She brought honor on the battlefield. Now comes a new kind of war...
The war is over. Now a renowned hero, Mulan spends her days in her home village, training a militia of female warriors. The peace is a welcome one, and she knows it must be protected.
When Shang arrives with an invitation to the Imperial City, Mulan’s relatively peaceful life is upended once more. The aging emperor decrees that Mulan will be his heir to the throne. Such unimagined power and responsibility terrifies her, but who can say no to the Emperor?
As Mulan ascends into the halls of power, it becomes clear that not everyone is on her side. Her ministers undermine her, and the Huns sense a weakness in the throne. When hints of treachery appear even amongst those she considers friends, Mulan has no idea whom she can trust.
But the Queen’s Council helps Mulan uncover her true destiny. With renewed strength and the wisdom of those that came before her, Mulan will own her power, save her country, and prove once again that, crown or helmet, she was always meant to lead. This fierce reimagining of the girl who became a warrior blends fairy-tale lore and real history with a Disney twist.
This is second book in the series, following on from Rebel Rose. The idea of the series is that queens, in times of need, are visited by a spirit council of other queens who have been in their place; they are aided, and in return, they will aid another queen sometime in the future. Or the past, as it seems to operate across timelines! This time around, the queen in question is Mulan, unexpectedly elevated to Empress of China due to lack of other options for the Emperor.
Livia seems to be picking bits from all versions of Mulan, the live action and the two animated movies - for instance, the Emperor acknowledges his daughters, who married commoners and took themselves out of the line of succession in the second animated movie, but there is not so much as a whisper of Yao, Ling and Tien Po. This is especially weird because in that movie, they were the commonors, and they lived in Mulan's village! Why aren't they helping with her militia, following her to the Imperial City to help, or turning up to fight later on when it matters? Maybe we're not following the animated canon; there's no Mushu and no mention of him, and Mulan wasn't as close to her fellow soldiers in the live action. But then why is Shang there? And if we are following animated, why aren't Mulan and Shang married already? If the only thing we're taking from the second animated is the daughter's marriage, why not just leave them out and say the Emperor has no children? There was no hint of them in the first one, after all. Spoiler: if the dauthers marrying commoners takes them out of the line of succession, why isn't that true for Mulan? No one seems to worry about it at any point. None of this really affects the story as is; it just confuses me, as a reader and a fan of Mulan, and I would have liked some clarification. Even an author's note saying 'I have chosen the parts of canon I liked and lost the bits I didn't' would have helped - I would have been a lot less confused!
But most readers probably aren't as picky as I am, and the actual story and writing here are brilliant. Mulan is amazing, strong and willing to learn and be taught. Her new friends in the milita are wonderful and I loved reading about them. I wish the series allowed for a return to characters to see what happens afterwards, but I would say this is all we'll get. It's a shame, but it is a great read.
I really did enjoy this, confusion aside, and I'm looking forward to recommending it to others. It's a great read for any fan of Disney or kick ass women doing it for themselves.
Feather and Flame publishes on the 30th November, 2021. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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