The Night Ends with Fire by K.X. Song – Review

Published: July 2, 2024

Publisher: Ace

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 432 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 3.75 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis
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.

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I was so surprised to find that I enjoyed this retelling of Mulan. Sure, I loved the Disney movie, but I wasn’t sure if it would work for me in an adult fantasy book – would it feel too similar? Or conversely, not similar enough? 

This follows Hai Meilin, daughter of a noble house, who is determined to escape her opium addicted father and the abusive merchant she is to wed by any means necessary. Meilin decides that joining the military to fight in the looming war is her best option so she leaves with only a jade amulet her mother left for her and the kung-fu skills she honed in secret. She quickly forms friendships with her squadmates and even begins training at night with Sky, the youngest prince. And though the friendships put her secret at risk, her biggest concern is hiding the fact that the jade amulet she has is magical. She can channel the energy of the water dragon, putting her directly in opposition to the man wielding the power of the phoenix for their enemy.

I found The Night Ends with Fire to be a surprisingly quick read. I ended up sitting down and reading half of it in a single morning, which speaks to the smooth writing and the engaging storytelling. I really didn’t want to put this down! Meilin herself is a determined character, unafraid to risk herself to ensure the destruction of the phoenix. There was plenty of action, but despite the number of deaths, the gruesomeness of war felt distant. 

My least favorite part of The Night Ends with Fire was that once Meilin is found to be a woman she inevitably becomes an object of interest to the powerful men around her. They wish to confine her back to the role of a woman despite the fact that she has proved her prowess in battle and hardship. While Meilin is struck dumb upon seeing the handsome prince Sky the first time (and many times thereafter), it was still somewhat disappointing that she continued to like him after his awful treatment when he found out she was a woman. To top this, Sky isn’t the only love interest! Meilin is captured by the enemy and yet another prince falls for her and she returns his attention. I wasn’t buying in to the romance in this story and didn’t enjoy it.

Overall, I enjoyed The Night Ends with Fire, but the romantic elements really fell flat for me. This book would have been improved without those elements and could have perhaps earned a five star rating because I enjoyed the story otherwise. Fair warning, while it does have plenty of major plot points from the Disney movie, this doesn’t have the humor and leans toward the more traditional version of the tale. I wasn’t really expecting it to feel like a Disney movie anyway, so that didn’t take me by surprise. I kind of liked the abrupt and unexpected ending, which definitely left me thinking about the book for some time afterward. I would recommend this, though with the aforementioned reservations about the romance.