Author: K.X. Song

Publisher: Ace/Berkley Publishing Group

ISBN: 9780593815724

A young woman pretends to be a man to take her father’s place in the army. As war becomes imminent, the woman must navigate intense training, a growing attraction to another soldier, and keeping her identity a secret. Author K.X. Song’s adult fantasy debut, inspired by the Chinese legend of Mulan, begins with a great deal of excitement but then slows down in The Night Ends with Fire.

Han Meilin avoids her father on most days. After her mother drowned herself, Meilin’s father remarried but also became addicted to opium. Her stepmother is only a handful of years older than herself, but Meilin has always treated her with respect and love—two things neither of them get from Meilin’s father.

With the news of impending war, Meilin becomes concerned for her family’s finances. Her father has an easy solution: marry Meilin off and use the dowry to cover their debts. Meilin has no intention of marrying some old man, and there’s no guarantee her father will actually use the funds to pay the creditors back. He’ll probably spend it on more opium.

She’s betrothed anyway and then discovers that her fiancé is, indeed, an old man who is also cruel and violent. Meilin decides to run away instead. The army is actively conscripting the men of the kingdom for the war effort. Meilin’s father begged off the conscription with vague tales of an injury, but Meilin takes his place. Maybe, she thinks, she can keep her stepmother and stepsiblings safe.

There is, however, a major problem with Meilin’s plan: she’s a woman, and women are not meant to have any power, never mind join the army. Meilin is undeterred and puts together a disguise that hides her biological identity then, with her stepmother’s blessing, joins the military. 

She never anticipated just how difficult the life would be, however, and what it would take to earn 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 so close, she’s having trouble concentrating.

The reality of war pulls her focus front and center. Rumors abound about the conditions of each of the Three Kingdoms and who might win. There are also whispers of black magic, something Meilin tries to ignore so no one can find out her other secret: she can wield that magic herself.

As battles rage and Meilin is called time and again to step in and fight alongside the other soldiers, though, she’ll be forced to call upon her magic in the most 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, that she’s just as capable as the men she fights with.

Author K.X. Song channels her own culture for this novel, lending a delightful authenticity to Meilin’s experiences. The world Song builds feels three-dimensional and lived in. Its textures will draw readers in right away.

The choice to keep the entire book in first person from Meilin’s point of view, however, ultimately works against it. The pacing slows down considerably in many places. A book about epic wars between kingdoms should move with briskness, but Meilin’s narration often makes the battles feel much longer than necessary.

Her repeated assertion that she “had no head for politics” also works as a major drawback, because readers will miss out on the greater forces at play between the kingdoms. The romantic elements work sometimes, but other times they feel slightly out of place. Also, because the entire book is through Meilin’s eyes, the author has no choice but to make Meilin a prisoner of war over and over again. At some point, the tales of Meilin’s capture, torture, and escape start to feel a little too routine.

The book is touted as a tribute to the legend of Mulan, but the novel deviates from the accepted story of the warrior woman. Those who would like to read a story about a strong woman standing up against her circumstances and odds 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.