Description: Mulan isn’t afraid to pretend to be a son and assume her father’s soldier duties in war. But what happens when the handsome son of a duke discovers her secret?
Mulan is trying to resign herself to marrying the village butcher for the good of her family, but her adventurous spirit just can’t stand the thought. At the last minute, she pretends to be the son her father never had, assumes his duties as a soldier, and rides off to join the fight to protect the castle of her liege lord’s ally from the besieging Teutonic Knights.
Wolfgang and his brother Steffan leave Hagenheim with several other soldiers to help their father’s ally in Poland. When they arrive, Wolfgang is exasperated by the young soldier Mikolai who seems to either always be one step away from disaster... or showing Wolfgang up in embarrassing ways.
When Wolfgang discovers his former rival and reluctant friend Mikolai is actually a girl, he is determined to protect her. But battle is a dangerous place where anything can happen — and usually does.
When Mulan receives word that her mother has been accused of practicing witchcraft through her healing herbs and skills, Mulan’s only thought is of defending her. Will she be able to trust Wolfgang to help? Or will sacrificing her own life be the only way to save her mother?
My Thoughts: Mulan was always my favorite "Disney Princess" growing up. I related to her and wanted the freedom she found to choose who she would be. I can't say that I got quiet the same vibe from this story, though it did come close.
Melanie's Mulan wants more than to be married to a man who doesn't love her. While her stated goal is to see more of the world, in the end she seems to settle for meeting a man and learning to read. Not that reading doesn't let us travel the world from the comfort of our couch, but it still isn't quiet the same. Mulan does find a man to love her, but he also seems bent on ensuring she never fights again (whether she wants to or not) rather than encouraging her to be the best she can be. It left me wondering at the end what it was she would do with her time, if she is terrible at domestic duties but also isn't going to continue as a warrior.
For true fans of series, this should be another welcome addition, as the romance between her and Wolfgang is a sweet one once her secret comes out, with more put into their relationship than in past books. However, for myself, I found this to be pretty middle of the road for the series. I didn't love it, but it did offer some nostalgia for a story I do love. There are also a few elements I have begun to notice after reading so many in this series that get repeated in many of them (over the top villains, words that are repeated frequently within the same page, ect), but I think that could be easily overlooked by YA readers who want a simple, clean romance.
I have provided an honest review after receiving a copy of the book through the Fiction Guild.
No comments:
Post a Comment