The Night Ends with Fire
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
An instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!
An Indie Next pick!
Infused with magic and romance, this sweeping fantasy adventure inspired by the legend of Mulan follows a young woman determined to choose her own destiny—even if that means going against everyone she loves.
The Three Kingdoms are at war, but Meilin’s father refuses to answer the imperial draft. Trapped by his opium addiction, he plans to sell Meilin for her dowry. But when Meilin discovers her husband-to-be is another violent, ill-tempered man, she realizes that nothing will change for her unless she takes matters into her own hands.
The very next day, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in her father’s place.
In the army, Meilin's relentless hard work brings her recognition, friendship—and a growing closeness with Sky, a prince turned training partner. But has she simply exchanged one prison for another? As her kingdom barrels toward destruction, Meilin begins to have visions of a sea dragon spirit that offers her true power and freedom, but with a deadly price.
With the future of the Three Kingdoms hanging in the balance, Meilin will need to decide whom to trust—Sky, who inspires her loyalty and love; the sea dragon spirit, who has his own murky agenda; or an infuriating enemy prince who makes her question everything she once knew—about her kingdom and about her own heart.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A troubled young woman fights for her freedom in this ambitious if flawed reimagining from Song (An Echo in the City) of the Mulan legend. Hai Meilin's mother was driven to kill herself by the spirits in her head, leaving Meilin with her abusive, opium-addicted father. When he orders her to wed a wealthy, violent man, Meilin decides she would rather risk death than wind up trapped in an arranged marriage and escapes by disguising herself as a boy to secretly take her father's place in the army. Training for battle is brutal, but help comes from dashing and dutiful Prince Liu, who privately coaches her at night, and the voice in her head, the sea dragon spirit Qinglong, who serves as her spirit guide. Through Qinglong, Meilin discovers a great but dangerous power that could either turn the tides of war or, if she isn't careful, destroy her. Though determined Meilin proves a worthy heroine and the Mulan parallels make for a strong initial hook, as the plot veers from the source material, the continued references become gimmicky and feel shoehorned in. Indeed, Song's original subplots are far stronger than the loose fairy tale framework. The result is a novel that feels like it can't commit to what it wants to be.
