Author: K.X. Song
Publisher: Ace/BerkleyPublishing Group
ISBN: 9780593815724
A young woman pretends tobe a man to take her father’s place in the army. As war becomesimminent, the woman must navigate intense training, a growingattraction to another soldier, and keeping her identity a secret.Author K.X. Song’s adult fantasy debut, inspired by the Chineselegend of Mulan, begins with a great deal of excitement but thenslows down in The Night Ends with Fire.
Han Meilin avoids herfather on most days. After her mother drowned herself, Meilin’sfather remarried but also became addicted to opium. Her stepmother isonly a handful of years older than herself, but Meilin has alwaystreated her with respect and love—two things neither of them getfrom Meilin’s father.
With the news of impendingwar, Meilin becomes concerned for her family’s finances. Her fatherhas an easy solution: marry Meilin off and use the dowry to covertheir debts. Meilin has no intention of marrying some old man, andthere’s no guarantee her father will actually use the funds to paythe creditors back. He’ll probably spend it on more opium.
She’s betrothed anywayand then discovers that her fiancé is, indeed, an old man who isalso cruel and violent. Meilin decides to run away instead. The armyis actively conscripting the men of the kingdom for the war effort.Meilin’s father begged off the conscription with vague tales of aninjury, but Meilin takes his place. Maybe, she thinks, she can keepher stepmother and stepsiblings safe.
There is, however, a majorproblem with Meilin’s plan: she’s a woman, and women are notmeant to have any power, never mind join the army. Meilin isundeterred and puts together a disguise that hides her biologicalidentity then, with her stepmother’s blessing, joins the military.
She never anticipated justhow difficult the life would be, however, and what it would take toearn the trust of her commanding officer and fellow soldiers. Worse,the head of their battalion is Prince Sky. In an odd twist of fate,Meilin ran into him once and felt an attraction. Now, with him soclose, she’s having trouble concentrating.
The reality of war pullsher focus front and center. Rumors abound about the conditions ofeach of the Three Kingdoms and who might win. There are also whispersof black magic, something Meilin tries to ignore so no one can findout her other secret: she can wield that magic herself.
As battles rage and Meilinis called time and again to step in and fight alongside the othersoldiers, though, she’ll be forced to call upon her magic in themost dire times. Meilin knows a woman is not meant to desire power.But it’s hard not to do so when she sees, time and again, thatshe’s just as capable as the men she fights with.
Author K.X. Song channelsher own culture for this novel, lending a delightful authenticity toMeilin’s experiences. The world Song builds feels three-dimensionaland lived in. Its textures will draw readers in right away.
The choice to keep theentire book in first person from Meilin’s point of view, however,ultimately works against it. The pacing slows down considerably inmany places. A book about epic wars between kingdoms should move withbriskness, but Meilin’s narration often makes the battles feel muchlonger than necessary.
Her repeated assertionthat she “had no head for politics” also works as a majordrawback, because readers will miss out on the greater forces at playbetween the kingdoms. The romantic elements work sometimes, but othertimes they feel slightly out of place. Also, because the entire bookis through Meilin’s eyes, the author has no choice but to makeMeilin a prisoner of war over and over again. At some point, thetales of Meilin’s capture, torture, and escape start to feel alittle too routine.
The book is touted as atribute to the legend of Mulan, but the novel deviates from theaccepted story of the warrior woman. Those who would like to read astory about a strong woman standing up against her circumstances andodds to make her mark in the world may want to check this out.Otherwise I recommend readers Borrow The Night Ends with Fire by K.X.Song.