Starting 2025 with a highlight! The Night Ends with Fire is a darker fantasy Mulan retelling, and it absolutely blew me away.

The world-building and magic system were intricate and beautifully explained through the quotes at the beginning of the chapters, quickly drawing me into the world of the three kingdoms. This story isn’t like Disney's Mulan, but it had a lot of small Easter eggs that were a lot of fun to spot.

The characters are phenomenal, especially Meilin, who instantly became one of my favorites. She’s a strong, complex woman navigating a world set against her. Ambitious, scheming, sometimes selfish and morally grey, she was fascinating to follow as she grew into her abilities. Qinglong is equally intriguing, and I’m eager to see his endgame in the sequel. At this point, it feels like peaceful coexistence between him and Meilin is impossible, and I’m desperate to find out how she survives their clash.

The love triangle might be controversial, but I enjoyed it, even though the choice feels obvious to me. Looking forward, I hope Meilin and Lei join forces to escape the capital and forge an alliance. His offer of a higher military position seemed genuine, and I believe he would support her ambition and help her thrive, unlike Sky, whose sense of duty might hold her back. While Sky is kind, he lacks the intrigue and complexity Lei brings to the table.

The betrayals from Tao and especially Sparrow at the end were heart-wrenching, even though I already had my suspicions about the dragon's prophecy where Meilin was loved and respected as a soldier despite being a woman. Sparrow’s misogynistic tendencies were hinted at earlier, but like Meilin, I was too trustful and hoped he would come around.

All in all, this book was an incredible surprise and a fantastic way to start my reading year. I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel!