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A review by the_ya_assassin
Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne
4.0
Thank you Disney Hyperion for sending me an eARC of "Feather and Flame" through Netgalley to read and review.
"We can't expect to be carried by fate toward what is worthwhile and good. We have to reach for it."
Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne is a great continuation of Mulan with all the action, strength, and feminism of the Disney movie.
In this second book in The Queen's Council series, we follow Mulan after the events of the Disney movie. After her victory against the Huns and saving all of China, she is a renowned hero. However, she decides to stay in her village versus joining the emperor's personal cabinet of advisors to train women into warriors.
When Shang arrives in her peaceful village with a message from the emperor, Mulan's life is upended. She returns to the Imperial City, and the emperor tells her that he wants to name Mulan his heir. He soon dies and the weight of the responsibility and power of being empress terrifies her. In addition, it is clear that not everyone in her country is happy with a woman ruler, and Mulan doesn't know who to trust. When treachery appears even in her village's militia, Mulan is afraid she isn't fit to rule.
However, with the help of the mysterious Queen's Council, Mulan uncovers her true destiny and owns her own power to save China once again.
Blackburne exquisitely wrote Mulan. She was the same heroine we saw in the Disney movie, which allowed me to connect with her more. The dashes of real Chinese history gave a nice twist to the continuation too. The worldbuilding was well-done, and it was clear Blackburne did her research.
The major twist in the book - who betrayed Mulan - seemed obvious to me since the quarter-done mark. There was one section, probably the 75-80% mark, where I found myself skimming because a lot of the writing had no real bearing on the story. Besides that though, I did NOT want to put it down!
I felt emotional for most of the story - Shang and Mulan's exchanges killed me every time - and my heart raced during the action scenes. I wish it wasn't SO PG because it could have been SO much for detailed, but I understand why Blackburne wrote it that way (I mean, it IS being published by Disney, which is family-friendly).
My only real issue with this book was that it seemed a bit rushed, and the writing wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. Overall though, a great book for Disney lovers and especially Mulan fans!
"We can't expect to be carried by fate toward what is worthwhile and good. We have to reach for it."
Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne is a great continuation of Mulan with all the action, strength, and feminism of the Disney movie.
In this second book in The Queen's Council series, we follow Mulan after the events of the Disney movie. After her victory against the Huns and saving all of China, she is a renowned hero. However, she decides to stay in her village versus joining the emperor's personal cabinet of advisors to train women into warriors.
When Shang arrives in her peaceful village with a message from the emperor, Mulan's life is upended. She returns to the Imperial City, and the emperor tells her that he wants to name Mulan his heir. He soon dies and the weight of the responsibility and power of being empress terrifies her. In addition, it is clear that not everyone in her country is happy with a woman ruler, and Mulan doesn't know who to trust. When treachery appears even in her village's militia, Mulan is afraid she isn't fit to rule.
However, with the help of the mysterious Queen's Council, Mulan uncovers her true destiny and owns her own power to save China once again.
Blackburne exquisitely wrote Mulan. She was the same heroine we saw in the Disney movie, which allowed me to connect with her more. The dashes of real Chinese history gave a nice twist to the continuation too. The worldbuilding was well-done, and it was clear Blackburne did her research.
The major twist in the book - who betrayed Mulan - seemed obvious to me since the quarter-done mark. There was one section, probably the 75-80% mark, where I found myself skimming because a lot of the writing had no real bearing on the story. Besides that though, I did NOT want to put it down!
I felt emotional for most of the story - Shang and Mulan's exchanges killed me every time - and my heart raced during the action scenes. I wish it wasn't SO PG because it could have been SO much for detailed, but I understand why Blackburne wrote it that way (I mean, it IS being published by Disney, which is family-friendly).
My only real issue with this book was that it seemed a bit rushed, and the writing wasn't as good as I hoped it would be. Overall though, a great book for Disney lovers and especially Mulan fans!