this were awesome. I LOVED Hua Mulan. Let's be real, there is NO ONE that is more bad ass than she is. As for everyone else, I didn't really like them. There was a lot of lying and deceit. (Not only from Mulan...)
As for the writing style, it wasn't something I'd write home about. . But it was an #ownvoices book and that made it earth shattering me because of it. And listening to her author's note at the end, it was cool to see the amount of research she did on top of knowing what she had already known from life. She went through a lot to make sure she got everything correct during this time period, from the food to the wine and more. It was totes worth it.
The narrator wasn't the best and I think that's what killed this for me. I don't feel like she was able to differentiate voices between characters. Everyone just sounded the same. She didn't really work for me in another book that she narrated and I let it go back then, but now 2 more books that she's narrated later, and still the same problem.... You see why it bothered me. But she is an #ownvoices narrator, so I loved that as well.
I waited for this book for a long time, and I can definitely see why. This own voices novel was well worth the wait. It's not the live action movie we've all been waiting for, but it is a good way to hold you over. So if you haven't read it, grab it and get listening!
Overall, I give this
