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Get ready for epic storytelling. I've heard so much buzz about this book. It's in my read next que. Mulan? Yes. Magic? Fantasy? The Three Kingdoms? Yes. Yes and YES please. Plus one of my favorite authors is singing praise about it:
“Sweepingly epic and tenderly romantic, The Night Ends With Fire
is a fiercely feminist adventure about a young woman fighting to
shape her destiny in a world of lore, magic, and war.”
—AMÉLIE WEN ZHAO, New York Times bestselling
author of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night
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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.
K. X. Song is a diaspora writer with roots in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Raised between cultures and languages, she enjoys telling stories that explore the shifting nature of memory, translation, and history. She is the author of An Echo in the City and the forthcoming The Night Ends with Fire, her adult fantasy debut. You can learn more at kxsong.com
So. The final book in the duology of The Wraith. We're back in the midst of both the Fair Lands and Regency London. The Wraith, Theo has saved the Fair Lands. I almost think these two books could have just been one since it's all Theo mostly. I was hoping we could be done with Theo and Lily's story as sweet as it was. I hoped Shelby could shine in his very own adventure where Theo was a supporting character. To me, Theo is again the main character.
I wanted more of Shelby, more of Miss Firethorn. As loyal as Shelby is to Theo, it's wonderful and amazing really. I also wanted HIM to just be the one. A great conclusion to the adventures of the Wraith. The Fair Lands will be safe, but now it's a matter of winning the trust of the Fair people so that there can be peace among them.
A reimagining of Baroness Emmuska Orczy's A Scarlet Pimpernel. The Wraith and the Rose main characters, Theodore Overton and Lilybeth Rose Hathaway are in London for the season, so of course there is romance in the air. This isn't your everyday Regency romance, this has Fae, magic, and an unlikely hero in disguise!
I have never read A Scarlet Pimpernel. I think if I had I would have understood the character of Theo Overton much better. The unlikely hero is seen simply as a wealthy Englishman during the season. Kind, generous, and thoughtful Theo seems too gentle really to be all the things the Wraith is. The Wraith is bold, daring, amazing with disguises, a great swordsman, and has magical abilities above the normal amount humans have. While a great character Theo was too too perfect. He didn't seem to have a flaw in him, maybe that was his flaw. Sure there is miscommunication on both his and Lily's sides. So there was a misunderstanding, he was still too perfect.
Edwardian Romance and History Gains a Twist of Suspense
Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they concentrate on stealing high-value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. But when Rosemary must determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany, she is in for the challenge of a lifetime. How does one steal a family's history, their very name?
Peter Holstein, given his family's German blood, writes his popular series of adventure novels under a pen name. With European politics boiling and his own neighbors suspicious of him, Peter debates whether it might be best to change his name for good. When Rosemary shows up at his door pretending to be a historian and offering to help him trace his family history, his question might be answered.
But as the two work together and Rosemary sees his gracious reaction to his neighbors' scornful attacks, she wonders if her assignment is going down the wrong path. Is it too late to help him prove that he's more than his name?