I received an ARC of this book from the publishing house via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I decided I’m not going to rate this book for many reasons. For starters, I didn’t like it and my rating would be low. Normally, I wouldn’t have problems with the raiting system, but in this case I feel like I don’t want to reduce this book to some stars, because I had really high expectations before reading it. In simple terms, I’d like to preserve a tiny amount of positivity when I think about “The Night Ends With Fire”. Also, I think K. X. Song has put a lot of passion and effort in her book, and I appreciate that.

“The Night Ends With Fire” is promised to be a crossover between “The Poppy War”, “Six Crimson Cranes”, “Mulan” and “Three Kingdoms”. I actually felt the vibes from TPW and SCC, but I think the major inspiration behind the book is “Mulan”. Meilin’s story follows perfectly Mulan’s one and its schemes (Meilin disguising as a man, being part of the army and training to became a soldier, falling in love with her superior, being discovered, etc etc). Unfortunately, I could not empathise with the character and I found the story not as appealing as I expected.

I think the first 200 pages are TNEWF’s real problem. In the first chapters there where so many time jumps I felt like I was loosing an important part in the narrative. Like, what challenges has Meilin endured to became a good soldier? How has the relationship between the mc and her love interest started FOR REAL? I think a lot of central elements happened off screen, and this annoys me a little tbh. In addition, I think Meilin discovered her connection to Qinglong too soon. I don’t know, something felt off about it.

At least, the final part was interesting and believable and it made me a little bit curious, but not enough to let me desire to continue this series. Shoutout to the notes at the start of every chapter. I adored them.

The Night Ends with Fire has a sick cover and an even sicker name. Though it has its flaws, this book stands up to them.

Pitched as a cross between Mulan and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a centuries-old Chinese classic, this book follows a girl named Hai Meilin as she runs from her arranged marriage to enlist in the army in her father’s place. The drumbeat of war is fast approaching, with each of the three kingdoms declaring itself the rightful ruler of all the others. But before Meilin leaves, her stepmother gives her a magical jade that her mad late mother wore — and she starts to hear a voice that whispers dreams of power in her ear. Fearing to follow in her mother’s footsteps, but called by her ambition, Meilin must survive battles, keep her gender hidden, and navigate the attentions of two princes she’s not sure she can trust, as she fights to prove her worth and claim her power amid the fires of war.

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned YA-esque fantasy novel about war and love triangles to get the blood pumping, and remember what it’s like to be a teenager for an afternoon — especially when that’s not all the book is about. I had my doubts for the first fifth of the book (in fact I almost dnfed it because it seemed to gloss over events, and felt too familiar as both a Mulan and The Poppy War redux) but I’m glad I pushed through, because it quickly gets more complicated. It isn't quite as dark, but I would definitely compare this more to TPW than to the Mulan movie in terms of tone, and in some ways in subject matter; while the plot bears some resemblance to Mulan, in all honesty, at times I felt that this was simply a reimagined Poppy War with more focus on the romance. But that’s not quite true: where TPW focusses on colonialism and warfare, The Night Ends with Fire puts greater emphasis on gender relations and feminism, taking specific aim at China’s historically extremely rigid patriarchy, which The Poppy War observes more in passing. In TPW, while sexism and gendered violence do exist, the military is supposed to be 'equal opportunity' and the main character Fang Runin faces few concrete obstacles due to her gender; this book was written to fill that gap, emerging from a similar worldbuilding premise to take a feminist angle rather than an anti-colonial one. Even in the original Ballad of Mulan, when Mulan returns home victorious after ten long years of war, she resumes the normal filial Chinese life of a woman, and lays down her sword to be ruled by the men of her family; this book instead follows a character à la Fang Runin, who would die before surrendering her ambitions to any man.

The execution wasn't perfect. Like I mentioned, I wasn't a huge fan of the beginning, as events just flew by and everything seemed very easy and obvious for the already-a-kung-fu-master, magically gifted main character. Later on, the romantic subplots also seemed to take over the narrative at times, leading to some weird pacing (though I didn't completely mind it lol). Still, the fast scenes and short chapters kept the story flying by, and while I didn't love Meilin's first-person narration, K.X. Song's prose contain some really beautiful (very Chinese) descriptions and metaphors. Most importantly to me, Song has something to say with these books — this is planned to be the first in a series, and I am very much crossing my fingers that the sequels can deliver on the promising conflicts set up upon this installment's foundations. The Night Ends with Fire very much reminds me of the YA of the good old days, when the fantasy conflicts weren't just about empty wars and the affections of indistinguishable love interests, but had messages about the world too; it feels fresh, like someone who grew up on the same generation of books is writing their own take on them, a love letter with their own ideas mixed in.

Bottom line: would recommend to any fan of The Poppy War who wanted fewer war crimes, more gender studies, and/or more romance. Or for a younger reader who didn't feel like traumatising themselves with said war crimes. I eagerly await (ugh, probably a year+ away) the next book!

CW: abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, torture.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

A few hints of Disney and a lot of myth makes this a fantastic read. If you enjoy a myth retelling that brings some reality to the story. This is the one. But be warned, because the summary doesn't say it; this is the first in a series, not a stand alone. I still recommend giving it a go!

I really enjoyed this novel - it read like one of the C Dramas I love watching, and I even found myself casting the main characters with some of my favourite actors. It was so refreshing to find a SELFISH female lead (though I don't find her selfish at all, I thouroughly understand where she's coming from and how despair for what the world determines must be our place will lead to choices most will probably condemn), one who doesn't have 'the good of the world and her people' behind her motives, one who isn't about to sacrifice herself for the sake of others, like most heroes in fantasy tales. Meilin does what she does for herself, because she wants more than what society determined she should have, being a woman, a non-entity, a commodity as she is. Rebelling against the roles she's been forced to all her life, just because she happened to be born female, she chooses a way out, fully aware of the risks, but believing she can get away with them. I honestly wish she had, just for the sake of female vindication, but the story will not end there, I guess. I liked Meilin for what she stands and the way she - victim to the teachings of a secular society that sees women as cattle - considers herself an abomination, one she fully embraces, though. I didn't much care for Prince Liu (though his elder brother did get me very curious and I wish there'd been more screen time for him) and found him annoying but Cao Lei, now there's one I really found quite interesting. Maybe because he reminded me of the blind Gongzi on Bloody Romance (wonder if the author's seen that drama and got her inspiration from it) or maybe because he's sort of the antihero in all this, but where Liu Sky was a bit of a wet fish and a bidimensional character, Cao Lei had a lot more depth to him, as a character. I was invested in him and his story, contrary to Liu's.
One thing that irked and annoyed me a lot was the use of English translations and pinyin at the same time - it was extremely irritating to have names like Sparrow and Sky and Winter alongside Sima Yi, Cao Lei, Hao Meilin, etc. Why not settle for the pinyin in every name, with a side note translation of specific names? I also disliked the 'Okays' peppered here and there, but that's a pet peeve of mine. All in all, I did enjoy this novel a lot, it was extremely entertaining and kept me hooked the entire time, wanting to see where Meilin's choices would lead.
My thanks to the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Ends With Fire is a fascinating retelling of Mulan, including elements of the supernatural. We see Meilin struggle not just due to her place in society as a woman but also having access to magic which is outlawed. A big theme in the book is isolation and not just because of her circumstances but also due to the other characters motivations. The book can at times feel lonely as there's downsides to all of Meilin's potential allies, even Meilin herself is dealing with controlling her impulses due to her magic's influence. It makes it all feel rather hopeless at times, not knowing who to trust has you second guessing everyone's motivations and even Meilin. Despite this or because of this... The novel itself is a riveting read and flows well as Meilin escapes her marriage and joins the army in the three kingdoms war.

The cast of supporting characters are great and standouts such as Autumn, Lei and Sparrow really bring the book together even with you guessing the motivations and how they'll react if they discover Meilin's secrets.

I look forward to seeing what happens next in Meilin's story and if she can find some allies she can confide in! Thanks to Netgalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the arc.

This book offers a smooth, easy-to-follow narrative with some enjoyable characters, particularly Lei, who stands out as the most intriguing. While the writing flows well, it adheres closely to familiar story beats, lacking in surprises or moments of anticipation. The depiction of sexual assault, though thematically relevant, feels excessive and repetitive within the narrative. However, for fans of Asian-inspired fantasy, this book provides a solid and accessible read reminiscent of titles like Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night, and Six Crimson Cranes.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

“The Night Ends With Fire” was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. It’s a book inspired by The Poppy War and Mulan, promising an epic adventure and a toe-curling romance. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The novel didn’t meet my expectations and I had to DNF this book at almost 50%. I don’t usually stop reading a book without finishing it, but it didn’t meet my personal taste and I just couldn’t force myself to keep going.

The novel follows the life of Mielin, a young woman living in a household with her beloved stepmother, her two siblings, and an abusive father addicted to opium. Forced to marry a man, Mielien decides to run away and join the army in the upcoming war. To do that, she’ll be forced to hide her identity and pretend to be a man.

During the first chapters I found myself intrigued by the relationship of Mielin and her stepmom, an equally young woman compelled to endure her husband’s abuses. It’s hard to find books with lovable stepmothers that are on good terms with their stepdaughters and I hoped to see that bond evolving throughout the book. But Mielin goes away, trying to save herself from an unwanted and violent marriage and leaving her stepmother and her siblings alone in that unbearable situation. It was the only possible choice, but it also meant abandoning the woman who has become as close to her as a sister in the hands of her father. I found it quite selfish, why not try to make them all escape, or ponder something even more drastic?

The book was fast-paced, the narration proceeded quickly, leaving no room for thorough descriptions and characters’ insights. Even though the novel is narrated in the first person by Mielin, I couldn’t fully emphasise with her— expect for the beginning, especially when she was still leaving in her house—, nor did I root for the couple.
I’d like to focus on the training sessions Mielin did to enhance her abilities. The time goes by, but the reader doesn’t feel Mielin’s improvement precisely because they aren’t described. These might have been the right opportunities to deepen the characters, showing their strengthens and weaknesses, thus letting the reader develop a sort of attachment to the characters.

I was fascinated by the magic system, but it wasn’t wholly developed. Everything felt fuzzy and not as interesting as I hoped it to be. Mielin was afraid of the very notion of power not only because it was something dangerous and unknown, but especially due to the misogynistic beliefs of her people. Sadly, I found this issue to be somewhat overlooked.

The romance felt flat just like Sky. If we can enter into Mielin’s mind, we’re totally unaware of Sky’s personality. He remains a mystery and I couldn’t grow fond of him. The relationship between them isn’t properly developed. They create an important link when Mielin is training to become a better soldier, but these scenes aren’t shown so it’s something difficult to believe. They could have raised the tension and even built a proper bond between them.

Mulan merely inspired “The Night Ends With Fire”, but a lot of scenes were pretty much the same. At least the first half of the book proceeded with very few differences with the cartoon. On the other hand, I didn’t find anything close to The Poppy War.

Obviously that’s my personal opinion. The novel is well-written and it’s easy to read. I highly recommend it to readers who are new to the fantasy genre. It isn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t for me.

The Night Ends with Fire is a Mulan re-telling with a twist. I love Mulan so of course I had to pick it up, and honestly it 100% delivered. I will say that the pacing might not work for everyone, as it jumps from one thing to the next quite a bit. I'm usually not a fan of this as I enjoy the journey, however, it worked here. In my opinion, anything extra added between the time jumps would have felt like filler. Instead the pacing was fast and the action kept me hooked and eager to continue reading.

The main character, Meilin, wants more than the lot women are afforded in this world. What sets her apart from your typical heroine is that she is unapologetically ambition and although she has to save the world, her reason for wanting to do so is not selfless. She doesn't want to save the world for the sake of humanity, she wants to save the world to protect her loved ones. I really liked her relationship with her stepmum, it was heartwarming and a change from the usual horrible stepmum set up. She also tentatively develops a friendship with another female character, and I hope she encounters more in the sequel as I l love seeing women support women.

The world building was straight forward with no info dumps, making this the perfect read for fantasy novices. I found the concept of the spirits and the magic tied to them to be fascinating.

Another aspect of The Night Ends with Fire I enjoyed is the romance. I will say that there is a love triangle, but personally it didn't bother me. I know who I'm rooting for and hope that he is end game. I mean, the development of his relationship with Meilin was naturally paced and such a good slow burn.

Needless to say, I can't wait for the release of the conclusion to this story!

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This was almost something. Let’s start with what I did like:
The writing was smooth, easy to follow, and though it had some stilted chapter endings here and there, overall it was an easy read.
But that’s all it was: easy and fine. It was hitting nothing but familiar story beats, and at no point did the story turn around and make me go: Wow, I wonder what happens next!
I liked some of the characters. I really liked Lei, he was the most interesting one in here. I liked the Meilin was unapologetically greedy, but that’s probably all I liked about her. She felt a bit bland to me.
Now, there were two or three instances in this story where it was heavily alluded to that the main character as going to be sexually assaulted. And while I understand the story dealt with themes of war, and that people are awful, and that this happens… in this particular story, it felt incredibly unnecessary. I don’t know how to explain it without going into detail, but it felt unnecessary and boring, especially when it happened multiple times.

Overall, the story is fine! I think I just wanted something different than what it was. If you love Asian inspired fantasy, this would be a solid read for you! It kind of reminded me of Song Like Silver, Flame Like Night, Six Crimson Cranes, etc

3⭐️!

Loved this fantasy romance! It was fun, fast paced and the romance was great.

This is an amazing retelling of mulan. If you like mulan, fantasy and romance then read this, you won’t be disappointed! Although it did read quite YA, it was still well written.

This book is not only dramatic and engrossing, it is also insightful and wise. Read it! Read it! You will never forget it!

I loved this book a lot. I loved the way the characters had magic through the Jade which bound them to a god.
I loved the flawed characters.
The romance was written fantastically.
I can't wait to read more from this world!

final rating: 4.5/5☆

thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the e-arc!

i like myself a good retelling, and this is one. Mulan (the disney animated one) holds a special place in my heart, so when i saw this, i knew i had request it. this book took what was originally already an empowering and captivating story of a woman taking her father's place in the army in disguise and made it into so much more.

(spoilers ahead!!)

this book started out reminding me a little too much of the live action at first, the girl Meilin with too much qi/chi who likes to flip around rooftops and will end up marrying against her will. but then that's where it all starts going whoosh in all the best ways. her meeting with Sky felt straight out of Howl's Moving Castle and i could feel the chemistry between them, something easy and exciting brewing that i needed to see come to fruition. and boy did we see that happening throughout the training arc, even thinking she's a man, Sky became her only true friend who supported her till the end (unlike Sparrow in the end, hope he gets his comeuppance in a sequel).

small note: the naming conventions took me out a bit. perhaps because i know chinese, seeing in english, Liu Winter and Liu Sky felt a little strange. i mean, i wouldn't have minded seeing Liu Xue and Liu Tian or Liu Kong, since everyone else's names romanised.

okay but, i was not expecting all the political intrigue in this one! it was all lots of fun, especially when Meilin is imprisoned by Lei, and he keeps us guessing about his intentions, towards her, towards the chancellor, and towards the war. in the end, i think he was the one who was clearest about the truth. apart from the spirits Zhuque and Qinglong, who will never reveal the truth. magic and politics in a Mulan retelling!

i can't wait to see what could happen in a sequel, with Meilin behind bars, Lei being used to negotiate a peace treaty, and the still not destroyed seal.

3 stars - I loved the inversion of the usual evil stepmother trope, and I wish there had been an opportunity to see a little more of Meilin's relationship with Xiuying. I enjoyed the quotes included at the beginning of each chapter and how they helped to give a bigger picture of the world and magic system. The plot was engaging and I loved Meilin's resilience and drive, as well as her acknowledgement of her wants and her greed without feeling ashamed. The ending was realistic to the world the author had created, and leaves the book in an interesting place for the next one to pick up from. The author's note was a lovely addition - it was so interesting to read about the author's intentions with the book!

I really struggled with the writing style in this book, as despite being written in first person, I felt so disconnected from Meilin. The love interests seemed like interesting characters, but their relationships with Meilin felt underdeveloped, and many of the side characters also felt shallow. The dialogue, writing and characters seemed more YA than Adult to me, and I would have loved some more details about the worldbuilding and magic system.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc!

Mark my words, this book is going to be your next obsession!

For me, this felt like a mix of Daughter of the Moon Goddess meets Mulan. There was so much weight to the story, even just behind Meilin’s identity.

I can’t wait for more people to read about this book and fall in love with the characters in the same way I did (even the bad ones 👀)

I’m eagerly awaiting book two!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodderscape for giving me access. This was a much anticipated read for me, and I have been aware of this book for a few months now.

I would like to preface this review: I have not read the original Mulan story, and do not know the details. Therefore, I cannot make a detailed analysis of how this books stands as a retelling.

Wow... just wow. K. X. Song has absolutely blown me away with this absolutely epic and exciting story. It deals with a variation of themes: gender inequality, inner conflict, grief, deception. I was moved by how each character had its flaws, but understandable motivations behind their actions. The dynamics between Lei and Meilin were wonderful to read. I hope we get more of them in the next book, as they have both suffered similar fates. I enjoyed learning about the lore, and the concepts behind the dragon, the phoenix etc. It was unique, and added a high fantasy element to this story.


On the note of gender, reading this book encouraged me to reflect. I haven't felt this with many recent fantasy books, but this one truly made me consider if the inner conflict that Meilin is facing is comparable to those that women face today. Seeing her grapple true difficulty with accepting the confines of her gender in this period was heartbreaking, but also realistic. Watching her find her own ways to rebel was a moment of immense pride, I felt like I was cheering her on.

K. X. Song has a special talent for writing tension between characters, especially that of anger, and attraction. I was fixated on this book in the last 35%, where the writing becomes immaculate. Though I will say that the first half, and certainly the Part One were a little slow, but it definitely paid off for the excellent run up to the climax.

An unexpected addition that I thoroughly enjoyed was the wonderfully written Authors Note at the end. K. X. Song writes 'And yet in the course of war, as Meilin gains courage and comes into her own power, she begins to redefine the parameters of her potential and re-imagine how far she can go in this world. I hope you, too, may do the same.' This was deeply moving.

I did not see this story being ended on a cliff-hanger and I am absolutely EXCITED for the next book. I have many unanswered questions.

Meillin is about to go from being the property of her abusive father to the property of an abusive husband. But Meillin would rather die than go quietly into such a life, so she disguises herself as a man and joins the Army.

After a bit of a slow start, this book becomes a gripping, epic fantasy with a brilliant plot and incredible characters. I absolutely loved it!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A solid interrogation of the legend of Hua Mulan and an exploration of ambition within a fantastical, divided world inspired by Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Hai Meilin is greedy for autonomy and respect, but in a world where *sighs* women are to obey men and are suppressed for wanting or being their own persons, she is suffocating. So when war enlistment comes knocking on her household's rotting doors, she takes the only chance she has to have a different fate than being an abusive lord's docile wife. The consistency of her actions in pursuit of her goal is lovely to see.

So...seeing the way the supportive cast acted at the end is a little heartbreaking but emphasises the social norms that are bigger than her. I'm having hunches about where the supportive cast's arcs and the wider status quo will end up.

The romance is interesting. The two LIs parallel Meilin's desires and personality and embody social norms in different ways. One reflects her greed and ambition, the other her desire to triumph on her own merits and trust and hope for the world. The LIs have their own arcs that need to be accounted for if one is to try and foresee who'll form the endgame couple. Although...I'm inclined to say neither.

Spit-fire notes:
- I enjoyed the inclusion of the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, especially since they're well-used (you know, world-building, character-building, and foreshadowing).
-I love the author's note. PSA: please include more author's notes! It gives me insight into their minds and is more material for me to analyse the text.
-The naming conventions are inconsistent, with some having English first names (like Liu "Sky" or Liu "Winter") and others getting Chinese first names (e.g. Meilin). There weren't any in-universe or creative explanations for why. So, the reading experience was made weird with the names.
-While the magical lore is cool, I'd love additional literal worldbuilding with more place descriptions!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton (Hodderscape) for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

P.S. making my cover predictions now...the next one is going to be blue (because plot and also how many times out of 10 does a red cover get followed up by a blue one or vice versa?)

3.5 stars. This was a solid read. There were some good aspects to this, like the worldbuilding, but I felt like it was lacking in other areas like character depth.

I don't give many books 5 stars because I reserve it for books I think are truly phenomenal, but The Night Ends With Fire definitely deserves all the stars I can give it and more!

This is a hard hitting book about the oppression of women, mysogyny, and one girl's fight to find freedom in a man's world. Billed as a reong of Mulan, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this exceeded any expectations that I may have had.

Meilin is an excellent character who strives for what she wants: a life free from abuse at the hands of men. This makes her selfish and greedy and self-serving, but she is still kind and loyal to those around her, leaving her open for betrayal.

Both princes are beautifully written, leaving open a love triangle.

For fans of The Poppy War and She Who Became the Sun or just awesome women doing great things, this book will resonate.

Just a note to the publisher, there are several formatting errors that will need to be cleared up for readibility before final release.